Why does everyone say the GameCube doesn't have many games?

[Xizer]

The GameCube has almost 600 unique games in its library in the United States alone. Who knows what that number is when you add in unique Japanese and European games.

For comparison:

The Super Nintendo has around 700 games.
Dreamcast: 250+
Genesis: 500

Now I don't know about you, but 600 games seems plenty for me out of a system...if you were to buy every game on the GameCube at an average of $30 per game...you'd need $18,000.00.

[Joker T]

Well who cares about the amount of the games, out of those 600 how many are good games?

[Happy_Dude]

Depends on what you like. They're all potentially good.
If I had to wager a guess I'd say about 60%+
I don't own any bad games but only 5 of my 18 are great

[playgeneration]

are there really 600? im very suprised its hit that many in four years. I reckon theres a lot of rubbish tv/film license games making up those numbers, and the usual incremental sports titles.
I would say theres roughly 100 very good cube games, the rest are all average or worse.

[dbiersdorf]

There's no way GameCube broke 600 total games, it only broke the 400 barrier a year and a half ago, I'd say 500, if that. 600? No. Not unless you mean worldwide exclusives, I'm sure Japan has dozens upon dozens of exclusives for the system that never make it anywhere.

GameCube I do admit has some of the best games around, I currently only about 50 games or so for the system.

[SirDrexl]

Probably half or more of those aren't exclusives. It's not a situation like it was with the SNES where Nintendo's system generally had the best versions. I usually buy my multiplatform games on the Xbox for the slightly better graphics and 5.1 sound, plus I like the controller (S) better. I'd imagine there are people who do the same as me or buy them on PS2 because people prefer that controller. The lack of online play for certain games is also a factor for some people. So, people with more than one console will tend to buy fewer games for the GameCube than for the other system(s).

[mydjsobad]

For me it depends on the game. I honestly own more Gamecube games than XBox and US PS2, solely because the Nintendo exclusives are typically really good. Also in the case of stuff like the Megaman and Sonic collections, I'd get them for the Gamecube over the XBox or PS2, just because of personal preference.

[RevQuixo]

http://www.vgrebirth.org/games/search.asp?keywords=&platforms=20&regions=1

The above link is 595.

Need to subtract out the Player's Choice and best Seller variations..which is around 75..maybe another 5-10 variations (Limited Editions and what-not)

So it is safe to say they are at ~500

[Poofta!]

as hesitant i am to reply to anyone whos clearly a fanboy, heres what i have to say about this: Who Cares.

quality not quantity. and by quality, the only ones that matter are the exclusives.

id say theres only about 30-40 must own gamecube exclusives, so in that respect, when you compare it to ps2 or xbox (xbox is widely recognized as having the best versions of the cross-platform releases) that is a really paultry and insignificant numbers.

for the record, i own all thress current gen consoles.

[Mayhem]

For reference I own 431 unique US full price titles. My wants list has at least 70 titles on it, and that's not complete (missing I dunno how many). That's defo over 500 titles to me then so far.

[Snapple]

as hesitant i am to reply to anyone whos clearly a fanboy, heres what i have to say about this: Who Cares.

quality not quantity. and by quality, the only ones that matter are the exclusives.

id say theres only about 30-40 must own gamecube exclusives, so in that respect, when you compare it to ps2 or xbox (xbox is widely recognized as having the best versions of the cross-platform releases) that is a really paultry and insignificant numbers.

for the record, i own all thress current gen consoles.

I don't know if there are THAT MANY more "must have" titles for PS2.

I could argue that while there are more games worth having for the PS2, that there are more must-haves for the Gamecube. I say this because I own a lot more PS2 games, but a lot of the games I own for Gamecube are better than most of my PS2 games.

I won't comment on Xbox, because I don't own one.

[anagrama]

Genesis: 500


Over 700, actually.

[dbiersdorf]

PS2 obviously is far and beyond the system with the most exclusives, but personally I think its amount of exclusives worth owning is very similar to the GameCube. What the PS2 has going for it is the various games that never appear on the GameCube, but rather strictly PS2/Xbox. PS2 also has a lot of love or hate games, or mediocre titles that you can have some fun with it.

Xbox, eh, I don't consider it having that many exclusives but it's the best system to own a multiplatform game for.

[BydoEmpire]

People don't give the Cube's library enough credit. It has plenty of big 3rd party titles like Madden, Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia. It has a fantastic 1st party library.

What it's missing is a GTA or Halo-style mainstream system seller, and I think it gets dinged a lot because of that. The last few years have seen a number of 3rd party titles skip the cube. Some like 2k sports games are disappointing, but others like, say 50 Cent Bulletproof aren't too much of a loss. Finally, it seems like some of the 1st party titles haven't been as strong as in previous generations (Mario Kart: DD comes to mind).

Regardless, I have all three current-gen systems, but the cube is the only one I really collect for.

[Kid Ice]

as hesitant i am to reply to anyone whos clearly a fanboy, heres what i have to say about this: Who Cares.

quality not quantity. and by quality, the only ones that matter are the exclusives.

id say theres only about 30-40 must own gamecube exclusives, so in that respect, when you compare it to ps2 or xbox (xbox is widely recognized as having the best versions of the cross-platform releases) that is a really paultry and insignificant numbers.

for the record, i own all thress current gen consoles.

I don't know if you're responding to the OP or someone else...the OP is stating a fact. There is no fanboy stuff there that I can see. And I have found it pretty common for people to say "the Gamecube doesn't have enough games". I have also heard (and agree) that it doesn't have enough good games, but I don't think that's what the OP is referring to.

I think that perception is there because (a) Gamespot/EB devotes little space to Gamecube titles and (b) the PS2, the cube's nearest competitor, has a massive library.

I don't see many GB/GBC/GBA games in Gamestop...how many of those games were made, 80 kajillion?

[njiska]

as hesitant i am to reply to anyone whos clearly a fanboy, heres what i have to say about this: Who Cares.

quality not quantity. and by quality, the only ones that matter are the exclusives.

id say theres only about 30-40 must own gamecube exclusives, so in that respect, when you compare it to ps2 or xbox (xbox is widely recognized as having the best versions of the cross-platform releases) that is a really paultry and insignificant numbers.

for the record, i own all thress current gen consoles.

I don't know if you're responding to the OP or someone else...the OP is stating a fact. There is no fanboy stuff there that I can see. And I have found it pretty common for people to say "the Gamecube doesn't have enough games". I have also heard (and agree) that it doesn't have enough good games, but I don't think that's what the OP is referring to.

Xizer's reputation preceeds him.

And i think most of the people who say it doesn't have any games, mean it doesn't have any good games. I'm inclinced to agree that there are very few must have titles for the GC, however those must own games on the system that more then justify its purchase.
[/quote]

[Joker T]

People don't give the Cube's library enough credit. It has plenty of big 3rd party titles like Madden, Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia. It has a fantastic 1st party library.


I hate to say it but 3rd party games on Gamecube just aren't that great. The controller is one thing that is a big set back. The controller is good but it takes a specialized control scheme for it to be good, usually these games are just ported over without much consideration of the controls.


That and the fact that Gamecube versions of games are usually half assed by the developers because they know alot their audience will not be reached on Gamecube. I don't think the Tom Clancy and sports fans own a Gamecube.

But your right about Prince of Persia that game is excellent on the cube as well as any other system.

[-hellvin-]

Hmm...you genesis count is about 200 off. Wish it was that, I'd be done with the collection by now! As for the gamecube library, I'd say 475 games MAYBE tops. I believe the last thing we received for gamecube at work was Odama or some shit and that was almost two weeks ago. It's very rare to ever see anything come out for that system. Our stock of games where I work is pathetic. We did recently get in some older titles though strangely....Pikmin 2, Zelda Four Swords and Paper Mario, all for like 20 bucks.

[SirDrexl]

I think that perception is there because (a) Gamespot/EB devotes little space to Gamecube titles and (b) the PS2, the cube's nearest competitor, has a massive library.

Yeah, what I was trying to say is that there is a perception that the GameCube doesn't have many games, because people don't buy as many games for it as they do for the other consoles for various reasons (multiplatform issues, lack of online, controller preference, fewer third-party exclusives than the other systems, and just fewer third-party games period).

[Jibbajaba]

as hesitant i am to reply to anyone whos clearly a fanboy, heres what i have to say about this: Who Cares.

quality not quantity. and by quality, the only ones that matter are the exclusives.

id say theres only about 30-40 must own gamecube exclusives, so in that respect, when you compare it to ps2 or xbox (xbox is widely recognized as having the best versions of the cross-platform releases) that is a really paultry and insignificant numbers.

for the record, i own all thress current gen consoles.

I don't know if you're responding to the OP or someone else...the OP is stating a fact. There is no fanboy stuff there that I can see. And I have found it pretty common for people to say "the Gamecube doesn't have enough games". I have also heard (and agree) that it doesn't have enough good games, but I don't think that's what the OP is referring to.

Xizer's reputation preceeds him.
[/quote]

Xizer is an infamous Nintendo fanboy.

And the Cube has enough good games to keep anyone busy for quite some time.

Chris

[Leo_A]

Shocked you made this thread after the disaster of your last one.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=72170

[Xizer]

People don't give the Cube's library enough credit. It has plenty of big 3rd party titles like Madden, Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia. It has a fantastic 1st party library.

That and the fact that Gamecube versions of games are usually half assed by the developers because they know alot their audience will not be reached on Gamecube. I don't think the Tom Clancy and sports fans own a Gamecube.


Why does everyone say most third party games are half-assed by developers on the Cube? Most of the time, they're superior to the PS2 version.

Glancing over at my third party titles in my collection, I see Beyond Good & Evil, Eternal Darkness, Harvest Moon: AWL/MM, I-Ninja, Lego Star Wars, Prince of Persia: SOT, WW, TTT, Sonic Mega & Gems Collection, Tony Hawk, Viewtiful Joe, Soul Calibur II, etc. etc.

None of those games seem particularly half-assed to me. The only third-party games I can think off the top of my head that are half-assed are the Splinter Cell titles and Need for Speed.

[Daltone]

When it comes to games that are released on multiple platforms I'll almost always go for the Xbox or PS2 version over the GC incarnation. The Xbox gives you slightly shinier graphics and the lay out of the Xbox/PS2 controller seems more 'natural' to me for most multi-platform titles.

End result? There's only a handful of games that I want to play on my GC, most of which are continuations in established Nintendo franchises. When things like the new Metriod games don't float your boat, Mario seems like a let down and you've finished Wind Waker, the Resident Evils and Eternal Darkness there's not a whole lot left. I'll probably pick up Killer 7 and Baten Kaitos when the price comes down but that's it. Whilst I'm sure that there are plenty of games available, there are perhaps only 15 that I'd actually buy. With the few people I know who have a GC too this also seems to be the case. They have three or four games but nothing else appeals, giving the impression of having few games compared to something with a fairly large library of desirable games, like the PS2.

[sabre2922]

People don't give the Cube's library enough credit. It has plenty of big 3rd party titles like Madden, Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia. It has a fantastic 1st party library.

That and the fact that Gamecube versions of games are usually half assed by the developers because they know alot their audience will not be reached on Gamecube. I don't think the Tom Clancy and sports fans own a Gamecube.


Why does everyone say most third party games are half-assed by developers on the Cube? Most of the time, they're superior to the PS2 version.


umm NO there NOT the fact is that 90% of the multiport games that are on PS2 and Xbox are the SAME no matter what some Xboxers like to state on here AND the majority of multiport games are usually BETTER on PS2/Xbox 1 than what was pushed out on the Gamecube ,

and not just graphically also the controller was terrible for many multiport games when most were designed with the PS2/Xbox 1 controllers in mind.

Also I wrote "was" because the sad fact is that the GC is all but dead when compared to the Xbox 1 and especially the PS2.

Dont get me wrong I think the GC is/was a damn good system and has some of the best AAA exclusives of this generation but the mass of casual gamers largely dismissed it from the start and many of the so-called "hardcore" gamers chose the PS2 well all but the Nintendo-faithful fans of course.

The issue with the GC wasnt quality but overall quantity many good to decent multiport games were either cancelled or simply never released for the Gamecube.

Its not that the GC "doesnt have any games" its the fact that the Gamecube has a maybe a QUARTER of the # of games the PS2 has and MAYBE half the # of games the Xbox 1 has overall.

[jdc]

You won't get nearly as many Cube naysayers on DP because it's a gaming forum with mainly open-minded gamers who are open to all systems. If you talk to the average gamer on the street, you'll find that the Cube was shit because there wasn't enough GTA for him.

Depends on who you talk to.

Me? The great games were great.....and, for me, it has the best controller ever. Every system has bad games, so why dwell on them?

[Ed Oscuro]

Genesis: 500

Over 700, actually.
Ah, thanks for answering my question :)

For whatever reason, I'm still not terribly impressed by the GameCube's selection. Okay, it's got Splinter Cell games. Why would I play it on the GC instead of the Xbox? The GC is plagued by the perception (and probably the reality) that it is stuck in the middle for ports: Better than PS2, but without the exclusives; worse than Xbox (and PC, where applicable). There's a good number of nice exclusives and a fair number of games only on GC and PS2 (Capcom games come to mind - Killer 7, RE4, and I think the Viewtiful games), of course.

Eh, I don't know. I couldn't care less about sports games, and while I don't mind cutesy platformers, I also like there to be some good, semi-mature action/adventure fare - but the Xbox is my first choice of a system for that genre. I'm always happy to pick up more GC games, but so far all I have is:

Blowout (good or terrible, take your pick but you must be terribly fond of mind-numbing level sweep affairs to like this - outside the voice-overs, that is, which are classic)
RE games (all of them sans 2 and 3, which I've got on PC)
Killer 7
Metroid Prime
Zelda WW (picked it up again recently, dropped it fast)
Dead to Rights (har)

Outside those, all that comes to mind are some of the Nintendo games (Eternal Darkness, Luigi's Mansion, the Treasure Wario game, F-Zero GX), really.

I'm definitely happy for the GB Player, but without it, I wouldn't have been too happy with what I've got. I want something like Ninja Gaiden or Otogi 2, but only the PS3 and Xbox 360 appear set to be sure choices for that this next generation. Red Steel? I've no faith in that yet, and everything about the direction Nintendo has taken is screaming disapproval at the games I like.

@ jdc: Counterpoint on the GC controller: Tiny, terrible d-pad, which more resembles a protruding vestigal tailbone in comfort and utilization than it does a necessary feature of the controller. Few of my games use it, and given how damn sharp the edges are I use the joystick for playing GBA titles, even Ninja Five-0 time trials. Two face buttons - a smart game developer won't have trouble dealing with that effectively, but still limiting.

[Joker T]

People don't give the Cube's library enough credit. It has plenty of big 3rd party titles like Madden, Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia. It has a fantastic 1st party library.

That and the fact that Gamecube versions of games are usually half assed by the developers because they know alot their audience will not be reached on Gamecube. I don't think the Tom Clancy and sports fans own a Gamecube.


Why does everyone say most third party games are half-assed by developers on the Cube? Most of the time, they're superior to the PS2 version.

Glancing over at my third party titles in my collection, I see Beyond Good & Evil, Eternal Darkness, Harvest Moon: AWL/MM, I-Ninja, Lego Star Wars, Prince of Persia: SOT, WW, TTT, Sonic Mega & Gems Collection, Tony Hawk, Viewtiful Joe, Soul Calibur II, etc. etc.

None of those games seem particularly half-assed to me. The only third-party games I can think off the top of my head that are half-assed are the Splinter Cell titles and Need for Speed.

I said "usually".

It is very rare that Gamecube has the superior version, though RE4 comes to mind.

[chrisbid]

from a casual gamer standpoint, there isnt a ton out for the cube. go to a typical box store, there is one case full of cube games, and two cases for both PS2 and XBox. then go to gamEBstop, and youll see roughly the same proportions.

even if you use the most liberal numbers for total number of titles available, there are probably less than 100 titles that are readily and easily available at your standard retail outlet.

[lendelin]

Why does everyone say the GameCube doesn't have many games?


The question refers to the quantity of games, and there is a very simple answer: because the PS2 and Xbox have more games in their libraries.

Did I miss something about the Q?

[whoisKeel]

It's not that the Cube doesn't have any good games...it's just they're so spread out. A good Cube game comes out once every few months...at best. That, and some of the Cube exclusives got ported to other systems.

I actually like the Cube controller. The analogue is way better than the PS2 (but not Xbox). But when it comes down to the D-pad, it stinks. So all those classic compilations, I'd rather own for the PS2...even though my heart tells me to get them for the Cube.

I'll throw in Ikaruga and Rogue Squadron II to the above mentioned titles. Ikaruga was $20 new when I picked it up, so getting it for the Cube wasn't much of a decision.

5 years from now I think the Cube will be much more respected because it will be cheap as hell, and worth keeping around for its good, exclusive titles.

[jdc]

*sniffs*

*wipes tears from eyes*

I was only talking about the Cube controller from a shape standpoint. I have smaller hands and the shape was awesome. I never did get totally able to find those face buttons blind.....unless I was playing Phantasy Star. :D

[j_factor]

It is very rare that Gamecube has the superior version, though RE4 comes to mind.

I wouldn't say it's that rare. More often, the Xbox version is best, but I can think of a number of games that are a smidge better on Gamecube. The PS2 version is usually the worst of the three (with the exceptions of Spy Hunter and NFS: Hot Pursuit 2).

[Ed Oscuro]

*sniffs*

*wipes tears from eyes*

I was only talking about the Cube controller from a shape standpoint. I have smaller hands and the shape was awesome. I never did get totally able to find those face buttons blind.....unless I was playing Phantasy Star. :D
hey, it's definitely O.K. to like it. I can find all the buttons blind, easily, but that's true of every controller. I'd just rather have a few more of 'em. Two additional buttons would be great.

The main problem I have is the d-pad. I've managed to get used to the z trigger, but that's still wierd.

[Joker T]

It is very rare that Gamecube has the superior version, though RE4 comes to mind.

I wouldn't say it's that rare. More often, the Xbox version is best, but I can think of a number of games that are a smidge better on Gamecube. The PS2 version is usually the worst of the three (with the exceptions of Spy Hunter and NFS: Hot Pursuit 2).

As far as the looks of the actual game the Gamecube is usually an edge up from PS2 but the controller on Gamecube is what really kills alot of these games. Driving, FPS, Fighting, etc. all don't work very well on the system at all.

[CYRiX]

When you go to a store you'll normally see 50 ps2 games and 50 xbox games, but you'll only see like 15 gc games. Thats why.

[j_factor]

It is very rare that Gamecube has the superior version, though RE4 comes to mind.

I wouldn't say it's that rare. More often, the Xbox version is best, but I can think of a number of games that are a smidge better on Gamecube. The PS2 version is usually the worst of the three (with the exceptions of Spy Hunter and NFS: Hot Pursuit 2).

As far as the looks of the actual game the Gamecube is usually an edge up from PS2 but the controller on Gamecube is what really kills alot of these games. Driving, FPS, Fighting, etc. all don't work very well on the system at all.

You can get a controller converter pretty easily.

Driving? Way better on Gamecube, compared to PS2. Xbox may be better, or on the same level. But PS2's pressure sensitive nonsense sucks compared to analog triggers with some give to them. You just can't judge variable acceleration as well with that little 3 millimeters.

Fighting? A grand total of about three fighting games were released for Gamecube, and Soul Calibur II works fine.

FPS? Ok, that may be true... I've never actually tried it, since I really can't be bothered with Medal of Honor and Bond etc.

I'd say 3D platformers tend to work better with the GC controller. Or any game that involves moving around in 3D.

Also, Super Monkey Ball controlled terribly on PS2 and Xbox.

On a more minor note, Robotron controls like a dream with those notched analog sticks.

[importaku]

Fighting? A grand total of about three fighting games were released for Gamecube, and Soul Calibur II works fine.


Depends wether you import or not, as theres a lot more than three

Naruto gekitou ninja taisen 1 - 4
Konjiki no gashbell 1 & 2
Bleach
Shaman king

:D

I sit on the other side of the fence as i only get imports so the volume of titles i have to choose from is a lot more than here in the UK & also in the US. I own about 100 cube titles & over 50% are 3rd party games including some total gems like homeland.

[Joker T]

Also, Super Monkey Ball controlled terribly on PS2 and Xbox.

It was originally designed on the Gamecube. When a designer takes the time to make a well thought out control scheme it works well. Take Resident Evil 4, a game originally designed around the Gamecube control pad. The PS2 one controls nicely enough but RE4 was designed on GC and the controls work best on GC in my opinion.

[j_factor]

Also, Super Monkey Ball controlled terribly on PS2 and Xbox.

It was originally designed on the Gamecube.

Actually, it was originally designed on Naomi.