Nintendo officials have admitted time and time again that mistakes were made with the GameCube. Whether it was the lack of a steady stream of games, minimal third party support, or poor marketing, the GameCube certainly had its flaws. Apparently, Nintendo knows the mantra about those not learning from their past being destined to repeat it, as it appears determined to right many of the GameCube’s wrongs with Wii. One area that Nintendo already seems destined to improve upon is the launch. While Wii’s launch details are still up in the air, it looks as though Wii’s launch day will have sunny skies, clear conditions, and a safe launch pad. Even though the GameCube didn’t exactly explode on the launch pad, there were definitely some clouds:
Weak list of launch games: When the GameCube launched on November 18, 2001, twelve games were available, including All-Star Baseball 2002, Batman Vengeance, Crazy Taxi, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2, Disney’s Tarzan Untamed, Luigi’s Mansion, Madden NFL 2002, NHL Hitz 2002, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, Super Monkey Ball, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, and Wave Race: Blue Storm. While many people will disagree, GameCube’s launch lineup felt a little lacking. Sure, some of those games were great, especially Super Monkey Ball, Rogue Squadron II, and Luigi’s Mansion. However, most of the other games were quick and easy ports and sports titles available on other systems. Nintendo hasn’t confirmed all the games that will be available for Wii’s launch, but we do know we’ll get the highly anticipated Twilight Princess, which Regis Fils-Aime has called “the Best Zelda game we have ever made.” Also, other likely launch candidates, such as Rayman: Raving Rabbids, Metroid Prime 3, Elebits, Trauma Center: Second Opinion, Wii Sports, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, and WarioWare: Smooth Moves, cover a variety of genres that should appeal to a broader array of gamers. And, most importantly, these games look like they’re going to rock. Also, we already know of several major games that will likely hit shortly after launch, including Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, meaning there shouldn’t be a dearth of good titles after the launch window, unlike the temporary drought after the GameCube’s launch.
The Color Purple : No, not the Alice Walker novel, but the choice to compete against monolithic companies like Sony and Microsoft with a purple console in your arsenal. First of all, yes, I realize it was technically indigo, but we all know it was more purple than Grimace after being submerged under water for five minutes. This color choice helped fuel the stereotype that Nintendo is all about kiddie games, a fallacy that continues to haunt Nintendo to this day. Nintendo seemed to quickly realize the image an adorable, purple, little box gave it, as promotional materials now often display the platinum and black models. Wii proves Nintendo hasn’t forgotten the importance of color, as we’ve yet to see a purple Wii (must…resist”¦childish”¦Wii joke). Speculation suggests we’ll have our choice of the sleek, black Wii or hip, white Wii at launch.
Mario is Missing: Nintendo without Mario is like Microsoft without Master Chief. Or Sega without Sonic. Or Sony without idea plagiarism. Don’t get me wrong ”“ I enjoyed Luigi’s Mansion. In fact, based on the people I’ve talked with, I think I enjoyed Mario’s sibling’s ghost busting adventure more than most (I’m all for a Luigi’s Mansion sequel like the latest EGM Rumor Mill suggests or a remake on Wii). However, while he might be taller, Luigi cannot fill Mario’s Goomba-stomping shoes. And argue all you want that Nintendo’s got plenty of other valuable characters and Mario isn’t a constant necessity, but it’s pretty much a given that GameCube’s would have been flying off shelves a lot faster had a Mario game been ready for launch. So, if this is the case, why is Super Mario Galaxy not confirmed for launch? Is it because having Mario, Link, and Samus at launch would destroy all Nintendo fans in one fail swoop in a worldwide. heart-exploding overload? Well, there’s certainly something to be said for spacing out your killer apps, and at least we know Mario is on the way, with his latest arrival likely being sometime early next year. This is still much better than the GameCube’s launch when we knew hardly anything about Super Mario Sunshine. Still, if Nintendo surprises us by having Galaxy ready for launch, it’ll prove Nintendo has aggressively tackled the triforce of problems it faced during the GameCube’s launch.
Ruminations is an ongoing look at the GameCube as it winds down into the twilight years, and we await the launch of the Wii. Do you have any GameCube memories worth remembering? Leave a comment or send a tip to Infendo.
Beating TWW and MP are some of the best Cube memories. And playing Melee with friends.
Compare what the GCN didnt had to other consoles (DVD playback, online) and then compare the sales ;DSeems like you forgot that the GCN also launched with the (Jet) Black colour, or was that only in Europe?
The Cube has been one of my favorite systems so far. I also have lots of good memories of Smash Bros., as well as Mario Kart and Crystal Chronicles.I think a big problem for the Cube is that it failed to distinguish itself from the other systems. In terms of hardware, what did it really offer that was different than the PS2 and Xbox? The PS2 had a head-start and brand recognition, while the X-box introduced X-Box Live. If you weren't interested in Nintendo's games, there was nothing that really stood out.That being said, at least Nintendo made money on the Cube. After all, market share isn't everything.
All those hours playing Phantasy Star Online….on and offline…..I'm such a geek…..but I got addicted to that game…the only MMO I've ever actually liked. I remember the first time I ever played the Battle of Endor in Rogue Squadron II…..still find it "most impressive". There's no telling how many hours I've blown on Smash Bros. or Soul Calibur II. Then there's the whole Resident Evil story cannon ( all on one system, nobody else has that!), talk about memories! Eternal Darkness definitely holds some fond memories for me (the first time it tells you your memory card has failed, the scariest thing imagineable! Priceless!) Windwaker, though, probably has my heart and my vote for all-time greatest GameCube game. The first time you actually get to see Hyrule……I cried. I love the Gamecube and I thank God every night that the Wii is totally backwards-compatible so that my Cube's soul will live on in a glorified and exalted form….Just wish it would hurry up and release!
anon – You're right, the GameCube did launch with indigo AND black. However, a lot of the marketing materials showed off the indigo one at first. Plus, the simple fact a purple Cube was one of the two color choices at launch looked very kiddie to lots of people. I was working retail at the time and remember many people making fun of the fact there was a purple system.
Personally I think Nintendo had BALLS to have GameCube in color PURPLE. It's sad, that this backfired but I have to say that I also own a black one (ok, I bought mine used so I couldn't choose colors).On a grander scale and in retrospect it was a mistake because it made Nintendo vulnerable to negative marketing spin from the competition.Now with the Wii, they play it safe with a "Mac-like design" (I hate that reference because I don't think Nintendo – or Microsoft – copy iPod's design). So they learned from that.What I see as biggest problem:a) Wii Controller precision… I've heard from a lot of people who played Wii games HANDS-ON at Games Convention that they were disappointed by games like Red Steel.b) Graphics. Is important. Period.c) Online service. XBL is the benchmark.
Offtopic to the post: Graphics may be important but it shouldn't be the main aspect of a game. I would prefer a fun game with 2d graphics over an amazing looking game with bland gameplay.
i realize now the lack of a true mario game kinda turned me off the cube early on. plus some of my favorite series ended up being in my opinion still incredibly fun, but missing some things from the original. example1: mario kart double dash-single player WONDERFUL!Multiplayer-TERRIBLE!(luckily mario kart ds squashed them both for ds)example2:Super Smash Bros, levels are amazing, but they are sooooo small compared to the first smash bros. the star fox ship was this awesome behemoth,and on cube it was a tiny ship that wasn't even believable. and a front view that is an even poorer excuse for a level.THE BIGGEST THING THOUGH was how they showcased a beautiful Realistic Zelda to show the cubes ability making people wet themselves. then they pulled celda! granted we all realized that Wind Waker was indeed a brilliant game and such an awesome, charming potrayal of link.Even though Wind Waker was great I would've rather had a game like Twighlight Princess as the first Zelda game for cube, and much earlier in the life. ok i'm done.
Worst. Launch. Ever.Almost.
"In fact, based on the people I've talked with, I think I enjoyed Mario's sibling's ghost busting adventure more than most "I really liked Luigi's Mansion. I firmly believe that if it was called Mario's Mansion and Mario was the main Character trying to save Luigi, people would have liked it much more.And as for MK:DD. I think it was brilliant in single and multi player. Damn its a great game.
I must have been on a different planet when I got my GameCube on launch week, because I don't remember it being a "failure"!Despite the disappointment of not having a Super Mario game for the launch, the games that did launch with the GameCube were great! In fact, at least four of them are still remembered as some of the best for that system: Tony Hawk 3, Rogue Leader II, Super Smash Bros Melee, and Pikmin. All four are still being sold and played today, and the graphics looked GREAT at the time!Are we suffering from amnesia here??
invisibleman – I never called the GameCube a failure. I said the launch had some problems, which it did.
"Graphics may be important but it shouldn't be the main aspect of a game. I would prefer a fun game with 2d graphics over an amazing looking game with bland gameplay."Without question: gameplay > graphics.But why do you make it look like 2D graphics is inferior to 3D graphics (which is not the case).
OK, my bad, Matthew: you didn't actually called the GC launch a "failure", that's true. But it seems that most articles, not just yours, point to the notion that the GameCube had problems from the start… To me it seems that the problems, whatever they were, came on the second half of its lifetime, don't you think?
I think Nintendo might be smart to wait and release Super Smash Brothers and Super Mario Galaxy in early 2007, because the launch alrady has alot of awesome games. So if they release all of their AAA titles they would have nothing for post launch and so on. And the games would sell more because they would not be in so much competition with other games like zelda and metroid.