Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK

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Denster
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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by Denster » Thu Nov 12, 2020 11:10 am

Day one.
Rogue leader
Wave race
Luigis mansion
Super monkey ball.

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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by Herdanos » Thu Nov 12, 2020 5:19 pm

Denster wrote:Day one.
Rogue leader
Wave race
Luigis mansion
Super monkey ball.


I mean, no PS5 or Xbox X launch can top that, can it? :datass:

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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by Songwriter » Sun Aug 27, 2023 7:03 am

Did anyone get one of these?

Freeloader for Gamecube - Import Game Enabler https://amzn.eu/d/3PJt4Nr

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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by Vermilion » Sun Aug 27, 2023 8:20 am

Songwriter wrote:Did anyone get one of these?

Freeloader for Gamecube - Import Game Enabler https://amzn.eu/d/3PJt4Nr


Yep, I had one specifically for Animal Crossing, as the UK release was at least 18 months after the US one (early 2003 for USA, autumn 2004 for UK) so i decided to import a copy.

I guess that means for me, that AC did form part of my first year with the Gamecube.

At launch i bought the console with Luigi's Mansion & Wave Race.

Further games that year included the Pikmin, Smash Bros Melee, Mario Sunshine, Starfox Adventures, & Mario Party 4.

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Ploiper
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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by Ploiper » Sun Aug 27, 2023 8:25 am

Got it at launch with Super Monkey Ball and Wave Race, loved the Gamecube I did.

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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by kazanova_Frankenstein » Sun Aug 27, 2023 1:23 pm

Vermilion wrote:
Songwriter wrote:Did anyone get one of these?

Freeloader for Gamecube - Import Game Enabler https://amzn.eu/d/3PJt4Nr


Yep, I had one specifically for Animal Crossing, as the UK release was at least 18 months after the US one (early 2003 for USA, autumn 2004 for UK) so i decided to import a copy. :fp:

I guess that means for me, that AC did form part of my first year with the Gamecube.

At launch i bought the console with Luigi's Mansion & Wave Race.

Further games that year included the Pikmin, Smash Bros Melee, Mario Sunshine, Starfox Adventures, & Mario Party 4.


Exactly the same story for me.

Edit - no! I am misremembering!

The freeloader kept getting delayed, so I actually sold my UK GCN and imported a US model. Then a few weeks later the Freeloader finally released. And I was bored of AC within 2 weeks anyway

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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by kerr9000 » Sun Aug 27, 2023 1:28 pm

I contemplated getting the Cube on Launch, then decided not to, and then folded soon after and purchased it about 4 days later from Toys R Us.

I got a bundle that included a black machine and Star Wars Rogue Leader and a 3rd party memory card, I remember it being a really good deal.

Not long after that I got Luigis Mansion second hand, I swapped my PS2 copy of DarkCloud and £10 to get this (I didn't own a PS2 just played the game on my brothers when he wasnt using it.... so glad I have gotten.

I think the third game I got was Driven from Play.com for £15 ...... Play.com used to be such a good site.

I seem to think Bloody Roar was the 4th game.

I remember getting a Freeloader on release... I had gone to Canada before this and got a few titles from over there cheaply knowing the freeloader was coming out, One I had gotten was Resident Evil, and it was put back and put back annoyingly so I sat holding this game I couldn't play dreaming of playing it,,, When Animal crossing got imported over here a shop near me called Forbidden Planet got animal crossing in American for £50... I went to game they did a promotion where a bunch of naff Cube games were £5 each, I grabbed about £30's worth and took them to Forbidden Planet and managed to trade them in for the import Animal Crossing and a copy of Time Splitters 2.

I have a fair few Cube Titles now


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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by Ironhide » Sun Aug 27, 2023 3:01 pm

I bought the Freeloader to play Mario Golf and never used it for anything else, same with the PS2 equivalent which I only ever used for Katamari Damacy, didn't really like the hassle of swapping discs.

Also had the GBA Player, playing Advance Wars on a 32" screen was excellent.

Last edited by Ironhide on Sun Aug 27, 2023 4:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by shy guy 64 » Sun Aug 27, 2023 4:01 pm

Now we’re talking: we didn’t get it straight away but I remember we got it with luigis mansion and rouge squadron

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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by Vermilion » Sun Aug 27, 2023 8:33 pm

Everyone i knew at that time used the Freeloader for Animal Crossing.

Mind you, i didn't actually know many folks back then as i'd only just started using the internet (my very first online forum was the old Nintendo VIP boards) and my social circle in the local area was non existent.

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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by Kriken » Sun Aug 27, 2023 11:26 pm

Not sure when I got my gamecube. Maybe a year or two after launch, but it was the first time I experienced that gen. Sonic Adventure DX blew me away. Loved Sonic Adventure 2 as well and didn't know at the time that it was a launch title.

Super Smash Bros. Melee is still one of my fave games ever. Smash 64 was my fave N64 game, and Melee was somehow much better than it.

Pikmin and Metroid Prime - enjoyed those back then, but would only complete them both much later on. They are still among some of my favourite games.

Loved Mario Sunshine. Looking back its flaws are more noticeable, but as someone who at the time didn't bother getting all the stars in SM64, I didn't mind the amount of padding since I did a fairly streamlined playthrough of it.

Had Doshin. Wish I had kept it.

Looking through that list of games there are a lot more I had, which surprises me, but the gamecube did have a lot less software available for it commpared to the PS2 and even Xbox.

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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by Vermilion » Mon Aug 28, 2023 7:49 am

I had Doshin too, but i didn't get it until several years later.

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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by hamm sandwich » Mon Aug 28, 2023 9:22 am

I remember Gamestation selling new GameCubes around 2006 for £24.99 with two pre owned games from their 2 for £20 range, still got a couple of new silver Cubes in the loft.

I’ve more recently come to realise the depth of the Cube’s library, I’ve been listening to console drafts on the Back Page podcast and just being reminded of the wealth of top tier original games probably around 30 to 40, certainly compared to the N64 which is more like 10 to 15.

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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by Drej » Mon Aug 28, 2023 9:52 am

I got it very very late purely through hype from this forum. Actually bought it from one of the users of the forum as there was a very good sale in game and in Malta they were very expensive (shoutout to Computer Reprobate if you're still around :wub:)

I was never a big Nintendo fan however, so it didn't get too much use. Wind Waker was definitely my favourite game on the system and my first experience with a Zelda game. I remember it fondly!

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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by kerr9000 » Mon Aug 28, 2023 11:12 am

Vermilion wrote:I had Doshin too, but i didn't get it until several years later.


I got Doshin back in the day from Game . got it home and it was faulty had to take it back and they didn't have any others so got a refund, went to every shop in town and nowhere had it :(

I did get it years later from a charity shop missing its manual for a few quid thankfully

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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by speedboatchase » Mon Aug 28, 2023 12:30 pm

My younger cousin bought it at launch day but I was still obsessed with GTA 3 at the time and I suppose the purple console made me think it was 'for kids'. Looking at the first post though, seems I didn't hold out for long as I bought one when Pikmin launched.

I loved, LOVED the N64 and Gamecube was so odd in that everything that was great on the N64 was of lesser quality IMO (Super Mario Sunshine, Double Dash, Starfox Adventures, Wave Race). Instead, I spent my time with the franchises that disappointed me a little on N64 (including Ocarina, I'm sad to say) that were now better on Gamecube or playing entirely new franchises (Pikmin, Animal Crossing, Super Monkey Ball) or 'new to me' franchises that I loved (my first Resi games in the Resi remake and then Resi 4, my first Metroid game in Metroid Prime).

My top five games roll off the tongue - Resi 4, Wind Waker (my favourite Zelda game), Metroid Prime, F-Zero GX and Smash Bros Melee. Great console, but still not in the level of the N64 for me. Whereas I was happy enough with just an N64 in its era, this time the Gamecube was my secondary console, as a PS2 felt essential. I think Rare being sold to Microsoft felt like a crucial blow at the time too and I remember there was a persistent feeling that Nintendo might go the way of Sega and leave the console market. Thankfully, it all worked out in the end :msgreen:

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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by Drumstick » Mon Aug 28, 2023 1:08 pm

Luigi's Mansion
Super Monkey Ball
Wave Race
Rogue Leader
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Pikmin
REmake
Super Mario Sunshine
Eternal Darkness
Mario Party 4
TimeSplitters 2
Metroid Prime
RE Zero
Super Monkey Ball 2
Wind Waker
Skies of Arcadia
Ikaruga

All in the first 12 months. Insane.

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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by Rubix » Wed Aug 30, 2023 9:06 am

Loved my gamecube, some fantastic games released for it.

Pikmin - Fresh new idea at the time and the countdown to launch at the end made it even more stressful. Really lovely game at the time but I didn't get into the sequels.
REmake - Resident Evil 1 but better! this is how you make a remake without messing gooseberry fool up!
Super Mario Sunshine - Whilst not my favourite Mario game and the less I talk about that camera issue the better, the game did have it's moments. Having Fludd was okay, I never liked the voice of it! It says a lot about the game where my favourite levels are when Fludd gets taken from you. I also did like the end boss.
Wind Waker - One of my favourites of the series that still holds up today. Loved the game and its simplicity!
Skies of Arcadia - I have never actually finished this game! shocking I know, I can't tell you why either as I loved the game and the combat. I do still own it so may have to replay it and actually finish it this time.

Other mentions - Rogue Leader, Metroid Prime, Eternal Darkness, Luigi's Mansion & Super Smash Bros. Melee (Crazy amount of great games)
(also lets not forget the later games Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing, Resident Evil 4, Tales of Symphonia, MGS Twin Snakes)

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Yoshimi
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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by Yoshimi » Fri Sep 01, 2023 3:17 pm

I owned a Purple Gamecube. Worryingly I can't remember buying it, even though I have clear memories of getting my PS1, N64, even my Megadrive.

I'm pretty sure I picked it up near the end of it's life to catch up with exclusives like Paper Mario TYD, Wind Waker, Mario Sunshine etc. I'd been pretty happy with my PS2 and Dreamcast at that point. I think I imported Animal Crossing, so I must have got it around 2003.

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Carlos
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PostRe: Remembering the first year of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the UK
by Carlos » Fri Sep 01, 2023 4:27 pm

That was my gap year and first 6 months of Uni. The Cube became our default games night and post-pub games console due to the brilliant multiplayer titles Smash and Monkey Ball. I managed to buy my UK console with a Japanese Wavebird and 256 Memory Card.

It was the console I took to Uni as it was light enough to lug through London on the tube in a DJ flight case. I initially regretted it because there wasn’t much out in Christmas 2002. Eternal Darkness and Starfox were really all that interested me as I didn’t like Mario. I stuck with it into 2003 and when Prime, Resi 0 and PSO came out on the same day and I dropped £120 on all 3, the most I’ve ever spent on games in one go before or since. I also skived the weekend off work to play them all and told my girlfriend I was ill!


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