When the Gamecube first came out, I didn't really think much of it..... with that Purple colour that was getting most the limelight not even being an Ultra cool iMac style see through plastic kind, which I reckon makes it now look a bit prematurely dated compared even the other colours it's available in (like black, for instance... which apparently was also available when launched, but the Purple one seemed to get pictured more). And then there was the Game disks...... Nintendo's first shot at a console using this medium, which works well...... but unlike it's Playstation2 & XBOX rivals doesn't have the added bonus of doubling up as a CD/DVD player (useful if buying a console for the kids bedroom, as saves having to buy those items seperately).
Fast forward to the end of August 2005, and after rudely ignoring it for as long as possible, I eventually saw a Black version was available, and it looked much prettier the the purple one I was accustomed to seeing........ and after seeing a few screenshots of some of the games over @ Gamespot.com (which has since become one of those sites I now avoid 'cos they revamped it the other week and made it harder to use than it was before) I started falling for it, and went over to Amazon.co.uk to get an idea of how much they cost these days (at time of writing this, £90 new, or from £45 used).... so then I went over to check over at Ebay. Bargain....
I discovered it's possible to pick up a decent used / pre-owned machine for around £30 - £35 + £10 postage. After getting my butt kicked in an auction for a purple one (which had controller, 3 games + a carry bag)...... a few days later I saw the one I now have, the Black version for I think it was £29.99 + £9.99 P&P (the only downside being no games or user manual). Unfortunately around the sametime while waiting for Postman Pat to deliver it, I noticed my local branch of Woolworths had quit stocking the games for it..... and had quite an adventure when I went on a day trip to York (originally for additional repairs to my Nokia N-Gage, the stupid thing started working properly when I got off the bus, but that's another story). First stop was Gamestation, where I don't think I saw on Gamecube games, apart from a pre-owned Donkey Konga(?) + Bongo's for about £60!? Later I also checked in Woolworths (the one there didn't have any either), but eventually spotted a few pre-owned ones in a wire basket in GAME @ 5 for £30 or £9.97 each, but I only opted for two of them (since I only had £25 left in me pocket at the time), and were nearly all "Star Wars: Rogue Squadron", but then I decided to it might be easier if I went round to the otherside of the basket to save reading the titles on the spines of the Gamecases upside down. Which is when I saw some of the better games for it partially hidden on a small bookcase like thing, also pre-owned.... but going for 2 for £20 or £12.97 each. I picked up "Super Mario Sunshine" + "The Simpsons: Hit&Run" (2 of the games that turned me onto the console... though the Simpsons is available on other consoles, I thought the screenshots of the Gamecube version looked slightly better quality). Like all the current generation of consoles, it's only supplied with a cable to hook up to the SCART or RGB(?) sockets on your TV, so if you're planning on using it on a TV that's only equipped with a good old fashioned aerial socket, then you're screwed unless you buy a seperate, special cable for it (can be picked up cheap via Amazon). If like me you've already got a Playstation2 hooked up to your TV with the equivalent cable for that, you can just plug it into the Aerial socket on that... but if you're planning on running it via the same channel, you'll find the tuner will need a little tweak everytime you switch consoles.
The controller isn't too bad...... though the "horns" you grip it with aren't as rounded as the ones on the PS2 controller, and when I first had a trial hold of it when I took it out the box when it arrived found you end up getting a searing pain streak through the palm of your hand and into your wrists if you don't hold it quite right. Also it isn't quite as clinically arranged as the PS2 controller, and not as subtley coloured....... but works fairly well.
It also helps to have a memory card for it, especially if you wish to get anywhere with the games (which last quite a while).... I think the official one's about £17 for an 8MB card(?), but I managed to pick-up a 128MB / 2043 block non-official one for £3.99 + £3.99 postage from an Ebay seller from Hong Kong. If you do go for a non-offical card, bare in mind some of them are crap... mine seems ok so far.
Fairly simple to get the games started.... you have 2 options. The first is while it's switched on, press the eject button to open the lid, press the disk into place, close the lid, push the UP button on the menu and an icon for the game should appear.... press the A button and the icon appears, along with a short description of the game..... then just press start, and away you go. If you've left it switched off with a game disk still in, then it'll automatically load the disk next time you fire up the console.
The must have games for it include: I OWN SO FAR: Super Mario Sunshine The Simpsons: Hit&Run (best Simpsons game ever, and still not finished it after 3weeks of 2-3hour sessions on it). The Legend of Zelda: Collectors Edition (includes ported version of the first 2 Zelda games on the NES, along with "Ocarina of Time" + "Majora's Mask" ported over from the N64 + also a demo of "Wind Waker" for the Gamecube).
ON MY SHOPPING LIST FOR LATER: Zelda: Twilight Princess (delayed, Amazon got it pencilled in for a 16th Feb 2006 launch). Paper Mario: The Thousand year door (rated 9.2 on Gamespot) Mario Kart: Double Dash Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour Luigi's Mansion
Overall it's bloody good value, even if you already have a Playstation2 or Xbox... in fact I've found it stacks nicely on the left side of my PS2, with space left on the other side to stack the cases my DVD's & Games came in.
Though one thing I feel it lacks is a decent exclusive game that rivals (or beats) the likes of "Gran Turismo 3" / "Gran Turismo4" on the Playstation2 (Which is what prompted me to get the PS2 first) or "Forza" / "Project Gotham2" for that XBOX thing.
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Oct 20th, 2005
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