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It’s crazy to think about, but Game Boy Color, GameCube, and Wii U all were released on November 18 during their respective generations. How could one day contain so much awesomeness at once? For the occasion, I feel that it is appropriate to look back on each of these consoles to examine what makes each one of them noteworthy.
Here are each of the three Nintendo consoles that recently celebrated their own birthdays!
Game Boy Color
Launched: November 18, 1998
I’ll never forget my Game Boy Color. I was so enthralled with the idea of a portable video game system, and being able to play Pokémon Crystal in full color blew my mind. Before then, I was so used to seeing everything through a grey or creamed spinach colored tint. But, seeing Nintendo finally release a color system made me incredibly happy as a kid, and I couldn’t imagine handheld gaming getting any better. If my child-self somehow heard that a system called the 3DS was coming out that had glasses free 3D and console level graphics, he would probably laugh in disbelief. He couldn’t handle the truth!
Other than Pokémon, some of the best Game Boy Color games include Wario Land 3, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, Shantae, Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, Mario Tennis, and Metal Gear Solid. It’s also important to note that Game Boy Color was also the first handheld to feature backwards compatibility as well. While the color pallet for original Game Boy games was limited, the color it did provide was always a nice touch.
Nintendo GameCube
Launched: November 18, 2001
For years, Nintendo has been known for having the worst graphics due to the performance of both Wii and Wii U. However, there was a time when Nintendo was a graphical powerhouse in comparison to its competition, and GameCube is one representation of that era. While it may not be the most successful or loved console crafted by Nintendo, I’ve always had a soft spot for this system. Some people would argue that the system didn’t have that many interesting games, but GameCube houses some of my favorite titles made by Nintendo. I have so many fond memories of playing Super Smash Bros. Melee and Mario Kart: Double Dash against my friends, along with all of the crazy multiplayer sports games like Super Mario Strikers and Mario Power Tennis. There were also a ton of solid single player experiences, like new and interesting titles such as Pikmin and Luigi’s Mansion, along with with long awaited titles like Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Metroid Prime, and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. But I’ll stop myself there, as I could probably go on forever about the quality of GameCube’s library of games.
Oh, and GameCube’s controller is fantastic. It feels very comfortable to hold, and both the shape and placement of the buttons help make them very intuitive to use. It was certainly a major improvement after coming from N64’s controller design!
Wii U
Launched: November 18, 2012
It’s been a whole year since the Wii U had launched! Wii U is Nintendo’s first HD console, coming with a GamePad that has a sizable touch screen installed within it. The console is still young and hasn’t made much of a mark yet, so only time will tell if it has what it takes to stand amongst its predecessors.
When Wii U first launched, its game library was looking bleak. However, the games that were out for it at the time were still fun to play. Nintendo Land was a blast to play with friends, New Super Mario Bros. U did nothing too out of the ordinary but was still pretty good, and ZombiU stood out as a great survival horror title. The console is now building up its library of games even more with titles like Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101, Sonic Lost World, Rayman Legends, and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD. The system is also showing a lot of promise for its future, as the highly anticipated Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 8 are due for release next year, along with Super Mario 3D World releasing later this week. Also, there are a bunch of indie games that are being supported for the system as well, which will start being released in the distant future.
Do you guys have fond memories of any of these three Nintendo consoles? Let us know in the comments below!
The more time goes by, the more I think I love the handhelds most. I have dozens of Game Boy and Game Boy Color games, and some of them are massively underrated. And don’t even get me started on Game Boy Advance and DS! As far as home consoles go… GameCube might be my favorite of all Nintendo’s systems. When I’m switching what I have in my rotation, I always end up coming back to it more than anything else.