The Gamecube Complex

Nintendo have been at it forever. Their first home console was released 16 years ago and have since built an inventory that keeps the wheels of innovation moving in the console market. The release of Microsoft’s Project Natal and the Playstation Move in the coming months are 4 years too late and shows the competitors are being left to play catch-up. Whether these add-ons will the rival the Wii is questionable but it marks the Wii as a significant improvement on Nintendo’s last hiccup - no not the Virtual Boy but the Gamecube.

By the time the European release of “Project Dolphin” came round in May 2002, Nintendo had already tightened its grip on the handheld market with the Gameboy series but its secure position in the home consoles family was coming under threat. This had been initiated several years previous by the unfashionable entrance of the cartridge based N64. That complemented by the moving-in of the hip-cool newcomer, the Playstation, which continued to carry out its day job of selling 3 Sony’s for every 1 Nintendo.

The reason for this was down to a variety of factors. The unwanted game development costs along with their lack of internal memory lead many third party developers, like Square Enix (who originally had Final Fantasy 7 penciled in for the N), to shift focus on output for the Playstation. Promised dreams of online capability (remember the 64DD?) quickly became fruitless fairytales for Nintendo loyalists in America and Europe. Despite the faster loading times, the “pulling power” of Mario and Link, its innovative add-ons (Transfer, Expansion and Rumble Paks) Nintendo’s role in the family was soon to be outcast.

Sony had overtaken them and after the acquisition of Sega by Microsoft, another developer was looking to emerge and leapfrog over Nintendo much like Sony had just done in the mid to late 90’s. Whilst Microsoft were ambitious with the original Xbox with an original selling price of $400 and aesthetics that had many likening it as “a toaster”, it certainly did raise an eyebrow or two.

Nevertheless it was a more than satisfactory welcoming for Microsoft that proved a successful experimentation and dabble into the console market. It left the Gamecube to fight for scraps at the dinner table in the hope of garnering more attention than it deserved. Mario, Celda, Metroid, the big names were out but don’t be deceived by the orange illuminated smile that greeted you when you turned it on. Everything was not as rosy at Nintendo headquarters.



The lack of third party support left the ‘cube with a band of under 14 followers thanks to a lack of really mature games (Eternal Darkness and Residential Evil 4 aside). Nevertheless on retrospect, the console has aged well. If viewed as a transitional phase towards Nintendo’s crowning the moment, the launch of the Wii, the Gamecube had all the innovations its competitors lacked. Connectivity to the GBA, microphone and wireless controllers all proved to be stepping stones in the blueprints that resulted in Nintendo emerging from the shadows of its competitors.