The Cheapest Nintendo Gamecube Games Worth Your Time
When you add a console to your collection, the first thing you want to do is get a handful of games to keep you busy with your new toy. However, most of us can’t spend afford to spend fat pile of cash for a few games. This budget-friendly list should help you quickly find which games will start you off well without emptying your wallet. (Prices listed are an average eBay price for US games, including shipping.)
Check out the other Cheapest Games Worth Your Time articles
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Metroid Prime: $7 Sure, it isn’t the 2D Metroid most of us would prefer, but Metroid Prime does a remarkable job keeping much of the feel of the original series to a 3D world. It also happens to be one of the most impressive and compelling games on the Cube. Shop for Metroid Prime on eBay Shop for Metroid Prime on Amazon.com |
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F-Zero GX: $9 When two innovative game-makers get together, good things happen. Even though F-Zero is a Nintendo franchise, Mario and Co. let Sega do most of the development work for this racer. Sega’s arcade experience paid off as F-Zero GX is a incredibly fast, challenging, addicting, and visually stunning piece of racing goodness. Dare I say that this game is my favorite racer of all time (I prefer arcade racers to simulations). Shop for F-Zero GX on eBay Shop for F-Zero GX on Amazon.com |
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Viewtiful Joe: $6 Viewtiful Joe 2: $7 This lovable series from Capcom took old-school beatemup gameplay, threw in some interesting gameplay puzzles and mixed with trendy cel-shading graphics. Capcom may not have been able to improve greatly on the series later on, but the original is still a must-own for a modern retrogamer. Shop for Viewtiful Joe on eBay Shop for Viewtiful Joe on Amazon.com |
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Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader: $8 I can’t help but think back to the Gamecube’s launch and recall all the comments about this game and how the developers had to be careful to make the game look too much better than the actual movie it was based on. Rogue Leader II focuses on one of the more popular Star Wars gameplay mechanics, space combat. Shop for Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader on eBay Shop for Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader on Amazon.com |
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TimeSplitters 2: $9 If you want a high-quality FPS that is designed for consoles, you need to pick up TimeSplitters 2. Developed by the same team that worked for Rareware on the N64’s Goldeneye 007, Timesplitters 2 has killer level design, great weapons, and a variety of multiplayer and minigame options. It may not have the realism that some modern gamers crave or a fascinating storyline, but it tops Halo in my book in terms of gameplay and all-out fun. Shop for TimeSplitters 2 on eBay Shop for TimeSplitters 2 on Amazon.com |
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Super Monkey Ball: $8 Super Monkey Ball 2: $10 The Monkey Ball series was some of Sega’s last true example of pure creativity and genius as a multiplatform developer. Both games have a fun and challenging single-player mode, but also serves as a killer party title due to its diverse mini-games. Just stay away from Super Monkey Ball Adventure. Shop for Super Monkey Ball on eBay Shop for Super Monkey Ball on Amazon.com Shop for Super Monkey Ball 2 on Amazon.com |
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Soul Calibur II: $9 Anybody remotely interested in 3D fighters should not overlook the Soul Calibur series. After the rave reviews as a Dreamcast exclusive, the original Soul Calibur was followed up as a multiplatform sequel with a great deal of hype. The Gamecube version was an especially high seller due to The Legend of Zelda’s Link as a playable fighter. However, even though Soul Calibur III wasn’t much better, most gamers are selling off their copies and picking up newer installments. Now is your time to take advantage of this bargain. Shop for Soul Calibur II on eBay Shop for Soul Calibur II on Amazon.com |
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Wave Race: Blue Storm: $9
Blue Storm was a fan favorite after launch as it was essentially an enhanced version of an N64 classic. Copies have become a bit more scarce the last year or so, but if you want a unique arcade racer, you may still be able to find it for a decent price. |
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Pac-Man Vs. / Pac-Man World 2: $10 If you want a killer party game for retro freaks and non-gamers alike, look no further than Pac-Man Vs. Pac-Man vs. was actually a project of Shigeru Miyamoto, the mastermind behind Mario, Zelda, and most of Nintendo’s most successful game. It lets up four players battle it out in a Pac-Man “simulationâ€. One person take the role of Pac-Man while the others possess the ghosts and team up on Pac-Man. Having the platformer Pac-Man World 2 included in the package is just an added bonus. Shop for Pac-Man Vs. / Pac-Man World 2 on eBay Shop for Pac-Man Vs. / Pac-Man World 2 on Amazon.com |
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Star Fox Adventures: $8 This game was initially a let-down to Star Fox fans as it doesn’t let you do all the space battling that you would normally expect from a Star Fox game. Instead, Star Fox Adventures plays more like a Zelda game with its action, adventure, and exploration. If you know this going in, you should find Star Fox Adventures an affordable treat. Shop for Star Fox Adventures on eBay Shop for Star Fox Adventures on Amazon.com |
A Few Must-Haves Slightly Over $10
- Super Mario Sunshine: $11 Â – eBay / Amazon
- Resident Evil: $12 Â – eBay / Amazon
- Resident Evil Zero: $11 Â – eBay / Amazon
- Resident Evil 4: $12 Â -Â eBay /Â Amazon
- The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker: $12 Â -Â eBay /Â Amazon
- Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door: $13 Â eBay /Â Amazon
- Metroid Prime 2: Echoes: $12 Â – eBay / Amazon
Other Cheap Favorites
- Puyo Pop Fever: $9 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Tony Hawk’s Underground: $5  – eBay / Amazon
- Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: $6  – eBay / Amazon
- Sonic Mega Collection: $8 – eBay / Amazon.com
- SEGA Soccer Slam: $9 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Luigi’s Mansion: $10 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: $8 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg: $7 – eBay / Amazon.com
- XG3 Extreme G Racing: $8 – eBay
- X-Men Legends: $6 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Red Faction II: $5 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Batman Vengeance: $7 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Simpsons: Hit & Run: $9 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Sonic Heroes: $9 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Robotech: Battlecry: $8 – eBay / Amazon.com
- X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse: $8 – eBay / Amazon.com
- NBA Street Vol. 2: $7 – eBay / Amazon.com
- NFL Street: $5 – eBay / Amazon.com
- NFL 2K3: $4 – eBay / Amazon.com
- SSX On Tour: $8 – eBay / Amazon.com
- NHL 2004: $5 – eBay / Amazon.com
- NBA 2K3: $5 – eBay / Amazon.com
- FIFA Soccer 2005: $8 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Bloody Roar: Primal Fury: $7 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Midway Arcade Treasures: $7 – eBay / Amazon.com
- Sonic Adventure 2: Battle: $9 – eBay / Amazon.com
My Starter Picks For $50 Budget
If I only had $50 to spend on starting out a Gamecube (or a Wii) collection, here would be my top picks:
- Metroid Prime: $7
- F-Zero GX: $9
- Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker: $12
- Viewtiful Joe: $6
- Super Monkey Ball 2: $8
- Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader: $8
- Total: $50
Note: I originally had Timesplitters 2 and Sonic Mega Collection in there instead of Wind Waker as those are personal favorites of mine and Wind Waker was previously more expensive. However, due to falling Wind Waker prices, it’s hard not to recommend it.
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Despite Splinter Cell 1 having the best story, music, and overall design, I’d avoid it for Gamecube. It’s garbage compared to xbox and PC’s versions. They mutilated it for PS2 and Gamecube. The visuals had to be stripped down so bad that it actually affected gameplay, and the levels were divided into 2x as many seperate areas with load-points.
Nice one Racketboy. Although have you missed out Skies of Arcadia? Or are my eyes failing me!?
And IMHO I think Monkey Ball 1 is better. But thats just me!
Skies of Arcadia usually sells for $30-$40, so it’s definately too pricey for the list….
Pacman vs is only four player…Though a five player version would be amazing.
Thanks for the correction — I’m not sure what I was thinking there. I guess maybe 4 controllers and then the GBA. But the GBA takes a controller port. Anyway, it’s fixed now.
You’re missing Chibi-Robo. 😉
Actually, I was planning on putting Chibi Robo on the list as I personally picked it up during Christmas time for about $7 at GameStop when they had it one sale.
However, if you go onto eBay now and check the completed auction prices, you’ll see it goes for well over $10 and I don’t think it’s a good enough game to crack this topic.
I love your blog, but why is Sonic Heroes on a list partly entitled “games worth your time” and specifically under “favorites”?!
I just picked up Donkey Konga 2, Jungle Beat, and 2 sets of bongos for $40. I guess you got them for half that much. Oh well. I also saw Geist for 8 or 9 bucks at Circuit City the other day. Didn’t get it. I got Battalion Wars there for $13.
Good job leaving Skies of the list. I know you did it for price, but I always found it to be random battle hell.
One suggestion for Pac Man vs… it was also packaged with R: Racing Evolution, a much better Namco Game than Pac Man World 2. I picked that combo up and found R to be the best realistic type (read: not F-Zero) racing game on the Cube. I bought the Logitech Cube wheel and found it worked terribly with F-Zero, but beautifully with R. I also think the game was packaged with I-Ninja, which I hear is good. Dunno if R or I Ninja are priced for this list, though.
Also, a typo I found: “Anybody remotely interested in 3D fighters should overlook the Soul Calibur series.”
Sorry for mondo post, I bet this will be rejected…
Actually, I appreciate all your suggestions and corrections.
First of all, the “Other Cheap Favorites” section is for the games under $10 that weren’t quite good enough to be considered the main attractions of the Gamecube. Sonic Heroes was good enough to be featured on the page as a whole, but not that good.
As for my Bongo packages, I got actually got two copies of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (with Bongos), Donkey Konga 2 (with Bongos, and a extra pair of Bongos for about $25 altogether 🙂 This was from that Gamespot sale.
At that same time, Gamespot had Batallion Wars, Chibo Robo, Geist, and a couple others for like $7.50 each.
And yes, Pac-Man Vs. did come with a couple different games, but the all-Pac-Man version is a bit easier to find and it has the cooler cover 🙂 But thanks for mentioning it .
Well I dunno.
If you have a Kmart near you, they have alot of Gamecube games on massive clearance nowadays.
Killer 7? I got it for $10 on clearance.
Metroid Prime 2 is getting pretty cheap as well, though some people didn’t like the double world thing. I got mine for $5 at Sears.
And someone was making fun of me when I wanted to buy a copy of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. Is the multiplayer worth it? I just got a gameboy advance for $5 at a Salvation army.
Zelda:Wind Waker is pretty damn cheap and it is a really good game even though some people don’t like the visual style. It was a really great game. Thank god there is no Tales of Symphonia, so many cube owners hold it dear. I gave that generic turd of a game 10 hours of my life I wish I could get back. Metal Gear Solid:Twin Snakes can be had for a little more than $10 on ebay sometimes. But you stand a really good chance of getting it cheap in a big box store clearance.
^man thats crazy, MGS TTS is quite rare in PAL territories and I recently bought it for $AUS70 which was a bargin imo.
Once again, down in Australia all game stores still have GCN titles listed for $100 is ridiculous.
Perfect starter choice IMO. Metroid Prime is imo the best defining game of last gen. Truely took my breath away.
How much does Eternal Darkness go for these days? Is it too pricey for the list? It’s such a brilliant game. It’s the OTHER survival/action horror classic on the Cube. You know, besides that certain Capcom game with Spanish zombies that I’m sure NOBODY knows about.
Chibi-robo! isn’t exactly cheap over here, I still wanna buy that game but 63 euro is a bit too much for my taste. Thats more than the average game. *sigh* I wonder why.
Eternal Darkness…
Man if you see that game in EB or Gamestop grab it!
It’s going up in price online and alot of people are collecting copies of it now to play on their Wii.
If you lucky you may find it cheap. There are still a number of copies around. Just not many at the big chain stores anymore.
I paid $14 for my copy and I consider that a good deal.
I swear it’s gonna be like the Fatal Frame series and cost like $34.00 to get a copy soon.
Yeah so Eternal Darkness. Really nice game IMO. Grab it.
Yeah, it’a a cool little game. Unlike other survival horror games of the time, it actually had a fun combat system in addition to gunplay, so you didn’t have to run from everything.
The magic system was brilliant, with really awesome, eerie, otherwordly voices for the spells
The sanity meter was very cool, though sometimes a bit gimmicky.
Great story too
Oh! :O Don’t forget “Sonic Gems Collection”! It’s got “Sonic CD”! 😀
Nice list. If they just would have called Starfox Adventures “Dinosaur Planet” like they did for the 3 years it was in production it probably would have sold better. I in fact still refer to this game as Dinosaur Planet as I often talk about it with my 2 boys. It’s one of my favorite GC games (along with the original Baten Kaitos – never played the sequel).
Thanks — glad you enjoyed it!
I think you’re right. Nintendo probably originally thought that the established brand would help sales. However when that brand brings expectations of a totally different type of game, bad things can happen.
Timesplitters 2 is one of my all-time favorite games of all time, and I’m very glad that you put it on the list. Honestly though, I enjoyed Timesplitters 3 even more. It’s a wonderful game and I greatly encourage you to go out and play it.
no, seriously, have you played Eternal Darkness? I have a really hard time coming over from first person shooters to the crappy (read — semi-realistic) gun controls of RE but this was def one of the finest titles on the system. if you’ve not tried it, do yourself a favor and pick it up!
😉
rogue leader will rock forever!!! hey soul calibour is nice too but metroid prime is my favourite here..