I‘m thrilled to take you on a nostalgic first-person trip through the absolute best shooters ever graced Nintendo‘s boxy purple console. Sure, hardcore shooting fans may have flocked to Xbox or PlayStation 2 back in the early 2000s. However, GameCube delivered its share of face-melting FPS brilliance as well.
In this guide, you‘ll discover six must-play titles that represent the pinnacle of aim-down-sights action on GameCube. I‘ll set the stage with some nifty facts about Nintendo‘s system, then profile each legendary game covering modes, weapons, reviews and more. You can even reference handy tables comparing key specs across all the highlighted releases.
My goal is to help you rediscover what made these games so special…or potentially discover them for the first time if you missed out back in the day! So lock and load as we celebrate the cream of the crop when it comes to first-person gaming on GameCube!
5 Fascinating Facts About Nintendo GameCube
Before diving headfirst into face-blasting action, here are few quick tidbits to better understand Nintendo‘s boxy console ecosystem:
- Launched in 2001 with 20+ games including Luigi‘s Mansion and Wave Race: Blue Storm
- Weighs just over 5 lbs and soundproof casing minimized noise
- Shipped over 21 million units globally but still lagged PS2
- Controller design initially mocked but ultimately admired
- Capable of incredibly realistic graphics despite cartridge medium
Hope you found those nuggets insightful! Now let‘s get shooting…
The Scoop on Shooters Bound for GameCube
The "shooter" genre has enthralled gamers ever since they first started aiming crosshairs at pixelated ducks on the NES. While flavors have evolved tremendously over generations, the principle remains centering gameplay around discharging projectiles at adversaries.
If you happened to own Nintendo‘s indigo box, around a dozen first-person shooters were available to purchase. Series stalwarts like James Bond, Medal of Honor, Call of Duty and Star Wars made appearances. However, all those franchises saw greater abundance on competing platforms.
In this guide, we cut through the noise and highlight six definitive FPS titles that represent the very best GameCube blasting had to offer. You can quickly reference some key details about each entry using the table below. Now let‘s dive deeper into what made them so special individually!
| Game | Developer | Publisher | Release Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metroid Prime | Retro Studios | Nintendo | 2002 |
| TimeSplitters 2 | Free Radical | Eidos | 2002 |
| MOH: Frontline | EA Los Angeles | EA Games | 2002 |
| Red Faction II | Volition + Cranky | THQ | 2003 |
| COD: Finest Hour | Spark Unlimited | Activision | 2004 |
| Jedi Outcast | Raven + Vicarious | LucasArts | 2002 |
1. Metroid Prime (2002)
Kicking off our list is one of the highest rated games ever made. What started as skepticism about the classic sidescroller going first-person became one of the most critically acclaimed releases in Nintendo history upon arrival.
Chances are if you owned a GameCube you played Metroid Prime. But this influential title set the gold standard for world design, environmental storytelling, and lonely alien atmosphere so it‘s worth revisiting.
The Story:
Metroid Prime picks up after Samus defeats the Metroid Queen in Metroid II on Game Boy. An explosion scatters Metroid material across the planet Tallon IV, mutating creatures and wildlife. Samus picks up a distress call and learns Space Pirates also arrived seeking to harness Metroid power for galactic domination.
Game Modes
- 9 Main Areas – Phazon mines, sunken frigate, lava-filled Phendrana Drifts and more
- Morph Ball Mode grants unique movement and puzzle solving
- Boss battles like Meta Ridley and the eerie Metroid Prime itself
Weapons & Gear
- Iconic arm cannon with chargeable wave/ice/plasma beams
- Lock-on & homing missiles
- Power bombs and various suit upgrades
Reception
- IGN – 9.8/10 – "An instant classic"
- Edge Magazine – 10/10
- GamePro – 5/5 – "Raises the video game standard"
I think it‘s safe to say Metroid Prime exceeded any expectations set for bringing the franchise into 3D. With tightly crafted adventure and intuitive first-person shooting fused brilliantly, this belongs in any GameCube owner‘s library without question!
2. TimeSplitters 2
TimeSplitters 2 takes the FPS genre in a wildly different direction. Trading battlefield authenticity for outrageous weapons and diverse eras, developer Free Radical Design earns high marks for creative chaos.
The Story
Sergeant Cortez travels through time to retrieve powerful Time Crystals located across history. Ten core missions spread from Wild West frontier towns to Neo Tokyo circa 2525!
Game Modes
- Story Mode
- Challenge Mode with 130+ skill testing objectives
- Mapmaker to build & share custom levels
- Up to 4 player local/bot multiplayer
Weapons & Gear
- Iconic weapons like Tommy gun, grenade launcher, sci-fi hand cannon
- Flamethrower, rocket launcher, homing Uzi and more
- Crazy stuff like Vapourise-O-Matic, Super Sheep, Shrink Gun
Reception
- IGN – 9.3/10 – "Multiplayer masterpiece"
- GamePro – 5/5 – "A riotous tour-de-force"
- Ranked #7 FPS of all time by GamesRadar
I can personally confirm TimeSplitters 2 retains its zany brilliance all these years later. If you‘ve never experienced the chaos or molded custom arenas, this rewarding trip across the space-time continuum comes highly recommended on GameCube!
3. Medal of Honor: Frontline
While Call of Duty later took up the WWII shooter mantle, Medal of Honor first planted that flag with movie-esque recreations of famous campaigns across Europe and Africa. Frontline ranks among the most intense.
The Story
Players step into the boots of OSS agent Jimmy Patterson. First witnessing the horrific Normandy landing before sabotaging rocket sites and stealing Nazi jets!
Game Modes
- Single player campaign + Challenge mode
- Local multiplayer with over 10 maps like "Thunder" and "Ice Manor"
Weapons & Gear
- Sniper rifles, machine guns, pistols like Luger P08 and Colt .45
- Rocket launchers, rifle grenades, satchel charges
- Binoculars and silenced ammo for stealthier play
Reception
- IGN – 9.5/10 – "Incredibly ambitious, enormously playable"
- GamePro – 4.5/5 – "MOH‘s best has gotten better"
- Nintendo Power – 9/10 – "Excitingly cinematic"
If you ever had interest in experiencing key Allied campaigns through an interactive lens, few games capture the sights and sounds as authentically as Medal of Honor: Frontline. This remains essential even 20 years later!
4. Call of Duty: Finest Hour
While multiple WWII Call of Duty games followed, Spark Unlimited‘s console exclusive spin-off gave GameCube owners their exciting inaugural tour of duty in 2004.
The Story
Like the original Call of Duty, missions shuffle between Allied perspectives – here specifically tailing a US soldier, British SAS commando, Russian tank gunner amidst key 1943-45 battles.
Game Modes
- 8 story episodes + epilogue mission
- Local 2 player multiplayer – no online
Weapons & Gear
- Iconic arms like Thompson and MP40 submachine guns, Springfield sniper rifle
- Pilot a T-34 tank, use dynamite, call artillery strikes
Reception
- IGN – 8.5/10 – "A solid war game"
- Nintendo World Report – 8/10 – "Pretty darn fun"
- Ranked among top 20 best GameCube shooters by TheGamer
As the first console Call of Duty, Finest Hour represented a fine start to what later became an iconic first-person franchise. GameCube owners might have felt a tinge of FPS envy sans online multiplayer, but solid visuals and diverse gameplay still make this entry shine.
5. Red Faction II
In most FPS titles, blasting enemies matters more than bullet-riddled surroundings. Volition‘s Red Faction II encouraged far more destructive thinking on GameCube thanks to proprietary Geo-Mod technology.
The Story
In a technology obsessed future dictatorship circa 2080, a rebellious squad of "nano-augmented" soldiers wages guerilla war against the corrupt Commonwealth regime.
Game Modes
- Main campaign with vehicle segments
- Local multiplayer for up to 4 players in arena and team play
Weapons & Gear
- Pistols, sniper rifle, rail driver for pinpoint blasting
- Remote/proximity mines, rocket launcher, plasma cannon
- Nano rifle to disintegrate human foes
Reception
- Nintendo World Report – 8/10 – "The Geo-Mod genuinely changes gameplay"
- Planet GameCube – 88% – "Buildings and parts of buildings would simply fall apart"
- Ranked among Top 10 Nintendo GameCube Games on PowerUp Gaming
I still vividly remember the awe realizing walls crumbled realistically when peppering Red Faction II environments with pulse rounds from my nano rifle. While visuals feel quite dated today, blowing apart enemy hideouts offers enduring fun for any demolitionist!
6. Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
What GameCube FPS roundup would feel complete without some Jedi representation? Star Wars Jedi Knight II gave Kyle Katarn‘s bearded face a hi-def makeover transitioning to GameCube along with his signature lightsabre skills.
The Story
Jedi-turned-mercenary Kyle must regain his connection to the force to stop Dark Jedi Desann and his apprentice Tavion from unleashing their dangerous Reborn army.
Game Modes
- Single player campaign
- Local 2 player mode in duel or cooperative battles
Weapons & Gear
- Iconic SW gizmos like thermal detonators, bowcaster, detpacks
- Push, pull, lightning and other signature Force powers
- That glorious lightsabre with yellow, blue, dual variants
Reception
- Planet GameCube – 9.1/10 – "The definitive Star Wars experience"
- Nintendo World Report – 9/10 – "Faithful adaptation"
- Ranked among Top 100 GameCube Titles by Metacritic
With liberally applied push kicks or more elegant lightsabre skills, Jedi Outcast made us feel like noble Jedis despite questionable grey morality. This iconic chapter of Kyle Katarns legacy still represents the lightsabre combat benchmark for Star Wars games today!
Why GameCube Saw Less Shooters Than Rivals
You might have noticed certain monumental shooter franchises failed to ever appear on GameCube. Where was conference rival Halo? No Postal or Half-Life ports. What happened to core entries in Delta Force or NOLF?
Several factors impeded more prolific FPS support:
- Nintendo catered more to younger, family friendly demographic
- GameCube lacked built-in modem for online play like Xbox
- Smaller install base than PlayStation 2
- N64 cartridges had less capacity than PS2 DVD discs
The reality is that publishers eagerly capitalized on PlayStation 2‘s astronomical user base. Meanwhile Microsoft smartly positioned Xbox as the de facto console for connected competitive play. This ultimately left GameCube as third choice for blockbuster shooter development.
However, the titles in this guide exemplify Nintendo‘s quirky box could still deliver when it comes to first-person firefights. In some ways, cartridge load times grant it inherent advantage over disc-equipped rivals!
I hope reminiscing about these six gems inspires you to rekindle some trigger finger memories on the system that housed them. The GameCube library may have lacked quantity when it came to shooters. However, the first-person experiences it offered still glow as beautifully as the bright purple on/off button that kicked them into action.
Let me know which of these games still lives rent free in your nostalgic memory banks! Were stray bullets from split-screen TimeSplitters the catalyst for lifelong friendships…or bitter grudges? Perhaps Samus‘ first glimpse at an alien landscape in Metroid Prime ignited your passion for atmospheric sci-fi adventure?
However you look back on these definitive entries, their legacy persists as prime examples of FPS brilliance during Nintendo‘s boxy 6th generation manifest. I‘d love to hear your personal stories and experiences with any of them over on my Facebook page. Just search for the GameCube Gamer Guy!
Thanks for taking this FPS-fueled trip down memory lane with me. Game on and may the force be with you!
