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GameCube (Games) Entertainment Games

GameCube's Timeline, Accomplishments Charted 154

Posted by simoniker from the parent-teacher-evening dept.
Thanks to GameSpy for its article charting the progress of Nintendo's GameCube console from launch to the present day, as part of an ongoing series that has also included the Xbox. The piece starts with the bold statement: "Despite being the wrong product at the wrong time, Nintendo's durable GameCube game console has demonstrated lasting power in a market for which it was not well targeted", and ends by noting: "GameCube will certainly end this generation in second place internationally -- the virtual shutout that Xbox received in Japan settles that part of the race, and it may yet challenge Microsoft in the U.S. and European markets." What's your view of the success of the GameCube and its software titles in the current console generation?
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GameCube's Timeline, Accomplishments Charted More

GameCube's Timeline, Accomplishments Charted

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  • Nintendo hasn't messed up the formula (Score:5, Insightful)

    by reiggin ( 646111 ) on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @03:06AM (#8313573)
    Nintendo plays it safe for the most part. The GameCube continues a long tradition of building a good, reliable console that plays games. Plain and simple. And the games aren't bad. I enjoy mine. Metroid Prime rules, Wind Waker is highly enjoyable, and Viewtiful Joe is amazing. What's not to love? I think the pros heavily outweigh the cons. There's just too much focus from game critics on the marketshare. What does marketshare matter when your games are good, sales are good (doens't have to be the #1 seller to remain profitable), and you keep rolling out original titles (Crystal Chronicles as the most recent example). I think Nintendo is here to stay for quite some time. They definitely have not made the mistakes Sega made. They still have good brand-indentity.
    • Nintendo plays it safe for the most part. The GameCube continues a long tradition of building a good, reliable console that plays games. Plain and simple.

      I agree here. I wouldn't buy a GameCube as a primary console, but if I had children under 12 or 14 who were into gaming, the GameCube would probably be my choice. Many GC games are educational, non-violent, entertaining, and look good.

      Also, it's way cheaper than any of the other systems.
      • I wouldn't buy a GameCube as a primary console, but if I had children under 12 or 14 who were into gaming, the GameCube would probably be my choice. Many GC games are educational, non-violent, entertaining, and look good.

        That's one of the reasons a GameCube would be the last console I would think about buying. It's got too much of a stigma for being a child's console system. Who am I kidding though, I'm such a dork that I'm 28 and still playing video games. I should be going to art festivals or theater

        • Re:Nintendo hasn't messed up the formula (Score:5, Insightful)

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @09:36AM (#8314915)
          That's one of the reasons a GameCube would be the last console I would think about buying. It's got too much of a stigma for being a child's console system. Who am I kidding though, I'm such a dork that I'm 28 and still playing video games. I should be going to art festivals or theater or the orchestra. I can't imagine being 30 years old and still playing video games... you're practically middle-aged.

          I can't imagine being 28 and worried about what others think of my "child's console". Hell, I stopped worrying about the opinions of others when I got out of High School.

    • Re:Nintendo hasn't messed up the formula (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Tjebbe ( 36955 ) on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @06:20AM (#8314262) Homepage
      I totally agree, the only problem with a smaller marketshare is that it's much harder to find shops that sell the games you're looking for. I have got all the 'big' titles (zelda, f-zero, metroid etc) but some of the lesser known titles are extremely hard to find around here. I had to look for weeks to find a copy of Skies of Arcadia (hehe, a port). I am still looking for Ikagura, and even Viewtiful Joe is hardly to be found in shops. Nonetheless, the games i do have are among the best there are, and when we come together with friends (who also have the pther consoles) to play games, we almost always play on the gamecube.

    • Re:Nintendo hasn't messed up the formula (Score:5, Insightful)

      by nocomment ( 239368 ) on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @01:04PM (#8316917) Homepage Journal
      I think that's one of Nintendo's sucesses. Something that really only Sega has managed to do in the past. ie. Games based on a storyline that have familiar characters. I got a gamecube for x-mas (I think my wife is happy I'm gonna stop writing code and acting more like a human ;-). I was lucky enough to get the zelda edition. It brought back all of the same emotions and excitement that I had back in '86, '86(??) when I played the original NES. I played link and beat ganon, I played mario and rescued the princess (later super mario 2), I played metroid, and now almost 20 years later, I'm playing them all again, but fantastically re-done. I've already bought windwaker because I've beat ocarina of time, I'm planning on getting mario kart, matroid, and viewtiful joe. My kids always ask if they can watch me play zelda. It's too hard for them so they like to just sit and watch. I dunno what I'm gonna do when wind waker is over :-(

      It is weird though, in the late 80's nintendo vs sega was almost a religious war, and now to see sonic for gamecube...I'm confused by that.

      • My kids always ask if they can watch me play zelda. It's too hard for them so they like to just sit and watch. I dunno what I'm gonna do when wind waker is over

        That's a little ironic, considering Nintendo's supposed "reputation." After playing Windwaker, I can't see any kid being able to play the game and not be constantly frustrated. It's a very tough game that requires more motor skills and hand-eye coordination than most kids are able to muster.

        That said, I absolutely love the game. It's not as grea

        • Absolutely, I think Ocarina may be the best game I've ever played. Although Windwaker is a close second. Battles are more fun in Wind waker. The reason being that in ocarina, as long as you Z-targetted someone no one else but that person would attack, wind waker you get attacked from all sides. Makes for more enjoyable battles. The zelda edition and windwaker alone is worth the cost of the GC to me. Plus I really like the ocean going aspect of it (WW).
    • I completely agree that Nintendo hasn't messed up the formula.

      Although their target market seems to be kids, they create games with such amazing gameplay, design, and detail that they appeal to people of all ages (in addition, they seem to be expanding their target market with games such as nightmare and the resident evil games). They've cultivated brand identity and brand loyalty, and they've even created a sense of community with their website and their magazine, Nintendo Power.

      Innovation? I'd say the
      • I believe that the windwaker was also one of the first if not the first console game to use cell shading
        Jet Grind Radio on Dreamcast was one of the earlier games to use cell shading. Cell Damage and Jet Set Radio Future (Xbox) are another couple games that got into cell shading before Wind Waker. I'm not sure what the first was but I am pretty sure it wasn't Wind Waker. Although Wind Waker still does it well.

  • Some notable GC exclusives... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by heldlikesound ( 132717 ) on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @03:10AM (#8313583) Homepage
    So we (can you tell which platform i was raised on?) don't have the blockbuster titles like GTA, Grand Turismo, Halo or S0COM , but here are some titles we have that the PS2 and Xbox DONT have... Correct me if i am wrong, not that i need to remind you....


    Zelda: Wind Waker
    Eternal Darkness
    Viewtiful Joe
    Mario Sunshine
    Pikman (vastly underrated...)
    Mario Kart: Double Dash

    The biggest problem is, only two of those are third party studios...

    I also have to admit, Nintendo is WAY behind on the online scene, the story is that they are still trying to figure out what the business model is, but i think it's clear these days, if you are in the console business and you are not embracing online play, you are about to go the way of the dinosuar, I say this after playing Madden 2004 online with a PS2 and being blown away by the voice chat quality and the polished feel of the whole experience.

    Nintendo, I love you guys, but get on the ball!!!!

    P.S. The remake of Metal Gear Solid for GC is coming out soon, better graphics, better AI, etc...

    • Re:Some notable GC exclusives... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Naffer ( 720686 ) on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @03:14AM (#8313597) Journal
      I think what Nintendo managed to do at the last minute with the Gamecube was make it the absolutely perfect second console. Here is a console that takes up hardly any space, is cheaper to buy, and has a whole handful of exclusives. Would DVD playback have helped it sell better initially? Probably, but its much less of a factor now. I'd really love to see some numbers as to how many people who recently bought Cubes bought em as a second console.

      Lovin' my cube.
    • Also, the GC is cheap enough that it's easy to own that along with your PS2 or XBOX. Nintendo nailed that one.

    • Re:Some notable GC exclusives... (Score:5, Informative)

      by Johnso ( 520335 ) on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @03:35AM (#8313673)
      Don't forget:

      Metroid Prime
      Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
      Animal Crossing
      The Resident Evil series

      and many other excellent first-party games (Mario Golf, etc.)

      And that's not counting the thousands of Game Boy games you can play with the Game Boy Player. There's an endless supply of classics to sift through.

    • The only non-Nintendo non-Capcom title there is Eternal Darkness, which is 2nd party. Silicon Knights don't count.

      The only titles that've received any success on the system so far (outside of Nintendo 1st and 2nd party) are the Capcom titles; specifically Resident Evil. Beyond that, the odd other title has received success (Pac Man World 2), but nothing worth writting home about. Nintendo's own titles tend to eclipse the third-party titles when third-party interest is mainly on other systems.

      If Nintend

      • Re:Two of what? (Score:2, Insightful)

        by PainKilleR-CE ( 597083 )
        The only titles that've received any success on the system so far (outside of Nintendo 1st and 2nd party) are the Capcom titles; specifically Resident Evil. Beyond that, the odd other title has received success (Pac Man World 2), but nothing worth writting home about. Nintendo's own titles tend to eclipse the third-party titles when third-party interest is mainly on other systems.

        Namco's been doing fairly well on the Cube; besides Pac-Man, Soul Calibur 2 did very well on the Cube, and they had 2 or 3 titl
    • eh?...

      what about in three years?

      five?

      ten? ...who knows.

      Hmm... but my guess right now is it will be the same number as there are now.

      None.

      Who is Nintendo's market?

      kids...

      twenty years ago?

      kids...

      are people still having kids?

      Say doh.
    • I think Luigi's Mansion deserves a mention. As with all in-house Nintendo titles it's exquisitely crafted and a joy to play. The main criticism is that it's too short but how many people bother to complete games these days, it's rare for me.
    • In regard to Nintendo being WAY behind on the online scene, I don't think that is a bad thing. PC's will always win the online battle, and consoles should stick to what they do best, which is provide games that are a blast to play when you are by yourself or hanging out with a group of friends. This is where Nintendo shines. Nintendo continues to bring us quality titles in both categories. I'll stick to playing my MMORPG's and FPS's on the PC, and let GameCube handle the rest :]

    • Re:Some notable GC exclusives... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Shaleh ( 1050 ) <shaleh AT speakeasy DOT net> on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @12:27PM (#8316418)
      I just don't buy the online thing. Been a GC owner since the platinum box came out.

      I own a NES and a SNES, and have owned a genesis (mmm Altered Beast). I go back over and over to play these games.

      What happens when the online server dies? When the players move on? These games are fun for a month or 6 and then dead. I do not own many GC games but I play and love all of them (well, except Robotech ....). I will probably come back to Pikmin or Metroid: Prime in 10 years. Will you try to play one of the online games then?

      As the old saying goes, whatever happened to nostalgia.

  • Nintendo (Score:4, Insightful)

    by BinaryOpty ( 736955 ) on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @03:43AM (#8313694)
    The mass market doesn't appreciate Nintendo trying to keep the gaming market from digging itself into a rut. It's going to be the crash of the 80's all over again if someone powerful doesn't step up and try to stop it. Nintendo was there back then, Sony and Microsoft weren't, so I trust Nintendo's word on a stagnating gaming economy over the other two. GameCube-GBA connectivity is something only they can do right now (and you know Sony's going to be all over PSP-PS3 connectivity) and if it's used right it can produce innovative games (and unfortunately, it's not used well at all).

    Also Nintendo, by making the GameCube use a proprietary DVD format, made it so DVD movie playback was impossible on the system. This decision also made pirating software on the system hard, and so any sales they've lost in hardware have probably been more than made up in with the sales of software because there aren't many (if any) pirated games. Plus, the GameCube was making a general profit with each console sold when it was $200, a smaller one with $150, slipped into the negatives when Nintendo started including a game with the system at $150, and is still in the negatives with $99 without a game. So, for most of the system's lifetime it's been making a profit with every console sold.

    Another point is that by ignoring the internet scene, Nintendo lets Microsoft and Sony run out and get riddled by bullets while they sit back, watch, and take notes. Hopefully Nintendo will glue together the best pieces of Microsoft and Sony's online strategies into a kickass network for their next console.

    One thing Nintendo needs to do is stop letting Yamauchi come back from the grave and babble about their business. It's just making fodder for the [crappy] news sites to toss out as "Nintendo's dying! Ahh!" news. He retired, stop letting him talk.

    Another thing, although not truly a bad thing, is that they're Japanese centric. While this has its good sides, it alienates them from the rest of the world. But, since it is a 100+ year old company, Japanese pride is definitely going to be a major part of any decision. Hopefully (yet another hopefully...) they will strike a balance between their focus on Japan and their focus on the rest of the world and maybe rope in some more American 3rd parties. Most 3rd parties don't want to compete against Nintendo's games, so they just focus on the other consoles.

    So, Nintendo has a lot of work to do in the next generation to get the people who left them to return, both 3rd parties and customers. They definitely won't pull a Sega in the next generation, though.
    • I don't think the latest Zelda, Mario, Kirby, Pokemon, FZero, Metroid, etc. franchise game is going to prevent gaming from getting into a rut. In fact, that creative rut is exactly why I have yet to pick up a GC. Though you will find plenty of sequels on PS2 or Xbox, the complete lack of new characters or settings by Nintendo for the GC or GBA is appalling. (Yes, there is Pikmin and a couple other exceptions.)

      Worldwide more games were sold last year than the year previous. The only place where the videogam

      • Re:Nintendo (Score:2, Insightful)

        by YomikoReadman ( 678084 )
        While the lastest incarnation of Nintendo's older franchises is not necessarily enough to get the gaming industry out of a rut, the innovations and new ideas they bring to the table with them most certainly will be. Who would have imagined that taking Metroid from a 2D side scroller to a 3D First Person adventure type game would have done so well? There are others here, but I'll leave it with metroid for now.

        As for the complete lack, as you yourself pointed out, this isn't true. Pikmin is a stellar exa

      • I'm jsut the opposite, I love playing those same characters. I think it is important to ocasionally mix it up a little and throw in someone new. For the most part though, I LOVE playing link. I don't know what I'm going to do when I beat wind waker.
      • You note that you have yet to pick up a GameCube, because you consider it a creative rut to be making frachise games. After having actually played these games, I couldn't disagree more. It doesn't seem to be mentioned much here, but Zelda: Wind Waker isn't just the best Zelda game ever, it is simply one of the most inovative and entertaining games I have ever played on any system (including the PC). It isn't just a sequel, it is an amazingly well done, inventive game that happens to have a story line tha
        • Wind Waker isn't innovative. It's simply the gameplay of Ocarina of Time mixed with the art style of Zelda 1 & Link to the Past.

          The storyline isn't tied very well to previous games. They claimed that the ending of Ocarina of Time split the Zelda timeline. Wind Waker is in a different timeline than all the 2D games, which was necessary because its story completely contradicts the story of a Link to the Past.

          Other than that, if the enemies could actually hurt you significantly, it would be a great game.
          • Erm actually the storyline fits very well... At the end of A Link to the Past/Link's Awakening Link has left Hyrule to travel the sea... where he settled down on an Island and eventually raised a family... Of which Link in Wind Waker is a descendant... And who is also the ancestor of the Link in the original Legend of Zelda (who comes to a destroyed Hyrule from a far away Island). So it ties in actually kind of nicely.
            But yeah, enemies in general just weren't that tough... But then again, it wasn't a Miyamo
            • First off, Miyamoto said in an interview that the timeline forks after Ocarina, and that WW follows the new fork.

              Anyway, pay more attention to the Wind Waker story. It clearly happens right after Ocarina, as they tell you that Ganondorf has somehow escaped from the Scared Realm. In Link to the Past, Ganon is trapped in the Sacred Realm (which has become the Dark World) and is trying to escape. You kill him before he can, and when you bring the triforce back to the light world, the dark world ceases to exis
      • EA not supporting XBOX EVIL is nothing to do with market size; it's because Microsoft insisted that EA would have to turn over all its customer data to them, as well as host everything on Microsoft servers. The TCO pain of the latter was a disincentive, but it was the former that was the real dealbreaker.
        • Won't bother arguing the rest of your post (EA has other reasons too that you should mention), but "The TCO pain" is nothing. MS does it for free if you include Live capability.
      • Go back and play ANY of these new titles that you mention...

        F-Zero, Metroid, and Zelda are part of my collection, and they are COMPLETELY different than any incarnation of these franchises than we've ever seen.

        At best, you can compare Mario and Zelda to the N64 games, but each one offers enough new tricks to keep the games fresh and fun.

        You're unfortunately denying yourself the pleasure of playing some of the greatest games that have been made in the last 2-3 years.

        Your loss.

    • Re:Nintendo (Score:2, Insightful)

      by PeeweeJD ( 623974 )

      Another point is that by ignoring the internet scene, Nintendo lets Microsoft and Sony run out and get riddled by bullets while they sit back, watch, and take notes. Hopefully Nintendo will glue together the best pieces of Microsoft and Sony's online strategies into a kickass network for their next console.

      If by "riddled with bullets" you mean "alienate customers who want to play games online" you are correct. Or maybe you meant, "make sure people who want to play online do not buy the next Ninteno con

  • I may not play them all the time, but they've all got there fair share... especially Metroid Prime heh. There's more I'd love to buy, but I don't know if I can afford to spend money right now. Help me PHEAA! :-\

    There's only a few ps2/xbox games i'd be interested in, not enough to buy the systems even if they drop in price again. I'm far more interested in getting a game boy player to play GBA games on the cube instead of a ps2 or xbox.

    • Re:I have 10 games for the cube (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Rallion ( 711805 ) on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @05:05AM (#8313973) Journal
      I only have about ten games, myself, and am also poor... ;) When I look around, I see people owning way more games for the other two players than for their GameCubes.

      That means something. It's actually pretty interesting, as I see it. Now, most of those relatively few games everybody has are the same--I know about thirty GameCube owners and every single one has SSB:M. Anyway, it means that the games are so damn good you only need a few.

      If this were the case for Sony or Microsoft, it would really suck for them. If overall better games means overall less sales, it also means less profit. Which is an interesting paradox, isn't it? But Nintendo's first-party focus makes this work! The games that they make, and ultimately take ALL the profit for, are the ones that sell like mad. I'm sure they get much more money from five first-party sales than ten third-party.

      Ultimately they can let their customers spend less, yet get to keep more themselves.

      Is there something wrong with this analysis? It really looks almost too good to be true.
      • Hmmm... I'm not sure I agree.

        After all, as a Mac user I only have a handful of games and other Mac users I know have a handful of games.

        Does that mean "the games are so damn good you only need a few"? Or does it mean that less games are available and many, like myself, have moved to PC or a console for gaming?

        • That is a good point, but in the case of the GameCube, the handful of games there really are that good. Nintendo's first party games are top notch. They should be first and foremost a software company, because their games would get played anywhere.
          • Except that their competitors make such bonehead choices when it comes to hardware. Witness: The horrifying N64-on-steroids PS2, the chopped down PC that limits you to coding in DirectX X-Box... er, well, don't have anything bad to say about the Dreamcast other than too-little, too-early...

            Look at the released specs on the next X-Box, it's essentially GameCube V1.5 hardware wise... While Sony is off creating some new Real Ultimate Power CPU [realultimatepower.net] that you'll probably have to program in Sanskrit...
    • I will say that I just went out and bought a GameCube yesterday (first system of this generation, actually). That's largely because I'm in the middle of a whole bunch of PSX RPGs (Lunar2:EBC, Parasite Eve, FF7) and I needed a change of pace. So...looking at the games on the new systems that actually caught my eye...

      X-Box
      Interested in:
      KotOR

      0% non-RPG interesting games. Failed.

      GameCube
      Interested in:
      SSB:M
      SC2
      Metroid Prime
      SMS
      ToS
      WW
      Pikmin
      Animal Crossing
      SoA
      FF:CC
      Eternal Darkness
      MK:DD
      Viewtiful Joe

      66% non-RPG in

  • all about the characters (Score:5, Interesting)

    by mehu ( 92260 ) on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @03:58AM (#8313751)
    Nintendo has always had Mario, Zelda, and Metroid. I never had a SNES, but I've played all the way through every NES, N64 and GC version of each of the three series, and ALWAYS look forward to the next ones. Why? It's all about the characters. Which is also why I love Super Smash Bros. Melee so much, despite the fact that I never really liked any other combat-type game (Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, etc.).

    I haven't even bothered looking at an Xbox, but we've got a PS2, of which my gf is a huge fan, mostly for the Final Fantasy series. And yeah, the graphics are nice, but the character movement & game play just doesn't seem as fluid - especially the camera controls. Started playing Ratchet & Clank a while ago, and after being used to Mario & Zelda 64 camera controls, I find the 'set camera behind you' interface to be horribly disorienting. Not to mention the damn controller- every time it says to push square, circle, triangle, or X, I have to look down. I've never had a problem finding A/B/X/Y, and w/ color-coded screen icons representing the buttons, they're even easier to find. Better control, better characters, better games.
    • Which is also why I love Super Smash Bros. Melee so much, despite the fact that I never really liked any other combat-type game (Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, etc.).

      The heritage of Nintendo is definately one of the main appeals of Smash Bros, but don't sell the game short: it has a really unique play mechanic that no other fighter really has, the whole knock the opponent up up and away, and that has some cool side benefits like making the layout of the levels much more important than in a typical 2D or e

  • Video game analysts! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by xenocide2 ( 231786 ) on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @04:14AM (#8313813) Homepage
    "I think it was a matter of form factor. I think it was the lack of third-party support. I think it was the way the market shifted toward an older audience," says video-games analyst, John Taylor, of Arcadia Investment Corp. "All of those things combined to hold GameCube back."

    Or maybe it was largely because consumers had already spent three hundred dollars on one system a year ago, didn't feel that any particular title demanded they empty their wallets when it came out, and felt they already had a comparable system thanks to the gaming media's need to pidgeonhole gaming systems into "generations" when clearly the term has been pointless ever since polygon based gaming took hold of the market. At the most precursory level, the sony playstation had a 32bit processor and the n64 had a 64. Fortunately for the media these two seperate and unique beasts wind up performing about the same, plus or minus the developer's raw technical ability.
    But what generation does the dreamcast belong to? The PS2 came out two years later and the visual quality between the two is often difficult to percieve.

    What really matters, and nintendo has recognized, is time to market. Be the guy who defines the "generation" and make waves, either through temporary scarcity resulting in mere containers for the system being sold at 299 or by building a system backwards compatible with its predecessor. The president of Nintendo has stated they have learned this much. SNES had a huge run because it came out with a large number of cool games early on. The n64 had two, and 8 by christmas. The gamecube had 2 and 4 by christmas. It seems nintendo has realized they can't produce quality flagship software in time enough for launch. They may soon be taking the Sony approach of putting the hardware out there early, flooding the media with atmospheric trailers, releasing a demo disc attached to a shitty game and then releasing the goods a year later. For all we know, Mario 128 is exactly that.

    Or maybe Nintendo will really bank heavily on the quirky game design via toys like gameboy DS or whatever.
    • Or maybe Nintendo will really bank heavily on the quirky game design via toys like gameboy DS or whatever.

      Actually it is about time that Nintendo did some toys. I bought a GameCube. I got hooked on DDR at a friends house, and had to get a PS/2 to play it. I also got an EyeToy (great party game especially if drunk :-) I haven't seen any games for the Cube that use other peripherals (guns, pads, cameras etc)

  • It's all about net profit. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @04:19AM (#8313827)
    Everyone always seems to forget that Nintendo has to make a net profit off of it's games, because that's its only industry, where as Microsoft has probably only lost money on the Xbox, and is simply trying to use it as a tool to "get into your living room" so to speak. If you just look at net profit, I bet Nintendo has a HUGE lead on MS (even if you totally cut out their GB/GBA earnings).

    Of course I'd appreciate any links to numbers that support or prove my theory wrong...

  • Sold my Playstation, bought a GameCube. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @05:12AM (#8314013)
    Why? Simple. I look at the games available for the PS2. I look at the games available for the GC. I compare them. I take out of consideration the games available for both (either now, or in the near future -- Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is released in Australia on the GC tomorrow, but has been out here for the PS2 for a while.)

    Net result: there might be one, maybe two, games on the PS2 I can find in a hurry that I can't get on the Gamecube that I'm interested in. But there's at least three games on the GC that aren't available on the PS2 that interest me: Metroid Prime, Pikmin, and Eternal Darkness. That makes the decision a no-brainer.

    I go where the games are. This round, that's Nintendo. Next round, who knows? But I expect the GameCube to give me good gaming for quite some time yet.

  • I love my GameCube (Score:5, Interesting)

    by DaveJay ( 133437 ) on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @05:23AM (#8314070)
    Why do I love my GameCube?

    Well, it has the exclusive Mario Kart on it, which I love. It has the exclusive Animal Crossing on it, which made me late for work on many an occasion and ate well over 40 hours of time each from my wife's life and from mine. It also has the only non-Nintendo-specific games I wanted, which are The Simpsons: Hit 'n Run and all of the Tony Hawk series (my wife, inexplicably, LOVES the Tony Hawk series and kicks my ass on a regular basis.)

    So, it plays exclusive games I love, it plays the multi-console games I want, the controller fits my hand well (including the wavebird wireless), it tucks unobtrusively into a corner of my entertainment center, and it was c-h-e-a-p.

    Finally, when my wife gives birth to our first child, I know I can throw the GameCube in the closet and pull it out a few years later and introduce them to Pikmin, Animal Crossing, and other non-violent games.

    It is, in short, a great family-oriented middle of the road box with just enough hardcore game titles to keep this mid-30-year-old satisfied. Kind of the Atari 2600 of current consoles.

    Plus it's blue. I like blue. ;)
    • Er... Pikmin is nonviolent?

      While it certainly doesn't show blood and guts flying across the screen, the game certainly has its own form of violence, coupled with really morbid undertones(the entire survival of the fittest, natural world in which things kill or be killed vibe). Yet, at the same time it's brightly colored, has a very cute look, and a fairly cheery feel to it(all the while little Olimar is discussing how he'll run out of oxygen in so many days...)

      Still, the game would be good for a kid
    • I know I can throw the GameCube in the closet and pull it out a few years later and introduce them to [...] Animal Crossing

      The trouble is, your house will be overrun with cockroaches and nobody in the village will like you any more because you didn't write. That could traumatize your new kid.

    • Here, here! for my 35th bday yesterday I got Midway arcade classics and Sands Of Time. And yeah, I play Mario Cart: double dash with my daughter (3 1/2) and my wife (3 players at a time). my son is only 1, so we don't need a fourth countroller...yet! when the kiddos go to bed I throw down with Viewtiful Joe, or the fun Burnout2. Sands of Time and Splinter Cell are my next games on the list, meanwhile I'll look around for some more kid friendly games, but for now, Mario Cart rules.

      CB

  • My opinion (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Am I the only one that thinks the GC doesn't sell that well because of the lack of modchips ?

    I mean, people can copy PS2 and XBOX games. Most people don't, but they know it's possible. Doesn't that play an important role in making the system more popular ?

    I'm not for piracy, but I think the possibility can be a real marketing argument.
    • Am I the only one that thinks the GC doesn't sell that well because of the lack of modchips ?

      On Slashdot, no.
      In the real world, yes.

    • Re:My opinion (Score:3, Informative)

      by hibiki_r ( 649814 )
      I'm not sure about the US, but in Europe, there's no question that being able to pirate games for the console is a big selling point. Real life example:One of my cousins wanted to buy a console for his 6 year old kid. The best console for the kid's tastes is clearly a GCN. However, since the GCN games cannot be copied, and he doesn't want to buy many games for the kid, he went ahead an bought an XBOX, where they can copy games for the price of a writable DVD.

      The real question is, do the few games that the

    • Why should the manufatures care about how many consoles they sell to pirates? Most of them are taking a loss on the console with the hope of making a profit on the software. Just because XBox is outselling GC doesn't mean that it make MS the winner. MS is losing money through the nose on XBox, and Nintendo is turning a profit on GC. Who is the real winner?
  • Even though it is in 2nd place, deep down, I feel that the Nintendo GameCube is in first place. What other gaming company has focused more on games than anything else and succeeded as much as Nintendo has? Despite how much "trash talk" can come out of one fan boy's mouth about loving the XBOX and hating the GameCube, I think we all understand now where each one stands. The XBOX is a big powerhouse console. Sure, it has power, great graphics, and can be modded easier than any other console... but can it co

  • Anyone else amused by this? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by $rtbl_this ( 584653 ) on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @08:17AM (#8314558)

    May 12th: Microsoft shows an improved E3 lineup that includes previews of Doom 3 and Halo 2. Sony looks strong with Eye-Toy, Gran Turismo 4, a strong online presence, and the surprise announcement of PSP. Nintendo looks dazed as Shigeru Miyamoto demonstrates a new multiplayer version of Pac-Man and most of the big games for GameCube are rehashes of past hits

    Phew! Good thing most of the titles announced for the other consoles weren't just rehashes of past hits!

  • Steven L. Kent, crack fiend (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @08:22AM (#8314576)
    This guy's nuts. Grape Nuts. He could have titled the article, "Many flawed reasons why I don't like the GameCube."

    "Despite being the wrong product at the wrong time,"

    Ohhhh-kay. Instant glove slap. That's GameSpy's casual sensationalism for you.

    "....the market shifted toward older audiences with less toy-like tastes...."

    Yes. Let's talk about "the market." The same "market" that is composed largely of children, PARENTS, and gamers who have been playing since they themselves were chilren. The same "market" that keeps Pokemon at or near the top of the sales charts in any given region for multiple-month stretches each time. The same "market" that has caused the GameBoy platform (of all things) to be the longest running and most popular purely gaming platform ever.

    Zip forward temporarily to 2002:

    "June 23rd: Eternal Darkness ships to very disappointing sales. Only 300,000 copies are sold.

    August 25th: Super Mario Sunshine ships and becomes the number 10 best-selling game of the year with over 1.5 million copies sold."

    Would Mr. Kent like to explain how such a game with a "kiddy" image, not to mention one that many (not myself) consider a sub-standard Mario game, outsold such a high-quality game obviously targeted at adults by so large a margin? This only proves either that adults can enjoy colorful games, nullifying the "games for everyone = kiddy" stereotype, or that pandering to adults is not a pre-requisite to success. Win-win for Nintendo.

    "When, in 2001, Nintendo unveiled the indigo box with the big black handle, Nintendo executives looked a bit like a well-meaning uncle presenting a Barbie doll to his 15-year-old niece."

    More like a boombox that can play whatever she chooses.

    "GameCube seemed doomed from the start." ....to Steven L. Kent, I'm sure.

    "PlayStation 2, which had backwards compatibility with original PlayStation games and a huge list of exclusive titles, was viewed as the system with the best library and the most chic."

    False. For over a year after its North American launch (the period of which Mr. Kent speaks), the PS2's library was lackluster and meager.

    "....even after lowering the price of its system hardware to $99 and outselling Microsoft in 2003, GameCube did not catch up to Xbox."

    Spin. Here Steven turns a positive point about a current ongoing trend into a negative point about past performance.

    "....Yamauchi's comment that, "Nintendo is planning to make the Game Boy and its Advance successor the company's top priority." seemed cavalier. In retrospect, it was merely prophetic."

    This seemed cavalier to whom? Those who chose not to believe him? Those who chose to ignore the fact that GameBoy sales had helped subsidize Nintendo 64 production and sales throughout its lifetime? The then-head of the company makes statements that Steven fails to understand completely almost six years later (which end up being true), and this only "merely" seems prophetic to him? Looks to me like Yamauchi really IS crazy like a fox, while Mr. Kent is just crazy.

    "PlayStation 2 goes on sale in North America and stores cannot keep up with demand until March, 2001."

    He (hopefully) means that SONY couldn't keep up with demand. Retailers had nothing to do with it. It was a production problem, plain and simple. Sony was either (A) deceptive enough create an artificial scarcity to increase demand, or (B) incompetent enough not to be able to gauge the market and/or keep up with market demand. Considering the low build quality of first-generation N. American PS2s, either scenario is credible.

    "Many Christmas shoppers who came in looking for an Xbox or a GameCube likely settled with PlayStation 2, giving PlayStation 2 a huge install base lead at the end of the holidays."

    And vice versa. This is a non-point that Mr. Kent tries to turn into a negative against the GameCube. Why?

    "By the end of 2003, Nintendo's decision to

  • hate the griping about the look. (Score:4, Informative)

    by kisrael ( 134664 ) * on Wednesday February 18, 2004 @09:07AM (#8314743) Homepage
    I hate the griping that the console looks "toylike". I have all 3 consoles, (admittedly GC first, because of the games) and the GC is the only one that I like having out in the open. The Xbox is this hulking monstrosity with giant 80s-era fins, and the PS2 is just dull, as squared off as is PS2 logo...only its vertical stand woud make it interesting, and I heard that's not great for the alignment, so I don't do that.
    • I agree with this. The easy portability of the GC is one of the reasons I bought one for our kids.

      My son takes it over to friend's houses all the time and we recently took it to our church for a baby-sitting fundraiser. The kids loved it.

      • Yeah, I was thinking more about the aesthetics than the portability, but of the 3, it is definately the best to pop into a knapsack.

        And the handle was a deliberate user-based design decision...they noticed that many people don't keep a system on the shelf, but bring it out towards them, so a handle made sense...not positioned so people will carry it like a lunch box, but just to make it easier to move. (Xbox dealt with the same kind of problem by going with superlong cords, since that giant system ain't go

  • Lacking (Score:2, Insightful)

    by JustJon ( 731538 )
    I love my Gamecube. Any game that comes out multiplatform, I try and get for the GC, but there are genres missing and a public perception because of it.

    "Adult" games. Because there are very few really violent games, it's become perceived to be a "kiddie" console. Admittedly, having GTA would have helped give the cube a new angle, but Nintendo wants to be family oriented.

    Sports, racing and online. Sure, GC has all the major sports, but the only sports game people talk about is Madden on the PS2. Why

  • I wish Halo was available for the GameCube, but other than that, it's a terrific console. Star Wars, the Game Boy Advance adapter, Zelda, etc are all good games.
  • Ok, everyone is mentioning the great games for the GC which there are many, but how could you all miss Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? I personally couldn't be happier by the resurgence of TMNT popularity. The TMNT game for the GC is simply awsome. Some how they were able to adapt the feel of the old style 2D side scrollers (like TMNT2 for the NES, or Streets of Rage for the Sega Genesis), to 3D, and it transitions very well. The graphics are done so well that it looks just like a cartoon.

    Bottom line t
  • ...but I don't have a TV, as soon as I would get one I would also buy the GC. However I wouldn't want a TV, so until I can hook a GC upto a monitor, THATS the day i get one, other than that i'm not interested in other consoles.
  • Sat down and played i-Ninja for about 2 hours straight this past weekend.. makes me almost want to go out and buy an X-Box just for that one game alone.
  • I mean common, why does everyone have to compare The CG to PS2 and Xbox. Asides that they are all game consoles, as is my pc, and my pinball machine. But I mean really each has thier own qualities and fit into the nich of different players. Personally I own a PS2 and my okidoki computer. Why own a PS2? Well, for 1 when I purchased it there was nothing else like it in the market and I was lookin to upgrade from the N64. 2 DVD player, saved money on owing a DVD player. 3 its initial release had some great gam

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