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WARNING: I own a PS2, I love my PS2 and I play it frequently. At any point during this thread, if I appear to be bashing the PS2, I am most certainly not. I'm just stating the facts.
Tis the season to spend money, considering that some of you might still be wandering in decision-limbo with your Christmas spoils! Can't quite figure out what your next big purchase should be? Confused as to where you should invest all of your hard-earned cash? I'll give you the answer: buy a Gamecube. Why should you buy a Gamecube? I'll give you the definitive list of reasons!
1. It's 100 bucks. Yes, even you kids that only work a few hours after school a few days a week can afford a Gamecube with little wallet-damage taken. It's cheap, and considering the high quality of the hardware itself, that's a steal. Which segues into my next point...
2. It's mega-durable. I've clocked in a total of 200 hours on my copy of Smash Bros. Melee, and I own about 30 other Gamecube games. I'd estimate that I've played MY GC somewhere around 500 or 600 (maybe even so much as 700) hours total, and it has yet to give me any sort of problem. As opposed to the PS2 which has a nasty habit of dying on you after gratuitous use. Nintendo products are by far the most durable, and the fact that my SNES works like it's brand new after 14 years of use is a testament to that fact. My PS1 stopped working after 4.
3. Once again, for 100 bucks, you're getting a fantastic deal, considering that the Gamecube is technically superior to the PS2 in every way except sound capabilities. Because of the smaller size of Gamecube discs, the sound is usually a bit more compressed than on the PS2, but it's honestly barely noticable. Aside from that flaw, the Gamecube boasts better graphics processing (far better textures, better lighting, better resolution, better polygon counts, better frame rate) better load times, and more responsive controls. It's just simply more powerful and you're paying a lot less for it.
4. The Zelda Collector's Edition. Buy a Gamecube and you get it for free. That's four fantastic games (including the award-winning Ocarina of Time) for absolutely nothing. I don't see why you're not getting up and running to the store right this second considering an offer like that.
5. The game selection. Anyone that claims the Gamecube contains nothing but kids games obviously has little to no idea of what they're saying. The Gamecube carries a wide selection of titles, most of which are much better than PS2 fare in my opinion. For the sake of convenience, I will list several games from any given genre just to give you an idea of what the console has to offer.
Action
Super Mario Sunshine - Mario and his friends have taken a vacation on the tropical Isle Delfino. However, upon arriving, they learn that a troublemaker (who looks suspicicously like Mario Himself) has been mucking the resort up with graffiti [sp?] and the whole mess has been blamed on the swarthy plumber. Mario, armed with the water-cannon/jetpack "FLUDD" must now stop the filthy plans of this new enemy. With stunning graphics, fine-tuned controls and some of the best level design in the entire series, Mario Sunshine is by far my favorite game in the series.
Metal Arms: Glitch In The System - The world of Iron Star is a planet populated entirely by robots. For years, the Droid armies have been fighting off the nefarious advancing throngs of the evil General Corrosive's Mil Bots. You play Glitch, a highly augmented battle-ready Droid with enough firepower to flatten a city, and the last hope for the slowly dwindling Droid resistance. Metal Arms is a 3rd person shooter, with fantastically tight controls, an incredible graphics engine and more robot on robot carnage than BattleBots could ever dream of.
Star Wars: Rogue Leader - The best incarnation of the Death Star assault sequence I've ever witnessed (I've never played any of the PC games, so don't start screaming "X-Wing, X-Wing!" at me) in a console Star Wars title. Rogue Leader is a phenomenally intricate Star Wars flight sim with detailed graphics, a fluid framerate and more Blaster fueled action than you can shake a stick at.
Viewtiful Joe - Simply one of the most professional and intriguing games I've ever played. Read my full review in the Reviews Forum for more details.
Adventure
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - It's been awarded the 2003 Game of the Year by numerous publications, including Gamespot, and won the Reader's Choice award for Game of the Year on IGN. Simply put, this is one of the most detailed and expansive adventures ever created, and to deny yourself the brilliance of this game is lunacy.
Metroid Prime - Samus has returned after nearly 8 years of absence. This is not a First Person Shooter. It's from the first person perspective, and Samus does have an arm cannon, but it's not Goldeneye. It's much, much better. Metroid Prime is a sci-fi adventure starring everyone's favorite intergalactic Bounty Hunter, Samus Aran. With ultra-detailed graphics, fine-tuned gameplay and loads of severed Space Pirate limbs, Samus' first 3D kill-fest is sure to please.
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem - This is not a survival horror. This is not a Resident Evil clone. Eternal Darkness is a dark, gripping adventure game focusing on a heavy story, a large cast and a wealth of psychosis-inducing imagery. You play as 12 different characters, across a span of 2000 years, all chosen by fate to defend the human world against the advancing ancient legions of Eternal Darkness. As you progress, each character begins to lose hold of reality and has to deal with the horrors of impending insanity in their own ways. With one of the most impressive casts of voice actors ever assmebled for a video game (Michael Bell and Richard Doyle from The Legacy of Kain, Paul Eiding and David Hayter from Metal Gear Solid, and many more) a detailed combat engine and a library of mind-bending "Sanity Effects" this game will scar you for life...but in a good way.
Beyond Good & Evil - The world of Hyllis has been wracked in the grip of all-out war for years. The vicious alien race, The Domz, strike at the planet, encapsulating all of the world in a cocoon of terror. The Alpha Sections, an independant military force have been "defending" Hyllis from the advancing DomZ legions for years, but keep the entire world held in a constant state of Martial Law. You play Jade, a freelance photographer who has found herself suddenly embroiled in the midst of a vast conspiracy, revealing that what we see on the surface often turns out not to be the truth at all. See my full review in the Reviews Forum for more details.
Role-Playing (yeah, it's sparse, but SOAL is fucking fantastic)
Skies of Arcadia Legends - The world of Arcadia is one of endless skies. There are no oceans, but instead, free floating islands upon which all of the worlds' settlements are built. The skies of Arcadia are traveled by way of airship, and as such, exploration and a quest for discovery are highly valued. You play as Vyse, the young soon-to-be leader of his own gang of air pirates, who (in a very Robin Hood fashion) steal from the rich and give to the poor...and keep a little for themselves. When Vyse and his two best friends, Aika and Fina, are entangled in a war against the world-threatening Valuan Empire, it's up to them alone to usher in peace and prevent the deaths of millions.
Multi-Player
Super Smash Bros. Melee - One of the most addictive and intense multiplayer games ever created. All of Nintendo's biggest stars have gathered for one, simple purpose: to beat the everloving piss out of each other. Play as Mario, Link, Samus, Donkey Kong, Fox and (my personal favorite) Ness as well as about 20 other characters in an all-out, no holds barred battle royale.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - The entire cast is back... and then some. Load up two characters per kart and proceed to kick some unholy, go-kart ass! A multitude of new tracks, new battle and race modes, new weapons and about three times as many playable character than normal, you can't really miss with this one. LAN and online capabilites only enhance the experience, allowing you to hook up multiple Gamecubes for a 16-player massacre.
F-Zero GX - Simply one of the most challenging and techically impressive racing games ever created. Play as Captain Falcon, Samurai Goroh, Black Bull and about 30 additional characters in a blinding test of your reflexes and gag reflex. Skyrocket across twisting, rollercoaster race tracks, slamming into nearby opponents while trying not to get yourself killed in the process. An impressive Story Mode (with amazing CG cutscenes) makes the game equally impressive in single-player modes, and the challenge will keep you coming back for quite a long time.
And that's only a small handful of choices. There are games to suit any and every possible taste on the Gamecube, and every game I've mentioned in this piece is above and beyond the call of duty. If you've been considering buying a Gamecube, I've just given you more than enough reasons to plunk down a measly 100 bucks and grab one. Do yourself a favor. What are you waiting for?
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