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70 |
Pac-Man Vs |  |
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| This brilliant party game was a free extra included with many Namco games (Pac-Man World, R Racing Evolution etc etc). The title has you playing the classic Pac-Man game against your friends, with one person playing as Pac-Man himself whilst the others take the part of Ghosts. It puts the GameCube's GBA link-up feature to good use with the Pac-Man player getting the complete view of the stage via the GBA and the Ghosts trying to track him down using the limited-view television screen. A novel idea that's well-implemented. | |||||
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69 |
Red Faction II |  |
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| Very respectable First Person Shooter, certainly one of the more notable on the system. Red Faction II is a smooth and fast science fiction action game. The series' main draw at the time was in having dynamic, destructible environments, allowing you to shoot up and alter the play field. This aspect of the game was actually simplified here in this sequel, and the game feels a lot more scripted as a result, but there's still a lot of destruction to be had. The set-pieces, action, and weapons have all been polished and the 4-player mode is 1st rate. | |||||
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68 |
Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams |  |
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| Very well put together 3D platform game with a good deal of variety and polish. It does all the staples of the genre well, with a lot of platforming action, new moves to unlock, and puzzles to solve. The developers went for a more straightforward progression here over the original (which was more akin to Mario 64 in structure) but it all works pretty well and keeps the game moving at a good pace. The storyline is probably one of the more notable elements, its actually quite funny and engaging. | |||||
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67 |
Baiten Kaitos Origins |  |
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| Prequel to the earlier card-battling RPG on GameCube, Baiten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean. Like the original this one has you exploring towns, getting into battles and refining your deck of cards, but it also tries to be a little more open-ended than its predecessor. Its a very solid RPG exclusive for GameCube, but its focus on card battling may limit its appeal. | |||||
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66 |
Star Fox Assault |  |
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| Slightly disappointing Star Fox sequel, one of the results of Nintendo's then practice of farming out their popular licenses to 3rd parties, in this case Namco. The game is actually a lot of fun, its a rail shooter that carries on the traditions of the series well overall. It doesn't do anything particularly new, and the one area it does try to innovate (the on-foot missions) falls flat, but it looks fantastic and still provides a lot of classic shooting action. Where the game really does build on its precursor though is its 4-player mode, which has you running around taking shots at each other, and jumping into planes and tanks. Its far more polished and exciting than it was on N64, and is definitely one of the standout features of the game. | |||||
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65 |
Luigi's Mansion |  |
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| Very fun early game for GameCube starring Mario's less popular little brother, Luigi, in a Ghost-busting action adventure game. Here you need to explore the environments inspecting objects and looking for Ghosts to suck up with your vacuum cleaner. As mentioned its very fun, but comes across as a bit unfinished, its over very quickly (I finished the game in a little over 2 hours on my first go) but is brilliant while it lasts. | |||||
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64 |
I-Ninja |  |
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| This is an underrated 3D platformer from Argonaut Software, the company who co-developed the original Star Fox, and it has to be one of their most polished solo releases. The game is a sword-slashing Ninja affair with lots of dexterous moves and diverse gameplay. You run through the levels rail-grinding, grappling, and running along the walls whilst dispatching enemies with fluid combat and intuitive controls. The story and character design can come across as a bit generic, but everything else is very well done and leads to a game definitely worth checking out. | |||||
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63 |
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour |  |
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| Golf game from Developer Camelot starring many of Nintendo's popular characters. Whilst not a million miles away from the earlier N64 release, the game has all the features you'd want and expect from a golf game, its colourful, intuitive, and generally just has a lot of personality. There's also a many modes, both serious and more fantastical to check out. | |||||
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62 |
Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4 |  |
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| This is a fantastic 3D fighting game based on the popular Manga. The game is a Japanese exclusive with dynamic, accessible gameplay and intuitive controls. This release in the series polishes up the gameplay mechanics further over its forerunners, and also adds in an excellent 4-player battle mode which works by adding a button that cycles through available targets when pressed. The game does a great job of bringing the characters to life, and is set in what is probably the point in time when the Manga was at its peak. | |||||
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61 |
Mr Driller: Drill Land |  |
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| Unfortunately yet another Japanese exclusive, this time a puzzler in the long-lived Mr Driller series. The premise is quite simple, you need to drill down the stages collecting air without getting crushed by blocks after you've undermined their foundation. Its a straightforward idea but really becomes addictive when you start trying to aim for high scores. This release in the series includes a lot of admirable extras. There are many different modes here that give a different spin on the gameplay (such as simplistic adventure modes, and treasure hunting where you need to avoid boulders rolling after you), and the presentation is very high. | |||||
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