The Delayed, Underrated, Forgotten Legacy of the Nintendo Gamecube (Part 2 of 2)

The Nintendo Gamecube is a forgotten piece of gold that could have saved or at least delayed the inevitable fail of the Nintendo WiiU. And this forgotten behavior just adds to the legacy of the purple box that housed more hidden gems than disappointments. That poor purple box suffered from gamers’ post-traumatic stress from being N64 owners and also suffered from the giant third-party conquering monster known as the Playstation 2. Now, this blog entry is splitting into two categories: Why it Failed, and Why it Could Have Been Revived. Why it Failed belongs to my Entire World blog, with the Revived entry belonging to the Eighth Generation. Now, without further interruption, my upcoming 3,000 word dedication to the Nintendo Gamecube.

-----------------------
Here is Part One, in case you missed it
-----------------------



Why It Could Have Been Revived


The Nintendo Gamecube failed once. Nintendo wasn’t fully at fault on that one, despite some of their controversial and baffling decisions. The Nintendo Gamecube in the 2000s could have been revived, saved, and treasured by a new generation. This, was definitely Nintendo’s wrongdoing. The Gamecube has an entire cluster of excellent forgotten games from the 2001-2005 years that remains in Nintendo’s hands----yet remains only in their hands. We have seen two generations of Virtual Console, WiiWare, and superior technology that could have revived some of these games. We have seen two generations come and go and we still have barely scratched the surface of Gamecube history.

Let’s start with what we did see. We saw Wii-versions of Mario Power Tennis (Not as good as the N64 version, but whatever), Pikmin and Pikmin 2 (random), Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (No…), and the Metroid Prime Trilogy (easily the best choice here, for the WiiMote was the perfect controller for shooters). To say that Nintendo totally forgot about the sixth generation is a total lie.

Now, here was the issue: all the missing games. Eternal Darkness could have been absolutely perfect with enhanced graphics and motion controls—that type of horror would be elevated with more personal control (and lack of) of your actions. F-Zero GX was meant to be handled with that Wii-wheel. Smash Brothers Melee deserved an online tournament mode for the much wider audience. Then there’s Paper Mario, Four Swords Adventures, Tales of Symphonia, Baten Kaitos, Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi’s Mansion, and of course the criminally underrated Rogue Leader games.

The issues continue: the Virtual Console did not include Gamecube games not just once, but twice. Only 4 games in the Gamecube sold over 3 million copies, meaning there was a cluster of games that had been played by just an inch of a fraction of gamers. Why not give the base of 70+ million Wii owners the chance to replay these games? Third-party relationships could have improved if Nintendo had reached out and tried to re-release the franchise-best Soul Calibur II, Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil Remake, Tales of Symphonia, Viewtiful Joe (cult gem that did better on Gamecube) among others.

And of course, there’s also the WiiU and the missed opportunity to launch a Gamecube Virtual Console of some sort (ANY SORT) during the early months when the game lineup was stretched absolutely thin. It could have been much better to Nintendo if they had a lineup of 30-50 Gamecube games at cheaper prices while waiting for the next big game. It could have benefited Nintendo if we saw HD versions of Smash Brothers Melee, Luigi’s Mansion (maybe throw in the sequel for good measure?), the Super Mario sports games, Mario Sunshine, Paper Mario Trilogy, Eternal Darkness (Yes, I bring this game up again), and for goodness sakes, give us SOMETHING NINTENDO! Sorry, stopped analyzing and became a disgruntled fan…

Nintendo used to be the best at bringing up the past, and it’s because of a mix of having the best lineup of first-party games and having less issues with third-party companies and licenses (although it will forever be a darn shame that we’ll never have an updated Goldeneye or NFL Blitz 2000). But with Sony revving up its past much better than before, Nintendo has to step its game up. The Gamecube could have been that next level. And it didn’t happen. And although it wasn’t the main reason for the failures of the WiiU, the fact that Nintendo curiously decided to focus on the same NES, SNES, and (eventually…) N64 games (when they could have been transferred from the Nintendo Wii itself, WITH widescreen) was curious and downright…stupid. So Nintendo lost, and the Gamecube remains without a second chance to create memories and a legacy.

Bottom Line: The Gamecube remains a curiously odd chapter that just doesn’t get revisited or mentioned much. It had a slew of great games, a slew of creative games, and they mysteriously get little to no love outside the early 2000s. It is curious, and it is quite sad. This neglecting of 90% of the great Gamecube games has led partially to Nintendo’s broken relationship with the hardcore gamer crowd and has led to weak console sales (handhelds is a totally different, and much happier story). With the new system announced and definitely on the way, this will be Nintendo’s third opportunity to link back to the past and revisit the lost years that Nintendo experienced while under the PS2 shadow. The Gamecube was Nintendo’s last truly hardcore system and until they acknowledge and celebrate this, Nintendo will struggle reaching out to the remaining hardcore crowd.

Microsoft, meet Kojima.

So now Kojima is unemployed.



Folks, I just mentioned that one of the top developers in the entire gaming world is unemployed. His entire company is separated from the clutches of Konami. Do you know what this means?

It’s time to start courting him. Now. Immediately. Nintendo, Sony, Activision, there’s a very valuable and attractive company looking for a new place to stay.



Microsoft, I am mainly looking at you.



Now, it is an established fact that Japan and XBox do not get along, and it has been this way for three gaming generations. The XBox 360 had a dozen JRPG exclusives for the Far East market and not even that helped. Also didn’t help that the XBox lineup dwindled into the usual suspects towards the end---allowing for Sony’s PS3 to claim second place eventually. The Japanese market is still extremely important because they are still heavily invested in the gaming world.

The PSP and PSVita have been relevant mainly because of Japan. 1 out of every 4 PSPs sold were in Japan, and the Vita has sold 3.7 million copies in the same region---while only 7 million more sold in the rest of the world. The PS3 outsold the XBox 360 by 9 million copies in Japan, allowing it to make up for the dismal performance in the United States. Sony and Japan have been great friends and it has led to wonderful economic success. While the company of Sony is floundering altogether, the gaming division has remained strong thanks to the powerful Japanese support.

Enough about Sony though, this article is about Microsoft and how it should throw whatever money it can to create a partnership with Kojima Productions. The staff has an excellent track record, despite it being limited to Metal Gear Solid and Zone of the Enders. XBox 360’s best-selling Japanese game was Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation---which couldn’t even break 250K. Guess which production company has made 8 games that sold more than 250K in Japan….

Fun Fact I am repeating from a previous article I wrote:

"Whichever system sells the most in Japan wins the generation—it has remained true since the NES sold nearly 20 million copies back in the 80s/90s. The SNES, PSX, PS2, and Nintendo Wii each outsold the competitors in the Asia market and ultimately became the big seller. "

Microsoft needs to hold hands with Kojima, and promise him plenty of money and resources and become an exclusive third-party company that will make and distribute Japan-only games. Kojima Productions consists of a very talented staff with plenty of attention to details. Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid IV are amongst the best games ever made, and their handheld iterations prove that they can deliver a lot of great content with more limited hardware. Metal Gear: Ghost Babel was a phenomenal, phenomenal Game Boy Color game that you need to play if you haven't done so already.

I am sure there are dozens of ideas swirling around Kojima’s head and I am sure each of them can deliver. I can see a Disney/Pixar-like relationship with these two—the big brother provides the financial help and marketing, and the younger brother makes the requested art. And even with Metal Gear Solid staying behind and remaining with Konami, Microsoft can help the production studio recover and move on from the ugly breakup.

This is a win-win situation from all parties involved. Microsoft gets a smaller company with a good track record, Kojima gets his freedom that was clearly disappearing during his final days with Konami. Microsoft can recover from the current disastrous performance outside the United States, and Kojima Productions can start a new chapter in its long career in gaming.

Whoever gets Kojima wins. But if there a company that would benefit the most, it would Microsoft for its lifeless-outside-western-hemisphere XBox One.

Is The Madden Brand Fading?

Is Madden still a thing? Honestly, is it still a thing?



The Madden brand just doesn’t seem to have the power it used to have, when it was the best-selling game for 2-3 months out of the year every year during the sixth generation. During the PS2 games, it was expected that Madden would sell at least 2 million---and then would scrape up a few more millions with the XBox and (sometimes) the Gamecube.



Then something odd happened. The sales started dropping during the seventh generation.



The XBox 360 became the dominant system for Madden, yet it was averaging just half of what Madden was selling in the PS2 days. Its best-selling Madden edition, Madden 2010, was outsold by the 2006 edition by 2 million copies----and that wasn’t even the best-selling installment. And now that we’ve reached the newest generation, the best-selling Madden in this era is the 2015 edition---which barely passed 1.5 million.

So why is the Madden brand fading? It’s a mix of reputation and the overall decline in sports simulation sales. EA and Madden doesn’t have the positive vibes that it carried in the early 2000s, and by destroying the competition the effort level to enhance the franchise diminished completely. After the NFL 2K5/Madden 2005 incident (still an unforgivable act to this day, forget you EA Games), Madden 2006 began the quality downward spiral that went egregiously out of control with the XBox 360 games. And guess what, reputation goes far in the gaming industry; no matter how successful you were before the streak will end if you unleash bad product. Mortal Kombat suffered from this for about a decade post SNES/Genesis period.

The games aren’t as good anymore, and it took a couple years before gamers realized this and decided to spend their hard-earned money elsewhere. The last final blow the NFL 2K series delivered was that awesome price tag of $20 on the 2K5 edition. Ever since that year, the $50-$60 just looked much more expensive to give to a Madden game that monopolized its way to being your only option. EA never tried to lower its price, and now it’s being outsold by the NBA 2K series even though the NFL grosses about 5 billion more than the NBA.

But sports simulations just don’t sell as well as they used to, with just the FIFA series remaining a major success. The number of sim franchises has diminished severely, and the ones that have stuck around have been stagnant in the past few years because of declining quality and/or declining interest. MLB the Show peaked at the PS2 days and has yet to sell a million copies worldwide. NHL from EA also peaked in the PS2 days and the latest installment just sold 400,000 more than an N64 version of the hockey franchise. The NCAA games thanks to legal issues are non-existent.

It has become harder to justify buying the same game every year. Even Call of Duty at least changes up its story and ways of playing each year resulting in consistently outselling the competition in November (even though this franchise has also been seeing a decline). Then there’s the increasing popularity of the more entertaining, more engaging, and more rewarding fantasy football, which makes Madden look like child’s play. Fantasy sports is not just child’s play, it can also become a career. Fantasy football is a $70 billion dollar business---while Madden 2015 made somewhere over $345 million—which is a far cry from the $405 million they earned in 2005.

So how can Madden ever go back to the dominant sales days in an era where games are making more than ever? The solution is simple: convince gamers that the Madden brand is refreshed and will be worth your money. Madden should be more connected with the NFL stats and should adjust the gameplay accordingly. If you want to truly create the realest experience, you need to find a way for player and team stats to update alongside the gameplay of the consumer throughout the season. EA needs to creep closer and closer to fantasy football within the gaming experience as humanely possible.

The biggest hurdle however is taking on the legend that surrounds NFL 2K5. What made 2K5 such a gem was the presentation and the easy-to-pick-up gameplay. Madden is a pure chore to churn through when trying to survive franchise mode. It needs to loosen the realism and look more like your simpler Blitz/2K games. Too much realism and simulating hinders the experience—video gaming is an escape pure and simple. Gran Turismo might be the most realistic racer in the planet, but it survives because it’s still an easy game to handle. Madden stopped being simple a long time ago, and needs to return to this. It needs a good balance, something the 2K franchise was amazing at.

However, there is a chance that ultimately, the sports simulation franchise just might be a thing of the past. It has to be more than mere coincidence that nearly every sports sim franchise has slipped in sales (FIFA also falls in this category, although 5 million sold on the PS4 is nothing to laugh at). The sales bleeding in Madden might never stop---even if the games finally start improving. A reboot might be necessary, some time off might be required. Skipping a year or two couldn’t hurt EA anything---they still have the rights and still have their fantasy football league to rely on. But staying the course is not the answer, EA has lost too much money. A reboot, drastic change, or massive overhaul is required to return to PS2 Madden sales.

Bottom Line: Madden is not a thing. The lackluster sales and depleting interest is evidence of this. It still makes good money, especially because of lack of competition, but its power grip on the gaming industry is slipping rapidly. Similar to the JRPG genre, it could be a fading trend that not even Kevin Hart can save. Ghosts of NFL 2K5 remain hovering on the games, and believe or not its incredible gameplay and $20 price tag hit EA deeper than we could have ever anticipated. With sports being bigger than ever, Madden should be pulling in Call of Duty numbers. Instead, it’s being outsold by the likes of Just Dance 2015 and Monster Hunter. A change is needed, otherwise who knows how much longer the brand will be around.

 All Data Thanks to VGChartz

P.S. I really miss the NFL 2K series....as well as NFL Blitz....