Ok so more like 3 years and 51 weeks but whatever. Come back next week for the upbeat, happy version of this topic, undoubtedly without Ian.
ANYWAY
Since Microsoft seem intent on ending this generation a year early with their Xbox High Res™ I figure it's a good time to look back on the Gamecube up to now. Sure theres Zelda coming next year but we'll all be far too elated in the months following it's release to look at anything objectively. Not even Linkin Park could bring us down! Er what? Oh yeah Gamecube. Although I've had endless niggles, which I might get to later in a reply I've had four (4) big let downs with this console and I'm going to cry about them here. They are: online, third parties, market share and incomplete games.
Online
Ok so, Dreamcast showed us it was possible. PC online gaming was becoming commonplace and Nintendo announced two online adaptors. It was all looking very promising. People on IGN were creating Perfect Dark clans, F Zero racing leagues were discussed, MMORPG Pokemon was dreamed about. And what do we get? A crappy Dreamcast port hampered by exorbiant monthly fees and an almost concerted effort from Nintendo to destroy the chances of people obtaining the nessesary adaptors not to mention them maligning the entire concept of online gaming on monetary grounds. I was expecting a lot more and I've always been envious of Xbox Live.
Third Parties
These guys are fuckheads. Again it looked promising at first but it wasn't long before games began to be announced for PS2, Xbox and PC. While we are partly to blame because we refuse to buy their appaling games that sell so well on rival console, when they did bother putting the effort in we rewarded them in sales and what do we get? Oh yeah Nothing While PS2 and Xbox get to enjoy Burnout 3, or Pro Evolution Soccer or Soul Caliber 3. Ubi Soft, Acclaim and EA (to an extent) deserve the full fist for continuing supporting us and Nintendo.
Oh and while we laugh about it now, at the time losing Rare did hurt.
Market Share
**** we got demolished this time round. The Playstation juggernaught got stronger than we could possibly imagine. And while Microsoft may've lost billions of dollars on Xbox, they got what they wanted; our marketshare. Nintendo simply weren't persistent enough and couldn't drop the tiku tiku tiku! tag as fast as they would've liked. While even without cult game turned biggest franchise in gaming (GTA) the PS2 would've still won this generation, Halo carried Xbox far further than it should've even been able to. It's hard to pin exactly where Xbox got the upper hand or all the factors involved but somehow we lost this.
Incomplete Games
I can forgive Luigi's Mansion, it needed to be there for launch. But Eternal Darkness, Zelda: Wind Waker, Super Mario Sunshine, Star Fox Adventures... What was going on? This isn't the Nintendo that polished and cherished it's games! Eternal Darkness dropped all the really amazing aspects that were planned. Wind Waker dropped countless dungeons and resorted to an elaborate treasure hunt to lengthen the game. Mario Sunshine dengrenated into a blue coin marathon. Star Fox just seemed to veer into a wall mid way through the game and never really recovered. The Gamecube library as a whole seems mared by rush jobs, half games and wasted potential.
Mind you, the games I mentioned all stomped weakness wherever it was found.
Ok I think I've wasted enough of your time now. Tell me what you were dissapointed with or any particular game that shamed it's legacy. Or tell me I'm a wanker.