10 Years of the Nintendo Gamecube

[insmek]

Yesterday, November 18th, represented the ten year anniversary of the Nintendo Gamecube launch. While the console might not have been the success that Nintendo was hoping for, a great deal of gamers still have amazing memories with the little be-handled cube.




While I didn't get my own Gamecube until my birthday almost a year later, my best friend received his for Christmas that year. And along with the console he got the game that would result in more sleepless nights for me than any other game: Super Smash Bros. Melee. I couldn't possibly recount how many hours I spent knocking friends across Hyrule Temple as the game became a fixture at every get together we held throughout Jr. High and into High School.

It wasn't the only game that I would lose sleep to, however. Timesplitters 2, Phantasy Star Online Ep. I and II, Metroid Prime, Tales of Symphonia, Super Mario Sunshine, Wind Waker, Resident Evil 0--the list of great games might be smaller than a comparable list from the Playstation 2, but I would argue that the quality was higher in almost every instance.

Plus, the Gamecube had what I consider to be the finest controller ever made. If there was a way I could use my Wavebird with my PC instead an Xbox controller, I would never use anything else.


What are your best memories from the Gamecube?

[vizzle]

The only game I ever played on my GameCube was Smash Bros. And I didn't regret a second of it

Hell, the only reason I bought a Wii was for the new Smash Bros, and the only reason I'll buy a Wii U is for the newer Smash Bros

[shanattah]

Super Smash Bros Melee with my friends playing long into the mornings on weekends while we were in middleschool but what I remember most from Gamecube is the point at which Nintendo controls started to become worse and worse

[Caiada]

That controller was indeed amazing. Better than any before or after it.

I remember RE4, the Zelda collector's disk with OoT and Master Quest, Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, Harvest Moon: Magical Melody, Wind Waker, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Melee, both of the Metroid Primes, the awesome Gameboy Player, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, and, in the last days of it's lifetime, Twilight Princess, narrowly edging out the others as my favorite GCN game.

It had a ton of high quality titles, without a doubt. I saved months of allowance to get one (since I was like 10), just for Wind Waker, but when I finally got one, I didn't have enough money for the game or a memory card. I got a cheap used copy of that collector's disk, and probably played through the first temple of OoT 4 or 5 times, until a week or so later when I could finally get a memory card. For some crazy reason after that, I decided to play through Master Quest first, which on retrospect, is sort of insane, given how ridiculously difficult those dungeons were.

Twilight Princess I'd get for Christmas years later, and what I remember most is losing my save data to memory card corruption. Normally, you'd think that'd be pretty depressing. My solution? Play through that whole awesome 30 hour game again. And that's exactly what I did. Twilight Princess was GCN's perfect swan song.

[Deleted]

I wouldn't say Gamecube was a failure...In regards to innovation it towered over XBox/PS2

[Darkdruidelf]

Well, it was better than the Wii at least.

Shame about Mario Sunshine.

[funkhouser]

I played countless hours of Timesplitters 2 with my friend. Superb game.

[insmek]

I played countless hours of Timesplitters 2 with my friend. Superb game.

All monkeys, capture the bag with flamethrowers. Best way to kill a boring night, ever.

[Vook]

Holy shit, 10 years? Gamecube really came out in 2001? I thought it was 2003 at least.

"Not the success Nintendo was hoping for" ? What're ya talking about, GC was epic.

[Deleted]

Still have my little purple cube

[Drin]

Still have a Nintendo Gamecube set up in the living room with 4 controllers and SSBM ready to go . All 3 are SUPER fun.

[Deleted]

Holy shit, 10 years? Gamecube really came out in 2001? I thought it was 2003 at least.

"Not the success Nintendo was hoping for" ? What're ya talking about, GC was epic.

Might have been epic, but it was financial faillure for nintendo.

It always remained 3rth spot, and sold very badly in the EU and US, compared to japan

[Deleted]

My best memory of the years I used the NGC are of Tales of Symphonia in terms of solo game, still love running around the world, and Mario Kart Double Dash for multiplayer all the mayhem when you had last place behind your friends and 2 lucky items got you at first place right in time to finish!D

Don't care what anyone said, it is together with the N64 the best console ever made! It had great titles, maybe not alot for everyone but those great games had so much to offer that you could keep playing them till the next one came out. Like you said we had Smash Bros, arguably 2 Zelda's (I bought Twilight Princes for NGC) and many more.

Loved the controller, I ain't got the biggest hands and it fitted perfectly not having too many buttons that can make getting into a game a struggle but for most games it was enough. That said, I allways fought the controller to stretch more cable length

The console itself wasn't that great in terms of graphics and load speed, I remember Time Splitters 2 loading.. but the graphics I never cared about, as long as the look of the game as a whole was good (matching/simple) I loved it. Especially the ease at which you could turn a game on and go play Mario Kart with complete non gamers and still have fun.
It is boxed now in the attic of my parents but I occasionally still throw the Windwaker or Tales of Symphonia into my Wii and play for some hours!

What Nintendo is doing now with new controll styles and a different type of games in general (they are aiming at a different group of people) is leaving gamers like me that like a good RPG with 40-60+ hours of gameplay in 1 run, a game that all your friends can learn to play fast out. I have looked at the competition (Xbox/PS) even got an Xbox 360 but except for the occasional 'Tales of' title on the PS that makes me wish it came out for the Wii aswell.

I want a new console maker on that can give me back the game types Nintendo used to create.

[Deleted]

TEN years?!?!?! This makes me feel old! Still got my Gamecube, and I can even see it from where I am sitting right now! Unplugged and unused for quite a long time though.

[insmek]

"Not the success Nintendo was hoping for" ? What're ya talking about, GC was epic.

They still ended the generation way behind Sony and slightly behind Microsoft in sales. I'm sure the generation overall was still profitable, however, because of how high the attach rate was for certain games (7 million copies of SSBM, 5.5 million of Super Mario Sunshine) and peripheral sales--I know I broke quite a few controllers due to Smash Bros rage. :P


And, EDIT:

ZOMG. http://www.amazon.com/Gamecube-XBox-.../dp/B000ND3XXA I am totally getting one to rock my Wavebird on my PC.

[Merrena]

I remember the Gameboy adapter that I bought with it and I played so much Pokemon on a big TV. Also, the Pokemon XD and the other one that had the shadow ones in it.

[Fabled]

Waaaaaay back in 2001, I remember getting my black GC. Got Luigi's Mansion, Eternal Darkness and I think Mario Sunshine, it was a few months already since it was released. But man so many hours put into nearly every game I got afterwards, such a good system, and I still have it, right next to my Wii, despite it being compatible >.>.

[Zonned]

I remember waiting outside walmart as a young teen to get this thing on launch day. I'm 24, almost 25 today. I have very fond memories of it because I went with my grandmother to get it that day who is now deceased. Me and my friends played SSBM and the various 007 and shooter games on it for years until we eventually went our separate ways in college. I have alot of fond memories on my little black cube.

Alot of people migrated to Playstation and Xbox but I for the most part have remained a Nintendo fan all my life I have owned every Nintendo system from NES on up.

[Tecuani]

I've got so many fond memories of Super Smash Bros. Melee, Fire Emblem, Mario Kart Double Dash, and Mario Power Tennis. Unfortunately my gamecube doesn't work anymore, so it's been relegated to just sitting near the Wii. I didn't have to heart to through the cube away.

edit: Forgot Luigi's Mansion! I am ashamed.

[Deleted]

Resident evil 4 on the game cube, I loved that game, shame it didn't work so well with resident evil 5