Both?

@octopusrocketmark: Mario Sunshine looks and plays like a cartoon made for kindergarteners, which isn't really a bad thing, but it didn't have the "Wow!" Factor for me like Mario 64 did. In a lot of ways Sunshine was just more Mario 64, with a goofy water gun. I did have fun with Sunshine, but thought it was forgettable, and it also introduced Baby Bowser who I think is lame, boring, and uninspired.

F-Zero GX is better than F-Zero 64. Though I do think GX has the problem of being too similar to 64, with just more stuff added on.

The first Paper Mario, was such a novel thing when it came out, that I was very disappointed that the sequel on the GameCube was just a longer and better looking version. Both of them though were no where near as good as Mario RPG though, and I am always wishing that they will scrap the paper aspect, for a more traditional RPG.

I hated Double Dash.

Wind Waker is fantastic, and I still defend it to this day.

Super Smash Bros. Melee is just like GX (Prettier, handles better, and has more going on), but it's just more of the same. Melee does have a strong following, it's not the most popular fighter, especially when people still argue whether or not you can call it a fighter

Metroid Prime is good, but I will always think of Super Metroid as the best game in the series.

Looking back, and thinking more on the GameCube vs N64. There was just more fresh ideas coming from Nintendo during the age of the N64, and while those ideas may have better realized on the GameCube, they weren't as special. So while I agree that everything played better on The GameCube, for me I think of them as derivative.

@ungodly: It's a fair point that if you value originality around the same level of importance as quality/execution, you could certainly make a stronger case for N64. But do you think it's fair to say that a big part of that was the fact that N64 was the jump to 3D for most series? It's hard to top that in terms of originality, and I think it might be unfair to judge games like Sunshine or F-Zero for their lack of a similar technological jump. The GC/PS2 generation was inherently derivative because PS1/GC kicked off the "modern era."

Again, you're not wrong. For me, though, the most important thing is how well the games hold up so I'll always favor GC.

Why did you hate double dash???

I loved the 64 but played way more on the GC. It had Wind Waker, Killer 7, Metroid Prime Series and RE:4. And I sank so many hours into PSO and Melee.

Since I can play Ocarina and Majora's Mask on Gamecube that wins for me. The only game I'd really be bummed about not being able to play would be SM64 but that's about it off the top of my head.

@octopusrocketmark: I didnt like Double Dash, because I didn't think it was fun. It just felt sterile to me.

Also I should clarify, that I'm mainly thinking of this as what has more relevance to gaming as a whole. To me the GameCube was a major disappointment. Yes there are good games on the console, but most of it was similar to what came before. Like for instance, one of the games I played the most on the GameCube was the Resident Evil remake, which is different in a lot of ways to its original, it's still just a remake.

Also if you just want to base this on quality, then any GameCube game that gets ported to the Switch will automatically be the better version to play for the simple fact that it won't use the GameCube controller.

To me, there was just better options when the GameCube existed. Plus I was a Nintendo fanboy at the time of the N64, so there is a level of bias. Either way you are making great counter points in favor of the GameCube.

Gamecube, definitely. The N64 had good games, but was marred by the fact that the N64 controller was straight garbage and that they didn't look very hot for the time. Gamecube had some fantastic games, the controller was decent, and it was the most graphically capable machine of the generation. Where else was I going to play Die Hard: Vendetta? Pssh...

Plus, I liked the 3rd party support Gamecube had. I owned a PS2 and had a massive library for it, but I would usually buy multiplayer games on Gamecube just to take advantage of the 4 controller support. I played a lot of TimeSplitters 3 and Red Faction 2 back then.

@ungodly: god I hope GameCube games get ported to the switch. But also I am melee trash and I need it to be compatible with the GameCube controller to fit my disgusting needs.

Gamecube is probably 2nd favourite console after Dreamcast. I did spend a lot of time with my n64 though as Golden Eye Multiplayer and AKI wrestling games were what we did back in the day.And who can deny how good Ocarnia of time.

@ungodly: double dash had the god of all mario kart courses, DK Mountain!

@ripelivejam: Are you talking about the short one, that's 50% a cannon ride? Because every Mario Kart 8 course is better than that.

The Gamecube had the re release of the my all time favorite jrpg and one of the most under appreciated JRPG ever, Skies of Arcadia. I also really liked Super Mario Sunshine and Eternal Darkness. The N64 had incredible games too though.

I love them both! I owned only Nintendo consoles until I bought a 360. They are both home to some of my favorite games of all time. But the N64 had TWO Zeldas, Goldeneye and Perfect Dark. PD was my multiplayer shooter of choice all though the GCN era and much of the generation after that.

The N64 hosted some of the greatest games ever made. The GCN, on the other hand, whilst I did enjoy a number of games on that system, the console (and generation, really) was underwhelming in a way that drove me out of gaming almost entirely until I got an Xbox One a few years ago. It also drove Nintendo out of the proper console business, which I think aligns well with my my own gauge of the situation.

@ungodly: gotta back you up on this one, DK mountain is trash.

I always enjoyed the N64 more, but that was probably because I was the perfect age for it. I have a lot of fond memories of furious matches of GoldenEye and MarioKart with friends in 4-player split-screen. I wasn't at a point that I cared about how a console looked and I didn't know what "ergonomics" meant so I didn't realize the controller was a terrible abomination created by an alien who didn't understand human hands. Once I hit my teen years I switched over the PS1 and never really looked back.

I did buy a GameCube late in its life cycle when it became cheap, but it just felt weird. It had some really good games, but everything else about it was just bizarre. The color was really ugly, but that horrid cube shape also didn't fit anywhere in my theatre set-up, so I couldn't hide it. And it continued Nintendo's obsession with lousy controllers designed by madmen.

*Sigh*. I wish Nintendo would move away from stupid gimmicks with their consoles. Not everything needs to be a brightly colored, oddly shaped, motion controlled, double-screened, portable collection of buzzwords. The Switch holds no appeal to me beyond a vague desire to one day play BotW.

I loved them both equally. N64 for the 24 carat classics, and the Gamecube for PSO Episodes 1 & 2.

Nintendo is amazing at making the very best "second consoles", the best option for those that already have the best option. In that respect the N64 trumped the 'cube, an otherwise better console with fewer reasons to own in combination with it's competition. Gamecube was like a PS2 with a worse library while N64 was nothing like a PSX.

Though Gamecube had one of the greatest video games ever conceived in REmake.

Gamecube since it's the one I actually owned. Plus it has the best controller ever made. Catching up with N64 classics through Wii Virtual Console and the 3DS has been awesome though ^_^

I'm the biggest Gamecube proponent that I know and I have yet to play REmake. I've really gotta fire it up on Dolphin and check it out.

I'd have to go GameCube for quantity, but N64 has it beat for quality in a few spots. (Mario, Zelda, Star Fox) Also I really like Banjo-Kazooie and those N64 Bomberman games.

Gotta go with N64, mostly because it had Perfect Dark a game I sunk way too many hours into.

Got to go with N64. I will admit the GCN has a much more impressive library, but I am of a generation that, at the time it was released, it meant pretty much nothing to me.

To me, the GCN was just a transition console between the N64 and the Wii.

I was nine years old when the Gamecube was released so that's where my bias comes from. I have such intense nostalgia for early 2000's Nintendo.

I gotta say I am surprised at the love the GCN is getting. I voted for it of course and love it but it seems that on the Internet I see a lot of love for the N64. Its an alright system and at the time it was really good but it's got very little truly GREAT games. Also the N64 controller was trash, is trash and will forever be trash. We dont have 3 arms Nintendo (yes I know its meant to be held depending if you want to use the Dpad or the A. Stick, but what kind of bullshit is that)

Also this:

Definitely the Gamecube.

The Nintendo 64 had some genre defining and even creating all time greats. Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, ect. Like the NES, the N64 is defined by its importance and how groundbreaking it was. Despite it's smaller library, its games were pretty well all stellar best in genre titles.

On the other hand, the Gamecube was a Super, Supercharged version of everything the Nintendo 64 did right. And just in general I think had a better library and gameplay feel overall than the Nintendo 64. Much like I think the SNES was a huge improvement over the NES. The Legend of Zelda was a groundbreaking game. But A Link to the Past was a better game. Metroid was groundbreaking. But Super Metroid was the greatest Metroid game of all time and something every Metroidvania developer aspires to the greatness of. The NES revived the American video game industry from a colossal crash with Super Mario Bros. A game quality of which hadn't been seen before. And was even reluctant to make the SNES before the Mega Drive as competition was released. But the Super Nintendo is just plain better, with better games, better music, better stories, and lush graphics and aesthetics that put the NES to shame. And just like with the Gamecube vs. N64, while the NES had quality, the SNES not only had more quantity, but more quality as well.

The Nintendo 64 had quality. But the Nintendo Gamecube had quality and quantity. The Gamecube took everything the Nintendo 64 did right to the next level. And offered more of it.

N64

Due to Virtual Pro Wrestling 2, it’s the clear winner.

I'd probably say GameCube... though N64 had some of my favorites ever released (Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie)!!

The N64 was a life changing console, and while I really enjoyed my PS1 the N64 is where all the great memories of that era are. Mario Tennis, Mario 64, flying around that super small United States map in Pilotwings, driving all those cars in Body Harvest, the stupid goodness of Battlezone, Ocarina of Goddamn Time, the horrifyingly bad but stupendously inspiring aspirations of Majora's Mask, the highway track on Mario Kart 64, the brain drain weapon and riding on Triceratops mounted with dual gatling guns from Turok 2, the fact that being left handed gave me a huge edge over my fellow pre-teens in Goldeneye and Perfect Dark multiplayer (plus, the awesome campaigns of Goldeneye and Perfect Dark single player), the beautiful simplicity of the original Smash Bros., Pokemon Snap and the semi-realized fantasy of Pokemon Stadium...

And that's before I looked up the top-rated N64 games and had incredible games like the Banjo series, Diddy Kong Racing (the actual best cart racer), Conker's Bad Fur Day, Paper Mario, the waves of Wave Race 64 (and the dolphins), the Hoth level of Shadows of the Empire, the stellar greatness of the WWF games on those platforms, the variety of Space Station Silicon Valley, Mario Golf's just as good as Tennis-ness, the insane graphics of Rogue Squadron, the hype cycle of Jet Force Gemini, and then bad-but-fun stuff like Mission: Impossible and the dark origins of the Mario Party franchise (not to mention all the time I spent playing franchise knockoffs of that formula like the Rugrats game).

By comparison, I rented Super Mario Sunshine and loved what I played of it, Wind Waker may have cracked my top five games of all-time while I was playing it (I don't remember it as fondly now due to all the sailing around) and the REmake was genuinely life-affirming...but I didn't take to Viewtiful Joe, I hated how Smash felt on the Gamecube controller and am still baffled that's considered the default way to play any version of the game, and by the time it was announced Resident Evil 4 would be coming to the PS2 shortly after it debuted on the Gamecube, I was absolutely done with Nintendo. I sold my system and my copies of REmake and Wind Waker and haven't owned a Nintendo console since. The most damning thing about that system for me was when a friend came over and we played SSX Tricky on my PS2, followed by NBA Street Vol. 2, and his remark both times was, "wow, these games are actually really, really, really fun!" He owned both for his Gamecube; he also sold his console and his games for a PS2 and the same games on another system later that year.

You people are insane. Get some help.

EDIT: I wish I had some affection for the GCN, but my brother and I played a couple of hours of Luigi's Mansion then decided to return the system.

Of all the consoles considered to be great, I would say that N64 is the worst.

The N64 has good games, but the controller sucks in my opinion. GameCube I played a lot. I felt like the generation of GameCube, PS2, and Xbox (the sixth consoles generation, which I am not including Dreamcast, even though it was my first console that gen) was a great generation for playing all three systems equally for me. It's perhaps because I was younger and could only get so many consoles/games, but I do think I had them all about the same time and played them about equally. I can't say the same for current Nintendo consoles (from the Wii to the Switch), which figuratively, by me, just attracts dust. My brother plays the Switch quite often, so that's good.

My fondest memories of playing the GameCube were Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 4, and because I didn't have an Xbox yet, I have and played a lot of TimeSplitters 2 on there. That's just to name my favorites, but there were a bunch more that I enjoyed. Perhaps ironically, even though I prefer the GameCube, I haven't touched the GameCube in years, but we still have the N64 hooked up and ready to play alongside current-gen systems (it's mainly because my brother loves the system). I voted on here a year ago, but this is the first time posting. Also, yes, this is a year old.

You have ocarina of time, super Mario 64,wave race 64, the wwf wrestlemania and no mercy games, banjo and kazooie, there’s even more that I’m not thinking of right now! There’s some great and very important games on n64, I think the GameCube just edges it with games you could come back to overall though. Resident evil 4, wind Waker, Metroid prime (not including 2), warioware mega mircro games. There’s some fantastic games for both systems from first party Nintendo. It’s a toss up for me on a different day I might choose either one. In my gut though I would pick n64 as I think some of my favourite memories are from that era!

Gamecube was huge for me when I got one at about 12 years old. It actually has a lot of fantastic games, and is tremendously nostalgic.

Never owned a Gamecube so 64 wins by default

For posterity purposes, the name of the F-ZERO game for the Nintendo 64 was F-ZERO X.

And I agree, while I love the first two console F-ZERO games. I do think that GX was the pinnacle of the series.

Paper Mario is also one of the best Mario RPGs, and definitely not something I think The Thousand Year Door is head and shoulders above, like many people do. But I do agree with most, on the opinion that TTYD is the best in the series. And would go so far as to say that it is the best Mario RPG of all time, better than any of the Mario and Luigi games, better than Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. And I am more nostalgic for Legend of the Seven Stars than I am for The Thousand Year Door. Even as someone who grew up where my childhood obsession was Super Mario RPG, The Thousand Year Door is simply the best Mario RPG. The original Paper Mario is great, but The Thousand Year Door is still better.

Melee is still the most important Smash eSport. For good reason.

The Mario Sports games for Gamecube are the best in their series more often than not. I would argue that Mario Kart 8 has finally surpassed Double Dash. But for the longest time, Double Dash was the greatest Mario Kart game. Some still swear by Double Dash. But I have to give Mario Kart 8 the title of besting Double Dash. Double Dash was definitely better than Mario Kart 64 by a large margin, though.

I'm surprised I never posted in this thread a year ago, given that I was a Nintendo kid growing up. If we're going for a simple, immediate "which one would I rather play today" then it's the Gamecube.

There are maybe a dozen decent to amazing games for the N64 that I'd imagine I'm still marginally capable of playing in the Year of Our Lord 2018 without wishing death upon myself and others. Admittedly, that number's probably on the high-end, but I have nostalgia and a decent amount of affection for Rare's output on the console. Outside of Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time though, I don't know if I'd promote any of them as genuine classics to be recommended to people coming to them for the first time (I'm willing to vouch for the 3DS remaster of Majora's Mask, but the number of quality-of-life changes in that version are significant compared to the N64 original.) I love the heck out of Banjo-Kazooie, but I'm not going to claim anyone coming to that game today should feel the same way.

By contrast, I think I'd be willing to recommend most of my favorite Gamecube games to others with little-to-no caveats. If we're talking pure exclusives, Mario Sunshine might be not great and Wind Waker's end game might've been padded, but there's a lot of smaller stuff that I still love to this day. Mario Baseball is still maybe the secret best Mario sports game on the system (it's that or Power Tennis for sure), Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is still my favorite in the series, and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is still the best Mario RPG, bar-none. I feel like it's kind of silly to tout Resident Evil 4, given how quickly it came to other consoles and how much it's been re-released since, but REmake is fantastic and didn't go anywhere else for 12 years. Also Double Dash is a much better game than Mario Kart 64 by simple value of having a functional power slide.

I'd say GameCube. Of the two, it's the system I'm least familiar with. I borrowed one from a friend for a few days to play Twilight Princess and haven't seen one since.

N64 and it isn't even close.