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[HAL_Laboratory]

So I'll admit I wasn't following the biz NEARLY as close when the 'Cube came out as I am today. But... I know alot of GAFers were. That said, how would you compare the pre-launch hype of Gamecube (world-wide) to the Wii? How much better (or worse) is Nintendo's position now VS that era? And finally, where do you see Wii a year from now, as opposed to Gamecube's 1st year.

 

[davepoobond]

well, i think there were for sure more positive compliments about how the games looked/will look than for the Wii...

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

Seems like there were alot more people excited about the Gamecube than there is with the Wii.

 

[Mr. TV Goggles]

Seems like there were alot more people excited about the Gamecube than there is with the Wii.

Don't lie!!

 

[DECK'ARD]

GC's launch line-up was pretty poor, apart from the surprise that was Super Monkey Ball. You were mainly buying it for what you expected would be coming down the line later. Also coming after the N64, and moving to discs finally, there was just this expectation that Nintendo would right all their wrongs.

Wii has people a lot more sceptical this time, although personally I find it far more interesting than GC and the launch line-up far stronger.

As for what things will be like in a year's time, well that's the million dollar question isn't it.

 

[threeball]

Although I was excited for the GCN, I am more excited about the Wii.

 

[Alien Bob]

I was more excited for the gamecube because I didn't have to pay for it

 

[jimbo]

Less. Back then I was all hyped up about next-gen Zelda that was shown at E3 ...which eventually turned out to be WW....and the amazing looking Zelda that was shown them will have to wait yet another generation before it will actually look anything like that...if ever.

 

[balohna]

I think I was more excited for GC because it had that graphical leap I had been waiting for (3D graphics without as many sharp corners) but it was cheaper than the competition and had Nintendo's games. I was 13 at the time though.

For Nintendo fanboys (I was one at the time after a brief stint as a loyal DC fan) it was that hope that they could topple Sony and Microsoft. Didn't exactly happen. With Wii I'm more excited about the launch line-up (Zelda), but as far as consoles in general though I still wish it had better graphical abilities.

And as much as GC gets bashed for having only a few great games, there was that time between mid 2002 and mid 2003 where it had the best games coming out for it of the three consoles. Eternal Darkness kicked it off, followed by Super Mario Sunshine, then Animal Crossing, then Metroid Prime, then Wind Waker, then Twin Snakes (ok, maybe that one wasn't as hot). Good fiscal year for first/second party. Plus at the end of 2003 it got Viewtiful Joe and Double Dash.

 

[gkryhewy]

GC's launch line-up was pretty poor, apart from the surprise that was Super Monkey Ball.

Rogue Leader was highly anticipated, well-received, and a graphical showpiece to boot! Still looks great.

 

[Chris Remo]

Less. Back then I was all hyped up about next-gen Zelda that was shown at E3 ...which eventually turned out to be WW....and the amazing looking Zelda that was shown them will have to wait yet another generation before it will actually look anything like that...if ever.

People's memories of that video seem universally distorted. Go back and watch it. Twilight Princess looks so much better it's not even funny.

 

[balohna]

Less. Back then I was all hyped up about next-gen Zelda that was shown at E3 ...which eventually turned out to be WW....and the amazing looking Zelda that was shown them will have to wait yet another generation before it will actually look anything like that...if ever.

I don't want Zelda to look like that. Generic CG FTL. It might be nice and clean, but the art direction of that Space World demo is absolute shit. It's like those CG kids shows. Yeah, maybe those graphics couldn't be done in a video game, but why would you want to play a game with such generic shitty models and textures?

 

[andthebeatgoeson]

Hey, thanks for another Wii thread. BTW, I'm hyped more for Wii because of Zelda. It'll pretty much get me hot for any console.

 

[gamergirly]

The GC launch was pretty radical but the Wii launch doesnt have the same type of atmosphere. It has more hype but different expectations too

 

[jjasper]

Rogue Leader was highly anticipated, well-received, and a graphical showpiece to boot! Still looks great.

And Wave Race rocked!

 

[HAL_Laboratory]

So the general consensus here, from what I'm gathering, is that GCN was more exciting because it seemed more "next-gen", and the graphics were more promising.

I can relate to that viewpoint. Yet, I'm more excited for Wii than 'cube because I think it will attract alot more people, and some really cool ideas will happen on this system that just weren't possible on Gamecube. We'll see, I guess.

 

[Zombie James]

Most of the launch games were "meh", but they system itself was plenty hyped with much of the same talk there is now (more third party support, gain marketshare, "Mario and Zelda pwn everyone!", etc). The only difference, really, is that the GC competed very well graphically.

 

[DIrtyWeasel]

Didn't care much about Cube launch because I wasn't interested in any launch titles. I put my time into PS2 because it was finally getting good games after a year of just sitting under my TV.
I'm paying a lot of attention to Wii because of Zelda, and because I don't want to spend $600+ for PS3.

 

[DECK'ARD]

And Wave Race rocked!

Yes it did.

Wave Race: Blue Storm on the other hand ...

 

[jimbo]

People's memories of that video seem universally distorted. Go back and watch it. Twilight Princess looks so much better it's not even funny.

Well noooo kidding. Now it does. But for its time it was amazing and had it actually come out looking like that when WW came out, it would have been incredible.

 

[Varjet]

Yes it did.

Wave Race: Blue Storm on the other hand ...

rocked even more

 

[Oblivion]

People's memories of that video seem universally distorted. Go back and watch it. Twilight Princess looks so much better it's not even funny.

I don't get this. The demo ran at 60fps, there was bump mapping, and the animation was very fluid. The only thing was that the models seemed low poly with not as good textures.

Course OoT Link is my favorite version so whatever..

 

[DECK'ARD]

rocked even more

It reminded me of Pilotwings 64, in that all the ingredients were there but it just lost that something that made the game special. It didn't really hang together right.

Prefer the originals in both cases.

 

[Baker]

I'll tell you one thing, it's ****ing weird to get an unbiased perspective of Nintendo fanboys now. While I've always owned every system, I was a pretty big nbot back around the GC launch. You know, when Xbox controllers were so big and all the games sucked even though none of us had played them.

Now that I could care less what console my video game is playing on, it creeps me out to think I might have acted like some of the people around here.

 

[dreamkats]

I nearly didn't know that Nintendo was going to release a new system when GC launched in Europe...

that's why I'm a lot more excited than I was for GC

 

[plagiarize]

i wasn't around GAF when the Cube came out, but i can imagine that here, the cube had much bigger hype than the Wii does.

my feelings beyond gaf though have the Wii with more hype overall... because of the DS and mainstream coverage.

 

[SolidSnakex]

So the general consensus here, from what I'm gathering, is that GCN was more exciting because it seemed more "next-gen", and the graphics were more promising.

Alot of the initial hype of the GC had to do with people wondering how they'd come back after the N64. There was alot of hype around the idea that they'd get back on top and the N64 was more of a fluke than anything else. So it had more hype than the Wii just based around that.

As far as their position goes they seem to be alot better off now than they were then. Just on the basis that they are trying to bring in a new market while the GC was just trying to eat up and existing market while hanging on to their fans.

 

[typhonsentra]

I didn't follow the market carefully back then, but I remember it having positive buzz and being pretty hard to find.

 

[thefro]

I'm way more hyped about the Wii than the Cube, personally. And probably more hyped about it then the N64 since there's a lot more games on the horizon than with that system.

 

[jjasper]

rocked even more

I am glad someone agrees with me. I liked BS much more than the first one and it was the best launch game and a great first game for my Gamecube.

 

[Striek]

Very similar.

For both it was the E3 before launch that saw hype accelerate.

 

[Cauliflower of Love]

I was alot more hyped for the cube, the first time around.

 

[Duderz]

Considering that the Wii is getting Zelda at launch as opposed to Luigi's Mansion that GameCube had, I don't think they're really any room for debate here.

 

[MrPonx]

I'm more hyped for Wii because of Zelda

 

[AniHawk]

I'm way the **** more hyped for Zelda than Wii, so that tilts things towards its favor- but I remember really REALLY looking forward to GC a helluva lot more.

 

[PantherLotus]

I was alot more hyped for the cube, the first time around.

AHAHAHAHAHHAhA
AHAHAHAHAHHAAHA
HAHAHAHHAHAHAAH

Ha.

ORIGINAL!

 

[MrPonx]

I'm way the **** more hyped for Zelda than Wii, so that tilts things towards its favor- but I remember really REALLY looking forward to GC a helluva lot more.

well.. maybe because you're six years older now? and have more things to worry about?

 

[AniHawk]

well.. maybe because you're six years older now? and have more things to worry about?

That could be it. I know I'm still a bit of a graphics whore too, and although Zelda will be great, there's probably nothing like that death star trench run in Rogue Leader.

 

[Screenboy]

Yeah I could imagine gaf was more hyped for cube but outside of gaf no one gave a shit where as its sorta the other way round.

 

[Screenboy]

Yeah I could imagine gaf was more hyped for cube but outside of gaf no one gave a shit where as its sorta the other way round.

 

[AniHawk]

Yeah I could imagine gaf was more hyped for cube but outside of gaf no one gave a shit where as its sorta the other way round.

 

[Duderz]

That could be it. I know I'm still a bit of a graphics whore too, and although Zelda will be great, there's probably nothing like that death star trench run in Rogue Leader.

Except that feeling you get when you realize your playing the latest edition of Zelda, which trumps any feeling from Rogue Leader.

 

[Elios83]

I remember GC was waaaaaaaaaaay more hyped than Wii on the Internet.
Maybe the fact Wii hasn't a powerful hardware has had an impact among the hardcore community.
But at the same it seems the industry believes in Wii much more than in GC in 2001,and probably this is more important.

 

[AniHawk]

Except that feeling you get when you realize your playing the latest edition of Zelda, which trumps any feeling from Rogue Leader.

True. There's probably going to be some face-stabbing goodness in TP, but doing the death star trench run felt like being in the movies. It was strangely immersive.

 

[TheIkariWarrior]

after Twilight Princess, and after any new console Zelda games on Wii, I want a next-generation Zelda (on Nintendo's next platform) to look like the prerendered CG portions of Rebirth shown at Gamecube's unvieling in August 2000, I don't want the plasticy look of the realtime techdemo, with the exception of the animation which was nice.

a mix of Rebirth CG and Zelda GBC Oracle Ages/Seasons Commercial CG with better than Twilight Princess artwork. I don't want Oblivion either, but something that looks far better than Oblivion.

I want Mario Galaxy like framerates. I want a world that is impossbly large. I don't mind if the game is divided up into 2 or 3 full priced releases. but were're talking about a whole generation away, and beyond the Zelda game(s) that is being developed specifically for Wii, which cannot have CG-like graphics since Wii can only do so much in that department.

that level of CG is just a little bit beyond what Xbox 360 and PS3 are capable of
(maybe not even), so I don't think the next Nintendo console should have too much trouble archiving that level of detail in games. what's more important is how the player will interact with the environments. more dynamic interaction instead of a pretty world to roam around in and limited interaction.


as for the main topic, hype, Gamecube vs Wii. there was more hype for gamecube in some ways, and more hype for Wii in other ways.

Gamecube wasn't going to be different than PS2 or or Xbox, just with Nintendo's quality of games, and minus DVD playback.

Wii is something completely new, and in a way, its hype is even greater than that of Gamecube.

i think hardcore gamers were more hyped for Gamecube, while casual gamers were like meh. but just the opposite seems to be happening for Wii. hardcore gamers, most of them are sceptical. but casuals seem to be very very interested. which is what Nintendo needs and wants.

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

I honestly was a lot more hyped for the GC... Rogue Leader, REmake, Mario Love, RARE showed off Dinosaur Planet and we went ape... and it was $100 cheaper than the competition.

But now it seems like the Wii doesnt have as much hype, but it has some pretty positive buzz from people believing it could do well because it follows the same philosophy as the DS...

 

[WrathOfOtaibah]

The hype is comparable.

For the Game Cube, everyone was proclaiming that this machine was going to sell head to head with Sony and that gamers who were burned on the N64 would come around for the Game Cube. I remember dozens of testimonies from fans claiming that Nintendo learned their lesson from the N64 and was ready to unleash everything with the GC. I remember the Capcom 5 announcement taking place a couple months before launch and how Nintendo fans were convinced that all major Japanese third parties would be putting out their marquee titles on the GC either as an exclusive or simultaneous release of a PS2 version. I remember the excitement Nintards had with the fact that Sonic Team was going to develop for the GC primarily, eluding to the fact that the system would be old school awesome, reliving those carefree 16 bit days.

For the Wii, people are expecting the waggle to reinvent gaming. Nintendo has learned their lesson again (shocking) and they have <games here> to prove it. Same old story with the GC. Only difference is that Nintendo fans are less arrogant before. For the GC, Nintards predicted that PS2 sales would slow down with the release of the GC. Many Nintards today expect PS3 to outsell Wii, although there are a delusional few who believe that the Wii will be the best selling machine. Then, of course, a few developer exclusives excite the base, complete with wild predictions about huge exclusives arriving on Wii. DQ9 anyone?

Of course, the results of the GC were disappointing. As someone who has witnessed the GC's shortcomings, I urge everyone to ignore the Nintard hype and make your own conclusions about the Wii. Do not fall into the endless hype that sugar laden nerds jabber on about. Nintendo could take a dump in a game and it will still be widely anticipated by these dorks.

As for me personally, the GC was a nonevent. I was a huge Dreamcast fanboy who still refused to see that the system was flatlined. So I stuck to my Dreamcast games and thought that this was gaming heaven. As for the Wii, I'm excited about it. I look forward to getting it on day one with TP, Metal Slug, and maybe Excite Truck.

 

[Space Runaway]

Definitely the GC. It was Nintendo coming off the N64 and most truly believed Nintendo had learnt from their mistakes with the N64(How could they not, right?) and deliver another SNES. Of course that ended up just being the SNES version of the N64.

 

[MadraptorMan]

Wii launch is way more exciting for me cause it has ZELDA.

 

[Stoney Mason]

Just think Luigi's mansion for GameCube and that's how unexciting the GameCube launch was. It's not even close. Zelda alone makes the Wii launch 10 times more exciting. The controller by itself is better than the GC launch.