With the Nintendo Switch 2 getting GameCube Classics, we chose some GameCube RPGs that should be added to the system.
When the splurge of information about the Nintendo Switch 2 came out, one expected yet very welcome announcement was that GameCube Classics would be a Switch 2 feature, with The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, F-Zero GX, and Soulcalibur 2 among the first of ten games arriving.
Naturally, there will be more, and with the GameCube being a good place for RPGs, there are a few yet to be announced for GameCube Classics that we’d quite like. So let’s get into some of the GameCube RPGs Nintendo should bring to Switch 2. yes, ther’s more than 5 out there, so feel free to chip in with your most-desired curio from the early 2000s.
Skies of Arcadia Legends
Publisher: SEGA
Developer: Overworks
Released: 2003
Skies of Arcadia is one of my all-time favorite RPGs, and like Dreamcast stablemate Shenmue, it was somewhat criminal to think it could have died with Sega’s console output. Unlike Shenmue, though, Skies of Arcadia got to make a swift return as a GameCube port. But its legacy mostly ended there, as several follow-up projects got cancelled.
Unsurprisingly, the moment Nintendo announced Switch 2 would have GameCube games, this was the first one on my mind. It’s undoubtedly one of the biggest GameCube titles yet to get a port, so it feels like a tap-in for a future release.
Summoner: A Goddess Reborn
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Volition/Cranky Pants Games
Released: 2003
Before Voliton went down the filthy path that took it to Saint’s Row, it conjured up this sci-fi action RPG, a revised port of PS2 game Summoner 2.
Thanks to its basic looks, it wasn’t exactly revered back in 2003, but it did have some interesting ideas with its real-time combat and time-sensitive spellcasting. Gods know if Nintendo could dig it out of whatever legal wrangle might exist now both THQ and Volition are defunct. Hopefully, Plaion would be willing to play ball and give this curio a wider audience.
Lost Kingdoms
Publisher: Activision
Developer: FromSoftware
Released: 2002
With FromSoftware providing a double dose of its magic for Switch 2 in the form of an Elden Ring port and the new PvPvE game, The Duskbloods, why not go all out and bring back one of its earlier efforts from the GameCube?
Lost Kingdoms would actually be quite relevant to modern audiences. It’s an action RPG, but it utilizes a card-based system for its real-time battles. Even in today’s deckbuilder-heavy economy, the unique combat blend of Lost Kingdom deserves another shot.
Virtua Quest
Publisher: SEGA
Developer: AM2, TOSE
Released: 2005
Admittedly, choosing Virtua Quest is not borne of yearning for its quality. This oddball RPG adventure spinoff from the superb Virtua Fighter was met with a meek reception 20 years ago, and I doubt it would be getting some massive reappraisal if it did become a GameCube Classics title.
But as a Virtua Fighter lover living in Europe, I never got the chance to play Virtua Quest, so I’m requesting this for very selfish reasons (on behalf of the surely plentiful Virtua Fighter fans buying a Nintendo Switch in Europe).
Gladius
Publisher: LucasArts
Developer: LucasArts
Released: 2003
LucasArts’ tactical RPG gives players two protagonists. One is the greatest gladiator the world has ever known, and the other a magical daughter of a barbarian king. It lets you train and battle a team of warriors. Those are decent reasons to bring it to your attention, but its level of customisation and depth of combat mechanics helped make it a worthy, if criminally underplayed, addition to the libraries of PS2, Xbox, and GameCube.
It’s survived via a PS3 port and backward compatibility on modern Xbox consoles, but one of those is an unviable option now, so let’s get it out there on another platform!
