Summary
TheGameCubeis one of the most beloved Nintendo systems of all time. While the console may have failed in securing commercial success, many fans stuck with it until the very end, and still remember it fondly thanks to its unique design and philosophy, as well as its great selection of games, both from Nintendo and from third-party studios.
While there were some great third-party exclusive games on the GameCube, what’s even more interesting is that there were some multi-platform games that received some kind of exclusive content on their GameCube version. This ranged from exclusive minigames or side modes to bonus characters, and more.
SoulCalibur 2is one of the most beloved fighting games of all time, and many fans of this franchise still consider it one of the greatest entries in the series,even if it’s not beginner-friendly. The game is the third chapter in theSoul Caliburfranchise, and it features an extensive single-player campaign, as well as the usual arcade and multiplayer modes. What makes it unique is the fact that the game featured exclusive content on every platform it was released on, as all versions of the game feature one unique character that is not available in the others.
The PlayStation 2 version has Heihachi Mishima fromTekken, the Xbox version has Spawn from the comic book series of the same name, and the GameCube version has Link fromThe Legend of Zelda, which is arguably the best cameo the series has ever had so far. The rest of the game is the same in all versions,but being able to play as the legendary Link himselfis something only GameCube players can brag about.
Fight Nightwas a short-lived boxing series by EA Games, which only saw one single release on the GameCube,Fight Night Round 2. Luckily,this is one of the best games in the series: it was universally acclaimed by critics and fans because of its realistic depiction of the sport, as well as the richness of content the game had to offer. What makes the GameCube version unique is the fact that players can unlock Little Mac fromPunch-Out!!as a playable character, which of course isn’t possible in any other version, given that he comes from a Nintendo IP.
Not only that, but the game also included the fullSuper Punch-Out!!game as a bonus, which is an incredibly neat feature,considering that it’s widely regarded as an all-time classic. This made the GameCube version ofFight Night Round 2an incredible bargain at the time. Nowadays,Super Punch-Out!!can easily be accessed on the Nintendo Switch, but this doesn’t make these bonus features any less epic.
These two games are coupled together as they share the same bonus content not found in any other versions of them. Both games come from EA, which had a weird partnership with Nintendo going on during the GameCube era. This allowed bothSSX On TourandNBA Street V3to featureMario, Luigi, and Peach as playable characters, something that would never be replicated in either franchise.
Not only that, but both games also had a level re-designed specifically to fit in with theSuper Mariotheme. It’s nothing to write home about, as it was just a re-design of a level already present in the base game, but it’s a very weird piece of trivia, especially considering that Nintendo rarely allows third-party companies to use their characters.
Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havocis an underrated 3D platformer,and is one of the best games in theRaymanfranchise. While it was initially received as an inferior sequel to the greatRayman 2, the game’s reputation has vastly improved over time, and many players nowadays look back fondly at this game. While the base game is the same in every version, the GameCube release has some neat exclusive content in the form of extra minigames.
Taking advantage of the GBA-Gamecube connectivity, players can unlock two minigames, both of which offer asynchronous multiplayer for 2-4 players. While it may seem a lesser bonus compared to what other games had to offer in terms of exclusive content, it should be kept in mind that asynchronous multiplayer was something pretty new at the time, and very few games allowed for that kind of gameplay.
This is probably one of the most obscure games with GameCube-exclusive content, probably because the franchise was strongly associated with the PlayStation 2 at the time.Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2was originally released in 2003 in the US for PlayStation 2, but the GameCube version didn’t come out until one year later, in late 2004. This extra time allowed the developers to put some extra effort into the GameCube version, which includes a graphical improvement over the original release, new difficulty settings, and exclusive costumes for some characters.
It may not sound like much, but these upgrades make this the definitive version ofDragon Ball Z: Budokai 2, mostly because of its gorgeous art style. Many players still don’t know about these facts to this very day, which is what makes this trivia all the more compelling.
