Far too often I’ve visited a videogame forum where the cliche teenage acne ridden virgins are spouting off at the mouth about how much Nintendo sucks. About how Nintendo should get out of the console race. And most preposterously of all, about how the GameCube is dying.
The GameCube?
Dying?
What rare strain of crack are these kids partaking of? And do they sell it in South Jersey?
The GameCube is neither sick, NOR dying kids. Truth be told the thing is just now heating up! There’s a reason why the console overtook the PS2 in Japan for weekly hardware sales just a week or two ago. The system’s got GAME. As a matter of fact, I propose that the GameCube is better than it has ever been in its short life span, and that this year going into the next the system may have the best lineup out of any other platform sans the GameBoy Advance. No, it’s not Nintendo fanboydom. It’s truth. And to prove this theory of mine, the staff came together to throw out the…
Top 10 Reasons To Love Your GameCube In 2003!
A collection of masterpieces that remove all shadow of doubt about the Cube’s standing within the gaming aspect of the console race. And to make it hard on ourselves, and to drive the point home even further, we’ve put some heavy restrictions on the list criteria.
– Games only. So incredible, system exclusive devices that nearly make the Cube worth having on it’s own like the Nintendo Wavebird and the Game Boy Player are out of the running.
– No imports. If it’s not set for domestic release, it’s not on the list.
– Limited to releases within the second half of 2003 (the last six months of this year) up until the first half of 2004 only. And with that step alone we’ve eliminated some the Cube’s biggest guns in that of Resident Evil 0 and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, just because we wanted to concentrate on the future of this console rather than the past games you’ve already played.
– And finally, all multiplatform releases (unless they have significant changes or are GC exclusive for a least a 6 month period of time) are out. So again, we’re getting rid of games like Madden 2004 and Soul Calibur II (even though there was staff dispute about the GC version being the best because of the ultimate playable character, Link).
Even with all these handicaps the staff, each with their own distinctive flair, has put together an incredibly impressive list of games that every gamer should be playing now and in the future regardless of what system they prefer. So those of you that are contemplating purchasing a GameCube, or GOD FORBID, thinking of trading it in for another console, pay close attention in the coming pages. And find out why you best be served to remember the one constant in the universe.
Great games and Nintendo go together like hilariously awkward dubbing and Iron Chef episodes.
It’s a fact of life, people.
Without further ado…
10 Reason To Love Your GameCube In 2003!
What better way to kick off the top ten than with a game featuring those loveable Pocket Monsters? And who better to talk shop about Pokemon than everyone’s favorite Pokemaniac?
Let’s make this simple.
- Pokemon on the Game Cube = GOOD
- Pokemon in something better than GBA 32 bit graphics = Good
- Pokemon in 3D graphics so they are even cuter = Good
- Ability to upload Pokemon from Ruby and Sapphire = Good
- The ability to play Pokemon Stadium with Ruby & Sapphire carts = Good
- 100+ old classic Pokemon that you can catch that aren’t in Ruby or Sapphire = Good
- The brand new RPG mode so you can play a 3D Pokemon RPG for the first time EVER = GREAT
- Ecard Reader compatibility = Good
- Tournament mode for massive multiplayer action = Good
These ten points alone should make Pokemon Coliseum a must have for the Game Cube. Only Animal Crossing compares to PC in terms of interconnectability with all the other Nintendo peripherals. You’re getting another RPG for the Game Cube, and it’s the best selling RPG there is: POKEMON. Every other RPG series has had some horrible game in their past. The Megaten series has Relevations: The Demon Slayer. Sakura Taisen had Sakura Wars Online. Phantasy Star had those hideous Game Gear games. And Final Fantasy…nah. It’s too easy.
But there has NEVER been a bad Pokemon game. NEVER. And now you’re going to get to see its first non-handheld RPG debut, but also in 3-D! Hey, I know I prefer games in 2D, but when it comes to my Pikakins, I want it in ALL dimensions baby.
People, you’re not going to find a game with a better replay value. The ability to make a totally customized team of 6 warriors from a list of over 300 Pokemon is insane! The ability to have tag team battles merely improves the many ways you can pit your seizure inducing cock-fighting creatures against each other.
And with Pokemon Coliseum, you finally WILL be able to catch ’em all. And that alone is a reason for anyone with OCD…or Pokemon fan to get this game.
Say what you will about the inherent ‘kiddee’ factor of the game simply because Pokemon are cute, this is a game every single gamer out there will be able to enjoy if they just start admitting to themselves there is no such thing as a kiddee game unless the title has the following words somewhere in the title: Teletubbies, Barbie, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson, Captain Kangaroo, or Sephiroth.
If you’re lucky enough to have a Game Cube, make this game the foundation of your collection. And trust me when I say this, we’ve got 9 other games to go through, and each one is also worth adding to your collection.
As for me? I think we all know what game I’m going to be fixated on many months from now.
Alex Lucard
10 Reason To Love Your GameCube In 2003!
1996. That was the last time an American Nintendo home system has received a Square game. That’s a long time to live without the light of Square, umm Square Enix, on a Nintendo console. Thankfully, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance has come out already and Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles is on the way.
More of an action/ RPG than a straight Final Fantasy, Crystal Chronicles has, thankfully, ditched the semi- realistic style of VII, VIII, X, and X-2 for the beautiful look of IX. I loved Final Fantasy IX and visually, this game already has me hooked in its cute little claws. Hell, the GameCube’s Japanese sales have mysteriously risen since this and Tales of Symphonia were released. Coincidence?
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I know this game has received some bad press because it requires Game Boy Advances and link cables to play multi- player, but, let’s get real here. How many Game Boy Advances ARE there out there? I know we have one in our household with another one coming the second I get a hold of a red SP. Surely anyone who has a GameCube has access to at least one Game Boy Advance, if not more. Besides, you can go to the local used game store or E- Bay and get a pretty good deal on the vanilla Game Boy Advance these days. So, Crystal Chronicles is a multi- player action/ RPG for the GameCube that supports the link cable and Game Boy Advance. It is also, surely, going to be a hit. Alex Lucard is buying this. Mr. I- Hate- Square himself is buying this. If that’s not a rousing enough reason, I don’t know what is.
Chuck Platt
10 Reason To Love Your GameCube In 2003!
Virtual Farming At Its Best.
Personally, this is the game I know will be keeping me from other games this Christmas season. Not just because I’ll be playing this farm and life simulator myself, but because my girlfriend will surely be taking herself a share of the video game time to play it.
Before Animal Crossing, there was Harvest Moon. Like previous games in the series, you play as a cute as button farmer who tends his crops and livestock, woos the pretty small town ladies, and generally enjoys the simple life. Hell, they even resurrected the Marriage system in this edition, so your cute little super deformed farmer can marry a cute little super deformed wife and the best part? Cute as hell, super deformed babies that you can raise! Sweet! Who needs the complications of your real complicated life when you can go home at the end of the day and work your digital farm and enjoy the rustic lifestyle? And for those of you who play your Game Boy Advances ad infinitum, Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town can link up to this bad boy. Villagers can move between towns, new stuff can be unlocked, and you can abuse differing prices on veggies and livestock.
There is one other reason to not just buy, but pre order this sucker. EBWorld is giving away….FREE COWS to those who preorder. Free. Stuffed. Cows. Do you need ANY other reason to order this game? Harvest Moon will be the most fun you ever had pretending to farm and it comes with free cows, what’s better than that? Oh, and it’ll get you laid. Just ask Lee.
Chuck Platt