Nintendo to the Power of 3: Nintendo GameCube (2001) Review and Retrospective

And with the Nintendo 64 out of the way, it’s time to move on to the next Nintendo console, the Nintendo GameCube. So, the Nintendo 64 was a fairly successful system, selling over 32 million units, which isn’t a bad number, but when you stack it up against the PS1’s over 102 million units sold, it was still blatantly the underdog between the two consoles. This can be largely attributed due to the system’s use of cartridges leading to various third party companies, especially Square, to flock over to the PlayStation. But with that aside, the next generation of gaming began with the release of the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, leading Nintendo to make their next console. Originally, the GameCube was codenamed as “Dolphin,” and utilized IBM’s PowerPC architecture and ATI’s graphic power. The system was released in 2001, and was available at a lower cost for the PS2 and original Xbox, particularly due to using miniDVDs as opposed to regular sized discs. The system would gain a following, but it would become Nintendo’s worst selling major home console up until the Wii U. The system was ultimately discontinued in 2007, not long after the Wii - a much more successful system - came out. However, even today the console still holds a cult following despite it’s sales not being the best. The GameCube was actually one of the first consoles I remember my family owning. I’m not entirely sure when we got it - I do know that from a young age my brother also had a PS1 and OG Xbox, but I do remember my brother having a GameCube and him playing it. And on top of that, I remember my grandfather also owning one, and I have memories of watching my brother play games like Super Mario Sunshine, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Mario Kart: Double Dash, Pokemon Stadium and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker on the console. But on that note, I’m not entirely sure what happened to that GameCube. I remember seeing it a few times not plugged in in my brother’s room but after we moved to Colorado in 2012 I never saw it again. I feel like my mom might have sold it or thrown it out or something which kind of sucks but I’m not entirely sure that’s the case either. Of course, eventually I ended up buying another GameCube and it was actually the first system I ever bought with my own money. Although technically that was saved up birthday money and Christmas money so still kind of my parents’ money but at the same time, kind of not..? But my experience buying it was kind of interesting. The previous Christmas, 2011, I got the Nintendo Wii, and with the kind of nostalgia I had as a 10 year old I did want to collect GameCube games for the system - particularly Super Mario Sunshine. However, my parents bought me the Wii Family Edition that Christmas, which I learned later on was not compatible with GameCube games. I actually bought a copy of Super Mario Sunshine not long after Christmas at a used game store only to find out that the particular model of the Wii I had was not compatible, meaning I had to return the game and controller. But on the plus side, GameCube stuff was still pretty cheap, but around the time GameStop was beginning to get rid of their GameCube stock. Over the next few months, I celebrated my birthday and got money from that, and while by that point I had forgotten about this whole ordeal, my brother actually talked me into buying a GameCube. To be perfectly honest I was actually considering buying My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic merchandise with that birthday money but after my brother brought that up… well maybe that’s not a bad idea either. Only problem was that pretty much every GameStop in my city had sold out of GameCube systems and the nearest store that still had one available was 30 minutes away from me… so I kind of had to nag my mom to drive that distance but it was worth it. I’m pretty sure I managed to get the last GameCube sold by GameStop anywhere near my relative area and to be my surprise it was actually one of the Pokemon XD Gale of Darkness themes. There is another one of those out there that’s literally just a Platinum GameCube with a Pokemon badge but mine was a full-on theme and skin for the console which made it even more special to me personally. But I feel like the GameCube was kind of where I started getting into game collecting. Again, it was the first console I ever “bought” myself and as a long-time fan of retro games and stuff growing up that of course didn’t slow down. And the GameCube was just a console that I really liked - I got around to buying a copy of Super Mario Sunshine which I had wanted to play for a long time and some of the games I bought around that point - including Mario Superstar Baseball, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex, Sonic Heroes and Sonic Gems Collection, were all experiences that I just had a lot of fun with. In fact, in my “Top 10 Favorite Consoles” list in 2015, I actually cited it as my second favorite console of all time, just behind the SNES and beating out the Genesis, PS1 and 3DS. Over the years, that hasn’t really held up as much - I didn’t include it in my Top 5 consoles list from not long ago, but all things considered it is still a console I really like. In terms of hardware, the GameCube is actually more powerful than the PlayStation 2, which I actually thought to be the other way around until I started getting into the system. It runs a 486 MHz PowerPC Gekko CPU from IBM, along with a graphics processor powered by ATI - this sort of setup and architecture later being used on the Wii and Wii U. As far as the sixth gen goes this puts it in above the PlayStation 2, although not quite on par with the Xbox with it’s 733 MHz Pentium III processor. Course, it did have one drawback, with the decision to use mini-discs as opposed to DVDs which the PlayStation 2 and Original Xbox used. This wasn’t as big of an issue as the N64’s use of cartridges and it did reduce costs of the system, however certain “big” AAA titles would be required to use multiple discs and it generally wouldn’t win back all of the third parties that Nintendo lost with the N64’s use of cartridges. And while the PlayStation 2 was selling off of also being a DVD player in addition to a game console, the GameCube sort of lacked compelling features in comparison. And before you ask, no, the GameCube can’t play miniDVD releases either. But anyway, as far as other models go, the only one that really exists is the rare PanaSonic Q, a licensed system that had the internals of the GameCube but could also play DVDs like the PlayStation 2. That said, the GameCube did have quite a variety of different themes, and while different themes had also been done by the Nintendo 64, the GameCube I really feel “embraced” the idea a lot more, being available in a ton of different colors. The most common you’ll probably find are the Black, Indigo and Platinum variants, but in my case, like I said I have a Pokemon XD theme, which is pretty cool. I will say on that note, I really like the design of the system. I don’t know what it is, but something about it always just looked “cute” to me - mostly the cubic design they went with and other small touches with the system such as the handle on the back - something that didn’t need to exist, but Nintendo put it there anyway. It’s also just really durable and fits snuggly in an entertainment center well due to it’s size - it’s nowhere on the size of the original PS2 model or original Xbox and I think in general the design of the system has a lot of “personality” to it, especially with the different variations that existed. It’s hard to explain, but I’m sure others can understand where I’m going. Unfortunately, the system itself isn’t actually a “cube” since the dimensions aren’t all exact, but I guess to be fair Game “Cube” sounds a lot better than Game Rectangular Prism. And the GameCube controller. The GameCube controller is often touted as one of the best game controllers of all time, and frankly after talking about the Nintendo 64 controller, this thing is such an upgrade in every single way. Not only is the controller’s design more sensical, but it feels really comfortable to hold and both analog sticks feel good to use and don’t have the issue of the N64’s controller of the analog stick becoming loose over time. The button placement, while unique, does feel really good for 3D platformers and other types of games for the console. It’s probably not something I would want to become “standard,” I still prefer the standard diamond layout for stuff like 2D sidescrollers (I can’t even imagine using this to play Super Mario World via the Wii Virtual Console), but it does feel logical and good to use for the types of games that exist on the GameCube. I do have a few issues with it - for one thing the D-pad is a bit too small for my liking. It’s not a big issue to me, since few GameCube games really use it and the controller is largely built around 3D games, but I think it’s worth mentioning. I’ve also never been quite fond of the L and R “triggers,” just was never fond of how big and clunky they were. I also think the controller might have benefitted from a second Z button or “bumper” if you will but again it’s not a big deal for me. Otherwise, the GameCube controller is a very nice controller - just feeling comfortable to hold and having a layout that’s just easy and straightforward to understand. I mean, I think it really says something about how good it is when Nintendo is still producing this controller for use with the Nintendo Switch and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate particularly. On to the games now - Super Mario is obviously Nintendo’s flagship and of course the GameCube got it’s share of Mario games. At launch there was Luigi’s Mansion - a game starring Luigi. I haven’t really played this game although I have played a bit of it’s 3DS sequel, but it does seem like a good game and did get good reviews for the time and was just a pretty unique game overall. But that flagship Mario title for the console was easily Super Mario Sunshine, a full 3D Mario platformer building off what Super Mario 64 established while also adding it’s own flavor to the game - namely FLUDD, the “water” mechanic that allows Mario to clean away goop and reach new areas with other attachments that also do different things. I think the mechanic is very well integrated into the gameplay, and overall Super Mario Sunshine is what I consider to be a very good Mario title, arguably even better than Super Mario 64. While that game did lay the foundations of a 3D Mario game, I feel like Super Mario Sunshine really expanded and built on top of it, and just overall added more to the game in general, creating an even better game in the process. I also really love how the game carries a consistent “theme” to it with the setting on the Delfino Island and building all it’s worlds around that theme - hell, you can even see some of the game’s other worlds on the horizon in certain levels, which is pretty damn cool. I’d still say I prefer Galaxy 1 & 2 as well as Odyssey from a gameplay standpoint, but Sunshine is definitely a great 3D Mario title and definitely worth playing. Mario Kart also of course got an entry on the GameCube in the form of Double Dash - which to this day I still consider to be the best Mario Kart game. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe does come close, but Double Dash just feels unique in every way - mainly it’s “double character” mechanic and the allowance of co-op in multiplayer, plus the game has plenty of great tracks of it’s own. It’s still not Crash Team Racing, but it’s still a damn good kart racer and arguably the best in the Mario Kart series. There were also a few Mario sports for the system - both Mario Tennis and Mario Golf got sequels to their N64 counterparts in the forms of Mario Power Tennis and Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, and in addition two completely new Mario sports games were released - Mario Superstar Baseball and Super Mario Strikers. I mostly played Mario Superstar Baseball out of these, and I will say that I prefer Super Sluggers, but all of these, again, are unique games, with Mario Power Tennis and Toadstool Tour definitely improving upon their N64 predecessors. And Paper Mario got a sequel - The Thousand Year Door. Not one I’ve played much of (honestly Nintendo really needs to re-release it especially since original copies of the game are expensive as all hell nowadays), but this is still considered by many to be the best Mario RPG game and one that has a pretty big cult following. Course, I can’t talk about the GameCube without bringing up Super Smash Bros. Melee. This was the best selling game on the system and from what I can tell easily the most loved. This was also a sequel to an N64 game, Super Smash Bros, but improved upon it in every way possible. And even though newer titles exist, there still remains a huge competitive scene for the game and it still has a cult following all these years later. But um… *whispers* I still like Ultimate more. Regardless, Melee is a really solid title and still holds up well as a competitive game all these years later. And there’s also The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. I have stated in the past that I’m not the biggest Zelda fan out there, but out of the games I’ve played, I’d probably consider this one among my favorites. I’ve always really loved the art style of the game with it’s cel-shaded graphics and vivid color scheme. Plus stuff like the game’s sailing mechanics and more open world style with different islands just appealed to me. It was a bit divisive when it first came out - mainly regarding the game’s art style - but over time it has come to be considered one of the best games in the series, and is definitely one of the best titles on the GameCube. Twilight Princess also came out for the system, although I’d probably say I have a preference towards the Wii version of the game due to it’s integration of motion controls. Either way, still a really good Zelda title with a lot of critical acclaim surrounding it. Metroid Prime 1 and 2 also came out on the console. After seeing no entry on the Nintendo 64, the Metroid series came back on the GameCube in the style of a first-person action adventure. Unfortunately I haven’t really played any of these games and I’ve never really been that into the Metroid series in general so I don’t really have much to say about them, but they have received critical acclaim over the years and has built a fanbase of it’s own, with many hyped after the announcement of Metroid Prime 4 although barely any news about the game has come out since E3 2017 other than development restarting with Retro Studios, but I do respect the love for these games and I can definitely understand why they’re commonly cited among the best games for the system and in the Metroid series in general. Star Fox also returned with two games with Star Fox Adventures and Star Fox Assault. The latter of which came out later and used the traditional rail shooter gameplay of the SNES game and Star Fox 64, but Adventures tried something entirely new, having gameplay more similar to the Zelda style than anything. It is quite a departure from the series’ established foundation and has always received somewhat polarizing reviews, but I actually did get enjoyment out of this game and I wouldn’t be against another Star Fox game in this style later on. I mean, it would at least be a lot better than getting yet another “reimagining” of the original game *cough*Star Fox Zero*cough*. But the GameCube also got two new Nintendo IPs. One of them being Animal Crossing. Technically it got it’s start on the Nintendo 64 but only in Japan and while the GameCube game is technically just a port of the N64 title that’s where it got it’s start for the rest of the world. It’s a simple life and social simulation-type game that syncs up with the GameCube’s clock and is just really enjoyable on a casual level. It’s not hard to understand, and is just a simple, relaxing game that would see entries on later Nintendo consoles as well. To be honest with a series like this I would probably just recommend the newest game, which in this case is New Horizons for the Switch, but I still have to recognize the series’ origins on the GameCube. This version does have some NES game included, so I guess there’s that. Pikmin also got it’s start on the GameCube. I haven’t really played any of these games before and as a result I don’t have anything to say about them, but the games did get positive reviews for the time and the series does have it’s fans. As far as third-party support goes, unfortunately the GameCube is still kind of a mixed bag here, which I can largely attribute to the use of mini-DVDs, but it’s still an improvement over the Nintendo 64. The GameCube did get some great sixth gen titles - Beyond Good and Evil, Resident Evil 4 (this particularly considered the best port from what I can tell), Viewtiful Joe, Killer7, Tales of Symphonia, Simpsons: Hit and Run and Sonic Heroes, with some third parties including exclusive content in certain games like Link in Soul Calibur 2 and some being straight up exclusive games for the console like Super Monkey Ball, Dance Dance Revolution Mario Mix and Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg. Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 also got ports on the system after the Dreamcast’s demise in the forms of Sonic Adventure DX: Director’s Cut and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, but I’ll probably go into those a bit more when I talk about the Dreamcast itself. And there’s of course other games worth mentioning that I either haven’t played or don’t have much to say about, but those include of F-Zero GX, Kirby Air Ride, Donkey Konga 1 and 2, Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, Pokemon Colosseum, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, Mario Party 4-7, Chibi-Robo and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. There’s probably even more than that, but that’s what I can think of off the top of my head. Honestly, the GameCube’s library is one that I find really solid overall. It actually feels like Nintendo straight up represented all of their major series here in addition to having some new IPs. I guess the worst I can say is that there wasn’t a traditional Kirby game, but Kirby Air Ride is still a pretty good spinoff title, as well as no traditional Donkey Kong platformer, but Donkey Konga and Jungle Beat were definitely unique takes on the series to say the least. The GameCube’s library isn’t quite as expansive as the PlayStation 2’s, but in comparison to some of Nintendo’s other systems definitely feels more balanced. I’d still say the SNES had the best library as far as Nintendo systems go with the Switch shaping up to rival that, but the GameCube still had a lot of variety for what was there and it didn’t really feel like I was missing out on any major Nintendo series whereas the Nintendo 64 and Wii U lacked a Metroid title and the Wii lacked a Star Fox title. I guess I could say that it still has somewhat of a similar problem of the Nintendo 64 where a lot of it’s best titles are just Nintendo first and second parties, but at the same time, I feel Nintendo pushed variety a lot more here and even then the third party support, while not the best, was still pretty decent out of what was there. But I think what made me used to love the GameCube was that, like the SNES, it felt like the evolution of the foundations that Nintendo had set previously. With the NES and Nintendo 64, while they did technically evolve the standards of 2D and 3D games respectively during their eras, the SNES and GameCube both felt like the next step - taking what worked well in those generations and improving upon that. Sure, the Nintendo 64 was innovative no doubt, but it felt like with the GameCube they had reached a point where they were able to find out where the standards were set and where they could go from there. It definitely shows to me, like with how a lot of SNES games feel more polished compared to their NES counterparts, a lot of the GameCube’s games feel a lot more polished and built up from their N64 counterparts, and games were able to just grow from there. And I think another thing that made the GameCube so appealing to me was that… well, it felt like a console made for the core “gamer,” and was one of the last consoles that really felt as such. Now, I won’t deny that I really like the PlayStation 2 - definitely one of the best consoles of all time no doubt, but at the same time, I always kind of felt like a lot of the momentum it got was solely based on being the first console that could play DVDs and Sony wanting to continue their established base on the market they had with the original PlayStation. The original Xbox, while also a good system, still just kind of came as a result of Microsoft wanting to get involved with the video game industry to combat the PS2’s impact on PC gaming. But the GameCube… it just felt like, well, a game console first and foremost. It’s similar as to why I like the Dreamcast as well, both consoles just felt like consoles designed around the gamer and had libraries really reflecting that. And as much as I hate to sound like a 19 year-old boomer, I feel like the console industry nowadays has kind of drifted away from being centered around games itself and consoles now often have to have more power or have a stand-out feature in order to sell well. Honestly, I feel like this is why Nintendo had to take another strategy starting with the Wii of widening the appeal of games towards different types of people. The GameCube isn’t exactly a console I would consider to be a “failure,” but it didn’t exactly do great either - only selling 22 million units overall. That’s close to what the original Xbox sold at 24 million, but nowhere near the PlayStation 2’s status of best selling console having sold over 155 million units. But with Nintendo having to go on a different trend, it feels like consoles have shifted away from being about the “core” gamer and more about trying to push new features and power for sales. I still do think Nintendo at least tries to have that appeal - the Switch’s main feature being extremely convenient, although their approach to online and stuff is still pretty questionable, but I think the GameCube just felt like one of the last systems that tried to just be a “game” console for and foremost and have a focus on creating a good library. Honestly I think the sixth generation had a certain dynamic with all of it’s consoles too that is just kind of missing from consoles nowadays - it felt like every system had it’s own audience and differences to consider. And the GameCube is kind of an embodiment of that era - just having it’s own “personality” compared to it’s competitors and just having an appeal to gamers themselves without having to emphasize better features or anything like that. And that’s just what I like about the GameCube overall. I will say I don’t quite have the same amount of love for the GameCube that I did in 2015, but at the same time, there’s a reason why the system has such a cult following nowadays and why I can still enjoy returning to it. The system’s library was just overall really solid, and I guess just the “spirit” and “personality” of the system just makes it all the more appealing to me. On that note though, would I recommend the console to someone who hasn’t played it? Well, like other older Nintendo consoles, that’s… kind of a “maybe.” As far as the console itself goes, you can buy an OG model of the Nintendo Wii for roughly the same price nowadays that’s backwards compatible with GameCube games and plays them in a higher quality that doesn’t require selling a body part for component cables. But even then, GameCube games can be a bit more on the pricey side nowadays. They were reasonable when I first got into the system, but nowadays the people who grew up with the console have a disposable income and are buying their old games for nostalgia and as a result, there’s been somewhat of a GameCube gold rush. Super Mario Sunshine, a game I bought for $25 back in 2012, goes for around double that nowadays, and no matter how hard I’ve tried I can not find a copy of Double Dash for less than $40 - I mean jesus christ I could just buy Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled for that much money. And I have but that’s besides the point. There are still some games that do go for reasonable prices - Metroid Prime is one I’ve seen hover around $20 which isn’t bad, same goes for Star Fox Adventures, but then on the other hand there’s still Super Smash Bros Melee which I’ve seen go for around the price of $60, about that of a new AAA title and hell, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for that matter, all the Mario Party games going for around that same price (imagine spending that much on a Mario Party game), and in the very worst case scenarios, games like Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door and Chibi-Robo going for upwards of $100! (seriously Nintendo please re-release these goddamn games on the Switch already). As a result, I would probably say that if you want to get into GameCube collecting, it is safe to warn you that it may be on the expensive side. But I guess if you have the money to spare, go for it. Unfortunately Nintendo hasn’t re-released many of their best GameCube games on other platforms - Wind Waker and Twilight Princess (which also has a Wii version for that matter) did get HD remasters on the Wii U, Metroid Prime Trilogy is still available on the Wii U eShop containing Metroid Prime 1 and 2, a few games like Pikmin and Mario Power Tennis were ported to the Wii with additions to take advantage of motion controls and Luigi’s Mansion was ported to the 3DS a couple years ago, but games like Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Kart Double Dash, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Star Fox Adventures and others still have yet to be re-released, which is kind of a shame considering that they are among the best in their respective series. Unfortunately if you don’t have the money to spare, emulation might be your best bet with GameCube games. Course, on the same token, GameCube emulation may require a decent computer so that probably doesn’t help either.