Nin=a novelist, ten=an age, and do=an action. Get the gist? (Nintendo W/O)
Written: Jul 19 '02 (Updated Jan 25 '09)
Product Rating:
Pros: Great controller; cool games available/ones to come; it's the cheapest console out of the three.
Cons: Lack of major third-party support and almost no online multiplayer games.
The Bottom Line: The GameCube is your basic game machine. At the price of $150, you can't really go wrong with some huge upcoming titles on the way for this fall.
ChromeKiller's Full Review: Nintendo GameCube White Console
It's no secret: I've been playing video games most of my natural born life, and continue to do so to this day. As time evolves around us, so does technology. Video games are a part of the most advanced hardware that technology has ever seen. The days of tiny pixels on the screen are long gone. Now we have Crazy Taxi cabs zooming us by, Halo rings forming around our heads as we frag a couple of friends into nothing, Solid Snakes slithering into our clothes as we become the legendary hero of the day, and even zombies biting at our necks in a gloomy hallway that's describable as the most frightful scene that you may ever experience. Nintendo has one of the most recognizable brand names that you'll ever find in this crazy and mixed up world of today's games. The company's latest entry into this market is, of course, the GameCube - the one machine that you shouldn't dare to reckon without.
The GameCube is Nintendo's fourth console-based platform released here in America, and after owning this baby since November 20, 2001... I can safely say that it's one of the better accomplishments that Nintendo has ever landed. With the choice of either a black or indigo shade, the Nintendo GameCube is slowly cementing its multi-color market for the console like they did with the Nintendo 64. What's odd about the machine is its amount of power packed inside such a tiny box. How small? 4.3"(H) x 5.9"(W) x 6.3"(D)... or in other words, about the size of a lunchbox and only weighing five pounds and five ounces. It's also shaped like a cube, thus the name 'GameCube.' You can squeeze the thing into any entertainment center, or wherever in your house (I have mine hidden in a small corner next to my TV behind the PlayStation 2).
How about its power? Well, how does 485 MHz of processor speed sound to you? Considering that the PlayStation 2 runs at around 300 MHz, and the Xbox at 733 MHz, the GameCube falls right into the middle perfectly for an overall outstanding job at graphical and fast performance with minimal, if any, load times. A perfect example of the GameCube's visual ability is done best with the PlayStation Resident Evil remake. Now imagine how good the game looked on screen back in 1996. Take that picture, dip it into a vat of realism, and that's what you get: life itself. Pre-rendered environments so close to authenticity that you'll feel the chills down your spine as the rest of the characters might, even if you've experienced the game beforehand. And for your listening pleasure, the GameCube supports a 5.1 Surround Sound experience (where applicable) for those who like to hear the whizzing Tie-Fighters screech by, the deliciousness of Mario's tropical antics, or even the moans and groans from zombies residing all around you.
Complete with four controller ports, the GameCube continues the Nintendo 64 tradition of being the first console to feature four-player support without the necessity of a link cable. The GameCube controller itself is like a hybrid between the PlayStation controller, with analog sticks and dual shock, and the Nintendo 64 controller, which was too weird for words. With the PlayStation controller's built-in rumble functionality inside, and the Nintendo 64 controller having 'C' buttons for multiple functions, Nintendo has somehow fused them together along with the rest of the features. To go along with the four ports, there is two memory card slots. Standard Nintendo brand memory cards for the console cost $15. The only catch for being such a low price is that the cards can only hold up to 59 blocks. So, if you're in the market for a larger card for lots and lots of game saves, you'll need to forget the Nintendo product, and deal with a more expensive third-party device.
As with the controller, the 'Z' button that was once stuck behind the Nintendo 64 controller is now propped on the right-hand shoulder in front of the 'R' button. There's an 'L' button on the opposite side. Both of the 'L' and 'R' buttons use the PlayStation 2's pressure sensitivity. In some games, if you're to press down on these buttons deeply enough, a car will race faster or a fighter will punch harder. The face buttons include a 'B,' a 'Y,' and an 'X' button that revolve around the giant green circle called the 'A' button. Both of the 'X' and 'Y' buttons are gray and are shaped like curvy rectangles. The 'B' button is red in circular form, but smaller than the 'A' button. Like the PlayStation or PlayStation 2 controller, there is what appears to be two analog sticks. However, while the gray stick on the left-hand side is analog (and is on the upper left-hand side of the controller instead of being closer to the center), the one on the right is colored yellow, and is actually the Nintendo 64's four 'C' buttons all jammed into one camera rod. There's also a standard directional pad centered on the left-hand side of the controller, and opposite of the 'C' stick in case you're not much of an analog person for gameplay. One thing that surprises me about the GameCube controller is that there is no 'Select' button. You'll only find a tiny dotted 'Start' button right in the center of the controller, placed above the directional pad and the 'C' stick.
Overall, I'd have to say that the GameCube controller ranks amongst the best designs in the controller market. Even though it looks strange at first, and you might think that you'll never be able to play a game with this insane concoction... once it is placed into your hands, immediately you'll feel as if nothing is there at all. After playing Luigi's Mansion the first time for a few hours, in the middle of playing the game I forgot that I was even holding onto anything while disposing of ghosts throughout the mansion. If there's any flaw in the controller, it's that the 'Z' button is out of place, and it's too small. You can easily forget that the 'Z' button is really there, since the 'R' button overshadows it most of the time. And let's not forget that in some games, this button is essential.
But, the GameCube still has a few more surprises. For one thing, just like the Xbox or PlayStation 2, Nintendo has included the ability to take the system online. Although, being crafted without a built-in Ethernet port (or the like), GameCube owners would've had to purchase a separate adapter (at $35) that enabled Narrowband or Broadband gaming. As history now knows, however, the GameCube has ultimately failed in the online arena. Only a couple of network-enabled games have ever made it to North America, both games provided by Sega. The games, Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II and Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution, met with critical acclaim. But, c'mon Nintendo... where's the online support?!
Additionally, the GameCube also has a carrying ring mounted on its back. The purpose of this half-circle piece of plastic is, like I said, for carrying. If for example you wanted to bring the GameCube elsewhere than its current placement, then by lifting it up from its back half can you transport it like a lunchbox as if you were bringing it on your way to school. You can easily travel with the GameCube in hand from place to place without worrying about dropping it on the floor. From the topside of the GameCube, you have your standard Open, Reset, and Power button. What bothers me is that the Open button is on the right-hand top corner of the machine (if you were facing its front view), the Reset button is on the left-hand topside, but the Power button is placed all the way on the back left-hand topside. Each time that I need to press the power button, I must first get up and reach towards the back of the console. And since I have it in a limiting crowded space on top of my cluttered desk, it's somewhat of a pain having to get back there.
In its miniature size, though, the game discs are also shrunken. These are the smallest console games that you will ever see. Nintendo finally listened to the people, and started using a disc format to format their games onto. The choice: minidiscs. This way, software pirates won't be able to copy the games, like they're already doing with DVDs. Each disc can contain up to 1.5 GB in information. That's a little more than the size of what most PC CD-ROM games can hold up to. Although it isn't too much space, Nintendo can still insert game data on multiple discs, like with the way that Resident Evil has arrived.
Speaking of games, I've played my share of some of the best titles from the GameCube's encompassing library. The following is a rundown of some the games that you can own on the GameCube, ones to come, and their descriptions.
Luigi's Mansion: Finally, Nintendo has recognized that Luigi has been in need of his own adventure for a very long time. Now, they've given one to him. The only thing is that this release isn't your ordinary Mario game. Luigi has inherited a mansion with Mario missing inside of it. You must help Mario by sweeping up ghosts throughout the mansion by using your trusty vacuum cleaner. The gameplay takes a little time to get used to, but with the GameCube controller this is the perfect game to get a feel for by using each of the buttons and grasping it in your palms. The graphics also show off an exuberant amount of detail, and highlight how amazing the translation between 64-bit to 128-bit works well with the Mario series. Even the game's sound is great, with a catchy musical tune playing in the background while Luigi whistles to it. If you're a big fan of the Mario platform series, this is overall a nice choice to play while you relax your anticipation build up.
Super Smash Bros. Melee: The entire Smash Bros. gang is back with new pals to use as punching bags. This is the sequel to the Nintendo 64's acclaimed prizefighter, Super Smash Bros. Basically, you choose from any of Nintendo's famous faces, and put them into a 2D fighting arena where you must stay alive long enough to not fall off the edge and lose the bout. Many extras are included along with a vast amount of gameplay modes. Whether you're up against three friends or the computer, Super Smash Bros. Melee is sure to entertain you. Of course, the graphics are executed with the outstanding power of the GameCube's visual treatment. Dazzling light effects, large fighting arenas, and luminous Nintendo character animations are all part of this process. The sounds in the game are also great and colorful, especially in the intro FMV clip. Fighting four-player battles is never the same when it comes down to using multiple Nintendo characters. This title is a must-play!
Resident Evil: Remember back in the heyday when Capcom's Resident Evil started a new survival-horror franchise? Well, this is the remake of the 1996 PlayStation title. As either Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, you'll explore a mansion filled with flesh-eating zombies, mutant spiders, mutilated hounds, and much, much more. The gameplay is basically the same as the old game, except with a few new twists. Now you can stuff grenades down a zombie's throat and blow its head off, or even thrust a dagger through their skull. The mansion now expands into new areas... even outside! As this is a remake, the visuals are pumped up, and flow into an immensely detailed 3D world. Everything just pops out so lifelike more than ever before with crisp pre-rendered backdrops, and creepy enemies. Deep and eerie, the music will fill your head with thoughts of pondering if you should open that next door or not. Resident Evil is the must-have rendition in the franchise if you haven't played an earlier first version already.
Upcoming Games...
Super Mario Sunshine: After six years, Mario is on his way to the big hop in his next adventure. In Sunshine, you'll travel to a sunny island where it's suspected that Mario is the culprit to blame for spray-painting the entire town. Now it's up to our hero to find out who's behind this mess, and to stop him at his own game. Equipped with a morphing water cannon, Mario will be able to spray off paint from buildings, clean up strange globs, and even fight some of his old foes. This time you'll even get to ride as Yoshi through the town in cleaning up the bad guys. The graphics are said to be like a beefed up version of Mario 64. Considering how great that game's graphics were, you shouldn't expect the new ones to be disappointing. Super Mario Sunshine is due out on August 26, 2002.
Resident Evil 0: Before there was a mansion of zombies, there was Rebecca Chambers and an ex-Navy Seals officer, now convict, Billy Cohen. Together you'll take down all sorts of undead and mutant creatures by working as partners, with double the gameplay effort. Another new feature is the game's lack of item boxes. Instead of placing items into a box, you can now drop them wherever you please on the ground, and pick them up later. Like the Resident Evil remake, 0 will appear just as refined on the system, and is said to be even better in its visual department. Resident Evil 0 is due out on November 5, 2002.
Metroid Prime: She's heading into action again. Samus Aran, the star of Nintendo's widely praised Metroid series, will now enter the long-awaited sequel in 3D. Instead of a side-scrolling, adventure-oriented platform shooter, you'll control Samus in both a first-person and a third-person perspective. From blasting aliens, to jumping across platforms, and even curling up for the old ball-roll position: there'll be lots of action that you can take on in this new title. Everything in the game is set to look divine. Futuristic as always, the graphics will outshine most GameCube titles with greatly enhanced environments, cool explosive effects, and more. Metroid Prime is due out on November 18, 2002.
And in closing...
Well, there you have it. That's my GameCube review. If you don't already own one, now is the best time to cash-in on the hardware with the recent price drop (once $199.99, now $149.99). The GameCube certainly hasn't been the supplier of many games every single month, but Nintendo, as well as a number of third-party companies, are starting to bring out the games that everyone wants to play. 2002 is definitely going to be a big year for the system, and I'm glad that I'm going along for the ride.
This is my entry into the one, the only, Rock_On's "The Great Nintendo Write-Off." Be sure to read everyone else's entries, or otherwise Rocky will give you a left hook in the face (that's what he told me anyway). Here's a list of the other participants:
32_Footsteps Chris_Billings ChromeKiller (Chrome-colored he isn't. A killer, on the other hand....) Gthomp1 jeremy1456 kenshin-guy LaughingTarget pavona21 pearl-drum-man Rock_On (Casper the friendly Host) skater6446 Slusy ss3goku StarSoldier1 vince006 yarrick xeno3998
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