Video games just get more expensive. Both in how much they cost to do and how much they cost to buy, both physically and digitally. There are also fewer of them now, thanks to how long Triple-A experiences take to develop and small studios that are struggling to break into a crowded landscape. Things are difficult right now, and it sucks that this difficulty also affects older games that new and old players deserve to jump in. But they can't …
Part of the reasoning for this is collectors who go to town in the used market. When I first went to Japan in 2015 and was looking through super potatoes for a couple of rare classics, they were relatively inexpensive, but when I visited another visit in January, most prices had doubled. Hardware and software are in demand than ever, all thanks to collectors and content creators as the theme of entire brands about playing classic games.
It not only does video playing on a larger scale, but also allows your average Joe to enjoy video games that they may not have been born to experience the first time. Unless companies actively knock on remaster or make original versions of games available on modern hardware, you empty or empty your wallet.
But with the greater spread of titles on Nintendo Switch Online, things can change for the better.
Nintendo Switch Online gives Gamecube a new Life Loan
While I would hardly describe Gamecube as a niche console, considering that it sold millions of units during its lifetime two decades ago, I would not put it on the same level as DS or Nintendo -switch, and Safe Not Wii. As a consequence, much fewer players are familiar with its exclusive library, especially more niche hidden gems that were not available for other platforms. It goes twice for underrated bangers such as Eternal Darkness, Billy Hatcher or WWE: Day of Reckoning. It did not have a large number of pure exclusive, but most were fantastic. Well, maybe except Shrek: Extra big.
Resident Evil 4 was also intended as a Gamecube exclusive together with other Capcom titles such as Killer7, Viewtful Joe and PN03. Only one of them was not eventually ported.
One such game is Chibi Robo, which was first released for Gamecube in Japan as early as 2005, before receiving an international edition a year later. This was already quite late in the console's life cycle, with many players who have moved to the Xbox 360 or prepared for Wii's arrival in just a few short months. As a consequence, it did not sell very well in Japan or anywhere else, despite strong reviews and a development cult. This left the few physical copies that existed to fall either in ambiguity or in the hands of collectors.
Search for Chibi-Robo! On eBay right now and you will fight to find a copy for under $ 150, while sealed versions are practically unknown. We should not have to pay that price for any game, but unfortunately, with a clear lack of conservation, there is no other choice. I don't want to emulate, but if I need to experience a forgotten classic like this, it was. I understand a collector's desire to own a certain title, or maybe every individual who is on a certain platform, but if it means that others lose, it sucks quite.
But with the arrival of Chibi-Robo! At Nintendo Switch online next week, this adorable little game will finally be available to millions of people to play, even if they lack the original hardware or physical version to make it happen. You can just click, play, and that's all.
Chibi-Robo! Is a Nintendo property that deserves the limelight at Switch
Chibi-Robo's last adventure was Zip-lash for Nintendo 3DS 2015, which unfortunately was a critical and commercial failure for the developer Skip, who would not create another game before its closure in 2020. Many thought that this metallic mascot who loved to help people was doomed to become a forgotten relic, but now, for some reason to enjoy him.
All Gamecube classics available through Switch Online have been quite unorthodox choices. While I think the cadence in titles that is released is obscenly slow considering that there is not a huge amount of work to be done over them, to see beloved masterpieces like Wind Waker mix it with F-Zero, Soulcalibur and Mario Strikers have been so fun. Nintendo could have released all his bangers before calling it one day, but instead ensures that every new supplement is an event in itself and will not be overlooked.
I bet the vast majority of Nintendo Switch 2 owners have never heard of Chibi-Robo! Earlier and I doubt they would have bought a physical remaster at Eshop either. But when it appears as a free offer on a service you are already using, why not take the step?
My dream is that Gamecube's notorious insurmountable library will be slowly evaluated in the coming months and years, which gives a whole new audience access to the platform without having to jump through countless archaic hoops. This is how things should be.
- Stamp
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Nintendo
- Original release date
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June 5, 2025
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$ 449.99
- Operating system
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Ownership
