Right. So Nintendo’s finally pulled their collective finger out and confirmed GameCube is coming to Nintendo Switch Online. Probably on Switch 2, probably to soften the blow of still not giving us folders or themes, but whatever. I’ll take the win.
They’ve already said we’re getting Luigi’s Mansion, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Chibi-Robo!, and obviously The Wind Waker (because if they didn’t, Zelda fans would riot and storm Kyoto with Deku Nuts). So I’m not going to talk about those. This list is about the other absolute bangers that deserve a second life—and a new audience—on NSO.
Let’s yell about them.
10. Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
This isn’t up for debate. Double Dash!! is the most creative entry in the Mario Kart franchise, full stop. Two racers per kart, with one driving and the other lobbing items like a banana-wielding lunatic? Absolute chaos. And it worked. The team-based dynamic added strategy the series hasn’t revisited since, and it’s criminally underrated because the GameCube got steamrolled by the PS2.
If this doesn’t hit NSO with online play, someone at Nintendo is asleep at the wheel. I want to swap drivers mid-race with a mate over Wi-Fi and scream at them when they throw the shell backwards. Don’t deny us that.
9. Viewtiful Joe 1 & 2 + Red Hot Rumble
Yeah, I’m cheating. Three games in one slot. Sue me.
Viewtiful Joe is pure Capcom madness—like if a Saturday morning cartoon and a Jackie Chan movie had a baby. Side-scrolling beat-’em-up with slow-mo powers, over-the-top bosses, and a plot that’s basically a love letter to VHS-era action flicks. It’s challenging, stylish, and honestly one of the best things Capcom made during that era.
Red Hot Rumble, on the other hand, is a chaotic little party brawler. Think Smash Bros. on three cans of Monster. If Capcom and Nintendo are still on good terms (and they are, thanks to Monster Hunter), this trio needs to come back.
8. Super Smash Bros. Melee
The legend. The beast. The game that still has a rabid competitive scene more than two decades later. Melee is the fastest, most technical Smash game ever made. It’s not just a party game—it’s a damn martial art at this point.
The idea of playing this online without having to use a modded Wii or emulation workarounds? That alone would justify NSO’s entire GameCube lineup. Just give us Melee, rollback netcode, and a prayer.
7. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
Nintendo made a Lovecraftian psychological horror game. And then pretended it didn’t exist. WHY?
Eternal Darkness had mechanics that broke the fourth wall and messed with you for fun—like pretending your TV turned off or making it look like your save file was corrupted. It got inside your head in ways no other Nintendo-published game ever has.
It was weird, bold, and completely unforgettable. This deserves a re-release. Not just for nostalgia—because nothing else has even tried what it did.
6. Geist
This one was Nintendo saying “What if Half-Life, but you’re a ghost?” You possess people, animals, machines—whatever you can find—to solve puzzles and complete missions. The result is part-FPS, part-puzzle game, part fever dream.
It’s experimental in all the best ways. Which probably means it’ll never come back. But it should. NSO could be a second chance to let people experience something truly original.
5. Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg
You’re a kid. In a chicken suit. Rolling around massive eggs to squash enemies and hatch cute little critters. If that’s not GameCube energy, I don’t know what is.
Billy Hatcher was bright, weird, and charming—exactly the kind of thing we used to expect from Sega in their GameCube era. It wasn’t perfect, but it was memorable. Bring it back and give it another shot. I mean, we’ve got Super Monkey Ball coming back every couple years. Why not Billy?
4. Zelda… The Rest of Them
Wind Waker is great. It’s coming. Cool. But don’t stop there.
Give us Twilight Princess, Four Swords Adventures, and the legendary Zelda Collector’s Edition disc that had Zelda 1, Zelda 2, Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, and Master Quest all in one. That disc alone was worth its weight in rupees.
We know you’re going to try to repackage Twilight Princess HD and charge $60 again. Fine. But for NSO? Give us the full buffet. Stop holding Zelda hostage.
3. James Bond 007: Nightfire
If GoldenEye can come to NSO, then Nightfire has a shot. And in some ways, it’s better. More gadgets, more stealth, more explosions, and honestly? A multiplayer suite that rivalled anything at the time.
Sniper duels on the bridge map. Remote mines hidden in vents. And Pierce Brosnan at his most “1990s action man” energy. This is the Bond game we need back in rotation.
2. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Okay, it’s a bit divisive. Some fans think the changes broke the balance. But Twin Snakes is still an awesome, cinematic remake of the original Metal Gear Solid, with better visuals, full voice acting, and bullet-time backflips off missiles.
Is it a little over-the-top? Absolutely. But it’s a slice of gaming history that deserves more than to be forgotten in remake limbo. Let a new generation see why Snake was the king of cool (and convoluted plots).
1. TimeSplitters 2
The GOAT. No notes.
TimeSplitters 2 is still the best couch multiplayer FPS ever made. Built by the team behind GoldenEye and Perfect Dark, it’s fast, it’s funny, and it had a map editor before that was even a thing.
The campaign jumped through time, the characters were wild, and the multiplayer? Pure crack. You haven’t lived until you’ve done a 16-bot deathmatch with monkeys and laser guns.
If NSO lands this, even just the multiplayer, I will lose my mind in the best way.
Bonus Round: The “Probably Never” List
These games? Long shots. Pipe dreams. But I’m going to speak them into existence anyway.
- Beyond Good & Evil
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
- Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (remake incoming, but still)
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II – Rogue Leader
- Killer7 (Capcom’s weirdest child)
- Super Monkey Ball Deluxe
- Star Fox Adventures
- Ikaruga (please, please, PLEASE)
- Resident Evil 1-4 (yes, they’re already on eShop, but let me dream)
Nintendo, if you’re listening: you’ve got the keys to one of the weirdest, most creative libraries ever made. Don’t blow it. Give the GameCube its proper victory lap. We’re ready.
And we’ve got bananas.