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Nintendo Gamecube Console Review – The Birth of The Mini Disc

Hi guys I hope you have had a amazing day, now sit back put your feet up with your preferred drink in hand (tea, wine, lager are all perfectly acceptable) and travel back with us as we look into Nintendo’s first CD based console.

Nintendo Gamecube – remembering the mini discs

The Nintendo Game Cube was the successor to the N64 and had fairly big boots to fill but as you will read didn’t quite reach the heights Nintendo hoped it would. Some criticised the design of the console compared to the PlayStation 2, others were not impressed by the use of optical CD’s (basically mini DVD’s) meaning it couldn’t play audio or DVD’s.

An interesting launch

The launch titles for the console were good and ranged from Luigi’s Mansion to Rogue Squadron 2: Rouge Leader, but something odd was that there was no Mario game on release. The console had various features that were ahead of its time and therefore unfortunately not used to their full potential, for example this little console had second screen capability using the Nintendo Game Boy (much like PS4-Vita). It also had online capabilities using a broadband adaptor and a LAN connection (every console now), it was like Nintendo had time travelled into the future, took notes and came back but forgot to mention it to developers.

Again as always with Nintendo the games were of high quality from Zelda: The Wind Waker, Super Mario Sunshine, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes and it’s best selling game Super Smash Bros Melee. It also had a little exclusive game called Resident Evil 4 which was well received and changed the Resident Evil gaming world forever.

A few speed bumps

There was a problem with the Game Cube though and that was that it wasn’t selling (probably something to do with a little console known as the PlayStation 2), Nintendo even had to stop producing the console for 9 months to allow stores to clear the backlog of unsold units. They also cut the price in September 2003 to £99.99 to try and gain ground but unfortunately nothing seemed to work.

The games were good, the console was inexpensive, but nothing could draw people to the little system and it was not doing a good job in the shadow of its predecessor and in the end the N64 outsold the Game Cube.

Star Struck Gaming Rating

This was the first time Nintendo’s Marketing department had not come out on top as they had seriously underestimated the popularity of Sony’s PlayStation 2, and eventually pulled the plug on the Game Cube in 2007. The cube now has a bit of a cult following and again has quality games, and was a victim of a poorly timed release which it could never find its way back from, this was one of the few times Nintendo claimed to have failed.

So now we travel back to today and with a quick glance at our PlayStation 4’s and Xbox One’s with their online abilities, and second screen add-ons we wonder if these features would have existed without the little Game Cube.

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