We have all known the Mario, Zelda and Metroid franchises for decades, as they have appeared on almost every console that carries the Nintendo branding. However, each generation also holds gems that years after the fact become overlooked cult classics. Here are the 5 games that any Gamecube owner should expand their collection with.

5. Ribbit King

It’s kind of like golf but with a frog as your ball. With results as wacky as the premise sounds, what more could you want? Once you learn the tricks to each hole however, the replay value drops off. To combat that, grab a friend and find out just how much fun it can be to hunt flies, swim through bubbles and trash talk your way to a high score. It’s a game of simple mechanics and silly imagery that is meant to just be fun.

4. Metal Arms: Glitch In the System

This is an amazingly underappreciated multiplatform title. Seriously challenging 3rd person action combat, hilarious writing, top notch voice acting and some seriously badass local multiplayer make this one of the defining action games on the console. If nothing else will get you, know that Patrick Warburton as well as Dan Castellanetta of The Simpsons also lent their voices for the game…You’re welcome!

3. Custom Robo

Underneath the cheesy story’s exterior lies an incredibly deep and addicting RPG revolving around robot building and battling. Unlocking all the various parts and weapons is always extremely rewarding, especially since you can take them all into intense 4 player battles. Any game that features a rich single player campaign that allows progress to be carried over into another mode deserves to be recognized, especially when the other mode is just as good.

2. Ikaruga

This game will kick your ass. It’s an insane shoot em up/bullet hell from Treasure that features 2 different bullet streams, dark (purple) and light (white). The trick is that your ship can change between the two colours, allowing you to absorb the damage from one while being killed by the other and vice versa. To this day I cannot beat this game unless I give myself unlimited lives, which is mercifully unlocked after playing the game for a set amount of hours.

1. Skies of Arcadia Legends

Where to begin? This is the best RPG on the console, in my opinion. An enhanced port of the Dreamcast version, Skies of Arcadia Legends offers a unique RPG adventure coated in of the coolest theme of all time: being an air pirate. (Yup, it is exactly what it sounds like). The story and characters are memorable, the gameplay is fantastic and well balanced, and it’s ultimately one of the best games on the system in general. Go pick this one up right now if you are able to find it.

~~Curtis Walker~~