Nintendo recently announced that The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (or one of the best things that ever happened in the history of life) was being remade for the Wii U. Rather than being a standard HD remake with improved resolution, however, this edition of the famed GameCube classic will be rebuilt using a new graphics engine. Additionally, controls will be improved and GamePad support will be added. Naturally, this opened the door for speculation and opinion, so let’s take a look at a few GameCube favorites that we’d love to see get the HD treatment. Oh, and before you tell us that we’re tools for not including Killer7 (which we also love) on this list, keep in mind that we’re only discussing first-party titles published by Nintendo.
10. Chibi-Robo!
Chibi-Robo! is one of those games that you needed to play to understand. At first glance, it would appear to be an attempt by Nintendo to introduce a quirky new character and a new platforming series. That may have actually been the case, but as it turned out, Chibi-Robo! was more than just a simple idea going through the motions. The cast seen throughout the game was highly memorable due to the bubbly charm and colorful personalities infused in each of the characters. Of course, it also helped that the actual platforming was a lot of fun. Also, Chibi-Robo! was basically a game about making others happy, which is just heartwarmingly cool.
9. Luigi’s Mansion
We all know Luigi’s kind of a pansy. The dude is clearly the weaker of the two Mario brothers, and he has a total “punch me” face. Nintendo found a way to exploit the rather obnoxious qualities of the green clad plumber, however, and in the process created a great game about hunting ghosts. Luigi’s silly attitude and fear-induced behavior was actually pretty awesome in Luigi’s Mansion, one of the oft-remembered hits of the GameCube era. But that was way back in 2001, and while we’re really stoked about the upcoming Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, it would be nice to relive this classic without having to pay upwards of $100 on Amazon. Plus, it would be awesome to see Luigi’s Wallace and Gromit-esque grimace in HD.
8. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
The adventures of Nintendo’s beloved tie-wearing ape changed quite a bit when Donkey Kong Jungle Beat launched. The game employed the use of two bongo drums to control DK, but the control scheme was quite enjoyable despite technically being a big gimmick. The result was an unorthodox DK game that was pretty unique and just plain fun. We couldn’t possibly expect Nintendo to have players pounding on the GamePad if an HD remake was released for the Wii U, but perhaps the company could create a new way to play this awesome action game.
7. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
So we just realized that The Thousand-Year Door is actually a pretty epic title for a video game, but that’s really beside the point. The fact of the matter is that Nintendo really succeeded in providing an incredible turn-based RPG experience with this iteration of the Paper Mario franchise. There’s something stupidly charming about seeing a paper-thin Mario run around with a trusty sidekick following suit. The lore, friendly characters, and baddies in Thousdand-Year Door were also star players that often stole the spotlight from the infamous plumber. Ultimately, this was just a hell of an RPG on the GameCube, and it would be great to have the chance to play it once more, this time in HD. At the very least, we’ll take a new Mario & Luigi game on the Wii U.
6. Pikmin (and Pikmin 2)
Comparisons can be made between Pikmin and Chibi-Robo! in that both titles were created to bring new Nintendo IPs to life on the GameCube. The former seemed to achieve much more success, however, being remembered greatly and being the source of plenty of Nintendo-themed conversations. Pikmin 3 is currently in development and en route to the Wii U, but it would be a lot of fun to revisit the original. Of course, if both Pikmin and Pikmin 2 received HD remakes, we wouldn’t complain. Both titles were stellar, and seeing them return with a new graphics engine and GamePad features would definitely be rad.
5. Super Mario Sunshine
It’s confusing when people look back at Super Mario Sunshine and say it wasn’t a good game. Actually, it’s not confusing. It’s really quite simple: Those people have lost their damn minds. Mario Sunshine may be the most underrated Mario game. While the core gameplay was rooted in the style of the revered Super Mario 64 (which was better, but we're not talking about that right now), several elements were added to make it stand out. Backpack device that acts as a water gun and jetpack? Check. Mountable Yoshi? Check. Watery evil twin dude? Check. Tons of collectibles to discover? Yup, check. Mario Sunshine wasn’t perfect, but it was a worthwhile 3D platformer and an overall great adventure.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Ah, another underrated Nintendo title. A lot of folks seem to dislike The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. It’s a shame, really, because this adventure was full of remarkable dungeons, took place in a wondrous world, and featured beautiful remixes of classic Zelda themes. Twilight Princess always looked pretty good on both the GameCube and the Wii. Imagine that same fantasy setting remastered in glorious HD. The game would look absolutely incredible. It’s highly unlike that Nintendo will ever rebuild Twilight Princess like it’s doing with Wind Waker, so we’ll just continue to hope for the best and feel anger and disdain toward those people who said this game wasn’t good.
3. Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
There’s nothing quite like teaming up with a friend to engage in two-person go-kart racing, armed with shells and mushrooms to brutalize the opposition. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! was a unique racer that offered a different spin on the famed Mario Kart formula. At its core, it delivered the same great racing action people adore about the series. Beneath that familiar layer, though, we had cool new weapons and some of the best courses in the entire series. Sadly, Mario Kart Wii never matched up to the awesomeness of Double Dash!!, but it did offer online multiplayer. So how about it, Nintendo? Double Dash!! HD with online functionality!
2. Star Fox Adventures
Technically, Star Fox Adventures was more like The Legend of Zelda: Space Adventures Starring Fox McCloud, but that doesn’t really matter. What matters is that Adventures was an incredible game. Dinosaur Planet was a lush land filled with beautiful places to visit and explore, and every locale was visually impressive. Also, people made a huge deal about Fox’s fur. So imagine just how great that fur would look in HD! Seriously, Nintendo, if you don’t give us Adventures in HD, we’ll gladly take Fox Fur Simulator U. (Just kidding. We really don’t want something like that. Ever.)
1. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
When Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem launched on the GameCube back in 2002, it provided one of the most unique survival horror experiences at the time. To this day, Eternal Darkness is still really damn incomparable. Sadly, we never saw the series return, and all we’ve heard of the franchise thus far is talk of a canceled sequel. Publishing Eternal Darkness for the GameCube was a bold move for Nintendo. If we never get a sequel, we’d at least like to have the opportunity to play this wonderfully frightening endeavor on the Wii U. Imagine the crazy Sanity effects that could be added to the game. How terrifying would it be if the game tricked you into thinking that your GamePad was broken? Well, probably not that much now that we mentioned it, but still, you get the idea. Eternal Darkness HD needs to be a thing!
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