Best Gamecube games that were not that popular?

[Coptur]

I was just playing Wario World, thinking it was a pretty good game not many people I knew played. What would you say are some other great Gamecube games that were unpopular?

[retroman]

Henshin a Go Go Baby.

[wiggyx]

Doushin the Giant for sure.

[Opti]

What i remember about the Gamecube was new releases seemed much more few and far between compared to the other systems, I went to Gamestop probably once a week looking at GC games and it was always pretty much the same stuff, the PS2 and Xbox had like 3 times the shelf space, so it seems like most of the decent games that came out did get played , because there wasnt as many choices, and most of the really good stuff was Nintendo stuff which everyone is going to buy anyways since there is a pretty dang good chance its gonna be awesome.

Ones I liked
Wind Waker - My favorite Zelda, I've played and beatem all of them except the DS titles and skyward sword which are currently on my backlog. Alot of people never gave it a chance because of the graphics or because of the sailing, but the game is beautiful in motion and the only time the sailing got to me was when I played through again and mapped every square and found every secret, on a normal play through its not as bad as people make it out to be.
Timesplitters 2 - Supposedly sold pretty well, but none of my friends have ever heard of it until I introduced it to them, It is probably in my top 3 shooters ever, play through and then do the tests or whatever they are called to unlock all the multiplayer modes and call your friends. Still to this day I have friends over (who are mostly current gen graphic whores) and we have a blast playing it, they all love them game.

Tales of Symphonia - I was very sad at the lack of rpgs on my favorite console, so when I saw Tales.... that was enough I bought it, I actually really enjoyed it and I generally dont like real time rpg battle systems, kinda pricey for a GC game nowadays.

Eternal Darkness - Didnt like the game at the time because it drove me crazy, but looking back I can really appreciate how it messes with YOU, not just your character.

Skies of Arcadia - If you havent played it on DC pick it up.

Bloddy Roar - I used to rent the crap out of this game, now that Ive got into Ultimate Marvel v Capcom 3 it seems a little shallow, but I still play it occasionally with friends who arent into fighters and we have a pretty good time.

Wario Ware- Best party game every, In high school I would have parties every friday, well one day most of the guys showed up early, we started drinking and I showed them wario ware so we played for an hour or so, then the girls and everyone else started showing up, so we paused it and entertained everyone. Well one of the girls saw it paused and wanted us to show her how to play it (she isnt a gamer at all), so we put her and some friends on the turtle game and after everyone (probably 20 people) saw the game they all wanted to play, and from then on every friday it was a requirement I had the GC running on fridays for my party guests. People who didnt play video games at all to hardcore gamers all enjoyed it.

[frogofdeath]

Does Wrestlemania X8 count? Not sure, but a solid wrestling game with similar vibes to the N64 wrestling games. Not quite as good, but very, very close.

Mario Kart Double Dash probably doesn't count, as I am guessing this game was "popular" when it first came out. However, this gets my vote for underrated. Probably the second best Mario Kart to date.

As for Wario World, thought the game was ho-hum. Bought the game at launch, beat it, but don't think I picked it up once after. Ended up selling the game (I think to a DP member). Wasn't bad, just not great.

[j_factor]

Billy Hatcher. Got a lot of poor to middlin' reviews, but I loved it.

Also, Chibi-Robo.

[Aussie2B]

Doushin the Giant for sure.

Were you playing the PAL version in the US? I bought the game and a Freeloader recently, but I wasn't able to get it to work. I know that some Americans have been able to play it in the US, so I've been trying to get a definitive answer on how I could do so. I made a topic about it, but no one who had experience specifically with Doshin replied:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?162396-Playing-PAL-games-on-US-GameCube-with-Freeloader

[nildem]

I'll second Wario World, and also add Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Chibi Robo, Custom Robo and P.N.03 (Although I may be the only person on the planet who liked it. :|). If you're counting multi-platform stuff, I'd also include Killer 7, the TimeSplitters games, and Beyond Good and Evil, among others.

[Esquire Fox]

To add to what others have listed:

Pikmin 1 & 2
Kirby Air Ride

[theclaw]

Were you playing the PAL version in the US? I bought the game and a Freeloader recently, but I wasn't able to get it to work. I know that some Americans have been able to play it in the US, so I've been trying to get a definitive answer on how I could do so. I made a topic about it, but no one who had experience specifically with Doshin replied:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?162396-Playing-PAL-games-on-US-GameCube-with-Freeloader

I'm not sure. It seems like people are mixed whether Nintendo included 60hz in PAL version Doshin the Giant...

[Ryudo]

Killer 7
Chibi Robo
Giftpia (Japan only)
Skies of Arcadia Legends
Baten Katos
Baten Katos Origins

(only good 3 RPG's on the system,Tales of Symphonia despite the praise is really an average RPG, It's not great but not bad but about average. One of the most boring ARPG's)

[Kiddo]

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat never really got the attention it deserved IMO. It's actually a very polished arcade-style game once you get used to the fact that it's not a Donkey Kong Country. Nintendo tried reselling it on the Wii, but in all seriousness, how the heck can you play the game decently without the original Bongos? It's like trying to remove the Zapper from Duck Hunt.

Phantasy Star Online Episode III was pretty poorly neglected too, with fans rejecting the drastic change in formula from the previous entry even though it was pretty good in it's own right.

[CRTGAMER]

Were you playing the PAL version in the US? I bought the game and a Freeloader recently, but I wasn't able to get it to work. I know that some Americans have been able to play it in the US, so I've been trying to get a definitive answer on how I could do so. I made a topic about it, but no one who had experience specifically with Doshin replied:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?162396-Playing-PAL-games-on-US-GameCube-with-Freeloader
Look at my post in your Thread. I got Doshin to work and posted a review.

[frogofdeath]

I'll second Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. Great game, with a great use of the GameCube bongos. Tis a shame the bongos were used for only 4 games worldwide, because four sets are currently collecting dust in my closet.

[Aussie2B]

Look at my post in your Thread. I got Doshin to work and posted a review.

Ah, I didn't realize that you yourself had personally played the game, and I got pretty lost trying to follow the information in the link what with all the huge blocks of quoted text from lots of different people and such. Looking again, I still don't get all of the business about needing to load special files with an SD card, or which older versions of Freeloader would work. Considering the Action Replay with the memory card tends to cost $90+ on eBay, I'm trying to find a cheaper option.

[ubersaurus]

Chibi Robo and Fire Emblem were both really awesome, but I have to give it up for Pac Man Vs. I don't know too many people who played it, but my friends and I were hooked on that game for quite a while.

[wiggyx]

Wind Waker

Timesplitters 2

Tales of Symphonia

Eternal Darkness

Skies of Arcadia

Bloddy Roar

Wario Ware

None of those are really obscure or out of the mainstream :/


Were you playing the PAL version in the US? I bought the game and a Freeloader recently, but I wasn't able to get it to work. I know that some Americans have been able to play it in the US, so I've been trying to get a definitive answer on how I could do so. I made a topic about it, but no one who had experience specifically with Doshin replied:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?162396-Playing-PAL-games-on-US-GameCube-with-Freeloader


I'm not sure. It seems like people are mixed whether Nintendo included 60hz in PAL version Doshin the Giant...

Yeah, PAL game on US system. This was years ago,so I can't recall much of anything else, just that it worked without any issue. Was playing on a Sony CRT back then. I still have it, so I can check the model number if that helps.

Having read the other thread, I definitely had the "older" Freeloader. Bought it right when it came out, plus a launch Gamecube (if that matters).

[SEGA_Queen]

Billy Hatcher. Got a lot of poor to middlin' reviews, but I loved it.

Yes, there's someone else who likes this game! Sure, the camera's a little wonky, and it's kind of glitchy (just like most of Sonic Teams' games of that era), but I enjoyed it.

Although, I haven't gotten past the first level of the third world. I almost beat it one time, but I lost all my lives trying to figure out where the stupid courage emblem was at the end of the level! Why couldn't they just have it appear wherever you are at the time?

[otaku]

I didn't get all that in to double dash but was a huge mario kart 64 fan and love the new wii version to death

I'm going to second skies of arcadia I normally am not a huge fan of rpgs but that is a damn good one that really got looked over being released on DC and then GC great on both consoles hope it sees a re release.

Eternal darkness is pretty awesome to the way it messes with you dated looking since it started on the 64 but still!

[Coptur]

Pretty good recommendations. Any others? How about Shooters, Beat Em Ups sidescrollers? Anything else?

[A Black Falcon]

A lot of the games mentioned here are very mainstream, quite popular titles. Zelda (Wind Waker or Twilight Princess), Tales, Skies of Arcadia, Eternal Darkness, Timesplitters, etc? Seriously, you think those are not that popular? Uh... they were popular. Quite popular. Stuff like Baten Kaitos and Fire Emblem were definitely successful as well, though Baten Kaitos Origins didn't do so well. I didn't like the first Baten Kaitos much at all, though, so I've never played the sequel. Fire Emblem's certainly fantastic though. I wouldn't call it unpopular though, it did well for its genre.

Anyway, what would I mention here? Hmm...

P.N.03 - GC exclusive, and a fantastic game! It's basically a shmup on feet, more than anything else. Consider it that and you might like it. It does seem to be love-or-hate, though. I liked it a lot.

Blowout - PS2/Xbox/GC 2.5d sidescrolling action/platform game. This launched very cheap -- I think it was $10 new -- and didn't get much publicity, but actually is a pretty good little game, well worth playing, if you like sidescrolling action/shooter games.

Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat - Nintendo's only sidescroller that generation, but yeah, it's a better game than most people give it credit for. Just be sure to play it with the bongos for the best experience. Note that the Wii version has some additional content, but isn't bongos-compatible, so I'd recommend the GC version over it.

Phantasy Star Online III: C.A.R.D. Revolution - This game definitely didn't get enough press, or success. This is actually a quite good card strategy game, and it's GC exclusive too. It's a good game, well worth playing.

Lost Kingdoms (1 and 2) - Two pretty solid card-battle action-RPGs. They were moderately successful, or at least the first one was, but aren't among the system's better-known titles, so I think they can make this list. I quite liked the first one, it's short but pretty fun. The second is good as well.

Spirits & Spells - This game's somewhat average, but it's a decent game, and it's definitely not something most people have heard of. Only released on the GC in the US, there's also a PS2 version in Europe. It's a railed-path 3d platformer. It's got some oldschool elements like one hit kills that send you back to the last checkpoint, so don't be fooled by how childish the box looks.

Zelda: Four Swords Adventures - The GC's two 3d Zelda games are of course quite popular (and very, very good), but this 2d one flew under the radar, and is one of the less successful Zelda titles. That's understandable, because that gen was probably 2d's low point in terms of success on consoles, and the game requires GBAs with GC-GBA link cables in order to play it in multiplayer (one player doesn't require one, only multiplayer, at least), but it's actually a very fun game. It IS best in multiplayer for sure, but it's a fun enough game in one player that I'd recommend it either way... though do try to get the stuff together to play it in multiplayer too.

1080 Avalanche - Somehow this game got somewhat overlooked at release. It did alright, I think, but SSX3 completely overshadowed it. I can see how that happened -- SSX3 was a very good game -- but this game's great fun as well. It is short, but a lot of fun while it lasts. I actually like this more than the N64 1080 game. A nice improvement for NST; their other GC racer, Wave Race: Blue Storm, wasn't quite as good as Wave Race 64.

XGRA: Extreme-G Racing Association (GC/Xbox/PS2) - This game, one of Acclaim's later titles before going out of business, is one of my favorite racing games ever. It got okay scores, and probably sold alright, but in part because Acclaim didn't last long at all after its release, and that it's the last game in its series, I'd certainly call it somewhat unknown now. As I said though, I think the game is absolutely amazing. I'm a huge futuristic racing game fan, and this is, in my opinion, one of the best ones. Everything about this game was designed to be fun. The game's basically the perfect Extreme-G experience, with some of the speed and style of XGIII, but gameplay that returns much more to XG 1 or 2, instead of being another Wipeout clone like XGIII was. I think that change was a very good decision, Wipeout's great but I didn't want XG to be Wipeout. Anyway, XGRA is just a fantastic game. It's got good music (though I always play in Dance only mode, not Rock or Mixed), good graphics, great speed, a good weapons system, great, varied track designs, and more.

I'm sure there are more.

[cheesystick]

I might be alone on this one, but I really liked Space Raiders. It is a simple space invaders type game, but it has an added feature that improved the power of your gun the more times you make successive hits without missing. This adds a new gameplay element the improves what would have otherwise been a pretty bland game. The game also offers a good challenge for us old school gamers. It is the kind of game that you play for 20 mins., put down, and then try to improve at later. The game isn't made of gold by any means, but definitely worth $5 or so.

Go Go Hypergrind! is also a game the I really enjoyed a lot. It is a skateboarding game similar to Tony Hawk, except it is all cel-shaded graphics and the art was done by Spumco, the same people behind Ren & Stimpy. The goal of the game is actually to immure the player character as much as possible. You chain together tricks in between purposely running into hazards. People who like more realistic skating games won't like this one. However, I always eventually became bored with some Tony Hawk style games. I always thought that they could make it more zany, and makes more outrageous levels that lent themselves more to gameplay than a real-life vision. This game delivers on that front and I really enjoyed it. Much like Space Raiders though, it did get a lot of hate from people when it came out, so do your research before you buy. The game is cheap as can be though.

Although not too "obscure," I really recommend Alien Hominid. It is a balls hard run-n-gun like Metal Slug. Some of the enemy designs and bosses are really creative, like a literal Russian Hammer and Sickle robot. Bomberman Jetters was pretty decent and doesn't get talked about much. Also, Hulk: Ultimate Destruction is an example of a good super hero game done right, especially in a time where everyone was doing ti wrong. There is a great written review for it on this site. Modern day open-world GTA-style super hero games, (think Prototype and Infamous), took a lot of queues from this one and it is always fun to f*ck things up as the Hulk.

Pac-man Vs. is also a great party game if you have 4 controllers, a GBA and a link cable. Miyamoto supposedly helped with its development. Players holding the GBA can see the whole screen as Pac-man, while the other players play as ghosts and can only see a small portion of the screen. Hopefully upcoming Wii-U games will employ similar features. Don't get this one if you don't have friends though.

[Captain_N77]

Yeah, no idea how Zelda and Mario Kart, which are always among the most popular games on Nintendo consoles, can even be mentioned here hehe.

But I'll throw Cubivore out there. I enjoyed the heck out of it, and I know that it sold very little.

Doshin, as has been mentioned, is a lot of fun. I imported the PAL version and played it on a US GC with the freeloader.

I'd like to add some more support for Viewtiful Joe 1 and 2. You can also get them on PS2 if that's your thing. Both games, especially the first, are really fun and challenging beat-em-ups. The aesthetics of the games are top-notch and the games themselves are brimming with personality.

[Arctic Feather]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51TP77QSGQL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
Megaman Network Transmission

It's a megaman platformer based on the Megman Battle Network RPG series. It starts off pretty slow, but once you get more weapons etc. it's really enjoyable.

[theclaw]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51TP77QSGQL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
Megaman Network Transmission

It's a megaman platformer based on the Megman Battle Network RPG series. It starts off pretty slow, but once you get more weapons etc. it's really enjoyable.

Speaking of that game, Japan copies have ruined dialog text if run in English console mode. Relevant to the recent ongoing discussion of imports.

[Hawksmoor]

I'll go ahead and throw out Odama since no one else has yet.

[TonyTheTiger]

Wind Waker

Timesplitters 2

Tales of Symphonia

Eternal Darkness

Skies of Arcadia

Bloddy Roar

Wario Ware


None of those are really obscure or out of the mainstream :/

Bloody Roar isn't suuuper mainstream. It's probably a series many people don't realize went beyond the PlayStation. It's always been a somewhat fringe fighting game that ended up falling off the radar for most people.

And Eternal Darkness can sorta qualify based on it having been a textbook case of 'sleeper hit.' There was a period after it launched when nobody knew what it was. It was selling for something like $14 brand new. I guess now it's no longer particularly obscure but it was at one point. There was definitely a time when Eternal Darkness was "not that popular" at least.

[M.Buster2184]

I'll go ahead and throw out Odama since no one else has yet.


Good call Hawks, I thought Odama was fun and creative, and an excuse to use the mic on something other than Mario Party. Some of these might not be obscure, feel free to let me know, I'm just basing it off not many people I knew played it.

Viewtiful Joe

Beyond Good and Evil (who didn't enjoy that game?)

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (I loved this game, but not sure on the actual popularity of this game)

Ware Ware

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat

I want to add Ikaruga, but I feel that was a popular game.

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melle (Friend of mine had this game, not quite as good as Smash, but fun if you're into the Godzilla movies)

Also, I know it's a Mario title, but my brother and I played the crap out of Mario Superstar Baseball when we were living together. To this day we get together now and then to play a best of three series.

[Captain_N77]

@TonyTheTiger: I agree on Bloody Roar. The one on the GC was certainly not a big hit. However, I think you are off on Eternal Darkness.

ED was supposed to be a hit. I'm sure Nintendo didn't think it was going to do gangbusters, but it definitely under-performed as indicated by the pricedrops you mentioned. Everyone on the interwebz was going on about how mature titles wouldn't make it on a Nintendo console and Eternal Darkness was really the one that got the ball rolling for that school of thought. I do remember it sold over 300K in America. So many have fond memories of it because it is a really good game and it kinda ticks everyone off when a good game doesn't get it's due.

@M.Buster2184: Ikaruga is a niche title by virtue of it being a shmup in this day and age(or even the GC's age). I think it performed well enough, considering it's genre and that it was on the third place console of that gen. But I think it falls into the category of being "not so popular".

FF:CC was a modest hit(I'm speaking about American region). If I recall, it had a debut total of something like 250K in its first month. I believe the last time I saw NPD numbers for it it was over 400K. I think it's fair to say that Nintendo and Square were hoping for more than that, as they really pushed the whole "Final Fantasy returns to a Nintendo console"-thing.

Godzilla: DAMM was a decent performer as well. Unless I'm mistaken, I do recall seeing NPD numbers having it just over 400K. I'm not sure what expectations were for the game, but if I had to guess I'd say it might have over-performed a bit.

[M.Buster2184]

@TonyTheTiger: I agree on Bloody Roar. The one on the GC was certainly not a big hit. However, I think you are off on Eternal Darkness.

ED was supposed to be a hit. I'm sure Nintendo didn't think it was going to do gangbusters, but it definitely under-performed as indicated by the pricedrops you mentioned. Everyone on the interwebz was going on about how mature titles wouldn't make it on a Nintendo console and Eternal Darkness was really the one that got the ball rolling for that school of thought. I do remember it sold over 300K in America. So many have fond memories of it because it is a really good game and it kinda ticks everyone off when a good game doesn't get it's due.

@M.Buster2184: Ikaruga is a niche title by virtue of it being a shmup in this day and age(or even the GC's age). I think it performed well enough, considering it's genre and that it was on the third place console of that gen. But I think it falls into the category of being "not so popular".

FF:CC was a modest hit(I'm speaking about American region). If I recall, it had a debut total of something like 250K in its first month. I believe the last time I saw NPD numbers for it it was over 400K. I think it's fair to say that Nintendo and Square were hoping for more than that, as they really pushed the whole "Final Fantasy returns to a Nintendo console"-thing.

Godzilla: DAMM was a decent performer as well. Unless I'm mistaken, I do recall seeing NPD numbers having it just over 400K. I'm not sure what expectations were for the game, but if I had to guess I'd say it might have over-performed a bit.


Thanks for the clarification Captain. Didn't realize the number for Godzilla were that high. I imagine the developers were happy with that. I remember being excited about a Final Fantasy game coming out for the Gamecube, and I honestly enjoyed the game. Though probably not the numbers Square expected.

[Tron 2.0]

Viewtiful Joe


I don't think viewtiful joe was obscure for the gc,the game was very well know.Heck it was released again as a players choice for the gc.

[Captain_N77]

I don't think viewtiful joe was obscure for the gc,the game was very well know.Heck it was released again as a players choice for the gc.

And it was also an under-performing game. Capcom threw a lot into making VJ a success, but it just wasn't the big franchise they envisioned. And I forget exactly what the supposed threshold was for Player's Choice games were(250K or 400K), but meeting either doesn't necessarily mean a game is disqualified from being "not that popular". It's definitely not an obscure game, if that is what the topic creator meant.

[Tron 2.0]

And it was also an under-performing game. Capcom threw a lot into making VJ a success, but it just wasn't the big franchise they envisioned. And I forget exactly what the supposed threshold was for Player's Choice games were(250K or 400K), but meeting either doesn't necessarily mean a game is disqualified from being "not that popular". It's definitely not an obscure game, if that is what the topic creator meant.
That's why i assume it wasn't obscure because it came out again as a players choice 'much as it got a PS2 port.Unless it did better in japan then the u.s i don't know,heck the game even got a cartoon go figure.

[wiggyx]

I hated VJ. Don't understand the appeal :/

[wingzrow]

I'm going to have to say Gotcha Force.

[kedawa]

That Sphinx game is supposedly pretty good.

[maxpacker]

Sphinx is good, but has a game breaking bug at one of the save points where you can't continue further, and have to start the game over.(details about this can found on amazon reviews)
This unfortunately happened to me before I knew about it, and I didn't want to start over.

The ps2 and xbox versions don't have this bug I believe.

I'll add Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, don't really know if it's that obscure though.

Gladius is very unique for a console release.

[Schiggidyd]

What about Cubivore?
It's very hard to get now, it must have not sold well!

[djshok]

Marvel Nemesis Rise of the Imperfects, this game gets no respect and it's a shame because it's a truly fun game. Also, it's better on the GC than the PS2.

[RCM]

Did anyone mention Beach Spikers? I remember buying it for $10 and def. enjoyed it.

[Captain_N77]

Since it seems some people are discounting certain games from the discussion by whether they were obscure or not, just remember that the topic is asking for games that "were not that popular". That doesn't mean a game HAS to be obscure or rare, just not that popular.

@Tron 2.0: Yeah, Capcom threw alot into making a VJ a success(think I mentioned that). Do you remember when they had a Viewtiful Joe pro wrestler wrestling at some smaller pro wrestling shows in Japan? Pretty unique way to push a game, eh? Talk about thinking outside the box haha.

@Schiggidyd: I mentioned Cubivore and I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembers it. Very fun and about as unique as they come. How many other games have a dedicated "poop" button...

@RCM: Beach Spikers! That was a fun one too. I don't think I got as good a deal as you did though. I think I paid 20 clams for mine and I consider that a very fair price for it.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

While the PS2's Galactic Wrestling Featuring Ultimate Muscle featured superior roster and modes, any fan of arcade style wrestling games and N64 WWE games like Wrestlemania and No Mercy (those were developed by the same company as this game) should enjoy:

Ultimate M.U.S.C.L.E Legends Vs. New Generation

It's like No Mercy crossed with Dragon Ball Z fight scenes.

It's awesome fun at parties, it's pretty button mashy for a wrestling game.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/91/Ultimate_Muscle_Legends_vs_New_Generation_Cover.pn g/256px-Ultimate_Muscle_Legends_vs_New_Generation_Cover.pn g


http://youtu.be/b2AdEVmKmx8

[Schiggidyd]

I'm not going to read through all these posts,

METAL ARMS: GLITCH IN THE SYSTEM.

If it wasn't mentioned, it should be!

And another one..I can't remember it's name. You create a hero and design it down to it's walk, adventure and gain new possibilities.. It was awesome!

[A Black Falcon]

Since it seems some people are discounting certain games from the discussion by whether they were obscure or not, just remember that the topic is asking for games that "were not that popular". That doesn't mean a game HAS to be obscure or rare, just not that popular.
Sure, but games that are not that popular are probably going to be obscure, and games that are obscure are probably not going to be popular outside of a niche (if that). I mean, stuff like Zelda WW, Timesplitters, Baten Kaitos (the first one), Eternal Darkness, etc, etc, those games were both popular and successful. Sure, WW and ED both were somewhat controversial (some people dislike them for sure), but they sold well and were popular, successful games.

And yeah, Godzilla: DAMM did do quite well. I remember it being popular as well. As for Ikaruga, that is one which did well for its niche, but I could see maybe mentioning it here because that niche was pretty small. So while it did fine for what it is, what it is is quite niche. FF:CC... it did okay, but yeah, Square and Nintendo were probably hoping for more. I think that the GBA-link-only multiplayer held it back, among other things; as I said earlier, the other major GBA-link game, Zelda FSA, also didn't do great. I think that Zelda FSA is a better game than FFCC, but FFCC is good as well. Finally though, Bloody Roar... hmm. On the one hand, sure, it's not a big hit or anything. However, it WAS notable as one of the only 3d fighting games on the Gamecube; basically, there was Bloody Roar, Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance and Deception, and Soul Calibur II, and that was about it for major, traditional-style GC 3d fighters... of course of those Bloody Roar: Primal Fury was the least successful and least well known of them, but anyone following GC fighting games surely cared. As for Viewtiful Joe, I don't know exactly how well it did, but it has to have done okay, at least, given that it got a sequel and a PS2 port. P.N.03 didn't get either of those things, which says something about how much worse it obviously sold.

As for other games that have been mentioned here, I agree that Metal Arms is fantastic. Play that game for sure. A lot of the other ones though... yeah, I'm not a fan of, for instance, Mega Man Network Transmission. It's just not that fun... I've heard that it supposedly gets better (and easier) later on, but there's a huge difficulty curve right at the beginning, and it's absolutely no fun with how absurdly many shots it takes to kill anything. And special weapons are very limited.

Oh, yeah, Cubivore's got to be a perfect title for a list like this.


I might be alone on this one, but I really liked Space Raiders. It is a simple space invaders type game, but it has an added feature that improved the power of your gun the more times you make successive hits without missing. This adds a new gameplay element the improves what would have otherwise been a pretty bland game. The game also offers a good challenge for us old school gamers. It is the kind of game that you play for 20 mins., put down, and then try to improve at later. The game isn't made of gold by any means, but definitely worth $5 or so.
Space Raiders? I'll agree with the prevailing opinion on this one, I played through it but didn't enjoy it much. It's so tediously repetitive, there are a whole lot of much better static screen shooters out there. So much button mashing too...


Although not too "obscure," I really recommend Alien Hominid. It is a balls hard run-n-gun like Metal Slug. Some of the enemy designs and bosses are really creative, like a literal Russian Hammer and Sickle robot.
I got this game when it came out and had somewhat high hopes for it, but it disappointed me. I mean, it is a good game, and if you like Contra or Metal Slug and find it cheap, absolutely get it. But is it as good as any of the actual Metal Slug games? No, it really isn't. And it's got limited continues, too, which makes finishing it quite difficult... sure you can save, but once you're far into the game with like two lives left... yeah, good luck. And I don't think the game's balanced quite as well as the Metal Slug games are, either, which doesn't help there either. So yeah, it's okay to good, but it's no equal to Metal Slug.


Bomberman Jetters was pretty decent and doesn't get talked about much.
Bomberman Generation and Bomberman Jetters -- the two are nearly identical, so I think they should be listed together -- are very average Bomberman games. I think that they're a far cry from the greatness of Bomberman 64 on the N64, or even Bomberman Hero in their single player modes. The single player's just nothing special. The level designs are bland, the gameplay is bland, and the cutseyness is a bit overdone, and I like Kirby games. They are solid multiplayer games, though; the multiplayer is classic Bomberman stuff, so there are no true 3d arenas like you'll find in Bomberman 64, but at least it is a solid version of classic Bomberman. But the single player... yeah, I'd rather play the N64 games for sure.


Pac-man Vs. is also a great party game if you have 4 controllers, a GBA and a link cable. Miyamoto supposedly helped with its development. Players holding the GBA can see the whole screen as Pac-man, while the other players play as ghosts and can only see a small portion of the screen. Hopefully upcoming Wii-U games will employ similar features. Don't get this one if you don't have friends though.
Literally don't, because Pac-Man Vs. has no single player mode. But yeah, it is a fun little multiplayer game.

Of course, one of the most common ways to get it is the Pac-Man World 2/Pac-Man Vs. combo pack, so it's not too hard to find along with a single player game too. My copy though actually came in a copy of R Racing Evolution... yes, it was included in some copies of that as well.

[Captain_N77]

@A Black Falcon: Agreed, obscure games are by their definition not very popular. However, a game does not need to be obsucre to not be a very popular game.

Baten Kaitos and ED were not popular games. Almost any time ED is mention, you're bound to hear someone mourn the fact that it did not sell well. It was expected to be a hit and just did not have legs. As has already been mentioned here, not too long after it's release it was heavily discounted and copies were laying around on shelves for a long time.

As for Baten Kaitos, like any JRPG that is not Final Fantasy, and to a lesser extent, Tales or DQ, it's bound to not sell too well in the West. It was not a popular game by any means. If you participate in gaming enthusiasts circles like you and I, it's easy to think that a quality game like BK or ED did well because of all of the praise they receive; looking at their sales performance often tells a different story.

Concerning VJ, and I know some will question this about BK as well, and the fact that it received a sequel, that does not equate to being very popular. Often times, especially in the past, devs will stick with a franchise they believe has potential even if the original didn't meet their expectations. The big plus about making a sequel(on the same platform/console gen) is they can re-use many of those assets from the original game, thereby cutting the dev cost of the sequel.

Very true that VJ was ported to the PS2, but that is not an indication that it was a hit(in this case). Remember that VJ was one of the big "Capcom Five" exclusives for the GameCube. The fact that it was ported so quickly to the PS2 points to it not meeting expectations. Furthermore, the PS2 ports were also heavily discounted as well. VJ did OK at best, and was not up to expectaions.

You couldn't be more right about PN03, that was a huge bomb. It was not a critical success either, as VJ was.

I'm certainly not hating on these games, as VJ and ED are two of my favorite games of that gen. It's just that one thing that I have done for a long time is follow the actual sales of video games, and neither VJ or ED did very well. I think the whole point of the thread(unless I am wayyyy off), is wanting to know some good games that weren't big hits, like the Mario and Zelda games, or even non-Nintendo hits like Rogue Squadron, Sonic, or Soul Calibur.

[A Black Falcon]

@A Black Falcon: Agreed, obscure games are by their definition not very popular. However, a game does not need to be obsucre to not be a very popular game.

Baten Kaitos and ED were not popular games. Almost any time ED is mention, you're bound to hear someone mourn the fact that it did not sell well.
It didn't really sell poorly, though. It sold okay.


It was expected to be a hit and just did not have legs. As has already been mentioned here, not too long after it's release it was heavily discounted and copies were laying around on shelves for a long time.

As for Baten Kaitos, like any JRPG that is not Final Fantasy, and to a lesser extent, Tales or DQ, it's bound to not sell too well in the West. It was not a popular game by any means. If you participate in gaming enthusiasts circles like you and I, it's easy to think that a quality game like BK or ED did well because of all of the praise they receive; looking at their sales performance often tells a different story.
I really disagree about directly comparing these two, no. Baten Kaitos did okay for a JRPG in the US, and scored okay scores, but ED sold much better, and scored much higher as well. ED is often mentioned as a very good game. You quite underrate how successful and popular the game was. Are you listening too much to Silicon Knights' critics, or something? Most of them hate SK more for Too Human and some of the things Dyack has said than for ED...


Concerning VJ, and I know some will question this about BK as well, and the fact that it received a sequel, that does not equate to being very popular. Often times, especially in the past, devs will stick with a franchise they believe has potential even if the original didn't meet their expectations. The big plus about making a sequel(on the same platform/console gen) is they can re-use many of those assets from the original game, thereby cutting the dev cost of the sequel.

Very true that VJ was ported to the PS2, but that is not an indication that it was a hit(in this case). Remember that VJ was one of the big "Capcom Five" exclusives for the GameCube. The fact that it was ported so quickly to the PS2 points to it not meeting expectations. Furthermore, the PS2 ports were also heavily discounted as well. VJ did OK at best, and was not up to expectaions.
If VJ had not sold decently well, that sequel and port probably would not have happened. That's how the industry works. And then obviously the second one did alright too, because they then made two more, the DS game and the fighting game. That they then abandoned the franchise says that sales must have been declining at that point.


You couldn't be more right about PN03, that was a huge bomb. It was not a critical success either, as VJ was.
Really too bad. I think it's a much better game, myself. I mean, VJ is okay, but I don't love it. I did love PN03.


I'm certainly not hating on these games, as VJ and ED are two of my favorite games of that gen. It's just that one thing that I have done for a long time is follow the actual sales of video games, and neither VJ or ED did very well. I think the whole point of the thread(unless I am wayyyy off), is wanting to know some good games that weren't big hits, like the Mario and Zelda games, or even non-Nintendo hits like Rogue Squadron, Sonic, or Soul Calibur.
I'd put ED on the list with those titles, though... not VJ however. ED is widely considered to be one of the Gamecube's best games, after all. VJ isn't. VJ is generally considered to be good, but not quite on that level.

[retro junkie]

I'll second Wario World, and also add Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Chibi Robo, Custom Robo and P.N.03 (Although I may be the only person on the planet who liked it. :|). If you're counting multi-platform stuff, I'd also include Killer 7, the TimeSplitters games, and Beyond Good and Evil, among others.

I love P.N.03. I really never understood why all the bad press that it got. This is the game that I thought of when I started reading this thread.

[Captain_N77]

@Black Falcon: ED did okay? So it would obviously qualify for this thread. This thread is not confined to obscure games, just not very popular games. How can a game that sold (at best)okay be considered too successful for a "not so popular" thread?

About comparing ED and BK, I'm not comparing them directly. I'm only stating that neither game was very popular, and can easily qualify as being "not so popular" for this thread.

ED was NOT a big seller by any stretch of the imagination. You're looking at a N American total of 400k-ish. That is not a good total for a game with a substantial budget and push. That would be a good total for a smaller project or a budget game.

BK might have sold a few hundred thousand in N America. That's not bad, but it's certainly not popular. I agree when you said it "did ok for a JRPG in the US".

What I disagree with is when you said BK and ED were "both popular and successful". ED is widely known for not selling well. BK may have done well enough for a (1)JRPG (2) in the west (3) that's not a Final Fantasy game (4) on the third place console that gen. But that is like making a general statement about Ikaruga being popular just because it performed well for it's tiny niche market in that region.

Am I listening to SK's critics too much? I'm not listening to SK's critics at all, as they have nothing to do with whether this game sold well or not. ED did NOT sell well. Any criticism or praise for SK has nothing to do with whether the game did well or not.

VJ received sequels for a few probable reasons. Firstly, as I said before, Capcom really believed in the product and it's obvious they wanted to build a franchise with it. Secondly, if you look at the release schedule of the first and second games, it seems highly likely that Capcom immediately began work on the sequel after the original game was finished, They did not take a wait and see approach with it(this harkens back to what I said about them believing in the product and wanting it to be a new franchise). Thirdly, the first game probably turned a profit for them. That does not mean the game was very popular, it just means it turned a profit. Lastly, as I said before, they could re-use many of the assets from the first game for the sequel, thus cutting dev costs.

The VJ DS game and the VJ fighting game were obviously not big projects. Like the two main VJ games, they quickly found their way to the bargain bins. Unfortunate, but true.

If you want, you can look up Capcom's 2004 Annual Report; many times it mentions VJ as "struggling" or performing below expectations and that the sequel is already under way during that time.

Again, I follow the sales of video games and have done so for years. I was actively checking the sales data for games when these games hit the market. I was active in forums when these games (ED and VJ) were under-performing and seeing all of the chiding and excuses made for their lack of success.

[Edmond Dantes]

... I'm surprised that this topic is still in Classic gaming. Can a mod move it, please?

[A Black Falcon]

@Black Falcon: ED did okay? So it would obviously qualify for this thread. This thread is not confined to obscure games, just not very popular games. How can a game that sold (at best)okay be considered too successful for a "not so popular" thread?

About comparing ED and BK, I'm not comparing them directly. I'm only stating that neither game was very popular, and can easily qualify as being "not so popular" for this thread.

ED was NOT a big seller by any stretch of the imagination. You're looking at a N American total of 400k-ish. That is not a good total for a game with a substantial budget and push. That would be a good total for a smaller project or a budget game.
Quite reasonable sales, considering that it's a game very different from the usual, stereotyped Nintendo title... that obviously held it back. People expect Nintendo's games do be a certain thing, and games like ED, or Conker on the N64, aren't that... and they don't sell as well as a result. Another casualty of that was Geist, but that was nowhere near the game ED is, and didn't sell anywhere near as much I'm sure, so it obviously isn't remembered nearly as well.


BK might have sold a few hundred thousand in N America. That's not bad, but it's certainly not popular. I agree when you said it "did ok for a JRPG in the US".
This I agree with. I do know that BK sold less than Tales of Symphonia did in the US, but it's BK that got the sequel on the GC, while that Tales team's next game, Abyss, ended up PS2 only, unfortunately. I was annoyed about that at the time, because I liked Symphonia but not BK... but because ToS had sold better on PS2 in Japan than on GC, they didn't release another GC Tales. Disappointing.

Oh, Baten Kaitos Origins was a legitimate bomb. That game sold quite badly. Of course, other 2006 GC games like Chibi-Robo and Odama also didn't sell great. (Chibi-Robo is alright, but not my favorite game. Odama... I love the concept and gameplay, but it's just too hard!)


What I disagree with is when you said BK and ED were "both popular and successful". ED is widely known for not selling well. BK may have done well enough for a (1)JRPG (2) in the west (3) that's not a Final Fantasy game (4) on the third place console that gen. But that is like making a general statement about Ikaruga being popular just because it performed well for it's tiny niche market in that region.

Am I listening to SK's critics too much? I'm not listening to SK's critics at all, as they have nothing to do with whether this game sold well or not. ED did NOT sell well. Any criticism or praise for SK has nothing to do with whether the game did well or not.
ED sold okay. Its sales were not bad and were nowhere near as big of an issue as you suggest, and no, I don't think that its supposedly poor sales are one of the top things people remember about the game. The game itself, the things it does right (most of the game, in my opinion), and the things some people dislike about it (such as the "run around to refill mana" system), are. The game finishes very high on most "best games of the Gamecube" lists. You're trying to tell me that a game that you'll often find in Gamecube top ten lists -- heck, often top fives -- is a failure that most people remember for selling poorly? That's just absurd! Under no circumstances could a game remembered that well be considered "not that popular".

So sure, I'm not arguing much about what you say about BK -- I think it was a moderate success for its genre, but not a big success like Tales of Symphonia was (note that ToS on GC is by far the best selling Tales game in the US, I'm pretty sure.) -- but you're wrong about ED. I mean, seriously. Sure, ED didn't quite sell to expectations. But nor did it sell disastrously, either. It sold well enough to do, and a lot of the people who played it (of which there were a good number) liked it a lot.


VJ received sequels for a few probable reasons. Firstly, as I said before, Capcom really believed in the product and it's obvious they wanted to build a franchise with it. Secondly, if you look at the release schedule of the first and second games, it seems highly likely that Capcom immediately began work on the sequel after the original game was finished, They did not take a wait and see approach with it(this harkens back to what I said about them believing in the product and wanting it to be a new franchise). Thirdly, the first game probably turned a profit for them. That does not mean the game was very popular, it just means it turned a profit. Lastly, as I said before, they could re-use many of the assets from the first game for the sequel, thus cutting dev costs.

The VJ DS game and the VJ fighting game were obviously not big projects. Like the two main VJ games, they quickly found their way to the bargain bins. Unfortunate, but true.

If you want, you can look up Capcom's 2004 Annual Report; many times it mentions VJ as "struggling" or performing below expectations and that the sequel is already under way during that time.

Again, I follow the sales of video games and have done so for years. I was actively checking the sales data for games when these games hit the market. I was active in forums when these games (ED and VJ) were under-performing and seeing all of the chiding and excuses made for their lack of success.
The point is, the game obviously did well enough to reach a level of popularity. VJ was not an unpopular game. Could it have sold better? Sure. But it wasn't a failure, or they wouldn't have continued the series.

[PapaStu]

Classic Gaming? NOSE.

Modern Gaming? YESH.

**Shimmy**

[duffmanth]

I don't think it was an overly popular game, but Wrestlemania X8 was pretty much the sole reason I bought a GameCube.

[susonjoy]

Baten Katos is the game which is very interesting but not that much popular. It is the game of role playing video game with the puzzle elements. They were moments where I enjoyed the game play. Its really quite interesting game, I like this game a lot.

[duffmanth]

I enjoyed Beachspikers Volleyball, it was actually a really fun game...