16 years later, has the Xbox v. GameCube debate changed for you?

[JaguarVision]

The Xbox Vs. GameCube "debate" or comparison has gone through one of the most radical shifts of any competing gaming devices through out the history of video games.

 

At the time of their relevance it seemed pretty clear. The new comer Xbox was throwing the GameCube to the back of the line. It had beaten the PS2 during numerous months across select countries, and it had established Xbox as a big name in gaming at the expense of throwing money down a bottomless pit. Even when replaced by the 360 and giving the GameCube 2.5 years with no competition they couldn't keep up.

 

Then a couple years into the Wii people's opinions changed. All of a sudden Xbox 1 was moved to the back with GameCube being at the forefront. Xbox classics were mentioned but people looked at the Game cube as Nintendo's last great system.

 

Move to the end of that generation with the Wii hitting a wall in 2011 and bring seen as a console not even competing in the same market as the 360/PS3. Xbox 1 classics were sent back to the front, and the GameCube was considered the kiddy console with a lackluster library. This was further enhanced by a new narrative for the 360 starting in 2012, as nonsensical as it was, that the 360 had only 3 game franchises being released.

 

Cue today and it seems people's opinions change on which they like depending on their mood that day. There never seems to be a real consensus on which is better unlike most other console comparisons. Making the argument you need both systems have some merit.

 

In my Personal opinion I think overall, I enjoy both a lot. But I believe the Xbox was the console to own and still is. It was basically the only real console alternative to not having the juggernaut PS2. It had a slew of unique titles, games you never saw on consoles before and we're mostly seen on PC, and a power advantage that gave you clean graphics and extra fidelity that made multiplatform titles seem like different games on the PS2/GameCube at times. In fact even now, if you want to play the top crossplatform games of that generation it makes more sense to play them on an Xbox.

 

In 2008 I would have said the GameCube, but since 2011 my answer has been Xbox just like it was from 2001-2006. This debate has many people change their minds across the years. If anything it shows both systems are an important purchase for any game collector.

[Flojomojo]

They're both pretty irrelevant to me now. I liked them back then but it's a different time now.

 

Dolphin emulates Gamecube pretty well (though not perfectly)

 

The promise of some OG Xbox games on Xbone is somewhat interesting to me, but many of those games were on the PC anyway. It's hard to get excited about upscaled KOTOR when I've been able to play it on my phone for years.

 

I'll give Cube the edge just for being different and having Nintendo games on it.

[Punisher5.0]

I'm sure all the Xbox games have gone to PC or other consoles so what's the point really? Whereas the GC has several exclusive titles that there is still to this day only way to play. Add the Gameboy player into the mix and it's a cut and dry win for me.

[godslabrat]

The only reason I ever got an original Xbox was because at the time I worked at Circuit City, and MS basically gave us the games for free. All you had to do was buy the system, and it seemed stupid not to. I found the games to be fun for what they were, but not really interesting enough to play regularly. Nothing has changed since then.

 

You can pry my cube out of my cold, dead hands

[racerx]

The Xbox Vs. GameCube "debate" or comparison has gone through one of the most radical shifts of any competing gaming devices through out the history of video games.

Please tell me you're a 16 year old kid, and some of this silliness gets a pass.

[spacecadet]

Both systems had a few exclusives (at least in the US) that I wouldn't want to give up. The GameCube had Ikaruga, Beach Spikers, Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2, and of course all the Nintendo games. The Xbox had Crazy Taxi 3, the DOA series, Gunvalkyrie, Panzer Dragoon Orta, the Project Gotham Racing series, and Sega GT (though it was a pale imitation of the weird and wacky Dreamcast original). I actually bought my Xbox on the promise of Sega's support, but after those initial few games I mainly used my system for multi-platform ports, since it usually had the best version of any game among the three current systems.

 

I don't see why anyone has to choose, really.

[Jess Ragan]

Xbox has the edge for me, but I've got my system hacked and it plays like a jillion arcade and console games. The GameCube is not nearly as flexible, although there's a lot you can do with a Wii, and it plays all the old GameCube games on top of that.

 

If we were strictly talking official games... I'm still picking the Xbox. The machine was more powerful than its contemporaries, and it shows in both the exclusives and cross-platform titles. Beyond that, there's a pioneering spirit in Xbox games that you don't see on the Cube or the PS2. You can tell that Microsoft was new at this, but that brought a sense of daring and freshness to Xbox titles. Not every one of their experiments paid off, but then there would be something like Phantom Dust or Crimson Skies or Voodoo Vince that would make it worthwhile. You pretty much knew what you were getting out of Nintendo, and to a lesser extent Sony.

[Blazing Lazers]

It hasn't changed at all. Xbox is still more powerful than Gamecube, and both are still more powerful and advanced than the PS2. Xbox games had the best graphics and gameplay overall, though Gamecube was and still is the better system for local multiplayer, as Melee is still the best Smash Bros. game. Xbox still has the best controller, though the Gamecube controller is still one of the all-time best. Both remain excellent, must-own consoles, and I've never stopped playing either since the first came out.

[CatPix]

Was there a debate?

I heard alot of PS2/ VS Xbox, PS2 VS Gamecube, PS2 VS Dreamcast, but I never heard of a Xbox VS Gamecube debate. Probably because what you would compare would be games, and the Gamecube have only so few games in common with the Xbox. Which make sense as they targeted different audiences.

[JaguarVision]

Eh you'd be surprised at the number of cross platform titles between the gamecube and Xbox the first couple year. It was after the shipment freeze that the GameCube started lagging in crossplatfirm.

[fiddlepaddle]

As a consumer observing the hardware, the GC is elegant and functionally well designed. Very small footprint, and basically trouble-free mechanics with unique media format easy to handle and carry. And it plays all gameboy and GBA games on the big screen, a HUGE differentiating factor.

 

XB is basically a clunky PC; it weighs a ton, and the CD drawer consistently fails, in addition to hard disk crashes and other hardware failures well documented. When everything is plugged in and the tray is out waiting for a disk, it takes up an enormous amount of desk space, comparable to the 5200...very inefficient. It's a brute-force solution.

 

As far as software goes, I've enjoyed games on both, but rarely play either of those anymore. I've got my XB modded to play arcade games, and that's pretty good.

[zylon]

This is another one that I bought both. I bought Xbox for the games and later, the Gamecube for the GBplayer. I'd had a lot of old Gameboy carts still and enjoyed them. That was then. Now, it's more "what can I do with this hunk of junk?". I've modded the Xbox with classic console emulators and really only run 1 original title in it at times. The GC is still used only for the GBplayer, but with a flash cart that emulates about 5 systems. I give the current edge to Xbox for quantity of things I can do with it, and better controls. The lag on the GC controls make it suitable only for mostly menu driven RPGs IMHO.

Any cross platform titles I did try were better on the box at the time.

Edited October 29, 2017 by zylon

[Video]

I bought all three that generation. Xbox was my favorite by far, if it wasn't for the gameboy player, the GC wouldn't have even been in the running. That says something to the state of the games when your best reason to have one, is to play a different systems games LOL. Ps2 was an oddball, I enjoyed many games on it, but god its ugly. If I got a multiplatform game, you could bet it would be on xbox.

 

My view hasn't really changed since 01. Ps2 took it cause of BC and being many peoples first affordable DVD player, Xbox was brute force and had a wide array of gorgeous games that weren't all the tried and true games of the others, and GameCube would have been relegated to my closet if it hadn't been for the gameboy player.

[Cepp]

I don't think the GC is particularly amazing but it's always been the better system imo. The Xbox did have a number of Sega exclusives but that's the only reason I have any interest in it.

 

I do wish a decent emulator for the Xbox existed, I don't want to hunt down such a bulky system to play those Sega games, especially since I'd need a modded console to play Rent a Hero.

Edited October 29, 2017 by Cepp

[JaguarVision]

I sometimes wish they made a more "TV formatted" version of the Gameboy player so you could play the gba titles in higher quality.

[+Black_Tiger]

Both systems had a few exclusives (at least in the US) that I wouldn't want to give up. The GameCube had Ikaruga, Beach Spikers, Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2, and of course all the Nintendo games. The Xbox had Crazy Taxi 3, the DOA series, Gunvalkyrie, Panzer Dragoon Orta, the Project Gotham Racing series, and Sega GT (though it was a pale imitation of the weird and wacky Dreamcast original). I actually bought my Xbox on the promise of Sega's support, but after those initial few games I mainly used my system for multi-platform ports, since it usually had the best version of any game among the three current systems.

 

I don't see why anyone has to choose, really.

The Super Monkey Ball Deluxe was also released for Xbox.

[spacecadet]

The Super Monkey Ball Deluxe was also released for Xbox.

 

Ah, well, I must have lost interest in it by that point

 

I don't think that game would feel right on the Xbox, though, in the same way Crazy Taxi 3 didn't quite look or feel right. I actually wish CT3 had been a GameCube game. Each system had kind of its own look to its graphics and output, as well as the difference in controllers.

[JaguarVision]

Thing about Sega is they split their IPs based on audience. Well the IPS that were console exclusive anyway. But I always found it off how Crazy Taxi was on Xbox but not VF4.

[Gabriel]

Can't say I've had the urge to play anything on either of these systems for the past couple of years. Off the top of my head, I couldn't recall a single X-Box game I had played back in the day. While I could recall some GameCube games, they weren't anything I'd play today. In fact the main merit I could think of for the GameCube was that the Game Boy Player could be used to play GBA games, while the main merit I could think of for the X-Box was that it could still be used to play DVDs.

 

Even after seeing others list games, I came away with a profound lack of interest in any of the games mentioned.

[Austin]

I enjoy both but I would have to go with the Xbox if I had to pick just one. It has a heftier library with a wider variety of titles. Many of the Game Cube's greats have been made redundant due to being available elsewhere (Resident Evil 4 and the remakes, Pikmin series, Zelda games, Metroid Prime series, etc), while many of the Xbox's exclusives have remained exclusive.

[BydoEmpire]

I liked the Cube better back then, although eventually I amassed more Xbox games. The Xbox typically had the best versions of cross-platform titles due to the hard drive and sometimes better graphics and faster load times, but the Cube had more originals that I just absolutely loved. That feeling hasn't changed, nor have their technical specs or game libraries. Both systems offer a lot of great games and I enjoyed them both. Which system is "best" is entirely subjective, and that's fine, it's the way of the world.

 

 

 

The Xbox Vs. GameCube "debate" or comparison has gone through one of the most radical shifts of any competing gaming devices through out the history of video games.

I not at all sold on this premise. I'd guess most people feel pretty much the same way about them now as they did back then. Sometimes we gain an appreciation for things over time, and sometimes there's revisionist history, but that doesn't radically change the balance.

[HoshiChiri]

I'm on the 'Cube side myself. I bought one back in the day when Gamestop had a deal where you got a free copy of Crystal Chronicles (or was it Soul Calibur?) and any Player's Choice game. I got Animal Crossing. While the PS2 got the most use, I had some good times with my Gamecube. It got semi-retired for awhile after I picked up a Wii, getting used basically just for the Gameboy Player... but then I gave my parents the Wii when I got a Wii U, so I'm glad I still had it!

 

As far as the Xbox goes, it never appealed to me. I dabbled in the occasional Halo match with friends, but no games looked good to me back in the day. In fact, it wasn't until about 2 years ago that I cared about Xbox at all. I watched Metal Jesus' videos on Xbox exclusives, which was the first time I saw any titles that appealed to me. Luckily, my fiancé still had his old unit kicking around, and let me have it. I enjoy Otogi, I mostly like Gunvalkyrie (I haven't played it much so the controls still elude me), and the bit of Raze's Hell I've played was enjoyable. Still more appeal on the Gamecube for me.

 

Also- what debate? At no point was I aware of any sort of rivalry or debate involving Xbox and Gamecube. It was more of an apples & oranges kind of deal. Basically the beginning of Nintendo doing their own thing instead of competing with the other game consoles.

Edited October 30, 2017 by HoshiChiri

[spacecadet]

I think they competed. I think they did different things well, but I think they were two competing visions in the same way the Dreamcast and PS2 were, or the Saturn and PS1 were. The PS2 and Xbox were really similar in concept; both manufacturers had very limited first-party development and relied on third parties. Neither really had any arcade roots; they were focused more on darker, more serious, more complex and "modern" games. The difference was mainly that the PS2 was more Japan-centric and the Xbox more US-centric.

 

The GameCube was still adhering to that old-school thing that Nintendo has always had and still hasn't really given up, with simple, charming games that everyone from kids to adults could play. And it still had at least a tenuous connection to the arcade, just from Nintendo's roots and the style of games they still made, which attracted a lot of arcade and arcade-style games in the third party stuff they were able to get.

 

Two different visions, but both competing for what really defines a "game console". The GameCube just lost, that's all. But they were definitely competing.

 

That's also probably one knock I have about Crazy Taxi 3... I feel like it would have turned out a little different if it had been developed for the GameCube, and a little more in keeping with the series up to that point. Brighter, snappier, a little more lighthearted. Something about CT3 on the Xbox just felt too dark and slow to me. (It's been a while since I played it, but that's what I remember, and I didn't get too far in the game.)

[Austin]

That's also probably one knock I have about Crazy Taxi 3... I feel like it would have turned out a little different if it had been developed for the GameCube, and a little more in keeping with the series up to that point. Brighter, snappier, a little more lighthearted. Something about CT3 on the Xbox just felt too dark and slow to me. (It's been a while since I played it, but that's what I remember, and I didn't get too far in the game.)

 

Well, yeah.. a couple of the courses in CT3 takes place at night, so that would explain the "feeling dark" part.

 

Also, it's unlikely a theoretical Game Cube version would have been different because it would have been a port of the arcade game just like the XBOX version.

[derFunkenstein]

Why not both? Or more accurately, all four consoles of that "generation"?

 

When it came to cross-platform games I wanted to play, I always got them on the Xbox because of the hardware advantage. It had the greatest capabilities and I really liked the type-S controller for games that were shared with the Playstation, and it had a handful of really great exclusives, too.

 

The Gamecube had the GB Player and exclusives. The PS2 had loads of JRPG exclusives (Final Fantasy, Nippon Ichi games like Disgaea and La Pucelle Tactics). The Dreamcast was an arcade beast. They were all great for different reasons.