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Revisionist history has been kind to the Gamecube.

"There wasn't that many good games for it in general."
There wasn't?

I know it didn't sell well, but it had plenty of good games for it, several 3rd party games too. IMO of course.
Yep. Was happy with the third party output. All those Tony Hawks, the Need for Speeds, good times were had. Sucks that the Cube version of THPS 4 had super compressed fmvs though.
 
Metroid Prime
Super Smash Brawl
Wind Waker
Paper Mario TYD
Tales of Symphonia
Pikmin
Resident Evil 4
REmake
F-Zero GX
Eternal Darkness
Super Monkey Ball
Animal Crossing
Viewtiful Joe
Soul Calibur II
...

I'd say this system warrants being looked back upon favorably. As does the Dreamcast. My two favorite consoles after the SNES. No revisionist history here, OP.

Also, weird button placement? Best button lay-out ever, you mean.
 
Better yet, I still own REmake. It's one of the very few GC games I own. No sugarcoating it, sorry.

they're similar insofar that some of the scenarios SORT OF resemble one another.

that's a pretty reductive way to assess the merits of a game tbqh
 
Re 4 was fine on ps2. The GameCube version was graphically superior but the ps2 had all the added content. REmake is amazing though. Still the scariest game I've ever played.
 
Always liked the GC. The controller was fantastic (especially the Wavebird), it had REmake, RE4, Metroid Prime, Pikmin games, Eternal Darkness, F-Zero GX, Wind Waker (my fav Zelda game), Wave Race (I miss this series), Mario Sunshine (which I happened to love), Rogue Squadron II (for a long time the best looking game of that generation) etc.
A lot of those games haven't gotten sequels, and for example the RE-series peaked with Remake and 4.

I will admit though that I did have an Xbox as well, if I had been a single-console owner I guess I might not have been so happy with the GC.
 
The PS2 port of RE4 is pretty bad. It looks worse, it sounds AWFUL, the cutscenes are pre-rendered instead of in-engine,it has longer loading times, and it has a worse framerate

It wasn't that inferior. Having the DualShock alone was a nice perk, not to mention it had exclusive bosses, weapons,outfits, Separate Ways, etc. The PS2 version also had actual, true 16x9 support and not just cropped 4:3.

At any rate, it wasn't a Gamecube exclusive, period.
 
It wasn't that inferior. Having the DualShock alone was a nice perk, not to mention it had exclusive bosses, weapons,outfits, Separate Ways, etc. The PS2 version also had actual, true 16x9 support and not just cropped 4:3.

At any rate, it wasn't a Gamecube exclusive, period.

But that Capcom 5 exclusivity!
 
The PS2 port of RE4 is pretty bad. It looks worse, it sounds AWFUL, the cutscenes are pre-rendered instead of in-engine,it has longer loading times, and it has a worse framerate

It wasn't as bad as you're making it out to be and it had a ton of content the gc didn't have. The gc version is undeniably the most barebones version.
 
Gamecube wasn't the juggernaut that the PS2 was but it still had a better library than the Wii.

Not to start an argument, but the Wii library is (or maybe 'will be remembered as") one of the best ever, right up there with PS2. A couple of recent topics and the Keep your Wii dust-free megathread just cement that opinion for myself and many others.

GC was great if you picked it up late in it's life (or early in the Wii's life). I don't see that as revisionist, I see it as late acceptance.
 
The PS2 combined with the GC first party still makes that the best generation ever for me. I thought for a while PS4 plus Wii U could do that as well.
 
this game is actually quite unfair. story mode has invincible CPUs in some missions and the CPU goes faster than what the machines are capable in GP mode in several tracks.

i don't get where this myth of F-Zero games being "fair" started. the CPU cheats more than in Mario Kart sometimes.

When the CPUs are put in a position where they aren't cheating (Grand Prix mode) they're a total joke to defeat, even on the hardest difficulty. And the only Story Mode mission where the CPU is invincible is the final one.

Furthermore, the final mission of Story Mode (which is itself one of the hardest in the game) is actually just a Staff Ghost, which is pretty much as fair as it gets. If one human being could do it, so can you.

What prompts people to call F-Zero GX's difficulty "fair" (which I think is the wrong word for it-- I think its difficulty is warranted, and beautiful in a way, but it certainly doesn't achieve that by putting you on perfectly even footing with your opponents) is that the game's skill cap is basically non-existent. You can always get better at the game, because it's so mechanically demanding that nobody can actually play it perfectly. No challenge in Story Mode or anywhere else is totally insurmountable (except, as mentioned, playing totally perfectly).

Some people don't like it when a game requires that sort of dedication though, and that's okay.
 
Are there any more multiplats that actually looked the worst on the Gamecube? I remember Chaos Theory looking the worst on GC, second worst on PS2, quite good on original Xbox, and great on PC.

Note: this has nothing to do with hardware, I'm aware the PS2 is weaker. This is more regarding porting jobs.
 
The Gamecube had maybe the best power:price ratio I've ever seen. Resident Evil 4 isn't THAT far below many of the best-looking Xbox titles.

And the Gamecube controller was absolutely incredible. Fewer buttons were a problem, yes, but NO controller has ever felt so good or been so intuitive for me.
 
A remake of an old game

Er, even though it's called REmake, that's mostly just a cutesy, shorthand way of identifying it. The only real similarity it shares with the original is the base, skeletal structure. Everything else had been completely retooled and reimagined. That's really what the game should be called: REimagined. But that doesn't flow well at all.

REmake is so much more than a mere remake, bud. It threw new mechanics at you, introduced entirely new layers to the gameplay (Crimson Heads and zombies opening doors are the two big ones), featured new areas that usually worked well, and fixed the aggravating parts of J-volt. And the lighting was just stunning.

There's a reason why people clamor so hard for a REmake 2. Because what they did with REmake was just that damned brilliant.
 
Er, even though it's called REmake, that's mostly just a cutesy, shorthand way of identifying it. The only real similarity it shares with the original is the base, skeletal structure. Everything else had been completely retooled and reimagined. That's really what the game should be called REimagined. But that doesn't flow well at all.

Isn't that what a 'remake' should be, rather than being far above what people normally think of as being a remake? See: Destiny PS2 being almost completely different in combat with huge amounts of new stuff and combat fixed, completely new sprites and tons of extra content. That's a great remake too.
 
Dreamcast, too.

The Dreamcast was also cheap, easier to develop for, had online and Sega making the craziest games every seen. Thankfully the 360 (in its early life) and it seems like the PS4 as well are going to keep pushing the Dreamcast message. Games.
 
Isn't that what a 'remake' should be, rather than being far above what people normally think of as being a remake? See: Destiny PS2 being almost completely different in combat with huge amounts of new stuff and combat fixed, completely new sprites and tons of extra content. That's a great remake too.

I think we've largely been conditioned to use the word for a wide variety of different releases, but usually, it all boils down to semantics. The Ico/SotC HD remake, for example, I think provides the clearest case of a very normal, standard remake, where you have some improved texturing, improved frame rate, but very little else has been changed. The game you're playing there is fundamentally identical to the original.

I suppose that's my benchmark whether I see something as a remake or reimagining: whether the fundamentals of the game have been altered.

REmake absolutely altered the fundamental components of the original game, introducing new content, new enemies, new mechanics, new gameplay, etc. It's not simply a remake.

Twin Snakes is another one. Takes the original game, introduces new content, gameplay, mechanics, etc. More a reimagining than remake.

Duck Tales Remastered: unless there were massive changes to the game, itself, that's a clear example of a remake.

So, that's the big point here. Even if it's a lot of semantics, there's still enough going on in REmake to castrate the notion of simply disregarding it as a remake. Particularly when we have very good examples of actual remakes. Lumping REmake and Twin Snakes (even though TTS sucked) in with Duck Tales and Ico/SotC...eh...

PLUS, none of this changes the fact that REmake is and should be on every Best Of GameCube short list. It's that good.
 
Systems of that generation especially will be looked at very fondly in hindsight. Looking at a gamecube today someone sees the whole game library available at once. The dead system has no draughts. Comparing to a specifically Wii the output of high quality games may get pretty close.
 
Worst first post ever.

The hardcore gaming community was down with the DC from the beginning; especially if you were into shmups & fighters. When it went under, MS & Sony went after its exclusives like sharks. It had an incredibly vibrant and creative roster of titles. Looking at mainstream gaming today you can see just how influential Shenmue really was to designers.

What killed the DC was Sony having all the big budget 3rd party games, their excellent job hyping up the PS2 which cast a huge shadow over DC, and Sega having trashed their rep by abandoning multiple platforms before it. But there's nothing revisionist about saying it was great.

Dreamcast had the best arcade ports than any console. Hence why hardcore gamers prefered the DC.
Also Microsoft purchased Sega's studios in USA to continue with their Xbox brand.

Basically at that time the PS2 was the Xbox360 of its time with Call of Duty and sports games helping it boost sales. Hence why PS3 doesnt go that well in sales compared to the PS2
When FPS like COD and Halo and sports games established a new xbox360 fanbase, the PS3 was back to its Japanese roots again.

the Gamecube didnt do that well in sales because, unlike the Wii, it also catered to hardcore gamers, mainly those of Nintendo.

A problem both the Gamecube and the DC faced was transitioning from all those 2D classics of the 80s to 3D gaming. Not everything went as smoothly. Both Nintendo 64 and Sega Saturn issues were just a warning. The Saturn due to hardware difficulties, the Nintendo 64 due to cartridge. They couldnt predict that 3D gaming would become the norm so quickly. Also this split their fanbase.From those that grew with 2d gaming in the 80s-mid90s, a considerable part did not accept that transition. Eg 3D Zelda, 3D Sonic etc

So when Gamecube and DC appeared, Sony had already made big steps.
Nintendo and Sega, despite valiant efforts, couldnt keep up and catch the lost ground.


Sony and Microsoft not having any 2D gaming history, since the Playstation and Xbox were mainly for 3D graphics, did much better with their fanbase.
 
The Gamecube was super cheap,

It didn't sell well.

3rd party games were hindered due to the controller's lack of buttons and weird placement....not to mention the right thumbstick.

It had a tiny memory card, a proprietary disc format, no DVD playback, and no online support.

There wasn't that many good games for it in general.

Sure it had a good Zelda game on it (that everyone complained about prior to release), Resident Evil 4, Metroid Prime, Rogue Leader 3,and a few others, but not too many exclusive 3rd party games.

Somehow, history thinks it was an amazing system.

The Wii was supposed to break the Nintendo console slump from the N64 and Gamecube, but somehow the Gamecube era is referred to as "the good old days of Nintendo" compared to today.

I don't get it.

you sort of answer your question in your own post. It had great games. Wii and Wii U library don't really match up to the GCN lineup.
 
you sort of answer your question in your own post. It had great games. Wii and Wii U library don't really match up to the GCN lineup.

Again, not true. The Wii's library easily outclasses it in most franchises/genres.

People retroactively say they love it because it's the days when Nintendo was competing on power, and wish Nintendo would "go back to those days" despite it being their worst selling platform (though Wii U may take that title, we'll see).

Wii U isn't part of the conversation yet, not even being a year old.
 
How in the world is THIS:

811125-gamecube_controller.jpg


Not the greatest controller ever?

Octagon gates for the joysticks, Nintendo quality D-Pad, even when smaller, those beautiful button placements that gave every button a unique textile feel underneath my thumbs that didn't require me to look at the controller to make sure I was pressing the right button! (Unlike Xbox, PS and Dreamcast, an issue I still have to this day because their confirmation 'A' button always differs.) Not to mention those beautiful analog triggers that curved right around your fingers, making it damn near impossible for said fingers to slip off (again, unlike MS and Sony).

The ONLY thing that controller was missing, was clickable sticks, and a second Z trigger for the left hand side. It was (and still is) the greatest ergonomically designed controller with the perfect weight (wired and wireless), and a no-brainer for why it is the ultimate controller still used for Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl (and with the right adapter what will be used for SSBU).
 
Again, not true. The Wii's library easily outclasses it in most franchises/genres.

People retroactively say they love it because it's the days when Nintendo was competing on power, and wish Nintendo would "go back to those days" despite it being their worst selling platform (though Wii U may take that title, we'll see).

Wii U isn't part of the conversation yet, not even being a year old.
The Wii generation marks the start of the "catering" to the casual market. Pretty much the Wii and the Wii U made the gamecube look good to the hardcore nintendo fans.
 
GameCube was my only console of that generation for the first 4 years or so. It was awesome. It had an abundant catalog of first-party exclusives and it actually got all the major third-party cross-platform games. I ended up with nearly 80 games for it. It's true it didn't sell as well as the PS2, but nothing did that generation.
 
How in the world is THIS:

811125-gamecube_controller.jpg


Not the greatest controller ever?

Octagon gates for the joysticks, Nintendo quality D-Pad, even when smaller, those beautiful button placements that gave every button a unique textile feel underneath my thumbs that didn't require me to look at the controller to make sure I was pressing the right button! (Unlike Xbox, PS and Dreamcast, an issue I still have to this day because their confirmation 'A' button always differs.) Not to mention those beautiful analog triggers that curved right around your fingers, making it damn near impossible for said fingers to slip off (again, unlike MS and Sony).

The ONLY thing that controller was missing, was clickable sticks, and a second Z trigger for the left hand side. It was (and still is) the greatest ergonomically designed controller with the perfect weight (wired and wireless), and a no-brainer for why it is the ultimate controller still used for Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl (and with the right adapter what will be used for SSBU).

And a select button.

Essentially 4 missing buttons is a big deal.
 
The game cube was such an amazing device.
Haters be damned, it was pure magic.

Yes the memory card size was really stupid and gimped sports games (no franchise modes). BUt beyond that it was a superb. Games loaded worlds faster. Every time i would play my PS2 (for exclusives only) I would be in shock of how long loads were.

I loved teh controller. Especially the WaveBird. It was so nice having a quality first part wireless controller a whole generation ahead of everyone else. And it felt so nice in the hands. Good stuff,



And that doesnt even factor in the games....

Rogue Squadron: Rogue Leader <- IMO best SW game ever. EVER!
Zelda WW
Zelda TP
MK:DD
Pikman
SuperMonkey Ball
SC2
RE4
MP
MP2
Eternal Darkness
And that's with out even trying to remember games.
 
And a select button.

Essentially 4 missing buttons is a big deal.

Clickable sticks would have been nice, but they're not exactly essential. There are plenty of games that don't use all the buttons that could be re-mapped if necessary.

Yes, there is room for improvement, but overall no game controller surpasses this in my eyes.
 
And a select button.

Essentially 4 missing buttons is a big deal.

No, it's not even close to a big deal, considering that the select button is never used for actual gameplay functions and clickable sticks are probably the poorest method of control input on any controller in history.
 
How in the world is THIS:

811125-gamecube_controller.jpg


Not the greatest controller ever?

Octagon gates for the joysticks, Nintendo quality D-Pad, even when smaller, those beautiful button placements that gave every button a unique textile feel underneath my thumbs that didn't require me to look at the controller to make sure I was pressing the right button! (Unlike Xbox, PS and Dreamcast, an issue I still have to this day because their confirmation 'A' button always differs.) Not to mention those beautiful analog triggers that curved right around your fingers, making it damn near impossible for said fingers to slip off (again, unlike MS and Sony).

The ONLY thing that controller was missing, was clickable sticks, and a second Z trigger for the left hand side. It was (and still is) the greatest ergonomically designed controller with the perfect weight (wired and wireless), and a no-brainer for why it is the ultimate controller still used for Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl (and with the right adapter what will be used for SSBU).

I like the Gamecube controller but it has some big problems. The d-pad is terrible, really terrible. It makes the controller basically useless for 2D games. That alone will never allow it to be "best controller ever". This controller could never be used for 2D Mario for instance. No wonder that Nintendo didn't try that on the Gamecube. The Z button is also really bad and unconfortable to reach out for. A second Z button should be there as well (and preferably better placed).

The controller was great for some games that really took it into consideration when being designed (Melee, Metroid Prime) but for other games it's not good at all (Mega Man Anniversary comes to mind). I don't think any control out there is perfect, but I'd much rather have the Wii Classic Controller Pro for most games or the PS3 dualshock if the d-pad is not to be used (I don't like the d-pad there either).
 
How in the world is THIS:

811125-gamecube_controller.jpg


Not the greatest controller ever?

Octagon gates for the joysticks, Nintendo quality D-Pad, even when smaller, those beautiful button placements that gave every button a unique textile feel underneath my thumbs that didn't require me to look at the controller to make sure I was pressing the right button! (Unlike Xbox, PS and Dreamcast, an issue I still have to this day because their confirmation 'A' button always differs.) Not to mention those beautiful analog triggers that curved right around your fingers, making it damn near impossible for said fingers to slip off (again, unlike MS and Sony).

The ONLY thing that controller was missing, was clickable sticks, and a second Z trigger for the left hand side. It was (and still is) the greatest ergonomically designed controller with the perfect weight (wired and wireless), and a no-brainer for why it is the ultimate controller still used for Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl (and with the right adapter what will be used for SSBU).

Why would anyone want octagonal gates on an all-purpose controller?
 
I gotta disagree strongly with OP. Very under appreciated system whose sales do not reflect the level of quality in its exclusive games lineup.

Also had some of the best looking games of that generation, small wonder nintendo don't bother with the expense of matching their opponents on a technical level when having first rate visuals for that gen didn't equal superior sales.
 
I always enjoyed those Youtube videos of people testing the different consoles ability to be drop or smashed or dragged behind a car. Seemed like Gamecube would always play the game no matter what.

Anyone link me to the one where they tie a GameCube to a rope and throw it out of a speeding ute, then reconnect it to their TV and Mario Sunshine boots up? I remember them all going "whoa holy shit!" when they realised it booted up still lol
 
If only:

1. Celda was released after a realistic Zelda (similar to the hype one shown at E3 or Twilight was first)

2. Mario water world was released after a Mario Galaxy type game

I wonder how things would have differed for the GC.
 
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