In Defense of the 7: GameCube Exclusives |

Many people use video game reviews to determine how to spend their hard-earned dollars. While as an adult I don’t take this as seriously and I now make my own money I am more forgiving of games that aren’t perfect. As kids or teens, we have limited money and are usually picked through gaming magazines to determine if that one game was worth the money because we only got a few a year. For me, it was only during Christmas time that my parents bought games. I mostly rented mine throughout my childhood and teen years. Even for rentals, I was picky as I didn’t want to be stuck on my weekend with a dud of a game. Even a 7/10 or 3.5/5 would be considered a waste of time. This was the last generation in which AAA title after AAA title would be considered fantastic and with so many exclusives it was hard to keep up with. The HD era of gaming would see budgets balloon to insane heights and game releases slowed down as a result.

In my eyes, 7/10 or 3.5/5 games are mostly ignored. These aren’t always considered hidden gems either. Some are, but some are just considered forgettable. Not awful or good, but just passes under everyone’s radar. These aren’t the “so bad it’s good” type of games either. A few of these games have cult followings while a few I had only heard of while compiling this list and some I played myself growing up. I compiled this list from Metacritic with games between 74-70. I feel that’s the true blue 7 range. 79 and 78-rated games usually only have about 25% of the critics giving it a 7 to bring an otherwise 8 score down some. These games are at least rated by half the critics as 7/10. While I know a lot of people don’t listen to critics and some might feel this game should be rated higher or lower is subjective. Like it or not, critic reviews drive sales and it may be the reason why you might find a few games on this list you’ve never heard of, thought was talked about worse than you remember, or something along those lines

Naruto: Clash of Ninja – 2006
Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2 – 2006

This oddball Gamecube exclusive Naruto game was a beat ’em up rather than a fighting game. It was released very late in Gamecube’s life, but it was a popular series for the younger crowd. It was simple yet fun.

Most Recent Entry: Naruto X Boruto Ninja Tribes – 2020 (AND, iOS)

1080 Avalanche– 2003

A great follow-up to the Nintendo 64 classic, however, there isn’t much here. The game can be finished in a few hours and there’s no reason to go back to it. Nintendo has yet to resurrect this series.

Pokemon Colosseum – 2004

This a small update to the Pokemon Stadium gameplay. It looked the part and kept fans interested, but wasn’t anything drastic or exciting. The series would be killed off with the final entry on the Wii.

Most Recent Entry: Pokemon Battle Revolution – 2007 (Wii)

Sonic Adventure 2 Battle– 2001

This was essentially an updated version of the Dreamcast game. With two new characters, it was essentially the same which disappointed fans of the original. If you haven’t played the original then this is a good jumping-off point. The series would see more re-releases and never get a true sequel.

Most Recent Entry: Sonic Frontiers – 2022 (PC, PS4, XONE, XSX, PS5, NS)

Swingerz Golf– 2002

A one-and-done Hot Shots rival by Eidos. It had the same wacky characters but wasn’t anything new in the golfing department. It’s still a cute alternative to Sony’s series.

Lost Kingdoms– 2002

A unique, yet strange series on the GameCube was quickly forgotten about. The card battling system was fun and the game had a great world to explore but was rough around the edges. The sequel improved on a lot of this.

Most Recent Entry: Lost Kingdoms II – 2003 (GC)

Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution– 2004

The Phantasy Star series is a popular series for Sega and has been on many consoles in many forms. It’s still going on today, but the odd choice to have an online game on GameCube was strange indeed. This version used a card battling system. Critics praised the music but kept comparing the game to Culdcept.

Most Recent Entry: Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis – 2020 (PC)

Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest– 2002

This is one of the quirkiest and oddest games on the system. It’s also one of the rarest. It’s also an Atlus game so it has a cult following. It’s cute, unique, and fun, but incredibly simplistic to the point of boredom.

NBA Courtside 2002– 2002

Nintendo attempted to have its own NBA franchise on its system. It would be the last in the series that started on the N64. It was lambasted for its real-life inconsistencies but praised for its visuals and gameplay.

Mario Party 4 – 2002
Mario Party 6– 2004

The series was growing very stale at this point. It’s also a game that’s only fun with other people. The single-player was criticized and the lack of innovation was apparent.

Most Recent Entry: Mario Party Superstars – 2021 (NS)

Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg – 2003

One of the most unique games on the GameCube and from Sonic Team. It’s a cult classic that fetches a high price as well. It was loved for its unique charm, gameplay, and visuals, but had some iffy controls that some couldn’t get past.

Wario World– 2003

While it garners high praise today, it was considered second-rate to Mario‘s mainline adventures. People considered it too easy and short in comparison but praised its quirkiness and weirdness.

Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life – 2005

While the series has seen more downs than ups, Another World Life was an expansion of the original game. The cute graphics stay, and some new additions are added, but this was mostly for newcomers and not original owners who won’t find much value here.