The GC is the last Nintendo concole I really enjoyed. Almost every Wii game I've played has been lacking. I'm not even interested in the Wii U games, except for Bayonetta 2. Good thing for Nintendo they can do right on handhelds. Let's hope they don't ever screw that up.
Marketing 101: Nintendo
The console wars are underway! How has Nintendo handled them in the past?
When it came time for the next evolution in Nintendo home consoles, the company realized that a disc-based format was where the industry was going to be. However, in an effort to maintain full control over their publishing and distribution, Nintendo went with a proprietary optical disc. These mini-discs held a little more than a quarter of the data that a standard DVD could handle, but also contributed to the small form factor of the GameCube, which would be the console to compete against the PlayStation 2 and the newcomer, Microsoft’s Xbox.
Even though Nintendo was behind the curve when it came to what developers could fit onto their discs, the company seemed like it was ready to fight to reclaim its place at the top of the heap. The initial marketing for the GameCube was quite a bit more esoteric and mature than what had come before, with iconic ads playing up the system’s cube-like shape. Strangely, they also pushed the system as being portable, thanks to the small size and handle that allowed people to carry the GameCube like a lunchbox.
Once again, the onus on the success of the GameCube was on Nintendo, who pumped out exclusive titles to make the system appealing. Staples like Mario and Zelda of course made huge waves on the console, as did the long-awaited return of the Metroid series. These were the feathers in the cap of the little purple box.
However, Nintendo did make big strides to secure some big third party support. The most notable example of this was the “Capcom Five”, which were to be five huge exclusive titles produced by the mega-popular developer just for the GameCube. Of these games, one was cancelled outright (Dead Phoenix), one was completely overhauled before release (P.N. 03), and two became multiplatform games (Resident Evil 4 and Viewtiful Joe). That left Killer 7 as the only game to remain a true, exclusive vision of the original deal. Still, it made the GameCube stand a little stronger in the market, at least in the minds of consumers.
Even with the added help of third party titles and Nintendo releasing multiple well-received games, the GameCube lagged behind the PS2 and Xbox. For a while there, people were predicting that Nintendo would get out of the console market entirely and go into software development, ala Sega.
Then the Wii happened.
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