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Column > Does the GAMECUBE have a chance?
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Does the GAMECUBE Have a Chance?
Cook Train, RareDark.com Columnist
Lets face facts. The Nintendo 64 was far from being the no.1 console in the
last war. Everyone can see that, and I'm not going to delude you. But the
Gamecube is a new start. It has a promising line up of games that should
help to shed the "kiddy" image branded onto Nintendo. The Playstation 2 has
had a huge head start. With millions of units already sold, and thousands
being sold every day. The competition isn't going to be easy. The X-Box
having a 350 million dollar promotion so everyknows the fridge sized box is
coming also can't be helpful to the efforts of our main men at Nintendo.
Graphically, nothing leads the field. Just as one console brings out
something to make your jaw drop, the other two pull the finger out and give
back with avengence. Everything is looking nice as mentioned in my other
article. So we're all in for a treat if the competition continues. Another
thing to consider is the price. The X-Box will be $300 on its release. This
might seem pretty cheap for the deal you get. The PS2 will only cost $200 by
the time Christmas rolls around and the Gamecube is starting at a round $200
as well. To me, if the Gamecube can keep it's prices down, media coverage
will beckon as a record low for console release prices is breached.
What about titles, after all, if you got the machine with no games, you've
just got an expensive paper-weight. The line-ups are huge. Names are being
thrown about like business cards. If you can get a developer on your side
you have to win right? WRONG! Sure Sony and Microsoft have the backing of
some big names. Playstation 2 soon gets Final Fantasy 10. Squaresoft have
placed this as PS2 only. Metal Gear Solid 2. This name strikes fear into the
hearts of rival consoles everywhere. This game is undoubtable going to be
big. But since Konami have taken this huge task, the lisence can go
anywhere. Meaning we may get multi-format sneaking around. That will even
out the sales of the consoles i'm sure.
X-Box gets the Oddworld franchise to work with. The creative minds give us
a fish type creature who scales his worlds in a wheelchair, who hangs around
with a biped who farts a lot. :). I think it's going to sell a few consoles
just there. With Tekken 4 just on the horizon for PS2, Microsoft needed to
pull out the big guns to tackle this problem. Big guns is certainly what you
get with Dead or Alive 3, the counterweight in this power battle. Microsoft
paid big bucks to get this away from any Sony product ensuring that this
would be an X-Box exclusive. There are many more ambitious titles for both
consoles that will lead to a wealth of praise. I can describe those for
ages, but that's not what I'm about...
"Well, what are you about?" I hear you cry. I'm about Gamecube. Pure 100%
Nintendo "fanboy" all the way. The line-up is second to none, and unlike the
large corporations like Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo make their own games.
This might be a little helpful. But it's reputation predeeds it. When you
buy something of Nintendo heritage, you know you have just purchased
quality. Zelda and Majora's Mask are both gaming masterpieces in their own
right. Mario 64 heralded a new wave of gameplay techniques, though you can't
help but feel sorry for the Nintendo guys. They are lumbered with an image
that is certainly not helpful in sales. The "Cute" label means a lot of
older gamers will turn away from some games that might really suit them.
This situation is somewhat being remedied with mature games such as Eternal
Darkness and Perfect Dark: Zero. They feature blood, they have the violence.
Eternal Darkness will cause you to frequent the toilet more, with it's
make-ya-jump moments.
But, alas, amidst all of these titles that are dragged Nintendo by the
heels from it's reputation, the company itself feels more at home in a place
where everywhere is padded, bright colours rule and everything must have a
pair of big eyes. Yep, they've moved into 482 Cute Street, Cutesville. The
next Zelda game uses cel shading. This technique was used to add a defiant
"attitude" to Jet Grind Radio, making it feel like the whole game could have
come from an aerosol. But for a serious, yet fantasy RPG, with it's main
claim being mastering the cutting edge and improvising, in a company trying
to shed an image, it does not do justice. It makes it seem just like a
cartoon from sunday mornings. The graphics themselves are amazing and
deserve huge merits. Unfortunately, mature gamers will now feel neglected
and put on the shelf. A whole host of game being released aimed at those
below knee height. X-Box and Playstation will seem like good places to turn.
Not only do the game intend to turn mature people away, but the layout of
the console. Unlike the subtle blacks of PS2 and X-Box, Gamecube chose the
purple. The controller is also purple with vibrantly coloured buttons. I
would love to say that this will prove that against the odds, Nintendo can
climb their mountain and come out on top. I hope i'm wrong, and you can all
point this out to me if I am. But the Gamecube will not be the no.1 console.
It has too much going against it to make it a target purchse. The media has
made up it's mind already, and the media rule the world.
Friends, I hope you all do, cause I will too, go out and buy a Gamecube,
play the amazing games that will follow, but don't expect to have the
leading console. Nintendo have put themselves behind an obstacle and for the
first time, I believe it may just beat them. Good luck to all the fighters
in the 2001-2005 Console War. May the best Machine Win!
© Cook Train, RareDark.com -September, 2001-
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