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GameCube (Games) Entertainment Games

Nintendo Resumes Production Of GameCube 69

Posted by simoniker from the mr-game-and-watch-is-foreman dept.
Thanks to Gamesindustry.biz for their article revealing that GameCube consoles are rolling off the production lines in Japan once again, as revitalized demand for the system "finally outstrips the backlog of units which had built up at Nintendo's warehouses", following the suspension of GameCube manufacturing earlier this year. The article points out that "Recent price-drops combined with the roll-out of key software titles [including the Zelda bundle] for the machine in all three major markets have given the Cube new life in the run up to Christmas", as Nintendo VP George Harrison "...told the Wall Street Journal that he expects to sell two million Cubes in the US market this Christmas."
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Nintendo Resumes Production Of GameCube More

Nintendo Resumes Production Of GameCube

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  • Not surprised. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by nemui-chan ( 550759 ) on Thursday November 06, 2003 @01:12PM (#7408748) Homepage
    I'm not surprised. For $100 I'd consider buying one just for the hell of it. There's nothing that I really want on it (until Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles comes out), but for that price, if I spend a few hours playing it EVER, then I've gotten my moneys worth.

    • Re:Not surprised. (Score:4, Insightful)

      by scot4875 ( 542869 ) on Thursday November 06, 2003 @01:23PM (#7408898) Homepage
      There's nothing that I really want on it

      Then you're either not looking or too picky. There are plenty of top-notch titles in just about every genre available for the system. Far more than 'just' Mario and Zelda.

      Two suggestions I'll throw out are Eternal Darkness and Viewtiful Joe. Fantastic, unique games that you won't find on any other system. There are many more if you look.

      --Jeremy
      • I agree. Viewtiful Joe is the most unique and entertaining game I've played in long time.

      • Re:Not surprised. (Score:1, Interesting)

        by Anonymous Coward
        Then you're either not looking or too picky. There are plenty of top-notch titles in just about every genre available for the system. Far more than 'just' Mario and Zelda.

        Hmm.. lets see, that will be:
        FF(Legend of mana actually): CC, Viewtiful Joe, FZero, the 2 SW:RS games and Metroid Prime

        Coming soon:

        Pokemon:Something maybe Metroid prime 2.

        Eternal Darkness?? come on , Silent hill (any of the 3) is WAY better than that.

        Sorry but I just dont see what "Plenty of exclusive titles" you are talking about es

        • Re:Not surprised. (Score:1, Interesting)

          by Anonymous Coward
          You don't own a Cube, do you? How about you leave the comments about the system to those who know what we're talking about, instead of playing the ignorant hater position?

          As someone who owns a Cube and a PS2, let me say this: I've bought 5-6 times as many games for my Cube than for my PS2 in the past few weeks (and I typically buy a lot of games - I don't rent). Yeah, I took advantage of "The Sale" a few weeks ago (ask around). Less than half of those Cube games were cross-platform games that I bought
      • Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • Eternal Darkness is one of my 'current-gen' favourites so far, but it certainly isn't unique.

          Yeah, I guess the whole 2-millennium-spanning, 12-character-playing, insanity-effect-generating genre has been done to death.

          --Jeremy

    • Re:Not surprised. (Score:4, Informative)

      by Niobium-41 ( 601054 ) on Thursday November 06, 2003 @01:24PM (#7408909)
      Especially with the Zelda Pack being released on November 17th.

      You'll get 4 Zelda games (the 2 from the NES, and the 2 from the N-64) with the gamecube, all for $100 bucks.. That's the best deal, as far as gaming consoles goes, in a long time.
      • NES [ebay.com] - $30
        Zelda 1 [ebay.com] - $6
        Zelda 2 [ebay.com] - $10
        N64 [ebay.com] - $13
        Majora's Mask [ebay.com] - $13
        Ocarina of Time [ebay.com] - $5

        Total cost: $77

        And you don't even get a Gamecube!
        Yes, this bundle is truly a steal.

        • My only beef with the bundle is that Zelda: Link to the Past is not included in it. It's still my favorite Zelda game ever.
        • You forgot s/h.

        • Re:Not surprised. (Score:1, Informative)

          by Anonymous Coward
          More like almost $90 NOT including shipping, and those are some very low prices. Plus, you'd have to find the RAM expansion pack in order to play Majora's Mask, so that can bring your cheap retro games shopping spree to much more than the cost of a GameCube with tax.

          This bundle is the best thing since sliced bread. And I fucking LOVE sliced bread.
        • Should've waited till the auctions ended and added S/H

          NES - $39 + $12 S/H
          Zelda 1 - $8 + $3.50 S/H
          Zelda 2 - $10 + $2.50 S/H
          N64 - $13 + $5.50 S/H
          Majora's Mask - $14 + $4 S/H
          Ocarina of Time - $5 + $4 S/H

          Total Cost: $120

          Sucker.
          • Who is a sucker? I was pointing out that the bundle was a lot better deal but apparently you didn't read my actual comment. Also, the fact that I didn't include shipping and handling has already been noted.

            Maybe you should get an education and then come back to Slashdot. You make yourself look rather stupid.

      • I saw someone asking before how others can get the disc if they already have a GCN, or just bought one not long ago. Nintendo has details on their web site under Zelda Classic [nintendo.com].

        Basically you can buy a subscription to Nintendo Power, or if you haven't registered your system yet, you can do that along with two other holiday release games.

        • I read the page referenced in the above post - Zelda Classic [nintendo.com] - and I had a great idea...

          Add $15 or so to the subscription and send out a demo disc (or bonus disc?) each month - like what they have in the stores already. It shouldn't cost them more than about $1 each month as they are already making the discs....

          Basically for me, that would rock. Then I don't have to look like a doofus at Target kicking the little kids off so I can check out the latest demos and movies...

    • Re:Not surprised. (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      With a nick like nemui-chan and a stated desire to play Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, you're probably a J-RPG fan (which is fine, unless you're one of those "Final Fantasy ONLY" weirdos). And so it's true, for the past few years, there have been very few RPGs to get excited about, except on Sony platforms and of course the GameBoy Advance.

      But at least in the near future, the GameCube is getting some pretty good releases. Tales of Symphonia is the latest GameCube-exclusive volume in Namco's "Tales" se
    • You could always do what I did... I bought an N64 and a 'Cube for the same reason... Super Smash Bros (Melee in the case of the Cube).

      It's an awesome party game to play with friends, much like Mario Party 4 (which I have played but haven't purchased yet). And with the impending release of Mario Kart Double Dash (or whatever it's called) I'm glad I bought one when the price hit $99.

  • Zelda Game Bundle? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by HaloZero ( 610207 ) <protodeka@gma3.1415926il.com minus pi> on Thursday November 06, 2003 @01:23PM (#7408902) Homepage
    For a while there was talk of a Zelda GameCube bundle, with all of the Zelda games, plus the new-er iteration. Really looking forward to it - first reason to actually buy a GameCube. Perhaps this is the first step in seeing that roll out? Probably a Christmas hold off.
    • Zelda Bundle is Confirmed for November 17th [slashdot.org]- woo hoo! I will be getting mine then.

    • Re:Zelda Game Bundle? (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      That's going to be released on the day Super Mario Kart Gamecube is released.
    • It distresses me immensely that the most hotly anticipated upcoming release on the GameCube is actually a re-release of games that are already out. The only GCN games that people are interested in are updates of old franchises like Metroid, F-Zero. Is there seriously nothing else coming out that is original and worth getting excited about?
      • There are quite a few updated NGC games that I surely love. Pikmin for example. That game is freaking weird. I love it. Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, and Rogue Squadron III. Love II, can't wait to see III. Metroid Primus - yeah, redo of an older franchise, but still a great game. I'm sure there are others that I just can't think of right now that are absolutely great, atleast in my book.

  • Another Possible Explaination (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Thedalek ( 473015 ) on Thursday November 06, 2003 @02:23PM (#7409745)
    What with the recent ruling by the Library of Congress regarding copying obsolete video games, the Gamecube was, technically an obsolete system. The actual wording of the law was that a system shall be considered obsolete if it is no longer manufactured OR is no longer reasonably available on the commercial market. Since only one of those conditions needs to be true, Nintendo may have resumed production just to keep copying of GameCube games illegal. Makes me wonder if they'll start making NES, SNES, and Virtual Boy systems again, but they'd also have to make them "reasonably available on the commercial market" (pre-owned doesn't count as "commercial").
    • wouldn't be too hard to have them available online (does that count as reasonably available?) and its not like too many people would be interested, maybe a few thousand units each of (S)NES and one or two Virtual Boys.

    • Re:Another Possible Explaination (Score:5, Informative)

      by simoniker ( 40 ) * <simonikerNO@SPAMslashdot.org> on Thursday November 06, 2003 @02:55PM (#7410150) Homepage Journal
      The Copyright Office/Library Of Congress ruling only applies to access protection circumvention under the DMCA - all copyrights are still valid, so if you copy 'abandonware', or even circumvent copy protection, it's still illegal.

      There's been a lot of confusion about this, unfortunately, but the access circumvention was mainly to allow official institutions (who may or may not be allowed to keep a limited amount of copies for archival purposes) to archive old software properly. There's some possibility that if you personally own old software that only has access controls, and you want to make a copy, that may be allowed, but IANAL, heh.
      • Emm...

        I didn't say otherwise. However, with the system classified as "obsolete", it would be perfectly legal for you to make backups of Gamecube games you own, and by extension, it would be legal to purchase devices which allowed such circumvention.

        Nintendo was the one who basically purchased laws prohibiting game-cartridge copying hardware, and really don't want people backing up Gamecube games in the first place.
  • When Pokemon Colosseum comes out. I'm also going to grab the GBA game adapter for the GameCube, along with Rebel Strike and Zelda. But I won't even consider getting a GameCube without Colosseum. Anyone at Nintendo listening?

  • mmmh (Score:3, Interesting)

    by imperator_mundi ( 527413 ) on Thursday November 06, 2003 @04:26PM (#7411290)
    Don't really think that "stop the production of the gamecube" "dropping the price" "restart the production" are three unrelated decision... maybe I'm just xfiling (but well the thruth is out ther, no?), but to me it sounds like a multi step marketing strategy:

    1) Big N claims that GC struggle in misery, developper ain't to do any further game, etc.

    2) This generation of consoles is over (or so says Nintendo), everybody start to speak about GC2, Xbox2, PS3, Big N stops the production of the GC.

    3) Price are dropped so much that everybody who possibly would rather play Zelda or Mario buy the GC (hey man it's just 99 bucks)

    4) Nintendo starts the stats festival: "we're up of 3% while the others are down of 15%", GC+GBA dominate the console market with a combined share of more than 50%, etc

    5) Eventually Nintendo restarts the production of the GC, so the next Xmas season will start with a diffuse feeling that Nintendo is doing very well and GC is about to win the console's war.

    • Re:mmmh (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      1. Nintendo never claimed that they were ceasing production indefinitely, or that they were stopping games production or development. If you were confused about this, I can hardly imagine how many others were as well. That kind of confusion is hardly the kind of thing that Nintendo would want to risk.

      2. The last thing Nintendo (or Sony, or M$) wants is for people to ignore the current generation in anticipation of the next. That simply leads to lost revenue for both the console manufacturers and the g
    • You're thinking too much. They weren't selling, so they halted production. They cut prices, so people bought more. Having sold out their excess inventory, they are restarting production. All sound buisness decisions, nothing shady at all.

  • Gamecube now #2 - IGN.com (Score:3, Informative)

    by BTWR ( 540147 ) <americangibor3@ya[ ].com ['hoo' in gap]> on Thursday November 06, 2003 @04:51PM (#7411595) Homepage Journal
    According to this [ign.com] story from IGN, Nintento sales have quadrupled and market share has doubled. From the article:

    GameCube now runs a 'strong second' to PlayStation 2 in monthly sales, at least based on October sell-through data." It doubled its previous 19 percent [marketshare] piece of the pie to 37 percent. Combined with sales of Game Boy Advance SP -- it accounts for 'half of all system sales in 2003.
    • I'm pretty sure "market share" in this context refers to percentage of total consoles sold that month, rather than percentage of total consoles sold ever. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure PS2 still holds a huge lead in total sales this generation (not counting the GBA).
  • This is a good thing, Because Nintendo has always had the games like Zelda and Mario, and it would be sad if those games disappeared.

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