Nintendo 64 vs. Nintendo GameCube
 

So I had a discussion about Nintendo consoles in general earlier today. It started on the SNES, and ended up being about comparing both N64 and the NGC.

Both were pretty great consoles. The best domestic Nintendo consoles after the SNES, imo. But which one was better? Let's compare them, shall we?

N64

- Had better Mario and Zelda games than the GC. Mario 64 is definitely better than Sunshine, even though the latter is still a good game. As for Zelda, N64 had Ocarina and MM. I'd take both of those over Wind Waker or Twillight Princess.

- It was on the market when Rare was at the top of its game. Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, Conker's, Diddy Kong Racing, Blast Corps, Jetforce Gemini, etc. Nintendo GameCube didn't have the same luck.

- Had the best Star Fox game;

- Had the best Mario Party games;


GameCube

- Had the best F-Zero game of all time;

- Had a better SSB game than the N64;

- Had Metroid games, unlike the N64;

- Had a better Mario Kart. 64 was fun as hell back in the 90s, but Double Dash is a better game and has aged better as well;

- Had Eternal Darkness and also Resident Evil games(one of them an exclusive, I think) and an esclusive Metal Gear Solid game;

- Had more RPGs. N64 didn't have a game like Tales of Symphonia, per example.


GC aged better than the N64. Although the N64 means more to me nostalgia-wise. That being said, I'd rather play GC nowadays. It's a fairly underrated console and it was the least great domestic Nintendo console, imo.

So what about you?

I like any Nintendo system and own both of those systems. I prefer N64 just because it was apart of my childhood and know what a game changer it was for game systems there on pun unintended. I spent countless hours Mario 64, Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart and still play those three to this day on the N64.

I was around 6-10 years old at the time N64 was on the market, so it has more of a nostalgic effect on me, but I'm not clouded by such effect. Mario 64 and Banjo definitely aged gracefully, though.

The N64 had the more groundbreaking games for the obvious answer that it was the first 3D Mario, first 3D Zelda, first 3D Mario Kart, first 3D Starfox, etc...and then you had all of Rare's games.

Gamecube had some fantastic games too, most notable Smash Bros. Melee, Metroid Prime 1 and 2, Wind Waker, Paper Mario 2, F-zero GX, Pikmin 1 and 2, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, Luigi's Mansion etc. Sunshine wasn't as good as the other 3D Mario's but its still fun. I'm also partial to both Starfox games but I know others don't like 'em as much.

Which console had the better Zeldas, in your opinion? Also have you played the Mario Golf and Tennis games on both consoles? And both Wave Race games?

Half the time I played the Wii I played Gamecube on the Wii. Most of what I played was Rocky especially story mode, the three 2003 era games but after I unlocked TMNT: Arcade Game and Turtles In Time Arcade I played those since I already beat the main game. Its funny that I was playing a Nintendo game on a Gamecube disc on the Wii.:lol:

Nothing wrong with playing GC games on the Wii. The day my PS2 Slim finally dies, I'll just get a PS3.

The N64 was before my time (I wasn't even a year old when it first came out), whereas the Gamecube's lifespan years were nearly identical to my prime childhood years (2001-2006). So I won't vote because it wouldn't be particularly fair. But I've played both consoles strenuously and I've had a better overall experience with the Gamecube.

I got a PlayStation in 1998 but in 2002 it died without warning. The systems with the computer based technology is not going to last like the good old Sega or N64 and others. Nintendo Entertainment System worked only 60 % of the time back in its heyday but the rest of those 20 years or older systems function amazingly well. Of all the games systems I have Nintendo, Sega Genesis, N64, PlayStation, Gamecube, Wii, and upgrade Gameboy as I need to from the bulky B&W to color to Advanced to DS to 2DS.

My SNES still works pretty well 23 years after. And my NES only stopped working around 2009-2010. N64 and GC work great still. However my PS2 Slim, which isn't even 10 years old, has had some problems loading games in the last 3-4 years. The black piece with the lenses goes forward sometimes, which can freeze games or make it unable to load them.

Never had a Microsoft console but heard they tend to break easily. People say it's because Japanese hardware is better than the American one but how does that explain my Sony console issue then? And my Saturn making the screen go apeshit flickering through 4:3 and 16:9 resolution every 3-4 seconds since like 2002? Maybe its Nintendo that has the best hardware overall?

It very well could be the case but remember the rubbing alcohol and crossing her fingers that the game will work and not get messed up? Bubble Bobble hardly ever worked on NES. I mainly played the TMNT games and the first Super Mario Bros. and those worked most of the time. That was the only system I had issues with booting up when I played it regularly. I believed it was the computer reliant consoles of today that just does not have technology that will last over such a long time the older tech has. That was what Gamestop told me about my PlayStation ages ago.

No, I only remember everyone believing the myth that blowing into a cartridge would make it work, because when a game didn't boot up, it was assumed that the cartridge simply had some dust in it.

I never had N64. At the time, I didn't see the appeal all that much, despite being a Nintendo head exclusively to that point. I instead had the Playstation. I love much of it's games now that I've been able to experience them other ways, but for the most part, I'd still take Crash Bandicoot over Super Mario 64. I did have the Gamecube, & it helped to re-solidify my love for Nintendo at the time, & I still play it often (not that there's a Nintendo console I don't play regularly :trazz:). Smash Bros Melee, Wind Waker, need I say more? I mean, I could, but I'm lazy.

Me and my brother got the Saturn and the N64. I was a kid, so I obviously wasn't the one who picked those consoles. Funny how he went for the Saturn instead of the PS1, considering the latter was hyped like hell and Saturn was considered a disappointment. Maybe its price went down pretty fast, dunno.

Not that Saturn was a bad console, anyway. it had some good games on it, and some of its best stuff dint'even get released outside of Japan.

What are we even talking about here? Game quality? Importance? If we're talking about which one is still worth owning and playing it's the Gamecube. There's zero contest there.

N64 was an incredibly important machine with some of the most groundbreaking games of the era, games that defined 3D design, but the library has soured and anything worth playing it on has better sequels, remakes or ports elsewhere. The N64 also lacks a secondary level of quality software beyond the heavy hitting Nintendo first-party. They exist to an extent, but the Gamecube has a far more interesting library, especially now that time has passed.

Man, I feel old reading stuff like this. I was already a teenager when the N64 was out. Sometimes I forget that some people actually started with the N64 or Gamecube as their first console.

Man us 80's kids are getting old.

Wait until the kids on here are getting nostalgic over Angry Birds, then we can feel old.

I'm talking about game quality, basically. I'm not asking which one was more important or more innovative for their time. Obviously you can talk about that if you want to, but at the end of the day, what truly matters to me in a console, is if I like its games. And I prefer GC's games nowadays.

I agree with what you said.

The PS2's insane success has overhadowed its competition, which unfortunately has led to many people miss out on DC/GC/Xbox classics.

I was born in 1990, so the only reason I actually played on the NES/SNES/Genesis as a kid was because my older brother owned them. Otherwise, the first console I'd have touched would have probably been the N64 or the PS1. It was the first generation I actually remember, though. By the time I was old enough to pick up a controller, the 16 bit generation was already near its end.

One thing I wonder is how did teenagers and adults react to PS1/Saturn/N64 games back then. As a 1st-2nd grader, obviously my jaw dropped every time I saw images of a new game for each of those consoles, especially N64.

Btw, I feel old when i realize that games like Super Smash Bros. Melee are already over a decade old. I still remember 2002 Christmas and us getting the GC alongside with Melee and Sunshine.

I've always thought the GameCube was under-rated. I was the only one among my friends that owned one and I was always trying to talk them into getting one. It's an odd little system with interesting games. The only thing I dislike about it is the controller. That thing is just horribly designed.

The N64 really brought to focus the whole 3D aspect but while playing I always got the feeling that the game was unfinished. It was one of those systems that you "had to be there" when it came out to really appreciate. There is no denying the importance of GoldenEye or MarioKart though.

I've had like two classmates who had a GC. It didn't sell much in my country. 95% of the kids at the time went for the PS2.

I've played some Banjo-Kazooie last Summer and it has aged well. Not as magical as it was obv, but it's still playable. Ocarina also replayed it not too long ago. Still a good game, but not the "best game ever" like I'd call it back in 1998 :P

How did it give you the feeling that games were unfinished? And you mention Mario Kart instead of Mario 64 or even Ocarina?