Nintendo Gamecube

So, the Gamecube! I got this three summers ago, after wanting a Playstation 2, and I am glad I changed my mind to wanting a Gamecube. I have played Playstation 2s quite a lot with friends etc, and I don't deny that the PS2 has got a load of good games (and a lot more), but the graphics aren't quite as good as Gamecube's, and there should be lots more good games to come out.

To me, this is one of the best consoles out there, and I don't agree with what lots of people say about all of the games being for kids. I think that this console has the best games. It has a selection of different genres, and all have the good old Nintendo goodness! Unlike Xbox, it doesn't just stick with mainly fighting or racing games, or like PS2 mostly fighting and sports, with a few adventure. With the Gamecube you get loads of adventure games, puzzle games, action, shoot-'em ups, sports and more, I will put more info on games in a section for games a bit further down.

Console Design: I like the design of the console more than any of the other consoles out there. It is by no doubt the smallest (maybe with the exception of the PSOne, I'm not sure). I think I've probably eaten burgers bigger than this, its lovely! The measurements of the console are 4.3(h) by 5.9(w) by 6.3(d) inches. Don't be fooled, it may be small but it's still a powerful console! It has a handle on it which can be useful when moving it around the house, but I hardly ever do that, and I'm sure I'm not alone, not that's it's harming anyone of course. It comes in a selection of colours, they are: purple, black, pink, silver, bronze and yellow. The most popular colours are purple and black, the rest are quite rare to find, but they can be purchased online quite easy. The console also has 2 memory card ports.

Controller: This is by far the best controller out of all of the consoles released in the last few years along with the N64. It is so comfy to hold, and doesn't start to make you hands hurt like the Playstation and Xbox. The design must have been tried lots of times until it was perfect, as that's what it is, perfect :-) The official controller has 7 buttons which are all easy and comfortable to use, 2 analogue sticks- one for controlling the game and the other for other features in games such as camera angles, and a 4 arrow control pad for controlling the game. The lead for the controller is quite a reasonable size, but an extension lead can be purchased. There is a wireless controller called Wavebird, than means no more wires tangled up, if you decide to pay a little extra you can get this, but I don't really find it that important so I don't have one. The official standard ones can also be purchased in a series of colours, like the console. There are lots of third party controller companies, but I like sticking to official Nintendo stuff as I find that they tend to last longer and usually look better.

Memory Card: There are two ports on the console for memory cards, called Slot A and Slot B. It is pretty standard stuff with them; you can buy them with less memory for less money, or building up to a higher capacity for a bit more. I think the least capacity is 4Mb, and the highest I have come across is 64Mb, but I think I may have heard somewhere that there is a 256Mb, that sounds a little too much but maybe there is.

Audio: The sound quality with this console is absolutely brilliant. The sound processor is an 81 MHz custom Macronix 16-bit DSP, with 64 simultaneous channels, ADPCM encoding performance. The sound is equal to the sound of a studio produced audio CD, because of the number of sound channels available. The Gamecube is also capable of emulating the abilities of a complete orchestra all on its own, that's pretty impressive if you ask me. If the sound from you TV isn't enough then you can but surround sound speakers especially for a Gamecube to boost the sound and make the most of the sound.

Graphics: This is by far the best graphics that I have seen on a console, but really it's no surprise seeing as it was made by Nintendo. The graphics processor is a 162 MHz custom ATI/Nintendo Flipper, pixel depth is 24-bit colour and a 24-bit Z-buffer. I haven't come across a single glitch during the time I have been playing this, and that's about 2 years now, maybe I'm just lucky but I think that it is just what to expect from the home computing giants- Nintendo, woo!

The Discs: The discs are an incredible 3 inches, and despite being this small, they manage to hold more than micro cd-s, and are far more powerful. Usually they are nicely decorated as well. I don't know what else to say about he discs.

Peripherals: There are a load of extras that you can buy for you Gamecube; I will briefly describe the most important ones:
Steering Wheels: These are to add more fun and reality to driving games
Gameboy Player: This allows people to play Gameboy games through your gamecube
Gameboy adapter: This allows you to connect you GC to GB to transfer data and use to play multiplayer games.
Speakers: To make the most of the superb sound quality and get the most from the sound processor.

There are a lot more peripherals but too much to write about, and the ones above are the most popular and important. If you think of anymore important ones let me know and I'll gladly add them to the list.

I will now write an A-Z of gamecube games to give you an idea of all the great Gamecube games out there:

Animal Crossing- This game is a dream world where you are in charge of everything. In this imaginary world, you own a home, you work hard to get ahead, and you play even harder to enjoy the irresistible challenges of each day and each season.

Bloody Roar: Primal Fury- This is a traditional 3D fighter game, that boasts wonderful graphics and a huge lifespan that never gets boring.

Crazy Taxi- I have this game and I play it quite a lot. Basically you have to deliver customers to their destination within their time limit. It is great fun and doesn't get boring too quickly.

Def Jam Vendetta- This is a street wrestler with quite a deep story for a game of this genre. You get to choose between four guys to participate in a few of fights, in order to save your friend.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem- Alex Roivas goes to her grandfather's mansion when she discovers he has been horribly murdered. She comes across a book that describes the fate of all those that have come across it. Each brings a different tale, where Alex will have to fight her way through to encounter and take part in the fight against the Eternal Darkness. Brilliant Game. It will have you freaked out for ages.

Fifa 2005- This is a classic Fifa football/soccer game with added features, teams, stadiums than the previous versions.

Godzilla: Destroy all monsters Melee- This is like Super Smash Brothers Melee but fighting monsters instead. The game as a whole is ok, can get boring.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- This is a great game for all ages, taken from the Harry Potter films. There are fun puzzles, a bit of arcade action, and the familiar Harry Potter setting.

The Italian Job- Damage runs wild on the streets of Los Angeles in the high-speed race game The Italian Job

James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire- This is a first person shooter is the same concept as all the other 007 games, with the usual gadgets and weapons.

Kirby Air Ride- Cute pink Kirby return to Nintendo with this brilliant fun game. It is Kirby's first racing game.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time- This game is so good, it may be the greatest video game ever created on any genre. I have this and play it loads. It never gets old.

Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX- For fans of extreme sports this is for you. Visit loads of locations and rack up points and show your skills to move on to other levels.

Need For Speed Underground- This is one of the best racing games on the console with loads of stuff to do that makes it not get boring for ages.

Outlaw Golf- This is a golf game for people that play golf for fun, or simply want a fun game to play. You can't take this too seriously. Good Game.

Pikmin- This game was said to be the best gamecube game when it first came out. Maybe not the best anymore, but its still great. Well what would you expect from Shigeru Miyamoto? It's a very simple game, just finding parts of your spaceship to get back home.

Q- No games beginning with Q yet.

Resident Evil- Racoon City returns with the best version of the Resi series yet, Go round killing zombies to save the city from the undead. No doubt this beats all the other Resi Evil games on the other consoles.

Shrek 2- Well, what can I say? If you like the films then get this. It's just as good, but you can control it aswell :-)

Tony Hawk's Underground 2- My fav game on the console, but maybe it's just because I'm cool, hehe. But it isn't just skating anymore, you can get off you board and walk, like in the original THUG. This is for everyone!

UEFA Champions League 2005- The same concept as ever other football/soccer game. Make you way to the top to win the cup.

Viewtiful Joe- This game is about a super-hero that mixes brilliant cartoon visuals with classic side scrolling game play. Great game.

Worms 3D- The same as all of the other Worms' games, but in 3D! It's simple, blow up you fellow worms to become the victors in the kingdom of worms!

X-Men Legends- Recruit your squad of 4 mutants from a team of 15--including Wolverine, Gambit, Nightcrawler and Storm--and battle evildoers across a vast, interactive, fully destructible landscape

Yu-Gi-Oh- Set your favorite TV characters against one another in exciting 3-on-3 monster team battles. It was quite promising but actually turned out quite bad.

Zoocube- This is a puzzle game, and the storyline is a mad scientist has used the animals to power his death ray and it is up to you to help these poor animals by completing levels.

Rounded Up Gamecube Specs:

MPU (Microprocessor Unit): 485 MHz custom IBM PowerPC Gekko
Graphics Processor: 162 MHz custom ATI/Nintendo Flipper
Texture-Read Bandwidth: 10.4 GB per second (peak)
Main Memory Bandwidth: 2.6 GB per second (peak)
Pixel Depth: 24-bit color, 24-bit Z buffer
Sound Processor: 81 MHz custom Macronix 16-bit DSP
Sound Performance: 64 simultaneous channels, ADPCM encoding
Polygon Performance: 6 to 12 million polygons per second (peak)
System Memory: 40 MB
Main Memory: 24 MB MoSys 1T-SRAM
Disc Drive: 128 ms CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) system
Data Transfer Speed: 16 Mbps to 25 Mbps
Media: 3-inch, 1.5 GB capacity disc
Controller Ports: Four
Memory Card Slots: Two
Audio-Video Output: Analog and digital
Dimensions: 4.3 by 5.9 by 6.3 inches (height by width by depth)

Thanks for reading this verrry long review, took me bloody ages! I hope I haven't bored you to death but if you're reading this then I guess not.

C Ya in my next review! :-)