Well it's been a year to the day since the Gamecube launched, and I have to say I've been fairly impressed.

The game releases have been somewhat slow, but not nearly as bad as the N64 or even the PS2.

Here's my top exclusive games of the first year.

1. Mario Sunshine
2. Star Wars: Rogue Leader
3. Eternal Darkness
4. Super Smash Bros Melee
5. Super Monkey Ball
6. Resident Evil
7. Wave Race Blue Storm.

Metroid Prime will likely jump pretty high on the list when it comes out tomorrow, and I've yet to play a few well-reviewed games like Pikmin, Star Fox Adventures, SMB2 etc.

So that's not too shabby for the first year, and that's only the exclusives. Definitely the most great exclusives I can recall in any systems first year, from the N64 on. I didn't keep up on gaming as much in the NES or SNES/Genesis days and didn't get anyh of them at launch, so I can't compare to that era.

The Wavebird was also a pleasant surprise, as I had my doubts due to the poor infrared wireless controllers of the past. But it works like a charm, and the lack of wires only improves my all-time favorite controller.

Hopefully the releases will pick up pace in the next year, but if not I have a PS2 to fill the lull between AAA gamecube titles.

This has definitely been the best first year of any console I've owned. I'm very satisfied.

Got mine on launch day. Sold mine last week. I've been a long-time Nintendo supporter, but I was very disappointed.

The following are my opinions only. Games I didn't play aren't mentioned.

The console itself - No digital sound output was a horrible mistake.

Mario Sunshine - Entertaining but flawed the first time through. First Mario game that I haven't foreseen any replay value in though.

Star Wars: Rogue Leader - About 4 of the levels were very fun; the rest were tedious. No replay for me once I beat it.

Eternal Darkness - Extremely repetitive game play. No replay for me once I beat it, and was tempted to not finish it about midway through.

Super Smash Bros Melee - No single-player value to me at all.

Super Monkey Ball/Super Monkey Ball 2 - I'll miss monkey bowling, but that is about it.

Resident Evil - I never could get into this. Despised the controls and the way you had to run from many things.

Luigi's Mansion - Decent the first time through, but very short, easy and no replay for me.

Tony Hawk 3 - Loved it, but I'll pick up Tony Hawk 4 on the X-Box that replaced my Cube. Arguably better graphics and most assuredly better sounds on X-Box than on Gamecube.

Wave Race Blue Storm. - Decent, but nothing I'll miss. Rallisport has fulfilled my racing fix.

Animal Crossing - Not bad, but no appeal to me once Nook is paid off.

Same here.

Here's my Top 10...

Mario Sunshine
Eternal Darkness
Smash Bros.
Animal Crossing
Pikmin
Resident Evil
Super Monkey Ball (is this still an exclusive?)
Wave Race
Luigi's Mansion
Star Wars: Rogue Leader

Next week I'll be adding Metroid, SMB2, and RE0 to that list.

Yep, SMB is still an exclusive.

I wouldn't really say I am dissapointed, but I have not played my Gamecube in quite awhile, my PS2 gets much more play time.

The first game I bought with the system was Rogue, great game, I knew from the beginning that once I beat it I would only play it every now and then, so I am not going to hold that against it.

I also have Madden 2002, Agent Under Fire, Home Run King. Wrestlemania, and Resident Evil.

Wrestlemania is probably the best North American Next Gen Wrestling game so far. But there is just not a ton of replay to it once you win a title, no league modes or anything like that.

Resident Evil was a great game, but I don't play it anymore.

There have been few titles I have been interested in honestly this year. A lot of games are put out for all three platforms, and the Cube is the last one to get them. Take Timesplitters for example, I wanted that game, but it was out for the PS2 first, and the PS2 memory card holds more info, so I bought the PS2 version.

I will be picking up Metroid, I am looking forward to that game, but I really think Nintendo needs to put out more product more often. I love the fact that they have some great five star games, but we need more games.

I still think the cube has a ton of potential.

I thought the Cube had a good first year, but I was underwhelmed by the big releases:

Eternal Darkness
Smash Bros.
Animal Crossing
Pikmin
Resident Evil
Wave Race
Star Wars: Rogue Leader

Haven't played:

Luigi's Mansion
RE0
SMB, SMB2

The only game I still own, SMS, is really good and all, but nowhere near as good as Mario 64. I'm happy with my Cube, I should have waited until now to get it though.

Right now 2003 looks fantastic.

Same here. I just trade my in today. I found myself primarily using my XBOX and PS2.

Got my cube in may. So far I've played these exclusives.
Resident Evil-Loved it. Amazing graphics and very fun. I've even replayed it several times which is a big suprise for me.
Super Monkey Ball-Rented it having no idea what I was getting into. Loved it immediately. Plus I got it for 29.99- a $15 gift card that I randomly recieved from Circuit City.
Rogue Leader-Incredible graphics(except for Vengeance on Kothelis where the framerate goes down to like 10fps) More arcadey than I would've liked and the need to use the targeting computer. Missions can be frustrating as hell(I've stil not finished the last level). I still play it every now and again for a mission or two.
Eternal Darkness-I was very disappointed with this game. Story was interesting but the gameplay sucked and I too was tempted to not even finish it. I did and promptly sold it.
Super Mario Sunshine-Good for a rental but no way I'd keep it. Very repetitive and extremely frustrating camera/jumps to make. Sold it.
Resident Evil 0-All of the things I loved about Resident Evil with improved graphics and some new features. Haven't completed it yet but I am really enjoying it.
Super Smash Brothers-Played it at my buddies on his cube and didn't care for it. Just seemed boring.
I played the demo of Metroid and it seems good so I'll probably pick that up at some point.
Other cube exclusives I've been meaning to check out are SFA, Animal Crossing, and Pikmin. All in all it's pretty good but I'm glad I've got a PS2 to fill in some of the dead time between games.

Got my Cube soon after the price drop... I can't afford to pick up too many games (don't have much time either)so slow releases is not a big issue ... I picked up RE a while before I got my cube (its the reason I picked the cube) and it was awesome ... picked up Bloody Roar (Traded the All Star Baseball that I got for $9.99 from Target for it ), Batman Vengeance (Less than impressive) as a cheap game, and playing through some RE0 (as a rental, but it is on my Christmas list)

I'd like to have an X-Box, and might have waited had I known they were going to release the bundle, but the RE Series is keeping me entertained, and Metroid Prime should be great

Not surprisingly, I have been underwhelmed. The only "major" system (disregarding those such as the Jaguar) that I have been as underwhelmed with in it's first year was the N64. For the unpteenth time, as a video game obsessor (and recently creator ), the GC is nothing at all spectacular to me. I love Resident Evil, Resident Evil Zero, and Super Monkey Ball. I was mildly impressed with Super Mario Sunshine once I got into it, but no other exclusives have really impressed me.

Eternal Darkness really showed that it was first designed for the N64, and I found it very repetitive. I still play my N64 Waverace, but Blue Storm received hardly any replay from me (due mainly to the control change, I think). Starfox was just another overdone platformer. Super Smash Brothers Melee was ok for multiplayer, but really lacked in single once the characters were unlocked. I'll just stop there. This is, of course, my opinion.

The best first year of any console I have owned. I picked up Metroid Prime this evening and after three straight hours of play its without a doubt my game of the year.

The GameCube is not perfect. Its sports games support has not been great, but it has the most amazing exclusives of any console and games is what its all about. I don't see how you can be a serious gamer without owning one. If I could only have one console this would be it.

My Top Ten

1. Metroid Prime
2. Animal Crossing
3. Mario Sunshine
4. Super Smash Bros Melee
5. Eternal Darkness
6. Super Monkey Ball
7. Resident Evil
8. Pikmin
9. Luigi's Mansion
10. Beach Spikers

When it comes to exclusive games the Nintendo is still the king.

My cube gets more play time than my Xbox. I think it was a pretty solid year when compared to the Xbox. A lot of thier games didn't blow me away, other than Halo.

I am with most of the people on here loved all the same games. The only one seldom mentioned is Pikmin. It was a great game. I hope they drop the price so that more people can give it a try.

I loved Eternal Darkness. The graphics were not that great but the story makes up for it. Also loved all the other ones mentioned, SW, SMB, RE, MS, and even Luigi was more fun than I thought it would be. It has no replay value, but most games of that type don't, you know that before you buy it.

I didn't like SSBM though. Less than impressed. WaveRace was alright. It was the same game as before with polished graphics. Same boards, how lame is that?

Although not an exclusive, I really enjoed NBAStreet during the lull in the spring. That is a fun game.

Now I hope EB has a few extra copies tomorrow since I didn't pre-order, so I can get it with some store credit.

I was very skeptical of the system when I first read about it, and didn't give it a chance until I heard about Resident Evil going exclusive. Since I'm hardcore RE, I told my friends I would give in and get a GC just for the game. I pre-ordered RE, and it sat on my shelf for about a month unplayed, until the day of the GC price drop, when I brought home a Jet, and immersed myself in RE like never before - it truly was the most spectacular game I had ever played. Another friend bought a GC a few days later, and we played Agent Under Fire and all the way through Gauntlet: Dark Legacy in 4-player, which was awesome(though not exclusive). The next game I picked up was Eternal Darkness, which is also a great game. Rogue Squadron was just awesome(though I still need to finish it). Super Smash Bros. is definitely one of the biggest surprise hits for my friends and I - bought it without ever playing it, and now we have melees for hours at a time with that game. Godzilla: DAMM is a lot of fun as well, though the camera is annoying when it locks into place and you can't run further offscreen. Super Monkey Ball was fun, as was Wave Race: Blue Storm, though quite challenging(and the best water graphics I've ever seen). It's also not exclusive, but Tony Hawk 3 was very addicting over the first few weeks after purchase. Super Mario Sunshine is a great game, though there are definitely some nerve-wracking areas within. I've been playing a lot of Resident Evil Zero, and so far I would say it's one of the best in the series, becoming quite challenging in the later areas, and taking the place of REbirth as best looking game I've ever played.
I've never been into Metroid or Zelda, but both of those games are looking great. I played Metroid Prime tonight, which looks amazing, though I need to get used to the controls. Zelda is looking good, so I will probably end up buying both of those eventually.
Next item on my GC agenda is to sell my Jet and buy a Plat. Next game I will be getting will be Sonic Mega Collection. There are many games, out and upcoming, that I want to get, and I can't wait to get my hands on Resident Evil 4 someday(guessing 2004)......
Basically, I'm glad I got my hands on a GC after all.

Hard to believe 1 year ago today I was sitting outside of TRU in the blistering cold waiting for the GC. Its been one hell of a year and I'm very pleased with my GameCube. Games I currently own...

Star Wars Rogue Leader
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Spider-Man
Batman Vengance
Phantasy Star Online
Super Mario Sunshine
Resident Evil
Resident Evil: Zero (no relation)

To this day I still play Rogue Leader, and it makes me smile when I look back on what I went through to get the system. Im so very happy with the system that tomorrow when I open the store Im going to share my story with anyone who's willing to listen. 1 amazing year, and several more to come!

I'm still very happy with my cube. I'm still trying to get into SMS, but most other games I've played have been fun. The Monkey Ball games have been the best so far.

And of course, there's allegedly a game called MARIO CART that's supposed to come out soon.

stoolie

I love it, I really do. My friends and I always have a huge array of multiplayer games that just arn't FPS, there are several awesome 1 player experiances to had ass well. The GC has nearly 200 titles out within a year, that's a hell of alot of games. (Good and Bad).

I think Nintendo has learned and is learning a few lessons, but they really have created a great product. I can take my GC anywhere easily and setup camp in a matter of minutes. I love the fact that I can put a game in my pocket and head across capus to a buds easily.

I could go on, but I must get some work done.

Agreed. There's no excuse for these awful controls. It looks great but plays like an Atari 2600 game....

Big disappointment from me.
As the other poster alluded to, they crippled the console to make it proprietary (no DVD, digital sound, etc, outdated memory card system).
I own all three consoles and the Cube gathers the most dust.
Most of the games I'm interested in come out for all 3 consoles, the Gamecube never gets consideration. The Xbox superior HDTV, Digital Sound, HDD, and network capabilities always get first choice.
This is coming from a long time Nintendo fan who never owned the original PSX.
I won't sell the Cube because I love the exclusives franchises even if they haven't lived up to the hype (Waverace, Mario Sunshine). I'll definetly buy Metroid this week.
Use any cliche you want but they really cut their nose to spite their face by limiting the cube.
A couple of years before any of the next gen systems came out, I thought Nintendo would be the one way ahead. I thought they could learn from the mistakes of the N64. But no.
They'll churn out one or two franchise title every year, and flood the market with $50 party games every month.

The Gamecube is a nice, but flawed system. It would be relegated to Dreamcast status if it didn't have the exclusives.

No one wants to hear it, but Nintendo should go the Sega route and write software only.

Doug

I bought my GC at launch (and scoured most of Hudson county to do so), and I gotta say it was way not worth it. As much as I love Mario Sunshine (and I think the GC is worth it just for SMS), the fact that it wasn't a launch title gave me the impression of a 9 month drought. I didn't buy a game between Pikmin and Eternal Darkness, and my GCN collected dust for 5 months. The most exciting purchase I made June? Wavebird. Yes, it had gotten so bad I was jazzed about a controller.

Had I waited to buy a GC with the launch of SMS, I could have saved $50 (more with a bundle) and gotten Pikmin, SMB, and Wave Race for real cheap used.

There little chance MP will do anything other than rock, and the upcoming releases look solid. But I'd say the first year of the N64 was better than the GC. Consider:

Mario 64 (as good as SMS)
Wave Race 64 (better than WR:BS)
Killer Instinct Gold (better than SSBM)
Shadow sof the Empire (better than RL2)
Mario Kart 64 (no competition)
Turok (much, much better than Turok for GCN)
Blast Corps (played the hell out of this one)
Star Fox 64
Tetrisphere
GoldenEye

And this was much more spread out compared to the GC releases.

BTW, the comments are my own opinion.

How does the Gamecube not having a DVD player = bad system? The Gamecube is capable of digital sound, but it has to be programmed into the game. Want a DVD player/Cube?

Heres your answer...http://ebay3.ipixmedia.com/abc/M28/_...900bab/i-1.JPG

Your entitled to feel how you want about the GC but I fail to see how its a bad system because it has no dvd player.

Major disappointment. Still no Zelda, and all the exclusives are retreads of their N64 counterparts.

I got to agree. Metroid Prime is exactly like Metroid 64.

To me the first year of the GC has been a great success. This isn't to say it is my favorite system because it is not. I play my Xbox FAR MORE than my GC or my PS2. This trend will only increase now that LIVE has hit full steam ahead.
I tend to disagree with some of you on your game likes and dislikes though.
For me the biggest surprise of the GC was Eternal Darkness. I loved this game. The story was handled better than anything in the past and the graphics were great with the insanity effects being very creative and well done.
RE was a beautiful game but it got put aside due to too many other great games on the Xbox and PS2.
Rogue Leader was a good game but didn't quite live up to the hype in my opinion.
Then there are sports titles. These basically are a big negative for me on the GC so far. The Xbox seems to always have the best version of games (visuals and sound) with less loading times. People talk about dislike for football on the Xbox controller? They should try football on the GC! I found the GC controller a complete mess when trying to play Madden.
Super Mario Sunshine is another game that didn't live up to my expectations. I think much of this is due to having too many games to choose from on 3 systems but I was disappointed with teh graphics in SMS. The water looks awesome but the grass texture looks like someting off of the Super Nintendo! The gameplay seems pretty cool but I just can't get myself to spend long enough to get hooked on this game.
Lastly, I am picking up Metroid today and I think this will be the top game on the system with ease.

Someone else mentioned the GC and the big mistake on the sound options. All I can say is that I couldn't agree more! Pro Logic and Pro Logic 2 just don't cut it when you have a system like the PS2 which is much older and it can even do 5.1 sound. Ughh.....
Anyway, in the end I'm happy with my GC because I didn't buy it expecting it to be my primary system. I expected it to be about like the N64 which would be ok for a 2nd or 3rd sytem. The GC is leaps and bounds over the N64 already in # of quality games.

I have been very impressed with the games for the Gamecube, I'm not disappointed in the least. Well the only thing that bugged me a little was the price drop because I bought mine at full price, but now that I think about it I don't think I could have waited to play all those games. The variety of different genre's is great, and there are some real unique titles as well (I don't like sports games so i don't anything about those). The other thing that impressed me was the lack of any real load times, for most games the loading is so fast there aren't even any loading screens and you can get to playing immediately. The first year has been a lot better than the other system I bought at launch (PS2, but don't get me wrong i still own and love that one too). So far I've enjoyed:

Luigi's Mansion- great underated game!
SSB:M- awesome!
Pikmin- really unique and fun game!
Wave Race: Blue Storm- best wave racing game eva
Resident Evil- incredible graphics, sound, and story
Eternal Darkness- ditto! I was actually taken by surprise on this one, i expected it to be bad until I played it, and couldn't stop playing.
Super Mario Sunshine- Its a sequel, and not as evolutionary as SM64, but its still a great game and I had a blast playing through it.
Animal Crossing- This game should be renamed digital crack, its the one game I always make time to for to play every single day since its release a few months ago.
Star Fox Adventures- The game is a lot better than the reviews would think you to believe, and the graphics are amazing.
I haven't played Metroid Prime yet (except the demo) so can't comment on it, but i did enjoy the demo. That and Resident Evil Zero, which I'm planning to play after that.

The future looks even brighter:
The Legend of Zelda GC- love the artistic style and graphics
Resident Evil 4- the next level of RE games.
P.N.03
Dead Phoenix
Skies of Arcadia Legend
Viewtiful Joe- I know i'm not the only one who's looking forward to this
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles- I think its a gc game....sorta...but we have 2 GBA's anyway so we're set!
F-Zero
Star Fox Armada