The Nintendo GameCube is known for its host of timeless titles which are still played today by masses of hardcore fans, either on original consoles, via ports to newer devices such as the Wii and Switch, or in other ways, involving some sort of sea creature, a Dolphin perhaps?

The GameCube launched here in Europe 22 years ago today, which is mind-boggling to me, as upon first thought the likes of Super Monkey Ball and Super Smash Bros. Melee don’t seem that old, but when I then consider I was fervently talking about them in year 6 of primary school to anyone that would listen, I remember just how far off those days are. In a bid to not fall into an existential crisis, and in the hope of not looking too deeply into my inevitable race to old age, I have decided to look back at the highlights of the lead up to that magical day of May 3rd, and bask in the warm glow of nostalgia, as oppose to wallowing in the harrowing realities of 2024.

From May 2002 onwards I would obsess over a pamphlet I had from Dixons, which had screenshots of Super Smash Bros. Melee and Pikmin inside, as part of a GameCube promo. I then realised GameCube magazines were a thing and actually started reading for fun, so that I could get to know all about this magical machine. I didn’t actually get a GameCube until Christmas of that year, when I was just a few months into secondary school, and it came with Super Smash Bros. Melee, which to this day is one of my favourite games of all time.

As a child that struggled socially and had a myriad of issues I’d have to slowly unravel over the years, and no outlet via the internet, the GameCube was a safe haven for me, and the worlds within it still mean so much to me even now.

But enough about me, you know who did get the GameCube on launch? Previous staff on this very site, which talk about their experience getting to hold the perfectly shaped console on its May 3rd launch in the Netherlands, in this dusty old article from 22 years ago. Sadly most of the images are gone, but the excited text within has yet to be lost to the sands of time.

It's 07.30 AM. Even though we don't have to go to college today, Tim and I both get up early. I don't think you have to ask why. It's GameCube launch day today!

Even though the stores don't open till 9.00 AM, we want to be in town (Rotterdam -Netherlands) at 8.30 AM. So we take a short shower, get dressed, run to the supermarket to buy some Redbull so we can wake up, and then take the subway heading to the centre of the town.
 

Another sign that it really was another world back then is the pre-launch anticipation in January of that year, as we were feverishly trying to find out when exactly the console would launch, and turned to BBC Ceefax for answers:

BBC Ceefax has reported that the Gamecube may launch in Europe before the Xbox. Ceefax's gaming news page (pg 537) has said that according to industry insiders Nintendo are thinking about launching the Cube in Europe before the Xbox, which could mean a March 7th launch (or even earlier).

March 7th was a bit optimistic, but not too far off!

For those of you that don’t know, Ceefax was a pixelated text-based system you could access on your TV for news, like an insular BBC-only internet. A rubbish internet. But it seemed good at the time.

A few months later, in March of 2002, Tim got word of the upcoming marketing campaign for the Cube. You can check out the full article here, but here’s a snippet:

A glass cube dominates each of the seven executions, showing the blurred line between reality and the escapist fantasy of the gaming world experienced through the Nintendo GameCube.

In an edgy, highly engaging and often surreal campaign, Nintendo's new TV and cinema advertising dramatises the immersive nature of gaming on Nintendo GameCube.

And boy, did I think it was edgy at the time. That advert has been scorched into my mind ever since! I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited to see a floating transparent cube before or since, and I’ve seen a lot of cubes in my time. I’ve revisited that advertisement countless times over the years, as the internet slowly allowed me to rewatch such things from my youth. Video on the internet, who would have thought it‽

I mentioned earlier how I initially got so engrossed in the world of the GameCube as I had no internet and a somewhat sheltered social life, but my household did eventually get dial-up access, in around mid-2003, which is when I found this very site, then Cube-Europe, and have been a part of it ever since, eventually making my way to this ole front page in the late Wii era.

Above: How we used to look in our younger years

The GameCube was somewhat maligned at the time for being too kiddy and not having DVD playback abilities, but it had some of the most wholesome, joyous and timeless games I’ve ever played, and it also led me to this site, which I will forever be thankful for.

I’ll see you in 2046, when I do a 22 year retrospective on this 22 year retrospective, I’ll really be waxing lyrical by then.

For the rest of the evening I’ll be finding my escapism in old Cube magazines. See you for more news later in the week!