*** Official "Gamecube" discussion thread (1 Viewer)

[Jeffrey Noel]

Although my mother, 5 hours away, has my Gamecube bundle just waiting for me, one of the guys on my floor got a Gamecube this morning. All I can say is WOW!
I absolutely LOVE the controller. I was pessimistic about how praised the controller is, but I have to agree with the majority. It is the absolute best controller I have ever laid my hands on. Damn am I excited!!
Please keep posting on your thoughts and experiences!!
GAME ON!!
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God bless!
jeffrey noel
My DVD Collection

 

[ryan davis]

I got my cube. 2 controllers, memory card, and 2 games (tony hawk 3 and rouge squadron) at midnight. I was maybe 25th in line at walmart, and when i got mine they still had like 25 left, but there were about 75 people still in line. I went there around 11:45, and got lucky that most people didnt show up until after midnight. I have been hooked on thps3, havent really played rouge yet. Three thumbs up so far nintendo!

 

[Mark Evans]

Three thumbs up so far nintendo!

Whoa, I mean, I'm excited about the Cube as much as the next guy, but the day a video game system can get my, uh, third thumb up...

Congrats to everybody enjoying the system right now, here's hoping I'll be joining the ranks of Cube owners in January...
All hail Super Monkey Ball!

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Mark Evans
Low Rent Movie Critic, Low Rent Home Theater Owner, Low Rent Everything

 

[Jeremy Illingworth]

The controller is the best ever. Fits right in my big hands. It is the most ergonomic controller ever. Load times? I don't know how long they are because I haven't seen one yet. SMB kicks ass. No time for RL, must play SMB.
I got Waverace (bundle and only four games came in at my TRU) but am not that excited about it. When does Pikmin come out? I'm not going to open Waverace so I can exchange it for something better.
jeremy

 

[Ramon O. Valera]

Got to my Target around 3:30 because I couldn't sleep. There were about 9 guys already there including a 51 year old Dad who was buying one for his daughter and was there since 1:00 a.m.! Well we all start talking about what games we're gonna buy and what not and then some guy named bobby runs to his car and comes back with one of those red rubber balls that kids use in Gym Class. Let's just say that playing Kickball at 4:30 in the morning in the parking lot of Target KICKS ASS!!!
Ended up picking up my Black Cube, Memory Card, Wave Race, and Super Monkey Ball. I already had Rogue Leader, but after it crashed on me like 3 times I returned it. I didn't just return it because of the crashes though. Sure it looked awesome. But the Gameplay was the same old gameplay as any other space shooter. The guy at Software Etc. was not suprised at all when I returned it.
Over all, this week has to be one of the best ever. First I hit the Pick 4, then MGS2, then Harry Potter(which kicked ass by the way), then My GC and games. Life is Good. And thank god that I onlyhave to work 2 days this week. The perks of being a teacher.

 

[Jay W]

Well I went into EB this morning and picked up 'the goods', thank heavens for no waiting in line :>.
Stuff: Jet Black Gamecube, Component Cables (imported), Memory Card 59, [ Rogue Leader, THPS3, Wave Race: BS ]
Hardware: Wow, this thing is small(!), even more amazing I was shocked by how small the discs looked in person.
The black GC is very sleek, it blended in nicely with my home theater setup (love the orange LED). The bootup is really very quick (from power to the menu), and the menu is functionally adequate if not as flashy and cool as the Xbox one. After a quick adjustment of the calender and time we were ready to go. I would have liked to see the cube
auto-load the games without having to hit 'gameplay' from the menu. You can manage your memory cards, set options for sound and controller as well as intiate the games from the main menu. Load times for games were very fast (compared to a PS2, I haven't had enough time with the Xbox to make an accurate comparison so I won't).
Video Quality: The GC was connected via component video to a Pioneer Elite widescreen HDTV. I like the fact that games allow you to select progressive/interlaced from the menu as it lets me fiddle with the display modes on my TV (otherwise the TV automatically locks into 'full' when it detects a 480p signal). Popped in Rogue Leader for a quick test run.. wow very impressive visuals.. I did a quick switch back and forth between prog/interlaced and noticed far less jaggies and a much more 'stable' picture with the progressive mode - very pleasing. The colors seemed a little tame (not as vibrant as I hoped for), in particular on the training mission (not sure if is the game or the cube rendering but I noticed the colors were a little passive in THPS3 as well).
Audio Quality: I connected the analog out to my processor using the standard cables (Damn them for not including an optical out). I don't have PL II capability on-board so I set it to decode using DTS Neo:6 (DTS's versin of PL II more or less, takes the incoming signal and processes it as 5.1 (or 6.1) sound with special processing for the surrounds - it's not just 5 channel stereo). Popped in RL2 and wasn't really expecting much but the sound was pretty amazing on the death star run. Tie fighters wizzing behind me and stuff blowing up, I was pretty impressed at how well it worked out in 5.1. The low-end was a little lacking I guess, but hey I'm being picky now.
Games: Just quick impressions as I've only played each for around 30 mins. THPS3 was very good (as expected), I was dissapointed that it didn't have a progressive mode (or I couldn't find it) and the colors were again a little on the passive side. Gameplay was pretty cool, I've only been mucking around with the GBA version so this was a whole new ballgame (good on them for adding those tutorials too, pretty useful feature). Wave Race has some really stunning water (I know it's been said over and over again but both the visual look as well as the behavior is just spot on). Very crisp graphics and physics are accurate in that everything you do is reflected accurately in game. I haven't played the N64 version at all so this was all new to me... I liked the inclusion of the tutorials, took a little while to get a feel for the physics but it was a lot of fun. Look forward to a lot of time practising this one . I'm a SW fanboy I guess so RL didn't dissapoint me at all, very immersive and lovely visuals and sound, from what I saw it brought back memories of playing it on the PC (Beggar's Canyon!) and then some.
That's it for now (damn that's long), sorry it's more on the technical aspects but that is what excited me having just brought this home.. haven't really had enough time with the games to post anything more in-depth. Worthwhile purchase? well I think so, for the money I paid I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I look forward to seeing how the 2nd generation titles evolve.
Edit: Did a re-calibration of this input and the colors are a little more satisfactory now. I forgot I hadn't done convergence on the input either so I went ahead and did that. Enjoying the hell out of wave race (probably because I never played it before), it looks absolutely gorgeous.
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[ Home Theater | DVD Collection ]
[Edited last by Jehan on November 18, 2001 at 07:07 PM]

 

[Dan Brecher]

Ok, so I got Steve Simon sending me Luigi and Star Wars. IF it turns out I get that copy of RL from that UK based importer tomorrow, or I ring em and they wont let me cancel it, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it I guess. I may end up with a copy for trade here on the forum or just re-sell it or something.
SO, expecting my cube tomorrow or tuesday, with Steve's package due wednesday or Thursday.
Dan (UK)

 

[Mike_G]

From what it looks like, Nintendo might sell out more of their 700k units than MS did of its 400k.

And where are you getting these numbers from?
Do you have actual retail numbers?
My local store had 130 XBoxes on order and filled every one of them, and 27 Gamecubes on order (yes, only 27), and couldn't get enough GC's to fill preorders today.
So, I'd really like to know where you're coming up with these numbers.
Mike

 

[Mike_G]

So what do people think of Rogue Leader? I have a $130 store credit at my local store and I called my friend who works there to get me a GC just so I can play this game. I loved Rogue Squadron. Battle for Naboo almost put me to sleep since it was such a rehash of Rogue Leader.
It might take a few days to get one because he says that Nintendo's short on shipments, so I have a few days to decide.
What other GC games besides the launch titles are people looking forward to? I'm pretty much focused on the XB and PS2 so GC-exclusive titles would be better for me since the GC offers less than the other two systems. Are we expecing a Mario title soon? Luigi's Mansion looks silly to me. What games are supposed to take advantage of the GBA? I have one and would really like to see how it integrates with the GC.
Mike

 

[Calvin Watts III]

Finally...
My store had 200 Gamecubes in today,& we still had some as of closing...about a dozen. Man,though..we kicked some selling @ss!!!
So, I got mine
One black GC,one memory card, Rogue Leader, & Batman:Vengeance. ( I wanted SMB, but the other half is a big Bat fan,so I had to keep her happy. Besides,she stood in line for me SMB will come later.)
I'll give my impressions after the new server is online..until then..its time to use the Force!!!!

Calvin
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"Never give up!!! .......... Never surrender!!!!!!!!!."

 

[Jeremy Illingworth]

Been playing for hours and love it. The controller is without equal. The lack of digital out makes me sad. I think that the small disc size will impact the system in a minor but bad way. Nintendo Power gives the size of the game in its reviews and LM and RL (among others) fill the disc completely. This can't be good. But we'll live. Perfect Dark fit on a cart after all.
jeremy

 

[Camp]

I think that the small disc size will impact the system in a minor but bad way. Nintendo Power gives the size of the game in its reviews and LM and RL (among others) fill the disc completely. This can't be good.

No offense, but I've never understood this argument. It's not exactly difficult to put a game on multiple discs. Done correctly, it would take several hours of gaming before you'd need to change discs.
Besides, I seriously doubt Luigi's Mansion and Rogue Leader were optimized toward taking up less space. They had the space so they didn't bother.

 

[Jay W]

Very true, however it will be interesting to see who does come out with a multi-disc game first
Resident Evil might be a candidate?

 

[Dan Brecher]

Latest UPS racking update suggests that as of about 40 minutes ago my cube is being "dispatched to destination" from the East Midlands, so I take it that means I will have it in my hands later this afternoon, if not, no biggie as it can wait until the morning since I've nothing to play on it.... Either way, it's exciting.
Dan (UK)
PS: As for multi-disc game, maybe Resident Evil, perhaps not the re-working of the original due in March, but more possibly the new adventure due after they've re-issued the existing sequels onto the Cube.

 

[Rob Varto]

I got mine late Saturday night at a Super K-Mart. I was about 80th in line as I arrived at about 12:15. I got the Jet Black system and that's it. No sense in buying any games since my wife won't let me open it for another MONTH!! It just sits in that stupid black bag all tied in knots. My wife won't even let me LOOK at it!! Damn it!! Anyways, I ordered the component cables from the Nintendo website and Im hoping everything works fine.

When I finally got my GC, there were literally 7 left and 9 people were still left in line... sucks to be number 8 and 9.

 

[Andre F]

I picked up my GCN Sunday around 1:30 (I wanted to avoid the pre-order line) at my local EB. I was told there was a big line and I'm glad I missed it. I saw an X-Box or two around the store and was kind of tempted but I refrained. After getting the GCN home I spent the next few hours getting behind my HT and decided to re-do some wiring. Around 4:00 I finally got to play. I must say however, that I'm very impressed with the design of the system and especially the controller. RL is WAY better than expected and SMB is also great (very addictive). I have not played Luigi much because I'm just not that excited about it. I will play it more later when I beat RL. So far I'm very happy with my purchase and look forward to Super Smash Brothers and Pikmin.

-Andre F

 

[Frederick]

Picked my Gamecube up Sunday morning at 11:00 from Coconut's Music and Video. I had it reserved, so I wasn't worried about it too much. There were 2 other people there picking up `Cubes when I was there (of course I was there 5 minutes after it opened), and I don't know how many they had. I also picked up Luigi's Mansion. My Rouge Leader should be at my apartment when I get home. I ordered that one through EB. I looked at the TrU down the street and there was a line forming! By the time we left downtown, it had curled around the corner. Not for the whole block, mind you, but there were a nice number of people waiting ...
I have to agree with everyone about the size of this thing. It's TINY! My girlfriend couldn't believe the size of it when I put it next to my PS2 and Dreamcast. I pulled out my rather dusty Nintendo 64, and used the S-Video cable that I had plugged into it. It worked!! Unfortunately, the controller cord is a little on the short side. I'm going to have to find an extender today to play Rouge Leader from my couch ...
After plugging in, booting up, setting the time and the date, I unwrapped Luigi for a test run. Man, the disk is TINY! I popped it in and played it for a few minutes, `cause I had to catch a train out to the suburbs. Well, let me say that I almost missed my train! It took a minute to get the control scheme down, but after that, I was having a ball. It's a fun game, although I can see how it can get a little repetitive after a while. Until then, I'm having a ball! I can't wait to see Rouge Leader tonight. AND I finally played a little of Metal Gear Solid 2. Man, that game is a thing of beauty. But that's a topic for another thread ...
Freddy C.

 

[LarryDavenport]

I caught an 8am bus to downtown Seattle on Sunday because the local news was saying that stores around the area were reporting long lines. I got to the Westlake Center at around 9am and no one was waiting around. Luckily it wasn't raining and Starbucks was open. Almost two hours later the Mall opened and I was the first one in front of the store. Of course they didn't open the doors right away. The staff were too busy playing Halo on the XBox in the store window. The other 20 or so people who pre-ordered cued behind me (EB only got in the amount of GCs that were pre-ordered).
I had already paid my $440 so I was in and out fairly quickly (though they did tell me that the component cables would be in later that week...and they talked me into a replacement guantee for an extra $20...and they forgot to give me the Nintendo book and subscription to Nintendo Power).
Rather than spend another 90 minutes on the bus, I sprang $20 for a cab home.
The GC was very easy to hook up (though I was dissapointed that I didn't have the component cables, or at the very least an SVHS cable). The graphics were amazing! As 3-D as you can get in a 2-D environment.
I spent the next 10 hours playing Rogue Squadron, Luigi's Mansion, and All Star Baseball. I was impressed with all of them. I played 4 games of baseball, finally winning the last game 1-0 on a Manny Ramirez home run (I struck out Barry Bonds 4 times). I got up to the second boss in Luigi, and fooled around with training on Tatoooine and tried to take out the First Death Star (don't try this stoned!)..
I can't wait for the upcoming 4 day weekend. I'm just going to tape everything and play the GC 14 hours a day!

 

[Carlo_M]

What's up with Electronics Boutique? I was at the mall last night (Sunday, 5pm) and when I went in to browse, there was NO SIGN OF THE GAMECUBE?!?!

There was an XBox kiosk, a spot on the wall with XBox games, but it's like the GCN didn't launch for them on Sunday! It was crowded so I couldn't get to the salespeople to ask about the GCN, and I wasn't planning to buy it (it's a post-XMas gift to myself) but I was just shocked as heck! I walked all around the store and couldn't find a game, accessory or anything that even bore a GCN label! Harumph!

 

[Carlo_M]

I'm still lukewarm on ASB2002--I'm figuring it's going to be a simple port of the PS2 game. Hopefully, next year's ASB2003 will see a return to the N64-like ASB games. . .

That's too bad, Matt. I too am really hoping that ASB feels more like the N64 version. I saw only one movie of ASB for GCN (it was a real quick one) and the only pitch to batter I saw looked like it might have the physics and flight path of the N64 version but it was over so quick I couldn't tell for sure.