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GameCube Hits the Street
boozie writes: "Reports began surfacing yesterday afternoon concerning GameCube goods beginning to trickle into the hands of Japanese consumers...Today we received the first pictures of the finished unit and its associated packaging as sold to a store employee in Tokyo."
Nintendo Site: http://www.nintendo.com/systems/gcn/gcn_overview.j sp
= Disassembled+Gamecube&inc=gcopen.inc
Disassembled GameCube: http://www.lik-sang.com/catalog/master.php?navbar
Info on GameCube Console from GameCube Central: http://tomoeslab.virtualave.net/consoleinfo.html
Why can they release it in Japan before they can release it here (by several months apparently)... I'm assuming the hardware is the same (?) so why did they have to push back their NA release date?
If God gave us curiosity
Hmm, well, if you won't play a good game because it's "kiddy" ala Banjo-Tooie, Rayman, and even Pokemon Puzzle League, then you'd better not be calling yourself a hardcore gamer bud. While I myself enjoy a good, mature game like Metal Gear Solid or Dino Crisis, it's not a crime to play something like Mario or even Pokemon. For me, I play a game if I like it, screw the fact if I'm "Too old" or it's "Immature." Besides, even if you don't like those games anyway, as I said, Nintendo is MUCH more open to Mature games nowadays, with Silicon Knights onboard, Capcom developing Resident Evil 0, and the such. So basically, there SHOULD be something for everyone.
So basically, all I can say is that people should hold their judgement untill they actually see the games in action. With the PS2 already out, you can truly make a real comparison. So wait and see, and give Nintendo, Sony, and even -shudder- Microsoft a chance......you may be surprised.
Does it go on forever?
Nintendo didn't invent cel-shaded rendering. Its been used in various games already including Jet Grind Radio.
However, the new Zelda game does look very cool.
There's some video of it (and the new Mario game) here.
Seriously, I always thought the N64 controller was *the* masterpiece of ergonomic controller design. Not only did it fit most hands perfectly, but it was versatile, offering three distinct gripping areas, the middle one feeling nicely like a gun for those shooter games.
Now they go and throw it away for a DualShock PSX rip-off? Bah.
I also have to say that a box isn't sexy. It isn't even cute. The design just strikes me as being a boxy and plain Model T type styling. No, looks aren't terribly important in a gaming console--but the PS2 is both simple and sexy. I wish Nintendo had kept their controller along N64 lines and made the console design more sleek. A purple box is just going to look out of place sitting atop my DVD player or VCR, whereas the PS2 looks right at home.
Not that I'm going to buy one. I gave up on consoles. Playstation, N64, Saturn, Dreamcast, PS2, GameCube, X-Box--that's 7 machines in recent times. That's just too many. I want games that I can still play 5 years from now without having to have 7 weird boxes daisy-chained across my entertainment center. That's why I've pledged to go PC-only. I may not get the newest Zelda or Mario or FF games, but I get a lot of cool others--and all the rest will eventually be emulated well enough in time. Let's see, ~3000 arcade games both classic and contemporary, hundreds of old "abandonware" PC games, dozens of my NES and SNES and Genesis favorites, a dozen of my favorite old Mac shareware games courtesy of the open-source Basilisk II emulator, all pulled off the Net for free, plus Bleem! and VGS to play some used PS discs bought for a song, plus whatever cool new PC games I ant to buy like the Quakes and all those mods and customizations which can never all make it to the console ports, the Unreals, lots of Star Trek some of which is actually good like Elite Force and Dominion Wars, Alice, Tomb Raider 37: More of Lara's Tits, etc. etc. etc.
I know the lure of the console and all its exclusives is great. But it would be better for the gaming community in the long run to support only more open platforms, like the PC and Mac, not consoles. It's hard to resist, but when I realize that I don't want dozens of proprietary boxes most of which are outdated cluttering my space just to play games--and even more I don't want to throw away or give away my old games whenever new consoles come out--I don't feel right supporting the console industry. Fuck 'em. My PC is better any day, and will be able to emulate 'em all eventually.
Chasing Amy
(We all chase Amy...)
"The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws"-Tacitus
I've played around with the Game Cube dev kit a bit, and if the controllers I used were any indication people over ten years of age will have trouble holding these things. They're SO small and lacking in substance. I imagine this will be like the Game Boy Advance in that you MUST buy a peripheral (new controller) to really enjoy the thing. (With the GBA you basically have to buy some light dongle like Nyko's worm light.) If you want a mental picture of what they look like, imagine a rectangular purple bar about 3 inches thick molded like a play station controller gone horribly wrong. The analog stick just protrudes off at the oddest place on the left hand grip area. Of course, the xbox controller is worse since it deceptively looks useful and comfortable, but is exactly the opposite.
Check out ioquake3.org for a great, free, First-Person Shooter engine!
How many days before it's running a web server?
"Everything is adjustable, provided you have the right tools"
The expansion device will become a hallmark of the true diehard videogame afficionado of the given era.
e.g.:
"Hey, do you remember the (Atari 2600 / Colecovision / Sega Master System / Gamecube)! That was so much fun!"
"Don't waste my time, Dude. I had the (Starpath Supercharger / ADAM / 32X / <Gamecube Expansion>)!"
"Woah. Hardcore."
Nintendo's systems have always been 'drab'. They are the Volvos of gaming consoles .. less attention (money, effort) spent on designing a cool shell (think of the original NES compared to the Genesis .. the NES was just plain _boring_), but those who _know_, know that Nintendo makes kick-ass systems and games, in the same way that auto-fans knew that what is inside the Volvo more than makes up for its boxiness. (Although, the last few years, Volvo has made their cars considerably sexier, so the comparison may not be valid today as it was 10 years ago.)
"Old man yells at systemd"
I think the Genesis would've done well had Sega not released "Moonwalker."
Someone mentioned the resident evil/biohazard game series. I know I'm personally re-examining my and my kids involvement with even these types of harmless shooters. I've got this nagging conscience telling me we shouldn't be perpetuating aggression or killing of anything as a game.
Yes, I think evil zombies deserve the right to live too, and we shouldn't be making a game out
of slaughtering innocent undead.
Better not let your kids play FLight Simulator now, either.
C-X C-S
Spoken like someone who has never HELD the GameCube controller for themselves. It's not a Playstation rip-off. The controller is outstanding, much easier to hold than the Dual Shock, and incredibly comfortable.
... and the digital click when fully depressed opens a whole new world of gameplay possibilities.
... remember, the box isn't being aimed at YOU. If the box looks out of place with all your home entertainment equipment, then you aren't Nintendo's market.
The only downside is the ill-conceived "Z-Button" that really needs a counter part of the opposite side, or should just be eliminated. However, they did make it easier to find, adding a little nub so you know when your finger is on the button.
The best part is the shoulder buttons. They move very smoothly, with great response
As for the rest of your comments about the GCN
By the way, there's a Black one as well. And will look just fine sitting next to my PS2, on top of my receiver.
There's more great information at Planet GameCube as well, including information on one of thier die-hard staff in Japan as we speak for the launch.