Our favorite system is two years old, so it’s time to look back at how well it’s performing and what it needs to improve upon before the next system is ready.

As of this writing, the Nintendo GameCube has been on the market for about two years in Japan and North America, and a few months less than that in Europe. Since it seems fairly certain that the next generation of consoles will be launched in 2005, when GameCube will be four years old, this seems like a good intermediate point to look back at how the system has performed so far in its life cycle.

Some people see the new GameCube price cut as a sign of weakness and a precursor to the system dying early. Jonny explains why the GameCube isn’t and won’t be another Dreamcast.

When it comes to system price cuts in the gaming industry, there are two basic patterns. First, all competing systems can cut their prices at the same time. These cuts tend to be reactionary rather than coordinated, but as far as consumers are concerned, it just means gaming is cheaper than before. The second type of price cut is unilateral (forgive the term), in which one system lowers its price and the others do not immediately follow.

With Nintendo's announcement yesterday of something "surprising and unique", Rick takes a look at what Nintendo should aim for in a new console ...

We’re only a year out from finding out what the future holds for the next-generation consoles. With these machines all scheduled to release in 2005 (likely no more than weeks apart from each other), E3 2004 is going to be when they start trying to capture mindshare and gain those early-adopter... Read more...

Jonny looks at whether Nintendo should release an enhanced model for the GameCube, and what the GameCube SP could and should entail if released.

It’s no secret that Nintendo isn’t perceived as the coolest company around. Although they’ve made some steps in the right direction, most people, including a great percentage of avid gamers, still consider Nintendo to be, at best, behind the times, and at worst, a mere toy company that isn’t serious about the future of gaming.

What follows is a true account of the seamy underbelly of Animal Crossing.

Animal Crossing may seem to be a light-hearted game full of adorable characters and colorful scenery. But this isn’t about the warm, fuzzy world that exists on the screen when you fire up the Nintendo. This is a story about the darker side of Animal Crossing. This is a story about corruption, greed, and betrayal.

There’s a new game that everyone is playing; run your favorite company, correct the “mistakes”, and make the company successful. But what does it really mean to run a successful company?

It seems like everyone with an Internet connection seems to know best how Nintendo ought to be running their business. “Nintendo needs to advertise more!” “Nintendo needs to be aggressive!” “Nintendo needs to buy more exclusives!” Ironically, I sit here typing this as one of the same... Read more...