Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is already a celebration of all things Nintendo, featuring over 80 playable characters and hundreds of Assist Trophies, Items, and Spirits from throughout the company's history. Now, an upcoming in-game event will allow Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players to earn special bonuses and celebrate favorite titles released for the GameCube, one of Nintendo's most influential consoles.
Released in Japan and North America in 2001 and the rest of the world in 2002, the GameCube is one of Nintendo's most easily recognizable home consoles thanks to its distinctive shape and color. It was considered the successor to the Nintendo 64 system, and served as Nintendo's primary home gaming console for six years until ultimately being succeeded by the first iteration of the Nintendo Wii in 2006. A number of enduring, popular Nintendo titles were initially released for the GameCube, including The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, several Mario Party games, and Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Beginning on Friday, September 9th and running through midnight on Sunday, September 12th, this 20th anniversary events will see Spirits from games originally released for the GameCube appearing more frequently on Ultimate's Spirit Board. Spirits with an increased appearance rate include the titular creatures from Pikmin, Tetra and Medli from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Shine Sprites from Super Mario Sunshine, and Krystal from Star Fox Adventures. Players who battle these Spirits during the event will also have a higher chance of successfully capturing the Spirit after the battle has been won. This is the first major Spirit-related event since spirits from Monster Hunter: Rise were added in April 2021.
Nintendo has confirmed that none of the Spirits featured in this weekend's GameCube anniversary event will be exclusive. Once the event concludes, players will still be able to obtain all featured Spirits normally via rotating offerings on the Spirit Board.
Despite the GameCube being fondly remembered today as one of Nintendo's most popular consoles, its legacy is a mixed one. At launch, the console received mixed reviews, with most fans enjoying the extensive library of games but some disliking the console's lack of bonus features. Ultimately, the GameCube sold less than 22 million units worldwide, far less than Nintendo had expected. Production was discontinued in 2007 when Nintendo chose to shift its focus to the Wii console. However, the GameCube's controller design remained popular, with many gamers continuing to cite it as their favorite handheld game controller. In response, Nintendo has released several limited edition GameCube controllers in recent years, including designs based on the Mario, Legend of Zelda, and Pokemon franchises.
The official 20th anniversary of the GameCube's launch will take place on September 14, 2021. It remains to be seen whether Nintendo will announce any other events or news to celebrate the landmark anniversary, although recent leaks indicate that a Nintendo Direct may be upcoming in the near future, which may include GameCube-related announcements.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available for the Nintendo Switch.