Finally, some actual content for this review blog. I imagine it’ll take a least 3 minutes or more to read. I won’t be going into too much detail due to me probably covering it more within the game reviews and an upcoming tech comparison review I will be working on. I can’t promise how amazing my first official foray into journalistic gaming reviewing will be, but there will be something of interest there I hope. This is a mere stepping stone for my skills to be improved over time to keep you tasty folks hooked and coming back for more of that sweet sweet nectar. So please do enjoy.
The Gamecube is considered a commercial flop by it’s own parent company due to low sales when initially released way back when in 2001 in Japan and then to America, and finally Europe in 2002. Even so, it still managed to ship over 21 million units worldwide, which still isn’t the worst realistically. At the time it was going up against the absolute juggernaut that is the Playstation 2 which dropped in 2000 giving it a slight head start, and then not too long after in 2002 the Xbox appeared, which did alright I suppose, it did give us the Halo series. However no one can deny the might that was the PS2 which to this day is still the best selling console of all time at a mega 155 million units sold. With an extensive back catalogue of games that still reaches audiences today with various remakes and remasters. And if not that, it could just be dusting off your old collection from time to time or maybe fond memories of the games you played in your younger days.
The Gamecube even so, still managed to hold it’s own as time has gone by mainly in my opinion due to the high quality of games that they dropped over the 6 years of production. Even though you could pick up a Wii for cheaper and play your games on it. It doesn’t have the same feel as booting up the Console itself, with the unique gamepad that came with it, something Nintendo still likes to do for every new console.
The games coming on much smaller optical discs then their counterparts, opting out of CD and DVD playing functionality allowing a more focused set up for gaming. Which for this particular generation for me are some of the ones that have aged the best. Obviously not graphically or technically, as at the time they would’ve seemed incredible as it does every time a new generation drops but by today’s standards especially in comparison to the new powerhouses of the PS5 or Xbox Series X, with all the fancy Ray-tracing and shit. You have so many beloved series and the entries within, that are still so highly regarded. From The Metroid Prime series, Mario Kart Double Dash, LOZ The Wind Waker, Luigi’s mansion, Pokemon Colosseum and Xd Gale of Darkness and so on and so forth.
The Gamecube came with many cool features that the other 6th generation counterparts didn’t for instance the Wavebird. The first commercially sold wireless controller having to plug in a transceiver into the controller port, then using the channel selection wheel on it and the controller to connect up. The joytech flip up screen allowing you to play the game directly on the console itself or the broadband adapter used to play games like fantasy star online. Which also leads on to one of the simultaneously great and most ridiculous thing in gaming the Gamecube ASCII keyboard controller, which is literally a whole computer keyboard with the the left and right side of the game pad dumped at the end creating a true monstrosity, all just for the privilege of been able to use a chat function in game. You even have the strange Panasonic Q hybrid, which did allow for DVDs to be used, but that didn’t fair well in sales due to it being kinda pointless and horrific to look at, like someone you used to go to school with rock head rumple looking child being spammed over your social media’s 24/7 so you block them.
Then you have the GBA Link cable which allowed you to hook up your Advance to aid in different ways to play certain games like the LOZ the four swords adventure or trade Pokemon, usually through the Gameboy player which for me even today is still an amazing piece of tech and my favourite part of my personal collection. You slot a small slab looking platform at the bottom of your console and drop in the disc in the top. Then this allows you to play any of your Gameboy all the way through to GB Advance games onto your TV. Making it the true precursor to what the switch ended up becoming through trials using the Wii U.
Without waffling on for too much longer, I will wrap this review up. So for me it is truly one of the best consoles and even though it lacks most the features of today’s consoles I don’t necessarily feel that’s a bad thing. It did what it was made for, playing games and it did it very, very well. It may be nice to watch Netflix off your Playstation or talk to your mates over an online game, but you’ve lost the fun of making sure you’ve got the right memory card plugged in. The local co-op where you’d all be crammed round the same console in your room. You never had to worry about all the new firmware updates that could brick your saves. New features swapping round how the interface works. Sure the memory cards may or may have not caused a few problems for certain games, but it’d never break your console. In certain ways simpler is much better, don’t get me wrong I love my PS5 and Switch but not many games have come out in the last 10 years that’d keep playing, whereas on my Gamecube there is many.
10/10 Certified real fuckin Tasty. (No bias here I swear)
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