The GameCube era of Nintendo saw some amazing games come to the console's library. Along with the amount of high quality experiences, players had a wide offering of games that fell into a handful of genres. One of the genres represented well on the system were simulation games.
Simulation games tend to give players the ability to live out a specific aspect of life inside a virtual world. While there were plenty of popular simulation games over the five years the GameCube was Nintendo's primary console, there are quite a few hidden gems that have been forgotten about over the years.
9 Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life
One of the most popular simulation franchises of all time is Harvest Moon, being one of the first to make working on a farm and socializing with local individuals such a fun concept. The GameCube era was a phenomanal one for the series, with many pointing at Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life and Harvest Moon: Magical Melody as among the best in the franchise.
However, there was one game that was spun-off A Wonderful Life called Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life. There were no changes to the gameplay, but the story took the perspective of a female farmer instead of a male farmer. And instead of choosing between three potential wives, the player chose between three potential husbands, all of whom were in the original game.
8 The Sims Bustin' Out
Another iconic franchise under the genre is aptly called The Sims. This was primarily a PC series for many years until 2003 saw the series shun the PC out for the first time and go exclusively on console. That was with the title The Sims Bustin' Out.
Along with having similar elements to previous titles, The Sims Bustin' Out tasked players with going after Malcolm Landgraab, who has been stealing everyone's stuff. By completing objectives, players will need to raise enough money to buy these possessions back and eventually kick Landgraab out of town.
7 2002 FIFA World Cup
Sports tend to be the subject of many simulation video games as emulating being a professional athlete in a major sporting event without the pressure of actually being on the stage can be absolutely thrilling. For soccer fans, EA's FIFA series has been a staple for decades in that department.
While there are usually regular releases for each entry, there are also some special editions that have been made. One of them is 2002 FIFA World Cup, which served as an experiment of game mechanics between the mainline games in 2002 and 2003. Many countries are included in the game, including those that didn't qualify for the actual tournament.
6 NFL QB Club 2002
To talk about a different kind of football, Madden NFL has been the official football game of the NFL for many years now. But in the past, there were more NFL-licensed franchises out there for players to try. One forgotten football simulation game on the GameCube was NFL QB Club 2002.
Developed by Acclaim and the last entry in the franchise, the game focuses on football's most important position of quarterback. The game provides plenty of different modes to choose from, most of which focus on picking one of the variety of quarterbacks available in 2002 and Hall of Fame quarterbacks that retired before 2002.
5 Legends Of Wrestling
Continuing the trend of sports simulation games, what if the best names in wrestling came together to battle against one another? That is the general concept of Legends of Wrestling, which pulls some of the most famous wrestlers from a plethora of organizations beyond just the WWE.
The roster includes the likes of Hulk Hogan, Jerry "The King" Lawler, and over 40 other wrestlers. The game did not get good reception but did get a few sequels after its release on the GameCube in 2002. This was another game developed by Acclaim, who published three entries of this franchise before going bankrupt in 2004.
4 Top Gun: Combat Zones
Simulating flight is another common trope in the genre as many individuals will never have the opportunity to actually fly an aircraft in their lifetime. These kinds of games can just be about flying, but there are also a handful of them that incorporate some form of aerial combat.
That's where a game like Top Gun: Combat Zones comes in. Based on the hit first film long before Top Gun: Maverick took over the world, the game has a mission structure that takes place across three chapters. While the first missions of each chapter give players a chance to get use the controls, players will be thrown into actual combat near the midpoint of each section.
3 American Chopper 2: Full Throttle
The generation where the GameCube was prevalent saw a lot of unique licensed video games of popular movies and television shows that could fall under the simulation genre as these experiences were attempting to emulate this media in a new form.
American Chopper 2: Full Throttle is an example of this. The game includes the cast of the reality TV series American Chopper, with the main premise revolving around building motorcycles and then racing against the other members of the Orange County Choppers business.
2 Pool Paradise
Hanging with friends while playing billiards at a pool table is a lot of fun in real life, which is why it makes sense that there have been many examples of pool video games over the years. A version of this that came out on GameCube was called Pool Paradise.
Endorsed by professional pool player Jimmy White, the game features a tournament system where players will have to compete against others to advance through the game and unlock more features. In addition to the usual pool table games, there are also various bar and arcade games such as darts and skee-ball for those who like a little variety.
1 Doshin The Giant
Unlike the other games on this list, Doshin the Giant is a game that is actually published by Nintendo and produced by Shigeru Miyamoto. The game was released in Japan and Europe on GameCube, but a North American version of the game was canceled.
Doshin the Giant is a god simulation game, meaning this was the ultimate sandbox for people to mess with the world that was displayed in front of them. As Doshin, players are encouraged to help take care of the worshipers that pray to the large entity, and choosing to help or hurt the civilians and the world will affect how the simulation turns out.