So is the GameCube dead?

[Sebastian Francis]

I've been out of the videogame scene for awhile, but I was thinking of maybe getting back into it. My impression, just from browsing around, is that the X-Box and PS2 are dominating the console scene, and the GameCube is pretty much dying out. Is that impression correct?

 

[Torm]

I think maybe Nintendo knows they don't need any more games. My daughter got Animal Crossing (one of the first Gamecube games to come out, if I recall correctly) for Christmas, and the thing is like some sort of crack, I tell ya.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I'd say the impression isn't right. Especially considering...well...Resident Evil 4. There aren't as many 'huge' releases on the GC compared to the other two, but its definitely still alive and well.

And yes, Animal Crossing is crack. Had it for two years now...can't stop playing.

 

[Lhorgrim]

From what I have seen the Gamecube has lost marketshare among my circle of friends because there isn't any online play. That being said, there are still quite a few beautiful games for the GC and they have some unique characters.

 

[Droid101]

I have Gamecube and Playstation 2. I have 7 Gamecube games. I have 0 Playstation 2 games.

Resident Evil 4, Paper Mario, Tales of Symphonia, and Metroid Prime 2 are some good games that just came out. I got MP2 and RE4, and let me just say, both of them do not disappoint. Resident Evil 4 is especially good, and I'd go so far as to say it's the best game I've played in a couple of years, at least.

 

[der_kluge]

I'll be getting a PS2 shortly. I just ordered 2 dance pads, and DDR Revolution Max off the internet! I'm getting ready to shed the pounds off dancing!

Well, that's the plan anyway.

My neice has Animal Crossing, and her and my sister play it a lot I think. My general impression is that a lot of the GC games are really childish. Nintendo games have a real paradox going on with them. Take Zelda: Ocarina of Time, for example. I had that game when I had my Nintendo 64, and it was a great game. It was challenging. Some of the levels were very challenging, and some of the monsters were very challenging. That game was not made for 12 year old kids. It's just too hard. I had to map out certain dungeons to get through them (the lost woods, for example). BUT, the game is riddled with language for a 12-yr old. Like, the annoying owl would show up, play a dumb song, give you a shpiel, and then say "do you understand?" like I was retarded. Give me a freaking break.

Many of their games are like that. Diddy Kong Racing was so freaking hard, I couldn't beat it. -I- couldn't beat it. Folks, I'm really good with video games, I've been playing them since Pong, and I beat over 120 Nintendo (16 bit) games. No one beats me at Mario Kart - nobody. And I couldn't beat this game. I got to the last level sure, but I couldn't beat it, and I tried. Yet the game is filled with cartoonish animals that talk like the game was written for retarded people. I'm no slouch, I got all 120 stars in Mario 64 for crying out loud.

Freaking paradox, I tell you.

And why on earth would one purchase a PS2 and not bother to get any games for it??

 

[mojo1701]

It's not dead, it's just not marketed well-enough. When Halo 2 came out, there was a HUGE hype about it. When Metroid Prime 2 came out...

 

[Arnwyn]

Define "dead". Games are still being made for it, so it is hardly "dead".

However, Nintendo hasn't been dominant in the console market since the SNES, due to some horrible miscues (ongoing all the way to the present day) regarding the demographic of game-buying players.

If you like "family" games (and everything that implies is intended) , the GameCube is still the best, since Nintendo (and thus the GameCube) 'skews young'. Nintendo occasionally tries to expand their audience (eg. paying big bucks to Capcom to get Resident Evil as exclusives), but even that falls flat (Resident Evil 4 will come out for the PS2 in about a year). Throwing a couple of bones to the larger demographic won't cut it (and, as sales have shown, hasn't). Unfortunate, but when you ignore clear trends, you get what you deserve.

die kluge explains Nintendo's paradox very well.

 

[Volaran]

Mark me down for another person with more Gamecube than PS2 games. The X-Box does indeed seem to be the console of choice for online gaming.

As for market share, I belive worldwide it is PS2>Gamecube>X-Box, while in North America it is PS2>X-Box>Gamecube.

That said, if you're getting back into video games just now, all of the current consoles have a fantastic back catalogue of games. This last year in particular, has been an incredible year of releases. Enjoy.

 

[Droid101]

And why on earth would one purchase a PS2 and not bother to get any games for it??

When I first got PS2, I had about 3 or 4 games. I sold them all back because they were so horrible. Metal Gear Solid 2 (I want to play as Snake, not some &$#*& with stringy white hair), Xenosaga (what a slow and boring sequel to a GREAT game), and Final Fantasy X (Worst. Game. EVAR.).

Our of the 9 Gamecube games I have gotten, I have only sold back 2.

Gamecube has better graphics, also.

I think maybe Nintendo knows they don't need any more games. My daughter got Animal Crossing (one of the first Gamecube games to come out, if I recall correctly) for Christmas, and the thing is like some sort of crack, I tell ya.

That was one of the Gamecube games I sold back. I couldn't take it anymore, I just couldn't stop playing it!!!!