NGC June 2002

Given the 10th anniversary of the Wii/NGamer threads have been popular, I'm carrying on the 15th anniversary of the GameCube with NGC Issue 68.

There's been a strong launch line-up for the purple handbag and June 2002 only bolstered that catalog with the heavyweight launches of Smash Bros. Melee and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II - Rogue Leader. If the launch of the GameCube marked Nintendo doing things bigger and better than the N64, the bigger size of Issue 68 was the literal embodiment of this.

A noticeable change this month was the fact that they SCORED A PREVIEW, with Resident Evil RE:Make getting a 93. It may as well have been an import review given it is 8 pages! You just don't get this level of in-depth coverage any more. Also, the "NGC Star Game" now only counts games scored 90% or higher (as opposed to the N64 Magazine system of 85%+. I guess NGamer had to revert back to this years later.

Read the full magazine here - http://read.oldgamemags.com/Nintendo%20Consoles/NGC%20Magazine/

*REVIEWS*

NGC STAR GAME (90%+) - Rarely awarded, you'll know a 90+ is absolutely essential.:

75-89% - Great fun, brilliantly programmed at times, but probably flawed.:

50-74% - Some great bits, some not-so-great bits. Decent but definitely problems.:

25-49% - Disappointing, stashed with faults and likely to be short of any quality.:

I'm not a Star Wars guy so never played Rogue Leader at the time, but curious if it's worth playing as an "outsider". Have been playing a bit of Melee recently but it's not a great solo game (COME AT ME BRO). Granted I'm not a big Smash guy. Tempted to try Agent Under Fire this month, or even Spy Hunter which I remember was rather fun on the ol' PS2.

That is one hell of a month but Donald Duck Quack Attack only getting 32% madness.

This was the first issue of NGC that I'd bought in about six months - the GameCube launch almost passed me by, but I think that I scadged enough lunch money off of my folks to be able to get this magazine.

I wound up getting most of those games eventually, because the GameCube sort of flopped and my local Blockbuster ended up selling everything off for a few quid each before the year was out. As new in May 2002 though, there's lots of PS2 ports there, six months later than they originally launched, for slightly more money. Hmm. Still, a good game is a good game, and I've got fond memories of SpyHunter, Simpson's Road Rage and especially 18 Wheeler. ISS 2 can get to France though. If anyone remember's the post I typed about WWE WrestleMania X8 on the GameCube in the Crushing Disappointment thread, just copy and paste it for ISS 2.

This was before I had my Gamecube, I think, when most of my gaming experience was with Game Boys. Even once I did get a 'cube, I was mostly an official magazine reader until the NGamer days.

Cappa's right about one thing, though: Simpsons Road Rage was cash.

Damn right. It's just a very direct rip-off of the best game ever, with The Simpsons in it. No arsing about there. Magic.

I appreciate it for that. I'd rather have a blatant copy of a good game that another phoned-in platformer or racer. See also Hit and Run.

Zero Slight Contribution Time! I have nowhere near the interest in the genre required to understand why Melee was - and is - so revered. It was a slight improvement on the original N64 game, which I loved with my whole heart container. I'm glad I played it but no more than that.