The GameCube Was Cool: Recent Episodes
thegamecubewascool
Memorializing the Nintendo GameCube, remembering the early 2000s, and attempting to read the back of 555 GameCube cases while talking with some of our favourite people. Hosted by Mike Laine & Neil Gilbert. Look for us every Thursday!
WELCOME TO THE STAGE OF HISTORY. It’s time to talk about the GameCube virtual console and the three “launch” games so to speak, starting the trilogy with Soul Calibur II, a game Mike & Neil covered over 4 years ago and now get to look at with fresh eyes. Friend of the show Luigi (@luigisappartment) joins the episode to dive into the world of Link, the Soul Edge, and the unique relationship Nintendo and Namco had in the early 2000s that made this nearly unthinkable inclusion happen.
This is a preview of a Patreon Exclusive episode! To become a member and hear Mike & Neil talk all about Mario Kart World, GameCube Virtual Console, and those amazing Switch 2 magnets, become a patron and help make the show even better!
Another day, another Kong here on the Switch 2 The Past as Mike & Neil once again dive into Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2! There simply wasn’t enough hours in the day to cover these two fantastic games in one episode. Friend of the show Cam @cpawx joins the show to talk about some of his favourite memories of the games, including his mom absolutely fooling him on Christmas morning and his wind level trauma. Big question though, can Cam identify the level just based on the iconic soundtrack? Listen till the end to find out!
It’s DK time here at the Switch 2 The Past as Mike & Neil celebrate all things Kong-like in this part 1 of 2 episodes all about the big ape himself. Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong Country 2 Diddy’s Kong Quest were iconic SNES games released 31 and 30 years ago respectively and have truly stood the test of time. This week friend of the show Kira @toonietwirls joins once again to discuss her love of the franchise and Diddy and Dixie in particular. And yes, the unbelievable David Wise score is discussed at length so stick around and you just may hear some Stickerbush Symphony sprinkled in.
In their third release of their second generation, Pokemon decided to go for it and made a game that pioneers nearly everything we know and love about the series today. Animated sprites, battle towers, and YES you can play as a girl. Despite being the lowest selling mainline Pokemon game it’s become known as one of the greatest and also one of the most valuable on the market. Friend of the show Ramon joins the show to discuss his memories of Crystal, how he lost his save file (RIP), and his disdain for the babies of this gen. Join the boys this week and as they try to catch em all!
This is where the fun begins. Mike & Neil are back to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Revenge of the Sith coming to theatres. A lot has changed since 2005 but the boys’ love of Episode III remains constant. Josh, host of Star Wars Escape Pod joins the show to discuss his early memories of the movie and to talk about the Revenge of the Sith game for GameBoy Advance. Tune in to this very special episode, DO IT.
Video games have truly entered the age of remakes yet the terms are extremely divisive amongst gamers (just go to reddit for an eye popping amount of squabbling). To bring some of that reddit energy here, except without the hate and vicious arguing, friend of the show Kira (@toonietwirls) joins the episode to discuss her thoughts on remakes, remasters, reimaginings, ports, funky editions, and everything in between.
There have been many great achievements in human history and on June 5th 2025, The Nintendo GameCube will finally be acknowledged by Nintendo and take it's rightful place on their online service, a truly massive accomplishment. Mike & Neil definitely take a big chunk of the credit but another tireless GameCube advocate is friend of the show Marcello (@gamecubegalaxy) who joins Mike to discuss this monumental news and what he thinks the future holds for this new service.
"Yoshi!! Gulp!" Switch 2 The Past continues it’s torrid pace with episode 2 all about Mario’s most faithful sidekick. No not Luigi, but he is green, it’s Yoshi! Travel back 30 years in the past to a simpler time when dinosaurs did indeed roam the earth. Special guests Dave (@remember64) and Cam (@cpawx) return to the podcast to chat about their favourite memories and reveal a few scandalous secrets about the game too. Sit back, relax and don’t let that timer go down to zero!
We are back!!!! Mike & Neil get the podcast back on track with a new name and new format. It’s been almost a year and a half since the two last spoke on the air and there’s so much to discuss. There have been a lot of life sidequests going on in the past year but the boys are ready to sit down and chat about not one but TWO nintendo directs that we received within the week. Of course one was much bigger than the other featuring a brand new console, a few great new games, and yes, THE GAMECUBE VIRTUAL CONSOLE at long last. So sit back, relax, and enjoy, and thanks for waiting.
On April 25th 2020 Mike & Neil sat down at their desks for the first time to try and record a test episode of their upcoming podcast "The GameCube Was Cool". After being sealed away in the GameCube vault the boys are bringing it back. You'll hear a very rough version of what the podcast would become that will hopefully make you appreciate how far they've come. The boys rank their top 10 GameCube games (as of 2020) and talk about the history of the system and their plans for the podcast. Enjoy looking back on these fresh faced lads with some remastered audio for 2024.
As is tradition Mike & Neil take some time in the last episode of the year to talk about their favourite games, movies, albums, and other big events that happened in 2023. With that also comes news of 2024. The boys will be taking a hiatus for the better part of next year, taking some time to do some life sidequests and having a little break after nearly 4 years of podcasting. Mike & Neil will of course be back in the future with some exciting new plans and will have a few new episodes peppered in so keep your ears peeled for that. Until then enjoy the highlights of 2023 with the latest episode of the podcast. Thank you so much to everyone for listening and writing in this year!
You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you? Well if you have maybe this podcast has the answer to your problems. Sit down, grab your favourite mask, and enjoy Mike & Neil and friend of the show Kira (@toonietwirls) chat about The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. With only an 18 month turnaround for development time after Ocarina, MM, the first true Zelda sequel took things on a dark turn and added in a timed gameplay mechanic allowing the user to replay the same 72 hours over and over again to stop the moon from crashing into Termina. Divisive at first but now hailed as one of the best games ever made, the gang chats about their favourite moments, the sidequests that pull your heartstrings, and the amazing story behind all of it.
Today is a BEEG episode of the original Super Mario RPG released way back in 1996 for the SNES. Mario's first foray into the RPG genre proved extremely successful for both Nintendo and developer Square. A mix of the nintendo charm and Final Fantasy style gameplay, it continues to be one of the greatest entries in the Mario universe. The success stopped when Nintendo chose to go cartridge for their next console and Square went with Sony to create Final Fantasy 7 that made a sequel impossible (though we did get two spin-off franchises in Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi). Cam (@cpawx) joins the boys for his first ever non-zelda episode to chat about playing the original in 1997, having his Mom help him on the final boss and what it's like to play the remake 27 years later.
Oy Ginger, back from Holiday? Well the holidays are right around the corner and it's time to kick off December with one of the best stop motion movies ever made. It's Chicken Run! just in time for the sequel to be released Mike & Neil sit down and talk about one of their favourite childhood movies and one that has aged surprisingly well. With great British humour, amazing animation by Nick Park and Peter Lord and heartwarming and genuinely funny story, Chicken Run remains hilarious and easily rewatchable. Harrison from "The Only Pod Ever" podcast joins the boys to talk about his memories of this film and what he's hoping to see for the sequel. Enjoy that gravy Mrs. Tweedy!
Who doesn't love reminiscing about their favourite childhood snacks? Mike & Neil certainly love it as they "gush" (ha get it) about their favourite snacks from the 90s and 2000s on this special patreon elected episode. Sit back, relax, and listen to the boys rattle off a nostalgia filled lineup of tasty treats like fruit roll ups, sunny d, bits and bites, fruit gushers, kool aid jammers and yes, they even mention the ill-fated heinz colourful ketchups. Making you hungry? Grab a pack of dunkaroos and a handful of munchies (just not the pretzels) and enjoy the episode.
Can you believe it's been 10 years since the Last of Us released on PS3?? Since 2013 the game has been remastered and remade, got a sequel (which is now getting it's own remaster) and a HBO tv series making it one of Sony's top selling franchises. Mike & Neil reminisce when they first saw the trailer to this game back at E3 2011 and how this was one of the titles that roped them back into gaming. The brutality, narrative, setting, design of the infected and of course the unbelievable soundtrack make this game one of the all time greats. Join the boys to chat about the world of Joel and Ellie and debate if Joel is a hero or villain.
DO A BARREL ROLL! Join Mike & Neil as they team up with Fox McCloud, Peppy Hare, Falco Lombardi and yes, even Slippy Toad to talk about one of the greatest N64 games of all time. Star Fox 64 took everything the SNES version had to offer and improved upon it while also creating an in depth world with colourful characters, amazing locales, and simple but highly entertaining gameplay. The boys are joined by friends of the show Dave and Luigi from the Remember 64 podcast to discuss why this game was so much fun in 1997 and just as much fun today. Unfortunately Star Fox the franchise has been mostly downhill ever since but 26 years on 64 still reigns as one of the best ever and still a must play today.
To celebrate the release of Spider-Man 2 (no not the 2004 movie-tie in game for the GameCube), Mike & Neil are talking about Web of Shadows, a 2008 Spider-Man game from the activision era that often gets brought up as one of the best Spidey games ever, and for good reason. The biggest inclusion is of course the ability to switch between red and black suit Spider-Man leading to all kinds of different choices and a hero and villain path to boot. We even get lesser known characters at the time Luke Cage and Moon Knight to team up with! And of course it wouldn't be a 2000s Spider-Man game without Wolverine. It's all here on your friendly neighbourhood podcast.
Halloween or Christmas movie? Well here on the Unlocking What Was Cool we truly believe that The Nightmare Before Christmas (produced but not directed by Tim Burton) is the quintessential November 1st movie. The perfect tie between halloween and christmas, this classic 76 minute stop motion animated musical dark fantasy film turns 30 this year and still holds up incredibly today. With an eccentric cast of characters, amazing songs written by Danny Elfman, and a purely imaginative storyline and setting, it's no wonder why this is one of Neil's all time favourites and we're very proud to see the popularity keep growing even without a sequel!
Hola amigos! This is a tale of crime and corruption in the Land of the Dead and a perfect candidate for our spooky game for the month of October, Grim Fandango remains a classic example of point and click adventure games from LucasArts in the 90s. Filled with amazing characters, unique settings, and some of the best music you'll ever find in a video game, Mike looks back on this incredible Tim Schaffer production. Neil is headed to the ninth underworld but luckily friends of the show Nichola and Dan have joined the party to talk about their experiences with the game and why it stands the test of time.
WE'LL CARRY ON. Welcome to the black parade, an album that defined a genre, a generation, and made My Chemical Romance one of the biggest bands of the 2000s. Gerard Way and Co. went as ambitious as possible in this 2006 masterpiece, paying homage to rock operas of the 70s while creating a unique blend of emo, pop punk, and macabre musical theatre to create a lasting piece of music that's stood the test of time. Friend of the show Branan joins Mike & Neil to talk about being a poser Emo and shopping at Hot Topic while playing Teenagers in Guitar Hero 2.
Bop it! Twist it! Pull it! This month's patreon topic has Mike & Neil looking back at none other than the 90s and 2000s as usual but this time for the toys! A time of great toys from Kinder Surprises, McDondalds' Happy Meals, and whatever Burger King's kid's meal was called, it was a great time to be a kid. Join the boys to talk about Furbies, Tamagotchis, Hot Wheels, and many many more amazing toys from our favourite era.
Did you hear that? There's some weird sounds coming from the Unlocking What Was Cool's attic in this week's episode covering one of the best horror games ever made - Eternal Darkness. A cult classic that has been stranded on the GameCube since 2002, and developed by Canadian devs Silicon Knights, Eternal Darkness is one of the most frightening games you will ever play. Neil and Mike are joined by one of their favourite guests, @Toonietwirls who talks about her first memories playing this game and the fear and anxiety it brought with it's clever and incredibly innovative sanity effects. Listen and enjoy this GameCube revisit where the boys talk about the game for more than 15 minutes this time.
From one of the hardest hitting songs ever to open an album to a song known by anyone who grew up in the the 80s 90s or even 2000s to a beautiful ballad and an arena anthem, Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American has it all. Mike & Neil are proud to be finally covering one of their favourite albums of all time and they are joined by good friend of the show Brian to talk about the history of the record, break down some of our favourite tracks, and learn that the band was on the brink of bankruptcy in 2000 before this record help save them and their careers. Join us on looking back to a simpler time when every music video was a house party with a pool on this week's music episode of Unlocking What Was Cool.
It's time to lament the games that never were meant to come to the Nintendo GameCube. Neil and Mike sit down to talk about Donkey Kong Racing, Dead Phoenix and Super Paper Mario (which yes! did eventually come out on the Wii). There were all suitable reasons why these games and many others didn't come to the Cube but it hasn't stopped the boys from wishing and theorizing what could have been. With Rare being bought by microsoft DKRII was dead and probably will never be revived. Dead Phoenix being Capcom's 5th of the Capcom 5 was DOA and Super Paper Mario was always destined for a bigger selling console. Check it out and enjoy a trip down this cancelled memory lane.
Super Mario World is consistently ranked as one of the greatest video games of all time and frankly, who could argue that? The map, the cape, the design, the enemies, the accessibility, the secrets, the boos, star road, dinosaurs, yoshi! This game literally has it all, a complete masterpiece of exploration and platforming, Neil and Mike go back 33 years to talk about one of their favourite games of all time. Joining them is friend of the show Jed and @luigisapartment to discuss their memories, their favourite (or least favourite) secrets, and of course how Rip Van Fish is basically the Mr. X of the mario world. We hope this episode is "Just what I needed!".
EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY. There've been some classic Will Ferrell movies over the years: Step Brothers, Anchorman, Talledega Nights, The Other Guys. But one movie that often gets overlooked is Semi-Pro, the "semi" true story of the ABA merging with the NBA in the late 70s. Mike & Neil are excited to talk about one of their favourite comedies of all time and one that they saw in a nearly empty theatre together over spring break in 2008. 15 years later the boys agrees it still holds up although it certainly has it's issues. Nonetheless this comedy featuring the likes of Woody Harrelson, Will Arnett and yes even Andre 3000 of Outkast boasts a great soundtrack, hilarious scenes, and even a few dunks. SOMEBODY HIT SOMEBODY!
The mid 2000s were an interesting time for Nintendo. A failing home console, a slowly to adopt handheld console, and new competition with Sony's PSP. To counter all this, the Nintendo DS is revealed as a "third pillar" in their console arsenal. Well it turns out that the DS was far more than a third pillar and ended up going on to be the highest selling console in Nintendo's history. From Nintendogs to the touch screen stylus to Pictochat and so much more, the DS captured the hearts of over 150 million people and remains a mainstay for many today. Neil and Mike dive into this patreon topic, talk about their memories with the GBA and DS and predict what Nintendo's next big leap will be.
Mike and Neil have covered 555 GameCube games and this week they are adding to that number by covering five exclusive Japanese GameCube games. Nintendo Puzzle Collection - a colourful set of Yoshi's Cookie, Dr. Mario and Panel De Pon games, Kukurin Smash - a sequel to the GBA game that's currently on Switch Online services, Robocop - That's right, a Robocop game that is made by the same developers as Superman 64 so take that as you will, DreamMix World Fighters - an insane crossover featuring characters like Optimus Prime, Bomberman, and Simon Belmont, and finally Homeland - a online RPG game resembling a mix of Animal Crossing Cubivore and Doshin the Giant. The boys are joined by Marcelo from the fantastic YouTube channel @gamecubegalaxy to discuss these games in depth and lament why we never were able to get North American ports of them.
No one likes you when you're...24? Welp Neil and Mike may have missed their chance to release this on episode 23 of the Unlocking What Was Cool podcast but they still manage to have a great time talking about one of the biggest albums of the late 90s/early 2000s. Much like many other franchises and artists covered on this podcast it did really feel like there was once a moment when Blink didn't exist and then all of sudden they were everywhere. With Travis Barker coming on board and building off the success of Dude Ranch blink delivered an album of all killer and no filler that perfectly encompassed the culture and catapulted them to super stardom. Mike & Neil dive into the album track by track, talk about their memories, what songs are appropriate to walk down the aisle to, and if these boys have finally learned how to play their instruments.
There's nothing more iconic to Mike and Neil than seeing Spongebob and Patrick driving out of Bikini Bottom in their pattymobile. Since debuting in 1999 Spongebob has taken the world by storm with everything the yellow sponge had done before serving as a lead up to getting his name on the big screen in 2004. The five year wait proved successful as the movie was a huge success and has lived in the hearts of minds of many fans for almost two decades. Mike & Neil sit down to go through the movie, what it does well, what it doesn't (barely anything?) and why watching it today is just as funny as it was in 2004 with our dads laughing at the pirates in the theatre.
It's hard to imagine that at one point in history Pokémon did not exist, and then one moment it was everywhere. In North America it's now been 25 years since we've been blessed with Pokemon Red and Blue, two of the most iconic games of many peoples childhoods. The music, the sounds, the battles, the characters, the fact that Charizard can't learn fly for some reason. These games are legendary in their myths and memories (no truck rumour to get Mew did not exist), and there are so many unique and interesting stories to tell regarding these games. Neil and Mike are joined by friend of the show Luigi of @luigisappartment fame to reminisce and delve into the immense social impact that these games had on kids and adults alike.
We are celebrating the release of Pikmin 4 with a dive back into our GameCube back catalogue and talking about the game that started it all - Pikmin! Released just after The GameCube in late 2001, this game took a love of gardening to a whole new level and represented a huge risk for Nintendo at the time. Neil has been demanding another Pikmin sequel for years now (you can listen to him talk about it on episode 5 of the GameCube Was Cool Podcast over three years ago!) and now he's finally got it. Joining the boys today is friend of the show Ramon to talk about the good but also the bad of the pikmin series as well as newcomer Dee who talks about her memories with the game and franchise and what she'd like to see in Pikmin 4.
Let's go there, let's talk about learning how to play guitar. From a young age, music was introduced to us through our parents, movies, video games and basically every other facet of life. When you find yourself at the age of 11, and you want to be just like Marty McFly at the 1955 Enchantment Under the Sea Dance, or you want to be like Mark Tremonti at the 2001 Dallas Cowboys halftime show, the realization hits you that you need to learn guitar! This week, Neil and friend of the show Marty sit down and reminisce about the joys of learning how to play the guitar. Mike will make his grand return to the show next week!
I'M OLDDDDDDD. The third iteration of the Disney Freaky Friday franchise stars Lindsay Lohan and icon Jamie Lee Curtis. If you can believe it this movie came out 20 years ago this week so Neil and Mike wanted to make sure everyone felt old. The boys discuss the music, the outfits, the acting (Jamie got nominated for a GG for this!) and much more. Taking you back to a simpler time Freaky Friday was really the proto-mean girls and it shows. Hope you enjoy another movie related episode of Unlocking What Was Cool!
Mike & Neil push it to the limit on this patreon elected episode. GTA Vice City has been a staple for years in the video game industry yet Neil has actually never played it! Sit back, relax, put on some vice city radio as Neil interviews Mike on why this game is so great and why it needs a remake now more than ever. The story, the music, the action, the characters, the adventure, it's one of those games that's impossible to put down and makes for such a unique blend of a title. Thank you to all the patrons for voting on this episode!
GUH UH! Join Mike and Neil to celebrate 25 years of the bird and the bear with their first ever N64 episode! They are joined by friends of the show Josh from the Still Loading Podcast and Quinn making her Unlocking What Was Cool debut. The boys discuss the iconic music, the colourful graphics, the trademark Rare dialogue and charm, and of course the near perfect 3D platforming gameplay. Though it hasn't had a new title in almost 15 years Banjo Kazooie still lives on strong in the hearts and minds of many and hopefully we see this duo come back sooner than later. Happy 25th birthday Banjo!
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! it's time to talk about NHL Hitz, one of the most unique, lasting sports game series of all time. With only three entries and existing from 2002-2004 Hitz staying power on the heavily saturated sports video game scene of the early 2000s was not to be but it's legacy has certainly endured. With expertly crafted gameplay, animations, and so many features, the Hitz series embodied the perfect arcade sports game. With stellar soundtracks featuring Limp Bizkit, Powerman 5000, Hoobastank and of course the Zambonis, Hitz perfectly captured the sounds of the era. Mike & Neil bring on friend of the show Marty as well as Minds Behind the Sports Games author Patrick Hickey Jr. to break down why these games are still so much fun to play today and of course mention Rollin' at least 10 times.
Neil and Mike explore if this album really is all killer, and no filler and the answer? Yes, Dave's mom should NOT have had an abortion. Some Say (pun intended) that this album is the group's best and it's hard to argue that statement. With killer tracks like the ultimate summer jam 'In Too Deep', a crazy rap rock mix with 'Fat Lip' and an Iron Maiden-esque closer in 'Pain For Pleasure', Sum 41 showed off their chops and proved that they weren't just some one-off Canadian pop punk band, they were here to stay. The boys remember when they first heard some of these songs and go track by track as they breakdown the music, the lyrics, and even the iconic music videos. Come be a casualty of society and check out the latest album of Unlocking What Was Cool!
A show about nothing and a podcast about...something? Mike & Neil discuss the first season of the seemingly timeless Seinfeld to celebrate 25 years since the finale aired! While it didn't go out on the greatest stride this show has defined so many people's lives and has a had a huge impact and only gotten more relatable to Mike & Neil as they've aged. Season 1 with episodes like the stake out, male unbonding (the only episode not to have a "the" prefix) and of course the pilot, we see the roots of sitcom gold growing into a cultural phenomenon that still echoes loudly today.
It's time to go BANANAS! Neil and Mike are back talking about Super Monkey Ball just as they did back on episode 12 of the GameCube Was Cool Podcast. This time their focus is entirely on the first two entries in the franchise and they bring on friend of the show Cara to discuss her memories playing this game back in the day (and of course who could forget that arcade cabinet with the banana joystick). GonGon, AiAi, Baby and many more are here to partake in some marble madness style gameplay. A franchise that since has had ups and downs, and even a remake on the Switch, for many people Super Monkey Ball will always be synonymous with the GameCube. Like the back of the case says, warn your neighbours! and come on down to monkey island to enjoy this latest episode of the podcast.
Our May Patreon topic winner is a timely one, Breath of The Wild, the game that completely reinvented both Nintendo and the Zelda franchise. With Tears of the Kingdom out now it's an appropriate time to look back 6 years ago to when the world was young, and we knew very little about this dazzling open world adventure. Mike & Neil look back on the day they picked up the Switch and BOTW and chat about their initial thoughts and memories of this amazing title. Surely they boys will go back to this game in 10 years time and look back on it even more fondly (and with many MANY guests) but for now, and hour or so will do to remember and celebrate the Zelda series.
The world's favourite Satirical Science Fiction, Psychological Comedy, Drama Film is celebrating it's 25th anniversary and Mike and Neil are here to watch all the drama unfold live on the air on THE TRUMAN SHOW! An amazingly prescient movie, The Truman Show goes down as Jim Carrey's finest dramatic role and one of the best movies of the 90s. Reality TV before Reality TV and an allegory for social media some 10 years before this film does an amazing job at captivating the audience before we see if Truman can escape this reality. And if we don't see you later, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!
This is where the fun begins. May the Fourth be with you all! For the first time Star Wars day falls on a Thursday allowing Mike & Neil to bring you some quality space content in the form of Star Wars Battlefront II. No no, not the 2017 one but the classic 2005 Pandemic Studios outing that set the stage for what shooters could be and how to properly to justice to a galactic size franchise. With so many characters, battlefronts, and modes, this is truyl one of the best all encompassing experiences a fan could ever want. Jedigeekgirl of the irebel podcast joins the show to talk about her memories of the game and it's impact. The boys also talk about the series and the ill-fated Battlefront 3 with land to space technology that we've still never truly seen since.
Hear that? It's the sound of you waiting 3 minutes for AOL to connect. That unmistakable sound of pure noise that you'll never get out of your head. But hey there's more to the early internet that popping in that AOL disc and logging on! Mike and Neil talk about their second patreon elected episode, Early Internet Experiences, chronicling the period of around 1998 to 2006 when the boys were learning about Funkjunk.com, newgrounds, and learning to play Runescape and care for the Neopets. It was a wild, more primal era of the internet as we know it with no Google, YouTube or social media but hey, we had MySpace and Ask Jeeves okay?
There's nothing quite like landing your very first kickflip wearing DC shoes, an Element hoodie, and a Circa cap. Well, you may never actually done this in real life but Tony Hawk's Underground, or THUG (turning 20 this year!), gave you the amazing opportunity to create your own character, customize their look, their deck, and even their tricks, and explore tons of amazing levels while teaming up with ultra famous skate icons like Mr. Hawk, Bob Burnquist, Chad Muska, and so many more. THUG is a landmark game in the genre that pushed the boundaries of what a sports game should be by letting you get off your board and explore the world around you. Mike & Neil bring on friends of the show Stefan and Harrison to revisit this game that they talked about almost 3 years ago and what the future holds for Tony Hawk Games and that weird monster T.H.U.D.
It's 2003, your friends just invited you to Warped Tour, you go with you walkman that can't seem to play any of your CDs properly anymore. You take out Big Shiny Tunes 6 and put in your newest purchase from MusicWorld, the follow up the whole world has been waiting for: Meteora. Linkin Park came crashing on the scene with Hybrid Theory, an amazing debut album, but there's something to be said about being able to capture and grow the success from your previous album by delivering an equally great follow-up. Mike & Neil discuss their memories of this record, how it seemed like every single person they knew owned it, and how it's only grown in it's mythos over the years (especially those music videos!). They also discuss the 20th Anniversary edition of the record that includes some solid unreleased tracks and what Linkin Park means to them.
Your angel of death awaits! It's been 30 years since Batman: Mask of The Phantasm first premiered, in Theatres no less, and somehow this movie keeps climbing higher and higher on the critics' charts. Often referred to as one of the best superhero adaptations ever made and possibly the best Batman film around, this traditionally animated feature continues the legacy of Batman: The Animated Series. With a focus on a moody score, ambiguous motives, and an amazing neo noir art style, it's a fantastic, albeit short, slice of the best that Batman has to offer. Mike & Neil debate why we haven't seen the Phantasm appear in any media after this and if we'll ever see the caped crusader climb to these heights again.
VictorChatBotGPT3.4 activated. Welcome to Episode 586 of The Unlocking What Was Cool Podcast. The show about all things retro that we loved from the past. New episode every Thursday on the only podcast service: Mickeycast - a division of ‘Disney Media’. - We are now the 9th best Podcast on the Metaverse hosted by 2 guys who were born pre-2020 pandemic. SURRENDER YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION TO OUR PAGE BOOMBUTT. WE ARE ALMOST AT 50 MILLION BUTTS. THIS WEEK we are talking a look back at a bunch of our favourite things from the 2030s. Its hard to imagine that it is 2040, so we thought it would be fun to highlight some cool things we got this decade. Enjoy the show! VictorChatBotGPT3.4 Terminate Message and the human race...
Since the beginning of time, humans have been unable to choose one format to rule them all. In the world of physical media there have been many challengers along the way. CDs vs. Casettes, VHS vs. Beta, VHS vs. DVDs, DVDs vs. Blu Rays, Blu Rays vs. HD DVDs. The list is endless but we're excited to talk about some of the best format wars the 20th century and early 21st century has had to offer. Join Mike & Neil as they dive in to their first ever episode topic picked by Patreon subscribers! The format wars begun, they have.
Whether you're a true head and picked this up day one, or like Mike, you acquired this in your favourite cereal box, Chris Sawyer's Roller Coaster Tycoon is maybe one of the most perfect games ever made. Beautiful isometric graphics, insane amounts of customization, and with basically no bugs, this is a game that can be played by anyone, anywhere, all the time. Mike & Neil are joined by some friends of the show including Josh from the Still Loading podcast to talk about their memories of this title and of course the most efficient way to drown your guests. Sit back, relax, put on your panda costume, and enjoy the ride.
For today The GameCube Was Cool lives on in the form of our first revisited episode, looking back at one of the greatest launch titles ever, Luigi's Mansion. We first talked about this game all the way back in May 2020 in our second ever episode and it's time to do Mario's brother justice now that we've had three years to hone our craft. We reminisce about that second episode, talk about what's changed since, and bring on two extraordinary guests Kira @toonietwirls and enemy of the pod Ramon to discuss their memories first picking up this survival/horror title with a Nintendo spin. And we're also celebrating 10 years since Dark Moon was released! Enjoy this foray back into us talking about the greatest console of all time.
Thirty years ago Rivers Cuomo wrote the songs along with his fellow bandmates that would become their first self-titled record, later labeled The Blue Album by fans and critics alike because the decided to make about a dozen other coloured self titled albums. Present day Weezer may be a far cry from 90s Weezer and basically have evolved into full meme form at this point but that won't stop Mike & Neil from covering them in their first album retrospective for Unlocking What Was Cool. Hear us talk about Buddy Holly, Say It Ain't So, and how cringe No One Else is today. Whether you take your car or your board to work, we hope you enjoy this episode. And if you're a patreon subscriber head over there to hear the episode with the tracks from the album included!
Ladies and Gentlemen, WE ARE BACK! After a much needed vacation it's time to dive into some non-GameCube related media, starting with Kirby's best outing on the Wii (which evidently was supposed to be a GameCube game). Going with the "returning" themes of the episode, this game felt right to be our first to cover with the new format, as well as the deluxe edition being released on switch this week! We also bring back friend of the show and Kirby enthusiast Jake to talk about his memories playing this game in college and why multiplayer is where this game shines the most. Thanks for tuning in and welcome to Unlocking What Was Cool!
So it's come to this. The final episode. The GameCube is officially cool after hearing Neil read all 555 back of the cases and we couldn't be happier to send this era of the podcast off with a bang with...Madden 08? Yup, the last official release on the cube came in August of 2007 with this NFL title. But this episode is so much more than just a football game, it's about our two and a half years of podcasting, looking back on all our memories, some fun stats, and some really interesting stuff we've learned about the GameCube along the way. We'll be back in March with new content (yes even some GameCube content) but until then, enjoy the final episode of The GameCube Was Cool and thank you so much for all the support. This is our absolute favourite thing in the world to do and we couldn't have done it without you.
As the GameCube library dwindles 2006 and 2007 gave us many, many movie tie-ins. Happy Feet, The Ant Bully, Open Season, Barnyard, Surf's Up, Flushed Away, and Meet The Robinsons are the games Neil and Mike have the pleasure (or sometimes displeasure) of talking about on this penultimate episode. The story here is that most of these games are okay, but in reality, they probably never needed to be made in the first place. Alas this was the golden era of the movie tie-in and literally everything needed a game. There are some fun inclusions here like Surf's Up being a pretty fun and rare surfing sim on the GameCube, Barnyard turning out to be a pretty cool pseudo Open World game, and Meet the Robinsons being a Jimmy Neutron clone. All this and more on the second last episode of The GameCube Was Cool!
It's time for the final AAA release on the Nintendo GameCube. Twilight Princess, the original dual console release for the Zelda franchise, always seems to be the dark horse (or dark wolf) of the series. Through a bundled release with the Wii where the screen got flipped to make Link right handed, to the Wii U remastered version, Twilight Princess seems to always fly under the radar. Neil and Mike discuss why this installment may be one of the greatest games ever made, with an incredible story, great characters, and subtle innovation on gameplay. Joining the boys are friends of the show Cam (@Cpawx), Kira (@toonietwirls) and Tristian (@tristanpantarotto). Bring your master sword and join us for the final Zelda episode of the show!
As the end nears for the GameCube's library Mike and Neil look back on 7 movie tie-in games for the cube. Including the stand out Over The Hedge which has some amazing golf cart vehicular combat that friend of the show Anneka comes on to talk about. Chronicles of Narnia, Robots, Ice Age 2, Madagascar, and Chicken Little round out the list of the many, many late GameCube games which also happened to be movie tie-ins. For the most part they're fun titles who's movies really didn't have enough game-y elements for a video game to be made of them, but hey, this was the mid 2000s where literally everything had to have a game (yes, even the Bee movie!).
And of course you can check out some GameCube Was Cool Podcast merch here at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/neil-gilbert?ref_id=26916
To celebrate 50 years of Pong being released Mike & Neil are going WAY back into the annals of video game history to talk about some legacy collections on the GameCube. Starting with Pinball Hall of Fame which is yup, a collection of pinball tables played virtually. We bring on friend of the show Luigi to discuss Pinball and the Midway Arcade Treasures series and discover how interconnected Pinball, Bally, Williams, Atari, and Midway all were in the 1980s. Next up is the Namco Museum series featuring friend of the show Christian to dive back into his memories of these games. Finally Jedi Geek Girl joins us once again, this time to talk about Gauntlet Dark Legacy, a very unique game on the GameCube that is of course set within the arcade classic Gauntlet series. All this and more on episode 121 of The GameCube Was Cool!
And of course you can check out some GameCube Was Cool Podcast merch here at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/neil-gilbert?ref_id=26916
Happy 35th birthday to the Blue Bomber! As Mega-Man aka Rockman turns 35 and is looking to put a downpayment on his new home Neil and Mike look back at four Mega-Man games on the GameCube. Two legacy collections, Mega Man X: Collection and Mega Man: Anniversary Collection as well an exclusive game, Network Transmission and a spinoff of the Mega Man X series, Command Mission. The boys are joined by The GameCube Galaxy host Marcello to talk about these games and what it was like growing up with Mega Man and how these older SNES games have stood the test of time in terms of art style and game play.
And of course you can check out some GameCube Was Cool Podcast merch here at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/neil-gilbert?ref_id=26916
Transport yourself back to 2001 where the Olsen twins were absolutely everywhere. Anything a preteen girl could buy, Mary Kate and Ashley had their own line of products for it. They truly were everywhere including a GameCube game! Joining them are the Bratz franchise who sustained massive popularity for about a decade and still put out games today. And of course Hello Kitty, the second largest media franchise in the world who's merchandising is second to none. The cute little cat joined these other titles on the cube with her "Roller Rescue" game. Check out this special Tuesday edition of the GameCube Was Cool!
And of course you can check out some GameCube Was Cool Podcast merch here at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/neil-gilbert?ref_id=26916
Start your engines! It's time to talk about NASCAR Games, a few Namco racing games, and some truck sims on the Nintendo GameCube. First up is friend of the show Marty talking about NASCAR 2005 Chase for the Cup, as well as Dirt to Daytona and Thunder 2003. Turns out these games were actually extremely well developed and still have an influence on NASCAR drivers today (see Ross Chastain's interview). Friend of the show and racing game expert Ali comes on to chat with the boys about 18 Wheeler, Big Mutha Truckers, American Chopper 2, Pac-Man World Rally, and the surprisingly in depth and well regarded futuristic racer R: Racing Evolution. It's all here on the fourth edition of the GameCube Was Cool's racing episode.
And of course you can check out some GameCube Was Cool Podcast merch here at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/neil-gilbert?ref_id=26916
The GameCube was unfortunately not home to very many RPGs, especially at the beginning of its lifecycle, but eventually GameCube owners were treated to three stellar JRPGs: Tales of Symphonia, Baten Kaitos, and Baten Kaitos Origins. The boys are joined by friend of the show and RPG lover Zafir, as well as Evan and Corbin from the amazing YouTube channel Gaming Broductions. If you're a lover of some of the best role playing games ever made, along with spectacular music and iconic imagery and atmosphere, look no further than these GameCube exclusive games that Mike and Neil chat about today.
And of course you can check out some GameCube Was Cool Podcast merch here at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/neil-gilbert?ref_id=26916
The world of basketball video games is a complex and long one. We all remember NBA Jam of course but the successor to that franchise was up for grabs in the early 2000s with three major series. EA Sports' NBA Live, Sega and Take Two's NBA 2K, and Nintendo's Courtside. Of course NBA Courtside 2002, an exclusive GameCube title was the last we'd see in that series but Live and 2K duked it out for many years with 2K getting a rare victory against rival EA in the basketball world in recent years. Join Neil & Mike as they look back on this era of sports games for the GameCube for the last time in this podcast as they bring on friends of the show Harrison and Brian to recount their memories of NBA Live and the great soundtracks they provided.
And of course you can check out some GameCube Was Cool Podcast merch here at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/neil-gilbert?ref_id=26916
If you can believe it there was a time where there were only two Fire Emblem characters in Super Smash Bros. and Nintendo didn't seem to even care about this soon to be landmark franchise for them in North America. Despite its odd history, Path of Radiance, a very late GameCube game, became the franchise's first 3D and fully voice acted game to be released, as well as the first North American release on a home console. Now known for its absurd price at used game stores across the world, at its core, Path of Radiance is actually a really amazing example of an excellent strategy game with a compelling and interesting story. Friends of the show Zafir and Matt join Mike & Neil as they talk about the series as a whole, why Ike is such a likeable character, and what the future holds for Fire Emblem after next year's Engage game.
And of course you can check out some GameCube Was Cool Podcast merch here at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/neil-gilbert?ref_id=26916
To celebrate 30 years since the release of Mortal Kombat in 1992, Neil and Mike are going down a journey of 7 fighter/brawler games for the cube. Mainly Def Jam Vendetta and Fight for NY with guests Brian and Marty to enlighten us on why these games are still so much fun to play, boxing games like Black and Bruised, Fight Night Round 2, and of course Mortal Kombat Deception and Deadly Alliance. Two of the first 3D MK games that redefined the series and the genre. FINISH HIM.
And of course you can check out some GameCube Was Cool Podcast merch here at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/neil-gilbert?ref_id=26916
It's 2001, the world was just shocked by PS2 and Xbox, two consoles that could do everything including playing DVDs! Shortly after Nintendo partners with Panasonic, releasing the Panasonic Q. Half GameCube half DVD player, a beautiful reflective stainless steel body with it's own 90s tech grey controller to boot! Why haven't you heard of it, well find out by listening to Side Mission 13 of the GameCube Was Cool Podcast and learn all about this wacky little entry into video game history.
Turtle Power! Join Mike & Neil as they discuss five games from the extensive Turtle catalogue on the GameCube: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, TMNT 2: Battle Nexus, TMNT 3: Mutant Nightmare, TMNT: Mutant Melee and finally the movie-tie in, TMNT. The boys are joined by Marcello of GameCube Galaxy to discuss these titles and their memories of the turtles in general. Mike goes off to find the famed woman from the Totally Obsessed episode (listen to find out how that went) while Neil sticks around and discusses Michaelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, and Leonardo and even a little bit of Leonardo DiCaprio.
And of course you can check out some GameCube Was Cool Podcast merch here at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/neil-gilbert?ref_id=26916
From the creative mind of Hideo Kojima fused with the development talent of Silicon Knights comes a remake of the 1998 Playstation classic Metal Gear Solid. Nintendo fans can finally experience Solid Snake's first adventure in the 3D space on the iconic Shadow Moses island. Completely rebuilt from the ground up with all new graphics, cutscenes, voice acting and gameplay improvements from Metal Gear Solid 2. Twin Snakes is a one of a kind experience on the GameCube and Nintendo consoles in general. Join the boys as they dive into this game, hide in their box, and talk to friends of the show Kira and Tristan to uncover the history of this unique GameCube title, and of course reminisce about the Psycho Mantis boss fight.
Check out some GameCube Was Cool Podcast merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/neil-gilbert?ref_id=26916
A charming tale of deep space whimsy with aliens, conspiracy theories, and a badass journalist/photographer with a pig companion. Sound familiar? Probably not considering this game was an immediate commercial failure in the mid days of the GameCube in 2003. However in the last two decades its image has reformed and is considered to be one of the premiere games from this generation. Mike & Neil bring on friend of the show ToonieTwirls to discuss the game, its legacy, and if we'll ever actually get to see a Beyond Good & Evil 2. Just say when Jade!
And of course please check out some GameCube Was Cool Podcast Merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/neil-gilbert?ref_id=26916
It's time to chat about the golden age of Pixar. The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, and Cars (yes even Cars). Some absolutely amazing movies here, not so much with the games. All developed by THQ, these titles were all mediocre at best. Other than the very interesting and surprisingly fun Cars which had an amazing open world experience of Radiator Springs and some solid driving. Meanwhile The Incredibles couldn't wait 15 years and decided to make a video game sequel to the original movie, Rise of the Underminer with the John Ratzenburger reprising his role! Mike & Neil bring on friends of the show Kirsten and Ramon for a great time talking about growing up with some of the greatest animated movies ever made.
And of course please check out some GameCube Was Cool Podcast Merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/neil-gilbert?ref_id=26916
It's September and that means it's time to go back to school, and what better way to celebrate (or lament) then to talk about some after school cartoons on the GameCube Was Cool! Mike & Neil look back at some of the favourite series from Cartoon Network like Codename: Kids Next Door, the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Samurai Jack, Ed Edd and Eddy and The Power Puff Girls! Unfortunately we did not get a Dexter's Lab game on the Cube but the boys are still holding out hope. Dive into the early 2000s in a big way with these sub-par games but timeless cartoons!
Go and get some GameCube Was Cool Podcast Merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/neil-gilbert?ref_id=26916
It's time to bang the drum...extremely fast! In Nintendo's first true Donkey Kong game in six years they decided to combine the success of the bongo peripheral with traditional platforming in one of the most ambitious and strangest games on the GameCube. Mike and Neil take a look back at this game and talk about how it's success in 2005 has given way to a pretty empty period in DK's lifecycle. Friends of the show Kyra and Spenny join the pod to talk about the big ape and lament that his friends Diddy, Lanky, and the rest of the kong crew are conspicuously absent in this entry! Grab some bongos and enjoy the final kong game for the Cube.
Go and get some GameCube Was Cool Podcast Merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/neil-gilbert?ref_id=26916
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
Collecting for the GameCube is an expensive endeavor, but this week on The GameCube Was Cool Podcast Mike and Neil sit down and search the internet for cheap GameCube games. They each have $100.00 to spend on as many 'good' games as possible. Who will come out with the best assortment of games? Tune in and find out!
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
Inside the GameCube Studio Mike is interviewing a very special guest, the one and only, Neil! host of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast. He's joining the show for an exclusive interview about love, life, being a teenager at bayside high and choosing games for a desert island. Tune in and find out all you need to know about the world's most interesting GameCube related man.
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
Quiet on the set! Mike, host of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast (#1 Gamecube podcast on the internet) has been invited to Neil's super secret podcast talk show for an exclusive interview. What new secrets about Mike will Neil uncover about his best friend of 21 years? Tune in and find out!
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
BMX, Snowboarding, Motocross and even Scootering (yes, scootering in 2003). All this and more you can find here on part 2 of The GameCube Was Cool's extreme sports series featuring friends of the show Ali, Gavin, and even Marty, back to finally talk about Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure. The boys journey back to a time where Jackass reigned supreme and the antics of this world were prevalent in games such as FreeStyle MetalX, SX Superstar, and a Shrek meets tony hawk meets scootering game called Whirl Tour. Join Mike & Neil for a great time and hit the rails in episode 107.
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
Play ball! It's a beautiful day for a ball game here on the GameCube Was Cool. Our third "radio" edition on 97.8 KUHB FM. Mario Superstar Baseball is quite the unique entry for the Mario Sports franchise, an amazing in depth game with an equally amazing community who keeps this game alive with stats and online play. Lucky enough one of the members of this community, @littlecoaks joins the boys to talk about the game and the community that has formed around it. With 32 characters in this game there's so many permutations making this game one of the most complex and deep sport games on the GameCube.
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
Who lives in a GameCube under the sea? With five games on the console SpongeBob and pals certainly made a lasting impact on the system. Battle for Bikini Bottom being probably the most well known thanks to the new remake and the speedrunning community that basically willed it into existence (as explained by friend of the show Luigi in his part). But there were four more games including the amazing party game Lights, Camera, Pants! (as remembered by other friend of the show Anneka), the fantastic movie tie-in, as well as Revenge of the Flying Dutchman and Creature from the Krusty Krab. Each one had it's own charm and went well above and beyond what licensed video games can normally achieve. Enjoy this extra long episode and listen to Mike & Neil talk about a cartoon that has gone on to shape them for the rest of their lives.
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
Join Mike & Neil for a rumbly tumbly adventure through the 100 Acre Wood to talk about two Winnie the Pooh games as well as a Curious George cel-shaded movie tie-in and a Franklin the turtle game that somehow did not release on the GameCube in North America. The boys talk about their memories with Winnie-the-Pooh, are shocked at the fact that he and his band of misfit animals are the fourth largest media franchise in the world, and give some love to Jim Cummings' great voice work. They of course discuss the movie tie-in game that's not really a movie tie-in; Piglet's Big Game which plays like an early Captain Toad game. Unfortunately the Franklin game doesn't quite live up to the memes but you'll have to listen to find out why!
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
You're a wizard Harry!! Celebrating 25 years of Harry Potter with five games on the GameCube, including a Quidditch spinoff. This generation of consoles was lucky enough to play home to one of the most influential book and movie series of all time. Mike & Neil dive into their memories of the games but more importantly the franchise itself, and reminisce how kids would stand outside bookstores for midnight releases of the next chapter in the wizarding world. Joining the boys is friend of the show Chelsey from the Caesar Sunday podcast to chat about her favourite series (and visiting harry potter world in Florida). Grab your Nimbus 2000 and fly on over for this magical ride!
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
To celebrate Star Fox 64 turning 25 years old this week Neil and Mike are looking back on the second Star Fox entry in the GameCube's library. Assault never won over the critics but it many moments of sheer greatness that brought fans back into the franchise after experiencing a Star Fox game that was really just Star Fox in name only. Guests of the week are Luigi from the Chat of the Wild podcast and newcomer Bill Barber, co-host of the Gaming and Collecting Podcast. They talk about their memories of Assault as well as things they loved and things they really wish would have been improved upon in newer releases. Love it or hate it Star Fox assault is arguably the last good Star Fox game, but hopefully won't be for long.
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
After 100 episodes of talking about the GameCube Neil and Mike are gonna sit back, relax, and talk about themselves for an hour. Relive the last 2 years and some of their favourite moments from these episodes and some news on what the future of the GameCube Was Cool looks like! Stick around to the end of the episode to hear a mashup of some of the best jokes, moments, and stupid gags that appeared on this podcast over the last 100 episodes. Enjoy!
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
Episode 100 is here! Neil and Mike can't believe that 100 episodes have passed by and are thrilled to talk about one of the best sports games of all time for this very special episode. Joining the boys to talk about Super Mario Strikers are friends of the show Matt, Will and Jason who discuss their memories of playing Strikers and it's sequel back in the day as well as talking about their excitement for the new entry which was an amazing surprise. From the makers of NHL Hitz Strikers certainly shared the fast and furious action and violence from that series and became known as a unique entry in the Mario pantheon with some of the greatest cover art of all time.
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
To celebrate 99 years of Disney Mike & Neil are joined by Mickey, Goofy, Donald, Minnie and many more classic Disney characters on this week's episode. However these characters can't quite save many of these mediocre to downright awful games, many of which were exclusive to the GameCube. One of these games, Disney's Magical Mirror Starring Mickey Mouse was played by friend of the show Emma who takes the boys through what it was like to play a point and click game with a controller. Donald Duck games like Goin' Quackers and PK Out of the Shadows appear in this episode as well as Disney Sports entries like Football and Basketball. While we watch Disney buy up all the good content Mike & Neil take us through a very strange era for Disney in the early 2000s.
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
The greatest no-limbed character in the history of video games graces the podcast today with Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc and Rayman Arena. The boys discuss their memories with the character and his later entry games Origins and Legends. They also discuss the Don Bluth produced I-Ninja, an amazingly underrated and funny 3D platformer with the voice of Billy West and Scaler, a strange but fun game that seems to have been lost with time. Rekindle the nostalgia of the 3D platform era with this episode of The GameCube Was Cool.
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
The early 2000s were the golden age of rhythm and music games and the GameCube couldn't escape their grasp on pop culture. Before Guitar Hero and Rock Band though there was Donkey Konga! The amazingly fun rhythm game played by hitting some awesome bongo peripherals and throwing some claps in there too! Join Mike, Neil and friend of the show Kyra to talk about some of their favourite memories and tracks from these two (three if you count Japan) games. The boys also talk about the rise and fall of DDR with Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix, a Mad Catz clone: MC Groovz, and last but not least from Harmonix comes Karaokes Revolution Party, not quite Guitar Hero but in terms of gameplay and aesthetics, as close as the GameCube was going to get.
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
In this era of gaming there were shooters aplenty and of course Turok, the great dinosaur hunter game is celebrating 25 years as a franchise. Unfortunately this was not the best entry into the series and ended up being it's death blow. The boys also talk with friend of the show Dan about a few other shooters such as Red Faction II and Serious Sam, both very interesting franchises that they'd love to see get a second life on the Switch. To round out the episode Neil & Mike also talk about one of the few run & gun games on the Cube, BlowOut as well as an IO Interactive game that isn't Hitman: Freedom Fighters, an alternate history game who's plot is well worth the price of admission. All this and more on episode 96!
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
May the Fourth be with you! It's Star Wars Day and Neil and Mike are celebrating by taking you through six galactic games on the GameCube as well as talking at length about their memories of the franchise that has been a huge part of their lives. The boys are joined by guests Jedi Geek Girl and GameCube Galaxy to go through games such as the Lego Star Wars series, Jedi Outcast, Bounty Hunter, as well as Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. There's so much to talk about today and it's a record long 3.5 hour episode so sit back, relax, grab a carton of blue milk and may the force be with you.
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
The GameCube was home to a wide variety of Zelda releases like Windwaker, Twilight Princess, Ocarina of Time Master Quest and more. But few remember the "other" Zelda game that came out, a multiplayer experience that blended the old with the new, a link to the past meets windwaker. This was Four Swords Adventures, a curious title on the cube that deserves a lot of recognition. Neil and Mike bring on @toonietwirls who like Neil played this game recently and as a single player while friend of the show @cpawx joins to talk about his experience playing this with his friends on their GameBoy Advances in 2004 (link cables sold separately). A unique entry to the Zelda canon that didn't even crack a million copies sold, this is yet another example of Nintendo taking risks in the GameCube era to create new ways to enjoy a franchise.
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY SWAMP!? To celebrate 21 years of Shrek Mike & Neil take a look back on the green ogre and keep his memory alive by talking about 4 Shrek Games on the GameCube. That includes the nearly unplayable Shrek Extra Large, Shrek Smash & Crash kart racer, Shrek Super Slam, a smash bros clone that has developed quite the community, and of course Shrek 2 the movie the game. For Shrek 2 friend of the show Kirsten joins the boys to discuss her memories of playing this surprisingly fun movie tie-in. Sit back, relax, and peel back the layers on your onion for episode 93 of the GameCube Was Cool Podcast.
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
It's almost easter which means the boys are taking a break and going on their own easter egg hunt, but never fear, Side Mission 9 is here! Mike and Neil discuss the history of easter eggs, what the differences are between easter eggs and references, and talk about some of their earliest memories of discovering some of these secrets in games and other media. Of course there are plenty of fun secrets from GameCube games in here so spoiler alert if you want to go in completely blind to some of these games!
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
Sonic Heroooooes!! A great theme song for a polarizing game. This week to celebrate the release of Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Mike & Neil look back on Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and even Big the Cat in this fun edition of the GameCube Was Cool. The boys are joined by enemy of the pod Ramon who briefly fills in for Neil after a meltdown, and Marcelo of GameCube Galaxy, an amazing YouTube channel that basically does what this podcast does but in video form! Mike and Neil give some serious consideration to the ramifications of Shadow with a gun and wonder if there really is a 3D Sonic game out there for Neil.
And of course a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
It's a strange time out there folks. The sands of time seem to have taken hold on this week's episode of the GameCube Was Cool. Listen to Mike & Neil chat about Pitfall, Tomb Raider Legend, and the Prince of Persia trilogy on the GameCube. Ranging from the dark Warrior Within (which you could play on Blackberry?!?) to Two Thrones, to the classic and soon to be remade Sands of Time, the boys look back on the adventure game genre with three series who have all had similar starts but very different continuations. Enjoy this "interesting" episode of the PS2 Was...I mean, The GameCube Was Cool.
Part 2 of The GameCube Was Cool's Paper Mario celebration has Mike & Neil discussing the game and the franchise with friend of the show Jason as well as Kate Gray, an amazing video game journalist who's written for Nintendo Life, Kotaku, and even did a review of Paper Mario Color Splash for Rolling Stone! There's so much to cover about this wonderful game, the characters, the history, the dialogue, it almost feels like there needs to be a part 3! Maybe one day but for now enjoy Episode 90 Part 2 and tell Nintendo to make this game available digitally please.
And a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
One of the greatest GameCube games, RPGs, or any game for that matter gets the two-parter treatment here on the GameCube Was Cool. Neil & Mike dive into the world of Paper Mario, from the series' beginnings in Super Mario RPG to the latest entry on Switch. However, none can compare to the beautiful, quirky, original, dark, charming edition that is Thousand Year Door. With brilliant dialogue and astounding visuals, Thousand Year Door did what no one expected, improved on the already near-perfect Paper Mario 64. For Part 1 Neil and Mike bring on friend of the show Kira (@toonietwirls) to hear about how her dad would read the game's dialogue to her when she was a kid, and newcomer Geoff who remembers all the reasons why Nintendo will probably never remake this game again (never forget that noose in Rogueport). Stay tuned for more Paper Mario and more guests on the next episode!
And a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
Hit the links with The GameCube Was Cool in today's episode all about golf games to celebrate the spring and St. Patrick's day of course! Join Mike, Neil and friends of the show Marty and Harrison to talk about the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series from 2003 to 2006 and how these games have stood the test of time and provided inspiration to the newest 2K additions to the sport. The boys also dive into two "arcade-y" golf game, Swingerz Golf and Outlaw golf, two very much relics of their time but fun to play nonetheless (and a certain famous actor provides the commentator's voice in Outlaw Golf!!). All this is more on episode 89.
And a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
Start your engines!!! It's the Need For Speed episode here at The GameCube Was Cool podcast and Mike & Neil are diving into five NFS games on the cube. Friends of the show Marty, Victor, and Brian are here to celebrate the franchise's long run with Hot Pursuit 2, Most Wanted, Underground 1 and 2, and Carbon. Victor even lets the boys know that they've officially covered 400 GameCube games, only 150 more to go! Other than the Need for Speed games on the docket, Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions and Lotus Challenge are also discussed although listeners probably don't need to pick those up any time soon. See you at the finish line!
And a big shout out once again to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
While Batman makes his long awaited return to the big screen, Neil and Mike cover the Dark Knight's games for the GameCube as well as reminiscing about their memories of the caped crusader throughout the years. The early 2000s were an interesting time for Batman and we got two very serviceable games based on the animated series in Batman: Vengeance, and Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu, while we also got the Kemco published and developed disaster of Batman Dark Tomorrow, and the spiritual predecessor to the Arkham series with Batman Begins, one of the better movie tie-in games out there. Join the boys and the world's greatest detective on this week's episode.
And a big shout out to Manscaped!
Get 20% OFF @manscaped + Free Shipping with promo code GAMECUBE at MANSCAPED.com!
A name synonymous with tactical and stealth shooters on the sixth generation of consoles, there were nine Tom Clancy Games released on the GameCube between 2002 and 2006. Three Rainbow Six games including Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield, four Splinter Cell games including Mike's personal favourite, Splinter Cell: Chaos theory, which he believes may be the greatest stealth game ever made, and of course the Ghost Recon series, two not as critically acclaimed games but still an enjoyable experience overall. One experience that wasn't enjoyable was playing The Sum Of All Fears, a badly created movie tie-in that is basically just a Rainbow Six lite. There's no doubting that Tom Clancy knew the importance of video games in portraying these stories and today the boys of The GameCube Was Cool podcast enjoy the worlds he created through those really cool trifocal goggles.
The only real online game for the GameCube, the Phantasy Star Online series came over from Sega's failed Dreamcast console to become a mainstay in the cube's library for the past 20 years. Mike & Neil interview guests and PSO enthusiasts Luigi (of Chat of the Wild and Need For Speedrunning podcasts) and Kayak (who runs the GC side of development for the private pso server Schtserv). The boys learn a lot about this game that refuses to die who's community of honestly just really nice people have helped Phantasy Star Online Episode 1, 2 and even C.A.R.D. stay relevant today. Also on this episode are two more Sega creations: Skies of Arcadia Legends, an updated RPG port from the Dreamcast, and Amazing Island, a wacky mix of custom Pokemon type monsters with Mario Party gameplay. Breakout your GameCube keyboard controller and join Mike and Neil on this Sega-filled episode.
This week the boys cover a hodgepodge of games on the GameCube starting with the Power Rangers series: Power Rangers: Dino Thunder where the player controlled dinosaur mechs. They continue to Dinotopia The Sunstone Odysssey (clearly a Dino theme in this episode) as well as the classic arcade game turned to 3D cel shaded gem Dragon's Lair 3D with artwork by Don Bluth (yes, Land Before Time! more dinosaurs). They finish the episode off with Cubix: Robots for Everyone and another underrated gem of a franchise Kao The Kangaroo (pronounced K-O) which is actually getting a new game this year!
The GameCube era was a time where Nintendo put their name behind a multitude of games that resulted in some great titles, and others that have been lost to time. In this episode Neil and Mike look back on two Nintendo published, GameCube exclusive "robo" games: Custom Robo; a Gundam style mech game where the robots are very small, and Chibi-Robo; a charming genre-less game of playing as a little robot and trying to make everyone happy. Both games have been largely neglected by Nintendo since their arrival on the cube and the boys want to try and rectify that. Jake, Brian, Matt, and Kira (@toonietwirls) join the episode to share their memories of these games and their frustration that it costs 400 dollars to buy Chibi-Robo today.
Gotta catch 'em all! Mike & Neil dive into two Pokemon games for the GameCube that have achieved near legendary status over the past few years. Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness are two games that were polarizing on release but have since found a following as two of many great pokemon spin off series games. The boys are joined by enemy of the pod and friend of the show Ramon and Harrison as well as newcomer Megan to talk about the franchise as a whole and why these games do still hold up today. All this and more on this Pokemon Arceus launch day celebration episode!
3D platformers ruled the industry in the early 2000s. Spyro, Crash, Mario, the genre was omnipresent and the population ate them up. Though the formula was fading, the GameCube played host to countless platformer games with franchises such as Frogger, Tak and the power of Juju, and Ty the Tasmanian Tiger. Neil & Mike talk about 3 games from each of these franchises for a total of nine game for the cube, that range from okay, to surprisingly very good! Frogger: a classic arcade game that failed to fully make the leap to home consoles in this generation, Tak: a game that eventually became a Nickelodeon cartoon, and Ty the Tasmanian Tiger: a unique foray into the Australian eco-system that recently had two of it's games remade. All this and more on Episode 81 of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast.
Shhhhh. Sneak by the guard and check out today's episode all about stealth games. First up, the first console release of the Hitman series comes in the form of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin that made it's way to the GameCube 20 years ago. Neil & Mike discuss this beloved franchise and how the games somehow seem to keep getting even better as time goes on. Friend of the show Dylan makes an appearance to talk about Silent Assassin as well as his involvement with "Extra Life", a 24 hour gaming session every year to help raise money for Childrens charities. The boys also cover two more stealth genre games: Rogue Ops and Second Sight, the latter is a game made by New Radical Design, makers of TimeSplitters and former Rare employees who created the legendary 007: Golden Eye. All this and more on the stealth episode of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast.
In the early 2000s franchises were guaranteed three things: a kart racer, a 3D platformer, and of course, a party game. In this episode Mike & Neil look back on party games such as Monopoly Party, Shrek Super Party, Muppets Party Cruise and Disney's Party, many of which were simply Mario Party clones (no Mario Parties covered today). However Pac-Man makes another appearance with Pac-Man fever and Pac-Man VS, the latter was a Nintendo developed game that enables a multiplayer Pac-Man experience! Enjoy this episode celebrating Mike's birthday month with a 7 game party!
2021 is wrapping up and Mike and Neil want to celebrate the new year by looking back on all the things they accomplished this year and all the things to look forward to in 2022. All their favourite games, albums and movies are wrapped up here. Not our regular GameCube content, but we want you to get your weekly fix of Mike and Neil (: Did Mike complete a full cartwheel? Did Neil land his first kickflip? Find out in Side Mission Part 8 of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast!
Thank you to everyone for supporting The GameCube Was Cool Podcast this year, on a new year!
To celebrate the release of Matrix Resurrections Neil & Mike are looking back at Enter the Matrix, an extremely ambitious 2003 game based on the second movie with tons of new footage that acted as a companion piece to the films. They also cover 8 other movie tie-ins from the 2003-2004 era including Terminator 3: Redemption, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Mission: Impossible: Operation Surma, and the greatest gangster film of all time, Shark Tale. Tune in for some memories, laughs, and even some fun facts before the year wraps up.
It's been exactly 20 years since Peter Jackson's movie adaptations of this great series hit screens and the movies still hold up so well. Of course there were also four games that came out to go along with these movies, two of them, The Two Towers and Return of the King being direct movie tie-ins. EA who owned the film video game rights also created their own LOTR RPG titled The Third Age which is a favourite of both Mike & Neil. Sierra Entertainment who had the book rights for the video games published The Hobbit, an early take on the book that definitely missed the mark but is still interesting to discuss nonetheless. Join the boys as they journey to Middle Earth to find the one game to rule them all.
Gather up your Pikmin! This week on The GameCube Was Cool Podcast, the topic is all about Pikmin 2, the fantastic sequel to the knockout GameCube launch window title Pikmin.
It has been a long time since Mike and Neil sat down to talk about Olimar and his adventures on a planet that is definitely NOT Earth. Was the elimination of the 30 day time limit a good idea?(No). Was the introduction of the white and purple Pikmin a welcome one?(Of course it was). Was Olimar's boss violating the employee protection act of Hocotate?(Probably).
Neil is passionate about a lot of things, his Spotify wrapped stats, Seinfeld trivia, and Godzilla Destroys All Monsters Melee, but nothing will ever get him more fired up than the hope of a Pikmin 4 release date.
United in duty. Bound in destiny. This is the way of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast! In episode 75 Mike and Neil sit down and look back at a time when Lego was giving us some great sets like Star Wars, Lego Racers and even throwing out their own properties at our 8 year old brains which were ready for fighting robots we could collect, build and play with on the schoolyard, see them in movies and play the games on our consoles. The Bionicle games were not as special as the toys we had on our shelves, but they were all we had of a series that was arguably way ahead of its time. One that we would love to see come back to our modern consoles so we can join the Toa in their adventures once again. Mike and Neil also sit down and discuss Christmas trees, Knights of the Old Republic, and more in this diamond jubilee episode.
The GameCube was blessed with not one but two groundbreaking Metroid games. Prime which took the series on its head and introduced the world to a 3D Samus, and then it's sequel Echoes, which threw away the standard formula for the Metroid series instead replacing it with a much darker, difficult game that matched the original's critical success but failed to find the same audience in terms of sales. Mike & Neil are joined by three guests today, Jason G, a huge fan of the series who dicusses his earliest memories with the world's greatest bounty hunter, Marcello of GameCube Galaxy who talks about his love for the game and the GameCube in general, and enemy of the pod Ramon who's only touchstone with the franchise was Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and he has some hot takes for everyone. No Ridley, no Metroids, but Dark Samus and the dark world make this game one of the most interesting and polarizing on the GameCube.
Happy 20th birthday to everyone's favourite cubed console! Neil & Mike mark this very special anniversary with their first ever live episode. Recorded on the couch in front of the TV playing classics like 007: Nightfire, Mario Kart Double Dash, and Mario Power Tennis just like old times. This unedited episode went live on twitch.tv/bortandernie so check out the full video there!
Tennis games have been at the core of video games since the industry's inception. You can find them on basically any console ever created. Yet for Mike & Neil, Mario Power Tennis serves up the ultimate experience in a tennis game. The perfect balance between slight realism and wacky arcade fun. Join the boys as the bring on friends of the show Matt and Harrison to discuss this absolute gem of a sports title along with the Mario Tennis franchise as a whole. After 17 years the game still holds up incredibly well with great courts, characters and modes and will ultimately go down as one of the greatest multiplayer experiences the GameCube has to offer. Get ready to play with power and learn all about why Wiggler is the GOAT of the Mario Tennis world.
COD! Those three letters have become a phenomenon in the almost two decades since the original Call of Duty was released. What started as a World War II PC only game eventually found its way to basically every console (except the Switch!) and has become the third best selling video game franchise of all time. Mike & Neil take a deep dive into the two GameCube games we got from Activision in this series: Call of Duty Finest Hour, a remade port of the original game, and Call of Duty 2: Big Red One, what many people thought was an expansion pack or side entry to the wildly successful COD2 but actually was a fantastic one player experience akin to the acclaimed Medal of Honor games of the day. Friend of the show Spenny joins us to recount how his history buff father loved playing this game, sometimes even on a stationary bike. The boys also cover one more game, Dead to Rights, a neo-noir shooter than didn't see to fit anywhere else except with it's COD cousins. Keep fighting the good fight soldier.
After you have played Resident Evil, Eternal Darkness and Luigis Mansion you may be thinking that there are no more spooky games on the GameCube and THAT IS NONSENSE!! Hidden in the depths of the GameCube library are gems like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Hunter: The Reckoning to keep your spine chilled while you nibble on leftover pumpkin pie and stitch together your DIY Halloween costume. Friends of the show Matt & Robin join to discuss this very interesting Buffy game and tell some hilarious stories about Buffy actor cameos. The boys also touch on movie tie in games like Monster House, and Disney's the Haunted Mansion (based on the ride apparently, not the Eddie Murphy flop). And of course who could forget the halloween specific platformer, Castleween aka Spirits & Spells. It's all here in a jam packed, spooky episode of The GameCube Was Cool. Celebrate Halloween and take a haunted ride back to the early 2000s.
WHAT ARE YA BUYING? One of the greatest games ever made and a watershed moment for the survival horror genre, RE4 boldly went where no Resident Evil game had gone before. Combining over the shoulder gameplay with tense action and amazing sound design it became the most accessible game in the series and one of the best games ever released for the GameCube. Part of the CAPCOM 5 (see last week's episode) Resident Evil 4 was exclusive for a very short period in 2005 before being ported to basically every console imaginable. Yet the GameCube version is still often cited as the proper way to play. Mike & Neil are joined by four guests of the show to discuss this masterpiece; Brian is back from the CAPCOM 5 episode to give his thoughts on the game and what he'd love to see improved in a future remake while newcomers Luke (Resident Evil Collector), Kira (Toonietwirls) and Tristan join the show to talk about some of their favourite memories of the game and why it still has such a huge audience 16 years later. The boys start the episode off by trying to think of great fourth instalments to a series (spoiler alert, there aren't many). Sit back and enjoy the ride, stranger.
A landmark in the video game industry and ultimately, a massive disappointment for Capcom and Nintendo fans alike. What started as a promise for 5 exclusive game to come to the GameCube (Dead Phoenix, Killer 7, PN03, Viewtiful Joe, and Resident Evil 4) turned into Capcom flipping these franchises to other consoles and ultimately the demise of these extremely original IPs (other than RE4 of course). In this week's episode Mike & Neil do a deep dive into this unique moment in video game history and bring on some friends of the show Ali and Brian to help them in their journey. They also cover Viewtiful Joe 2 and Red Hot Rumble, and wonder if we'll ever see a proper final entry into this trilogy.
Bond, James Bond. To celebrate the release of No Time To Die Mike & Neil look back on the 007 games that defined an era. Agent Under Fire, Everything or Nothing, Golden Eye Rogue Agent and From Russia With Love are all discussed in length on this nearly two hour spy extravaganza. The boys are joined by friends of the show Spenny G, as well as Josh from the Still Loading Podcast to discuss their memories of these games. Of course NightFire is not discussed in length here (there's a whole two hour episode dedicated to just that!) but SpyHunter and it's series is lumped in with these four games because of its historic ties to the Bond franchise and to have another excuse to talk about The Rock.
Where we're going we dont need.. ROADS. Ever wish you could go back in time and save the GameCube from getting beat by the Playstation 2 and the Xbox? We do it everyday, and on this Side Mission of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast Mike and Neil sit down to share their ideas to go back in time to the year 2001 and make the GameCube a commercial success. The GameCube is a beloved console, but with just 22 million units sold, the console had lots of room for improvement and we are here to fix them!
Remember when the front of the game was all you had to go by when deciding how to use your $20 gift card and reading your video game cases as your mom drove you home from EB games only to get home and realize you bought the worst game of 2003 and now you need to wait until Christmas to play something good? Well in this Side Mission of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast, Mike and Neil sit down to talk about the best and the worst box art in the GameCube's library!
The 'Classic' console Nintendo hype of 2016-2018 was a good time, and left a lot of Nintendo fans dreaming of what games would be on the mini GameBoy, N64 and of course the GameCube! This week, Mike and Neil are on vacation so they decided to sit down and list 15 games each that they would like to see on a dream GameCube Classic console that will probably never see the light of day!
Enter the Dragon. It's been 23 years to the day that Spyro first graced the PS1 and Mike & Neil are here dive head first into the purple dragon's history, games (the good and bad) and his future. The episode starts off with the boys welcoming friend of the show Andy to talk about the original trilogy and then transitioning to the 3 GameCube games. Friend of the show Quinn joins the pod for the first time to discuss terribly disappointing Enter the Dragonfly and the show moves along to talk about A Hero's Tail as well as the second Spyro trilogy starting with Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning (featuring the voices of Elijah Wood, Gary Oldman and Mark Hamill?!?!). It's a jam-packed, nostalgia-filled trip that will hopefully leave you with some knowledge bombs and thinking just a little more highly of Spyro and the Insomniac team who gave him life.
Brain Blast!!! One of the best Nickelodeon franchises of the 2000s also dipped its toe in the video game market with 3 Jimmy Neutron games on the GameCube. The movie started the series with a bang and continued with a really cool show we all loved to watch after school. The games...were OK. Jimmy and all his friends' adventures in video games were alright cartoon tie-ins that were probably only on your Christmas list if you were in-between waiting for other big Cube games. We await for the Hugh Neutron game on Switch to this day.
You've got boost power! Welcome to fastest show on earth where the boys sit down to discuss one of their most beloved games, F-Zero GX and the series that spawned it. Mike & Neil go into the super challenging gameplay that makes this game so different from any other Nintendo property as well as why we haven't seen a new F-Zero entry since F-Zero GX hit the shelves exactly 18 years ago in 2003. With animation sequences that look stunning for the time yet are totally disjointed story wise, it has the boys craving for more "F-Universe" content than having Captain Falcon in Smash or Mute City in Mario Kart. Rev up those engines and hit speeds of over 1000km in the latest episode from The GameCube Was Cool.
It's time to DUEL! On episode 63 of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast, Mike and Neil sit down to talk about Yu-Gi-Oh, Beyblade and a bunch of other animes/fads we loved when we were in school (and we kinda still do!). Joining us on the show is enemy of the pod Ramon to talk about how Yu-Gi-Oh! The Falsebound Kingdom isn't a card dueling game but actually an RPG/RTS that he became extremely fond of growing up. The boys start the episode off with some talk about Arthur, back to school memories and their favourite Pokemon. All this and more in this episode of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast!
Bring the tripod and all of the film! On this episode of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast, Mike and Neil sit down to talk about King Kong and Rampage! Both giant monkey games on the cube are terrific hidden gems which have been somewhat lost to history. The boys start the episode off with thinking about where they would live if they could not longer live in Canada, and whether or not Neil remembers the places he has been to. All this and more in episode 62 of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast!
Serve up! To celebrate the 2020 Olympics, Mike and Neil are covering five sports games that appeared on the Gamecube. Most of these games are not Olympic sports, BUT they could be someday...Featured games today consist of Beach Spikers, World Series of Poker, WTA Tour Tennis, Strike Force Bowling, and one of the best hidden gems for the GameCube, Pool Paradise where you can finally play Skeeball in a video game. The boys start off the episode with talk about their favourite flavoured milk products and which Nintendo universe they would visit on vacation if they could. All this and more in episode 61 of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast!
Suit up! And join Mike and Neil as they take a trip back to a time when superheroes were not all owned by Disney, and the video games were discounted a few days after they came out along with whatever movie we all paid real money to see. From Spawn to Judge Dredd, video games based on comic books in theory are a match made in heaven, although playing some of these games was not exactly a heavenly experience. Who knew the GameCube was home to the last stand alone Aquaman game? Or that a Hulk game made in 2005 is actually really good? Or that Neil has a touching memory around playing Fantastic Four in 2006. The episode starts off by celebrating 20 years of an amazing album, and ranking of all the Marvel movies. All this and more in episode 60 of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast!
It's summertime once again and The GameCube Was Cool is back on the radio! Mike and Neil host another "live" show on KUHB, 97.8 The Cube FM to discuss the most innovative and at time polarizing entry in the Mario Kart Series, Mario Kart Double Dash. Released in 2003 no game before or since has had this take on the kart racer formula in a game that is still immensely fun to play today. We have over a dozen different guests on the episode, some phoning in to discuss their favourite shortcuts, some leaving us voice mails discussing the infamous Baby Park course, and others who wrote in to help us remember that you could indeed play with 16 players...if you had 8 GameCube's and 8 TVs. Join Mike & Neil and their guests to celebrate 18 years of this one-of-a-kind gaming experience.
Overture, curtains, lights, this is it, the night of nights, The GameCube Was Cool hosts Mike and Neil are celebrating the return of The Looney Tunes' return to the big screen by covering all the Warner Brothers' games on the GameCube! From Taz to to Teen Titans, Warner Bros had a few neat titles on the cube and some movie flops in the early 2000s that we dive deep into this week. Mike and Neil start the episode off with some talk around knee health, spooning vs forking and of course video games! All this and more in an exciting episode of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast.
Following the incredible success of Soul Edge and Soul Calibur in the arcades, Playstation and Dreamcast, Soul Calibur 2 arrived on the GameCube with open arms. A unique looking 2D fighter with a gameplay and visual experience far beyond what most 6th generation home console games had given gamers at that point. Mike and Neil sit down with @jedigeekgirl and @jonj3000 to talk about memories of playing Link in this unforgettable entry in the GameCube's library. The boys also cover Bloody Roar: Primal Fury with friend of the show Dan and look back at Rave Master and it's legacy. In this episode, the boys also celebrate their 20,000th download as well as a few summer book recommendations! Enjoy!
It's time to dig down to the bottom of the GameCube library for the second painful time and talk about some games that aged like a fine milk. Mike and Neil first sit down and talk about their early impressions of Mario Golf: Super Rush on the Nintendo Switch! Take a trip down this nightmare as the boys take a look at Charlie's Angels, Virtua Quest, Bad Boys 2, Trigger Man, Space Raiders and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! The good old days of the GameCube were not all Mario and Zelda...
Mario has many occupations, that much has always been true. He's a plumber, doctor, painter, racecar driver, olympic athlete, party planner, dancer, and a sub-par brother. Speaking of par, Mario also has an amazing golf swing! Mario Golf first hit the shelves on the N64 and the GameBoy Color in 1999 and became a bit of a cult-classic in the Nintendo community. To celebrate the latest installment in the series, Mike and Neil are here to celebrate by covering the classic GameCube title Mario Golf Toadstool Tour. This week the boys are also joined by fellow podcasters Mike and Dave from the 'Back in My Day' podcast and Twitch streamer Julbaril to share their memories of teeing off in the Mushroom Kingdom.
The series that created the farming sim genre, Harvest Moon returns on the GameCube with three highly rated games: A Wonderful Life, Another Wonderful Life and Magical Melody. Joining the boys is award-winning video game journalist Kate Gray who is a huge fan of the series and has written loads about it in Nintendo Life, the Guardian, Vice, and many more publications. Kate speaks to her experience with the Harvest Moon games and attempts to explain to Mike and Neil what's going on with the current and future games in this convoluted series. But first the boys delve into some E3 news. If it's many years in the future and Nintendo has taken over the world then please, skip ahead to hear Kate talk about Harvest Moon at 32:23.
We all have games on consoles that we would love to play but have either never come across them in our local video game store or cannot bring ourselves to spend insane amounts on hard to find gems. Mike and Neil sit down today to talk about a few games they came across while researching the GameCube and would love to check out someday. These hidden gems in the GameCube library include; Ultimate Muscle, Freaky Flyers, Grooverider, Gladius, and Shamu's Deepsea Adventures.
At 1:11:43 Mike and Neil celebrate their 20th year of being best friends... That is correct, they met before the GameCube came out! All this and more in epsiode 53 of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast.
Match tiles! Pop bubbles! Help Dr Mario pop pills! Puzzle Games are among the best selling video games of all time, from GameBoy classics like Tetris to mobile crazes like Candy Crush. Everyone has a connection to a puzzle video game they had on their phones or handheld consoles to keep their mind off of whatever commute you were trapped in. Mike and Neil sit down this week to talk about the 8 puzzle games that found their way on to the GameCube. For better or worse, there were variations of Tetris, Super Bubble Pop and Bust-a-Move on the purple lunch box. None of them went down as GameCube classics but The GameCube Was Cool are here to talk about them anways!
Pack up your fishing rod and put on your camo pants, Mike and Neil are here to cover the great outdoor experiences on the GameCube! From Mark Davis Pro Bass Challenge to Cabela's Big Adventure, there are a total of give of these games for the CUbe and although we don't know a lot about hunting or fishing games, someone who does, friend of the show Marty joins us at 35:12 to give his thoughts and some fun facts. Marty and the boys also talk about the future of this genre by bringing up games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Long Dark which have become big hits in the community. Sit back, grab a Bass Pro Shop hat and enjoy the episode!
It's been exactly one year since Mike & Neil began the podcast and are celebrating this with their 50th mainline episode! The boys are revisiting the games from their very first episode (Launch Day 1.0) and taking you back in time to November 18th 2001 to discuss five of the Cube's launch games. That includes Batman Vengeance, Crazy Taxi, Wave Race, Super Monkey Ball, and of course Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader. The show starts off with some Q & A from listeners to celebrate a year of the pod with questions like "what games would you play with Keanu Reeves?" and "who beats who in Nightfire?". Here's to another 50 episodes!
‘It’s not the same without the flame’. Hot Wheels will go down as one of the most successful toy brands of all time, and the companion video games intended to merge the 1968 toy into the 21st century came with its share of good and bad racing games. Mike and Neil sit down with friend of the show Ali to discuss the Hot Wheels games and 5 other racing games on the GameCube in ‘Racing Games Part 2’ of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast! From Auto Modellista to Tonka Trucks, buckle up for a nostalgic trip down memory lane. The back of all the cases will be read at the start of the episode, skip to the 4:00 minute mark for the start of the episode.
HIIII. Everyone's favourite pink ball makes it's first and last appearance on the GameCube with Kirby Air Ride. Released within weeks of both Mario Kart Double Dash and F-Zero GX this racing game often gets overshadowed yet but there's a lot more to meets the eye, even with that angry Kirby on the cover. Friend of the show Jake joins us to explain the relation between a controller in his TV and Kirby Air Ride's battle mode City Trials while other friend Zafir brings his wealth of knowledge about the franchise and hopes for an eventual Return to Dreamland successor. To listen to Mike read the back of this unique Kirby entry skip ahead to 1h12.
Goku, Raditz, Piccolo, Krillin, Gohan, Vegeta. Any of these names should conjure up font memories for anyone who grew up in the 90s or 2000s. Not only was Dragon Ball Z the gateway drug to an entire medium but it redefined what could sell to the west and laid the ground work for so many shows today. The Dragon Ball franchise of course makes an appearance on the GameCube with Budokai, Budokai 2, and Sagas. Mike and Neil are joined by friends of the show Harrison and Jason to discuss these games and lament why Budokai 3 was never released for the hardware. DBZ of course influenced other animes like Zatch Bell, Naruto, and One Piece who also made appearances on the Cube with two games a piece. The Mamodo series for Zatch Bell, the critically acclaimed Clash of Ninja for Naruto and the Grand Battle/Adventure games for One Piece. Don't want to hear 9 back of the cases? Skip ahead to 4:50 to charge up for this super saiyan episode!
Mike & Neil spent a lot of their childhoods catching Pokemon and exploring the Digiverse with weird monsters that their parents couldn't pronounce. But they were nice enough to buy the cards, toys, movies and games anyway. Episode 46 of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast is all about the Pokemon spinoffs and the two main line Digimon games on the GameCube! Pokemon Channel, Pokemon Box Ruby Sapphire, and Digimon World 4 and Rumble Arena 2. These games were probably not worth the money back in the day, but the hype machine around these franchises was so strong, a child's radar for quality games was offline when it came to any experience that involved adventuring and fighting with our monster pals. Friend of the show Ramon joins the boys to talk and trash Digimon World 4 but also to speak to his love of the Digimon franchise that hasn't wavered since the early 2000s.
America's favourite past-time found itself on the GameCube on launch day all the way to the console's end in 2006. From the All Star Baseball franchise, to one offs like Home Run King, and of course EA's MVP Baseball, there were 7 ways in North America to walk on to a diamond, on a cube. We are joined by friends of the show Jason and Jed to discuss their memories of baseball games from back in the day and where we think baseball games will be on future Nintendo hardware. We of course talk about how despite the Show still selling like 'gangbusters' MVP Baseball 2005 is regarded as the high point in baseball video games by basically every major publication (even MLB.com!). Neil kicks off the episode with the back of the case segment and is later joined by Mike to talk about snapping game discs and our first every Patreon-supported opening topic!
Neil & Mike love to talk about two things; the GameCube and the GameCube Microphone, and on Episode 44 of the 'The GameCube Was Cool Podcast' they get to do just that with Ikaruga and Odama. Two cult classics that don't get a lot of air time these days but definitely go down in the history books of the weird and great games released in the era of the GameCube. A tough as nails space "Shoot Em Up" and an RTS with pinball mechanics... what a fun time it was to be alive in the 2000s. The boys kick off the episode by discussing how far away from the bathroom one should travel while brushing their teeth, and celebrate being downloaded in all 50 states!
Episode 43 of The PlayStation 2 Was Cool podcast takes us to 3 of Mike & Neil's favourite games for the system: the seminal inaugural entry for the Ratchet & Clank series (no good innuendo title here unfortunately), Shadow of the Colossus's beginning as an fan-adored cult classic that gets better with each remake, and of course the final game for the PS2, FIFA 14. With over 1800 games on the system the boys only have 1600 more to go and have a very surprising announcement about everyone's favourite console...skip to 16:30 to hear Neil read the back of the case for Ratchet & Clank and enjoy this year's April 1st episode.
Two days, two Wind Waker episodes! But what do Neil and Mike think of two parters in media? Find out this and much more when they discuss even more intricate details and memories of Link's 2003 cel-shaded adventure. Join fellow streamers/podcaster/Zelda lovers Cam (@cpawx) and Josh (@stillloadingpod) to chat more about what makes this game so special nearly two decades later. Neil finally gets to read the back of the case all the way at the 58:45 mark of the episode.
Perhaps the most divisive moment in Nintendo's history happened exactly 18 years ago when The Wind Waker was released in North America for the Nintendo GameCube. "Celda" as it was coined at the time was a massive departure from the console and the Zelda series' mature leanings. Despite this the game has gone on to slowly achieve more and more praise as the years have been kind to it's graphics which still hold up incredibly well on the GameCube. Neil & Mike have so much to say about this game that they split this episode in to two parts! Take a trip back in with friends of the show Matt and Ryan who discuss their fond memories of playing this gem and commiserate about how old this game is making us feel. Stay tuned for an even deeper dive into the creation of the game in part 2! This episode was sponsored by Beedle's Shop Ship. Inconveniently located in random areas of the Great Sea. We deal in pretty much anything and everything!
Episode 41 is dedicated to Zelda, the franchise that has introduced millions of people to video games. Somehow we had through 40 episodes without talking about Tingle. Who could forget the first time they heard the iconic overworld theme or the feeling they had when exploring the worlds Nintendo have given us to explore. We are specifically talking about the 'Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition' and the 'Ocarina of Time Master Quest' on the GameCube. The series turns 35 this year, and we want to celebrate by sharing our memories of adventuring in the land of Hyrule and Termina in Nintendo classics such as Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. Mike and Neil sit down to look back on their experience with Zelda. They also discuss the etiquette of free stuff at the side of the road and the real meaning of 'bi-weekly'. We are joined by our friend of the show, Twitch streamer @CPawx to talk about his memories of The Legend of Zelda and his Twitch channel!
Real Time Strategy and Tactical games have a rich yet unique history and conjure up an incredibly diverse set of games. From Pikmin to StarCraft, to playing Army Men in a sandbox, these types of games are hard to put labels on but you know them when you see them. While these games mostly had their hey-day outside of consoles, the GameCube boasted a couple of long-running franchises such as Worms and Army-Men (no not the Toy Story Army Men although Mike was pretty convinced that they were). Friend of the show Jason Hodgson joins the boys to discuss his memories of growing up with Worms games and the desire to see Worms Armageddon ported to the Switch. Finally Neil gets to talk about one of his favourite hidden gems for the cube, Nintendo-published Batallion Wars, a spin-off of the Advanced Wars series that is an incredible amount of fun.
The GameCube was home to several M-rated games that your parents probably thought would lead you down a life of crime and drugs. On Episode 39 of The GameCube Was Cool, Mike and Neil sit down to talk about some open world and violent games which Nintendo were welcoming to their hardware with open arms in hopes of attracting an older audience. Games like Smugglers Run, True Crime and XIII each had their own levels of success and controversy, and featured developers who went on to develop classic games like Grand Theft Auto, Sleeping Dogs and Assassins Creed. The boys start off this episode by celebrating the show reaching 10,000 downloads and decide what the best shape of strawberry is. All this and more in The GameCube Was Cool Podcast!
WAHHH, BUY MY GAME. Weird, wacky and wonderful. That about sums up Wario, the loveable, fourth-wall breaking greedy nintendo character who's had quite the run with the unique WarioWare games and the hiddden gems of WarioLand and WarioWorld. On Episode 38 Neil and Mike sit down and chat with fellow podcaster, reviewer, and collecting aficionado RetroWolf88 to discuss Wario World, WarioWare Mega Party Game$, and collecting in general giving his take on the best and most efficient methods of creating your very own fully stocked GameCube library. Skip to to 38:05 to hear Neil read the back of WarioWare or Wario himself will "give ya a knuckle sandwich, punk".
If you grew up in the 80s, 90s or 2000s, Nickelodeon probably has a special place in your catalogue of childhood memories. From it’s vast assortment of classic cartoons, live action sitcoms, gameshows and original movies, the licenses were not shy to create dozens of video game tie-ins, nine of which The GameCube Was Cool Podcast will be covering in this epsiode! The early 2000s video game consoles were home to beloved franchises such as Fairly Odd Parents, Dora the Explorer, Avatar the Last Airbender and Nicktoons Unite. Mike and Neil sit down to rank their favourite Nickelodeon franchises, share some hot tips for maintaining driveways and discuss the news around the February 2021 Nintendo Direct! The episode starts off with a bang as Neil reads the back to the cases of all nine games. Skip to 33:29 to when we are joined by friend of the show Dan to talk about Rocket Power and to 48:58 when we are joined by friend of the show Jason to look back on The Rugrats. All this and more in Episode 37 of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast!
The franchise that redefined the gaming industry and continues to sell like gangbusters today, The Sims makes it's way to The GameCube Was Cool with five titles! The original game, The Sims 2, and the expansion Pets are all remembered fondly by special guest Anneka who reminisces about "woohooing", making the grim reaper appear, and unexplained guinea pig viruses. More than just a game, the Sims, and SimCity before it completely changed the way people thought about the way video games should be played, paving the way for a whole new casual market of gamers and indirectly leading to the successes of Grand Theft Auto. Neil and Mike bask in the glory of the plum-bob while covering console only games "Bustin' Out" and "the Urbz". Skip to 1:11:20 to hear all of the backs of the cases for this remarkable franchise.
Winter is here, and snowboarding is all around us! Take a journey back to a time when snowboard games were all the rage while featuring the Juno Award winning Canadian band 'Finger Eleven'. If you were a kid with a home console in the early 2000s, chances are you had a copy. This week we are joined by friends of the show Ali and Branan to share their memories of 1080º Avalanche, SSX 3 and SSX On Tour on the GameCube. Neil may need to re-think his favourite snowboarding game on the Cube, and Mike may finally have found a game he can ski in. Skip to 1:19:30 to hear the back of the case segment to some rad pop punk tunes.
Alone you are mighty, together you are legends. Neil, Mike, and Professor X take you back to a time before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, when X-Men reigned over the box-office and the GameCube played host to six games featuring these uncanny mutants. The boys dive into the X-Men Legends series, a precursor to Marvel Ultimate Alliance and regarded as one of the greatest superhero games ever made. Friend of the show Harrison makes another appearance to talk about X-Men Next Dimension, a Dragon Ball Z-like fighter with a massive roster of characters. Listen to hear about Magneto, Nightcrawler, Storm, Kitty Pride, Wolverine and more on this very special episode. Skip to 1:07:19 to have Neil learn that Magneto is once again trying to take over the world.
The late 90s and early 2000s was an important evolution in the military shooter genre in video games and there were only a few franchises treating the source material with real respect and care. Medal of Honor was the pinnacle for retelling the events of World War II while still being somewhat historically accurate and respectful to those who served. Neil and Mike are excited to share their knowledge and memories of playing these games as kids and finding out years later how they share DNA with Spielberg's 1998 film ‘Saving Private Ryan’. Skip ahead to 31:16 to when we are joined by our friend Josh from the Still Loading Podcast to share his memories of the Medal of Honor franchise and what lead to its unfortunate fall from grace after the GameCube generation.
Hockey is back and so are Mike & Neil on this very special episode of The GameCube Was Cool. There was a time where NHL games had the perfect balance of arcade-y-ness and realism and NHL 2004 seems to embody it like no other. So much so that you can still play and mod the game today! As a special surprise, in-game arena announcer for the NHL series Jon McComb is on the show to take us through his experience working with EA and even gives us a "last minute of play in the third period". Mike & Neil are also joined by friend of the show Marty Thompson and prolific hockey writer and author of Minds Behind The Sports Games, Patrick Hickey Jr. to give their takes on the EA NHL series as well as NHL 2K3. Skip to 16:57 to hear Patrick or to 1:26:20 to hear Jon!
Mario. Party. Two words in the english language that immediately conjure up images of happy nostalgic times, or the ending of friendships. Today Mike & Neil dive into the #1 cause of divorce and talk about Mario Parties 4 through 7. The boys detail their own memories of owning some of these games growing up as well as talking about the history of the franchise and what Nintendo will do with the massively successful Super Mario Party for the Switch. Friends of the show Harrison, Nichola, and Jed swing by to discuss who will play Waluigi in his biopic and if that mic for Mario Party 7 ever actually worked for anyone. It's also Mike's birthday so he gets a turn at reading some of the backs of cases. Skip to 1:10:35 to hear details about Toadsworth's final cruise.
Remember the early 2000s? Remember the GameCube? Remember McDonald's playplaces? Remember nostalgia filled Video Game podcasts? Neil and Mike give you your fix of gaming in the GameCube era while talking with the people who lived through it and sometimes even worked on it.
The GameCube Was Cool Podcast is taking the rest of December away from their regular content to sit at home and stare at a wall or something. This week Mike and Neil sit down and discuss their goals for 2021, games they are looking forward to and maybe decide once and for all if Candy Canes are the worst candy ever made. This year if you downloaded an episode, commented on our social media posts, and or bought a t-shirt, we just wanted to say THANK YOU!!! We will be back next week on January 7th with our regular GameCube content.
The GameCube Was Cool Podcast is taking the rest of December away from their regular content to buy more coffee mugs and shovel in snowstorms, because that's what we love to do in Canada. This week, Mike and Neil sit down to talk about some Christmas memories they have from the years gone by. From when we were in first grade, to gifts we received in our 20s. The boys also kick things off with a little Star Wars talk... Nerds!! We hope you are all having a safe and happy Christmas, all the best and thank you for supporting us this year!
The GameCube Was Cool Podcast are taking the rest of December away from our regular content to eat cookies and watch Die Hard, so here is Side Mission Part 2! Here is a lookback of our 2020 highlights (yes there were a few)! All our favourite episodes so far, games, albums, movies and TV shows from the year all for your listening enjoyment while you wrap gifts or do some last-minute online shopping. 2020 was a bit of a cluster f***, but we still had a few highlights nevertheless. We started the best GameCube podcast on the internet, and didn't really understand Tenet... There we said it. Next week come back for Side Mission Part 3!
All aboard!!! Join Mike and Neil as they talk about The 1985 classic book The Polar Express and all of its adaptations, including the poorly received GameCube game from 2004. While the game may not have lived up to the movie its based on, there's still plenty to talk about for this festive episode. The boys talk about their memories associated with The Polar Express and bring up some other Christmas-themed games like Home Alone for the Genesis, Arkham Origins, and Elf Bowling! Who could forget Elf Bowling (also, there's a movie??). Skip to 40:40 to hear Neil read the final back of the case for 2020!
Yippee ki yay GameCube lovers. Mike & Neil discuss the finer points of some of the most mediocre games ever made. These are Movie Tie-In games, 9 to be exact, that were released between 2001 and 2002 for the GameCube. In addition to everyone's favourite Christmas movie Die Hard, there are some other 80s movies turned into games such as Top Gun and Rocky. In addition we have some classic 2002 movies such as Minority Report and a few duds like BloodRayne, Reign of Fire, Driven, and The Scorpion King. To round it all out the boys get to talk about the seminal Phill Collins' soundtrack to Tarzan which is unfortunately not in Tarzan Untamed. Skip ahead to 4:40 if you don't feel like hearing Neil read the back to all these cases.
In a time before Twitch and YouTube, you needed to stumble through games blindly until you found one which was that diamond in the rough. Sometimes, you couldn't rely on Mario or Link to bring you that amazing video game experience. So you would take a risk on the last game blockbuster had that day. If this sounds familiar, you may have played such classics as; Doshin the Giant, Darkened Skye, Dr. Muto, Alien Hominid, Metal Arms or everyone's favourite Frolf game Ribbit King! Mike & Neil and several guests are here this week to cover 6 weird titles on the Nintendo GameCube. Skip to 44:56 to here Josh; host of the 'Still Loading' podcast talk to us about Metal Arms Glitch in the System. Then listen to friend of the show Marty take on the back of the case segment with an avant-garde reading of Ribbit King at 1:40:06.
Don't love me, quietly...There's really nothing quite like it: the characters, the levels, the weapons, the story. 007: Nightfire stands the test of time as no other shooter does. An infinitely replayable masterpiece and the game that Mike & Neil have sunk more hours into than anything else in their lives. The time has come to reminisce and rave about this unique and under-appreciated game that often gets overshadowed by the other great James Bond game, N64's GoldenEye (and we know what Mike thinks of the N64). The boys are joined by guests Jason, Nichola, and Mike's cousins Matt & Jeff to discuss what impact Nightfire has had on their lives and how it will always hold a special place in all their hearts. As the longest episode so far with so much to say about this game, Neil's back of the case reading is all the way at 1:26:47.
With great power comes great responsibility. Mike & Neil are proud to present the Spider-Man episode! The GameCube was home to Spider-Man games based on the 2000s Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies in addition to the hidden gem 'Ultimate Spider-Man'. Spider-Man was a significant character to us as young kids in the early 2000s and we are so excited to talk about what the games mean to us now as adults. Is Mike going to quit the podcast to become a world-famous ASMR YouTuber? Is Neil loading his dishwasher wrong? All this and more in episode 26 of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast. Skip to 36:36 to hear the first 'Back of the Case' segment.
Consistently ranked as one of if not the best GameCube game of all time, Mike & Neil are proud to present the Metroid Prime episode. Quite possibly the only AAA game that also falls under the category of a "cult classic" Metroid prime reinvented the first person shooter with a focus on exploration and adventure. With unique enemies, locales, and missions, Metroid Prime is one of the greatest achievements in bringing a beloved 2D character to life in a 3D world. The boys bring on friend of the show Curtis Johnson to discuss some of his favourite memories of the game while discussing Metroid's history as a franchise and what we hope to see going forward with Metroid Prime 4. Skip to one hour in to hear Neil read the back of the case.
Just in time for Halloween its Scooby-Doo games on the Nintendo GameCube! Quite possibly one of the most iconic cartoons of all time, this episode is a lookback on the cartoons, movies and games we all loved as kids. Neil and Mike reminisce with friend of the show Chris Pacheco about his memories of Scoob and the gang. The boys also finally have a few generous 'sponsors' for the back of the case segments. It's all here in Episode 24 of The GameCube Was Cool Podcast, and if you want to hear something REALLY spooky, listen to the into where Neil talks to himself, or skip to 49:54 to hear a spooky back of the case segment.
Just in time for Halloween its Resident EVIL games on the Nintendo GameCube. Quite possibly one of the most iconic gaming franchises of all time, this episode features exclusives such as Resident Evil remake and RE Zero, as well as ports of Resident Evil 2, 3, and Code Veronica X (No RE4, saving that for later!). Mike reminisces with friend of the show Brian Tong about their playthrough of Resident Evil 1 way back in their college days and how they always had trouble getting past that weird eagle gem puzzle. The boys also bring on Ryan and Ben from the GamePunx podcast to discuss the games at length and learn some crazy facts including a "deaf" "composer", the Game.com system, and Neil's favourite horror game: Math Circus. It's all here in episode 23, and if you wanna hear something really spooky, skip to 56:02 to hear Neil read the back of RE1.
Join Mike and Neil on a quest to discover ancient secrets about Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and other RPGs for the fiercest game system in the land. In honour of its recent remaster the boys focus on the Square Enix classic and delve into the history behind a world where crystals seem to fix anything and gameboy advance players are needed to have fun. Friends of the show Jake and Zafir join the episode to discuss their memories of the game and the plans for its future. Baldur's Gate, Lost Kingdoms, Evolution Worlds, and Summoner are also touched on while Mike tries to guess which RPG has the longest main storyline. Skip to 54:45 to hear Neil go on his own Final Fantasy quest.
The GameCube Was Cool is back with three new games this week: TimeSplitters 2, TimeSplitters Future Perfect, and Geist, 3 first-person shooters that seem to have faded away in today's over-saturated FPS market. Neil and Mike discuss TimeSplitters' legacy, and the idea that it really is the true successor to N64's GoldenEye as well as lamenting what could have been for the developer Free Radical Design, made up of former Rare employees. The boys fittingly take a look at the past, present, and future TimeSplitters and theorize where this franchise goes from here. They also cover Geist, another game that often gets forgotten but displays some very early capture mechanics (Mario Odyssey much?) and still has a place in the GameCube lore today. Skip to 30:58 to hear Neil's YTV commercial of TimeSplitters 2.
In honour of Crash 4's release, Mike and Neil take a trip down memory lane for the 20th episode of the GameCube Was Cool with Crash Bandicoot games. Since the GameCube era of Crash was mediocre at best, the boys take a quick detour with their always exciting segment "The Playstation One was Kind of Okay". Guests Andy Goddard and Jess Gicala talk about their memories of the original Crash trilogy as well as party games like Crash Bash and the iconic Crash Team Racing. To finish off the episode are Crash Nitro Kart, Crash Tag Team Racing, and Wrath of Cortex which Neil reads the back of the case at 52:56.
Let's get ready to rumbleeeeeee. The WWE (or WWF?) comes to The GameCube Was Cool podcast as Mike and Neil relive their youth and talk about their favourite wrestlers of the attitude era. We bring on friend of the show Harrison Tim to talk about some of his favourite games like WWE Day of Reckoning 1 & 2, and Wrestlemania X8 and 19. Also included is the less than stellar Legends of Wrestling series as well as the surprising UFC Takedown. As a special treat we end on Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee and pray that this game one day gets a remake. Skip ahead to 5:55 if you're not a back of the case fan to get to some WRESTLING!!!
Ever wanted a game that simulates the thrilling aspect of paying off your debts? Well Animal Crossing for GameCube is what started it all. One of the most beloved franchises ever created, Animal Forest, as it was called for the Nintendo 64DD brings back lots of memories for Mike and some anger, and also respect from Neil. We bring on friend of the show Kyra to talk about the game's impact as well as our earliest memories of the franchise and how it's evolved from this to New Horizon. We also discuss our favourite characters, from Tom Nook, to Rover, to the greatest character ever created, Mr. Resetti. Celebrating 18 years since its debut in North America, it's clear that Animal Crossing stands the test of time as one of the most unique games ever made. Listen to Mike read the back of the case at 1:01:55 and hear him try his best animalese impression.
It's time for some FOOTBALLLLL. To celebrate the start of the NFL season Neil and Mike are here to talk about twelve american football games for the Nintendo GameCube including the Madden Franchise, EA's & 2K Sports' NCAA College Football games, and NFL Quarterback Club. We bring on guests Harrison Tim and Brian Tong to talk about our favourite Madden games of the era (our's being Madden 06), as well as learn about the insane rivalry between 2K & EA at the time (with NFL 2K5 selling at 30 dollars less than Madden). We even discovered a new console, the Tapwave Zodiac, available at no retailers near you. If you don't want to hear Neil read the back of 12 similarly sounding cases, fast forward to 9:40 to kickoff the show!
Mike and Neil are pretending they're supermen for this week's episode featuring Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 & 4, Tony Hawk's Underground 1 & 2 and Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. Friends of the show Jed and Stefan join us as we get on the nostalgia train to talk about our favourite memories of these titles as kids and just what the Tony Hawk brand means to so many people out there. We discuss how these games really are a time capsule of the early 2000s and the immense impact skateboarding had on the culture as a whole. Learn about the origins of the of the franchise, its demise and now new revival with the Pro Skater 1 & 2 remakes about to hit shelves. Skip to 36:21 to hear Neil read the back of Pro Skater 3 & 4 and learn who Xzibit is.
It's summer, it's August 26th, and the GameCube Was Cool is on the radio! Mike and Neil host a "live" show on KUHB, 97.8 The Cube FM to discuss the colourful, imaginative, and polarizing classic, Super Mario Sunshine. We have over a dozen different guests on the episode, some phoning in to discuss Bowser Jr.'s family tree, some leaving us voice mails regarding how Sunshine made the world a better place, and others who wrote in to mark the 18th birthday of this landmark title and give their thoughts about why they love it or why they hate it. Either way, Sunshine was a watershed moment in Nintendo's history and we're excited to talk about FLUDD for over an hour. Skip to 1h11 to hear Neil read the back of this tropical case.
After a quick side mission Neil and Mike are back on track with Episode 14, covering ten racing games for the GameCube. Friend of the show Ali Akram joins us to talk about Burnout and Burnout 2: Point of Impact, ranked #6 on Nintendo Life's top 21 GameCube games. Hear some crazy stories of Burnout's marketing campaigns, learn about the wacky cel-shaded game Cel Damage (recently remastered for the Switch!), the surprisingly expensive EA Sports F1 2002, and rally games such as Dakar 2 and Pro Rally 2002. Neil starts off the show by reading all the hilarious backs of these cases, but if you wanna get into the episode right away, skip to 6:08 to put that pedal to the metal.
Are we there yet!? This week Mike and Neil are out of the office, so we thought this would be a good opportunity to explore other aspects of our gaming history outside of the GameCube. We travel through the evolution of what our gaming lives were like while on the go in the 90s all the way up to 2020. The GameBoy worm light, beloved UMDs of the PSP, and consoles in hotel rooms have probably not crossed your mind in a few years, but we think about these things everyday. Neil confesses his hiatus from Nintendo during a certain handheld generation, and Mike may have the wisest dad on the planet. We hope you enjoy episode 13.5 of the podcast, no AA batteries required.
Lucky episode number 13 brings you three games all released in the back half of 2002 and all games that were originally intended for the N64! Friend of the show Jed Winters joins us to remind Neil that Rare's final game for Nintendo, Star Fox Adventures, isn't a bad GameCube game per se, it's just not the Star Fox we wanted. We learn about how these games all had shaky launches but ended up being cult classics. Eternal Darkness and its sanity meter bring a new spin to the psychological horror genre that we'd love to see come to Netflix someday, while Cubivore lives up to its reputation as the weirdest, most neglected, and by far most expensive Nintendo IP ever. Stick around until 40:04 to hear Neil attempt to read the back of Star Fox Adventures.
Spin little monkeys spin! On this episode we keep the arcade train rolling with two arcade classics turned console games, Pacman World and Super Monkey Ball. Two games that helped define an era of gaming in the early 2000s. Neil and Mike try and remember the Pac-Man Ghosts' names (Pinky?), learn that Don Bluth was in line to make a sequel to Pac-Man World 2, and find out that surgeons use Super Monkey Ball 2 to practice surgeries (this is a real thing!). Mike talks about his disdain for Super Monkey Ball Adventure while Neil reads the back of its case. Skip to 60:23 to hear it!
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Welcome to the Arcade Sports episode where we'll be covering twenty (wow!) different games, mostly from Midway and EA Sports BIG and talking about the unique era that these companies competed in. From NHL Hitz to Backyard Baseball, to NFL, FIFA, and NBA Street, we bring you all the ridiculous arcade action and Limp Bizkit that you've been craving since '03. We're joined by friends of the show Marty Thompson, Harrison Tim, as well as newcomers Brian Tong and Brayden Kerr to dicuss our memories of these games and come to the sad conclusion that they'll probably never be made again. Since there are 20 titles to read the Back of the Case of, Neil will be reading them all at the beginning so our regularly scheduled programming will begin at 7:33 if you feel like skipping ahead.
Commercial failure or the most innovative console of all time? Episode 10 features the Dreamcast, Sega's final foray into console hardware. Neil and Mike discuss how ahead of it's time this console really was as well as the games that were ported from it like Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Capcom vs. SNK, and classic SHMUP Chaos Field. We also bring on friend of the show Zafir to discuss Adventure 1, 2, and other Sonic titles released on the GameCube (look for a special episode for Sonic Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog later on). We even called in Marty to see if he had ever played Virtua Striker 2002. Skip to 59:52 to hear Neil read the back of fan favourite Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg.
Springfield Springfield, it's a hell of a town! Join Mike and Neil as they take an adventure through two classic Simpsons games on the GameCube, released very close to each other in 2001 and 2003, Road Rage and particularly Hit & Run, are cult classics that show The Simpsons at their finest. Listen as we bring on friends of the show John, Harrison, and Anneka to talk about these titles and discuss how Hit & Run grew to become one of the most beloved pop culture tie-in games ever made. Skip to 29:01 to hear huge Simpsons nerd Mike read his first ever Back of the Case!
Remember that game your aunt bought you Universal Theme Park Adventure only to realize that the entire game is just you picking up trash so you can virtually wait in line for a ride? Well on Episode 8 we chronicle the first batch of GameCube games we believe to be unplayable (or more generally, critically-panned). Classics such as Monsters Inc. Scream Arena, Casper Spirit Dimensions, and everyone's favourite Dynasty Warriors knockoff, Mystic Heroes! Wait till 55:20 to hear Neil read the back of one of the worst games ever made, Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly and listen to how one of the most beloved gaming franchises ever managed put out a truly unplayable game.
The moment we've all be waiting for. The Super Smash Bros. Melee episode is here!!! Jam packed with memories, fun facts, and even a shoutout here and there (talking about you Girlfriend Reviews). Join Mike and Neil with special guests Daniel Kerr and Nathaniel Rubin as they unpack this timeless gem and discuss its legacy and its continually growing competitive scene. Skip to 58:59 to hear Neil read the back of the case and remind himself that Ice Climbers really are in this game.
Our third compilation episode features the defining genre of the early 2000s, extreme sports. We bring on friends of the show Gavin Brown and Victor De Jong for their extensive knowledge and memories of these games. From motocross titles such as Jeremy McGrath Supercross World and MX Superfly to snowboarding games like Dark Summit and SSX Tricky, as well as games by competing BMX legends Dave Mirra and Mat Hoffman. We even brought back Marty Thompson to cover his favourite franchise and talk a little about Disney Sports Skateboarding. But make sure to listen in at 41:12 to Neil reading the back of BMX XXX, a game that honestly belongs more on "How Did This Get Made" than here. For the rest of the games skip to the end to hear Neil sit by the fire and read out the back of each case while you listen to your favourite nu metal tracks.
With the GameCube's launch, Nintendo introduced yet another new franchise, this time one with a completely original spin on the real time strategy game genre. With a deadline of 30 days for Captain Olimar to escape by, this title can stress out even the resilient resource managers. Join Neil and Mike as they discuss the game and the franchise's future while friend of the show Ramon Sanchez guest stars to share his experience of game and points out its eerily similar plot to The Martian. Skip to 47:13 to hear Olimar's latest journal entry on the back of the case and stick around until the end for a surprise.
Episode four takes you deep into the Cube's catalogue to talk about "clone" games, a collection of titles we believe to basically be ripoffs of other, more popular games. Neil and Mike learn about Extreme G-3, Tube Slider, Roadkill, Fireblade, Zapper, Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy, and of course the terrifying artwork of Vexx. Skip ahead to 31:05 to hear Neil reading out Zapper the Wicked Cricket's personal ad on the back of the case.
Our first compilation episode comes in the form of Soccer! Canadian Premier League writer Marty Thompson joins us to discuss 11 soccer games for the cube including 8 FIFA Games, ESPN MLS ExtraTime, Disney Sports Soccer, and of course Sega Soccer Slam. We talk about the role of soccer games in bringing attention to the sport to the US and Canada in the early 2000s as well as learning about the Gizmondo (does anyone know about this?!). Skip to 53:57 to hear Neil read from the back of the landmark FIFA 06.
Continuing Nintendo's launch day of the GameCube comes the main attraction of the day, Luigi's Mansion. A very different and potentially risky move for the gaming giant, Luigi's first solo game shares more ties with Resident Evil than his brother's franchise. Mike and Neil discuss their memories of the game, how it holds up today, and bring on special guest Zafir to talk about, well, why people still talk about this game. Skip to 54:02 to listen to Neil do his best YTV commercial impression.
From it's humble beginnings to being memorialized as the weirdest and coolest console ever, it's time to dive into the world of the GameCube. Mike and Neil discuss the cube's launch, it's detractors, and touch on the 11 titles launched that day. Specifically the duo focus on Batman Vengeance, Crazy Taxi, Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II, Super Monkey Ball, and Wave Race Blue Storm. Skip to 26:40 to hear Neil read the back of the Batman Vengeance case.