Ghetto-fabulous GameCube

So.... for those of you who don't know, GameCube is a video game console produced by Nintendo - think grandchild of Super NES (remember, Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt) and predecessor to the Wii, or if that doesn't help, think: PONG begat Atari begat .... Game Cube. So anyway, some friends of mine from Murfreesboro and I got hooked on playing GameCube (after church on Sundays, or Tuesdays, or on the big projector at church on Fridays, you get the idea). I enjoyed playing so much that I asked for one for Christmas '06. My console has been played maybe a dozen and a half times.

Well I was jonesin' for a GameCube fix back in January, and after work I pulled out my lil' ole GameCube and hooked it up. The stupid thing wouldn't work - it gave some message like system won't compute - check manual. Well, the manual said, if you get that screen, contact customer support (online). Well, the website said that the machine would need to be refurbished - free within warranty or $50.00 if out of warranty. Remember that I said I got it in 12/06 and found that it wouldn't work in 1/08 - just one month out of warranty - isn't that how it always goes. So, I looked online for a new one - actually, they aren't made anymore, but Target.com still accepts orders ($100.00). My "local" Target (45 minutes away - cruel, cruel world) didn't have one in stock. I called the Wal-Mart in town, and they didn't have one. Was I to be reduced to sending my barely used but not working Christmas Gift to the Nintendo Factory to be refurbished? Well, then I remembered, right across from Wal-Mart is a strip mall (no, not the one where my church is located). You know, the strip mall every town of this size has; it has a Hibbet Sports, a Nail Salon, a PayDay Cash Advance, a Chinese Restaurant (I call ours Great Wall of Buffet), and, you guessed it, a GameStop.

So, I called GameStop, and they had some GameCubes. I could get my fix that evening! I arrived at the store and inquired about their selection. They had a couple of new ones (at $100) or they had refurbished ones (at $30). [GameCube games also play on the Wii (the newest Nintendo console), so I asked about their Wii selection, and they laughed at me - remember, this was right after Christmas] The sales folks said that I could get an extended warranty for $5, so....

Check out this awesome working $35 dollar Ghetto-fabulous GameCube pimped out with lightening bolt decals and a sweet 1-year warranty.



The first thing I did was clean the entire thing with cotton swabs dipped in alcohol.

The games to play are MarioKart and Smash Bros Melee.



MarioKart is a racing game. You have several characters from which to choose, all from past iterations of Mario Games, like Donkey Kong (that's where Mario all started), Luigi, the Princess, and Bowser - the big turtle/dragon guy you tried to beat up at the end of each level of Super Mario Bros. Anyway, you pick your two person racing team and a car, and race your way into loads of fun. Smash Bros Melee has a similar concept: choose one of the many characters from Nintendo's games (Mario, Pokemon, Kirby, Link, Donkey Kong) and street fight your way into loads of fun.