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I played a Gamecube today. Okay, so it may have been released a week ago, but there may also have been playable units available in selected stores before that. But for me, this was a first time experience - not only in playing the cube’s games, but also for seeing it for physically. Crazy, huh? But there’s an explanation for this - with AS exams coming up (10 days to go), coupled along with the fact that my parents won’t let me leave the house (other than for college lectures) until the exams are over, it’s no surprise that my only source of gaming news has been the internet and magazines.
However, today I managed to “smuggle” myself into town, at the expense of missing Physics and Business Studies, content with the fact that I wasn’t going to learn anything new (it’s all revision now). The night before, I shoved some redundant games into my bag in place of the usual folders, including Extreme G3, F1 2001, Pokemon Silver and Resident Evil 2 for the PS. I also took a chunk of my savings to the value of £80 along with me, in case I had to buy something.
Anyway, I got on the bus at 9:40am, and upon arriving, I stopped by Dixons to see the Gamecube and its games in action. Unfortunately, the console with being used by someone, so I had to be content with her Luigi’s Mansion play testing, and the Rogue Leader rolling demo on another screen by the counter. I left, after reading the back of some GC games (I figured that if I waited longer, she would eventually leave - but this didn’t happen) and comparing the Gamecube packaging to the Xbox’s, and walked on to Game to trade in my games.
During this two minute period, I thought about a few things.
“Looks like it will fit into my bag after all.”
(My parents won’t know about it when I buy the GC on 12th June - it’s happened before with my GBA, N64 and PS2, but the latter was a nightmare to smuggle through)
“I can’t wait ‘til after my exams.”
“Wonder if they’ll have a special offer for bundles?”
“That girl sure looked nice.”
“Almost tripped over then.”
Of course, I didn’t trip over, but it was close. Stony, uneven roads are tricky to navigate, after all. Anyway, upon arriving at Game, I walked over to the GC section (near the back at this present time), and again looked at the games and inspected the bundles on offer. Hmm, GC and 4 games for £250. That’s good.
I then looked around the store.
“Why isn’t there a Gamecube stand?” I thought.
There was one for Xbox, but that was switched off. There was also one for the PS2, but that had Herdy Gerdy on it. Oh well. I went over to the GBA section, and picked two games off the shelf (ones that had good reviews and interest me, of course). I picked Broken Sword (I love a good story with twists) and Advance Wars. After handing the games over to the counter, I took the ones I wanted to trade in (6 in total) and gave them to the same guy. £53 was all I got, so I had to fork out another £12 for the games. No big deal, although they were good games I traded in.
After departing, I pondered where to go next. It was 10:30 now, and I had to be back before noon in case my brother, who works somewhere in town, left for his lunch break and found me. This is not a joke by the way. I went to Toys ‘R’ Us, after recalling that most of the Gamecube booths were deployed there. It takes a while to get there form the Quadrant (the main “hub” in town), and it was a hot day today, so I dropped into McDonalds for a McFlurry. Mmm.
I was mildly surprised when I arrived; there was hardly anyone in the store and for such a big one, it meant a still silence with the occasional echo when someone talked. The stands for each section (action figures, Harry Potter crap, Star Wars stuff, etc.) were also quite towering, so it was easy to get lost there. Luckily, I knew where to go, and in a few seconds I arrived at my ultimate objective. The sacred Gamecube stand. And what’s more, there was no-one there. Not just no-one playing it, but absolutely no-one in the whole gaming area, and beyond. Doubly cool.
I dropped my bag on the floor and held the controller, for the first time. Wow! The magazines and people I spoke to were right; despite looking uncomfortable on paper, in reality it looked good, and fitted like a dream - so much better than the N64 pad, in fact. I loved it. It was a sort of demo disc with a few games available to play, so I picked Luigi’s mansion first of all. The sound was on quite loud, and what with the almost deserted store, there was no interference. I pressed the massive A button a few times.
“Mario!”
“Mario?”
Heh. After finding the key and meeting that tiny ghost hunter, I got bored a bit as he talked (it only happens when I’m playing in public - at home I can take my time), and pressed a A button many times, looking away at the GC offers next to the stand as I did so.
“Why would I want a steering wheel with my Gamecube?” I thought, looking at a bundle which included a wheel, a third party pad, Rogue Leader and Dave Mirra. Whatever.
After receiving the vacuum cleaner, and stating the training section, I used the C stick to catch my first ghost. A few more then came, but I couldn’t catch any of them - the C stick needed a bit of getting used to, I thought. I resetted the console using the controller, and saw the opening sequence. Hmmm, a robotic voice saying “Nintendo Gamecube”. Strange. I selected Rogue Leader this time round, and was amazed. Okay, so the first bit of the first level was no looker (a continuous load of grey, in my opinion) but the presentation and graphics was fantastic throughout.
When I finished playing, it was about ten to 12, so I had to practically run to the bus station to catch my bus (it left at 5 to).
When I got home, I was pleased by how the day went - okay, so I deceived my parents (again), and scuppered my 95% attendance record at college, but so what? I finally played on the Gamecube.
And as a unexpected bonus, Advance Wars is seriously addictive. I’ve played it almost non-stop now, and haven’t switched my GBA off for eight hours. Still on the training missions though. 12th June - I can’t wait.
However, today I managed to “smuggle” myself into town, at the expense of missing Physics and Business Studies, content with the fact that I wasn’t going to learn anything new (it’s all revision now). The night before, I shoved some redundant games into my bag in place of the usual folders, including Extreme G3, F1 2001, Pokemon Silver and Resident Evil 2 for the PS. I also took a chunk of my savings to the value of £80 along with me, in case I had to buy something.
Anyway, I got on the bus at 9:40am, and upon arriving, I stopped by Dixons to see the Gamecube and its games in action. Unfortunately, the console with being used by someone, so I had to be content with her Luigi’s Mansion play testing, and the Rogue Leader rolling demo on another screen by the counter. I left, after reading the back of some GC games (I figured that if I waited longer, she would eventually leave - but this didn’t happen) and comparing the Gamecube packaging to the Xbox’s, and walked on to Game to trade in my games.
During this two minute period, I thought about a few things.
“Looks like it will fit into my bag after all.”
(My parents won’t know about it when I buy the GC on 12th June - it’s happened before with my GBA, N64 and PS2, but the latter was a nightmare to smuggle through)
“I can’t wait ‘til after my exams.”
“Wonder if they’ll have a special offer for bundles?”
“That girl sure looked nice.”
“Almost tripped over then.”
Of course, I didn’t trip over, but it was close. Stony, uneven roads are tricky to navigate, after all. Anyway, upon arriving at Game, I walked over to the GC section (near the back at this present time), and again looked at the games and inspected the bundles on offer. Hmm, GC and 4 games for £250. That’s good.
I then looked around the store.
“Why isn’t there a Gamecube stand?” I thought.
There was one for Xbox, but that was switched off. There was also one for the PS2, but that had Herdy Gerdy on it. Oh well. I went over to the GBA section, and picked two games off the shelf (ones that had good reviews and interest me, of course). I picked Broken Sword (I love a good story with twists) and Advance Wars. After handing the games over to the counter, I took the ones I wanted to trade in (6 in total) and gave them to the same guy. £53 was all I got, so I had to fork out another £12 for the games. No big deal, although they were good games I traded in.
After departing, I pondered where to go next. It was 10:30 now, and I had to be back before noon in case my brother, who works somewhere in town, left for his lunch break and found me. This is not a joke by the way. I went to Toys ‘R’ Us, after recalling that most of the Gamecube booths were deployed there. It takes a while to get there form the Quadrant (the main “hub” in town), and it was a hot day today, so I dropped into McDonalds for a McFlurry. Mmm.
I was mildly surprised when I arrived; there was hardly anyone in the store and for such a big one, it meant a still silence with the occasional echo when someone talked. The stands for each section (action figures, Harry Potter crap, Star Wars stuff, etc.) were also quite towering, so it was easy to get lost there. Luckily, I knew where to go, and in a few seconds I arrived at my ultimate objective. The sacred Gamecube stand. And what’s more, there was no-one there. Not just no-one playing it, but absolutely no-one in the whole gaming area, and beyond. Doubly cool.
I dropped my bag on the floor and held the controller, for the first time. Wow! The magazines and people I spoke to were right; despite looking uncomfortable on paper, in reality it looked good, and fitted like a dream - so much better than the N64 pad, in fact. I loved it. It was a sort of demo disc with a few games available to play, so I picked Luigi’s mansion first of all. The sound was on quite loud, and what with the almost deserted store, there was no interference. I pressed the massive A button a few times.
“Mario!”
“Mario?”
Heh. After finding the key and meeting that tiny ghost hunter, I got bored a bit as he talked (it only happens when I’m playing in public - at home I can take my time), and pressed a A button many times, looking away at the GC offers next to the stand as I did so.
“Why would I want a steering wheel with my Gamecube?” I thought, looking at a bundle which included a wheel, a third party pad, Rogue Leader and Dave Mirra. Whatever.
After receiving the vacuum cleaner, and stating the training section, I used the C stick to catch my first ghost. A few more then came, but I couldn’t catch any of them - the C stick needed a bit of getting used to, I thought. I resetted the console using the controller, and saw the opening sequence. Hmmm, a robotic voice saying “Nintendo Gamecube”. Strange. I selected Rogue Leader this time round, and was amazed. Okay, so the first bit of the first level was no looker (a continuous load of grey, in my opinion) but the presentation and graphics was fantastic throughout.
When I finished playing, it was about ten to 12, so I had to practically run to the bus station to catch my bus (it left at 5 to).
When I got home, I was pleased by how the day went - okay, so I deceived my parents (again), and scuppered my 95% attendance record at college, but so what? I finally played on the Gamecube.
And as a unexpected bonus, Advance Wars is seriously addictive. I’ve played it almost non-stop now, and haven’t switched my GBA off for eight hours. Still on the training missions though. 12th June - I can’t wait.
Nice topic! :D Fun read!
12th June is when I finish my exams as well.. last exam on that day..
I just wish it was the 13th of June.. I take a little bit of comfort in that its possible to resit an exam or two if you do bad this time around.
GOOD LUCK THOUGH WITH YOURS... :)
12th June is when I finish my exams as well.. last exam on that day..
I just wish it was the 13th of June.. I take a little bit of comfort in that its possible to resit an exam or two if you do bad this time around.
GOOD LUCK THOUGH WITH YOURS... :)
I played a Gamecube today. Okay, so it may have been released a week ago, but there may also have been playable units available in selected stores before that. But for me, this was a first time experience - not only in playing the cube’s games, but also for seeing it for physically. Crazy, huh? But there’s an explanation for this - with AS exams coming up (10 days to go), coupled along with the fact that my parents won’t let me leave the house (other than for college lectures) until the exams are over, it’s no surprise that my only source of gaming news has been the internet and magazines.
However, today I managed to “smuggle” myself into town, at the expense of missing Physics and Business Studies, content with the fact that I wasn’t going to learn anything new (it’s all revision now). The night before, I shoved some redundant games into my bag in place of the usual folders, including Extreme G3, F1 2001, Pokemon Silver and Resident Evil 2 for the PS. I also took a chunk of my savings to the value of £80 along with me, in case I had to buy something.
Anyway, I got on the bus at 9:40am, and upon arriving, I stopped by Dixons to see the Gamecube and its games in action. Unfortunately, the console with being used by someone, so I had to be content with her Luigi’s Mansion play testing, and the Rogue Leader rolling demo on another screen by the counter. I left, after reading the back of some GC games (I figured that if I waited longer, she would eventually leave - but this didn’t happen) and comparing the Gamecube packaging to the Xbox’s, and walked on to Game to trade in my games.
During this two minute period, I thought about a few things.
“Looks like it will fit into my bag after all.”
(My parents won’t know about it when I buy the GC on 12th June - it’s happened before with my GBA, N64 and PS2, but the latter was a nightmare to smuggle through)
“I can’t wait ‘til after my exams.”
“Wonder if they’ll have a special offer for bundles?”
“That girl sure looked nice.”
“Almost tripped over then.”
Of course, I didn’t trip over, but it was close. Stony, uneven roads are tricky to navigate, after all. Anyway, upon arriving at Game, I walked over to the GC section (near the back at this present time), and again looked at the games and inspected the bundles on offer. Hmm, GC and 4 games for £250. That’s good.
I then looked around the store.
“Why isn’t there a Gamecube stand?” I thought.
There was one for Xbox, but that was switched off. There was also one for the PS2, but that had Herdy Gerdy on it. Oh well. I went over to the GBA section, and picked two games off the shelf (ones that had good reviews and interest me, of course). I picked Broken Sword (I love a good story with twists) and Advance Wars. After handing the games over to the counter, I took the ones I wanted to trade in (6 in total) and gave them to the same guy. £53 was all I got, so I had to fork out another £12 for the games. No big deal, although they were good games I traded in.
After departing, I pondered where to go next. It was 10:30 now, and I had to be back before noon in case my brother, who works somewhere in town, left for his lunch break and found me. This is not a joke by the way. I went to Toys ‘R’ Us, after recalling that most of the Gamecube booths were deployed there. It takes a while to get there form the Quadrant (the main “hub” in town), and it was a hot day today, so I dropped into McDonalds for a McFlurry. Mmm.
I was mildly surprised when I arrived; there was hardly anyone in the store and for such a big one, it meant a still silence with the occasional echo when someone talked. The stands for each section (action figures, Harry Potter crap, Star Wars stuff, etc.) were also quite towering, so it was easy to get lost there. Luckily, I knew where to go, and in a few seconds I arrived at my ultimate objective. The sacred Gamecube stand. And what’s more, there was no-one there. Not just no-one playing it, but absolutely no-one in the whole gaming area, and beyond. Doubly cool.
I dropped my bag on the floor and held the controller, for the first time. Wow! The magazines and people I spoke to were right; despite looking uncomfortable on paper, in reality it looked good, and fitted like a dream - so much better than the N64 pad, in fact. I loved it. It was a sort of demo disc with a few games available to play, so I picked Luigi’s mansion first of all. The sound was on quite loud, and what with the almost deserted store, there was no interference. I pressed the massive A button a few times.
“Mario!”
“Mario?”
Heh. After finding the key and meeting that tiny ghost hunter, I got bored a bit as he talked (it only happens when I’m playing in public - at home I can take my time), and pressed a A button many times, looking away at the GC offers next to the stand as I did so.
“Why would I want a steering wheel with my Gamecube?” I thought, looking at a bundle which included a wheel, a third party pad, Rogue Leader and Dave Mirra. Whatever.
After receiving the vacuum cleaner, and stating the training section, I used the C stick to catch my first ghost. A few more then came, but I couldn’t catch any of them - the C stick needed a bit of getting used to, I thought. I resetted the console using the controller, and saw the opening sequence. Hmmm, a robotic voice saying “Nintendo Gamecube”. Strange. I selected Rogue Leader this time round, and was amazed. Okay, so the first bit of the first level was no looker (a continuous load of grey, in my opinion) but the presentation and graphics was fantastic throughout.
When I finished playing, it was about ten to 12, so I had to practically run to the bus station to catch my bus (it left at 5 to).
When I got home, I was pleased by how the day went - okay, so I deceived my parents (again), and scuppered my 95% attendance record at college, but so what? I finally played on the Gamecube.
And as a unexpected bonus, Advance Wars is seriously addictive. I’ve played it almost non-stop now, and haven’t switched my GBA off for eight hours. Still on the training missions though. 12th June - I can’t wait.
However, today I managed to “smuggle” myself into town, at the expense of missing Physics and Business Studies, content with the fact that I wasn’t going to learn anything new (it’s all revision now). The night before, I shoved some redundant games into my bag in place of the usual folders, including Extreme G3, F1 2001, Pokemon Silver and Resident Evil 2 for the PS. I also took a chunk of my savings to the value of £80 along with me, in case I had to buy something.
Anyway, I got on the bus at 9:40am, and upon arriving, I stopped by Dixons to see the Gamecube and its games in action. Unfortunately, the console with being used by someone, so I had to be content with her Luigi’s Mansion play testing, and the Rogue Leader rolling demo on another screen by the counter. I left, after reading the back of some GC games (I figured that if I waited longer, she would eventually leave - but this didn’t happen) and comparing the Gamecube packaging to the Xbox’s, and walked on to Game to trade in my games.
During this two minute period, I thought about a few things.
“Looks like it will fit into my bag after all.”
(My parents won’t know about it when I buy the GC on 12th June - it’s happened before with my GBA, N64 and PS2, but the latter was a nightmare to smuggle through)
“I can’t wait ‘til after my exams.”
“Wonder if they’ll have a special offer for bundles?”
“That girl sure looked nice.”
“Almost tripped over then.”
Of course, I didn’t trip over, but it was close. Stony, uneven roads are tricky to navigate, after all. Anyway, upon arriving at Game, I walked over to the GC section (near the back at this present time), and again looked at the games and inspected the bundles on offer. Hmm, GC and 4 games for £250. That’s good.
I then looked around the store.
“Why isn’t there a Gamecube stand?” I thought.
There was one for Xbox, but that was switched off. There was also one for the PS2, but that had Herdy Gerdy on it. Oh well. I went over to the GBA section, and picked two games off the shelf (ones that had good reviews and interest me, of course). I picked Broken Sword (I love a good story with twists) and Advance Wars. After handing the games over to the counter, I took the ones I wanted to trade in (6 in total) and gave them to the same guy. £53 was all I got, so I had to fork out another £12 for the games. No big deal, although they were good games I traded in.
After departing, I pondered where to go next. It was 10:30 now, and I had to be back before noon in case my brother, who works somewhere in town, left for his lunch break and found me. This is not a joke by the way. I went to Toys ‘R’ Us, after recalling that most of the Gamecube booths were deployed there. It takes a while to get there form the Quadrant (the main “hub” in town), and it was a hot day today, so I dropped into McDonalds for a McFlurry. Mmm.
I was mildly surprised when I arrived; there was hardly anyone in the store and for such a big one, it meant a still silence with the occasional echo when someone talked. The stands for each section (action figures, Harry Potter crap, Star Wars stuff, etc.) were also quite towering, so it was easy to get lost there. Luckily, I knew where to go, and in a few seconds I arrived at my ultimate objective. The sacred Gamecube stand. And what’s more, there was no-one there. Not just no-one playing it, but absolutely no-one in the whole gaming area, and beyond. Doubly cool.
I dropped my bag on the floor and held the controller, for the first time. Wow! The magazines and people I spoke to were right; despite looking uncomfortable on paper, in reality it looked good, and fitted like a dream - so much better than the N64 pad, in fact. I loved it. It was a sort of demo disc with a few games available to play, so I picked Luigi’s mansion first of all. The sound was on quite loud, and what with the almost deserted store, there was no interference. I pressed the massive A button a few times.
“Mario!”
“Mario?”
Heh. After finding the key and meeting that tiny ghost hunter, I got bored a bit as he talked (it only happens when I’m playing in public - at home I can take my time), and pressed a A button many times, looking away at the GC offers next to the stand as I did so.
“Why would I want a steering wheel with my Gamecube?” I thought, looking at a bundle which included a wheel, a third party pad, Rogue Leader and Dave Mirra. Whatever.
After receiving the vacuum cleaner, and stating the training section, I used the C stick to catch my first ghost. A few more then came, but I couldn’t catch any of them - the C stick needed a bit of getting used to, I thought. I resetted the console using the controller, and saw the opening sequence. Hmmm, a robotic voice saying “Nintendo Gamecube”. Strange. I selected Rogue Leader this time round, and was amazed. Okay, so the first bit of the first level was no looker (a continuous load of grey, in my opinion) but the presentation and graphics was fantastic throughout.
When I finished playing, it was about ten to 12, so I had to practically run to the bus station to catch my bus (it left at 5 to).
When I got home, I was pleased by how the day went - okay, so I deceived my parents (again), and scuppered my 95% attendance record at college, but so what? I finally played on the Gamecube.
And as a unexpected bonus, Advance Wars is seriously addictive. I’ve played it almost non-stop now, and haven’t switched my GBA off for eight hours. Still on the training missions though. 12th June - I can’t wait.