GravityGirl's Full Review: Nintendo GameCube White Console
How did I get My Game Cube?
I have been plotting the acquisition of my Game Cube for quite some time. Earlier this week, my hard-core gamer boyfriend heard rumors about stores being allowed to sell the Cubes as soon they received them. We checked around, but to no avail. We asked lots of stores when they’d be opening and we decided that Target would be the best place to go, since they were opening at 8 o’clock.
We arrived at the Target at about 7:30 and received a number. The employees were very helpful in maintaining order- the store had 72 Game Cubes, so there were enough to go around. In fact, later that day, we heard about a family walking into the Target about 8:30 and still getting a Game cube.
The only problem that we had was that there were no games available from the Target. We ended up having to go to Best Buy for the games and stand in another line even though we weren’t buying a system.
After a hectic morning, we finally arrived back home with a Game Cube and two games.
Later, we went to KB just to see if they had anything and we were surprised to find that they had a wide variety of games still in stock. Then again, KB required that its Game Cube consumers buy 3 games in addition to the Cube- a bundle pack.
What does the Game Cube look like?
The Game Cube comes in one of two colors: indigo or black. It is smaller than one would expect, but after seeing how small it is, it weighs more than one would expect. The front facet of the “cube” has four controller ports and two slots for memory cards ($15 each, not included with the Cube, unless you get it in a bundle that offers the memory card)
The top facet of the “cube” looks like a CD player, with three buttons: one to open the top and then a power and a reset button.
The back facet has ports for the AC adapter and cable to connect the cube to the television set.
What about the controller?
The Game Cube comes a color-coordinated controller (i.e. if you buy an indigo GC, you will get an indigo controller). Additional controllers are available for purchase in three colors: black, indigo and orange.
The controller is a lot more ergonomically designed than any other controller that I have seen. The days of suffering from hurt palms from pointy NES controllers or the infamous gamer’s thumb from the Dreamcast controller are gone.
The controller fits quite comfortably in two hands and features an analog control stick, a digital stick and an analog “C” stick, which serves mostly as camera control but also may have specific functions from game to game (in Luigi, it serves as the control for the vacuum).
There is also an enlarged “A” button and a somewhat small “B” button along with raised “X” and “Y” buttons. The shoulder buttons “R” and “L” are easier to reach than their N64 counterpart and now feature finger grooves. The only dislike I have about the controller is that the “Z” trigger has been moved to above the “R” shoulder button and is somewhat hard to reach.
What about games?
Nintendo has finally switched to a disc based system, but the games are much smaller than a CD or a Dreamcast/Playstation disc. This is mostly to prevent piracy problems like those that plagued the Dreamcast.
Allegedly, there were many games to choose from at launch:
Luigi’s Mansion
Super Monkey Ball
Star Wars Rogue Leader
Madden 2002
NHL Hitz 2002
Wave Race: Blue Storm
Tony Hawk 3
Crazy Taxi
Dave Mirra BMX Biking
I’m sure that things will change by the holiday season, but as of launch day, there do not seem to be an appropriate number of games to the number of Cubes. For example, I mentioned before that Target had 72 Cubes, but when we got to the counter (as 34th in line) they only had 3 copies of Star Wars left, and nothing else. I can understand a store not having 72 copies of each game, but they did not even have 72 games total. Over at Best Buy, they had Luigi’s Mansion and Monkey Ball (which we purchased), Waverace, Madden and Star Wars, but not Tony Hawk. In the afternoon we went over to KB Toys and saw Crazy Taxi, BMX Biking, Madden and Tony Hawk (which we bought), but no Luigi or Monkeyball. My point is that you will probably have to go to more than one store to get the games that you want. This problem has nothing to do with problems with Nintendo or the individual stores, but supply and demand was way off on launch day. Hopefully, with the subsequent shipment, this problem will be solved.
I can’t share my official epinion about the games because there is no category for them (and also because I have not played them enough), but I will offer some brief thoughts about the games I own.
Luigi’s Mansion: Finally, Luigi stars in a game of his own. Armed with a vacuum cleaner (Poltergust 3000), he must rescue Mario by sucking up ghosts, money and other goodies.
Super Monkey Ball: Remember Marble Madness for Nintendo? Put a monkey in the marble and you’ve got Super Monkey Ball. In addition to the mazes, this game also has a party mode with monkey pool, monkey golf and monkey fighting.
Tony Hawk 3: The sequel to the successful Tony Hawk franchise is available for GC and not X-Box. From what I’ve seen, it features a whole new world in which you can grind and ollie and do other tricks.
Several more games are set for release before the holiday season including Pikmin, and Super Smash Brothers Melee. A requisite Mario game is due out sometime in 2002. Obviously, Luigi’s Mansion has taken the place of the Mario game, but even that is not anything like the Mario games of the past.
How are the Graphics?
The graphics on the games that I have seen (Luigi’s Mansion and Super Money Ball) are crisp and clear. Everything is well-rendered and even though they are polygon graphics, they are so well rendered that you can’t tell. The graphics are just as good if not better than Dreamcast graphics and definitely better than PS2 graphics.
Why did I buy a Game Cube?
I chose a GC over an X-Box for many reasons. To begin with, I have always preferred Nintendo games (Mario, Donkey Kong, Banjo Kazooie, Pokemon, etc) to the games offered by other systems (Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy, most sports games). The GC had three games that I was interested in at launch and I couldn’t find more than one X-Box game that I was even more than slightly interested in.
Also, although I don’t travel between school and home very often, the portability of the GC (it even comes with a built in handle) makes it very easy to take it from dorm room to dorm room- or, for the younger set over to a friend’s house for an afternoon
This sounds nice, but how much does a Game Cube cost?
A Game Cube costs $199 and games cost $49. These prices are pretty standard and if someone tries to sell you something for higher, watch out.
A memory card costs $15 and extra controllers cost $35. If you are going to need an RF adaptor for an older television set, it will cost another $30.
Will you be able to get a Game Cube in time for the holiday season?
If you didn’t buy a Game Cube today, it is highly unlikely that you will be enjoying it on Thanksgiving Day. However, even the stores that were only accepting pre-orders on launch day said that they expected to have a second shipment by the first week of December. If you are planning on buying the Cube for a holiday gift, be persistent. Go to the electronics store(s) in the mall and ask when their next shipment is coming in. Also, don’t forget about Target, Best Buy, Toys R Us, and surprisingly, Sam Goody sells Game Cubes (at least in Massachusetts).
Final Thoughts
The Game Cube is a solid follow up to the N64 and a worthy counterpart to the X-Box. Sure, the Game cube doesn’t play DVDs, but it also costs $100 less. Also, the DVD capability on the X-Box will not work unless you buy a DVD remote for $30.
Also, Game Cube features Nintendo’s exclusive franchise characters such as Mario, Donkey Kong and Pokemon and any future games featuring these characters will be for the Game Cube.
I am very happy that I bought a Game Cube and I am looking forward to using quite often. Nintendo has been making me happy since 1985 and I don’t expect them to let me down now.
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