My friend and I had a debate about this a few weeks ago. We came to this conclusion: If the GameCube is your only system, you will most likely be disappointed because of the great games available for the other systems, unless you just love the way Nintendo does things.

The GC is a great second system. I would recommend either the XBox or PS2 over it for a primary system, but I would buy a GC for a second system regardless of which I'd purchased for my primary.

GC is my only system, and I coudn't be happier with it. I don't have the budget(to buy tons of games) or time(to go rent games) to complain about. I get games I enjoy, and have for the amount of gaming I do, I find there are more than enough for GC.

Currently I only have a few games, and I can play them to death... I got Super MonkeyBall 1 + 2, Beach Spikers and Eternal Darkness.

I have had Bomberman, Luigi's Mansion, and Smash Brothers etc. and enjoyed those all too..

If I had more money that I didn't want to put to dvds or something else, I would glady pick up nfl2k3, mlb slugfest, as well as Mario Sunshine, Mario Party soon etc. So there are plenty of games that interest me.

I think it's in what you want, I have friends that have all the different systems, and I personally dislike PS2 the most, and that's coming from having a PS1. I would like to pick up an Xbox at somepoint, but until the price drops more, or I can't find enough games for me on GC, I will wait.

I'm not feeling disappointed at all. I knew when I bought that there was a limited amount games I wanted and so far those have delivered. Really looking forward to Metroid Prime.

Why would somone buy a Gamecube if they don't like Mario or Zelda?

I can understand why some people don't like the GC, but I'm loving it and it's my only system from this generation. Right now I have Mario, Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2, Beach Spikers, and NFL2K3. They're all great games and they all have a great deal of replay value, with the possible exception of Super Mario Sunshine. I'm interested in Animal Crossing, Rogue Leader, Pikmin, Eternal Darkness, Metroid, Wario World, Zelda, Sarfox Adventures, and a few other games. That's enough to keep me occupied indefinitely. I haven't even really thought about getting an Xbox or PS2, as they only have a handful of exclusives between them that interest me at all.

I definitely have different tastes than most though. For example, I never understood all the complaints about N64. I still use mine regularly!

Yes there are copies that come with a modem, and they sell game only copies as well. I actually happen to have an extra modem. A BBA is to be released also sometime next month. ]

There have been some reports of duping already. I really haven't seen any proof of it yet as when I'm online I don't see a whole lot of people with rare items. Just something to consider.

I was very skeptical of the GC before I ever saw one, because the N64 really blew IMO, and I made the stupid mistake of thinking the GC would also. The only reason I suddenly had interest in a GC was when I heard it would get Resident Evil, my favorite game series. I pre-ordered REbirth, got it, sat it on my shelf for a month or so until the GC price drop, then bought one. RE was my only game until Eternal Darkness, which I had never heard of until a week before its release. I made a blind buy on ED's release day. Personally, RE is the best looking game I've ever seen, though there are things that need improving. ED is an awesome game, and I don't know where this "clunky control" or "gravity on the cheap controller" comes into play. I'm a big guy with big hands, and though my main gripe BEFORE playing a GC was the controller, it's actually my favorite controller out there. Rogue Leader and SMS are really fun games to play, and nothing beats multi-player in Gauntlet: Dark Legacy or Smash Brothers. I also have Tony Hawk 3 and Wave Race: Blue Storm, which are fun and challenging. I have RE 0 pre-ordered(as well as Devil May Cry 2 and GTA Vice City for PS2), and looking forward to plenty more games for the GC.
I love my GameCube, first Nintendo console I've owned since NES.

Yeah, I saw that in the GameCube import forum over at IGN.

I'm not disappointed in the Gamecube because I knew what I was in for when I bought it. I fully expected only one or two AAA titles per year but I am content with that. I had to play Zelda and Mario.

I would have to disagree with your comment on the Eternal Darkness controls. I find them to be infinitely better than the annoying Resident Evil "tank" controls.

However, I just recently finished Super Mario Sunshine and I have to say, I was definitely a bit disappointed in that game. In reading an interview with former Nintendo guru Ken Lobb (from Gamespot), I found that I completely agreed with his assessment of SMS. He said:

"And the direction of first party games, infinite respect to Miyamoto-san but Mario Sunshine wasn't Mario 64. It was a great game, but when a Mario game comes out I expect certain things out of it. Maybe I have unrealistic expectations, but those expectations have always been exceeded until Mario Sunshine. So, it's not like it's a bad game, but it didn't do what I wanted a Mario game to do."

Couldn't have said it better myself. It's a good game but lacks the magic and innovation of previous Mario titles which ultimately is disappointing. I think it was rather obvious that Miyamoto did not have as much of a hands-on influence on SMS as he has in previous games. My guess (and hope) is that Miyamoto has been preoccupied with the new Zelda game.

If you don't like Nintendo's games (Mario, AC, zelda, etc), I don't know why you would buy a gamecube. The n64 was a GREAT system for Nintendo games. The gamecube is looking to be even better. Honestly, the only reason I own a console at all is for Nintendo games ..and I'm not disappointed with the games they've put out so far.

The comment about Mario.. I'm confused. super mario bros 1 through Super Mario World were pretty much the same(not saying they aren't great games, but no big innovations there). Mario 64 was huge of course, but what's he going to do.. make a game that goes into the 5th dimension or something?

How can you put into words the feeling you get from something truly innovative that makes you sit back and say "wow!". Bottom line, I didn't feel that after finishing Mario Sunshine. There were numerous tasks where I found myself saying "Thank god I won't have to do that again!" It was a decent game but not the landmark event in gaming that I had been waiting 6 years for. Perhaps, expectations were too high but it lacked some of the magic of previous Mario games. I also found Mario 2 to be disappointing (but since it wasn't originally developed as a Mario game, that could explain it's lack of magic for me). Like I said, it's a decent game that seems to be lacking the Miyamoto touch.

This is suspicious reasoning. If the game is great, Miyamoto had a huge hand in it, if it's a letdown he didn't work on it much?

Perhaps I should have been more clear. That isn't the only reason I suspect that. Miyamoto's role at Nintendo has changed over the years and he has admitted that he does not have as much of a hands-on role as he used to. I remember reading somewhere that he has been more active on Zelda than in other recent games. Super Mario Sunshine was missing something that's hard to quantify and I partially attribute that to Miyamoto not being very involved. In fact, he only has a producer credit for SMS and was obviously not the lead designer or even the executive producer. Make of that what you will...

Just to clarify your post. Are you suggesting that Miyamoto is not a gifted game developer and thus would not have any effect on a given game's quality? If so, I would have to disagree...

Maybe its just me, but I thought the 'secret' levels in SMS were pretty innovative while also being a throwback. There is nothing like the rush of almost jumping of the ledge of an infinite drop.

I LOVE those levels.

Of course, I also think they might be driving me insane so you can discount my opinion.

I love my GameCube... I bought it for the Star Wars games (3 this X-mas!) and first party games... the only game I want on PS2 is GTA: VC, but I already have GTA3 on PC and will get Vice City when it comes out... I don't want an X-box whatsoever.

Now thats gooooood!

Of course he's a great game designer. But while he does have many great games under his belt, he's not an infallible god.

I would love to see what Nintendo will be like when Miyamota retires.....

They'll still be pumping out AAA titles no doubt. Question is, will they still have the "magic" in them?

Wow, one of these topics seems to pop up every week or so.

Anyways, the GC is my only system right now and I am very pleased, with a slight amount of dissapointment here and there. While I'm lovin' SSBM and NFL 2K3, SMS isn't doing as much as Mario 64 did. While the price of the system intrigued me, I'm somewhat dissapointed with the graphical power compared to the XBOX and even the PS2.

It goes back and forth. In the end, when you buy a system, you know what you're going to get going in. I know that Metroid, Zelda and the future Mario Kart game (all GC exclusives of course) are going to own me like no other. I know NBA 2K3 and Tony Hawk 4 are also going to be freakin' amazing games as well. The GC has the great first-party games I've always loved (I've now owned a NES, SNES, N64 and GC) as well as the third-party games and sports titles I want.

That being said, I won't hide the fact that the XBOX is really intriguing me these days and may be my second system come in 6-10 months or so. If Rare puts out a Goldeneye or PD like game, I'm there.

I love my cube. I bought it knowning I wouldn't get tons of other games that may or may not be good. But with Mario and Zelda, and what else I pick up I am more than happy.

And yes, that damn_xbox is really calling my name. Project Ego is really haunting me at night, I really hope this turns out good. I feel that I will be getting an Xbox sooner or later... hopefully sooner.

Personally, I couldn't be more pleased with the GC. It's had more great games in it's first year of release than any system I've ever owned before.

I've owned and loved:

Rogue Leader
Wave Race
Smash Bros
Super Monkey Ball
Resident Evil
Eternal Darkness
Super Mario Sunshine

And that's just counting exclusives. The GC has also gotten good third party support, and many games have been better on the GC than on the PS2, and only trail the X-box in terms of graphics in most cases, which is the thing I care least about in gaming.

Plus there's a ton of games to look forward to like Star Fox, Metroid, Wario World, Zelda, Mario Kart, etc.

I really don't see how anyone could be dissappointed, unless they just don't like Nintendo's games, or have gotten sick of them. In which case I'd have to wonder why they bought the system in the first place.

Well to be perfectly honest I was . That was until I got Mario Sunshine, and I recently started playing Spider-Man again. No Im quite happy with my Cube, and cant wait for Zelda, and Metroid. But until then I'll have StarFox to keep me busy.

Nope. Loving Mario Sunshine, Monkey Ball, and still have AC in the wrapper. Picking up SFA tomorrow, and I see plenty of releases on the horizon. I will say though it is probably number 3 of the next-gen systems I own.