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Revisionist history has been kind to the Gamecube.

MrT-Tar said:
I've definitely noticed some sort of Zelda-cycle applied to Nintendo systems. I've noticed opinion being more favourable of the Wii in the last year and over the course of the 7th gen noticed it with the GC.

With the GC it's possibly more prevalent as it fits in to what many see as what Nintendo 'should' be, fairly often ignoring similar more recent examples. For example, many like to look back to Pikmin as the last 'core' New IP Nintendo made, completely ignoring 7th gen examples like Xenoblade Chronicles and Soma Bringer. Equally I've seen many idolise the 'hardcore' nature of the GC lineup, while I believe that term fits the Wii library similarly well. The GC offers a good contrast in many respects to what some people perceive, rightly or wrongly, as Nintendo today.
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I think the reason the Wii gets looked at as not having a big core library is b/c, unlike GC, it had a massive library of casual games as well. Honestly, the GC mainly had Nintendo's IPs and core-centric games. Take that for what you will in regards how they stack up to the Wii's core games (or any other system's), but that's what it is. And in that context, I think a lot of the Wii hate on the internet is unjustified.

What's really ironic here, is PS2 had just as big (if not bigger) casual audience and library as the Wii does, but it doesn't get harped on like that system. I'd just venture to say it's because the core library on PS2 was always magnitudes larger and more immediately relevant than the Wii's, but it doesn't negate the fact that system was as much a casual's paradise as it was a core's.
 
61DHK4DQRDL._SL500_300_.jpg


This game was awesome, so it's ok with me.
 
It had a small concentration of EXCELLENT games and a massive shortage of good games. When you look back or when you try to go back and play on it, you tend to focus on the highest quality games and not the decent titles that kept you interested between big releases. Hence why it is remembered in such a way.

I wouldn't describe it as revisionist, but revisiting a console changes the manner in which you determine quality.
 
The GC was a good system and a really good bang for your buck in the early 00s, I never spent as much time playing it compared to the PS2 (which had a monster library of games) but still had a lot of fun playing Melee, Double Dash, F-Zero, SMS, Wind Waker, etc.

If your not that big on Nintendo first party, I could see why one wouldn't like the console all that much because the number of 3rd party exclusives that weren't timed on it were very limited.
 
How is "revisionist history" for some people to talk about how much they liked the gc? No one is going back and saying the gc was the best of the generation and smashed all expectations anyone had for it. They are just saying that they enjoyed the gc and more importantly the games on the gc. And there are a lot more titles on the gc than just zelda as many people in this thread have already pointed out.
 
vcassano1 said:
It had a small concentration of EXCELLENT games and a massive shortage of good games. When you look back or when you try to go back and play on it, you tend to focus on the highest quality games and not the decent titles that kept you interested between big releases. Hence why it is remembered in such a way.

I wouldn't describe it as revisionist, but revisiting a console changes the manner in which you determine quality.
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Correct.
 
The Gamecube was probably my favourite Nintendo console next to the N64. Both had similarly small libraries of games, but damn if some of my favourite gaming memories don't come from those consoles.
 
The only complaint I had about the Gamecube was the lack of DVD playback. I couldn't care less about online at the time, and the controller was fine until the Virtual Console forced me to buy a Classic Controller with Super Mario World and Donkey Kong Country. I first played the Gamecube when my brother came back from college, so I could play Super Smash Bros, Animal Crossing, Eternal Darkness, Super Monkey Ball 2, Super Mario Sunshine, and Metroid Prime, all of which I loved. After he essentially handed it off to me, my collection grew to a total of 21 games (plus Pokemon Box and the Rogue Squadron III demo). One of the things I loved were the compilations. It's how I was able to sit down and play the Mega Man and Sonic series properly.
 
darkazcura said:
I've never owned more games for a system than with the GameCube. What it lacked in Mario and Zelda greatness (IMO for me), it made up for in other areas several times over. I was only ever truly disappointed in never getting a Goldeneye/Perfect Dark sequel, but that's for obvious reasons. :(
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Hmmm? Doesn't the GC have the strongest Zelda games library? It have Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Four Sword Adventure, a compilation with OoT+Master Quest and another compilation with OoT, MM, Zelda(NES) and Zelda II.
 
I bought my gamecube very close to launch and I still remember fondly playing Pikmin for the first time on it, it was great. I think anyone that had the chance to own multiple gaming devices at the time, which was my case, would think of it positively too. I don't think I would've been satisfied with just my PC, PS2 or GBA either.

Considering the fact that I played a shit ton of amazing games on it, I don't think there's a reason for me to not look back fondly at it.
 
Nintendo has been doing shit since N64. However N64 will always be one of the finest consoles for me simply because it introduced Mario 64 and OoT which were both revolutionary. But let's be honest SNES was the last time Nintendo were the kings.
 
The Gamecube was an odd duck. It ultimately had a pretty nice lineup, and overall I'd say I liked the system much much more than the N64 (which as far as I'm concerned peaked at launch with Mario 64 and then was all downhill from there, with a couple noteworthy exceptions). I had a bunch of imports for it too because it was super easy to get around the region lock. I even played Wind Waker in Japanese WITH the full version of the obnoxious Triforce quest before they pared it down.

All in all, it was a pretty nice little machine, but it always felt overshadowed by its competitors. The PS2 had quite possibly the most diverse and well-rounded library of any console ever, and the Xbox was the kind of interesting new kid on the block drawing a whole lot of attention to itself, so the Gamecube was sort of "the other system with the Nintendo games" in that context.
 
I think we are all ungrateful snobs who don't appreciate what we have until its gone. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I loved my Dreamcast from the start.
 
The gamecube was a colossal failure and the DS and WII saved Nintendo. Everyone is looking back at it now as being amazing but that system was a joke. No one wanted it, most people made fun of the purple lunch box and the retarded looking controller. It an embarrassing console to own.

I don't know how people are looking back at it fondly but it had Super Mario Sunshine which everyone at the time didn't like as much and wanted more Mario 64. Wind Waker was hated for years for being a cel-shaded kiddie game and only recently for some reason people have started liking it again.

The system got RE4 which came to the PS2 anyways after Mikami cut off his head.
 
kurbaan said:
The gamecube was a colossal failure and the DS and WII saved Nintendo. Everyone is looking back at it now as being amazing but that system was a joke. No one wanted it, most people made fun of the purple lunch box and the retarded looking controller. It an embarrassing console to own.

I don't know how people are looking back at it fondly but it had Super Mario Sunshine which everyone at the time didn't like as much and wanted more Mario 64. Wind Waker was hated for years for being a cel-shaded kiddie game and only recently for some reason people have started liking it again.

The system got RE4 which came to the PS2 anyways after Mikami cut off his head.
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Oh PLEASE. THIS is emberassing. The library may not have been PS2 huge but I have better memories of the Gamecube than of the PS2. Maybe also because I thought it owned techincally, the formfactor was small, loading times were ace and the discs were really really sturdy. Plus I could never forgive the PS2 for it's complete lack of AA in many, many games, I hated the constant pixel flickering. Cubegames always looked ace in that regard.

Plus Starfox Adventures is propably my favourite Zelda Clone.
 
Pretty much. The Gamecube was seen in no better light then the WiiU curently is. It didn't help the its Mario title as well as Zelda and Mario Kart were seen commonly as the worst entry in their series. Outside of Super Smash Bros, Metroid, and Resident Evil 4 it as regarded as a joke console. And in reality it sort of was. The quantity of quality of titles, especially exclusives, on it was very light. I think a lot of this due to the fact that the kids who grew up with the Gamecube are now adults and have fond memories of it.

FoxSpirit said:
Oh PLEASE. THIS is emberassing. The library may not have been PS2 huge but I have better memories of the Gamecube than of the PS2. Maybe also because I thought it owned techincally, the formfactor was small, loading times were ace and the discs were really really sturdy. Plus I could never forgive the PS2 for it's complete lack of AA in many, many games, I hated the constant pixel flickering. Cubegames always looked ace in that regard.

Plus Starfox Adventures is propably my favourite Zelda Clone.
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Everything he said was true. Mario Sunshine was hated, Windwaker received more hate than any other Zelda game I can think of (even Twilight Princess), and Resident Evil 4 was saw as its saving grace was eventually ported to its greatest enemy. Its just that its nearly been ten years and everyone forgot about this.

Also interesting you noted Starfox Adventures, a game that disappointed many when it came out.
 
It's because the Meleecube was, and still is, the best system for Smash Brothers.

It's hard not to look fondly on a system that has yet to be outdone.
 
Nope, it was a great console when it was out, and it remains so to this day. That's not revisionism. Failed consoles do not equal bad consoles.

Dreamcast was a great console too - I thought so when I owned it, as did a number of publications. It just had the misfortune of being released by a dying company.

Saturn is much more complex - but I still enjoyed my time with it. I think the Japanese/import crew got the most out of it though.
 
The Gamecube was dissapointing, even when I was younger. The fact that it was so similar to PS2 and XBOX were a detriment imo. SNES, N64 were great because they stood out in comparision to the competitors. The Wii was a return to that.
 
Seik said:
Hmmm? Doesn't the GC have the strongest Zelda games library? It have Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Four Sword Adventure, a compilation with OoT+Master Quest and another compilation with OoT, MM, Zelda(NES) and Zelda II.
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It's just my opinion. I don't think TWW and TP are anywhere near OOT and MM. OOT and MM are both on my top 5 of all time list. TWW was very, very good, but it's not anywhere near that level for me. TP was okay. I could never get into FSA as much as I tried. Yeah GameCube has the capability of playing pretty much every console Zelda, but I was talking about the actual new titles.

I have a lot of trouble ranking which system I liked better (N64 or GameCube). N64 had the better games in Nintendo's two most popular franchises (Mario and Zelda), and it had my favorite FPS of all time. Plus the 3D platformers..man those were so fun. The GameCube absolutely pummeled the N64 in terms of Nintendo's "second tier" franchises, 3rd party support, and variety. It's tough to choose, but I loved both for different reasons clearly.

I guess you could say the GameCube was more consistent in its quality. TWW, Sunshine, GX, Double Dash, Smash etc are all "9 games" to me, while the N64 had a few "10 games" (Mario, both Zelda's, Banjo, and Goldeneye) with everything else being 8's (Kart, Smash, Tooie, etc). Not sure that makes the Cube any better or worse than the N64 for me..there was nothing otherworldly or revolutionary about it, but Nintendo was damn consistent with its quality titles.
 
Gamecube was cool but also massively overrated in order for people to play down the Wii. Nintendo 64 and Wii were both better than the Gamecube. Still it was a Nintendo console so it meant that there will always be some incredible memorable experiences. Super Smash Bros Melee, Wind Waker, Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2. Four games alone that can give you hours and hours of fun and amazement. Damn you NeoGAF, now I am getting sentimental. :(
 
Well, there is a saying here that says if someone complains about his life the best solution is to send a goat to live with him. The goat will eat his furniture, destroy everything and shit everywhere. Then removes the goat. Now the guy is super happy about his life.

The point here is that they did not stop with a goat. They sent a second one. Suddenly living with just one goat is not that bad anymore, in fact it is great.

At the time Gamecube was bad compared with other Nintendo consoles. Now you can see it is great. But it is a goat.
 
bkfount said:
There were some great games on it and it had some amazing potential. I sill want to play a game on it using multiple GBAs as controllers.
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Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (FFCC) remains one of the most enjoyable co-op games I have ever played. Seriously, I have been checking my friends for GBAs so I can play it again.
 
I have to agree with the OP here.

The GC had dependable hardware and a decent (at best) volume of great games, but it's definitely in the rose-tinted class of revisionist history next to the DC.
 
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug.

Folks will do the same thing with the Wii. I do the same thing with the N64 because it was my only system at the time and I was 11.

It's all relative to time and place and sometimes it's nice to go back there every now and again with fond memories.
 
zero shift said:
Everything he said was true. Mario Sunshine was hated, Windwaker received more hate than any other Zelda game I can think of (even Twilight Princess), and Resident Evil 4 was saw as its saving grace was eventually ported to its greatest enemy. Its just that its nearly been ten years and everyone forgot about this.
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which is great. Time goes on, taking all the fanboy system warz shit with it. You can go back and play stuff like Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, or Wind Waker without all the disappointment and enjoy them for what they are under a new light.
 
Gamecube was a good system with a good number of excellent titles. I don't see how there's any "revisionist history" going on here.
 
Because nobody has to justify that the NES, SNES, PSX and PS2 were amazing consoles with humongous library of games, where you both had quality and quantity. Its super obvious these systems were leaders of the time and they do not need anyone to defend them.

So people like to pimp and hype the underdogs/underachievers like the DreamCast, Saturn, N64, GameCube, systems that had a few really good games and some niche titles but as a whole were consoles largely forgotten/ignored by the mainstream.

It is classic David vs. Goliath, people love that
 
Nags said:
Those 4 third party titles were also strongest on GC.
Yes I know, I owned every version of these games.

To add to the list:

Fire Emblem (2 titles)
Skies of Arcadia (best version)
Tales of Symphonia
Megaman Network Transmission
P.N.03
Warioworld
Ikaruga
Baten Kaidos (there were 2, Origins is especially great, every jrpg fan should play)

And I'm definitely missing a few.
Your argument is based on little to no knowledge of the actual GC library OP.
Too lazy to even wiki the list of games or something?
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Good picks. While the Cube didn't sell like gangbusters, anyone who says its library was lacking is doing a little revisionist history of their own.

I forgot how many great games the Cube had. I need to pull some of those out.
 
metalslimer said:
Nope, the Gamecube actually had relevant 3rd party support. The only thing better on Wii was Mario. The Wii is a decent little system but history will not be kind to it
.
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Celegus said:
Gamecube gives the SNES a run for its money. Ridiculous amount of amazing near-perfect games.
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Kazerei said:
In terms of games library, GC > Wii > N64. Fact.
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Wow. I am witnessing the Dreamcasting of the Gamecube in my lifetime. Let's not over-rate the little cube. It had its gems, it had the best controller of all time, and the definitive version of Soul Calibur II. But to say it was better than the Wii? Come on. The period from 2006-2010 was Nintendo's best output ever. It was just hit after hit.
 
zero shift said:
Everything he said was true. Mario Sunshine was hated, Windwaker received more hate than any other Zelda game I can think of (even Twilight Princess), and Resident Evil 4 was saw as its saving grace was eventually ported to its greatest enemy. Its just that its nearly been ten years and everyone forgot about this.

Also interesting you noted Starfox Adventures, a game that disappointed many when it came out.
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I remember all of this, and I'm really glad it seems peoples' opinions have changed. I thought it was crazy then, and I still can't believe how underrated the GameCube was as a console when it was alive and kicking. I thought I lived in a bizzaroworld back then with how much I loved the GameCube and everybody else hating on it. Yeah Zelda and Mario weren't as good, but everything else was so much better, and it's a good thing that people can finally recognize this in retrospect. The console deserved much more praise than it got when it was in its heyday.

Nightstick11 said:
Wow. I am witnessing the Dreamcasting of the Gamecube in my lifetime. Let's not over-rate the little cube. It had its gems, it had the best controller of all time, and the definitive version of Soul Calibur II. But to say it was better than the Wii? Come on. The period from 2006-2010 was Nintendo's best output ever. It was just hit after hit.
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Nah some people actually did like the GameCube a ton when it was out, you know. I liked the Wii but what hits are you talking about? Surely you recognize that wouldn't apply to everyone. The Wii's biggest games were the Galaxy series, TP, SS, MP3, Wii Sports, NSMB, Brawl, Kart, Xenoblade, and DKC.

Galaxy was much better than Sunshine, sure. I don't really enjoy 2D platformers. I thought Brawl and Kart were worse than Melee and Dash. TWW is better than SS and TP. I didn't care too much for Wii Sports. MP3 is on the same level as 1 and 2. Overall a great series, and there was more of it on the GameCube. The Wii definitely had something the Cube did not have in Xenoblade. I have not even mentioned hits like Pikmin, RE4, and Viewtiful Joe. Overall I didn't really feel the Wii had hit after hit like you did. It certainly reflects in the amount of games I own too. I had 32 GameCube games but only 14 Wii games. ::shrugs:: it just depends on the person.

I'm already interested and know about 6-8 Wii U games I want from its launch to this coming March. That's half my Wii library! The Wii was just a lost period for me when it comes to Nintendo games which is something I never expected back in 2006. I guess I like Nintendo games when apparently they are least successful themselves? The N64 and GameCube are my two favorite consoles ever. I can definitely see myself liking the Wii U a ton with Pikmin being back and games like W101, Bayonetta, and multiplayer 3D Mario! I like Nintendo's two least successful consoles the most (jury's still not out on Wii U so I will hold on saying that).
 
geomon said:
Who's been saying the Gamecube was great? I haven't seen that anywhere.
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You haven't been on gaf long then. I got one Xmas 2002 after a full year and I can tell you about how it had great games, but the software slumps between those games is what hurt owners. A GameCube being bought in 2003 or 2004 would have been great for the awesome backlog and hi quality releases towards the end of its lifetime.


Hell, you're talking about a console whose launch month had Pikmin, Luigi's Mansion, Smash Bros. Melee, Rogue Squadron II, and Super Monkey Ball. The problem was after Xmas 2001, the next big game was Super Mario Sunshine in August of 2002. And with no major third party games to keep GameCube owners entertained for 8 months it slumped quickly (Wii U is following in the same path) and by the time it got its second wave of great games (Super Mario, Metroid Prime, Soul Calibur II, Star Fox Adventures, Wind Waker, etc) it was already irrelevant because of its low sales, dominant PS2, and the Xbox's growing popularity in the West.
 
Nintendo consoles always look better in hindsight.

Nintendo's release schedule typically revolves around 1 or 2 big first-party games during the holidays to carry the console for another year, which works for getting people to buy it, but your average GAF gamer is used to buying a new game every month or more. By the end of its lifespan it's built up a respectable collection but the wait between New Zelda and New Metroid and New Mario is frustrating, especially when the new game is underwhelming (Other-M, Sunshine).

Also people were younger when N64 and Gamecube were out and less likely to buy their own games, additionally games would last longer because either your friends were over all the time to play multiplayer (see: everyone complaining about NSMBU not having online, it's much more inconvenient as an adult) or you weren't as good at videogames (old Mario/Sonic games used to be days-long endeavors, now I can beat them in one sitting, sometimes under an hour).

I'm surprised the Wii hasn't been getting more positive attention, Nintendo's output on it was the best since the SNES (imo). But I guess for most people the Wii Sports/Play/Fit stuff overshadows dope-ass games like Mario Galaxy.
 
FoxSpirit said:
Oh PLEASE. THIS is emberassing. The library may not have been PS2 huge but I have better memories of the Gamecube than of the PS2. Maybe also because I thought it owned techincally, the formfactor was small, loading times were ace and the discs were really really sturdy. Plus I could never forgive the PS2 for it's complete lack of AA in many, many games, I hated the constant pixel flickering. Cubegames always looked ace in that regard.

Plus Starfox Adventures is propably my favourite Zelda Clone.
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You may have liked it but you are in a very very small minority. The system was a joke in its lifetime just like the WII U is right now. The only reason people talk it up now is because the WII had waggle and thats not what they wanted.
 
Nightstick11 said:
Wow. I am witnessing the Dreamcasting of the Gamecube in my lifetime. Let's not over-rate the little cube. It had its gems, it had the best controller of all time, and the definitive version of Soul Calibur II. But to say it was better than the Wii? Come on. The period from 2006-2010 was Nintendo's best output ever. It was just hit after hit.
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christ

Galaxy 1/2>>>>>>>>>>>Sunshine
MK Wii>Double Dash
Xenoblade
Sin and Punishment 2

Melee>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Brawl
DKJB>DKCR
Prime>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Prime 3/Other M
Wind Waker/TP>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>TP/SS
Paper Mario TTYD>>>>>>>>>>Super Paper Mario
F-Zero GX
Pikmin 1 and 2
Wave Race Blue Storm


Plus the third party support shits on Wii. REmake, RE4, Soul Calibur II, Viewtiful Joe... the list goes on.

Wii was pretty ass.
 
zero shift said:
Pretty much. The Gamecube was seen in no better light then the WiiU curently is. It didn't help the its Mario title as well as Zelda and Mario Kart were seen commonly as the worst entry in their series. Outside of Super Smash Bros, Metroid, and Resident Evil 4 it as regarded as a joke console. And in reality it sort of was. The quantity of quality of titles, especially exclusives, on it was very light. I think a lot of this due to the fact that the kids who grew up with the Gamecube are now adults and have fond memories of it.



Everything he said was true. Mario Sunshine was hated, Windwaker received more hate than any other Zelda game I can think of (even Twilight Princess), and Resident Evil 4 was saw as its saving grace was eventually ported to its greatest enemy. Its just that its nearly been ten years and everyone forgot about this.

Also interesting you noted Starfox Adventures, a game that disappointed many when it came out.
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1) Dude, I was like 20 when that system came out. I had played games on the NES, SNES, and N64 before that system and I have fond memories of the console.

2) It had a lot of other titles that people liked, such as the Rogue Leader, Eternal Darkness (I didn't like it, but others did), etc.

3) Mario Sunshine wasn't hated. It wasn't popular because it strayed from the formula people loved. However, at least it tried something different.

4) Zelda was only hated when it was first revealed. Primarily because Nintendo shot themselves in the foot showing that Space world demo that looked nothing like the final game. When the final game came out, people learned to accept and appreciate it.

Yes, the Gamecube had a LOT of problems, but it was nowhere near the disaster some people are making it out to be. It may have been Nintendo's least successful console (up till now, at least), but that doesn't make it a failure.
 
The proof is in the pudding. Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 4 and Killer 7 are at the top of my list of all-time favorites. Plenty of compelling exclusives, among most genres, to add to that list as well. Nothing revisionist about it, GameCube had a great library, something WiiU can only dream of. And contrary to popular believe, most of the popular multiplatform releases also had a GameCube version.

I owned a Playstation 2 and a GameCube at the time and I firmly believe that generation of hardware will stand the test of time and be considered the pinnacle of gaming. I've never owned an Xbox, but all of those consoles had a very distinct line-up of quality exclusives without all the anti-consumer bullshit we see these days.
 
I'm cool with people looking back on GameCube fondly, but when they use GameCube as an example as to why Wii era Nintendo is shit it makes no sense. Nintendo's Wii output was much better than GameCube imo
 
Muzy72 said:
I'm cool with people looking back on GameCube fondly, but when they use GameCube as an example as to why Wii era Nintendo is shit it makes no sense. Nintendo's Wii output was much better than GameCube imo
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I disagree. Mario curbstomped the gamecube mario, but other than that im not sure which franchise improved.Zelda was pretty stagnant in quality. Metroid got worse. There was no pikmin. I preferred Path of Radiance. PM took a nosedive. Xenoblade was probably better than Baten Kaitos. Animal Crossing was the same. Smash got worse. There was no f-zero or starfox or luigi's mansion. I liked nintendo's wii output but at best for me it got slightly worse. Also MK got worse.
 
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