Welcome to Nintendo Supersite GameCube Review done by Chris. Since I have a subscription to Nintendo Power, I get inside information before most other people do.
Any new info I recieve will be posted here.
Console
The GameCube console will be the most powerful VIDEO GAME machine on the PLANET. Sure, the X-Box will be a powerhouse, but right now, the GameCube is a GAME ORIENTED MACHINE, so there is no extra stuff to slow it down or pay extra money for. Nintendo teamed up with IBM for this baby so it'll definately be good. They're using something called 0.18 micron IBM copper technology which evidently mean VERY INTRICATE CIRCUITS. I think that's a good thing! Powered by a 485MHz processor, this thing is a tad bit faster than PS2 ( I think PS2 is only 300 MHz). The console itself is rather small. As the name implies, the system is pretty much the shape of a 6" cube. It's got the now Nintendo-standard 4 controller ports for excellent Multiplayer action, and 2 ports on the console itself for memory cards. I don't think they will be put into the controller any more. The system also has 2 different AV output ports, 2 high-speed serial ports, and 1 high-speed parallel port. It also has a nice handle on the back so you can take it places rather easily!!
It will launch in 2 colors in the U.S.A., Indigo and Black. Orange is also available in Japan. I think the system will come packed with 1 controller and no games, like the N64.
| JAPAN Release date: | September 14th, 2001 |
| U.S. Release Date: | November 18th, 2001 (700,000 units) nintendo.com also sez Nov 5th hmmmmmm... |
| Price: | $199.95 |
| System Dimensions: | 4.3" x 5.9" x 6.3" (WxHxD) |
| Processor Speed | 485 MHz |
| Controller Ports: | 4 |
| Memory Card Slots: | 2 |
| Future Upgrades: | 56K Internet connection Broadband Internet connection DVD upgrade Wavebird Controller |
| Current Colors: | Indigo (Purple), Black, Orange (currently only in Japan) |
Games
Size of GameCube Minidisc
WHOA!! I was WAY wrong about the launch game count. There won't be just 3 games on launch day, but upwards of 17!! Only 3 games will be made by first party developers (Nintendo), while 14 or so more will be available from third party developers (EA, Sega, etc.) The mistake Nintendo made in 1996 was that the N64 was such a hard system to make games for, so they lost a handful of developers. They changed that for the GameCube. They have switched to Disc-based games, so now the games can be drastically larger. The discs themselves are freakin' small, about the height of an N64 game cartridge (3 inches!!!).
| Game Price: | $49.95 |
| Game Disk Dimensions: | 3 inch diameter |
| Disc Capacity: | 1.5 GB |
| Current awesome 2001 launch games: | Luigi's MansionTM - November 18 (street date) Wave Race®: Blue Storm - November 18 (street date) PikminTM - November 19 (ship date) Super Smash Bros.TM Melee - December 3 (ship date) Eternal DarknessTM - December 3 (ship date) All Star Baseball 2002 (Acclaim) Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 (Acclaim) Extreme G3 (Acclaim) NFL Quarterback Club 2002 (Acclaim) Crazy Taxi (Acclaim) FIFA Soccer 2002 (Electronic Arts) Madden NFL 2002 (Electronic Arts) SSX Tricky (Electronics Arts) Star Wars® Rogue Squadron® II: Rogue LeaderTM (LucasArts) NFL Blitz (Midway) NHL Hitz (Midway) Super Monkey Ball (Sega) |
9/22/01 - Luigi's Mansion (launch title): The verdict: approximately 6 hours of gameplay to complete the game, but there's still other stuff to do, so total gameplay is around 20 hours, with some replay value. The game is well animated and it's got great visual effects. It's still a great launch title.
9/22/01 - WaveRace: Blue Storm (launch title) - WaveRace - Blue Storm: GREAT! I liked the N64 version of this game, and the people who played the GameCube version LOVED it. Better graphics, such realistic water, Multiplayer racing, and the computers are hard too! Istead of only 2 players like WaveRace 64, now you can have 4. I KNOW that will be fun.
9/22/01 - Zelda for GCN (sometime in 2002) - You all might have heard that Miyamoto changed the way that Link looks, right? Well, in the latest screenshots of Zelda GCN, Link now has quite a "Cartoonish" look. People might think that the next Zelda game will be a bit more childish because of the changed Link graphic, but really, let's think seriously. It's a ZELDA game!!! Miyamoto definately has some special plans for this game. I know for sure that the game itself will be great. Just because Link looks different shouldn't change a thing! No matter what, I'll make this the 6th Zelda game that I own!
Controllers
Size of GameCube Controller
| Price | $34.95 (that isn't THAT bad) |
The controllers are practically the exact same size as the N64 controllers, just without the big middle handle that the analog control stick was on. The analog control stick is now located on the left side of the controller, which I think is still a good position. It has a control pad down and to the right of the control stick. Thats also a good spot. The controller now has a "C" control stick instead of C buttons. I have a feeling that will allow some pretty cool stuff. The traditional "L" and "R" buttons are on the GameCube controller, but they look like they are bigger than usual. The "Z" button is now placed on the TOP of the controller in front of the "R" button. The "A" button is now a big green button in the middle of the right side of the controller. The "B" button is to the left of it, the "Y" button is above it, and the "X" button is to the right of it. There is also a START/PAUSE button in the middle of the controller. The GameCube controllers also have a BUILT IN RUMBLE FEATURE, so you save batteries!! Click For a BIG pic of the GameCube controller (245K or so). Pic from Nintendo Power
Most info directly from various Nintendo sites (mostly nintendo.com) All images are from nintendo.com
Nintendo's GCN (Nintendo GameCube) Detailed Spec List
