Retro Videogames: Happy 10th Birthday Gamecube.

PERFECT DESIGN IN A BOX OF GAMES

The GAMECUBE from Nintendo is by far my favourite console. What a fantastic little machine and so different from the X-Box and Playstation 2 that fought the last generation war along with it. Designed to perfection and robust standards, the GAMECUBE was a superb example that the best things are usually the simplest. The machine wasn't as great a success as Nintendo had hoped for but it brought to the gaming world two of it's greatest games, ANIMAL CROSSING and the sublime and artistically stunning ZELDA: WIND WAKER. A special mention for the controller. I hate both its rivals designs. Too bulky and angular in equal measure. I always got the feeling I was having to fight the design rather than the games themselves. But the GAMECUBE controller was the best ever. More compact, it disappeared in your hands and everything felt instinctive and just right when playing a game. A true gamers controller and console. Happy 10th birthday GAMECUBE.

Retro Videogames: Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

ELECTRIC PIX TOP VIDEOGAMES - LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME

a personal selection of retro favourites

Once in a while a game comes along that utterly transforms the standard to which all games are judged. It also transforms the platform for which it is made. Despite the new kid on the block mass selling Sony Playstation and the game nerd favourite Sega Saturn, Nintendos epic N64 with its revolutionary sensory thrilling controller was to give birth to two of the most recognised and greatest games of all time. Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.That these games are still regarded as milestones in videogaming decades later is nothing short of amazing and testament to their inbuild and enduring quality. To play them is to witness the pinnacle of the digital art and the brilliance of their creators led by Shigeru Miyamoto.

FIRST MOMENTS - THE HERO'S JOURNEY BEGINS

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is more than a game. It is an experience from beginning to end. A game that takes the player on a journey which creates unforgettable gaming moments that will be always be remembered and cherished. With typical Nintendo bravura, the game is pitched to perfection with just enough puzzle puzzling and in your face "doh's!!" to keep it the right side of frustration. As with all great games, Oot is a mixture of epic sequences and those little quiet off the beaten track delights which are just as much fun as kicking the ass of an end of level baddie. For me it was the fishing.

CATCHING THE BIG ONE - A CLASSIC MOMENT FROM A CLASSIC GAME

I spent hours and days loading that same slot and just fishing. Just sat there casting the line and waiting. And listening to the music. That tinkerbell sing song chime as I waited to catch the big one..

The game was no longer a game but something more. A simple side task. A bit of fun. But, for me, utterly compelling and addictive.

Some things are so good you never want them to end. Be it a book, magazine, comic, movie or a song. I didn't want Zelda to end. His world was just too much fun to want to leave. I remember sitting there when I realised it was over. The exploration, the battles, the laughs, the dungeons, and the thrill of the adventure was at an end. It's been God knows how many years since I played it but the memories of playing it live on. Great "Whoa, holy shit, that was amazing." memories that prove just what a fantastic, unforgettable and classic game those geniuses at Nintendo created all those years ago.