GameCube- Woo or Boo?

[LumenSage]

Hey guys! I was just wondering what everyone thought about the Gamecube. It's my favorite system of all time. I absolutely adore the system! Maybe that's just nostalgia talking, but anyway! So... yeah, what does everyone think? Was it perfect? Was it the worst system ever? Did it need a better marketing layout? WHAT DO YOU THINK? :)

[Lady Jaye]

Well, I really like the Gamecube in general and actually find its controller to be quite comfortable. And when my console died (or rather the battery died and the pram kept on resetting itself even after replacing it), I replaced it with a Wii in part for the backward-compatibility factor. I don't really see it in terms of nostalgia, if only because 10 years isn't that long ago and it feels like it was just yesterday.

[j_factor]

There was a time when it was my favorite current console, but it lost steam fast. I still like it, and think it was a big improvement over N64, but I don't count it among my favorite systems, and I think Xbox was better overall.

[Carnby]

I think the NGC is worth owning for Eternal Darkness, Killer 7, and REmake. It's a 30 dollar system now. There's no excuse to not have played those games.

[Nebagram]

I still love it. Can't wait for its virtual console to come out on the Wii U. It also has by miles the most durable controllers of all- never damaged one in all the time I hurled it around my bedroom.

[DOAsaturn]

There was a time when it was my favorite current console, but it lost steam fast. I still like it, and think it was a big improvement over N64, but I don't count it among my favorite systems, and I think Xbox was better overall.

I got a Gamecube the first weekend it was out. I remember playing Pikmin, Wave Race and NHL Hitz 20-02 to death (talk about three totally different games). But yeah, for some reason or other I tired of it and sold it to my buddy for $140 so I could buy an xbox. I bought one again a couple years ago as well as some of the games I had. It was a funny little console with some nice games but it does tend to be the forgotten one among Nintendo's lineup of consoles...

[NayusDante]

I put a lot of hours into Mario Sunshine, Smash Bros Melee, and PSO (SchtServ). I played through Metal Gear Solid Twin Snakes, and made it about halfway through Wind Waker. Once in a while I pop a GBA game in. I played a few other games here and there, but I spent most of that generation on my computer playing Unreal Tournament and FFXI.

[joshnickerson]

Woo. Very woo.

[wingzrow]

It gave us resident evil 4, metroid prime, the best version of skies of arcadia (sound problems aside )

Plus there's a ton of good lesser known titles like gotcha force and billy hatcher

[Tupin]

Definitely woo. It is a great system, and cheap too. Getting an actual GCN is preferable too, since then you can use the GBA Player.

So many great games, I don't know if it's just nostalgia talking, but there were a lot more just plain fun games during this era. The exclusive titles, especially. But once you get past mid-2005 on the release list, it just gets sad, exclusive or not...

[Spidey80]

Still play my GameCube on a fairly regular basis..
Some of my exclusive favorite games on the system:
WWE Day of Reckoning 1 and 2
Ultimate Muscle
Mario Kart
Super Mario Sunshine
Sonic Gems Collection
Ikaruga

[SpaceHarrier]

Gamecube was totally woo. There are a select group of games exclusive to it that I wouldn't want to be without, and that's all that matters.

[Ryudo]

Woo! Good system

[Icarus Moonsight]

4720

Damn straight... Woooooooo!

C'mon, someone had to. :P

[kupomogli]

The Gamecube has a few amazing games that are exclusive to it, but with the PS2 having the much better controller, the multiconsole titles that were on both consoles were always purchased for the PS2.

My entire Gamecube collection. It was larger, but I sold off a lot of the multiconsole titles if I've had them on other consoles and a lot of Mario games/Smash Bros Melee to a friend.

Resident Evil
Resident Evil 2(port)
Resident Evil Zero
Phantasy Star Online Episodes 1 and 2
Phantasy Star Online Episode 3
Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition
Legend of Zelda Wind Waker(in my opinion one of two good 3d Zelda games)
Skies of Arcadia
Mobile Suit Gundam Fighters Locus/Ace Pilot
Tales of Symphonia
Metroid Prime
Fire Emblem Path of Radiance

I might pick up Wave Race again, but not sure why I sold it. Whether it just wasn't as good as Wave Race 64 or if I just didn't like it at all. I know I didn't like F Zero GX is the reason I sold that one, although I love the N64 game.

[Tupin]

The GameCube didn't exactly have the best multiplatform titles, its exclusives are where it really shined.

[LaughingMAN.S9]

not counting any of the resident evil games, the gamecube was really only worth owning for one game and one game only....ETERNAL DARKNESS

[Leo_A]

The GameCube didn't exactly have the best multiplatform titles, its exclusives are where it really shined.

GameCube versions often looked and performed better than their PS2 counterparts with the system often being seen as being almost at par with the Xbox in horsepower. And with Xbox Live now being just a memory, it's even closer to the Xbox today.

And for a few years, the GCN seemed to be getting most 3rd party games that were released on the Xbox and PS2. Multiplatform publishers were giving it a lot of support back around 2002/2003.

Best Nintendo console for 3rd party releases since the Super Nintendo.

[Tupin]

GameCube versions often looked and performed better than their PS2 counterparts with the system often being seen as being almost at par with the Xbox in horsepower. And with Xbox Live now being just a memory, it's even closer to the Xbox today.

And for a few years, the GCN seemed to be getting most 3rd party games that were released on the Xbox and PS2. Multiplatform publishers were giving it a lot of support back around 2002/2003.

Best Nintendo console for 3rd party releases since the Super Nintendo.
But there were some that looked horrible because there were so many PS2s compared to GameCubes that it was just not worth the time to take advantage of the capabilities. Seriously, 20 million units versus 100 million.

Really, after the N64, they couldn't have done much worse. At least the GCN had more RPGs than you could count on one hand.

[Leo_A]

But there were some that looked horrible because there were so many PS2s compared to GameCubes that it was just not worth the time to take advantage of the capabilities. Seriously, 20 million units versus 100 million.

I can recall many that didn't reflect the increased power of the GCN. But I don't remember any instances where a GCN version looked horrible compared to the PS2 release.

That's not to say that there aren't any examples. I just don't remember any. Have any specific titles in my mind when you say that?

[Ryudo]

One game people often forget to mention that is great is Chibi Robo

[j_factor]

I can recall many that didn't reflect the increased power of the GCN. But I don't remember any instances where a GCN version looked horrible compared to the PS2 release.

That's not to say that there aren't any examples. I just don't remember any. Have any specific titles in my mind when you say that?

The Gamecube versions of Spy Hunter and NFS Hot Pursuit 2 weren't very good, but they are very much the exception. I agree with you, games were almost always significantly better on Gamecube compared to PS2. Once in a while Gamecube did better than Xbox too, but not too often.

[kedawa]

It's still remarkably efficient as far as system architecture goes, and it's the last 'pure' gaming console, as it doesn't play movies or browse the internet or whatever, so it has that going for it.
I'm not a fan of the controllers, but everything else about it is great.

[Yago]

I think the NGC is worth owning for Eternal Darkness, Killer 7, and REmake. It's a 30 dollar system now. There's no excuse to not have played those games.

That's right! I got a brand new one still in the box for $100 and got a couple used ones for $15.00 each. no reason at all not to own one. I hardly ever replay games. Once I finish them I move on. But Resident Evil 4... I finished 13 times! Dreamcast is still by far my favorite system but the Gamecube is a fun little sytem that holds its own.

Btw the Wii edition of RE4 on my 46" TV looks terrible. No better than the Gamecube version so with that You are still better off playing RE4 on the Cube on an old CRT.

[otoko]

GameCube deserved a far better lineup of games than it actually got. Not saying it didn't get wonderful titles, I loved playing Mario Party, Super Smash Bros, etc. It's a great party system to play with friends.

But one thing that impresses me most is the Durability. I have never had a broken GameCube console (just a few bad platinum controllers). When my GameCube was taken to school to play with some classmates. I placed it on a desk that was about five foot tall. Somebody got excited and pulled on their controller hard and detached it from the TV causing it to fall. It fell straight onto a concrete floor and bounced.

I picked it up, plugged it back in, and we finished our game.

[The 1 2 P]

During last gen it was definitely boo. While I did know one dude that had a GC as his only system I was too busy meeting people all over the world(literally) on Xbox live to get a cube for myself. Eventually I got one when Target and Sears were clearancing them out for $25. That one is still sealed but I picked up an opened one from Goodwill to play games on. And yet despite my collection of nearly 20 GC games I have never played either system besides at demo kiosk. It had a nice handful of exclusives(both first and third party) but the number paled in comparison to the PS2 and Xbox. And even though I have most of the games I've wanted for the system I've still never been that inclined to play it, especially now. In my opinion it was Nintendo's weakest console(not counting the Virtual Boy) but when it's all said and done we might look back on the GC as being better than the Wii. Today I guess I'm somewhere between woo and boo. I don't hate the system and I acknowledge it has some worthy games but nothing that has compelled me to hook it up yet.

[substantial_snake]

The biggest mistake of the gamecube in the states was the purple color, its silly now but I think they would of done much better if they would have dropped "indigo" as its main flagship color and went with almost anything else. The way the industry was appealing to an older demographic then having a child friendly image was more of a black mark then an asset. The lack of serious third party support was another black mark against it, again becoming a largely "buy it for Nintendo games!" console. Though it was sold at a cheaper price initially the lack of a DVD player also hurt it as both the PS2 and soon to be released Xbox had it standard which gave people just another incentive to chose those systems over the cube.

That being said the console had a lot of great exclusives like the Prime series, two Zeldas, RE remakes and new titles, Rogue Squadron, etc. etc. The controller was also really comfortable to use (outside of the D-pad) and I imagine it made getting into a game a lot easier for non-vets due to the different sized buttons donating relative importance to general use. It was also portable as nothing else meaning system linking was super easy to pull off unlike lugging around several X-boxes and I really can't think of any game that used a system link feature on the PS2.

I really don't see a reason to pick one up over a older backwards compatible wii today other then nostalgia, system link, or the fantastic gameboy player. I would give it a Meh rather then a Boo or Woo, its not a bad console just didn't offer as much as its competitors back then and the newcomer edging out Nintendo for second place spoke to this more then anything else.

[Gunstar Hero]

Woo! Absolutely woo. I used to go over my friends house every day after elementary school to play his Gamecube. Super Smash Bros. Melee, Mario party's 4-7, Luigi's Mansion, Mario Power Tennis, Donkey Konga Jungle Beat, Super Mario Sunshine, Metroid Prime, and Mario Kart Double Dash just to name a few of our favorites. Wow now that I think about it, Nintendo really used all of their franchises to their full potential. In fact, I just played Super Smash Bros. over the weekend with my friends for FOUR HOURS! Plus about a month ago, my friend and I stayed up all night and beat Luigi's Mansion all the way through and took 9 hours with a few snack breaks in between. The Gamecube is Nintendo gaming to the MAX.

[frogofdeath]

The WaveBird is possibly the best controller of all time. Only real downside is the need for AA batteries. Also, the GameCube has one of the best (and most underrated) Mario Kart games of all time: Double Dash. Plenty of other solid games as well, so I would definitely say woo.

[retroguy]

I don't play mine as often as I used to, but I still have a lot of love for the Cube. I'd had a PS1 for a couple years at that point, but the GC was the first system I bought shortly after launch (I think it was the following summer). My first two GC games were Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and Super Smash Bros. Melee and between the two of them, I was sold. It may not have been the most popular console, but it was not lacking in the awesomeness department. Not one bit.

[Leo_A]

The WaveBird is possibly the best controller of all time. Only real downside is the need for AA batteries.

If you loved the GameCube design.

While I thought it was okay, there was much about the controller that didn't thrill me. The two stage design of the triggers (They were basically half depressed or fully depressed and were difficult to smoothly manipulate through their full range of motion for a racing game), the small d-pad (Which at least works correctly unlike every MS d-pad design), and the odd face buttons didn't do much for me.

And while the WaveBird was great (And is what converted me into a fan of wireless controllers), those issues were still present in WaveBird form. And of course the WaveBird lacked rumble capabilities which was a issue in the occasional game (Albeit a minor one). And I think lacking a built in rechargable battery is a positive at this point when it has been over half a decade since they last manufactured these things. Age doesn't do rechargeable batteries any good.

I'd rather be able to pop in a new pair of AA's and be good to go for dozens of more hours. So I'd argue that decision was a positive.


The Gamecube versions of Spy Hunter and NFS Hot Pursuit 2 weren't very good, but they are very much the exception. I agree with you, games were almost always significantly better on Gamecube compared to PS2. Once in a while Gamecube did better than Xbox too, but not too often.

Not familiar with Spy Hunter (I own it though but forget which of the three versions it is and have never played it yet), but Hot Pursuit 2's inferiority was a almost unique situation for a modern console as I recall.

The PS2 version was developed by a different developer than the Xbox and GCN versions. And it ended up being a significantly different and better experience, much like multiplatform releases from years gone by that often just shared a name. Apparantly other than the name, being racing games, and some concepts here and there, the Xbox/GCN version is pretty much a different game than the PS2 version.

It's the rare example where I went for the PS2 version instead of the Xbox or GCN version.

[BetaWolf47]

I can recall many that didn't reflect the increased power of the GCN. But I don't remember any instances where a GCN version looked horrible compared to the PS2 release.

That's not to say that there aren't any examples. I just don't remember any. Have any specific titles in my mind when you say that?
I can name a few in which the GameCube version was better:

Timesplitters 2 (according to a friend, insane loading times for PS2 version)
Resident Evil 4 (graphically, GCN version is amazingly better)
Killer 7 (look at some PS2 reviews, seriously)

It's rare that different versions are compared side-by-side. The PS2 versions of a lot of games have horrible jaggies though, from what I can recall.

[Leo_A]

I think you misunderstood me. I can think of many examples where the GCN version was better than the PS2 version and even the occasional instance where it was superior to the Xbox version.

Someone criticized the GCN earlier for being a weak performer with multiplatform releases and I was disagreeing with that. I can't think of any examples of the same project being on the PS2 and the GCN where the GCN release wasn't at least at par with the PS2 release (And often significantly improved with faster load times, more polished graphics, etc.).

About the only area I can think of were a few examples where bonus material would be stripped or trimmed down for the GCN release when the small size of a GCN disc occasionally became an issue.

As a general rule with the last generation, I'd go with the Xbox version first, GCN version second, and PS2 version last with my order of preference. Most of my PS2 library are PS2 exclusives as a result (Not much different from the PS3, come to think of it).

[BetaWolf47]

Well, if you want to mention that, the Gamecube versions of several later games, such as Timesplitters: Future Perfect, lacked online. That was considered pretty significant in 2005. The Gamecube versions of some games also had bugs, similar to how the PS3 and PC versions of current-gen titles have bugs, while the more popular ports did not. I remember my brand-new, scratchless copy of The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction freezing up quite a few times. I'm sure audiophiles can sense the sound difference between compressed sound on Gamecube versions and full DVD-quality sound on PS2/Xbox versions.

[Leo_A]

With hundreds of releases in question, I'm sure there's no shortage of exceptions.

But in general, give me the GameCube version of a specific game over the Playstation 2 version any day.

[Shulamana]

The Gamecube is the console I have the least amount of games for (4) right after the N64 (2). I was all Nintendo, all the time until the N64 came out and all the great RPGs went to the PlayStation instead. I got my black Gamecube in 2004 with the Collector's Disc, and while my favorite Mario Kart game is on it as well as my favorite fighting game (Soul Calibur II) I just never really got into it.

Really dislike the controller, almost as much as the N64 controller, both of which are probably my least favorite controllers ever. Just doesn't feel right in my hands and I really don't like the arrangement/different sizes of the buttons.

I would probably sell it if not for the Game Boy Player attachment, which I use with a RetroPort SNES adapter, and that gets more use these days than any GC game.

[duffmanth]

I originally bought the Gamecube back in 2002 pretty much for Wrestlemania X8 alone. My buddies and I played that game nonstop for the better part of a year. After I got that game out of my system though, I couldn't find anything else on the system I wanted to play. Everything else I wanted to play, I had on my PS2. I really wanted the Cube to do well after the N64, but Nintendo lost so much ground to Sony that the big games were only coming out for the PS2.

[kupomogli]

Here's a game I missed from listing of the Gamecube games I own. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. It's a decent game outside of not being able to play multiplayer without going through a whole bunch of hoops, such as either having batteries, which I've never used, for my GBA, a link up cable, and a GBA for each person that wants to play multiplayer. Because of this I never bothered to play multiiplayer with anyone else. Why purchase additional items when we are going to play one game and may never go back to it again?

I've never played Four Swords, but I think that game is exactly the same. Requires a GBA for each person that wants to play it.

Now I know Final Fantasy isn't Nintendo owned, but I have a suspicion that Nintendo put Squaresoft up to requiring a GBA and connector for each player that wants to play multiplayer. The game came out before Four Swords, and I think they're the only two games that work that way. So because they wanted to implement a cheap sales tactic, they actually in turn degraded the quality of a title that would be a good multiplayer title otherwise. The menu could have been used like the normal one player menu, each person taking turns going into the menu. Cheap sales tatics though? That's the Nintendo way, afterall.

[Edmond Dantes]

Sorry to say but I'm definitely leaning towards "Boo" for this one. My first gamecube I sold simply because the only game I ever played on it was Smash Bros Melee, and then only when my cousin was around. I HATED that game, and when he moved off to college I was like "fuck yeah I can finally get rid of this shit."

I didn't like any of the exclusives I played to be honest. Hated Metroid Prime 1 (never played Prime 2 or 3), hated Eternal Darkness, thought Wave Race was worse than the N64 version, and so on and so forth.

But I've got a new Cube now and I'm going to try Killer7 and the RE games at the very least, before I go dismissing the system any further.

[Mayhem]

I have to say "woo" given I own all 555 US games LOL

[Tokimemofan]

3 words: Tales of Symphonia

[BetaWolf47]

The Gamecube is the console I have the least amount of games for (4) right after the N64 (2). I was all Nintendo, all the time until the N64 came out and all the great RPGs went to the PlayStation instead. I got my black Gamecube in 2004 with the Collector's Disc, and while my favorite Mario Kart game is on it as well as my favorite fighting game (Soul Calibur II) I just never really got into it.

Really dislike the controller, almost as much as the N64 controller, both of which are probably my least favorite controllers ever. Just doesn't feel right in my hands and I really don't like the arrangement/different sizes of the buttons.

I would probably sell it if not for the Game Boy Player attachment, which I use with a RetroPort SNES adapter, and that gets more use these days than any GC game.

The controller argument I could never understand. Honestly, I think people are partial to whatever they adjust to first, provided that the controller doesn't require them to contort their hands in an unnatural way. After using the Gamecube controller for years, I can't imagine playing Super Smash Bros. Melee any other way. I used to play that game highly competitively BTW. Same with multiplatform releases. After playing them on Gamecube, playing them on PS2 just feels wrong.

Same with the analog stick. A smooth and loose analog stick feels strange after getting used to the tightness of the Gamecube's analog stick, octagonal gate included. I remember thinking, after 5 years of using nothing but the Gamecube controller, that the Xbox 360 controller was the worst piece of crap I'd ever used. I can now go back and forth between them easily, although I'm still partial to the Gamecube controller. The only thing I like more about the Xbox 360 controller now are the superior analog triggers.

[Hawksmoor]

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg72/scaled.php?server=72&filename=wwwyki.jpg&res=medium

[Gamevet]

I say Woo!!!!

I was not a big fan of the N64, but I was a fan of Rogue Squadron. After reading about Rogue Sqaudron II in Next Gen magazine, I knew the Gamecube was a system I needed to own. I picked up the Indigo Gamecube, along with RSII, a couple of weeks after the system launched. Needless to say, Rogue Leader lived up to the hype and then some. I'd later purchased Metroid Prime, Twin Snakes, Mario Sunshine, F-Zero GX, Resident Evil: RE, RE4, Rebel Strike, Wind Waker, Ikaruga, P.N. 03, Starfox Adventures and several other titles for the system. THe software selection wasn't better than the Xbox and PS2, but it was still pretty solid, especially when compared to the N64. I was fortunate enough to own a HD CRT, so the bonus of having games in progressive scan (very few titles on the PS2 supported it) was nice as well.

My only real complaint about the Gamecube, was the expensive memory cards that didn't hold much save data. It would be years later, before Nintendo released the 251 block memory cards at a decent price.

[BetaWolf47]

Sorry to say but I'm definitely leaning towards "Boo" for this one. My first gamecube I sold simply because the only game I ever played on it was Smash Bros Melee, and then only when my cousin was around. I HATED that game, and when he moved off to college I was like "fuck yeah I can finally get rid of this shit."
I didn't like any of the exclusives I played to be honest. Hated Metroid Prime 1 (never played Prime 2 or 3), hated Eternal Darkness, thought Wave Race was worse than the N64 version, and so on and so forth.
But I've got a new Cube now and I'm going to try Killer7 and the RE games at the very least, before I go dismissing the system any further.
Killer7 isn't really considered a top game for the system. It's one of those cult favorites, however. Lots of people who have played it love it, but critically there are a lot of higher rated games for the system.

Interestingly, I didn't like Metroid Prime back in the day either. Then I saw it used at Gamestop for about $7.99 a few years ago and thought, "What the heck, why not?" Bought it, tried it again, loved it. Definitely one of the top 5 games on the system. It's the 7th highest rated game of all time for a reason :P

[frogofdeath]

While I thought it was okay, there was much about the controller that didn't thrill me. The two stage design of the triggers (They were basically half depressed or fully depressed and were difficult to smoothly manipulate through their full range of motion for a racing game),

The only thing I like more about the Xbox 360 controller now are the superior analog triggers.
I never understood the dislike for the GameCube triggers. For me, the triggers are some of the best out there. Of course it always comes down to personal taste, but count me as one who likes the triggers for the GC controller.


the small d-pad (Which at least works correctly unlike every MS d-pad design), and the odd face buttons didn't do much for me.
Fully agree with the small d-pad, but always found that most games I played that utilized the d-pad used it more for an extra button command, much like the C-buttons on the N64 controller. As for the face buttons, for me they were just like most any other controller - in other words they aren't "unnatural".


And while the WaveBird was great (And is what converted me into a fan of wireless controllers), those issues were still present in WaveBird form. And of course the WaveBird lacked rumble capabilities which was a issue in the occasional game (Albeit a minor one). And I think lacking a built in rechargable battery is a positive at this point when it has been over half a decade since they last manufactured these things. Age doesn't do rechargeable batteries any good.

I'd rather be able to pop in a new pair of AA's and be good to go for dozens of more hours. So I'd argue that decision was a positive.
Never been a huge fan of rumble features in games, but for those that do enjoy the feedback this is a major downside.

Also, I agree with you on the AA batteries over the rechargeable option. I merely meant that with good ol' wired controllers there was no need for a battery source at all. So, with the WaveBird, that was an added cost.

[j_factor]

The Gamecube versions of some games also had bugs, similar to how the PS3 and PC versions of current-gen titles have bugs, while the more popular ports did not. I remember my brand-new, scratchless copy of The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction freezing up quite a few times.

I've never played that particular game (though I remember when it came out, and I thought it looked terrible). But I think Gamecube versions were typically less buggy, especially compared to PS2. I clearly remember reviews recommending the Gamecube versions of Sonic Heroes and Prince of Persia: Warrior Within because they had the least amount of bugs. I think either Nintendo was more strict about that sort of thing, or they had better dev tools with regards to avoiding bugs, or maybe the Gamecube just had a better implementation of Renderware or something.


I'm sure audiophiles can sense the sound difference between compressed sound on Gamecube versions and full DVD-quality sound on PS2/Xbox versions.

Only a small number of Gamecube games have sound issues. Though the Gamecube does lack Dolby Digital support, I don't know how many PS2/Xbox games actually used that.


As for the face buttons, for me they were just like most any other controller - in other words they aren't "unnatural".

I'd like the controller a lot more if the B button was shaped like the X and Y buttons.

[M.Buster2184]

Woo for sure, where do I start. I was 17 when the Gamecube came out, so maybe I'm biased because it was the first system I got for myself and spent my own money on. I like the Xbox and love the PS2, but the Gamecube is one of my favorite systems ever. As a Star Wars fan I loved the Roque Squadron games, and as previously mentioned the games looked better on Gamecube vs PS2. I would even venture out there and say the graphics are almost as good as xbox. Smash Bros, the Mario Party games, Mario Sunshine, hell I even liked Luigi's Mansion. I really have no complaints about the Gamecube. I really enjoyed playing Prince of Persia and Beyond Good and Evil on it. The Resident Evil remake is great, plus Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil 4 are both really fun. I can understand people thinking it's gimmicky, but FF: Crystal Chronicles is pretty damn fun when you get 4 friends together with GBAs and the cables. I think it something everyone should experience. Time to wrap this up, I could go on and on about the Gamecube. Wind Waker is one of my favorite Zelda titles. For non Nintendo releases, my friend and I used to play NCAA football all the time. Couple last items, there were good Dreamcast ports on the cube, plus the Metal Gear solid remake. Ooh at the time it was the only place I could play Ikaruga without paying a lot for a Japanese Dreamcast version. Some honorable mentions, Metroid Prime, F-Zero, LOZ:Twilight Princess, Mario Superstar Baseball, Tales of Symphonia, Paper Mario, Soulcalibur 2(best version of the three in my opinion, Link was the coolest guest character), Viewtiful Joe and I'll even say I enjoyed Animal Crossing. So yeah, definately a WOO for me.:)

[MarioMania]

Woo, for me

But Street Fighter's or Castlevania's didn't show up on the Cube

The only one was Capcom vs SNK 2 EO

[BetaWolf47]

I never understood the dislike for the GameCube triggers. For me, the triggers are some of the best out there. Of course it always comes down to personal taste, but count me as one who likes the triggers for the GC controller.

Well, I love the shape of them. They fit like a glove on anyone's index finger. The problem is that it's difficult to tell how far pressed they are. The angular ones on Dreamcast, Xbox, Saturn, and Xbox 360 controllers feel a lot better.

[Leo_A]

Another flaw not mentioned with the controller was the afterthought called a Z button. Thankfully it wasn't used much at all since it is very poorly positioned to press during gameplay.


I never understood the dislike for the GameCube triggers. For me, the triggers are some of the best out there. Of course it always comes down to personal taste, but count me as one who likes the triggers for the GC controller.

Play many racing games? The entire point of a analog trigger for a racing game is to replicate the functions of the brake and gas pedals in a vehicle. But the very design of the GameCube's triggers with their two stage design makes them undesirable for one of the primary purposes they exist for on modern controllers in the first place. You can't smoothly manipulate them through their full range of motion. The GameCube triggers are essentially either fully depressed, half depressed, or fully released. It's almost now a digital control rather than a analog control.

Even worse than that (I've never thought analog control of braking and accelerating with a gamepad was a very effective idea, the range of motion is just too small), they're also uncomfortable for extended use. Play a racing game for a decent length of time and I suspect you'll start to find keeping the right trigger engaged uncomfortable. Never been a problem on a Microsoft controller.


Never been a huge fan of rumble features in games, but for those that do enjoy the feedback this is a major downside.

I agree that it is a minor issue. But still it's one worth mentioning. The occasional game makes excellent use of controller rumble to enhance the experience and sometimes it is even an important feature in a game. In several 3D Zelda's, for instance, it is used as a hint system. You might be walking over a spot with an underground cavern and the controller will rumble to tell you that the ground in that area is weak so the player knows they can place a bomb to open up a passage.

You lose such features with the WaveBird.

[kedawa]

The z-button is no more awful than the awkward bumper buttons on the 360 pad, which few people seem to mind.
I think they're terrible, but I have pretty high standards as far as input devices are concerned.

[Leo_A]

I've never had issues with the shoulder buttons on the 360 controller. They seem to barely ever be used, but I'm at least able to easily hit them when they're needed.

And their placement sure beats the all but useless black and gray buttons on the original Xbox controller.

[Lerxstnj]

Woo to the Gamecube!
In fact it's the only Nintendo system that I like!
To me it feels like a cross between the N64 & the Dreamcast.
Bought it for RE4, kept it for all the RE's and Zeldas, collecting for it for exclusives.

I love the Wavebird... If only the Dreamcast had a wireless controller that good!

[macdude22]

Woo to the Gamecube!
In fact it's the only Nintendo system that I like!
To me it feels like a cross between the N64 & the Dreamcast.
Bought it for RE4, kept it for all the RE's and Zeldas, collecting for it for exclusives.

I love the Wavebird... If only the Dreamcast had a wireless controller that good!

Agree'd it's still one of my favorite systems. Double Dash was the pinnacle of kart racing.

[Peonpiate]

It does have one of the best games ever created on it - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. So it gets a WOOO on that alone. :popcorn:

[retroman]

I love the Gamecube...think everyone else covered the reasons why..

[JSoup]

It had a few games I enjoyed, but the Gamecube was mostly a 'meh' system for me.

[Retronick]

A great big woo!

I really liked the Game Cube. It had one of the comfiest controllers to ever come out for a console, and it was home to a ton of great franchises. I still have fun wandering around Super Mario Sunshine and Wind Waker. I feel like Nintendo wasn't afraid to take chances with the cube, despite relying almost solely on their own major IPs. They gave Mario new water mechanics & a short-sleeve shirt, they turned The Legend of Zelda upside down and introduced a colorful, cartoony, cell-shaded world, and Final Fantasy came back to a Nintendo platform. Even connectivity with the GBA was an interesting (if expensive), experiment.

Kudos to the cube!

[frogofdeath]

Play many racing games?
Nope! When it comes to racing games I prefer mine in the arcade or kart style. And maybe that's why the triggers don't bother me.

[BetaWolf47]

The z-button is no more awful than the awkward bumper buttons on the 360 pad, which few people seem to mind.
I think they're terrible, but I have pretty high standards as far as input devices are concerned.

I don't think the problem is the placement with them, but just how cheap they feel. Compared to how the face buttons and analog shoulders feel, these feel like a thin sliver of plastic that will probably break years before the rest of the controller is dead.

I never minded the Z button that much, to be honest. It did take some getting used to, but I can press it now without it feeling at all awkward.