At the turn of the century, Nintendo was wrapping up its Nintendo 64 life cycle and turning its attention to a new era. In 2001, the Nintendo GameCube was released to the world. The console is remembered now as having an incredible library despite not being a commercial success.
Even with the lack of sales at the time, Nintendo fans look back fondly on the console as having amazing games. Plus, there was a massive graphical upgrade from one platform to the next that made the games even better. While the visual quality of games has far surpassed the GameCube days, some games from the console still look amazing today.
10 F-Zero GX
The F-Zero franchise has lied dormant for a while, but one of the last games released was among the series’ best. F-Zero GX features the series first story mode in which Captain Falcon is the star in a mission-based storyline. Outside of this, F-Zero GX brings back many of the high-speed racing elements of the previous games.
The goal is for players to memorize tracks as to be able to properly conquer them. This is one of the first games in which Sega and Nintendo collaborated, and its no surprise these former rivals created the best-looking installment in the series.
9 Metroid Prime
To say Metroid Prime impacted the industry would be an understatement. The Metroid series was already popular, but Nintendo’s leap to 3D-graphics, in addition to playing the game in first-person, was something to behold. The story follows Samus Aran as she continues her battle with the Space Pirates as they are conducting experiments on Tallon IV.
The graphics of the game haven’t aged perfectly, but the visuals are still engaging and amazing in their own way. The game also led to multiple sequels, including the upcoming Metroid Prime 4.
8 Fire Emblem: Path Of Radiance
Fire Emblem games are always among the more gorgeous from an art-style perspective, but Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance was incredibly innovative for its implementation of 3D graphics. The game focuses on Ike and his friends as they try to restore order in the kingdom of Crimea after another nation, Daein, attacks.
The game is a tactical RPG with various ways to customize the experience. It’s not so much the gameplay that makes this game beautiful, its the full motion cutscenes. With the beautiful animation paired with the voice acting, its the perfect combination.
7 Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Metal Gear Solid is one of the most influential game series ever made, so its no wonder the first installment got a remake. Entitled Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, the game vastly improved the graphics of the original game. There were also new cutscenes included and gameplay mechanics that were introduced in Metal Gear Solid 2.
The stealth game retained a lot of the charm while also adding different ways to take down enemies. This remake was a step forward for the series as a whole.
6 Mario Kart: Double Dash
Mario Kart: Double Dash made a massive leap from its predecessors into a more customizable and in-depth experience. There was a large collection of characters to choose from. Players drive with two characters in the car, with one in charge of driving and the other in charge of items.
What made this game gorgeous was the growth of the race tracks themselves into beautiful and interactive courses. Many of the tracks made for this game look better than some of the tracks released in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
5 Star Fox Adventures
One of the biggest takeaways from playing Star Fox Adventures is, according to critics, how detailed the characters and environment look. This action-adventure takes place eight years after the events of Star Fox 64. As Fox McCloud, players are tasked with saving a planet in the Lylat solar system from being destroyed.
With widescreen mode an option for players, it was easy to take in the intricate character designs and stunning areas. While this is the last game developed by Rare for a Nintendo console, it is among their best works that still looks good today.
4 The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Legend Of Zelda’s older 3D games have not aged too well graphically despite their innovations. The exception to this is The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker, which turned away from the more serious dark animation for a more cartoon-like art style.
As Link, players must rescue his sister from Ganon by sailing the open seas and exploring islands to gain the strength to take him down. Despite a drift to a more colorful and unrealistic look, the art of the game holds up to many of Nintendo’s uniquely designed games today.
3 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Speaking of art style, no Nintendo game has taken on a more unique style than the Paper Mario series. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door embraced that look and brought it to a whole new level. The plot revolves around Mario having to rescue Peach from the X-Nauts and needing seven Crystal Stars to do so.
The storybook element of the game returns as each level is divided into different chapters. The game doesn’t have the look of a 3D triple-A game, but with what it tried to achieve, its as beautiful a game as it can be.
2 Super Mario Sunshine
Many of the series mentioned on this list made a visual leap from previous systems to the GameCube. Super Mario Sunshine was possibly the biggest leap of all compared to its predecessor Super Mario 64. Mario is forced to clean up Isle Delfino after being accused of littering the island with graffiti. Things take a turn when Shadow Mario, the real culprit, kidnaps Princess Peach.
There are so many little details that make this game great visually, from the bodies of water to the various landmarks. There’s a reason its re-release only needed small visual upgrades.
1 Pikmin 2
The world was introduced to Pikmin in the GameCube era with two games, with the sequel being better than the original. Pikmin 2 is about exploring an unknown planet from the miniature point-of-view of Captain Olimar and Louie. Players are tasked with directing Pikmin, cute plant-like creatures, to help them solve puzzles and get through obstacles.
With the game being very nature-forward, the breathtaking design of the water and plants as players travel the game is sure to make any player feel good, even 16 years after the game’s release.
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