How the GameCube became gaming’s most beloved underdog
I won’t ever forget the day that I eagerly plugged in my Nintendo GameCube to show my friends Metroid Prime. only for them to tell me, in no uncertain terms. It was a cheap Haloripoff. It was different growing up as a Nintendo fanboy back in 2002.
It’s not as if Nintendo has stopped being a household brand. The Game Boy Advance was a popular handheld, continuing Nintendo’s long-running dominance of the market. But the home console market was entirely different. The GameCube couldn’t match the sleeker, more mature PlayStation 2 or Xboxconsoles.
This was the start of the games industry, and the wider public decided that video game consoles should not look or feel like toys. It didn’t matter how much they were and still are! People wanted their consoles to look cool and sexy. With its bright colors, chunky controller, and chunky controller the GameCube looked just like a toy. It was not up to the challenge of the cooler, more advanced kids.
The GameCube boasted an impressive library of exclusives, ranging from Resident Evil 4 to The Legend Of Zelda The Wind Waker, and offered intense four-player party games fun with Super Smash Bros. Melee and Mario Party 5. The GameCube couldn’t keep up with its competitors! With 22 million units sold, the Nintendo console came in third place behind Xbox and PS2.
There were many reasons why GameCube failed. Many argue that Nintendo should not have targeted the same audience as Microsoft and Sony, but instead embraced its family-friendly status. Some people believe it lacked the extra touch that makes a Nintendo console unique. The DS featured a touch screen, while the Wii had motion controls and the Switch is a hybrid home console/handheld. The GameCube was just another console. It made the fatal mistake of trying to be more than it was.
The GameCube was left behind in relative obscurity, becoming the third least popular of the big three. Although I was able to get my friends to play Super Smash Bros. occasionally, the majority of conversations were dominated by Halo 2 Jak & Daxter and GTA Vice City. Although these games are great, it can be difficult to remember that I was a child who jumped on the wrong console. The GameCube was a complete failure, even back in those days.
History has been kind to this little savage. Today, Nintendo’s early 2000’s console is so beloved that it’s hard to believe that it was ever one of their biggest failures.
Our unwavering loyalty to GameCube is clearly influenced by our nostalgia. Although I can recall playing and enjoying games on my Game Boy Color and PlayStation 2, it was not until the GameCube era that I truly began to appreciate video games. It was there that I discovered Ocarina Of Time and Majora’s Mask. I also spent hours playing Paper Mario – The Thousand-Year Door and Pokemon Colosseum.
However, nostalgia can be tricky, and some people mistake Star Wars prequels for utter dog hits. The GameCube is worthyof being fondly remembered.
It is easy to put the blame on nostalgia, as most exclusives from GameCube have lasted a long time. Super Smash Bros. Melee still has a vibrant competitive scene and is regarded as one of the greatest games in the series. There are still people with a GameCube hooked up and ready to play this game.
Similar to Metroid Prim, Retro Studio’s level design is timeless and the moody open world in Metroid Prime is often hailed as one of the best games ever made. The Wind Waker has cel-shaded graphics that were so detested at the time and have made it look better than many modern games. Pikmin, Luigi’s Mansion, and Animal Crossing were also created by GameCube. There’s a good reason Capcom keeps porting Resident Evil 4 to every console, essentially unchanged since its original release.
These games are sluggers and being able to play them on the Nintendo Wii due to backward compatibility undoubtedly helped them reach slightly larger audiences. This further solidified GameCube’s reputation for high-quality games ( Super Mario Sunshine aside).
People don’t remember buying a console just because they thought it was cool. People remember the joy they had and the people with whom they played. The GameCube console is fun and great. This is why the GameCube will be a lasting memory and why it continues to attract new fans.
