The purple lunchbox. That’s what we called it back in 2001. When Nintendo dropped the GameCube, it looked like a toy, especially compared to the slick, "matrix-black" vibe of the PlayStation 2 or the hulking, industrial Xbox. But honestly? That little handle on the back was a promise. It was Nintendo telling us that great gaming was portable, durable, and focused entirely on the software. If you're looking into a GameCube with all games, you aren't just hunting for plastic; you're chasing a specific era where developers were allowed to be weird.
Nintendo was in a corner. The N64 had lost ground to Sony. The solution wasn't to play it safe. Instead, they gave us a machine that used tiny 1.5GB optical discs and lacked a DVD player—a move that arguably cost them the console war but birthed a library that has no "filler" years. Every single year of the GameCube’s life was a banger.
The Library That Refused to Play it Safe
When people talk about a GameCube with all games, they usually start with the heavy hitters. Super Smash Bros. Melee. It’s a literal phenomenon. People are still playing this competitively in 2026, over two decades after it launched. Why? Because the physics were a happy accident. It was faster and more fluid than its sequels, creating a skill ceiling that basically touched the moon.
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But the library is deeper than just fighting mascots. Take Metroid Prime. Retro Studios, a team from Texas that many thought would fail, turned a 2D masterpiece into a first-person adventure. It wasn't a "shooter." It was an atmosphere. You could see Samus’s reflection in her visor when a bright flash hit the screen. That’s the kind of detail that makes these games feel modern even today. Then you have the absolute oddities. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem literally tried to gaslight the player. It would pretend to delete your save files or turn down the volume of your TV. It was psychological horror before that was a mainstream buzzword in gaming.
The Resident Evil Monopoly
For a while, the GameCube was the only place to be if you loved survival horror. Capcom signed the "Capcom Five" deal, which was supposed to keep high-profile titles exclusive to Nintendo's cube. We got the Resident Evil remake, which still looks terrifyingly good because of its pre-rendered backgrounds. Then came Resident Evil 0 and, eventually, the game-changer: Resident Evil 4. Leon S. Kennedy fighting monks in a Spanish castle changed third-person shooters forever. Even though it eventually migrated to every toaster and smart fridge in existence, it started here. It was designed for that weird, chunky GameCube controller.
Collecting a GameCube With All Games in the Modern Market
Buying a GameCube with all games isn't as simple as walking into a GameStop anymore. You've probably noticed the prices. They're astronomical. Chibi-Robo!? Hope you have a few hundred dollars lying around. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance? That’s basically a car payment. The scarcity comes from the fact that the GameCube sold poorly compared to the PS2. There are fewer discs in circulation, and the people who have them are clenching them with diamond hands.
There are basically three ways to experience the full library now:
- Physical Collecting: The "Purist" route. You want the black cases, the manuals that smell like 2004, and the tactile click of the disc drive. It’s expensive and requires a lot of shelf space.
- The Wii Loophole: The original Nintendo Wii (Model RVL-001) has four controller ports under a flap on the top. It plays GameCube discs natively. This is the "budget" way to play because Wiis are everywhere for $50.
- Digital Preservation: Using an Optical Disc Emulator (ODE) like the GC Loader. You replace the physical disc drive with an SD card slot. This lets you have a GameCube with all games on a single chip. It’s the most reliable way to play since old lasers eventually die.
The Connectivity Quirk
Nintendo was obsessed with the Game Boy Advance Link Cable. If you had The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures or Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, you needed four friends, four GBAs, and four cables. It was a logistical nightmare. It was also some of the most fun you could have in a living room. This "asymmetric gameplay" was years ahead of the Wii U. Most people never got to see it because, let’s be real, who had three friends with GBAs who were all free on a Saturday? If you’re building a complete collection, these peripheral-heavy games are the hardest to actually experience as intended.
Why the Graphics Still Hold Up
The GameCube featured an ATI "Flipper" GPU and an IBM "Gekko" CPU. On paper, it was actually more powerful than the PS2. This is why The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker looks better today than many PS3 games. The cel-shaded art style is timeless. While other developers were chasing "realism" (which now looks like brown and grey mush), Nintendo was chasing a look.
Even the "realistic" games like F-Zero GX are a marvel. It runs at a locked 60 frames per second with thirty racers on screen. It’s blistering. It’s violent. It’s arguably the best racing game ever made, and Sega (yes, Sega made a Nintendo game) hasn't been able to top it since. This power allowed for the "Zelda" tech demo we saw at Space World 2000, and even though we got "Toon Link" instead of the gritty version first, the hardware handled both styles with ease.
Hidden Gems You Usually Miss
Everyone knows Mario Sunshine and Luigi's Mansion. But if you're looking for the soul of the console, you have to look at the weird stuff:
- Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean: A card-based RPG with some of the most beautiful backgrounds ever painted.
- Gotcha Force: A Capcom toy-battler that was ignored at launch but is now a cult classic.
- Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg: Sonic Team being absolutely unhinged. You roll eggs. That’s it. It’s weirdly addictive.
- Custom Robo: Sci-fi arena battling that felt like an anime come to life.
The Technical Reality of Video Output
If you plug a GameCube into a modern 4K TV using the standard yellow AV cables, it will look like garbage. It’ll be blurry, washed out, and sad. This is because the GameCube was built for CRT televisions. To get the most out of a GameCube with all games, you need to look at the back of the console. If you have the "Digital Out" port (Model DOL-001), you’re in luck. You can buy a GC-Plug or a Carby, which are adapters that plug into that port and give you a clean 480p HDMI signal. It makes a massive difference. Without it, you're seeing about 30% of what the console is actually capable of outputting.
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Regional Differences Matter
The Japanese library has some incredible exclusives. Nintendo Puzzle Collection and Giftpia never made it to the West. If you're a completionist, you'll find that the GameCube is actually region-locked, but a simple "region switch" mod or an Action Replay disc can bypass that. The Japanese "Orange" GameCube is also objectively the coolest looking console ever made. Fact.
Actionable Insights for the Aspiring Collector
If you are serious about getting into the GameCube ecosystem today, don't just start buying random discs on eBay. You'll go broke. Follow these steps to build a setup that actually works:
- Check the Model Number: Only buy the DOL-001. The later DOL-101 removed the digital port to save money, and you’ll regret not being able to use HDMI adapters easily.
- Invest in a Brooks Adapter: The original controllers are great, but the cords are short. A Brooks Wingman GC lets you use modern wireless controllers (like a Switch Pro controller) on the original hardware.
- Prioritize First-Party Titles First: Games like Pikmin, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and Kirby Air Ride hold their value better than any stocks. They are your "blue chip" games.
- Watch Out for Disc Rot: It’s a real thing. Hold your discs up to a bright light. If you see tiny pinpricks of light coming through the data layer, the disc is dying. Avoid those like the plague.
- Consider the Swiss Software: If you use a "Save Game Exploit," you can run a piece of software called Swiss. It allows you to force games into widescreen mode and 480p, even if they didn't originally support it. It’s like giving your console a modern remaster for free.
The GameCube wasn't just a console; it was Nintendo's last stand as a "pure" power-focused hardware manufacturer before they moved into the "blue ocean" strategy with the Wii. It represents a peak of creativity that we rarely see in the AAA space now. Whether you're playing on original hardware or through an emulator like Dolphin, the library remains a masterclass in game design. It’s quirky, it’s colorful, and it’s surprisingly tough. Just like the purple box itself.