Many gamers believe that 2005 will be the last year this current generation of videogame consoles will see. With the Xbox 2 scheduled to hit retail shelves in Fall, and with the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s "Revolution" supposedly making their debuts at E3 this May, it seems that we’ve made our way to the transition into the next gen. Often, going through this transitional period means that gamers will experience a drought of worthwhile videogames, however, this year that doesn’t seem to be the case since there is an incredible amount of possible AAA videogames coming out.

2005 will surprisingly be a very strong year for the GameCube. It’s arguable that 2005 may prove to be a year filled with more enjoyable titles than the year preceeding it. High profile games like Resident Evil 4, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Chaos Theory, StarCraft Ghost and the upcoming Legend of Zelda are showing us that Nintendo’s GameCube is still kickin’ while many consider the console to be on its deathbed. Below I have the top ten games that GameCube owners should keep an eye on in 2005. Of course, game’s like Splinter Cell Chaos Theory and StarCraft Ghost are worth looking out for, but this editorial will mainly focus on games that are exclusive to the GameCube in some shape or form.


Resident Evil 4

The Resident Evil franchise is one of the industry’s best known and it has found a new home on the GameCube. A remake of the first Resident Evil didn’t seem to do much for GameCube owners and neither did its prequel, Resident Evil Ø, but things are completely different with Resident Evil 4.

Resident Evil 4 breathes new life into the franchise as players star as Leon S. Kennedy of Resident Evil 2. Resident Evil 4 puts an end to Umbrella’s involvement and on top of that the game doesn’t even feature zombies, but instead something different; something more intelligent.

That which makes Resident Evil 4 so much different from all previous installments in the franchise is that the game is much more action oriented than before. It drops the frustrating camera system of the old games and will attempt to terrify players with a surreal atmosphere and tons of bloodthirsty creatures.


Star Fox Assault

The Star Fox series has been a favorite amongst Nintendo fans since it first appeared on the Super NES in all its Super FX Chip glory in the early 90s. Developed by Namco, unlike Rare’s Star Fox Adventures, Star Fox Assault promises to deliver that true Star Fox experience fans have been waiting for since Star Fox 64.

Nothing is more satisfying than jumping into the cockpit of an Arwing as Fox McCloud and the rest of the Star Fox team but Nacmo and Nintendo plan to add more variety to Star Fox Assault by having players jump out of the cockpit of the Arwing and once again into that of Lanmaster Tank. In addition, players will even be able to take the Star Fox team of out their vehicles and onto the battlefield on foot to cause incredible amounts of destruction. The only thing that could make this on-rails shooter more appealing is a fleshed out online mode since its predecessor just so happened to be one of the Nintendo 64’s most popular online game, but Star Fox Assault going online doesn’t seem to have a chance in hell of happening.


Donkey Kong Jungle Beat

I can guarantee you that there are a number of Nintendo fans that are a bit disappointed that their favorite ape mascot has not appeared in his own true action adventure game. Instead, Nintendo has opted to toss DK in a number of videogames that utilize the DK Bongo controllers. Well, take note that Donkey Kong Jungle Beat is the true DK action adventure game fans have been waiting for. The game is 3D game with shades of infamous Donkey Kong Country series of sidescrollers. What makes Donkey Kong Jungle Beat different than those games? Like Namco’s series of the Donkey Konga games, Jungle Beat utilizes the DK Bongo Drums.

Impressions of the game from Japan have been very positive so far. In fact, many believe that Jungle Beat is the best DK game since Rare’s Donkey Kong Country 3.


Killer 7

Killer 7 has been known for quite some time but unfortunately specific details regarding how the game plays have been scarce. No one truly knows if the game is a first-person shooter, a third-person action game, or a mix of the two and other genres. Originally, Killer 7 had been announced as a GameCube exclusive along with the rest of the elusive "Capcom Five," but since then the game has been announced for the PlayStation 2. Fortunately, that hasn’t prevented many fans from losing interest in the title. Killer 7 is a bloody and stylistic action game that promises to kick a lot of ass when it sees a release later this year.

The game’s main character Harman Smith is nut job with seven distinct personalities, each of whom posses their own unique abilities. The game tells the story of the rivalry between Harman Smith and Kun Lan. Kun Lan, who goes by the alias “Gods Hands”, is the head of a criminal organization that corrupts the streets of America. Mr. Smith accepts a request to assassinate his adversary. In order to hunt down Kun Lan, Smith must use the various special powers that dwell in his different personas.


Fire Emblem: Trail of the Blue Flame

Genre: Strategy RPG
Developer: Intelligent Studios
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: Spring 2005

Nintendo’s internal development studio Intelligent Systems had been a bit late to develop for the GameCube platform. In all truth, their area of excellence is the 2D realm of gaming, as seen in their killer GBA Metroid and Advance Wars games. Well, Intelligent Systems’ first GCN game, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, had been a tremendous hit. Furthermore, many believe that Paper Mario is the best GameCube game released in 2004 and I wouldn’t argue with that statement. Thankfully, Intelligent Systems is giving the GameCube another go with their newest title in the Fire Emblem RPG series.

What’s that? A Nintendo-developed RPG that doesn’t include Mario? Oh hell yes, folks! Fire Emblem has always been popular overseas in Japan, known as one of the best strategy RPGs available and the GameCube’s Fire Emblem will mark the first time the series hits a Nintendo home console in North America.


Geist

In all truth, not that many people are expecting Geist to be all that spectacular of a first-person shooter. At first glance, the game doesn’t seem to offer anything that’s particularly out of the ordinary or anything technically impressive. Well, that’s the opinion of some. I like to think that Geist will provide a very unique experience.

Developed by third-party developer N-Space, Geist is a sci-fi horror FPS that allows players to spiritually move from one person’s body to another. In other words, you’re a ghost. A ghost? Yeah, a ghost, and last time I checked their weren’t many games like that available. Consider something different to be something good. Geist has been showing tons of promise; hopefully we’ll enjoy its fruits when it sees a release later this year.


The Legend of Zelda

What can be said about the upcoming Legend of Zelda that hasn’t been said already? This newest instalment in the series is shaping up to become everything fans wanted from a GameCube Zelda adventure. What that basically means is that the game will be the polar opposite of The Wind Waker. There are no cel-shaded visuals. Link is not a small child with a monstrous head and big white eyes. No! Link returns as his bad ass adult form from the immortal Nintendo 64 game, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Not much is known about the game. Actually, as usual Nintendo is being "hush, hush" about the game and will continue to be so until E3 in May, but despite the current lack of knowledge pertaining to the game, The Legend of Zelda is without question on the top of every GameCube fan’s "most wanted" list.


Advance Wars: Under Fire

Advance Wars: Under Fire has been labeled as the "bastard child" of the highly successful Game Boy Advance franchise. Some hate the fact that this home console installment will be real-time action opposed to the series roots as turn-based strategy RPG. Well, the game isn’t much of a looker, or at least it wasn’t when we saw it at E3 last May, but even then it was beginning to show promise as impressions came to be fairly positive. Just like in its pocket form, players will be able to command a number of troops into battle, applying a number of intuitive strategies to where they best fit. A few may be disappointed that it takes a more cartoonish and bloodless approach to war but it has been proven that realism isn’t always the goal to have in mind when wanting to creating a fun game.


Pokemon GC (tentative title)

I’ve never been a fan of the Pokemon franchise, nor do I expect to ever become one in the near future, but I cannot deny the drawing power of the upcoming Pokemon RPG for the Nintendo GameCube. This is no Pokemon Coliseum sequel. This new Pokemon GameCube game is the fleshed out 3D Pokemon RPG fans have been waiting years for. Unfortunately, specific details regarding the game are scarce, but just as the Legend of Zelda for the GameCube, we don’t expect any new details to surface until E3 in May.


Mario Baseball

Nintendo’s recent infatuation of tossing Mario into a large amount of arcade-like sports games is maddening. It isn’t necessarily benefitting Nintendo’s image, nor are these Mario spin-offs bringing in a significant amount of capital for the Kyoto-based industry giant. But despite this, one cannot deny the amount of enjoyment found within these Mario spin-offs. Will Mario Baseball be any different? I would like to think not.

While Camelot Software Planning isn’t heading the development of this Mario Sports spin-off, Namco is. In fact, the game is based on one of Namco’s popular chibi baseball game series and many are expecting it to be jam packed with the wackiness and flair of Mario’s other sports games.




That’s my GameCube list folks! I hope you all can see that the GameCube still has some life left in it. Of course, the PlayStation 2 and Xbox have plenty of life in them as well. With that said, expect more editorials like this one showcasing some of 2005’s most promising games for the PS2, Xbox, PSP, Nintendo DS and GBA.