Unlocking What Was Cool

Luigi’s Mansion - Revisted

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.

Weezer’s The Blue Album

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!

Kirby’s Return To Dreamland

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!

Madden 08 & The GameCube IS 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.

Happy Feet & Movie Tie-ins (2006-07)

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!

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

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!

Over The Hedge & Movie Tie-ins (2005-06)

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!). 

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Legacy Collections on The GameCube

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!

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Mega Man on The GameCube

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 
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Mary Kate and Ashley, Bratz, & Hello Kitty Games

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 
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NASCAR & Other Racing Games on The GameCube

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 
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Tales of Symphonia & Baten Kaitos

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 
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NBA Basketball Games on The GameCube

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 
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Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

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 
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Def Jam & Mortal Kombat Games on The GameCube

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 
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The Panasonic Q

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.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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 
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Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

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.

 

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Beyond Good & Evil

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 
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Pixar Games on The GameCube

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 
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