"Cubes are officially my favorite 3-D shapes."

To be honest, my very first console was a Game Boy Color. Soon after that, I received the Nintendo 64 as a gift. And now I'm with this incredible console. So as you can see, I'm pretty much with Nintendo all the way. The GameCube didn't disappoint me, and in my opinion, is a great addition to Nintendo's reputation. Hopefully, the next-generation console can take everything that the GameCube did well and do it even better! It'll be tough, since this console is very well done and has little to nothing to improve.

So, after my small flashback to the past of Nintendo, you'll be thinking, "Why the hell doesn't this guy play Sony or Microsoft consoles?" That's because in my opinion, Nintendo has a whole bunch of better quality games as compared to the other two. They also have many exclusive games to the GameCube such as Pikmin, Metroid Prime, Mario, Legend of Zelda and more. These games aren't your typical "Meh" games, they're the games that changed people's view on Nintendo. These were the games that brought joy to people's faces and drew happiness from within. Okay, now I'm sounding like an idiot. Anyway, to put it simply, the Nintendo GameCube has very good games and continues those series that did exceptionally well in their previous consoles. Plus, they started some great new series. *coughSuperMonkeyBallcough* While many argue that the GameCube is for "kiddies", they don't realize the true greatness and innovation that this console started. To put it all together, the GameCube's games are fantastic, exciting, and innovative.

Let's go to the controller. The GameCube's controller fits very nicely into my hands, and features a variety of buttons. There is a joystick, a control pad, a C-Stick, an A button, a B button, an X button, a Y button, a Z button, an L button, an R button, and the start/pause button. They are arranged nicely onto the controller, that may vary in colors. These colors include Jet (black), Indigo (Purple), Spice (Orange) and Platinum (Silver). It's a nice variety of colors. Also, those colors are the GameCube's colors as well as the controllers. There are four controller ports available and one will come free with the console. Overall, the controllers are getting better and better and now, I don't feel as much of those annoying sparks that pop out of the controller when you play too much.

The GameCube only allows four controllers at one time, meaning that only four people can play at a time (unless you want to share controllers...). However, LAN, which stands for Local Area Network, given that you have the requirements, (which, unfortunately, is a lot) will allow you to play with more than four controllers at a time. Only specific games will be able to use LAN and you'll need a lot of stuff if you really want to try it out.

Moving on, the graphics of the GameCube are detailed (for the most part) and colorful. You'll be able to see various things and objects in every unique game. This was a step up from the Nintendo 64 and I wasn't surprised at the quality of the images. Unfortunately, the GameCube's rivals, the PlayStation2 and the XBOX tend to have better graphics and detail than that of the GameCube. Plus, sometimes on the GameCube, you'll see the exact same picture over and over again and sometimes it'll look like it was just photoshopped in. This is the downfall of the otherwise superior graphics of the GameCube. If Nintendo fixes some of those small problems and adds more detail and sharper images, the next-generation console will be great and take everything that the GameCube did well and multiply that by ten!

Coming down to the sound of the GameCube, we find ourselves in a vast world of gaming, from sword fighting to kart racing. I was pleased with the sounds and impressed with the plethora of high-quality sound. Most every game on the GameCube has some sort of a unique way of revealing the true sound in the game, and each one is different and fun. They sound realistic as well. I swear that if you compare a sound from a video game on the GameCube to as sound in real life, you'll hear little to no difference at all. Many games hold soundtracks so that you can hear the high-quality of sounds that appear throughout any game that you might not even notice due to the blending in with the music and graphics. Everything sound great and I hope that Nintendo continues this. Too many people underestimate what Nintendo can do if they plan everything out well.

Two words, memory card. That said, the GameCube's way of storing and saving data is this small, but yet convenient, little card of data. Fact is, the memory cards aren't necessarily convenient. If you accidentally lose it, your game data goes down the drain. If you break it, say bye-bye to months of gaming. If your friend steals it to get all your info, say hello to the Frustration Monster. Those are the cons of the memory card. Let's get to the pros already, the memory card is a great way to store data so that you won't have to play the exact copy of the game to get your data, but rather just that game. Also, the convenient size of the memory card also fits into game cases in a special slot. These are rather amusing to me for some odd reason. Anyway, as of right now, there are 3 types of memory card storages. One can store 59 blocks of memory, another can store 251 blocks, and the last one 1019. Trust only the Nintendo-made brands of memory card, because when I decided to take the Mad CATZ brand (or whatever that's called) after a week, the memory card corrupted and I had all of my data erased. And believe me, that's very annoying. And by the way, games don't necessarily 1 block each to play. In fact, almost none have 1 block. Depending on the type of game you have and the amount of storage it seems to hold, the number of blocks needed will increase. For example, an arcade or party game may only need four to ten blocks while a season of Madden will probably take hundreds. Really, it all depends on how much file you store and the amount of extra features you want from games. Overall, the memory card is a handy device that has its advantages and disadvantages, but it's a nice little storing device.

Let's talk about the GameCube's special features and packaging, sometimes, when you buy a Nintendo GameCube or a game, you might get some free stuff with your purchase. Some things I've seen with the GameCube are Metroid Prime and a demo disc of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. I've also seen Mario Kart: Double Dash!! included with the purchase. Not to mention the incredible The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition disc that features four games on one convenient disc. With purchases of games, I've seen the Game Boy Connector, the Mic, bongos, and some others. So as you can see, Nintendo will give free stuff to those who purchase their products. Onto the packaging, when I first opened the box, I saw a nice cube and a controller sitting there. I had bought the jet color version of the GameCube and when I took it out, I noticed that it was light, maybe only a couple pounds. This is convenient, so that if you want to bring it over to your friends' house, it's easy to carry. The game discs are small and the game boxes are about the size of a DVD. With each game comes an instruction manual and usually some free offer from Nintendo. When I popped open the GameCube and put the mini-disc into the nicely fit circle, it made a soft clicking sound to indicate that it has been fully inserted. Then I closed the lid and turned on the big white button, which was the power button. There is also a reset button. The GameCube also has a "handle" for it. Overall, it's a nice little system that'll rival the other systems in terms of size and power.

The music for the GameCube exceeds a lot. I definitely underestimated the incredible tunes of all of the GameCube games and I am so impressed by the music, that I wish I had them on an iPod or something. Every game features music that I really like, and so far, I've found a favorite tune to every game that I play over and over again just to listen to it. In my opinion, the GameCube destroys the PlayStation2 and the XBOX in terms of music. All of the classical Nintendo tunes, from the depths of Planet Zebes in Metroid Prime to the Hylian theme song in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Everything is done to perfection and beyond and therefore, I can't wait for the game that'll soon come out, like Dance Dance Revolution for the PlayStation2. Overall, the music is an important factor of the GameCube's success and I hope Nintendo realizes the great job they've done.

Did I mention the incredible loading times? Zoom comes to mind. If anything, the GameCube loads at least twice as fast as their leading rivals. Load time should take less than 3 seconds on most every game, and Nintendo deserves a round of applause for this.

Oh yeah, I forgot about the incredibly cheap price. As of right now (mid 2005) the price for the best system on the market is $100. 100 bucks? That's at least 50% less money than the other two active systems. It's bound to go down even further. Most of the games on the GameCube are $50 and gradually get cheaper and cheaper. Also, Player's Choice Titles (awarded to those games that did well on the sales chart) are usually around $20. Aim for these for a great experience. Overall, the GameCube and its games are worth more money than you pay, and are definitely a better deal than the PlayStation2 and the XBOX.

Scores:
Games-10/10
Controller-10/10
Features-8/10
Graphics-9/10
Sound-10/10
Memory Card-8/10
Packaging-9/10
Special Offers-10/10
Power-10/10
Loading Times-10/10
Value-10/10
Final-10/10

Games that you need to get:
-Pikmin 1+2
-Super Smash Brothers: Melee
-Super Mario Sunshine
-Metroid Prime 1+2
-Mario Party 4-6
-Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
-Luigi's Mansion
-Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
-Wario Ware Inc.: Mega Microgame$
-Resident Evil series
-Viewtiful Joe 1+2
-A whole lot more!

Overall, the Nintendo GameCube is a huge step up from the previous system, the Nintendo 64, and every Nintendo fan should buy this game. If you've never tried Nintendo's awesome consoles and products, you need to start now and see what all the fuss is about. Start here, and be awarded with hours of fun gaming time!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/02/05