History Behind GameCube Purchase
For multiple reasons, my Nintendo GameCube purchasing experience was never quite right. First off, because I landed my first job out-of-college literally weeks before GameCube was scheduled for launch, I didn't believe I would have enough money to purchase it, especially because I was relocating to a different city. Whether it was impulsive or not, I decided that I could afford GCN just mere days before it came out.
Secondly, because Nintendo 64 released early, I had assumed GameCube that would come out early, too. Nope. Then I had heard that Wal-Mart would start selling the system at midnight on Saturday night. Since I wasn't in a large city, I figured I would arrive around 11:30 p.m. and snag one. Wrong. When I arrived, I saw a line that was over a hundred deep. At midnight, an employee said over the loudspeaker that there were only 57 systems available. D'oh! That ticked me off. I quickly came up with the idea of going to Target on Sunday morning. I had remembered that it opened at 8 a.m. seven days a week. I arrived at Target around 6:45 a.m., and there were two people waiting at most. Score! Eventually, the line built to over a dozen people, but the line didn't get too crazy. After standing outside in 30-some degree weather for about an hour, the store finally opened—and I was able to acquire my GameCube on Sunday, November 18, 2001. However, Target had some great deals that caused me to spend more money than originally intended!
Finally, and most interestingly, I had to re-purchase GameCube only a few weeks after I originally got it. Why? My first GameCube, including several games and controllers, were stolen after my place was burglarized. Fortunately, nothing else valuable was stolen, and I was able to find a replacement quickly despite being it was almost Christmas.
Over its lifespan, I was a lot choosier when it came to adding GameCube games to my game library, and I did not play the system anywhere near as much as the others. Whether it's because GameCube was released during my transition into working adult/husband, or if it's just because the system really didn't have that many special games, I'd have to say that Nintendo GameCube was a disappointment.
Retrospectively, the Nintendo GameCube is still my least favorite Nintendo home system. The system just wasn't that special—and, ultimately, I think that's a reasonable statement and fair rationale. Although its technical prowness was comparable to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, Nintendo tried to differentiate its system with a toy-ish design and a focus on mostly family-friendly games. Aside from an excellent 3D representation of Metroid and some Resident Evil exclusives, however, the games just weren't there. Even Nintendo's first-party heavy hitters—Mario (Sunshine), Zelda (Wind Waker), Star Fox (Adventures), Wave Race (Blue Storm)—didn't elicit the accolades of prior or future generations. Only Super Smash Bros. Melee was beloved.
Secondly, because Nintendo 64 released early, I had assumed GameCube that would come out early, too. Nope. Then I had heard that Wal-Mart would start selling the system at midnight on Saturday night. Since I wasn't in a large city, I figured I would arrive around 11:30 p.m. and snag one. Wrong. When I arrived, I saw a line that was over a hundred deep. At midnight, an employee said over the loudspeaker that there were only 57 systems available. D'oh! That ticked me off. I quickly came up with the idea of going to Target on Sunday morning. I had remembered that it opened at 8 a.m. seven days a week. I arrived at Target around 6:45 a.m., and there were two people waiting at most. Score! Eventually, the line built to over a dozen people, but the line didn't get too crazy. After standing outside in 30-some degree weather for about an hour, the store finally opened—and I was able to acquire my GameCube on Sunday, November 18, 2001. However, Target had some great deals that caused me to spend more money than originally intended!
Finally, and most interestingly, I had to re-purchase GameCube only a few weeks after I originally got it. Why? My first GameCube, including several games and controllers, were stolen after my place was burglarized. Fortunately, nothing else valuable was stolen, and I was able to find a replacement quickly despite being it was almost Christmas.
Over its lifespan, I was a lot choosier when it came to adding GameCube games to my game library, and I did not play the system anywhere near as much as the others. Whether it's because GameCube was released during my transition into working adult/husband, or if it's just because the system really didn't have that many special games, I'd have to say that Nintendo GameCube was a disappointment.
Retrospectively, the Nintendo GameCube is still my least favorite Nintendo home system. The system just wasn't that special—and, ultimately, I think that's a reasonable statement and fair rationale. Although its technical prowness was comparable to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, Nintendo tried to differentiate its system with a toy-ish design and a focus on mostly family-friendly games. Aside from an excellent 3D representation of Metroid and some Resident Evil exclusives, however, the games just weren't there. Even Nintendo's first-party heavy hitters—Mario (Sunshine), Zelda (Wind Waker), Star Fox (Adventures), Wave Race (Blue Storm)—didn't elicit the accolades of prior or future generations. Only Super Smash Bros. Melee was beloved.
Quick Links
What lies below is a listing of my Nintendo GameCube collection along with some history behind the system's purchase. One thing to keep in mind is that these are all the games I currently own. I've actually had other games throughout the years. But I got rid of some of them for whatever reason. Please note that all of the games listed below are actual mini-DVDs. I'm not into pirating the latest games.
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One of the first GameCube games went down in history as one of the system's best and its best seller. Super Smash Bros. Melee was every Nintendo fan's dream, oozing Nintendo history and having much depth. Over the next 20 (!) years, it endured as the Smash Bros. of choice for hard-core gamers and eSports competitions because it is still the fastest, tightest, and most technical Smash Bros. game.
In my opinion, the Madden series was the "killer app" of the PS2/Xbox/GCN generation. For starters, the game's presentation and graphics were phenomenal. Once the awe factor wore off, you realized that the play-by-play, gameplay, control, and intelligence were incredibly authentic, too. Madden NFL 2004 set new benchmarks with its deep Franchise mode and versatility for years to come.
For my money, the Tony Hawk series is one of the most fun and addicting. You can skate around in short sessions. You can play for hours and hours, trying to complete the goals in the Career mode. Or you can go head-to-head in the two-player Graffiti mode. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is set apart, because it was the last game in the series based on the classic timed gameplay.
I'm not sure if I'm just getting older and have less free time, or if video games have started to become too ordinary and not very original. Whatever the case, Super Monkey Ball is so simple to play—yet refreshingly original—that it became a favorite of mine. This addicting game not only was fun for four but was extremely enjoyable for one as well.
Something told me that this game always would have a special place on GameCube. It is impossible to appreciate the breadth of depth and detail unless you played it for yourself. Eternal Darkness impressed with its graphics, its sound, and its gameplay. Most importantly, though, is that the story is far beyond what you would expect from a video game—it's impressive. Nintendo's first published M-rated game.
Mario Kart Double Dash!! almost seems a little slower and dumbed down, yet it is hard for any fan not to enjoy the multi-player races. Fresh dual-character and kart combination strategies, interesting special weapons, less blatant AI cheating, smooth frame rates, and nifty course design commingle into classic Mario Kart chaos. Warning: The Battle mode is a stinker.
Everyone knows that this game is not the Halo series on Xbox. Paying homage to GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark, however, is a good thing. Stealth and action are blended seamlessly in TimeSplitters 2, with tight control, rock-solid frame rates, and very well-designed levels. Now add a sweet two-player cooperative mode and tons of multi-player options. Oh yeah.
The following bulleted points are some random notes and thoughts about the Nintendo GameCube. In the list, you will find information about the system and games that I could not place anywhere else.
- I want to make this game part of my permanent collection: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time / Master Quest (bonus disc).
- My memories of GameCube will mostly be from playing multi-player games—e.g., Super Monkey Ball, Super Smash Bros. Melee, TimeSplitters 2, and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!—with some buddies. I never had enough time or desire to get into its one-player games, as I never really started The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, just barely scratched the surface of Metroid Prime, and was never able to get into Super Mario Sunshine.
- Interestingly, if you think about it, the GameCube was the last Nintendo console where you could find realistic versions of all of the EA Sports titles, including Madden, NCAA Football, FIFA, NBA Live, MWP Baseball, NHL, Fight Night, NASCAR, SSX, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, etc. On Wii, EA Sports' releases did not have parity with PS3/Xbox 360 versions—and they usually had Wiimote gimmicks—and the support was abysmal for Wii U and Switch. This is why I have some nostalgia for sports on GameCube.
- There were many great one-player games that I never had the chance to play, including Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Metroid Prime 2, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Pikmin, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time , Resident Evil (Remake), Resident Evil 4, and Soulcalibur II.
- I also missed out on those unique and spin-off titles from Nintendo, such as Animal Crossing, Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Donkey Konga, Mario Superstar Baseball, Super Mario Strikers, and WarioWare Inc.: Mega Party Game$.
- GameCube does not evoke anywhere near the same sense of nostalgia or emotion in me as other Nintendo systems. It is my least favorite Nintendo home console.
Copyright © Scott McCall. All Rights Reserved. ™ and © for all products, characters, and indicia related thereto which are contained herein are owned by the companies who market or license those products.
1. Super Smash Bros. Melee
3. Madden NFL 2004
2. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
5. Super Monkey Ball
6. Eternal Darkness
7. Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
8. TimeSplitters 2
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GCN Games (480p/Widescreen Compatibility)
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Resolution
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Widescreen?
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Eternal Darkness
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480p
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Yes
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F-Zero GX
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480p
|
Yes
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Home Run King
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480p
|
No
|
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Intellivision Lives! (DS)
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480i
|
No
|
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Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition (Wii U)
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480i
|
No
|
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Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Wii U)
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480p
|
No
|
|
Luigi's Mansion
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480p
|
No
|
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Madden NFL 2004
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480p
|
Yes
|
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Mario Kart!! Double Dash
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480p
|
No
|
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Mega Man Anniversary Collection (NS)
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480i
|
No
|
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Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (2 discs)
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480p
|
No
|
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Metroid Prime (NS)
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480p
|
No
|
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Midway Arcade Treasures
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480i
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No
|
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Midway Arcade Treasures 2
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480i
|
No
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Midway Arcade Treasures 3
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480i
|
No
|
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Namco Museum (NS)
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480i
|
No
|
|
NCAA Football 2003
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480p
|
Yes
|
|
NHL 2004
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480i
|
No
|
|
Resident Evil (2 discs)
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480i
|
No
|
|
Sonic Mega Collection (NS)
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480i
|
No
|
|
SSX 3
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480p
|
Yes
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Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
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480p
|
No
|
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Super Mario Sunshine (NS)
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480p
|
No
|
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Super Monkey Ball (NS)
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480i
|
No
|
|
Super Smash Bros. Melee
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480p
|
No
|
|
TimeSplitters 2
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480i
|
No
|
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Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
|
480i
|
No
|
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Viewtiful Joe
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480p
|
No
|
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Wave Race: Blue Storm
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480p
|
No
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To output the compatible GameCube games in progressive scan (480p) mode, the GameCube system requires a rare and expensive component cable OR a digital audio/video adapter such as CARBY. Alternatively, GCN games can be played on a Wii system (if the Wii is connected via its much cheaper component cable).
Reminder: Hold down the B button on the GCN controller while you power on the GameCube (or when starting the GameCube channel on the Wii).
Reminder: Hold down the B button on the GCN controller while you power on the GameCube (or when starting the GameCube channel on the Wii).
Honorable Mention: Home Run King, NCAA Football 2003
4. F-Zero GX
F-Zero GX is not for the faint of heart. It is an adrenaline-pumping, vertigo-inducing experience that provides an unparalleled sense of speed and endless challenge and frustration—all while looking and sounding fantastic. The well-produced Story Mode adds a lot to the game, too. Maybe Nintendo's last truly hardcore game...but I guess we should thank Sega for this one?
For me, the Nintendo Gamecube was disappointing; originally, it made me want to skip the Wii. Nevertheless, GameCube always will have a place on this Nintendo fan's shelves.