Despite the Nintendo Switch 2 being officially unveiled, the rumor mill is still very much in full swing. The latest tidbit seems to have arrived from Nintendo itself, as a recent FCC filing published by the company itself indicates a wireless GameCube controller could be in the works for Nintendo Switch 2.
Now this could mean that GameCube games are going to come to Nintendo Switch Online post-Switch 2 release. But to momentarily play devil’s advocate, that’s not a surefire thing. After all, the original Switch did have an official GameCube controller made for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
On the other hand, Nintendo Switch Online subscribers are able to purchase official wireless renditions of the NES, SNES, Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis / Mega Drive gamepads. All these systems are present and accounted for as bespoke NSO retro game libraries. And we all know which console came after the Nintendo 64. Okay, yes, it was the Game Boy Advance, you pedants, but the GameCube arrived roughly six months after this in late 2001.
Still, I don’t want to play devil’s advocate. Even if just for today, I want to believe that GameCube games will make their Nintendo Switch Online debut on Switch 2. To that end, I’ve made a list of the GameCube games I’d most want to see land on the subscription service. I’ve also chosen games that either don’t have modern day ports, or are otherwise difficult to purchase and play without investing in an older console setup.
F-Zero GX
F-Zero GX’s reputation is pretty legendary. Many who owned it on the GameCube will attest to it being one of the best racing games, period, and that’s a sentiment I share wholeheartedly.
Developed primarily by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio predecessor Amusement Vision (also responsible for classics like Super Monkey Ball and Daytona USA 2001), F-Zero GX is best remembered for its ridiculously fast racing, superb visuals, and a punishingly hard difficulty curve.
The game was a genuine killer app when it arrived in 2003, showcasing the power of the GameCube by impressively maintaining a solid 60 frames per second during the vast majority of gameplay. It also had tons of tracks, vehicles, a story mode and a clever car creator.
In the absence of a HD port or a true next-generation F-Zero game, a Nintendo Switch Online appearance from F-Zero GX would be most welcome indeed. It’s easily the pinnacle of Nintendo’s dormant anti-gravity racing series (yes I know F-Zero 99 exists, but are you still playing it?) and very much deserving of a comeback.
Phantasy Star Online Episode 1 & 2
Outside of the PC-exclusive Blue Burst client, Phantasy Star Online Episode 1 & 2 is the definitive way to play this phenomenal Sonic Team RPG, which was one of the earliest cases of a console online multiplayer game.
At its core, Phantasy Star Online is an action role-playing game that applied the series’ dungeon-crawling roots to a multiplayer environment. Parties of up to four players would choose their class and run through various dungeons to collect loot and level up by defeating scores of enemies and bosses.
It’s a looter in its purest form, and to this day is incredibly easy to pick up and play. PSO’s grind is also a very enjoyable one, especially as you move up to harder difficulty levels where new enemies and rare item drops begin to make appearances.
I also just love the vibes of it all. PSO has a very distinct, often moody atmosphere. This is greatly helped by its clean visual style and an impressively robust soundtrack. And while the game is perfectly playable offline thanks to solo and local multiplayer options, being able to hop online with pals via Nintendo Switch Online would see this stone cold classic get the resurgence it absolutely deserves.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
For my money, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is comfortably the best GameCube Zelda game. Twilight Princess is of course excellent, and Four Swords Adventures would arguably be a better fit for NSO given its multiplayer trappings. But for me, The Wind Waker remains unmatched thanks to its charming visuals, breathtaking ocean-filled world and a simply joyous journey from start to finish.
It is arguable that a native Switch 2 port of The Wind Waker HD would be the preferable choice here. After all, it brought plenty of great quality-of-life features such as a fast sail that made ocean travel much less cumbersome.
However, I was never really a fan of the abundance of bloom and the overly saturated colors applied to that Wii U port, and I see no reason why Nintendo couldn’t bring its quality-of-life changes to a more authentic GameCube experience via Nintendo Switch Online.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Undoubtedly at the top of many folks’ wishlists for GameCube representation on Switch 2, Super Smash Bros. Melee has to have a place in a Nintendo Switch Online retro library. Of course, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a more complete package and will presumably be playable on Switch 2 via backward compatibility. But as fantastic as Ultimate is, for some there simply isn’t a replacement for Melee’s hyper-fast brand of platform fighting.
Melee to this day has an impressively broad competitive scene despite Nintendo’s best efforts to stamp it out – outright removing the series from major events like EVO (though in fairness, it’s easy to see why Nintendo wouldn’t want to play nice now that Sony owns EVO). But even as a casual experience, Melee still shines with tons of modes, a great character roster and plenty of unlockables including trophies, challenges, stages and more.
I’m writing this before the April 2 Nintendo Switch 2 Direct presentation, and at this stage we don’t know what the future holds for the Smash Bros. series. Whatever’s in store, Melee is arguably still the most celebrated title in the series, and should absolutely be playable on modern hardware.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Thanks to the official Nintendo Switch 2 teaser and its cheeky Mario Kart reveal, it’s very likely that the series isn’t going to be returning to Double Dash’s novel two-per-kart formula anytime soon. So why not have the best of both worlds by putting Mario Kart: Double Dash on Nintendo Switch Online?
Double Dash is a very special game, being arguably the only title in the series to really shake up the usual formula. Yes we’ve had elements like gliders, underwater and anti-gravity racing in subsequent entries, but the core racing doesn’t fundamentally change there. As much as I love these features, they’re largely fluff.
In Double Dash, you’re picking two characters – one for driving and the other to manage items – as well as the kart itself. This drastically changes how you interact with your kart and others. Getting hit from behind by a powerful item momentarily takes out your co-pilot, making items unusable for a few seconds. Your choice of characters also influences which special item they can obtain in races, such as a massive banana for Donkey Kong or a Chain Chomp for Baby Mario.
It’s also probably the hardest game in the Mario Kart series. Drifting feels decidedly different thanks to the weightier karts. Opponents are also ruthless, and many tracks like Luigi Circuit and Baby Park are designed to really bring the items to the forefront. This leads to some of the most unabashedly chaotic racing the series has ever seen.
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Back when Metroid Prime Remastered hit the Nintendo Switch, I was certain Nintendo and Retro Studios would follow up fairly quickly with a modern port of the sequel, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. At the time of writing, more than two years later, this has yet to be the reality. And while it’s hard to argue series fans aren’t eating well with the superb Metroid Dread and the upcoming Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, it’d also be great to see what’s arguably the pinnacle of the Prime series playable on modern hardware.
Metroid Prime 2 is notably more hostile to the player than the first game. Set on Aether, a planet where the elements of light and dark are in a constant power struggle, Samus never truly feels powerful until the closing hours of the game.
That’s partly due to an uptick in difficulty, sure, but also thanks to the presence of Dark Aether. This parallel world continually saps Samus’s health, with the only respite being pockets of light that she needs to shoot in order to activate. As a result, exploration has more immediacy and urgency to it until you get those precious suit upgrades.
Prime 2 is my favorite game in the Metroid series and, in the absence of a remastered port, the next best thing would be a playable version via Nintendo Switch Online. We still don’t know Prime 4’s release date, so having this game tide us over on Switch 2 until its launch would be most welcome.
Soul Calibur 2
Soul Calibur 2 isn’t just one of the best GameCube games. It’s one of the best fighting games ever made, full stop. To this day it holds up immaculately, offering smooth and fast-paced weapon-based fighting that was never even matched within its own series.
The GameCube version arguably beats out its PS2 and Xbox counterparts, too, by offering The Legend of Zelda’s Link as a playable guest character. Aside from him, the game has an impressively large roster, with each character bringing a unique playstyle to the table.
Soul Calibur 2 also has a ton of single player content, with the marquee Weapon Master mode being a blast to play through. This pseudo-RPG has you pick a character and travel across the land collecting weapons and costumes for the entire roster. Each challenge often brings with it specific modifiers, such as wind that threatens to push you off the edge of a stage, or having certain types of attacks doing massive damage.
Soul Calibur 2 did receive a HD port on Xbox 360 and PS3 back in the day, but having it playable via Nintendo Switch Online would be awesome. Especially as you’d be able to jump online and play with a friend. It doesn’t seem like the series is going to return any time soon, unfortunately, so giving folks a modern way to play the best entry is something I’d value greatly.
Honorable mentions
While the above are my seven main picks, the GameCube had no shortage of must-play games. Here’s a handful more I’d love to see added to Nintendo Switch Online.
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