With the release of the Nintendo Wii, Gamecubes have been getting cheaper and cheaper as people look to upgrade. For those who have never owned one before, now is an ideal time to pick one up. Ebay is usually the best place to look as there is always a huge supply of consoles for sale and you can pick up a basic set-up from a meagre £20.

Although the Gamecube wasn’t given the same support as the PS2 and Xbox, there is still a wealth of quality titles to pick up. Also, of the various multi-format games, such as Burnout 2, there is the benefit of faster loading times – however the design of the Cube controller does not suit all games, so this is worth bearing in mind.

Essential Gamecube Hardware

  • The Console itself. The Gamecube is a very sturdy and reliable console so the overall condition of the console is not overly important.
  • Console Power Supply
  • Scart Lead or RF Lead, though obviously the former is much preferred
  • At least one joypad. With a lot of consoles, there are usually some respectable third-party pads but in my experience with the Gamecube, the official Gamecube controller is the one to go for every time, thanks to its excellent analogue stick which makes games like Super Monkey Ball much easier to play. As the Cube has four joypad ports built in, there’s no need for a multi-tap.
  • A Memory Card. Basic memory cards for the Cube are extremely cheap, easily obtainable for under £5. Games such as Animal Crossing and Pokemon Colosseum also include their own memory cards.

Optional Hardware

  • Wavebird controller. Features the same great design of the original Cube controller but is wireless. Although the controller does not have the rumble support of the original controller, the wireless feature certainly makes up for it.
  • Bongos. For use with Donkey Konga and Jungle Beat. A bit gimmicky but as there are very few music-rhythm style games they’re worth picking up if you are a fan of bemani games
  • Dance Mat. As far as I am aware, the only game which makes use of the Cube Dance Mat is ‘Dancing Stage – Mario Mix’, so this is more of a novelty item.
  • Microphone. For use with Mario Party 6 and 7 but also the rather odd pinball game, Odama.

Personal Game Recommendations

  • Adventure – Resident Evil 4, Eternal Darkness
  • Others – Super Monkey Ball, Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, Mystic Heroes
  • Racing – F-Zero GX, Burnout 2, Mario Kart:Double Dash, Simpsons Hit & Run
  • RPGs – Wind Waker
  • Shoot-em-ups – Metroid Prime, Ikaruga
  • Sports – Ace Golf, 1080 Avalanche, Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX 2

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