NGC May 2002 (15th Anniversary of the Gamecube)

It's the 15th anniversary of the Gamecube launch in the UK at the start of May so thought it would be nice to remind ourselves how strong that launch really was.

Read the full magazine here - http://read.oldgamemags.com/Nintendo%20Consoles/NGC%20Magazine/

*REVIEWS*

NGC STAR GAME (85%+) - only after playing a game to the end will we consider awarding it out Star Game seal.:

84-70% - If we award a game more than 70 you can be certain it's fantastic, if flawed, fun.:

50-69% - Every so often a game comes along that's perfectly playable, but just not special in any way.:

20-49% - Here you'll find games that were lazily programmed or hurriedly cobbled together - or simply bad ideas.:

I played Burnout recently and it's really lifeless, especially compared to the superior sequels.
Currently playing some Tony Hawks 3 and it's as great now as it was then, may go back to Luigi's Mansion at some point as it's a charming little game. I've played Super Monkey Ball and Crazy Taxi to death so shan't be revisiting them, but Extreme G3 is intriguing and one I may bung on the emulator.

Anyone up for some early Cube games?

The fifteen anniversary of the GameCube! Jings. I punted most of my boxed N64 collection for one of those with Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. Ocarina of Time, Mario Party, Donkey Kong 64 with the Expansion Pak and loads more were all sent packing to Electrionics Boutique, probably for about three pound credit each. Bollocks!

That was a really strong launch line-up right enough. Melee came out a few weeks after all that as well, and then Pikmin shortly after that, so everyone should have been well sorted that summer. My collection for about the first six months was SA2B, Melee, Pikmin and - awww yeah! - 18 Wheeler. I actually think I rented NHL Hitz 20-02 from Blockbuster for about six weekends straight - that was a cracker. Definitely go back and play it if you're into NBA Jam, NFL Blitz and that type of game.

I'll download that issue later on - thanks for sharing. I'd also be up for going back to some old GameCube games. Not Burnout 1 though, because, as you've suggested, it's completely shite.

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

The fifteen anniversary of the GameCube! Jings. I punted most of my boxed N64 collection for one of those with Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. Ocarina of Time, Mario Party, Donkey Kong 64 with the Expansion Pak and loads more were all sent packing to Electrionics Boutique, probably for about three pound credit each. Bollocks!

That was a really strong launch line-up right enough. Melee came out a few weeks after all that as well, and then Pikmin shortly after that, so everyone should have been well sorted that summer. My collection for about the first six months was SA2B, Melee, Pikmin and  - awww yeah! - 18 Wheeler. I actually think I rented NHL Hitz 20-02 from Blockbuster for about six weekends straight - that was a cracker. Definitely go back and play it if you're into NBA Jam, NFL Blitz and that type of game.

I'll download that issue later on - thanks for sharing. I'd also be up for going back to some old GameCube games. Not Burnout 1 though, because, as you've suggested, it's completely shite.

Used to love a bit of 18 Wheeler on the Dreamcast, although moreso because I had a pirate copy for £2. Would have been less happy if I'd dropped £40 on it. Was never into the American sports/arcade titles - although I loved the NBA Street series. I'm tempted to give Sonic Adventure 2 another bash. Also, am I the only one who finds Wave Race really overrated?

The GameCube what a system, the first I bought with my own money on day one and I've technically got that GameCube now (I swapped my Purple one for a RE4 Edition when I had the shop).

I've got loads of PAL and a decent amount of JPN games, that more then happy to go back and play some Cube games for let's all play thing.

gjones wrote:

Also, am I the only one who finds Wave Race really overrated?

I think it's a good game. Good, but that's it.

I've got a bit of a PAL and NTSC collection as well. I don't think there's anything left that I'd be looking to buy for it to be honest, but with over a hundred games I'd have to say that I'm sorted from whatever way you look at it. There's loads of duplicates in there though: off the top of my head, I know I've got two copies of Starfox Assault, two copies of Kirby Air Ride, three copies of Melee, three copies of F-Zero GX and four copies of the Wind Waker special edition. 'mon the charity shops!

Gamecube was the first home console I ever owned; I'd had Game Boys, and family members had other machines, but this was mine. It's still plugged into my TV right now, actually. How about that?

The Cappuccino Kid wrote:

gjones wrote:

Also, am I the only one who finds Wave Race really overrated?

I think it's a good game. Good, but that's it.

I've got a bit of a PAL and NTSC collection as well. I don't think there's anything left that I'd be looking to buy for it to be honest, but with over a hundred games I'd have to say that I'm sorted from whatever way you look at it. There's loads of duplicates in there though: off the top of my head, I know I've got two copies of Starfox Assault, two copies of Kirby Air Ride, three copies of Melee, three copies of F-Zero GX and four copies of the Wind Waker special edition. 'mon the charity shops!

Wave Race blue storm is outclassed in every way by the first & that isn't even nostalgia talking as I played blue storm first.

Blue Storm feels a little mechanical to me, and those controls were well too touchy and frustrating, but I liked it all right enough at the time. A good launch title that was definitely surpassed though, several times. Except in, er, reverse for Jaster.

I do remember Blue Storm being the one game that blew me away graphically (at the time), but it never sunk its hooks in to me like 1080 did. On both '64 and GC.

Also towards the back of the magazine, NGamer mention Burnout 2 being the best Burnout a couple of pages after declaring Burnout 3 the best. Also interesting is the fact that their Top 10 PS2 games includes Wii ports such as Manhunt, Okami and Bully.

I'm remember that we did a big Wii vote about five years ago (it might have been on the old NGamer Forum that was taken down) , and there was a lot of PS2-to-Wii ports in our lists. Personally, I feel that the Wii and even the GameCube wound up getting a lot of the best PS2 games. For me, it wasn't until late on into the Wii's run (and pretty much right the way through the Wii U's lifespan) that I ever felt that I was missing out on other console stuff.

That said, I was always a bit mystified as to why EA never ported Burnout 3 Takedown, Revenge or Paradise to a Nintendo - they'd have went down a storm on those consoles.

Still only played one of those games. I hope that Nintendo Swatch I keep hearing about has GCVC before too long.

Also, sad that Blue Storm doesn't seem to expand on the promise of the N64 game. I quite liked that when I played it last year.

Have been playing Blue Storm and it's a fun little game but boy it's irritating. Well, not traditionally irritating as such, but the fact that you are wrestling against the waves adds an extra layer to the "get in between the buoys", "go faster than the other racers" and "don't collide with rocks/ramps/cliffs". It's an interesting mix - a game that looks simple but requires a lot of practice. I guess the closest comparison is a rally game, but rally games are less punishing.