The failure of the Nintendo Gamecube marked a pivotal change in direction for Nintendo. No longer could Nintendo simply whip up an inferior console with conventional controllers and mediocre third party support, slap Mario's name on a few first person games, and dominate the console race. Sadly, Nintendo's slogan of being a "pure gaming system" just didn't fly, along with a few other things. These are the top ten reasons why the Gamecube failed.

10. N64

Though the N64 was a moderate success (though Nintendo fanboys would argue otherwise), its loss to the PS One in the 5th Generation Console War knocked Nintendo off the #1 spot in console making. There weren't enough games to satisfy all types of gamers, and the graphics were choppy and slow. The use of a cartridge also made Nintendo look outdated and out of touch. People were right to be skeptical of the Gamecube before it came out.

9. Lackluster Launch

Out of the twelve games that launched for the Nintendo Gamecube, only two- Super Monkey Ball and Luigi's Mansion- cracked the million mark (1.35 and 3.27 million, respectively). The mediocre titles available at launch, including Disney's Tarzan Untamed and, Batman Vengeance, and All-Star Baseball 2002, did not warrant the purchase of a $200 system.

8. Luigi's Mansion

Miyamoto claimed that the Gamecube would be Luigi's chance to shine. Well, he got one chance, and we can only hope it's the last. Let's be honest- while Luigi's Mansion was a respectable game in its own right, it was not going to jumpstart the Gamecube in the sixth generation console wars. It sold over a million copies, but this is largely due to the fact that it was the only Mario based game out at the time for the Gamecube.

7. Lack of Third Party Support

A big problem with the Gamecube was its lack of third party support, which can be attributed to the small size of the company itself and the mediocrity of the console. Companies like Microsoft and SONY can afford to buy out third parties (such as Microsoft when they bought Rare), and have these companies make games exclusively for there consoles. Also, there wasn't anything special about the Gamecube that would entice third party developers to make games for the console.

6. Nintendo's plan on being "purely a gaming system"

No online, no dvd capabilities hurt it in the long run- plus, not the best games were out for the Gamecube. Only two games sold above six million copies (Super Smash Bros. Melee and Mario Kart Double Dash!!), and thirty eight titles in total sold over one million copies. To put these numbers in perspective, the PS2 has over 130 million selling games, including nine games that sold more than Nintendo's top selling Gamecube game, Melee. Likewise, the PS2 sold almost five times as many consoles as the Gamecube worldwide, which is due heavily to the DVD feature.

5. Graphically Inferior to PS2 and Xbox

While gamers today know that graphics aren't everything, as the PSP versus DS match-up has made clear, they do mean something. The limited capabilities of the Gamecube ultimately hurt it against a superior Xbox and substantially better PS2 console.

4. No DVD option

Many people still wonder why the Sega Dreamcast failed. It had great games, a loyal fan base, and came out a year earlier than the competition. Several factors took it down, such as easy-to-hack games and inferior graphics. But gamers will agree that the one thing that truly took down the Dreamcast was its inability to play DVD's. People in the States who have money might not understand, but in poorer countries around the world the PS2 makes a great all purpose entertainment system (in fact, SONY advertised this aspect of the console to people around the world!). While the Gamecube disc was much harder to hack, and had the success of previous consoles on its side, it would have undoubtedly benefited from its combination of a low price tag and DVD option. But alas, Nintendo was a "pure gaming company".

3. Delaying Zelda Twilight Princess

Zelda Twilight Princess was originally scheduled to come out in November of 2005, just in time for the Holiday season. Instead, Nintendo delayed it to the first half of 2006, and now to the Fall of 2006. Touted as "the Best Zelda game we have ever made" by Regis Fils-Aime, the title would have been perfect as a Holiday gift in 2005. But alas, Nintendo had to fine tune the game, and although this is probably for the best in the long run, if they had fine tuned it in time for a 2005 release it would salvaged the Gamecube.

2. No Dominant Mario Game

Super Mario Bros. was the pioneer Mario game, and paved the way for hundreds of Mario games. Super Mario World was an advanced version of Super Mario Bros. 3, and may be the greatest platformer of all time. Super Mario 64 introduced the world to a true 3D gaming experience, a game where the boundaries seemed limitless and one wanted to instinctively explore all it had to offer. And Super Mario Sunshine was a good Mario game that nevertheless disappointed millions.

In long anticipation of Mario 128, the supposed sequel of Mario 64, for years, fans instead got Mario Sunshine, a game where Mario cleaned dirt with a water pack while on vacation. It definitely seemed like the developers of this game were on vacation, because who ever thought of the idea of having Mario Sunshine to be the next big Mario game was not thinking right.

But Mario games have been on a downward turn since Super Mario Bros., sales wise. Sales on Mario Sunshine versus Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, and Super Mario 64 (Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3 not included because they weren't the top selling Mario games for their console) are as follows:

Super Mario Bros. – 40.24 million
Super Mario World – 20.61 million
Super Mario 64 – 11.89 million
Super Mario Sunshine – 5.56 million

The numbers speak for themselves. Every main Mario game after Super Mario Bros. saw a 50% decrease in sales. Super Mario Sunshine became the first Mario game to not be #1 in sales for its console. It seems like, since Super Mario Bros., the genre has become less and less innovative, less inspiring. Though it's hard to put down a game like Super Mario World or Super Mario 64, we must consider several factors. For one, the NES was the dominant console in its era- Sega's Master System wasn't even close. Second, Super Mario Bros. was a radical change in gameplay, even more so than Super Mario 64. A big part of this was the revolutionary controller, and also the game itself- players could now explore different parts of a level and feel part of the game, complete with a real motive.

1. No Online Play

Nintendo's decision to not put the Gamecube online (for games other than Phantasy Star Online) is something I will never understand. Super Smash Bros. Melee online would have been reason enough to buy the game and the console. Mario Kart Double Dash!!, Animal Crossing, Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 4, Starfox Assault, Mario Party, and other games would have been great online. Nintendo Wifi is proof that a free online service works. It's just a shame that they didn't figure it out sooner.

So what must Nintendo do right with the Wii?

1. Establish a good launch- make sure Metroid Prime 3 is out and ready to go, along with a sprinkling of games in other genres. Wii Sports will also be important.

2. Some non-gaming options, like a Web Browser, would greatly help the Wii. Nintendo is in the works for adding a web browser and media player to the DS, so these options for the Wii are certainly doable.

3. Mario Galaxy has to be above and beyond Mario 64, and the unique controller is an excellent start. I like the idea of controlling Mario in space, because it uses the same concept as Mario 64.

4. We know Nintendo Wii is online, but make sure it's even better than Wifi on the DS. This means constant updates, a lobby, and options that you find on Xbox Live. This will attract older gamers as well (the main age group of gamers is 25-34, a group that Xbox targets very well).

The Wii can, and in every right should, be a great console. But Nintendo must learn from its mistakes.

this is true. if they can fnd a way to better these things, the the Wii will be very succesful (in my opinion)

it has the potential but will nintendo understand that.

i didnt no one person with a dream cast

imo the lack of dvd and online support are its biggest drawback......hopefully the wii will be its big comeback

I believe the Wii is what Nintendo needs to make that comeback. Hell, the DS sold more than the Gamecube..that's gotta mean Nintendo has been doing something right.