The time of the next gen systems is finally here, when we can bask in the light of higher resolution reflected off of your HD TV, a time when nothing less than 60 Gigabytes of memory to hold our precious save points in the next convoluted Final Fantasy game, and a time when every controller must have motion sensing techonology.  In our constant quest to make video games look more and more like real life characters adorning our television screens, and we try harder and harder to imitate our foul mouthed, violent, overly blown up libidos through the newest first person, free roaming, real time shooter/ rpg/ horror/ sex filled game, I look backwards to something that has always warmed my heart.  There is one system that has been there with me, through the trials and tribulations, through awkward voice changes and weird hair "down there", through endless hours of drunken social playing, to quiet evenings at home, passing the time till sleep calls and we get up for work the next morning.  One name in the gaming world has known how to fill my head full of dreams and then help me realize them in wonderful 8-bit to pixels to cell shaded fun.  One pioneer has created characters that will probably be more familiar to me than that grandparent that everyone talks reverently about, but no one really remembers; characters that you feel more at home with than anyone at your 20 year high school reunion and that name is Nintendo.

        Now, it truly takes a child of the 80's to appreciate the long standing, yet gentle love affair Nintendo has forged with the gaming community.  If I was just now a young adult, I don't think I would give two craps about the mythos Nintendo has created, or the wacky yet legendary cast of characters they have assembled.  But, I'm not and I still hold the Nintendo franchise in high regards, so high in fact, I actually own the black sheep, the red headed stepchild, the ugly stepsister of Nintendo, the Gamecube.  Yes, the Gamecube, probably their worst selling system in history.  That little box that never broke 500 games total in it's 6 or so years in existence.  That compact square (mine's purple) that played mini discs, virtually negating any chance of it having DVD techonology, or Online game play when those elements were at the forefront of the gaming world.  No, the Gamecube stuck to good old family game entertainment, mostly sticking to continued entries into their most famous franchises and bad movie knockoffs, as well as a wealth of children's games.  I am going to invite you in to my apartment (through the magic of words, like I'd seriously let some of you weirdos in to my place of residence) and show off the games that still sit on my shelf, awaiting play in a seriously undersold system.

1) Super Mario Sunshine
        Let's start off with this very fun little adventure that was basically centered around…water?  Well, Mario has tangled with fire and dressing up as various strange animals in the past, so why not dive neck deep into one of our most favored elemental combinations.  Your basic plot line takes place: Peach is kidnapped by Bowser, you have to save her, yadda yadda, yadda.  Basically, you play through different boards with several levels to them, just like in all Mario games, but you get to each through a Town setting where you meet the newest in a long line of strange Mario-esque creatures, these giant blue freaks with huge long noses.  They love to dance and live a Jamaican lifestyle as you traverse your way through many different levels, dealing out huge blasts of clear liquid onto anyone who comes your way( You could definitley take that somewhere else, but I'm a bigger man and won't.)

        This has all the best elements of a Mario game, including actually really hard levels mixed in with not so hard levels.  Mastering all of Mario's moves is key to beating this game.  There are also Shine sprites (stars with smiley faces) that are scattered throughout the game, 122 in all, that you collect for an extra special prize at the end.  There is so much to do in this game, you could play for hours and hours and you definitley get your money's worth.  Plus, the setting is a lot of fun to roam around in- it's a beach city.  I know it has gotten a lot of flack for the water aspect, and I thought the same thing, but once you sit down and get into it, the game doesn't lack in fun.

2) The Mega Man Collection
        Is there a cooler midget blue robot in all of the history of the world?  I think not.  I became attached to Mega when I was a child and thought the idea of beating other robots, all with special powers, then using them, was completely something I wanted to do.  Well, this is the complete collection of early Mega adventures.  None of the crappy kids Anime version games are present in this set.  We don't want Mega Man with emotions and silly grins, or strange punctuation hovering over his head, like his poorly animated series version: we want a blue robot with a gun who can shoot pellets and jump moderately high, but not very far.

        The cool thing about this set is the updated graphics and the difficulty settings, which if you played the originals, you know how much bastardness they exuded when you tried to beat them.  If you were a fan, you'll be amazed how many secrets you remember to the game, which pulls another neat level out of them that some new fans couldn't possibly fathom.  I really enjoyed this set and if you love the old school Mega games, I guarantee you will too! (that was my best impression of a informercial salesman.)

3) Turok: Evolution
        I can say, and I highly recommend not playing this game.  This was an impulse buy 1) because it was cheap, 2) loved the previous versions, and 3) made from a highly touted comic book.  The game was nothing like anything good from the past versions.  I started out with a shot gun, hardly the Native American weapon of choice and came across a massive T-Rex within the first few minutes of game play.  The camera in this game was worse than a handicam controlled by someone with Hodgkin's disease as it jerked about as if strapped to the front of a roller coaster.  Within twenty minutes, I had barely moved through half of the first board, my biggest challenge, getting my character to successfully climb up the side of a boulder with a clear cut path.  The charcter didn't want to go up, nor would the stage let him.  It was pretty fucking pansy.  I actually got rid of this game, but thought I would give it quick thumbs down while we're here.

4) eternal darkness
        A success, by my account in the category of creepy.  The story itself, is as ludicrous as any Seaquest DSV plotline, where a young girl's grandfather opened up a portal to bring a demented evil creature from the depths of space that will devour the world.  Your mission: go back through time, using a Necronomican-like tome to inhabit the bodies of different people to collect as many sacred objects as you can.  What do I do with this assortment of mythically powered junk?  Open another cosmic door that unleashes an even meaner, more pastel (bright purple) colored slobering fanged beast to do battle with earlier said creepy, bad ass hellish monster.  Sound like fun? It gets better( wait with bated breath!, unless you're eating  a Sonic Cheeseburger- those kick some fast food ass!)

        There are little tricks implemented inside the game that are designed to throw you off, such as your controls no longer working, or your game resetting to the main menu, but alas they are hoaxes.  Don't do anything drastic; you will feel powerless for five seconds or so, but let it pass, and resume your quest to make two evil squid things battle in space.  The game takes some time, and has more than enough creepy scares to keep even the most macho guy on his toes.  For uniqueness and pretty good game play, I would definitley recommend this game.

5) Star Wars: Jedi Outcast
        If you like using Force powers to throw people out of your way, or tossing a lightsaber like a frisbee to slice your opponent in half, then look no further…than several, several hours into this game.  But, no joke, this is a unique piece of that multi-billion dollar franchise that happened a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.  You star as a former Jedi knight, removed from the practice for your, questionable tactics.  It has all your basic stuff from a Star Wars game: annoying droids, tough babes, quest for lightsaber, strange creatures, confusing and illogical political mess, and a bad guy who wants all the power in the universe.

        As you traverse many levels in search of restoring your power, you actually run into a couple of familiar faces such as everybody's favorite space ship flying, wise crack making, bed head wearing n***o Lando Calrissian, and your eventual trainer of the Force (and monotone acting) Luke Skywalker.  The game is fun but it's going to take some time. Also, you would need to have a general interest in all things Lucas-related to stride through this adventure. There are also some arena battles and stuff that are fun to play, if you get bored with the overall story.  I would mildly recommend this game.

6) X-Men Legends
        Another franchisee license that was finally given a proper treating is the X-Men.  This game is a RPG of sorts, but with actual combat throughout (none of that turn based shit, either.)  You start the game off with Wolverine in a city going to hell in a handbasket and your only duty is to thoroughly thrash anything in your way.  Yeah!  Couldn't think of a better way to begin.  The rough story line is young mutant extraordinaire Magma has been rescued by the X-Men, so she goes to stay and train there.  You guide roughly 13 or so teammates through different missions, visiting various X-locales and fighting numerous X-villains.  The game has some length to it, so it may take several sittings to get through it all.

        The graphics aren't spectacular and there are some really cheap ways to get killed in the game, due to a strange overhead camera.  Most of the missions are long and very repetitive as in the types of lackeys you kill and playing alone isn't near as fun as playing with a teammate, which you can have up to four at a time.  But, if you are a comic book fan, there is a cetain amount of gratitude you get by controlling some of your favorite genetic freaks, especially since you get to build up the ones you want into the bad asses you always knew they were (come on, you know Beast is a BAAAAAAAAAAAD MAAAAAAA-oh sorry- MUUUUUUUUUTAAAAAAANT!)  so, if you love reading about the ongoing, neverending quest for Logan to find a smile and are still wondering what is it inside those X-costumes that make women's breasts grow well beyond normal size, then you should dig this title.

7) Super Mario Kart: Double Dash
        You know that feeling?  Come on, you know that feeling.  You love that feeling.  It gets you off.  When you're in second place, and you just picked up a red turtle shell, and that little bitch Peach is in your sights, oh, that feeling, oh, that wonderful feeling of knowing she's yours and you can take her anytime you want.  That's the feeling I'm talking bout!  Yes, it's the GC version of the ever popular Mario Kart series and the fun never stops when you get to have two people, yes, two animal or fungus turned humanoid creatures in your extra small stock car.  This is the title that turned racing into a fun, dwindling into the night experience that you just can't get enough of, even after several systems later.  I mean, Mario Kart, Mario's the guy who made it cool to be a plumber….Hahahahahahaha!  Yeah, I didn't think you'd buy that one.

        But, seriously, who doesn’t love this game?  They have brand new, wacked out levels (I was hurt that Bowser's Castle was gone, though), new riders, new cars, new items, hell, there's so much new stuff, you'd think it would be totally different, but it's not, really.  That's the appeal!  We love Mario Kart for it's stability; and the game makers pull through on that here again.  This is a must have on the GC because you can get it no where else- up your shorts, GTA and Halo with your really amazing graphics, and excellent gameplay, and your endless array of cool weapons, okay, I'm stopping there.  But, still, awesome game.

8) Metroid: Prime
        Metroid has made a living off of it's classic, if not legendary ending to the original: Samus, the space warrior that we played through a whole game with, turns out to be a woman!  Wow!  Didn't see that coming( just the like the end of Fight Club- I mean , I really didn't see that coming!)  So, now that you've lived off the hype from your first game, it's time to pony up and bring both your shotguns full because you're not resting on your laurels anymore, Samus.  You've got to deliver.

        And she does.  Metroid: Prime is a fun, hard, frenetic, and enjoyable game with tons of cool weapons and you can turn into that neat ball and roll around.  There are so many neat bosses and battles in this game, it's hard to turn away, but I must to write this article.  My only complaint is there are too many visors!  I hate checking every little nook and cranny, but it's just the type of thorough gamer I am.  So, any old schoolers out there, you can go pickup this title for next to nothing at an EB now (used, of course) and enjoy another great title in the Metroid series.

9) Ultimate Spider-Man
        Everyone knows who Spider-Man is these days and we've all played his games, so this one wastes no time in any kind of origin story; it blows right into the game as you have to fight Venom as loely Peter Parker.  As far as gameplay, controlling Spidey is always cool, if done right and this game is no exception.  The winner is being Venom, who is a monster and feels more like playing the Hulk with webbing.  There are tons of missions in this game and a massive free roaming New York City to play around in.  As far as the tokens, probably too many, and the races.  I know they are there to get you used to web swinging, which can be a pain to learn on this, but I get freakin' sick and tired of them.  You are pretty much instructed step by step on what to do in each mission, so there's nothing to figure out, but there's so much to explore, who wants to?  I would say this is a fun game and definitley worth a shot.

10) Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
        If you don't recognize the title of this game, yes, it's the baby version of Link and yes, it's the cel-shaded one.  But, if you can get beyond that, there is a magical gem waiting in this mini-disc.  The story is the same, the kidnapped princess is the same, and the evil pig fucker is the same; the catch to this one is the water.  You ride a boat and sometimes you feel like you really are riding in a boat because it could take forever to get from one place to the next.  But, I enjoyed that aspect of the game.  It comes with a huge map that shows every island (and there are a ton of them) and what's on them.  There are also pirates, sea monsters, cannon towers, buried treasure, cyclones, and a ghost ship all out on the ocean and they are there to discover.

        All the usual Link toys are included, plus several others, including a camera, in a mission where you have to use it to spy on some people.  And Zelda kicks more ass in this game than in any others( spoiler alert!: she's a pirate!)  Any and all Zelda fans should give this game a try!  The cel shading (a quick dying trend in the gaming world) looks very rich and beautiful and helps magnify the tropic scenery you are mostly involved with.  As always, the controls are adaptable, the music is epic and you can still fuck with the farm animals!  I would highly recommend Wind Waker because doesn't every little boy want to be an orchestra conductor?

- Jessie