Retro|Spective 196: The Final Tour of Gamecube

[Nu-Eclipse]

Totally agree with [MENTION=25]charlesr[/MENTION] & [MENTION=5490]wakka[/MENTION] - Blue Storm is nowhere near as bad as people try/tried to make it out to be. It's a fine sequel to Wave Race 64 and I LOVED Wave Race 64 (probably my all-time favourite N64 game).

That said, I do think that NTSC-U/J is the way to go with playing it. The PAL version doesn't quite feel like it's optimised right IMO.

[Lebowski]

I remember going to Games midnight launch to pick up my console they where doing a deal where you got a slight discount on any games you bought, it was a top system and i really enjoyed playing luigi's mansion and Rogue Squadron till the wee hours of the morning that night.

Post launch we got Two really good Zelda games, Super Mario Sunshine, Resident Evil 4, and the first resident evil remake and loads of left field stuff like Animal Crossing Pikmin, viewtiful joe, and Donkey Konga ect, it really did have some great games.

I think they might of done better if it had had a full size dvd drive like the panasonic Q did. Next to the ps2 it may of had superior games but it didn't have the third party EA sports crap for the masses or the lure of being a cheap dvd player.

[Nu-Eclipse]

I think they might of done better if it had had a full size dvd drive like the panasonic Q did. Next to the ps2 it may of had superior games but it didn't have the third party EA sports crap for the masses or the lure of being a cheap dvd player.

I really doubt it, and I say that as a proud Panasonic Q owner.

The Panasonic Q didn't exactly fly off the shelves in Japan - it was discontinued after two years. Including a DVD player in the standard GC would surely have pushed up the original £129 launch RRP and made it even less competitive.

Also, the GC got plenty of EA Sports games ported to it. It didn't get Pro Evo from Konami though (bar WE6FE which was JPN-only). I just think that by that point it was entrenched, fairly or otherwise, into both consumer and third-party dev minds that PS2 and XBOX were the places to go for more "mature" gaming.

[Lebowski]

I really doubt it, and I say that as a proud Panasonic Q owner.

The Panasonic Q didn't exactly fly off the shelves in Japan - it was discontinued in Japan after two years. Including a DVD player in the standard GC would surely have pushed up the original £129 launch RRP and made it even less competitive.

Also, the GC got plenty of EA Sports games ported to it. It didn't get Pro Evo from Konami though (bar WE6FE which was JPN-only). I just think that by that point it was entrenched, fairly or otherwise, into both consumer and third-party dev minds that PS2 and XBOX were the places to go for more "mature" gaming.

i suppose your right about the "mature gaming" thing even to this day the switch cant seem to shake this mantle, child and family freindly has done them pretty well though with the Wii and the switch. This mature gamer stich dosent seem to be the case in japan though, the switch is dominating over their at the moment.

[Nu-Eclipse]

i suppose your right about the "mature gaming" thing even to this day the switch cant seem to shake this mantle, child and family freindly has done them pretty well though with the Wii and the switch. This mature gamer stich dosent seem to be the case in japan though, the switch is dominating over their at the moment.

You're right. I should've clarified that Nintendo's "kiddie" perception is/was clearly in the West.

That western perception has definitely remained, even when Nintendo tried to reframe it as "family-oriented" with the hugely successful "Touch! Generations" era of Wii & DS, and even now that Nintendo are positioning the Switch as "Everything for everyone" and getting massive sales success with it.

[wakka]

I think the kid friendly image of Nintendo probably helps them more than hurts them. If you're a clueless parent, you can buy Nintendo games for a Nintendo system and feel confident that you're getting an age-appropriate product. I think that has value.

When a colleague whose last experience of games was probably Space Invaders wanted to get his <10 year old boys their first console, I didn't hesitate in recommending a pair of 2DS machines and the first party software fare (this was a few years back, Switch hadn't long come out). You just can't go wrong with it really.

Nintendo get to play it both ways, too. Not only are there always new kids to discover the joys of Mario and Zelda, but there's a massive cohort who started playing in the 80s, 90s or 2000s, are now adults with their own income, and are still keen players.

[Lebowski]

I think the kid friendly image of Nintendo probably helps them more than hurts them. If you're a clueless parent, you can buy Nintendo games for a Nintendo system and feel confident that you're getting an age-appropriate product. I think that has value.

When a colleague whose last experience of games was probably Space Invaders wanted to get his <10 year old boys their first console, I didn't hesitate in recommending a pair of 2DS machines and the first party software fare (this was a few years back, Switch hadn't long come out). You just can't go wrong with it really.

Nintendo get to play it both ways, too. Not only are there always new kids to discover the joys of Mario and Zelda, but there's a massive cohort who started playing in the 80s, 90s or 2000s, are now adults with their own income, and are still keen players.

My wife's sisters kids are forever on my switch when at our house they love Pokemon, mario kart, smash bros spaltoon ect, but theri dad got them an xboxs for Fortnite, Fifa and Minecraft, ect.

When trying to step out of the big three theirs not much else that's aimed at 8 year olds on the xbox or playstaion, Plants vs zombies the odd lego game its pretty slim pickings. I'm sure they would be much happier with switches as they could play the above plus pokemon mario kart ect its a great system for that age group at present.

[wakka]

Yeah, even the most normcore, mainstream games are incredibly violent to be honest. Realistic dismemberment is pretty par for the course in most chart toppers! Must be difficult as a parent who isn’t interested in games personally or knowledgeable about them.

[Nu-Eclipse]

I think the kid friendly image of Nintendo probably helps them more than hurts them. If you're a clueless parent, you can buy Nintendo games for a Nintendo system and feel confident that you're getting an age-appropriate product. I think that has value.

When a colleague whose last experience of games was probably Space Invaders wanted to get his <10 year old boys their first console, I didn't hesitate in recommending a pair of 2DS machines and the first party software fare (this was a few years back, Switch hadn't long come out). You just can't go wrong with it really.

Nintendo get to play it both ways, too. Not only are there always new kids to discover the joys of Mario and Zelda, but there's a massive cohort who started playing in the 80s, 90s or 2000s, are now adults with their own income, and are still keen players.

I don't disagree with any of that.

But it is interesting to see how Nintendo have historically gone from embracing that western perception to struggling with it when Sony and MS originally came around to trying to reframe the narrative on it being all-family with Wii & DS to then struggling again with it by trying (and failing) to reposition WiiU as more hardcore to back to embracing the everygamer dynamic with Switch.

[Asura]

WarioWare Inc: Mega Party Games!
The second entry in the series, this sequel brought the same kind of gameplay mini-games experience as the handheld original to the console arena. The game expanded a focus on multiplayer but also recycled quite a bit of content too.

This game has an amazing feature which doesn't come up much.

It has a party mode, where you take turns and play games which get faster/more difficult until only 1 person is left.

The clever thing is that it supports up to 32 players, where you pass a controller (presumably a Wavebird) around the room.

Everyone puts in their names, and the game randomly picks a person from a list. You've got 3 seconds to give them the controller, then they play a game, win or lose, then it has them pass the controller to the next person, and so on. In a crowded room of semi-drunk people this is one of the most fun videogames I've ever played.

[wakka]

That's so cool! I had no idea that it supported up to 32 players, what an incredible idea.

[Asura]

That's so cool! I had no idea that it supported up to 32 players, what an incredible idea.

I can't remember the exact number; might be more. I just remember it was enough to cater to everyone in the room.

[samanosuke]

This game has an amazing feature which doesn't come up much.

It has a party mode, where you take turns and play games which get faster/more difficult until only 1 person is left.

The clever thing is that it supports up to 32 players, where you pass a controller (presumably a Wavebird) around the room.

Everyone puts in their names, and the game randomly picks a person from a list. You've got 3 seconds to give them the controller, then they play a game, win or lose, then it has them pass the controller to the next person, and so on. In a crowded room of semi-drunk people this is one of the most fun videogames I've ever played.

This definitely needs a reboot. The simultaneous four-player mode is also BRILLIANT. Probably the best party game I’ve ever played.

Was so disappointed the new Switch release only supports two player and in co-op as well. Bring back competitive mini-games!