The GameCube was the first proper console that I acquired as a child. I had gotten a GameBoy Advance when I was younger, but I only had a few games, and played it very rarely. My family had an old PC running on Windows 95, so for me, PC gaming was out of the question. One day, as I was sitting on the toilet, I decided I wanted a gaming console.  In this frame of mind, I finished my business, and presented the idea to my mother as she was cooking dinner, so that she was ill prepared to do away with the idea outright. I had planned out my entire speech, and I must say, it would've been hard for anyone to say "no" to it. She was skeptical, as was her wont, but she presented the idea to my father. I knew that if it had gotten that far, it was only a matter of time before I got my console.    

And so, for next five or six months, I dreamed of my console. I had planned out the games I was going to buy if I got an Xbox, likewise for the PlayStation 2. Even at the age of eight I was sure of what I wanted. Heck, I even knew what kind of controller and accessories I wanted. The only problem I could foresee was not having enough 
money for any of this, but this seemed a minor issue at the time. Silly little eight year old me. Money is always an issue.  
 
Anyway, my birthday rolled around, and I was sure that this was when I was going to receive my console. Well, I was right. My birthday is several days before Christmas so all my gifts are set around our Christmas tree, and we usually celebrate it in the same fashion as Christmas proper. I rushed downstairs from my room, and pounced upon my parent's bed, thrashing around quite a bit. In hindsight, this seems a lot like those cheesy Christmas mornings on an ABC Christmas television program. Truly hideous.   

With my parents roused and gathered around the tree, I began to dig into my loot. I can easily recall the exact contents of that particular haul, but it's somewhat irrelevant, so I don't think I'll bother listing it all. Suffice it to say that it took a bit to reach the largest package of all, cleverly hidden behind the majority of the stash. Let it never be said my parents weren't clever. With growing excitement I snatched it up, and quickly removed (i.e. destroyed) the wrapping paper. I was...surprised. It was neither the Xbox, nor the PS2 I was expecting. It was a Nintendo GameCube that sat in front of me. I managed to hide my disappointment from my parents as they explained to me that they had chosen this instead of the more mainstream consoles due to the fact that there are too many more mature titles on the other consoles, and this was much more child friendly. My parents were very conscience of hurting my little mind with violence at the time. A foolish sentiment, but what can you do? 

I also received the games Ty The Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue, Tales of Symphonia, and Mario Kart: Double Dash. None of these were games that I heard of, and even if I had, they wouldn't have been high on my list for purchasing. I was once again surprised by how much I was to enjoy these games for the next few years. I was disappointed to be sure, but I was in too high of spirits to forgo at least trying it. After about 20 minutes of fiddling with the television and the cords, I managed to get it up and running. I put in Double Dash first, as it was multiplayer, and my father wanted to try it pretty badly. Luckily my parents had had the foresight to purchase a second controller, so two people could enjoy it at once as they put it.  

Much to my surprise, I had a lot of fun. I put in the other games after my father and I had finished the first couple races, and found those two to be to my liking as well. It wasn't long until I had beaten Both Ty2, and Symphonia. I finally managed to scrape together enough money to purchase even more games. Soon enough I had a good twenty or so GameCube games at my disposal. So all in all, the console that I thought would be the dullest thing ever, turned into my most prized possession for many years. So I guess the moral to this story is something along lines of don't judge a book by the cover. Or something like. I'm no philosopher. 
  
If you enjoyed this, and want more stories about my life, say so in the comments.
Later peoples.

  The GameCube was the first proper console that I acquired as a child. I had gotten a GameBoy Advance when I was younger, but I only had a few games, and played it very rarely. My family had an old PC running on Windows 95, so for me, PC gaming was out of the question. One day, as I was sitting on the toilet, I decided I wanted a gaming console.  In this frame of mind, I finished my business, and presented the idea to my mother as she was cooking dinner, so that she was ill prepared to do away with the idea outright. I had planned out my entire speech, and I must say, it would've been hard for anyone to say "no" to it. She was skeptical, as was her wont, but she presented the idea to my father. I knew that if it had gotten that far, it was only a matter of time before I got my console.    

And so, for next five or six months, I dreamed of my console. I had planned out the games I was going to buy if I got an Xbox, likewise for the PlayStation 2. Even at the age of eight I was sure of what I wanted. Heck, I even knew what kind of controller and accessories I wanted. The only problem I could foresee was not having enough 
money for any of this, but this seemed a minor issue at the time. Silly little eight year old me. Money is always an issue.  
 
Anyway, my birthday rolled around, and I was sure that this was when I was going to receive my console. Well, I was right. My birthday is several days before Christmas so all my gifts are set around our Christmas tree, and we usually celebrate it in the same fashion as Christmas proper. I rushed downstairs from my room, and pounced upon my parent's bed, thrashing around quite a bit. In hindsight, this seems a lot like those cheesy Christmas mornings on an ABC Christmas television program. Truly hideous.   

With my parents roused and gathered around the tree, I began to dig into my loot. I can easily recall the exact contents of that particular haul, but it's somewhat irrelevant, so I don't think I'll bother listing it all. Suffice it to say that it took a bit to reach the largest package of all, cleverly hidden behind the majority of the stash. Let it never be said my parents weren't clever. With growing excitement I snatched it up, and quickly removed (i.e. destroyed) the wrapping paper. I was...surprised. It was neither the Xbox, nor the PS2 I was expecting. It was a Nintendo GameCube that sat in front of me. I managed to hide my disappointment from my parents as they explained to me that they had chosen this instead of the more mainstream consoles due to the fact that there are too many more mature titles on the other consoles, and this was much more child friendly. My parents were very conscience of hurting my little mind with violence at the time. A foolish sentiment, but what can you do? 

I also received the games Ty The Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue, Tales of Symphonia, and Mario Kart: Double Dash. None of these were games that I heard of, and even if I had, they wouldn't have been high on my list for purchasing. I was once again surprised by how much I was to enjoy these games for the next few years. I was disappointed to be sure, but I was in too high of spirits to forgo at least trying it. After about 20 minutes of fiddling with the television and the cords, I managed to get it up and running. I put in Double Dash first, as it was multiplayer, and my father wanted to try it pretty badly. Luckily my parents had had the foresight to purchase a second controller, so two people could enjoy it at once as they put it.  

Much to my surprise, I had a lot of fun. I put in the other games after my father and I had finished the first couple races, and found those two to be to my liking as well. It wasn't long until I had beaten Both Ty2, and Symphonia. I finally managed to scrape together enough money to purchase even more games. Soon enough I had a good twenty or so GameCube games at my disposal. So all in all, the console that I thought would be the dullest thing ever, turned into my most prized possession for many years. So I guess the moral to this story is something along lines of don't judge a book by the cover. Or something like. I'm no philosopher. 
  
If you enjoyed this, and want more stories about my life, say so in the comments.
Later peoples.

I apologize on how messed up this blog's text is. I'm not good with this sort of thing. Just think nothing of it please.

Dood, Tales of Symphonia! What a great way to start your gamecube collection.

My parents bought me an N64, but then I had to buy an xbox when I was like 12 because they're some of those people that hate games.  It was pretty awesome, I remember hooking it up the first time on like a 12" tv and playing Quarterback Club 96, it wasn't great.  I got the N64 with donkey kong 64 and the extra ram though, so I got to play my first Rare platformer!  I think first consoles should always be Nintendo, it's just traditional and you can get a history lesson.  No way was i getting a lame PS1 lol.

The GCN is the sole reason that I keep my Wii nowadays. I was so happy with it, unlike the PS2 that I had prior to it. While times change and I've owned every 7G console ever since (and am now back with a PS3), Nintendo always holds a special place in my gaming history. I just find it a pity that they demolished my interest with the Wii and its shovelware games. I've been reduced to only owning Twilight Princess, Mario Kart Wii, Brawl and Wii Sports.

"The GCN is the sole reason that I keep my Wii nowadays. I was so happy with it, unlike the PS2 that I had prior to it. While times change and I've owned every 7G console ever since (and am now back with a PS3), Nintendo always holds a special place in my gaming history. I just find it a pity that they demolished my interest with the Wii and its shovelware games. I've been reduced to only owning Twilight Princess, Mario Kart Wii, Brawl and Wii Sports. "

" @Aus_azn said:

"The GCN is the sole reason that I keep my Wii nowadays. I was so happy with it, unlike the PS2 that I had prior to it. While times change and I've owned every 7G console ever since (and am now back with a PS3), Nintendo always holds a special place in my gaming history. I just find it a pity that they demolished my interest with the Wii and its shovelware games. I've been reduced to only owning Twilight Princess, Mario Kart Wii, Brawl and Wii Sports. "

I didn't like the PS2 either. The Gamecube was good, SSBM was better than SSB64, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, and the best version of Soul Calibur 2 was on it. Also if you missed the old Zelda games there was a bundle, Zelda 1, 2, Ocarina of Time, and Majoras Mask on one disk. here http://www.gamerankings.com/gamecube/919239-the-legend-of-zelda-collectors-edition/index.html 
   Also every Resident Evil game can be bought on the Gamecube up to that point. Remake,2,3,CV,4(meh)  and Twilight Princess is on the GC, so you got the Zelda Collectors edition, + Wind Waker series + TP, it's just crazy amazing. "

" @Abyssfull: No kidding! I still play through it at about the half way point every year. It's a beautiful game. "

I remember owning a Gamecube because it was the only console I could afford.

Tales of Symphonia...*nostalgic tear*. That game still holds a place in my heart even after all these years. Every now and then I feel a sense of regret for selling my Gamecube, mostly because of that game.  The recent Tales games have yet to take ToS's place as my favorite among them.
 
The Baten Kaitos games were also fun Gamecube JRPGs. Baten Kaitos 1 had really lol-worthy voice-acting, though. They both had excellent soundtracks, too. I miss playing them. :(

Great story, I don't have a GameCube anymore, but I continue to buy games for it to play on my Wii. I'm thinking about buying a few more. I do remember getting the SNES from my girlfriend and now wife for Christmas. I was already 27 years old or so, but I still screamed like a little girl.

" My parents bought me an N64, but then I had to buy an xbox when I was like 12 because they're some of those people that hate games.  It was pretty awesome, I remember hooking it up the first time on like a 12" tv and playing Quarterback Club 96, it wasn't great.  I got the N64 with donkey kong 64 and the extra ram though, so I got to play my first Rare platformer!  I think first consoles should always be Nintendo, it's just traditional and you can get a history lesson.  No way was i getting a lame PS1 lol. "

I got a Gamecube when I was a kid, by choice, because I've always wanted to be different for the sake of being different. I was such a little twat. Anyway, Playing Rogue Squadron 2 and the death star assault for the first time is still one of my dearest gaming memories. Such an amazing game...

There were some great games for GC. I really liked Super Mario Sunshine, and RE 0.

" @Skytylz said:

" My parents bought me an N64, but then I had to buy an xbox when I was like 12 because they're some of those people that hate games.  It was pretty awesome, I remember hooking it up the first time on like a 12" tv and playing Quarterback Club 96, it wasn't great.  I got the N64 with donkey kong 64 and the extra ram though, so I got to play my first Rare platformer!  I think first consoles should always be Nintendo, it's just traditional and you can get a history lesson.  No way was i getting a lame PS1 lol. "

The PS1 is probably one of the best consoles ever made. Ever hear of Metal Gear Solid? What about Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX? They were all on the PS1. "

Great story! I loved my GameCube too, best system I ever bought.

game cube was SO underrated
 
it still bothers me how the wii has sold more units than a gamecube, which is a far better console, in my eyes

" @Aus_azn said:

"The GCN is the sole reason that I keep my Wii nowadays. I was so happy with it, unlike the PS2 that I had prior to it. While times change and I've owned every 7G console ever since (and am now back with a PS3), Nintendo always holds a special place in my gaming history. I just find it a pity that they demolished my interest with the Wii and its shovelware games. I've been reduced to only owning Twilight Princess, Mario Kart Wii, Brawl and Wii Sports. "

I didn't like the PS2 either. The Gamecube was good, SSBM was better than SSB64, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, and the best version of Soul Calibur 2 was on it. Also if you missed the old Zelda games there was a bundle, Zelda 1, 2, Ocarina of Time, and Majoras Mask on one disk. here http://www.gamerankings.com/gamecube/919239-the-legend-of-zelda-collectors-edition/index.html 
   Also every Resident Evil game can be bought on the Gamecube up to that point. 0,REmake,2,3,CV,4(meh)  and Twilight Princess is on the GC, so you got the Zelda Collectors edition, + Wind Waker series + TP, it's just crazy amazing. "

Man I fucking miss the "old days", I know this is a thread about Gamecube, but it just reminded me of my 2nd console I got (after the NES), I still remember playing PS1 on a 15" Blaupunkt TV under our staircase.. Crash Bandicoot games and Heart of Darkness etc.

I can relate to this. The Gamecube was the first console I ever owned, too (discounting the Gameboy Advance, but that's not a console) and I had a lot of good memories come out of it. Wind Waker (the song from Outset Island still finds its way into my head every now and then), Super Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Chibi-Robo, Metroid Prime, Tales of Symphonia, Paper Mario 2, Animal Crossing, Pikmin... That thing had a great line-up, even if the last couple years weren't so great.

Reminds me of when I got the N64, which was my first console, on my tenth birthday. Good times... Wave Race 64 and Super Mario 64 were the games I got with it, and I played them to hell and back and loved them dearly. I remember being so incredibly excited for Ocarina of Time. I had a magazine with a review in it, and a special 20-page magazine all about Ocarina. I must've read those things forward and back like 20 times. And it came out, and STILL blew me away. Best game ever made.