Having access to the Internet through the days of August 24-27 was definitely the next best thing to being at SpaceWorld 2000. Without a doubt the impact of the Gamecube and GBA debut travelled the globe to the many Nintendo fans and purists whom have waited so very, very long for that first look. The events that transpired that Thursday afternoon will definitely go down as one of the most impressive and interesting presentations of Nintendo's long history. What was to be shown was definitely "different" to what people expected, but hey it is Nintendo after all.

Unfortunately, Billy 'Da Kid' Berghammerstein was the only staff member at the Planet lucky enough to witness the spectacle, but that didn't mean its impact wasn't felt else where (even here in little old Australia). What could one expect? Well I threw all expectations out the window as I knew any thoughts as to what would have been shown would have been futile.

First things first, I believe that the name Gamecube is a good choice for Nintendo's next console. But like most people out there upon hearing the name for the first time I thought "what were Nintendo thinking?", but this also happened the first time I heard the name Nintendo 64 and even Game Boy Advance so this sort of reaction is quite acceptable. Everything that is new takes a while to get used to, and when concerning the Gamecube that doesn't only apply to the name, as both the system's look and controller also shocked me the first time I looked upon them. At first I didn't think much of the "cube" design of the console, but now I absolutely love its look and can't wait to grab the handle and dance merrily around my house. No wait, I've probably said too much. The added 'gimmick' of making a range of different colours available also makes this much more appealing to the eye than say a clunky old VCR (by that of course I mean a Playstation 2).

The controller design definitely looks inspired and although it may confuse more than attract at first, I strongly believe that it will give gamers the same impact that they felt when they used the Nintendo 64's controller for the very first time. The button layout seems to be very ergonomically designed and reports of it being the most ergonomic controller ever may turn out to be true. It looks interesting and different in the same way that the very first ergonomic keyboards and mice (the computer kind) did and I'm sure it'll turn out to be as easily adaptable as those were. The only true 'beef' to be had with Nintendo so far about the controller may be the somewhat anti-fighter look of the design, god knows how one would play any Street Fighter or Killer Instinct (go Ty!) with it. Overall I reserve my final judgement on the control design until I actually use it to play a game (Waverace - the true test of analogue masters).

Oh and then we come to the actual hardware demonstration, which was decidedly very uncharacteristic of Nintendo. They have always been an advocate of 'let the games do the talking', yet at this years Spaceworld there weren't any playable Gamecube games or any confirmation to what was shown as being real-time game snippets. Though the video of "possible" Gamecube graphics and gameplay was definitely excruciatingly short, it didn't fail to impress any one. The sight of a perfectly rendered Link facing off with Ganon with all sorts of hardware effects turned on simple took my breath away. If this is what Zelda will look like on Gamecube then I'd merely buy the system to play ten seconds of it. This is not to disregard the other games demos shown as the addition of Luigi, Waverace (hell yeah!) and last but not least Metroid all look like reasons on their own to buy the system. So if the machine launches with any or most of these titles shown, then it will be a guaranteed success. No doubt about it, it definitely beats looking at a rubber ducky in a bathtub. But where was EAD in this offering? We all found out later that NST was handling Waverace development and Retro Studios controlling the future of Metroid. Though I thought that the Mario 128 demonstration was clever, funny and an impressive look at the possibilities of developing for the Gamecube.

Which makes come to the conclusion, that even Miyamoto hinted at, is that they didn't show they're 'big' guns (ie. The EAD marvels of graphics and gameplay) in fear of cheap emulation from competitors. Who would blame them? We all know of the 'originality' in the Dual Shock controller design and the countless Mario Kart rip-off's as well as the sub-par Mario 64 clones. Though what was shown has definitely impressed in terms of graphics, eg. the real-time Rogue Squadron demo, I think that this will be nothing in terms of the impact Nintendo will make at E3 2001. That's where the real Gamecube will show itself, and the games and gameplay will speak louder than any spec sheet or hardware promise. Nintendo have merely given us a taste, short and sweet. But as for E3 2001, I can't wait.