"One of the best systems ever released."

The Nintendo GameCube is a new video game console, made solely for games. So, it doesn't play DVDs, and that may turn some people away for that reason. But those that buy it are in for some great games, and many more coming later. Onto the review.

Graphical Capabilities: 10
The graphics on this system are unbelievable. Some will fool you into thinking that its a live-action movie. Rogue Leader sure does. Rogue Leader displays the best geometry, lighting, volumetric fog, textures, etc., it displays it incredibly well. Luigi's Mansion also displays some amazing lighting, physics, and particle effects, but also some unbelievable character animation. Everything in the game moves fluidly with incredible animation. Cel Damage shows off the system's cel-shading capabilities, but it only skins the surface of what it can do. Bomberman Generation and the new Legend of Zelda use cel-shading, and they look far better than what is out now. Upcoming games such as Eternal Darkness and StarFox Adventures are some of the best showcases of the system's power yet, and those are still in development, so imagine what the finished games will look like.

Audio Capabilities: 9
The audio passes with flying colors. Rogue Leader has the original music score from the movies, produced
clearly. The voices are clear and crisp, and the sound effects on spot on and clear. Super Smash Bros. Melee shows the music in orchestrated form, and sharp sound effects. The sound chip is provided through Factor 5, the sound experts, so the system is going to have good sound. The larger disc format also lets in room for more music scores and voice acting, so the system's sound is great overall.

Controller: 9
The GameCube controller comes so close to being perfect, but I can't give it a ten. It has a couple of flaws, but overall it is one of, if not the best designed controller in terms of comfort, but button placement comes short of perfect. The Z button is one of two reasons why the controller isn't perfect. It's out of place, and an irregular size compared to the L and R triggers. At least Nintendo could have put another button similar on the left side. The C-Analogue stick is put well, and can be used in many different ways over the genres. The four face buttons are well placed, the A button being the biggest, and the resting place for your right thumb. From there, the B, X and Y buttons and the C-Analogue stick are easily assessable. The regular Analogue stick is the resting-place for your left thumb, and you can easily reach the D-pad from there. That's where problem two comes in. The D-pad is small, the same size as the Game Boy Advance's D-pad. For some, that can be too small, and can be cumbersome at times because of it's size. The L and R triggers fit your pointer fingers very well. Your finger just slips into place. The buttons have a ''clicking'' feature, which acts as two buttons in one. If used properly, it'll be the best feature of the controller. Also, remember the Rumble Pak that you had to buy separately from the N64 controller? That rumble feature is now built in, so you don't have to buy an accessory.

Load Times: 9
One of the problems with a disc format is the load times. Thankfully, Nintendo developed the system to where the load times are cut to five seconds at the most. Luigi's Mansion has absolutely no load time what so ever. Pikmin takes a few seconds to load, but doesn't have to load while you're in the field. For Super Smash Bros. Melee, you have to wait a few seconds longer, but it's no big deal. Some ports, however, have shortened load times compared to the PS2, but are a bit longer than some other games.

Game Library: 9
There's not a whole lot out, but of what's out, most of it is worth getting. Luigi's Mansion is a fun game, but too short. Pikmin is a lot of fun, but challenging. It lasts longer than Luigi's Mansion, but is a bit too short as well. Rogue Leader is defiantly worth getting. Super Smash Bros. Melee, I don't think I need to say anything there. Wave Race: Blue Storm is a fun racing game, but is better as a multiplayer game. Super Monkey Ball is a fun arcade game with some great extras and multiplayer. Tony Hawk 3, of course, is always worth getting. Cel Damage is a good game, but more suited as a multiplayer game. There is, of course, a lot of other great games, but too numerous to mention. There are also a lot of great upcoming games, so start saving money.

Overall: 9
One of the best systems ever, with no major flaws. It can't play DVDs, but it still comes highly recommended.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/25/02, Updated 02/25/02