generation design: talk about that stanky GAMECUBE

[Sengir]

vg generations. been thinkin' a lot about generations of the good ol video gabes and i gotta get up on my soapbox. specifically the Nintendo GameCube home videogaming device and her baby sister, the Nintendo Game Boy Advance handheld portable videogaming device n their spot in gaming

like. character design was so good back then. check it:



Giftpia's character design (while never reaching the US) was very period. a lot of PS2 games had similar aesthetics! theres something 'alt' about it i wouldnt have appreciated the first time around



mario game with no goombas. no good ol koopas. peach in a new dress with a ponytail. blobby tropical islanders in hula skirts and shells. everything was so new!! we werent clinging to nostalgia here. windwaker killed off old hyrule. mario saved delfino. pokemon went to a gritty desert riddled with gang crime. fucked up if true



obviously wind waker u heckin' idiot!! the design was very cartoony and took a lot of influence from pacific cultures, as did a lot of the era (super mario sunshine, maori tribal tattoos, lilo n stitch, etc). characters had some weird looks! snot nose kiddo. old man with exposed ribs n a gut. there was something gritty behind the bright zaniness


viewtiful joe took the design of fox kidz action cartoons (tmnt, thos shark bois, biker mice, etc) and gave it a new cel-shaded comic book look (full circle???)




thats a couple!! if u wanna kinda muse on the subject then Heck Yeah im just v stoked about the gamecube (also the gba but im focusing on the gamecube)

[Goemar]

Does Viewitful Joe count as a NGC game? I mean, sure it was on there first but it did come to the PS2. You know, like most third party 'exclusives' (looking at you Res 4).

In all honesty the Cube was just... ok. Like it polished up a bit from the N64 but most great games were sequels or remakes. And while yes, Wind Waker looked very different, it wasn't worlds away from what has came before gameplay wise. And was generally seen as not as good...

Not to mention the system looked kinda ugly and didn't play DVDs (yes I know some version of it no one has does - good for you, single guy who had that) - which at the time was a hugely stupid decision. I mean, my family brought a PS2 because it was the same price as a DVD player (at some point in time).

Apart from Luigi's Mansion, Metroid Prime and (urgh) Pikmin everything good in the Cube was pretty much just a continuation of past games on the N64.

And the art style you like, that's more PS2 than NGC. Or even later Arcade. Look at Puyo Puyo or Bust-a-Move/Puzzle Bobble. Or even Guardian Legends or Megaman Legends.

Not really a style I'd say brings the Cube to mind.

[Kriven]

I think the thread is way more about the PS2/GCN/XBX generation than the GameCube as a platform... IDK, correct me if I'm wrong... I also think maybe the point of the thread is to discuss the ways different generations were characterized, like if you were to discuss different eras in art history.

Maybe I'm off base though.

[Sengir]

Does Viewitful Joe count as a NGC game?

sure it was on there first

im not talking gameplay tho. im talking A E S T H E T I Cs. mario with a tribal tattoo. pictures of irl with nintendo character heads taped over. use of graffiti in advertisements



the graphic design n game design n heck even sound direction in the gamecube era was Good Stuff Right There. things werent trying to be sleek and refined. things were WILD and URBAN and SEXY

nintendo was experimental (pikmin, chibi robo, pokemon channel, giftpia, and OF COURSE animal crossing) and not everything was a hit but there was a level of almost unbridled innovation that no one's been able to capture since, even ninty

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I think the thread is way more about the PS2/GCN/XBX generation than the GameCube as a platform... IDK, correct me if I'm wrong... I also think maybe the point of the thread is to discuss the ways different generations were characterized, like if you were to discuss different eras in art history.

Maybe I'm off base though.

yea but im still wanting to skew to the GCN bc it really had a good understanding of the era and still managed to innovate instead of appealing to the mainstream like PS2

or make like exclusively shooters n wrestling games like xbox uwu

e: nintendo was targeting the individual. "who are you". tonnes of gba themes to match to ur personality. buttloads of gcn colors and controller colors and whatnot. Nsider forums to chat with ur community
wii was an obvious departure that focused on 'we'/us. ps3 had no games (joke, ps3 had boring games (joke, ps3 had uninteresting games that lacked any innovation and felt like ps2 dx)). 360 had a focus on multiplayer gaming with sports n shooties. individuality on consoles became "white one or black one or exclusive midnight release mountain dew sponsored special deluxe (less of a mix n match ur style thing)"

[TomGuycott]

GameCube I'd describe as... the system I got the least amount of games for, but that I played the most.

There weren't as many games on it that interested me, but the ones I did get had me hooked forever.

[Omega]

Gamecube is the best system purely because it has the three best games: Kirby Air ride, Paper Mario the thousand year door, and Chibi-robo

[Goemar]

Animal Crossing was a 64DD game first...

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I loved the Cube - mostly for Animal Crossing and Smash. But it was definitely the weakest Nintendo console yet at the time and when Nintendo firmly went from leader to in the background.

Also... Kirby's Air Ride? I can't tell if this is a joke or not...

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Also the PS2 had many innovating games. It's just the more mass market appeals ones are obviously the more well known.

And most of the innovation on the Cube wasn't exclusive. Like I said Viewtiful Joe was on the PS2 and Wario Ware started on the GBA (and was better on the GBA...).

The Cube was great - but it was great at giving past games some polish and refinement, not for unique ideas or breaking boundaries.

[JewyB]

And while yes, Wind Waker looked very different, it wasn't worlds away from what has came before gameplay wise. And was generally seen as not as good...

You take that back

Also loved the GBA and its the one system i always go back to, mainly because Golden Sun is on there and Golden Sun is the best game ever. I will fight those who disagree >

[Gors]

if i don't give a shit about the game and only to the aesthetics, PS2 and Gamecube consoles (and Gameboy Advance) looked very sleek and aesthetically pleasing, Nintendo's consoles took a brighter kinda "iMac" esque type of colorful design, abandoning the usual gray or black casings in most cases (I have a silver GCN and had a clear pink GBA before. Heck, Nintendo was king at making translucent game cases for N64, GBC and stuff, i love the heck out of it). PS2 was edgier on the design, with the parallel black lines shaping up the console, it was very beautiful.

I didn't have a lot of games for both of them but I do have fond memories of these games' aesthetics. This distinct art direction started in the end of N64/PS1's life cycle to the entirety of GCN/PS2 until it was replaced for a more serious look overall

I'm glad that Nintendo Switch's pro controller is translucent, it really reminds me of this aesthetic that was largely forgotten

[Zero Kirby]

Also... Kirby's Air Ride? I can't tell if this is a joke or not...

As someone who also loves me some Kirby Air Ride I can confirm this is definitely not a joke, it's one of the best racers out there

[Goemar]

Honestly, thought it was terrible. Did a quick Google to see if it was just me, but most reviews are around 6/10 so I'll continue to never play it again.