Let's Play Every GameCube Game, Part 18
Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 12 Ketteiban (Konami, 2005)
As mentioned yesterday, this is the last JPPY game on GCN and the one I'll be adding to the list. I'll start looking at the other modes then and probably find out what makes it the definitive edition in the process.
Depending on the list you're looking at, you might see Jikkyou World Soccer next, which is actually just International Superstar Soccer 2 again. I'm skipping it.
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (Big Sky Software/THQ, 2002)
This is actually a screenshot of a different game called The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius: Jet Fusion, which I covered with a screenshot of this game back in Part 1 because, foolish me, I did not realize that there where three crappy identical games in this series on GCN. I could go back and correct the mistake, but I'm not going to because these games are garbage and I've already put more thought into them than they deserve.
Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death (Rebellion/BAM!, 2003)
A generic FPS that marks yet another GCN superhero game with a 5/10 review average. Filling the game with tiny little robots that take a lot of shots to kill maybe wasn't the greatest design decision. It is also a big fan of brown.
Kao the Kangaroo: Round 2 (Tale Interactive/Atari, 2006)
A mascot platformer that feels like it's missing all the charm and design attention that's supposed to define this genre. It's a port of a Polish computer game from 2003, whcih maybe explains the lower production values. They probably should've made a new, better game instead of reviving this one.
Karaoke Revolution Party (Harmonix/Konami, 2005)
A karaoke game that I can't actually play because I don't have a mic set up. I wouldn't put my neighbors through me singing Whitesnake even if I did, though. Seems like it has a good selection of songs for people more musically inclined than me.
Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer (Treyarch/Activision O2, 2002)
Can you imagine Activision letting Treyarch get off the CoD train to make a surfing game today? Interesting developer aside, I have no interest in a surfing game, but it seems like it was a fun time for anyone who did care about oceanic skateboarding.
Kidou Senshi Gundam: Gundam vs. Z Gundam (Bandai, 2004)
This came out in the US on PS2 to abysmal reviews, but on GCN it was exclusive to Japan. I'm guessing the bad reviews were down to lack of variety and finnicky controls. Even so, swinging your Gundam Lightsaber around for a bit is fun. Can you tell I know nothing about this series?
Kidou Senshi Gundam: Senshitachi no Kiseki (Bandai, 2004)
A really ugly third person shooter with gundams. The whole thing feels as low budget as the tiny draw distance you can see here. Almost unbelievable that the Silent Hill-level fog was considered acceptable for release in 2004.
Killer7 (Grasshopper Manufacture/Capcom, 2005)
Another of the GCN classics, and another one I've always wanted to play. This surreal Suda51 FPS won't be going on the list, though, because it has been ported to more modern systems and I'd rather play it there.
King Arthur (Krome Studios/Konami, 2004)
A movie game that opens with live action footage that transitions mid-cutscene to GameCube graphics, which was an... interesting creative decision. It's a co-op hack and slash kind of like the LEGO games, but it received the usual awful movie game reviews.
Kirby Air Ride (HAL Labs/Nintendo, 2003)
This made my top 100, which I believe makes it one of my top 3 GCN games. It's two completely forgettable racing modes and the brilliant City Trial, which is a race to collect stats and air machines to build the best setup you can before time is up and you have to compete in a random minigame. Critical reception at the time was poor, but also wrong. This game rules.
Kiwame Mahjong DX2 (Athena, 2002)
I thought my curse of having to repeatedly say I don't know how to play ricci mahjong would end when I finished the GBC series. I was wrong. There's another one of these games on GCN, and I still don't know how to play this game.
Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade (Starbreeze Studios/TDK Mediactive, 2004)
A PAL exclusive about a knight who is trying to save his friend from a cult that's taken over a monastery. Combat seems like it could be interesting, but it's not very intuitive and the handful of reviews I was able to find suggested it's not worth the time it takes to finish. Alas. This was the only GCN game Starbreeze ever made.
Knockout Kings 2003 (EA Sports, 2002)
This game suuuuuucks. Randomly mashing buttons without ever touching the analog sticks is enough to win, and mashing just A for an infinite series of left jabs is enough to win by decision. The announcers repeat themselves constantly, and the graphics are awful. Everything about it is bad.
The list:
1080° Avalanche
Animal Crossing
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean
Batman: Dark Tomorrow
Burnout 2: Point of Impact
Charinko Hero
Chibi-Robo!
Cocoto Kart Racer
Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest
Custom Robo
Dark Summit
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
F-Zero GX
Family Stadium 2003
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Freedom Fighters
Freekstyle
Gotcha Force
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing
Jikkyou Powerful Major League
Kirby Air Ride