Few game systems were so loved by their owners, while simultaneously being decried by outsiders. It's okay, us GC owners knew the truth. Our console wasn't just a kiddie system, it was a joy.

First off, I have owned at least 6 consoles (you can see them on my profile), and the Gamecube was the pinnacle of controller design. I have never held a controller as ergonomic as this one. And lets not forget who pioneered the wireless controller. I think it's funny how in just one console generation, wireless controllers have become so pedestrian. The Wavebird was a revelation! I had four of them (still do, for my Wii), and the fact that I and three of my friends could all play Mario Kart wirelessly from my couch seemed like a miracle! It took Sony and MS a long time to catch up here.

And then there are the games. Some of my favorite games of all time were for the Gamecube. I'd say they're only second to the SNES for me personally. And all of them were exclusives: Eternal Darkness, Zelda: Wind Waker, Super Smash Brothers Melee. And then there were multi-platform releases that shone on the GC, like Soulcalibur II which I preferred on the GC because of the controller. And while the GC had the stigma of being the "kiddie system," it had a brief exclusive on Resident Evil 4, which got high acclaim in the press.

Yes, the Gamecube console never got the respect it deserved. Fortunately for fans of Nintendo, things didn't end with the purple box.