Pikmin: The brainchild of master game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Pikmin is a quirky and addictive title that should charm the Nikes off gamers of all ages. You play a tiny spaceman who crash-lands on a world where even the smallest flower towers over your head. In order to repair your spaceship and get back home, you must collect a slew of even tinier creatures–known as Pikmin–whom you can then employ to search for your ship’s missing parts. The Pikmin also come in handy for battling giant bugs and other obstacles, but you must protect them and round them up when they stray too far ($49.99; Nintendo; nintendo.com).
Luigi’s Mansion: First Luigi learns that he has won a house in a contest he never entered. Then his brother, Mario, vanishes when he goes to explore the strange dwelling. Now Luigi has just 24 hours to find his brother and rid the creepy mansion of its many ghosts, no simple task. The trick is to stun the spirits with a flashlight beam, then capture them with your specially modified vacuum cleaner (the Poltergust 3000). The game features spectacular 3-D graphics and is fairly easy to pick up and play, even if you’re new to the gaming scene ($49.99; Nintendo; nintendo.com).
Super Smash Bros. Melee: Choose your favorite Nintendo character and prepare to do battle in this wild adventure. Basically, you run and jump your way around a three-dimensional battlefield, trying to beat up your opponents before they do the same to you. Characters include Donkey Kong, Pikachu, Link, Mario and other familiar Nintendo celebs. Although the game includes a single-player “story” mode, the real fun begins when you duke it out in multiplayer mode against up to three of your buddies ($49.99; Nintendo; nintendo.com).
Wave Race: Blue Storm: This Jet Ski water-racing game features some amazing visual effects that make the water look and feel like the real thing (thanks to the responsive Gamecube controller with tactile feedback). Navigate through the race courses in all types of weather and against crafty, computer-controlled rivals. Or go head to head with friends to see who is the true champion of the waves. As you might expect, each course features a plethora of jumps, obstacles and alternate routes, so the action never slows down ($49.99; Nintendo; nintendo.com).
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader: By far the Gamecube’s most visually dazzling game, Rogue Leader puts you in the role of Luke Skywalker and his pal Wedge as you relive some of the most exciting space battles in the “Star Wars” story line. Things begin with the famous Death Star trench attack, which is even more hair-raising and detailed than the scene from the movie. In other missions you’ll get to take on a Star Destroyer and even the menacing Imperial Walkers on the frozen planet of Hoth. The attention to detail is truly breathtaking. This game is a must-have for any serious “Star Wars” fan ($49.99; LucasArts Entertainment; lucasarts.com).
Super Monkey Ball: Nothing if not bizarre, Super Monkey Ball charges you with the task of navigating a tiny monkey through a series of mazes and pinball-like obstacles. The twist? Your monkey is trapped inside a bubble like ball, so you have to use your controller to tilt the floor of each area in the game in order to roll your monkey through without rolling right off the edges. It is an odd game, no doubt, but we found it strangely addictive ($49.99; Sega of America; sega.com).
