Actually, I can think of quite a few games that EAD made that feature quite amazing graphics. Mario Sunshine, Zelda, Mario Kart, Pikmin, and Luigi's Mansion for example.
Mario SunshineThis game features some of the most wonderful water effects ever. The game handles a massive amount of water on screen, with a nice draw distance, and rarely loses its 60fps charm. The polygon counts are certainly passable, but the true beauty lies in the many different effects used in the game, and the speed at which they are run.
ZeldaI still consider this to be one of the most breathtaking games I have ever played. Being a cel shaded game, lighting is the key to making the game look excellent. Of course Zelda handled the lighting like a champ. Multiple light sources didn't even faze the game. Multiple torches in a darkened area was simply astounding. The polygon count was also insane at times. Whether it be a field of grass gently blowing in the wind, or a bunch of floating particles over realistically modelled water, the game always had something to make you go "WOW!" I know that this game continually wowed me, right up to the end.
The final fight knocked me on my butt, watching the realistic water fall down as Ganon cast all his special attacks without a hint of slowdown. This game had it all. Artistic and graphical beauty.
Mario KartThis game just amazes me every time I see it. There is always a LOT going on in any given scene. There are carts racing down the road, there are chomps on the side doing their thing, as well as many other ambient effects. There's lots of nice particle effects, as well as 7 other racers, each doing their thing, with 2 detailed character models in each cart. But the truly wonderful thing about this game is that no matter how much happens on screen, the game never drops a frame.
Pikmin100 independently controlled AI characters attacking other AI characters is not an easy trick. But the GameCube handles it marvellously, showing nice smooth character models, and smooth animations while handling all the AI. The game sacrifices graphics to add more processing power to the mix, and the game works well because of that.
Luigi's MansionIt constantly amazes me that people think this game looks bad. The particle and lighting effects in the game are still some of the best I have ever seen. Virtually everything in the game is affected by the vacuum cleaner, and will move appropriately according to the laws of physics. It takes a very powerful particle engine to manage all that. The lighting is also very well done, complete with some of the finest shadows that you are ever likely to see. The main character in the game is also endowed with a very high poly model, with some very nice animations and facial animations. This game in particular I feel is a tech demo above all. It showcases many of the GameCube's strengths, and does it well.
Basically, the point I am trying to make with this post is that there's more to a game than a polygon count, and if that's all you look at, then you are seriously missing out on what makes a great game engine. Nintendo believes that ambience is more important than a character with a few thousand more polys.
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The music was awesome though.
