Part 4: A Universe Called "The Miniature Garden"
In the GameCube era, we didn't just go on grand adventures. More often, we were exploring meticulously crafted "miniature gardens" to our hearts' content. The unforgettable 30 days of Pikmin. The second life in Animal Crossing+. The thrilling night in Luigi's Mansion. While other consoles chased cinematic epics, Nintendo knew better than anyone how to create the small, precious worlds right next to us.
Part 5: The Magic Number, "4"
The GameCube console came with four controller ports, right from the start. It was a clear message from Nintendo: "Don't play alone. Play with your friends, your family, face-to-face." We experienced the frenzy of laughing and getting genuinely frustrated in games like Super Smash Bros. Melee and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. The number "4" was a magic number that guaranteed the greatest "fun."
Part 6: What Was Born on This Planet
But where did the true soul of the GameCube lie? Smash Bros. Melee, which we got hyped over with friends, was of course a masterpiece. But that legend was a continuation of a story that began on the N64. It was the completely new life that was born on this purple planet that was perhaps the GameCube's unique, one-of-a-kind brilliance.
Bizarre, yet wonderfully endearing "inventions" that seemed to disregard profit or trends. The earnest story of a 10-centimeter-tall cleaning robot in "Chibi-Robo!". Plucking, fighting, and multiplying mysterious creatures in "Pikmin."
These may not have been huge commercial successes. But they were filled with pure surprise and the love of their creators, making you exclaim, "Nobody else could have thought of this!" This glimmer of new talent, which could only have been born from the soil of the GameCube, is the biggest reason why this console remains in our hearts not as a mere "loser," but as a special "treasure."
(To be continued in the Final Part)