Unlocking What Was Cool

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. 

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

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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. 

 

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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!

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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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Cartoon Network Games on The GameCube

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!

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Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat

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.

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The Under $100 GameCube Game Challenge

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!

Mike Interviews Neil

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.

Neil Interviews Mike

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! 

Extreme Sports Games on The GameCube

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.

Mario Superstar Baseball

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.