Yes, leave it to me to post my gift giving advice to one week prior to Christmas but you still have the weekend to shop. If you’re looking for a good gift for that special geek in your life, I’d highly recommend picking up a Nintendo GameCube.
The chief reason is the low price and the exclusive games. I mean low price, exclusive games, and great games. Dang, amongst the reasons to buy are such diverse elements as:
- Price – $99 for the box and a controller, another $25 bucks for a second controller and $20 for the memory card and you’re still under $150. Plenty of cash left to get a game or two.
- 4 Players – you can splurge and get four controllers without having to buy any other gadgets ala playstation.
- Small & Compact – you don’t have to worry about the gamecube taking over too much space, its not much bigger than a dozen cds stacked up.
A lot of criticism of the gamecube has been levelled at the comparitively smaller number of titles available for it. I’d argue that what it lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in quality. You’re more likely to find a good title than scores of crapware. Some of the titles I’d recommend are:
- Zelda: The Wind Waker. I wasn’t big on adventure/exploration titles until I got my hands on this one. The setting is great and really immersive. Plus the gameplay is varied enough between exploration, puzzles, and combat that I was never bored playing it. Definitely one of those titles you’ll be up playing until the wee-morning hours.
- LOTR:Return of the King, great action game. Its easy to pick up and play and has a great cooperative mode. Definitely a must buy for fans of the movie.
- Mario Kart Double Dash is a fun party game. You can race against up to four players at ones, have lots of weapons to hurl at other drivers, with wacky and original tracks to race on.
I’m also looking forward to Star Wars, Rogue Squadron II Rogue Leader but since I haven’t played it yet I can’t say recommend it. However, the reviews I’ve seen have been very positive and it includes the first rogue squadron game with an all new cooperative mode.