Cons: Lack of RPG's, towards the end of it's lifespan
The Bottom Line: While not the best graphical option out there or the best library of games the Nintendo Gamecube still has plenty to offer at a relatively cheap price.
yarrick's Full Review: Nintendo GameCube White Console
The Nintendo Gamecube’s lifecycle is heading towards its end. Nintendo has been working on there next console for sometime now dubbed “Revolution”. As the name would suggest Nintendo expects it’s next console to revolutionize the gaming industry. With Microsoft’s release of the 360 we can’t expect Nintendo to wait too long until they release their next big thing. So then what does all this mean for the Nintendo Gamecube? Basically the system will have about another year or less and then Nintendo’s focus will shift towards the Revolution. With this in mind questions must be asked...will developers scrap their current games or hope to bring them to the Revolution rather then the Gamecube in hopes of more sales (thoughts of Eternal Darkness)? Well after looking through some FAQ on the Revolution I found that it will be backward compatible with the Cube therefore you will be able to bring you’re library of GC games over to the Revolution. Hopefully most of the projects left will stay on the Gamecube.
From Cartridges to CD’s First off in case for some reason you didn’t know Nintendo has finally made the change from cartridges to CDs. These CDs are not normal CDs oh no. Nintendo doesn’t want anything like what happened to dreamcast and people being able to burn the games onto their own CDs. Nintendo has made its own mini CD. These things are really small it is smaller than my fist and I don’t have very big hands.
As far as durability I’m really not all that sure it looks okay but I’m afraid I might snap it in half eventually when taking it out of its case. Also how they deal with scratches I don’t know but you can always get the CD doctor or something like that for around $30 and it can clean your CD’s and DVD’s. Thankfully so far I have had no problems with scratches or the cd’s cracking and I’ve owned my Gamecube for several years now.
Size
This is one tiny system, especially if you compare it to the big bulky Xbox. Of course if you have limited space that’s great and it’s not like it takes away from the gaming experience so I guess in this case size doesn’t matter.
Controller
The controller is well designed and fits comfortably into the hands. You have all your basic buttons and some well designed L and R buttons. The only thing I don’t like about the controller is that the Z button is now above the R button. The C buttons from the 64 controller have been replaced with a much more convenient c-stick. I have hit the wrong button way on the direction pad on occasion since it was so small but I am used to it now. The controller is kind of small though. To fit more easily into kids hands, eh Nintendo? For more information on the controller check out my review: Nintendo Gamecube Controller
Power
While the Gamecube may not be the most powerful console (360) it still isn’t too far behind unless they have the HD options enabled along with the 360. I was amazed with the sounds and graphics when I first got the system. Of course what I had been playing on was a dreamcast which was all right with those things but not great. The cube has a 485 MHz chip in it compared to Xbox’s (first one not the 360) 700 or so. If you compare the big 3 in games spread developed for each console you won’t find too many big differences among the graphics. They all have their advantages and disadvantages and which looks the best tends to vary on the game. This machine is still running 64 bit’s though, why Nintendo didn’t upgrade I don’t know. Maybe it was to leave room for the rendering device, which allows Nintendo characters to have almost none of those ugly jagged edges. I could give you more I don’t want to bore you with raw facts. If you want them you can go to www.nintendo.com. While the cube doesn’t match up to the Xbox in power it still is a pretty powerful machine.
Pricing
This is the biggest draw to the Nintendo Gamecube as it is the cheapest of the big 3 coming in at only $100 new, 70 refurbished. Even if you went with the new system you could still pick up two “Players Choice” games which are among the top games for the Nintendo Gamecube and you’d still save yourself $10 from purchasing a PS2 or Xbox. However you should probably pick up a memory card as well which will bring you about even with the price of the other two. However you also managed to get two quality games and a memory card. There are also bundle packs available rather then purchasing just the system. You may want to look into this as it could save you some money as well. All the games are priced under $50 and the player choice games are generally priced at 19.99.
Games
Ah coming to the most important area the games. Honestly I’ve been somewhat disappointed with the games available for the cube as the majority are definitely still aiming at a younger demographic. Lack of the RPG’s has been a major disappointment for myself. Still there are several games that are fun for the older crowd as Nintendo has the rights to the RE series. If you have kids 12 or under this is the perfect system for them as there are a vast number of games available for them to play.
Games Adult Gamers may want to get:
Soul Calibur II ESRB Rating: Teen The sequel to the game on the Dreamcast, choose a character and attempt to recover the Soul Edge an extremely powerful sword. Soul Calibur II is without a doubt the top fighter on the GC, recommended to any fans of the genre.
Resident Evil 4 ESRB Rating: Mature 17 Ah yes Capcom’s treasure now solely makes its way to the Nintendo Gamecube. Leon Kennedy makes his return, fans will remember him from RE2. You’ll also be happy to know that the ackward controls have been done away with. The story you’ll have to find out on your own. However this is a must own for GC owners.
Metroid Prime Metroid Prime 2 Echoes Eternal Darkness Madden 2006 MVP Baseball 2005 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Lord of the Rings: The Third Age Skies of Arcadia Legends Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Games for the Younger Crowd:
Super Smash Brothers Melee Mario Party 7 Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Pikmin Animal Crossing Paper Mario (a Mario RPG) Super Mario Sunshine Super Monkey Ball 2 Donkey Kong Jungle Beat The Legend of Zelda: 4 Swords Adventures Spongebob Squarepants (several to choose from) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Of course some of the games there are many more games for each, and some adults may enjoy the games I included in the younger category. These are just some of the games I would recommend and the area I think they fit best. Now after my introduction you may be worried and be asking the question: Well are there any good games left coming out? Well there is one simple answer to that The Legend of Zelda. Yep that’s right Link is going to make a triumphant return on the GC this time older and no longer cell shaded. Perhaps Nintendo should have released this version earlier on and it would have sold more consoles to the older crowd. However I’m sure they’ll have no problems selling this game. Here’s a list of other games that could be good (or at least popular) set to be released in 2006:
Legend of Zelda GC One Piece Pirate’s Carnival Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Double Agent Madden NFL 2007
I’m guessing I had originally written most of this review about a year ago as I’ve noticed a lot of the games have either been released or the projects were scrapped and moved to the revolution. However there are other games in development some of them could be sleepers that could be great. If you don’t already own a console though there are some major downsides to the Gamecube when compared to other consoles. Most notably it’s lack of online play options. Not only is this disappointing in terms of opening up areas of new gameplay, but you also won’t be able to upgrade sport rosters like you can on the other systems. Was a major disappointment when Sammy Sosa wasn’t included on the Baltimore Orioles in MVP Baseball. Not such a bad thing now that I look back on this haha. Then it’s not possible to update the rosters like you can on the other system. You will have to do everything manually. Therefore Gamecube’s sports games are definitely lacking. If you are looking for a console for playing sports and RPG games this may not be the way to go. Otherwise picking one up now for $99 wouldn’t be a bad idea.
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