looking for advice: Nintendo Gamecube
 

Let me preface this by saying that I am just about totally clueless when it comes to gaming consoles. I've never owned one, unless you count the Intellivision as a gaming console ;) and because of that was never really attracted to follow the gaming scene all that much.

Here's my story. While thinking about Christmas gift for Andrew, our 8 and a half year old, and after seeing a Toys R' Us flyer, the price for the Nintendo Gamecube struck me as kind of cheap: on sale at $120 cdn, or about $105 US. In fact I just saw the platinum edition at Wal-Mart for $97 cdn, or about $85 US.

Being that I'm cheap (and that we're on a budget) I'm thinking this could be a console that could do the trick for a 8 year old. My question to people who either own one, or follow the console scene is this: am I thinking right? Would my son have fun with the kind of games available for the Gamecube?

Then, looking at some game selling sites, I'm seeing that there are versions of Madden 2006, NHL 2006, and other big names, available on the Gamecube. Are these good version, or does the fact that they're for the Gamecube makes them kind of low quality? If they're half decent, then I'm thinking that the Gamecube could make a toy for son and daddy as well ;)

Price is very important in that decision. We have a computer, as you would expect ;), but it's coming to a point that while it can do the important stuff (i.e. run FM2006 :D and surf the net) I'd have ton upgrade a couple little things in order for it to run the newest games for the kid. I tried running the demo for Lego Star Wars and got the message that my graphics card was unable to run the game. (Add to the story above that my son is really into Star Wars and there is a version of said Lego game for the Gamecube.) As I said, the PC is doing everything it needs to do and I don't plan on changing it in the next 6 months to a year, and I don't want to go spend about $500 cdn for the new XBox that is coming out in a couple of weeks...

Anyway, any input is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

FM

What is your son into? Nintendo does make the best "kid-friendly" games out the three systems. As for the sport games, never played them on the Cube.

Paging SI.... :D

Sorry FM, I don't own a GameCube nor have I played one, so I'm really not much use to you. :)

/tk

don't know what you mean by into though he loves sports, soccer in particular. As I said, Star Wars is big with him right now as are his Legos, making the SW Lego game an incredible fit. Spider-Man and superheros in general are also a big hit...

FM

FM, you have my AIM address (or can easily see it underneath my name on the board). Unfortunately with this whole car thing at the moment, I don't have a lot of time to type out a giant mess of reviews of what games you might like, etc. But I can answer pretty much any question you have, if you send me an instant message.

SI

Sorry, should of been more clearer. I meant what type of games would he enjoy. Sounds like you cleared that up.

well, what kind of game he'd like is a bit unclear to me since as I said, we've never had a console in the house, and he's only 8, so just about any game looks cool to him right now ;)

FM

Color me stupid for not fully reading the first post more carefully. Long day. :D

the EA games are fine and are of no less quality, its just that the controller isnt as friendly as ps2. thats not to say its not playable, its just that its a little different.

if he likes soccer, super mario strikers just came out (i think) and im willing to bet that its atleast pretty entertaining for an 8yr old. all of the other mario games (save mario baseball which was kinda lame) are really fun too.

Good, thanks for the tips, especially the EA games comments...

FM

I think there are very few brand specific games for the gamecube that you can go wrong with. Any of the zelda, mario, metroid, other games, are all pretty appealing. If the gamecube has came down that much in price, I might have to pick on up, just so I can play all of those games now.

Personally, I dislike EA sports games on the Gamecube, mainly because the controller, but also some other minor things. That being said, if I had never played them on the Xbox or PS2, I probably wouldn't mind playing them on the Gamecube. I do know that my 9 year old step-brother has a blast playing his Gamecube and there are a nice number of kid friendly games for the system.

Also, with the Revolution coming out in the next year or so, the price of Gamecube games should theoretically drop at least a bit.

Ive always had a soft spot for nintendo, since my first real console was the NES. and I also had a super NES. Didn't own a n64, but my friend had one, and I borrowed it for a few months.

You're coming to the same 2 conclusions as me. (1) I've never played any console, so how bad can Madden be on the Gamecube, lousy controllers or not? (2) my son isn't really a connoisseur of console either, so about anything will be cool for him at least for a little while...

Thanks everyone. Also great thanks to SI who helped me a great deal over AIM...

FM

Funny, I have a gamecube with a handful of games that is sitting around collecting dust. Got it new for xmas 2 years ago. played super mario sunshine and 2 splinter cells to death. don't use it now.

pm me if you would like to discuss a transaction.

You can't go wrong with the GC, especially for an 8 year old that has never owned a console. He'll love it, and likely so will you!

FM, the Gamecube is perfect for an 8 yr old.

Super Mario Kart is a fun game.

Super Monkey Ball (I think that is a title) is also a fun game for the Gamecube.

I pointed him towards Mario Kart, Smash Bros, and Super Monkey Ball (1&2) when chatting on AIM as those are perfect games for the situation.

SI

I find more of the "fun, play it for a bit" games on the Cube. The MegaMan Anniversary Collection is awesome. :) And I play NCAA 2004 on my Cube, and enjoy it as well.

thanks for the help guys, the wife is about to agree with another computer thingie kind of new toy for son (and daddy ;)).

The comments from Fidatelo and vexroid were about what I was looking for.

Hurst2112, thanks but I'll pass, as it will be for a Christmas preesent for the kiddo.

EF27, as SI said, he pointed me toward the Super Monkey Ball game and that was pretty funny, since that game was the first I took in my hand from the bargain bin at Wal-Mart last night. Looked interesting enough that I thought I could have fun with Andrew with it :)

Thanks again!

Now if you know more interesting games, even from and maybe mostly from the bargain bins, let me know...

FM

Make sure that you pick up Eternal Darkness far a little daddy time after the kid goes to bed. Don't buy the strategy guide or read any walkthroughs for at least a week or two. :)

Just wanna echo what someone else said, get mario kart. The one game my parents actually enjoyed playing with me...

The Mario Party games are fun for the whole family, it's like a board game with all sorts of little easy to pick up mini-games thrown in around the board. You should be able to get Mario Party 4 or 5 pretty cheap, as they are up to #7 now but time doesn't hurt the old ones at all.

Super Monkey Ball was a great suggestion.

And SuperSmash Brothers is great for multiple people to play, lot of fun.

I had fun playing Super Monkey Ball with my brother-in-law, so I think you'll enjoy it some, and the kiddo will most likely love it :)

I'll also second Eternal Darkness as a great Daddy game. My wife's father bought it and I played it for a few hours when visiting him once. Definitely not a game for the kiddo, but it is a fun game ;)

Is the gamecube making a comeback? It's nice to see this thread emerge, I'd like for people to share fun game playing experiences that are less than the $60 alternative (360).

Funny you mention Mario Party #7, the local wal-mart has a bundled kit with the console, MP#7, 2 controllers and some sort of microphone for $130cdn. Compared to $100cdn for the console alone, that's not a bad deal I think, since i it's got an extra controller and the game for $30cdn...

Thanks for the suggestion.

FM

Don't know about a comeback, to me it'd be making an entry into our household ;)

Sharing fun games that could be found in the bargain is my aim for now though :)

For example, I could be tempted to get some of the 2005 version of some of the EA games unless there are outrageous advantages at getting the latest version...

FM

got another question for you all: is a memory card a must or not? What is its purpose? Is it simply to save your games to replay later?

FM

Yeah, a memory card is a must. For instance, as you play though Mario Kart and beat levels, you unlock more levels and more racers. Same with Smash Bros- you unlock more fighters as you play along. This is the type of data saved. If it's anything like here, the little 59 cars run ~$20 while the 1019 cards run ~$30. Pay the extra few bucks and get the big one. If you play any sports games or any other large save games, you'll need it.

SI

SI, I saw the 1019 for $39cdn in the Wal-Mart flyer we got this week. I'm taking your word for it and would get the bigger one, but what's the difference between the two? Simply more space? In what proportion (1.5 times, twice, more)?

Thanks again.

FM

17 times more. :)

59 means 59 blocks, while 1019 means 1019 blocks.

is that right or are you pulling my leg? :confused:

Seriously, this is pretty big in terms of difference between the two...

FM

This thread makes me want to get a cube, I'm 25, will these games keep me entertained?

Probably too late for this thread, but I have a GC - I bought it so I could play games like NCAA Football without buying a modified console. Sadly, it seems as though Gamecubes are on their way out (at least, they are over here), but I've had fun with mine. The controller's a bit weird at first, but you soon get used to it.

Yeah, it's true. The 1019 came out not too long ago I believe... when I first got my Cube, only the 59 and 251 were available.

can't really speak for him, but SI is 25 and the way he spoke about it on AIM, I'd say you can become quite passionate about it... Guess it depends on what you are looking for. Try hitting SI on AIM if you can see him online...

FM

That's cool. Don't know how much the 59 is going for around here, but if the difference in price is really as small as what SI was hinting, then the 1019 really is the one to get...

FM
PS: just checked on amazon.ca and they have the 251 for 21.99 and the 1019 for 39.99, still much better to shell out the 10 extra bucks to quadruple the memory, imo...

edit: and they have the 59 for 14.99, would be crazy to go for the really small one at that price....

never too late, that's good input you're giving. Thanks for sharing.

FM

got another silly question for you: what about racing games, are they any good?

I'm not looking for anything super realistic in terms of physics, simply something enjoyable and maybe a bit more realistic than Mario Karts (which I'm sure would be tons of fun with my son). I see that Need for Speed is available on the Cube, is it any fun?

FM

The 251 might do just fine for you but it depends on what games you end up playing.

Here's a couple of sample lists:
hxxp://www.tendofire.com/home1.html
hxxp://www.planetgamecube.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=10&threadid=704

So, for instance, Super Monkey Ball takes less than 10 while Smash Bros takes just over 10. You can fit 25 games on that 251 card at that rate. However, for instance, a Madden or All Star Baseball franchise can take over 100. Not many non-sports games take nearly that much. The only couple of things I can think of are Animal Crossing (59) and Sims 2 (147).

SI

Well, this really is what it all comes down to. If you like the nicest looking sports games and FPSs, you're going to be disappointed with anything that's not the big black paperweight. If you want the Sony exclusives like R&C or Jak or stuff by Square, get a PS2. If you like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, and other Nintendo-exclusive stuff like Animal Crossing, Pikmin, F-Zero, Tales of Symphonia, etc- then get a Cube. In the end it's all about the games you like to play.

SI

thanks for the info. I had a brain fart comparing the prices of the 251 and 1019 (21.99 vs 39 is NOT 10 bucks, duh) so I may go with the 251 for now.

Another stupid question (I'm good with stupid nintendo questions, I've found ;)): Are these memory cards like flash memory stick for the PC? I mean, could I have many of them?

I'm asking in case we discover in a year from now that the son is really having tons of fun with the cube and we need more storage, then would it be possible to get a second one and have two of them that we swap in and out...

Thanks again!

FM

Also, anybody has any answer to this one:


Any good racing game you've enjoyed in your nintendo gaming?

FM

Not sure if they have it for the GC, but SSX is pretty good.

There are two slots for memory cards and you pull them in and out and you can have as many as you want.

I have the GC and its perfect for an 8 year old kid. There is no question in my mind that you should buy that.

I'm not into racing games, so I have no frame of reference but Mario Kart is a blast. :)

Thanks, exactly what I wanted to be sure of.


We're pretty much set to go that way. Until last xmas, we really didn't think he was ready to understand us limiting him on the playing time and because of that, we had shunned him on the nintendo request. While he's talked about getting a Gamecube from time to time (at first calling it a Gamecute, we're French speaking ;)), he's not bugged us about it for xmas this year. I do know that he's having a very sweet time every time he goes to my sister's and play with her on her N64 on which she's picked up a ton and a half of bargain bin games, so I thought he'd enjoy the Cube. Now with everybody's comments, I know he'll enjoy it, and probably I will too :D Now the trick will be to keep it a secret and not have him get way too excited about the Lego catalog he just received, from which he's making a list to aask about everybody in the family for outrageously overpriced new trend legos. He's already got tons of legos which are all taking a lot of space floor in his playroom. The Cube will serve two bill: (1) have parents and aunts give him games and not space taking new toys, and (2) free the computer a little so daddy can have it a bit more ;)

Then if I can play with him with some of these games, this could be very cool. I'm a big kid too :)


Mario Karts is almost a given that we'll have to get at some point. He's played it on my sister's N64 and he had a blast...

FM

Yeah, unfortunately, I don't really know much about racing games. I know there are a couple of Need For Speed games released for Gamecube. Obviously there's Mario Kart but it's not a pure racing game. I have F-Zero GX which is really fun with great level design but it's tremendously hard and is futuristic racing- again, not typical racing game. I also have Wave Race, but same thing- not a race car game but water ski racing- pretty fun but it was pretty difficult.

SI