Unlocking What Was Cool

Spider-Man Games on The GameCube

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.  

Metroid Prime

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.

Scooby-Doo Games on The GameCube

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. 

Resident Evil Games

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. 

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles & Other RPGs

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.

TimeSplitters & Geist

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.

Crash Bandicoot Games

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.

WWE Wrestling Games on The GameCube

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!!! 

Animal Crossing

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.

Madden & Football Games

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! 

Tony Hawk on The GameCube

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.

Super Mario Sunshine

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.

Burnout & Racing Games

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.

Games on the Road

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.

Star Fox Adventures, Eternal Darkness, & Cubivore

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.

Super Monkey Ball & Pac-Man

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! 

NHL Hitz, NBA Street & Arcade Sports Games

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.

The Dreamcast - Sonic, Billy Hatcher, & More

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.

The Simpsons - Road Rage, Hit & Run

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!

Unplayable Games for the Nintendo GameCube - Part I

Remember that time 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.