The wait for the Switch 2 is almost over, and you know what that means – it's time to play some GameCube games. Oh sure, there's a new Mario Kart game launching with the system, but don't forget that Expansion Pack subscribers will have access to three great games that were first released 22 years ago on the GameCube. I'm talking about F-Zero GX, SoulCalibur II and, of course, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Yeah, that's cool news, but are any of these games actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Edge, Nintendo Power and more classic magazines that reviewed these games when they first came out. Plunge headfirst into the vortex of destiny in this new episode of Nintendo Classics Review Crew.


It's a good time to be an F-Zero fan. While it's true that F-Zero 99 is the closest we've had to a new installment in the last twenty years, Nintendo has been really good about porting the older games to Nintendo Classics. Not that long ago, we got both F-Zero: GP Legend and F-Zero: Climax, the latter only getting an American release two decades after it debuted in Japan. Now we get GameCube games on the Switch 2, and what did Nintendo pick to lead the charge – that's right, it's F-Zero. F-Zero GX, to be precise. That's the 2003 racer from Amusement Vision that once again reinvented the series for a brand-new console. Is it fast? Absolutely. Is it challenge? Oh yeah. Is it fun? Let's see how the critics answered that question.

Let's kick things off with Electronic Gaming Monthly, which in this case means starting at the very bottom of the list. Giving F-Zero GX a 7.8 out of 10, no English-language magazine gave this racer a lower score than EGM. Demian summed it up this way: “I've got no beef with hard games. Really, I don't – as long as I'm still having fun. But when the difficulty level gets to the point where I'd rather be doing something else, maybe some nice vacuuming, that's a problem. A few of F-Zero GX's later race classes and story missions give me that vacuuming urge something powerful. Improved graphics aside, I really wish Nintendo had done more to update the series. The new story mode is a nice diversion from the grand prix races, but a more fleshed-out career mode would have added a lot of replayability. And I know it's like a broken record at this point, but man, if there was ever a Nintendo title that was crying out to be online!” Paul agreed with Demian's frustration: “If you're a fiend of futuristic racing, buy F-Zero GX, clear your schedule and enjoy. But if you're not a hardcore fan of the genre, GX will fast make you furious. The game's punishing difficulty will push many gamers past single-expletive exclamations and into an extended rant of DEFCON 1 level profanity.”

As we climb our way up the scale, we see Blender take time out of their busy schedule of fawning over the latest pop princess in order to give F-Zero a 4 out of 5, while Edge went with an 8 out of 10. Game Informer went as high as an 8.25 out of 10, with Reiner explaining that “like its predecessors, F-Zero GX is an attractive game that continually dazzles the eye with its vibrant designs and tremendous speeds. The split-screen multiplayer is decent, but it's not as intense as battling the large field in single-player. F-Zero GX is just as entertaining as it is frustrating. If you've broken controllers before, it might be in your best interest to skip it. Conversely, if you seek challenge, you'll get it in spades.”

Unlike some of the games we'll talk about today, there is a ceiling for these F-Zero reviews, and that is at 90%. You saw that when GMR gave it a 9 out of 10 in their 9th issue, similar to the 4.5 out of 5 you saw from GamePro. When GBA World took a second to review console games, they also gave it a 4.5 out of 5, asking if the newest title could possibly live up to the legacy of the brand: “Thankfully, the answer to that question is a big yes. This game pushes the power of the GameCube to the max, presenting a bustling world brimming with bright lights, dark horizons, baron landscapes and oh-so much more. And while it really is a wonder to behold, the visuals ultimately take a back seat to the speed that has been the hallmark of the series from day one. It runs so fast that some of the wussier GBA World staff actually got motion sickness from looking at the screen. F-Zero is a fast, challenging and beautiful racing experience. Check it out.”

One of the reasons why this re-release is so exciting is because we don't get a lot of futuristic racing games anymore, especially from Nintendo. Even though the critics are right and it's incredibly tough, F-Zero GX is worth overcoming the learning curve. It's one of the best games in the series, and with an overall average of 84%, the critics recommend it. Unless you're a wussy that gets motion sickness, apparently.

When Namco released SoulBlade on the PlayStation, it was a hit with both critics and consumers, but ultimately overshadowed by another fighting game from the same company – Tekken. That was not the case two years later, when the follow-up, SoulCalibur, launched with the Dreamcast, quickly becoming the first must-own game on the fledgling console. With everybody still head over heels about the previous installment, the hype was real for SoulCalibur II, and not just because it featured a cameo from none other than Link. This was quickly becoming the critic's favorite fighting series, so expectations were high for this follow-up. Let's see if it lived up to the hype.

This time around, I think we should start with the lowest scores and work our way up. That means that we're kicking things off with Game Informer, who gave the fighting game the worst marks of any English-language magazine. Giving it an 8.75 out of 10, Reiner argued that the GameCube version has the edge because of one very cool addition: “I had my doubts as to how he would fit into the fold; but after putting this game through its paces, Link is now – far and away – my favorite character in the SoulCalibur II roster. In my humble opinion, he's reason enough to invest in the GameCube version. If you're worried about the controller not being able to handle this fighter's fevered gameplay pitch, rest easy – this game was designed for the GameCube controller. There is one trouble zone, however. If you prefer playing with a digital pad, this unit's microscopic D-pad is a definite turn-off.”

Believe it or not, Game Informer was the only magazine to give the game lower than a 90%. You saw GBA World give the game a 4.5 out of 5, confirming that, yes, they do indeed review more than Game Boy Advance games. GMR also gave the game a 9 out of 10, as did Edge. Or did they? You see, in this issue they annoyingly opted to hide the review scores, resulting in SoulCalibur II getting a “? out of 10.” Make no mistake about it, they really did give it a 9, concluding that this sequel is too similar to the previous game and a tad on the easy side: “Though this is undeniably a relatively conservative sequel, since every other beat ‘em up franchise has singularly failed to learn anything from SoulCalibur's brilliance, any similarity is no bad thing. With every other beat ‘em up having failed to equal, let alone exceed the original, it seems churlish to criticize the sequel for merely matching and updating it. Ultimately, though it might not have the same historic impact, this is a game that's superior to its predecessor in almost every way. Which means that it's also superior to every other 3D beat ‘em up.”

As we work our way up the scale, we see Play give the fighting game sequel an A-, while Electronic Gaming Monthly went all the way up to an average score of 9.7 out of 10. That puts it as the magazine's fourth best-reviewed game of 2003, behind only Mario Kart: Double Dash, Metroid Prime and, spoiler alert, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. With two of the editors giving the game a perfect 10 out of 10 score, Shane was the odd man out. He agreed with the consensus that the game looks great, plays great and is loads of fun when going up against friends, but found the single-player content to be a bit lacking. “I'm not overly impressed by SoulCalibur II's single-player game. Versus mode never gets old, but I don't always have dorks like Shoe and Shawn around to challenge. The Weapon Master stuff offers unlocking thrills for a few hours, but it's over way too quickly, and it's too simple to open up all the stuff with little effort. I sincerely wish that SoulCalibur II had taken a page from Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution's quest mode – not only can you customize your character with more than 1,500 unique accessories, but you can also fight insanely tough A.I. opponents based on Japan's best tournament players. Limitless challenge and discovery are sorely lacking in Calibur.”

When it comes to perfect scores, there are a couple of magazines to choose from. Nintendo Power loved it, giving it a 5 out of 5, but the magazine I want to look at is GamePro. Giving it the same 5 out of 5 score, they explained that “the good news for GameCube owners is that SoulCalibur II looks and sounds fantastic. The bad news is that the GameCube controller is not ideal for fighting games, and this holds true for SoulCalibur II. However, once you overcome the controller, SoulCalibur II's winning combination of fluid gameplay and a well though-out fighting system is all the reward you'll need to play for months on end. Link and SoulCalibur II are a combo that GameCube owners are going to want to supersize – big time.”

You know, it's funny they say that, because just two years later, GamePro started their SoulCalibur III write-up by claiming that “Everyone can pretty much agree that SouCalibur II was a big disappointment.” It was? Everybody agrees? Odd, because the same magazine gave SouCalibur II a perfect 5 out of 5. If that's what you consider a “big disappointment,” then I wish more games were big disappointments, because this game is great and you should definitely play it on the Switch 2.

I want to take you back to 2001, when the world got its first look at a very cartoony, cel-shaded Link. To say people were shocked is a gross understatement. Many were outraged, hating that it resembled a kids game. We have this amazing hardware that could easily pump out a breath-taking realistic Zelda game, and what was shown off looked like a Saturday morning cartoon. What was Nintendo thinking? Of course, today we know it's because the developers felt the edgier Zelda game they first showed off at Spaceworld 2000 was too derivative of the past entries and wanted to try something new, but people back then were not pleased with the new direction. And then a funny thing happened. When The Wind Waker was eventually released on March 24, 2003, you stopped hearing people whine and cry about the cartoony look. New and old fans alike were completely won over by the game's charm and epic adventure. Let's see how the critics navigated this controversy.

This time around we're going to start with Electronic Gaming Monthly, who is smack dab in the middle of the review scale with an average score of 9.8 out of 10. That's right, the middle score is just two tenths of a point away from a perfect mark. Speaking of Mark, he's the only EGM editor to not give this game a 10. “What the hell were we all so worried about? The Wind Waker's toon-shaded look once seemed like a daring risk, but after actually trying the finished game, it's hard to imagine it any other way. In short, Nintendo achieved its goal – playing Zelda feels like you're controlling a cartoon. Maybe that's why five different people watching me play immediately said almost the exact same thing – ‘damn, that animation is incredible!' I have two minor complaints with Wind Waker: First, it's a bit too easy. Second, the boat Link rides everywhere. Yes, it's a cool method to get around. And yes, it makes for some special moments, like when you're stuck in the chop during a thunderstorm. But my trouble is, you're sailing a LOT. But these are minor quibbles next to everything that Zelda does so well.” Greg liked the game even more: “I don't really have any complaints about The Wind Waker. I was never frustrated or seriously lost, and I never found a boss fight too difficult. My biggest concern with Zelda was actually forcing myself to stop playing it so I could get some sleep before I had to go to work the next day. I can't recommend this game enough. It's yet another masterpiece in the Legend of Zelda series.”

If you're looking for negative reviews raking The Wind Waker over the coals, then you're not going to find them here. NGC Magazine went a little lower than EGM, giving it a 96%. Even the often grump magazine Edge didn't go any lower than a 9 out of 10, which is the same score Andrew Pfister gave the game for GMR. “Even though it starts stronger than it finishes, The Wind Waker is a beautiful and highly enjoyable game, and in many respects it is the series' best, with spot-on artistic design, perfect animation, wonderfully composed music, a healthy number of interesting side quests and important tweaks to the combat system. Yet, it's disappointing in other ways, including the small number of dungeons, overdependence on sailing, easy boss battles, a meaningless, pace-killing treasure hunt, and a less-than-satisfying finale. For these reasons, The Wind Waker falls shy of the epic mark set by Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past. Perhaps the lighthearted approach justifies this. Or perhaps it's the cause. In any case, it's still an adventure that belongs in every GameCube owner's library. Drop the preconceived notions and give it a fair shot. It's the mature thing to do.”

As we go to the other side of the review scale, we see that every other magazine opted to give the game a perfect score. GamePro went with a 5 out of 5, as did Nintendo Power. Hell, even Blender took time away from giving out terrible music takes to give Zelda a perfect 5 out of 5. Similarly, Computer & Video Games went with a 10 out of 10, the same score we saw Reiner give the sequel in Game Informer. “I won't ruin too many of the surprises, but I will say that the story is fairly puzzling. It's still a variation on the cliched ‘boy saves girl' theme, but the way that it's presented is quite different and a nice change of pace for the series. I didn't think the gameplay could get any better than in A Link to the Past, but I was proven wrong when Ocarina of Time hit the market. The same goes for The Wind Waker. The gameplay dynamic hasn't changed much between generations, but it's grown into something far greater, deeper and more complex than one can fathom. The Wind Waker blows every Zelda game out of the water and stands as the video game event of a lifetime. It's an absolutely necessity for anyone who considers themselves a gamer.”

In a lot of ways, The Wind Waker performed exactly like every other Zelda game. Nintendo announces a quirk or gimmick that part of the audience questions, only to have the critics gush over the finished result. It's as if Nintendo knows how to make a really great Zelda adventure, and The Wind Waker is no exception. You can argue about its placement compared to the rest of the franchise, but with an overall score of 97%, the debate is over – the critics loved this game.