So many old GameCube games sitting around collecting dust… Time to get out the dust rag because yesterdays games are now games of the future! But before you start digging in to the old GameCube collection, you might want to know which ones you can expect to work. I’ve compiled a top 10 list for you!
This list is purely based on how well the game performs on the DK2 as well as the playability, and has nothing to do with the overall game rating. Over 100 GameCube games were tested to come up with this top 10 list. Unfortunately that leaves hundreds still untested by myself, but you can find other lists out there too. If I run into more games, I’ll keep this post updated. You can see the specs for the system I’m testing these on here in this older article. If you try any of these GameCube games, let us know in the comments how it worked for you and what type of system you are using. Performance seems to vary widely depending on your system, and depending on feedback, I may update the list. Also, I did not play EVERY GameCube game, so if you believe I missed something in specific, let us know in the comments. If you don’t know what dolphin-vr is or how to use it, you should read this page.
Now as for how these games are rated: Performance will depend solely on how fast or “smooth” the game plays “out of the box” (without advanced adjustment of emulator settings), while Playability refers to how well the game adapts with the DK2 and “State” is Dolphin VRs “performance rating” and does not factor into my ranking. All systems are different, do us a favor and report your experience with Dolphin VR in the comments. If anyone gets any games working after changing setting, please note in the comments.
Key:
- Performance
- 1 – Won’t run
- 2 – Runs, but horribly
- 3 – Choppy graphics and glitchy sfx
- 4 – Choppy graphics or glitchy sfx
- 5 – Runs Smooth
- Playability
- 1 – You can’t get past the intro
- 2 – Missing layers, faces, textures, unplayable
- 3 – Able to play, but rough
- 4 – Can be played
- 5 – Plays like it was made for the DK2
#1 Soulcalibur II
Being able to get a closeup of Cassandras “assets” was all it took to land this gem in the number one spot. I expect to see this type of fighter flourish in VR, despite the 3rd person camera view it is a lot of fun.
performance: 5/5
playability: 5/5
state: 4/5
#2 F-Zero GX
Do it. This one put a smile on my face. Rift Coaster move over! It did get a bit choppy when I played in the Grand Prix with other racers, but not too bad. It’s worth it just to get the game started and look around! Awesome.
performance: 5/5
playability: 5/5
state: 4/5
#3 Evolution Snowboarding
It may have been a bomb a decade ago, but this snowboarding game is moving back to the top in 2015! This game runs and operates like the developers had the DK2 in mind when they built it. Aside from the 3rd person view, you can have a real ‘bash’! Pun intended.
performance: 5/5
playability: 5/5
state: 4/5
#4 Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance is almost perfect for the DK2. There are just the matters of the black bars during the games cinematic moments. It’s not enough to keep me from playing though!
performance: 5/5
playability: 4/5
state: 4/5
#5 Pikmin
I played for about 20 minutes before I got a little nauseated. Everything is a little small in this world, and hard to squint at for too long. Other than that, this game was fun, and blended right into the Rift!
performance: 5/5
playability: 5/5
state: 4/5
#6 Mario Party 4
This game works well all around. There was a mini game that I couldn’t play, but everything else worked great. I didn’t try Mario Party 5 or 6 but I suspect they will work as well. If you try them let us know in the comments.
performance: 4/5
playability: 4/5
state: 4/5
#7 Hobbit, The Prelude to the Lord of the Rings
I played for about 1/2 hour, so much fun! The fighting parts got kind of sluggish, so for that reason I’m rating the performance a 4. The playability is great in most parts! A few areas are a bit hard to handle, but for the most part you can make it through the whole game I would suspect. (Haven’t done it yet)
performance: 4/5
playability: 4/5
state: 4/5
#8 Animal Crossing
This game works well with the rift!
performance: 5/5
playability: 4/5
state: 4/5
#9 Zelda: Collectors Addition
I had a little bit of issues with the old NES games, but the other Zeldas worked pretty well!
performance:4/5
playability:4/5
state: 3/5
#10 Super Smash Bros. Melee
Glad this game works! My personal #1 as far as the GameCube was concerned. Dolphin VR has given it a max state rating of 5 stars.
performance:4/5
playability: 4/5
state: 5/5
Other Notable Games
Top 5 runner ups:
#11 Top Gun: Combat Zones
This is pretty fun! Just look straight forward, the graphics behind you don’t get rendered.
performance: 4/5
playability: 4/5
state: N/A
