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Year One: GameCube vs. Wii

nintendowiifanboy.com — A comparison of the first years of the Nintendo GameCube and the Wii. Spoiler: Nintendo learns from the mistakes it made with the GameCube, and comes out swinging.

Who dugg this? Made popular Nov 20, 2007

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  • zeyad, on 11/20/2007, -2/+75I was expecting graphs and charts, not a picture of a calculator (wtf?) and a stack of gamecube games.
  • Okari, on 11/20/2007, -12/+66"For the Wii, big releases in its first year have been more plentiful."

    There had to be more because all the majority of 3rd party titles are mini games. The Gamecube could get multi-platform games without any difference, but if the Wii gets a multi- platform game it has to have gimmicky controls which completely ruin it.
  • hassanchop13, on 11/20/2007, -2/+41the comparison of the first year of games is kind of weak
    sure the Wii had metroid, zelda, super paper mario, mario galaxy and a few others, but the gamecube lineup of smash brothers, metroid, super mario sunshine, luigi's mansion and japan got zelda is just as impressive, atleast in name. the wii games probably take the edge in quality, since luigis mansion and super mario sunshine werent nearly as well recieved as super mario galaxy, but still, i dont think thats what is making the big difference. its definetly the Wii becoming a pop culture icon while the gamecube was seen as basically a fisher price toy in the mainstream
  • j4nj1m3n3z, on 11/20/2007, -2/+332007 was a pretty good year for the wii. hopefully 2008 will share in the success. at least it will start off right with the releases of Mario Kart and Brawl in the early months (hopefully).
  • defectDS, on 11/20/2007, -5/+28This is madness. I need SPARRRRTAAAAAAA.
  • atomicpoet, on 11/20/2007, -3/+21Perhaps the problem with the GameCube was precisely that it could get multi-platform games without any difference.
  • directive0, on 11/20/2007, -5/+22You hate a product. Re-prioritize your life.
  • CLShortFuse, on 11/20/2007, -0/+16You know it came in more colors than just purple...right?
  • john2kx, on 11/20/2007, -2/+18yeah, but what's the point? You probably have another device that plays dvd's hooked up to your TV anyway, be it a PS2, xbox, ps3, 360, or a standalone dvd player.
  • kirstpo, on 11/20/2007, -1/+17"...still not where the company needs to be in order to actively compete in the online arena, however. The convoluted Friend Code system that Nintendo employs is disliked widespread throughout the community..." This is probably my biggest gripe with the Wii right now. And as someone mentioned before, many third party games are pretty crappy however it's getting better.

    Good thing about the wii is it came wireless out of the box. The whole 'channel' interface and Mii's are very successful. Wiiware and Virtual Console are pretty neat. Most first party Nintendo games are good.
  • john2kx, on 11/20/2007, -2/+17True, but in other news, i totally can't wait for the new Mortal Combat game.
  • maduin, on 11/20/2007, -1/+15You must really be insecure to be afraid to let people know what you like...
  • N3k74r, on 11/20/2007, -16/+30Yeah - came out swinging with minigame collections and ports with tacked on controls besides 2 games.
  • Feep, on 11/20/2007, -0/+13As usual, people lambast the site for its name. This spinoff site is part of the Joystiq network, which has many blogs reporting specifically on each console or handheld. The naming convention of these sites are "(insert system here) Fanboy". It's a dumb convention, but don't be an idiot and assume the bloggers are biased morons.

    Though...perhaps the article wasn't as strong as it could have been. ^^
  • holygram, on 11/20/2007, -5/+17Animal Crossing.

    'nuff said.
  • TeatimeGrommit, on 11/20/2007, -3/+14Nintendo makes money on everything it sells. It doesn't need to win, so winning is just all the sweeter.
  • directive0, on 11/20/2007, -0/+10I think price definitely played a factor, but really I think it's the design (not just of the console's hardware, but the interface and the user experience) that is captivating the casual audience. To the majority of these people the 360 is barely a blip on their consumer radars, except as toys for their children, or overwhelming game systems. On the other side of the issue the Wii has more then just Wii Sports and minigames to offer to the core gamer (someone who plays any game they can get their hands on) that can keep them happy in addition to the 360 or the ps3, but its success is do by and large to its pandering to a demographic which is much larger then the "core gamer" market. I think its brilliant, try as some might to demean and disregard the Wii it is a unique experience that neither the ps3 or the 360 offer. Its not really a substitute in the eyes of the core gamer, but it can easily exist in both ecosystems and turn a profit for Nintendo. It was a daring gambit and so far it has paid off.
  • TeatimeGrommit, on 11/20/2007, -1/+11Wii hit its target demographic and GameCube didn't. Nintendo was going for the *same people* both times. That cheesy sports disc I haven't played in months was perfect for people who'd never played a video game before or whose last video game was called "Space Invaders."
  • charliespopcan, on 11/20/2007, -3/+13oh god. all i can think of was that digg post just hours ago..
  • cornface, on 11/20/2007, -0/+9But the cube at least had a handle.
  • ZenMojo, on 11/20/2007, -7/+16I feel that, reading an article from such an unbiased source as nintendowiifanboy.com, I should have expected a bit more substance as to why the Wii has performed better than the Gamecube. Oh well.

    Try this on for size: The PS2 had far more games than the Gamecube. The Xbox had a bit more power than the Gamecube. The Gamecube had almost no M-rated games and few T-rated games. All of the above were at the same price range in the first year of the Gamecube's release. Add them up and you have a Nintendo system with nothing to offer.

    This generation the Wii is so far the cheapest system on the market. That's why the Wii has performed so well in the first year. Now the Xbox 360 is within $30 of the Wii. We'll see what happens.
  • Elranzer, on 11/20/2007, -0/+8No, they released the black one at launch (in all regions).
  • Elranzer, on 11/20/2007, -2/+10Those A+ releases for PS3 and 360 have all been released within days of each other, eh?
  • xtc46, on 11/20/2007, -2/+10that was a sad story. ;( way to bring it back up
  • CLShortFuse, on 11/20/2007, -1/+8My GameCube controllers still see heavy use. In fact, the #1 most played game on my Wii is Super Smash Bros Melee. Of course, me and my friends are ridiculously technical with the game (tournament good). It's still amazing that game is lasting me 6 years. It's mostly the game itself. I gave away my GameCube and all my other games.
  • defectDS, on 11/20/2007, -0/+7The Revolution began development briefly after the Gamecube launch, not at the same time.
  • atomicpoet, on 11/20/2007, -0/+7The Xbox was ***** huge... with lots of green.
  • zeyad, on 11/20/2007, -3/+10All-in-one's are always nice. :)
  • b04155, on 11/20/2007, -1/+8"Gamecube had a bang of a start, but somehow that tapered off." This is why Nintendo is purposefully delaying the release of their bigger hits (the titles they know will be hits). If Zelda, Mario Galaxy, Smash Bros and the like were all released as soon as they were done (or around the same time), then the Wii hype would definitely be lower right now.

    I personally don't mind the timed releases, it gives me ample time to play each game that I want fully without feeling rushed to get the next one before it becomes old & tired and everyone else has already spoiled everything.
  • Mrstupid7, on 11/20/2007, -1/+7The Dreamcast was cheaper than the PS2 when it was available.
  • dvsbastard, on 11/20/2007, -4/+10You're a bit late... they dropped carts after the N64...
  • Cerebral, on 11/20/2007, -3/+9Let's be honest with the GC it was that people wanted to "grow up" in the sense that they wanted GTA, Halo, Final Fantasy which the GC could not give them (Crystal Chronicles is a good game but not a "true" FF game IMO). People also (IMO because at the time DVD players were still $250 by themselves as Blu-Ray is today with the PS3) wanted a DVD player with the PS2 and later a mod-able console (for things like XBMC) later with the Xbox. There were only a couple of "cannot live without" games on the GC but more of them for the PS2 and Xbox that people were willing to forgo the GC altogether.
    With the Wii people LOVE the IDEA of the Wii. They love that you can "be IN a game" as opposed to playing a game. Also the instant usability of the system has brought parents of gamers BACK to playing games (somewhat). The downside to the Wii is that the games are TOO dumbed down. For example take Wii Sports. Why can you not control your player in Tennis? This makes impossible to hit returns a simple thing to do. Why is baseball not more of a complete game? I mean technically why even have a game of baseball on there if it is nothing more than a hitting machine? Three innings w/no extra innings. To me there are just a lot of little things that the Wii does in the games that annoys me.
    Here is my list of things I think the Wii could do to become the premier console:
    1. Online Online Online - Get a service like XBL with achievements that you could track with your mii.
    2. Make Miis available in ALL GAMES - Why not... It's you. Sure it may look funny in Zelda but if you want to use it, why not. At least every game should have some game type where you can do something with your Miis.
    3. Local and Online Leaderboards - I was so surprised when I started playing the Wii and was not able to see who the top three bowlers are in the house without playing and then looking at our rankings. Even that will not show you that "billy" who just started playing yesterday bowled a 290 when the highest you have bowled is a 199 because you could still have more points than he does etc. This would be another awesome thing because you could then have something like little medals that your Mii would be wearing etc. when you are in the Mii channel to show that this person is #1 etc. Lots of fun to be had here.
    4. Lets get some real games - I want a tennis game that I can move myself around in, a baseball game that I can lead-off/steal in etc. It's ok to have the simplified controls however I want to have the ability to challenge myself.
    5. Stop forcing motion controls on games - It's there but don't force it. Only use it if it's something that will enhance gameplay not encumber the player.
    For the most part I love the Wii because it does have game that I can turn on, play a little and turn off. Mini-games are amazing on the Wii; I just want more out of them as far as "challenge" is concerned. I don't compare the Wii to the 360 or PS3 as it should NOT be. It's a great addition to your gaming system(s) however it will not stand alone if you want to play blockbuster games.
  • doshindude, on 11/20/2007, -1/+7Super Mario Galaxy is a Minigame collection?
    Twilight Princess is a Minigame collection?
    Guitar Hero III is a Minigame collection?
    Brawl is a Minigame collection?
  • atomicpoet, on 11/20/2007, -6/+12Metroid Prime 3 is a minigame collection?
  • Shadic, on 11/20/2007, -1/+7Now think: After Brawl comes out, and they release Smash Bros. (64) for the virtual console, you'll be able to play all these games on the same system. That will be amazing.
  • WhoDoneIt, on 11/20/2007, -3/+9How about I flick my wrist and you swallow this?
  • imdwalrus, on 11/20/2007, -0/+5One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that the Wii got off to such a good start by taking what would have been the GameCube's swan song titles. Remember, Super Paper Mario and Twilight Princess were originally slated to be GameCube titles before SPM was moved and TP was released for both consoles.

    The GameCube didn't have that luxury, and I think that's worth considering.
  • Elranzer, on 11/20/2007, -1/+6The Gamecube had more games I wanted for it during its first year than the Wii did. I have Super Mario Galaxy, Twilight Princess and Wii Sports, sure, Gamecube had Smash Bros Melee for me within a month of the console launch. SSB Melee is one of those games that stands the test of time, much like the original Super Mario Bros, Legend of Zelda and pretty much ever SNES title.

    Gamecube launched in the Fall of 2001 and SSB Melee in the 2001 Christmas season, mere months away. It also had its first online game (Phantasy Star Online) before either Xbox or PS2 had its first online games. Gamecube had a bang of a start, but somehow that tapered off. It wound up having more than enough must-own titles and like the N64 before it, had a quality-vs-quantity game library.
  • nicko68, on 11/20/2007, -0/+5Because the most beautiful, HD graphics make for a fantastic game, right?

    You kids today, you don't remember the old days with games like Space Invaders, Pac-Man, etc. People are relying too much on fancy graphics today, and spoon feeding you the same game over and over with incrementally better graphics each time.
  • maduin, on 11/20/2007, -1/+6Ha, look at this guy's profile pic, what a douche.
  • aliengoods, on 11/20/2007, -0/+5It's just easier to block your constant trolls.
  • directive0, on 11/20/2007, -4/+9BS, plain and simple.
  • Elranzer, on 11/20/2007, -2/+7The Gamecube also was powered by its low price. It launched at $199.99, down to $149.99 in less than 6 months, and finally $99.99 in 2003. By the time it dropped down to $99, the Mario, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Zelda and Metroid games were out. There was really no reason why every gamer didn't buy one.

    Comparatively, PS2 and Xbox launched at $299 (hard to believe compared to PS3's and 360's prices).
  • xerus, on 11/20/2007, -2/+7The Jaguar beat them to it.
  • ryanadc, on 11/20/2007, -0/+4Well, this fall has been pretty good...although I won't defend anything before this September.
  • Elranzer, on 11/20/2007, -3/+7The DVD players in the PS2, PS3, Xbox and 360 were all *****, with bad interfaces as well as the PS2/Xbox ones not progressive-scanning movies.
  • aliengoods, on 11/20/2007, -1/+5You forgot to mention no HD!! Gasp!

    All you're getting with Sony or MS are the same games with slightly modified story lines and better graphics. They're not doing a damn thing to change game play. On the Wii you get DIFFERENT games. Who wants to play golf by pushing a button? The only original game for the other platforms was Guitar Hero, and now that's on the Wii as well.
  • AK10, on 11/20/2007, -3/+7Well I get the joke, but it is not very funny.
  • opnickc, on 11/20/2007, -2/+6Wii: $250
    Xbox 360 Pro: $400(launch), $350(current)
    Xbox 360 Core/Arcade: $300(launch), $280(current)
    Price difference: $150 max (launch 360 pro vs wii), $30 min (arcade vs wii), $82.50 average.
    GCN vs Xbox Price difference: $100 - double the difference between the core and wii at launch, the same as the difference between the pro and wii now.
    Price is NOT the ONLY reason the Wii is selling like it is. A factor, certainly, but it's clear the price gap isn't much different than last gen when the cheaper gcn was outsold by its more expensive competitors. The only real difference is that one of those competitors went WAY above last-gen prices, while the other only sort of went up (kept a model at the $300 price point of its last gen counterpart).
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