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"A Gamecube Guide. What not to buy etc...."

Ah, so, you want to buy a Gamecube? Hoh! Suit you! Like a bit of purply boxiness eh? Oh! Suit you sir - up the jacskie eh? Suit you!

ENOUGH!

Anyway. If you are here I presume you are either A)Bored B)Annoyed at me for some reason or C)Wanting to know about the Cube.....good for you if you are a C person!

The Gamecube is a rather nifty little console indeed. Powerful, compact, and it plays some truly excellent games. It is also cheaper than other concoles, and while it does not offer DVD (although a 'Q' is available - more on that later....) it does, in my opinion, offer a lot of cool stuff -Brilliant games, far better (in my opinion) than the bland offerings Playstation consitently sells, and while the XBox has an excellent range of games, its nothing to the Gamecubes mix of superb Nintendo and 3rd party titles, not to mention the brilliant 2nd party firms.......

So. You have probably heard all that blurb before. So, here is a guide as to what I consider a good Cube starter pack, and the best games in the main genres for the Cube are. It gets a bit more in detail towards the end, and the main starters guide is near the start. So, you can read the bits you want to........

1) Starter Pack - These are available from almost any shop that sells consoles. Often coming with perhaps an extra contoller and a game, these are often excellent deals. However, there are some things to watch out for. For example, many stores offer seemingly brilliant deals - A Cube for £130 with 2 games and an extra contoller. Bewarned! Look at the games. If they are Resident Evil and Mario Sunshine you are incredibly lucky, and should buy it immediatly. If its Driven and Universal Studios...avoid! There is a reason why its so cheap! The store wants to get rid of the games! Often, on sites such as this one, a starter pack is also available, but with a game of yuor choice. HMV offer this in my local town as well, and this is an excellent choice, as it allows you to pick the game of your choice. Often it is more of a case of looking around, and finding the best deal. Here are three for you -

SR - Offers two packs - Normal and the Fire pack - £130/150 respectively. FP comes with an extra contoller. Both come with a free memory card. You can also add games for £30 - a good deal.

HMV - Simply offers the basic GC with one controller for £130. Games also available. Also offers a Mario Pack, including Mario Sunshine for £170.

Gameplay - Offers a similar to HMV deal for £170, but with ANY game of yuor choice. Also offers a Mario pack with an extra contoller for, again, £170 - A very good deal again.

Really, it is up to you how you do it. However, I would say that buying a single GC, and then a seperate game is going to be more expensive. Of course, if a GC or game is second hand, and in good condition, I reccommend that - Its better for your pocket! Look around the high street and the net, and be a savvy shopper - People will assume you are an empty head, and try to convince you to buy. Do a little research and get the best deal you can - 2nd hand isn't a bad bet at all. Controllers tend to be priced about £25 for official ones (your best bet for reliability) and between £10 and £20 for unofficial pads. Stick with the official ones if you can :)

2) Games

These are the best bits. Sod your DVDs - I've got video and a DVD for that anyway! Play the games! GC has the best out, and even more amazing ones arriving. Games are roughly £30 to £40 first hand and cheaper 2nd hand. Some shops try to get rid of the aforementioned (and terrible) Universal Studios by pricing them very low - DO NOT BUY! You will regret it. Games are definitly more cheap on the net - Special Reserve and Play.com, and Gameplay offer good prices on games, often with delivery included. Shops tend to sway towards the £40 area.

Here are the best games, divided into the genres:

Best Game: Mario Sunshine - Even if you are totaly game unaware, you will know him. The greatest game of the year, and one of the best of all time. Superb. Top of your list, even if you hat platforming.

Platformers/Adventures:

1)Super Mario Sunshine - As above.
2)Super Monkey Ball - Quirky/Crazy - But good fun - Excellent multiplayer game as well - Roll monkeys in balls.
3)Luigis Mansion - Marios lesser known brother, in a short but excellent adventure.
4) Sonic Adventure 2 - Good. But not great.
5) Spiderman - The Movie - By all acounts a well made game, but nothing special - unless you love Spiderman.

Shoot em'ups:

1) Timesplitters 2 - A superb game. Brilliantly vast, quirky and fun, and very very varied.
2) Resident Evil - The best looking game ever. Scary, varied and very good, gory fun!
3) Rogue Leader - A superb Star Wars flying/arcade shooter. Very fun, very attractive, and you can even relive the classic Star Wars battles!
4)Turok Evolution - A dino-shooter. Looked promising, but dissappointing on release. Good fun in places, dull in others. TSP2 rules this.
5)Agent Under Fire - 007 in places, 006 in others. Good, but nothing to TSP2, or even Turok.

Sports:

1) Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 - Huge, attractive skateboarding game. Good fun, but one for the 'kool kids'.
2) ISS2 - Not a perfect footie game, but very very good.
3) SSX Tricky - 'Crazy' stunts 'Big Air' and a brilliant variety of courses make this snowboarding game a joy.
4)Aggressive Inline - Roller Blading, Tony Hawks style.
5) NBA Courtside 2002 - Basketball, but good.
6)NHL Hitz 20-02 - Ice Hockey, but jazzed up, and looking very nice. A good choice for fans.
7) Dave Mirra BMX 2 - While it lasts its okay, but nothing to THPS3 variety and living environments.

Racing:

1)Burnout - Fast, crazy, painful racer. Very 'cool'.
2)Wave Race Blue Storm - Great fun, beautiful, and a jet ski game. Need I say more?
3)Extreme G3 - Under-rated, but a good futuristic quick fix for speed junkies.
4) Crazy Taxi - Old. But fun.

Beat Em'Ups:

1)Super Smash Brothers Melee - Dull in single player mode, but electric in multiplayer.
2) Bloody Roar: Primal Fury - Good fun, a bit limited, but otherwise reasonable.
3) Wrestlmania X8 - Wrestling. 'Nuff said.

RTS/RPG:

1)Pikmin - Mad. Simply great, but mad gardening/RTS/Monster game. Try it and you might like it.
2)Doshin The Giant - Similar to Black and White. But Nintendo style. Quirky but inventive and fun.
3)Lost Kingdoms - Short, but good fun and actualy quite a surprising game.

Ohters:

The worhtless bunch. Try only if you love the genre:

Driven
Cel Damage
Universal Studios
2002 Fifa World Cup
Gauntlet Dark Legacy
ESPN Winter Sports 2002
Jeremy McGraths Supercross World
Spy Hunter
Tarzan Freeride
Donald Duck - Quack Attack
Legends Of Wrestling
Dark Summit
Simpsons Road Rage
Virtua Sriker 3 V2002

and more. Avoid at all costs.

3) Future.

This is the really good bit. Tne fututr release list is superb:

Star Wars: Clone Wars - RTS/Shooter
SW: Bounty Hunter - 3rd Person shooter
SW: Jedi Knight II - FPS
Eternal Darkenss - Horror
Star Fox Adventures - Adventure
James Bond Nightfire - Promising FPS
Metroid Prime - FPS (looks amazing)
Zelda - Looks to be the best game EVER!
Soul Calibur 2 - Amazing looking beat em'up.
Resident Evil 0,2,3,4 - A continuation of the series, looking amazing
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - RPG + Squaresoft = Bliss.

and many many many more. Check out www.Cube-Europe.com or this very site for a release list.

4) Online/Future stuff -

The Cube will be going online, with broadband and modem access, meaning you can play against other people all over the country, and indeed, over the world. This looks promising, and games such as Phantast Star Online 2 (a SEGA game) look set to launch the Cube into the online world.

The Cube can also connect with the GBA toaccess new features in the GC games. For example, accessing the Cube through a GBA (through a contoller port) in Animal Crossing (a 'life' game soon coming out here) allows you to visit a new island.

The 'Q' only available in Japan, is a Gamecube equipped with a DVD player and CD capabilities. Expensive, but looks so stylish it should have a fashion brand for itself One for the rich people.

Wavebird - A wireless, infra-red controller. Amazingly, you can play from almost anywhere in your house. Despite the fact you still have to see the screen. Ah. Still. A good one for those Sunday lie-ins.

There is loads more to come. Nintendo may have lost Rare to Microsoft, but this is infact, perhaps a blessing in disguise. Money (lots of it) from the sale means Nintendo can put it all into making new games - good for you and me.
-----------------
The Cube is an excellent console. While the XBox and to a lesser extent the PS2 offer good services, I feel the Cube is unbeatable when it comes to gameplay. Look around and you could find a good deal. Then you will enter the wonderful world of Nintendo.

Hoh! Suit you sir!

:)

Er...no.......not really.........

Ch-Ching!

;)

Cyclone, do SR pay you commission on the Cubes they sell...?

;-)

Good post, Cyclone. Looks to me like you put a lot of thought and effort into it, and this really is the thing to read if you haven't bought a Gamecube yet. Cyclone obviously knows what he's talking about when it comes to Gamecube.

Again, great post.

Indeed.

MMMMWWWWAHHHAA!

;)

Cyclone wrote:
> Well Mr. Mendax, thats your opinion.>
> Doshin is good.
> I'm not insane.
> Indeeeeeedy-do-da-lally.
> Yes.
> -
> :)


*Backs away quietly as to not seem disturbed*

Well Mr. Mendax, thats your opinion.

Doshin is good.

I'm not insane.


Indeeeeeedy-do-da-lally.

Yes.

-

:)

Hrmm...SSX Tricky is a must buy I reckon, love it :D

Good guide Cyclone :)

now thats a long list, like most of it, not monkey ball, fun multi not single.

Yes Doshin was definetely not one of my favourites, I thought it was too childish even for the GC. Plus they said in nearly every review that it was short-lived and didn't give the owner much time for enjoyment since they would get bored of it quickly.

Any list that includes a recommendation for Doshin must immediately be discounted as the rantings of the irrevocably insane.