Got to spend a few minutes actually playing on the demo GameCube at the Chicago Loop Toys Backwards R Us at lunchtime. If we use the highly unscientific method of crowd reaction to gauge a system's potential then the Cube got a decidedly mixed score.

First we tried Wave Race. Crowd reaction: Zip, nada, nothing. We could have been playing an N64 game for all anybody paid attention. My reaction was the same. I had heard that this game was supposed to have very realistic water effects. Well, if they say so. It seemed just like a thousand other boat race games that I've seen before.

And then we fired up Rogue Leader...

We weren't one minute into this and the crowd was stacked up 10-deep behind us watching. Nintendo can sell a lot of systems with this game. Probably won't impress the Tie Fighter/X-Wing enthusiasts that much, as it's certainly "arcadish." But, dare I say it here? It was fun.

Like the controller. Not as impressive-looking as X-Box's, but I have small hands and found it much more comfortable. And that little Cube was pretty snazzy looking.

Been playing a lot of the Cube here at work. Waverace is fun, but not a life changing experience. I found the wave effects and especially how they actually force you to adapt your racing stategy, to be interesting. Played a lot of Waverace on the N64 and found this to be an improvement.

Rogue Leader is fantastic looking, fun, and very challenging. A system seller.

Monkeyball is a highly underrated game.

Other stuff coming up... Pikmin to be exact, is excellent.

I find the Gamecube controller much more comfortable than the Xbox.

Rogue Leader will sell Gamecubes like nobody's business. I have zero interest in the Gamecube, but I saw Rogue Leader being played, and I just about wet myself. And now I'm seriously thinking about nabbing one, just to play that game.

But I like the Xbox controller better. :)

Monkeyball has been getting a lot of attention lately, and supposedly pre-sales have started to hit the ceiling.

--- Alan

The weird thing is that pretty much every review I've seen has called Monkey Ball 'underrated'. Who's doing this underrating, then?

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Quote:

The weird thing is that pretty much every review I've seen has called Monkey Ball 'underrated'. Who's doing this underrating, then?

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It's an early 90's rapper reunion. How touching. Where are Ed Lover and Dre when we need them?

First GC reviews are in at Gamespot. Very good for the most part: an 8.8 for Super Monkey Ball ("The game makes a strong case for the power of simple yet incredibly addictive gameplay."); 8.5 for Wave Race; and 7.9 for Luigi's Mansion. I'm sure the Rogue Leader review will be good. (IGN gave it 9.1 -- and, AHEM, apparently will limit Gamecube reviews to paying readers.)

Bold prediction: Pikmin will be Best Strategy Console Game Ever.

I think Rogue Leader looks great, graphically, sound, etc. But the gameplay is just so uninspired. Fly around and shoot everything that moves. No real strategy, no simulation aspects, no branching storyline, no open-ended gameplay...

I wish the gameplay took the same leap the visuals did.

"I think Rogue Leader looks great, graphically, sound, etc. But the gameplay is just so uninspired. Fly around and shoot everything that moves. No real strategy, no simulation aspects, no branching storyline, no open-ended gameplay..."

Absolutely true. However, the last time I had a "fly around and shoot everything that moves" game was, I think though I'm not sure, when I had my Amiga 1000. And the last time I had a Death Star trench scene game it had vector graphics. And my son's never had a either one. So if we're gonna have one mindless fly around and shoot everything in sight/Death Star trench scene game, this looks like the one to have. :)

http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/reviews/0,10867,2823605,00.html

Gotta admit, it sounds good, just for the total immersion factor alone.