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10. Soulcalibur II
Soulcalibur II has the distinction of being one of just two multi-console titles on this list, but it certainly earns its spot. Namco’s fighting title featured gorgeous graphics and stellar gameplay, but that wasn’t the only reason GameCube owners gravitated to the title: The Legend of Zelda’s Link appeared as a playable character, in a look inspired by the N64 classic Ocarina of Time. Fans that were disappointed by Link’s cel-shaded appearance in The Wind Waker flocked to the title, and the sales reflected it: Soulcalibur II sold better on GameCube than it did on any other console. It might have been Link that lured fans in, but it was the overall experience that kept them entertained, and earned the game the strong reviews it deserved.
Despite those strong sales, Soulcalibur III failed to make an appearance on GameCube or Wii. The latter console did receive the exclusive Soulcalibur Legends, however. Link did not return, but another hero from this list happened to appear in the game…
Glad to see Super Monkey Ball so high on the list. (Although I prefer the second one) It’s a shame that Amusement Vision isn’t around anymore, because I really enjoyed what they were doing on the GameCube.
Great list. All are worthy of inclusion. I’m particularly glad to see Skies of Arcadia Legends get some love; it’s a very good RPG and filled a massive hole in the Cube library at the time of its release.
I have long thought Baten Kaitos Origins to be the best of the Cube RPGs — better than Symphonia, better than Arcadia. It gets little love because it was released so late and sold in very few quantities. Even in my own list I left it off, mostly because Symphonia was a more groundbreaking and important RPG, and because its combat was pure awesome.