7 Gamecube JRPGs Still Trapped on Original Hardware

The GameCube was a great console. For a long time, it was my absolute favorite until the Switch came around. I have so many fond memories of looking forward to new games, renting those I found interesting, and playing the ones I owed as much as I could. Getting Sonic Adventure 2 Battle from my grandma was a life-changing experience, even though I found out I was getting the console early that Christmas because she used see-through wrapping paper.

I was really young when my favorite pastime starred the GameCube, truthfully. I think that my work speaks for itself in saying how I know more about games than I ever did back when I spent my time with my non-spherical game box. More specifically, I understand how much I love a good JRPG now, and I missed out on most of the tiny library that the GameCube had to offer. There’s no time like the present, though. Let’s look at what JRPGs are still lingering on the GameCube today.

7

Yu-Gi-Oh The Falsebound Kingdom

They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To

So, a lot of the GameCube’s JRPGs managed to get off of the console in some way, shape, or form. There were some games that I had to pick from because they either weren’t JRPGs despite what some fans might say, or they were just bad. I’m all for video game preservation, but some things are less obscure video games and more like a ghost, wailing for the right to move on.

I deserve a treat for my hard work, don’t you think? So I’m putting it out there — I want Yu-Gi-Oh! The Falsebound Kingdom to be freed from GameCube purgatory. If you look at how it was reviewed, it makes sense why it hasn’t been given a second chance. Falsebound Kingdom is a strange little attempt at merging the RTS and JRPG genres into one game together, and in my opinion, it succeeds more as a JRPG. And the RTS segment is what most of the runtime is. Yay?

Still, despite its flaws, there’s so much charm to it underneath it all that’s left a spell on me. I love the attack animations, even if they’re repetitive. I love building teams of classic Duel Monsters, and finishing the campaigns to unlock the Egyptian Gods permanently was absolutely rewarding. (And impressive. How did I manage that as a kid with no guide at all?) Everyone else might not like this game, but I love it.

If not for anyone else, please. Rerelease it, heck, even throw it up as a pity offering on Nintendo Switch Online, just for me. The one person who wants it.

6

Pokémon Colosseum

Speaking of Nintendo Switch Online…

Now here’s a true classic! Pokémon Colosseum was another great game that made living through the third generation of Pokémon very special. It also might be the first time Pokémon truly earned the title of JRPG as much as we retroactively add it to the games these days for just another title in the niche. It also tested the rules of the world we had known for some time at that point. Stealing other trainers’ Pokémon was officially possible. And it’s given context that makes stealing completely morally okay! What a great lesson for a game that now costs half of a Switch 2 these days.

Jokes aside, I love Pokémon Colosseum. The way it introduced and handled Shadow Pokémon was both heartbreaking and awesome to me as a kid. At the same time, the way the game tried to emulate some of the necessary parts of Pokémon, like secret moves and such, left a lot to be desired. Some of the colosseum base levels were so astronomically high, and no wild Pokémon meant you had no way to grind to get up there. Add in a pokéball cloning glitch, and you can see why this game is kind of forgotten by The Pokémon Company.

There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, though, for those who want to see this game return like me. Pokémon Colosseum has been confirmed to be hitting the Nintendo GameCube Classics at some point. We have no idea when, but it’s coming eventually. Will it be in three months? Will it be even longer because Super Mario Sunshine is up next? We’ll just have to wait and see. Don’t worry, I’m groaning with you.

5

Lost Kingdoms

FromSoftware’s Hidden Gem

I’m honestly having a hard time figuring out how to express my surprise when I found out about this game. Elden Ring and Dark Souls FromSoftware had a GameCube game? Whoa. It’s a deckbuilder action RPG? Interesting choice, but thankfully I’m not one of those people who hates deckbuilders. It has a female protagonist? Were they aiming to hit every unique thing they could on the way out?! Double whoa!

This is the kind of game that could only exist on the GameCube. It’s certainly one of the more experimental games on the platform, but the GameCube was good at being the home for both traditional, future classics and some shots in the dark at the same time. In fact, Lost Kingdoms was even ahead of the curb on Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, so it even dodged some of the biggest deckbuilder fatigue. That might have been what helped Lost Kingdoms snag a sequel in the end.

From the way Lost Kingdoms plays, Souls fans will be at home with the title thanks to how the lead still cuts down monsters even with a deck of cards at her disposal. The cards help dictate the moves she has, and they can only be used a finite amount of times, so strategy is still king in this game. As it often is with FromSoftware. It’s worth a look at least, trust me.

4

Custom Robo

Gundam Kids Had Their Fun, Now It’s a Real Man’s Turn

So this game was what told me I had a bad childhood. Because I didn’t play Custom Robo as a kid. How? I even had a big SD Gundam phase at one point. I blame my rekindled attachment to Sonic for the tunnel vision. But I think it might be my greatest regret, because Custom Robo is easily one of the GameCube’s best. It might even be its best JRPG. Keyword is “might.”

In Custom Robo, you play as a hero you can name who sets out to become a Robo Commander in honor of his father’s last wish. It’s fairly easy, because the society of this world lives by these Robo fights like Yu-Gi-Oh’s society gradually evolves around dueling with each installment. The fights are extremely fast-paced, taking place in a 3D arena where you can fly and shoot to stay one step ahead of your opponent. Each arena deals with a different theme, from conveyor belt chaos to bathrooms.

Just like the name implies, you can customize your Robo to match your strategy and play style. The customization is designed in a way that reminds me of what it was like to get a new toy, running to open it out of its blister box to play with it and its accessories. As the cherry on top, the game is written in the perfect spot between taking things seriously but not seriously enough to where the dialogue doesn’t have fun with itself. Custom Robo is just genuinely so much fun that it’s practically making puppy dog eyes at Nintendo for a second chance.

3

Phantasy Star Online Episode III C.A.R.D Revolution

Don’t Let the Title Fool You

If I had a nickel for every card-based RPG that got left on the GameCube over the years, I’d have two nickels. It ain’t much, but it’s weird that I’m writing about two of these here. No, Falsebound Kingdom doesn’t count. It ditches the cards there. Makes it a bit weirder, right? I’d say Phantasy Star Online Episode 3: C.A.R.D. Revolution is the stranger of the two games. At least in terms of how PSO Episode III comes out of nowhere and is fairly misleading. You can only play card games with your friends in this one instead of exploring an MMORPG world.

Instead of being a proper MMO, you make a character to engage with the real world, and to interact with the real heroes of the story. I use “heroes” loosely here, because C.A.R.D Revolution pulls a Sonic Adventure 2 and gives you the option to play on the hero side or the dark side. Sonic Team, you can’t keep getting away with this! The story changes in certain ways depending on the characters you choose to play as in certain segments, and even if the sudden change of direction is a bit weird, the story is very well-thought-out, and the gameplay is fun if you just enjoy it and don’t pout about it not being a proper PSO expansion.

2

Tales of Symphonia

Yes, Let’s Override the Other Versions’ Saves Please

I know what you’re thinking. Tales of Symphonia is on PS2, PS3, Steam, and it even recently got a Remastered rerelease. It isn’t trapped on the GameCube, so what gives? Why is it here? If you’re asking that, you clearly haven’t played Tales of Symphonia, or at least not the best version out there. I have no idea why, but Symphonia in particular seems to be one cursed Tales of game, because every version that Bandai Namco releases just keeps getting worse.

First, the PS2 version is Japan exclusive, but it also stuck the game at 30 FPS compared to Tales of Symphonia’s original 60 FPS on GameCube. That’s already a deal-breaker for some. Tales of Symphonia Chronicles for PS3 comes with the Wii game Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, but just because of some extra content, it went with the 30 FPS for Symphonia itself. The Steam version has even more glaring performance issues, and mods only go so far as to fix them. Lastly, Tales of Symphonia Remastered is the worst of it all, despite how new it is. Do you like all of the above issues with a permanently dimmed screen and further bugs? No? Exactly.

It’s tragic, really. Tales of Symphonia is a classic JRPG, yet the respect it’s gotten has been abysmal compared to how much people love this game. Hopefully the GameCube port resurfaces again someday, somehow.

1

GiftPia

Animal Crossing’s Troubled Cousin

Have you ever had a nightmare where you were late for something important? Maybe a test that would change your grades forever, a special movie or concert you got tickets to, or maybe your birthday? Giftpia asks this question as its protagonist, Pokkle, sleeps through his coming of age ceremony. His childish behavior has bothered the people he lives around for the last time, and they’ve essentially decided he’ll never properly grow up. The Mayor even decides to give Pokkle a fine to pay for wasting everyone’s time.

Despite this plot, Giftpia is full of adult humor that displays a spectrum of execution. Some jokes are playfully tongue-in-cheek, like a working starving mechanic. Some go to an extreme that helps you understand what kind of game this is, like open drug use. And some parts have not aged well, including some stereotypical portrayals and serious topics being played off with mood-killing slapstick. For lack of a better word, it is a wild game. Some say it was so wild, Nintendo purposefully chose not to localize it for that reason. And from what I’ve seen? Yeah. That makes a lot of sense, actually.