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Review : Nintendo Gamecube Preview Disc
This disc is given away to everyone who buys a Gamecube and is sold to existing Gamecube players for a mere ten bucks.
Wario Ware Inc is just a weird GBA game. It is roughly 200 mini games that are about as simplistic as Atari 2600 games but they are thrown at you at 2 and 3 second intervals. It is psychotic and is a game for kids with ADHD. It was not as fun as I had been expecting.
Dr. Mario was a good game to include and it is the classic NES puzzle game that can be downloaded to the GBA via the Gamecube link cable. If you have never played it you are in for a Tetris like treat.
Soul Calibur 2 is just as good as I expected it to be. The demo lets you play as Cassandra or Siegfried and play arcade mode against, Raphael , Astaroth , Taki and Voldo. The graphics are pure tasty eye candy and the game play is actually really good on the Gamecube pad. The non standard Gamecube buttons work just fine controlling your fighter and the analog stick on the Gamecube pad works just as well as playing Soul Calibur 1 with the Dreamcast pad. Link is in the opening demo and this should sell millions of copies of the game.
Viewtifull Joe is a blast to play. You know how some old farts talk about how they don't make games like they used to well Viewtifull Joe is the spiritual descendant of River City Ransom. The art style is one of the coolest cell shaded graphics I have ever seen with flat comic book colors and dark heavy lines and cross hatching. You play this gen X super deformed guy who can transform into an Ultraman like super hero and can slow down and speed up time like Max Payne to do some really spiffy super moves. I can't wait for this game to ship and I am glad to see that Capcom is taking some risks with the Gamecube and putting some of their most creative staff members on making games for Nintendo's little cube of power.
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg is the latest cute and wierd game from the Sonic Team division of Sega. Yuji Naka and his pals have put together a bright and cheery cartoony 3d platform game that stars Billy a boy in a rooster out fit who is an expert in egg based combat.
You have to find large eggs and roll them around too crush bad monsters and then get the food icons to feed your egg so it grows to the largest size before it can hatch and open up the Chao / Pokemon like creature inside. As you push the eggs you and roll with them around some sonic and super monkey ball like tracks. I am not sure if this game is going to be a run away hit but I am defiantly going to keep my eyes on it. It is not as cool as Super Mario Sunshine or Sonic Adventure 2 but it is loads better than a new Amagon game. In the demo level Billy must help "the Chicken Pirates". Egg centric cartoon action.. it is obvious that employee drug testing at Sega's Sonic team is still optional.
Sonic Adventure DX Directors Edition is a good 3d Sonic game. Unfortunately is a repackaged and ported version of the very first 3d sonic game back in 1999 on the Sega Dreamcast. There area playable level from all the playable characters in the game on this demo. If you have never played this game than don't get me wrong it is a damn fine game. It is almost the exact same game that Sega Dreamcast alumni know and love. If you have a Dreamcast I would just play the original game but if Sonic Adventure 2 on Gamecube was your first experience at a sonic game than Sonic Adventure DX would be a decent choice. I have to think of how Disney keep re-issuing movies in their vault as soon as a new generation of kids is born and ready to consume.
The demo disc is also home to a playable demo of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. This game started out as an Xbox exclusive but it stayed on the big and green monster for about fifteen minuted before jumping to Gamecube, PC and PS2. This game is pretty highly regarded and I know Peter likes the PC version. I am just more inclined to play Metal Gear Solid 2 or Tenchu 3 if I want to sneak around and kill bad guys. I can't wait to see Metal Gear Solid : Twin Snakes and I wish they had a video of that on this demo disc.
The disc is also rounded out with videos of StarWars Rouge Squadron 3 ( With Luke and Ewoks ), F-Zero GC and two EA football games.
This disc is a heck of a good idea and I hope to see Nintendo doing this much more often. The Gamecube is really evolving with some quality titles that are not to be passed up. They really don't need to have more games than PS2 but they have enough good games that are Gamecube only or best on Gamecube that any serious gamer should think about getting one.
The Nintendo Gamecube is not just for little kids anymore.
Jake at May 26, 2003 
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Comments
Where were you able to pick up the disc?
Posted by: Anthony at May 28, 2003 3:36 PM
there is a secret level on billy hatcher. hold a after you select it with a and hold it untill it tells you to push start. it seems like the first level but after you get past the first bridge...its entirly different.
Posted by: Henry at May 28, 2003 10:28 PM
Cheat for the Gamecube Preview Disc:
In "Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg" hold A + start for play in mission 2.
Sonic Adventure for Dreamcast is better than Gamecube version. GC version is horrible.
Splinter Cell surprise me! The Gamecube version is very good, better than PS2, but not better than X-Box.
Sorry My English, i am Brazilian.
Marcelo (Road-ranger)
Posted by: Marcelo (Road-ranger) at October 20, 2003 2:45 PM
I have the Dreamcast version of Sonic Adventure and I thought that the demo was a good port but not much more than a port of the DC game.
Posted by: Jake at October 20, 2003 2:48 PM
