Plenty of GameCube games are beloved classics, but there are also lots of rarities and oddities that will burn a large hole in your wallet.
Despite not being the most commercially successful console, the Nintendo GameCube has been out long enough now that people have nostalgic memories of it. Nostalgia does wonders for the perception of a console, and people are finally starting to see what a fantastic line-up of games the GameCube had. Your time will come, WiiU.
Many of those great games are still exclusive to the GameCube, as they weren’t successful enough for Nintendo to port them on future consoles. This means the second-hand market is stuffed to the brim with expensive games that only the most dedicated of collectors will get their hands on.
Skies of Arcadia: Legends – $280
The follow-up to the classic Dreamcast JRPG, Skies of Arcadia: Legends felt a little dated compared to other GameCube games, but it shouldn’t be overlooked based on that alone. Like the original, it’s a great JRPG with a wonderfully engaging world. Still, its relative rarity has led to a heavy price tag on it now.
Mario Party 7 – $350
It may seem odd that a successful franchise like Mario Party could have a rare or expensive game, especially one of the more notable entries in the franchise. The problem is the microphone peripheral required for play. If you don’t already have this bit of kit, finding a copy of Mario Party 7 with it bundled is very difficult, especially in PAL regions.
Chibi-Robo – $350
Chibi-Robo is the kind of game that, were it released as an indie title on Steam today it’d be a huge hit with content creators. For one thing, you play as a cute little robot exploring and cleaning a large house. For two, it has a surprisingly deep story about a broken home. For three, aliens. It’s a shame this game is so expensive because it’s a real hidden gem.
Ribbit King – $350
Do you like golf? Do you like frogs? Do you wish there was a game mixing the two? Then have we got some good news for you…provided you own a GameCube and have $350 lying around. Ribbit King has you launching frogs across increasingly wild golf courses to hit a target. Did we mention they call it ‘Frolf’? When Nintendo released the GameCube virtual console for Switch Online, demand this game be added.
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance – $420
Although Fire Emblem is a big mainstream Nintendo franchise these days, it took a long time to get off the ground outside of Japan. Path of Radiance was the series debut on home consoles in English speaking countries, and to put it bluntly, no one cared. Thankfully the franchise is in much better standing these days, and classic games such as this are getting the appreciation they deserve.
Gadget Racers – $650
There isn’t a lot to say about Gadget Racers, it’s just a standard racing game, from an era where the market was full of great ones. The PS2 version is very cheap, but if for some reason you were deadset on playing it on GameCube, you’ll have to fork over a lot for the privilege thanks to its rarity. To be clear, for $650, it would be cheaper to buy a second-hand PS2.
Gotcha Force – $980
Battling mechs with diverse abilities in a grand arena sounds like a lot of fun, but it seems people at the time of Gotcha Force’s release were nonplussed by the idea. Decades later it has a small online following, and it’s no surprise given the ridiculous price tag attached to used copies of this game. We dread to think how much a new copy would cost.
Pokemon Box – $1,400
For such a ridiculous price, this must be some amazing Pokemon spin-off forgotten by history right? Nope. It’s just a place to store Pokemon of all types from the Generation 3 games. That’s it. That’s the whole thing. People scoff at paying $25 a year for Pokemon HOME, but apparently, four figures for something way more restrictive is fine. In reality, this is a very rare piece of Pokemon history, and such a huge franchise carries a hefty price in collector circles.
Written by Ryan Woodrow on behalf of GLHF.