by far my favorite console of all time since i first got it, i love pretty much everything on it. someone actually ported a game to the gamecube in the modern day (albeit it needs Swiss, a homebrew app to run) and it’s just so cool to see that it refuses to die
It’s funny how the public opinion on the Gamecube has done a total 180 since its time in the market. It was the laughing stock of the console space for not allowing DVD playback, having virtually no online capabilities, and “kiddie” looking games. Nintendo committed to quality games first and foremost and it resulted in their lowest selling console yet (excluding Virtual Boy).
Nowadays, the DVD playback that rocketed the PS2 to #1 is largely irrelevant, and the online services that were huge on PS2 and Xbox are shut down. The “kiddie” looking games like Wind Waker have aged astonishingly well, while the realistic aesthetic that dominated the PS2/Xbox library definitely looks 20+ years old at this point.
The focus on games was what made the Gamecube great, and it’s what stands the test of time above anything else. I’m glad others have come to realize this, even if it took over a decade for it to happen.
I was a huge fan of the GameCube back in the day, but it was during my adolescence so friends were getting PS2 and Xbox for more “adult” games and considered my GameCube childish. But I adored it while still enjoying playing Halo with them.
I think that was the general feeling in the market, and as we’ve all grown up, only the people who care about games talk about them anymore and so they tend to recognize all the great games the GameCube had while people who don’t care us much just don’t talk about anything at all? Idk.
Excellent points. I was in middle school in the USA when the Gamecube released, and I remember there being a strong focus among my friends and myself about how powerful each console was and how they pushed graphics forward, especially with 3d models.
It seems that Nintendo wasn’t focused on this aspect with the Gamecube, and their sales likely suffered because of it. But as you said, we can look back now and see that they had long-term vision instead of chasing the current craze.
It’s interesting that Nintendo is in a similar boat with the Switch, but I feel that public perception of the importance of graphics has decreased so the Switch is able to thrive.
Contrary to what most people assume, the Gamecube was actually more powerful than the PS2 (the RE4 differences help illustrate this). The OG Xbox was overall the most powerful of that gen but even then the Gamecube had it beat in terms of memory speed iirc.
It’s the only console with a built in handle which automatically makes it the greatest console ever
The GameCube is considered retro now?
As much as I hate to admit it, 2001 was 22 years ago now…
NES was 16 years old in the US then.
The wii is retro now, we’re getting old
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Surely we recall typing code into basic from the back of a magazine. Later we were blown away from having a EGA card that didn’t make text look like crap? Right guys?
My GameCube is still in service - slowly but surely working through Twilight Princess between work and other things!
Twilight Princess is probably my favorite GC title :) enjoy that one!
Big shout out to the Gameboy Player add-on for the GameCube, and the equally brilliant Game Boy Interface which vastly improves the video quality.
WarioLand 4 on the TV always felt special ヾ(^-^)ノ
Oh absolutely! That’s the killer app for the Gameboy Player IMHO. Properly felt like a return to the SNES days of 2D platforming, but with improved tech and quality of life. Love it.
yeah, WL4 felt like it was designed more for the GBP than the actual GBA! haahaha, and i remember how excited i was when i discovered i could play it on the TV and just put it back in my GBA when I had to go somewhere. Now that’s what the switch is all about, but the jankiness of the GBP just made it more special to me
brilliant Game Boy Interface which vastly improves the video quality.
It cannot be overstated just how massive of an improvement GBI is. If you’re using the stock Nintendo Gameboy Player disc/software, you’re playing with an enormous handicap.
Indeed. And that’s not even taking account those discs are much harder to get a hold of and/or more expensive than the Gameboy Player itself!
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I feel this, sold every console I’ve ever owned.
Absolutely love my GameCube. Recently did a noctua fan mod to keep it going after the original fan died.
I love mine. Still play it for the GameCube Pokémon games, Colosseum and XD. The game boy player for the GameCube still gets plenty of use too for the earlier Pokémon games.
at the time I was a PC gamer and for some weird reason, none of my friends owned a GameCube which, in hindsight makes me a bit sad. Great console, great games.
I was just thinking about this today! I thought it was high time I dug out the old ones. I have to buy an adapter for the AV but these games were some of my favorites. Double Dash is still the best Mario Kart.
F-Zero GX is phenomenal. I also love the blooper animations they put in that game.
YES one of my most favorite systems of all time. i played so much harvest moon, specifically a wonderful life and magical melody. also kirby air ride, sonic adventure 2 battle, pokemon colosseum, pokemon xd, phantasy star online… i still have a gamecube to this day.
I haven’t played my GameCube since it was current, but recently I installed the picoboot mod which lets me load games off of a microSD card. Haven’t actually sat down to play anything yet but I’ve booted Baten Kaitos and Tales of Symphonia just to confirm that it works 😎
Right there with ya! GameCube has always been my favorite. It also has the best iterations of Kart and Smash imo. I’ve recently been acquiring more GBA games to play on the adapter which is a fun time.
A tip for anyone who has the DOL-001 version with the digital output: you can easily get and adapter to HDMI, and there’s a company that now makes a USB-drive sized signal processor that does some upscaling and anti-aliasing. I’m now able to play on my 4k TV with a 1080p signal. Anyone feel free to DM me for the details!
I’m not saying a big old CRT isn’t still the best experience, but this lets me play on my main TV which is great for party games.
I can’t think of a reason to pick up a GameCube. Why bother with that when you could just get a Wii?