While PC emulators have played a major role in preserving classic console games, they still can’t match the authenticity of recompiling games. Sure, tech giants like Nvidia are passively improving emulation with features like Smooth Motion for the Vulkan API, but recompiling games lets you run them as native PC applications, offering higher frame rates and resolutions than the original hardware ever could in a less ‘hacky’ way.

Recently, a tool for recompiling Xbox 360 classics into native PC ports surfaced on GitHub, leading to a PC port of Sonic Unleashed that supports enhancements like 4K resolution, high frame rates, ultrawide aspect ratios, and advanced graphics settings. Now, the Nintendo GameCube is joining the trend, with a Mario Party 4 decompilation project reaching full compatibility – it could be the first GameCube exclusive to get a PC port.

A working PC port is yet to come

Unlike other decomps that get started but often stall or are even dropped altogether, this one from the get-go showed no signs of stopping. As a result, Mario Party 4 is the first GameCube game to be decompiled, and one of the very few sixth-gen console games to get the full treatment. Right now, this is just a decompilation and not a PC port, meaning it’s currently a fully reverse-engineered source code version of the GameCube release, which can potentially be used to make a PC port.

The project took just a year and a half to complete, which is quite fast for something like this, especially considering other decompilations have taken years to finish or still have a long way to go, like Super Mario Sunshine. A few lucky breaks helped speed things up, such as the game being compiled without optimizations and access to debug symbols, which made the team prioritize Mario Party 4 over the more popular choices.

That said, the future looks promising, and a fully working PC port of Mario Party 4 could be on the horizon with tools like Aurora making development easier. While the process is still technically complex, we’re nonetheless entering an exciting era where recompiled games from the N64, Xbox 360, and now the GameCube are being preserved and made playable on modern hardware.

Nintendo already announced GameCube games for Switch 2

This news comes not long after Nintendo officially announced GameCube Classics, exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2. The company is releasing a collection of GameCube games for its upcoming console, as well as a Switch 2 version of the iconic GameCube controller. Mario Party 4 isn’t part of the collection yet, but here’s what’s included so far; the first three will be available on launch day (June 5th):

• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
• Soul Calibur 2
• F-Zero GX
• Super Mario Sunshine
• Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
• Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
• Super Mario Strikers
• Luigi's Mansion
• Pokémon Colosseum
• Chibi-Robo

About the Author

Hassam Nasir

Hassam boasts over seven years of professional experience as a dedicated PC hardware reviewer and writer.