When will Wii U pass up GameCube?

[NightDragon83]

sc94597 said:

NightDragon83 said:
I'll be sad if Wii U passes the GC... the GC does not deserve the distinction if being Nintendo's worst selling console. The WIi U does.

Why? What did the GC do/have that the Wii U didn't? To be honest, they seem to have quite similar philosophies actually. Appeal to the Nintendo loyal with mostly traditional experiences. One of the reasons why I was so disapointed with the Wii U was that it was very similar in philosophy to the GC, especially after the excellent console that was the Wii. 

If your argument is games, let's take a look at the releases for the GC in its first three years, and the Wii U; I chose the ones that I figured were most well known for both consoles.

Gamecube: Pikmin (2001), Star Wars Rogue Squadron II (2001), Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001), Animal Crossing (2002 - NA), Luigi's Mansion (2001), Wave Race (2001), Eternal Darkness (2002), Metroid Prime (2002), Phantasy Star Online (2002), Resident Evil Remake (2002), Resident Evil Zero (2002), Starfox Adventures (2002), Super Mario Sunshine (2002), LoZ Windwaker (2003), F-Zero GX (2003), Mario Kart Doubld Dash (2003), Pokemon Colloseum (2003), Skies of Arcadia Legends (2003), Soul Caliber II (2003), Tales of Symphonia (2003), Viewtiful Joe (2003)

That is 21 games total, four in 2001, eight in 2002, and eight in 2003. The average metacritic for these releases is, (89 + 90 + 92 + 87 + 78+ 80 + 92 + 97 + 85 + 91 + 83 + 82 + 92 + 96 + 89 + 87 + 73 + 84 + 93 + 86 + 93) /21 = 87.57% 

 

Wii U: Assassin's Creed III (2012), Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition(2012), Darksiders II (2012), Mass Effect 3 (2012), Nano Assault Neo (2012), Trine 2 (2012), Zombi U (2012), New Super Mario Bros U (2012), Nintendo Land (2012), Monster Hunter 3 U (2013), Resident Evil: Revelations (2013), Pikmin 3 (2013), New Super Luigi U (2013), Rayman Legends (2013), The Wonderful 101 (2013), LoZ WW HD (2013), Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2013), Assassin's Creed 4 (2013), Super Mario 3d World (2013), Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (2014), Child of Light (2014), Mario Kart 8 (2014), Hyrule Warriors (2014), Bayonetta II & I (2014),  Super Smash Bros (2014), Watch Dogs (2014) Captain Toad (2014 or 2015 depending on region.) 

That is 27 games total; nine in 2012, ten in 2013, and eight in 2014.  The average metacritic for those released is, (85 + 85 + 85  + 85 + 71 + 84 + 77 + 84 + 77 + 82 + 80 + 87 + 77 + 92 + 78 + 90 + 88 + 86 + 93 + 83 + 84 + 88)/22 = 83.6 %

Considering the Wii U still hasn't gotten a Legend of Zelda, Super Smash Bros, Metroid, or traditional 3D Mario game yet (and they will happen), that is a pretty high average score with more games overall. 

Actually they are quite different.  The GC was on par with the other consoles from a hardware perspective (in fact it was the 2nd most powerful console of the gen after the Xbox), it had some of the best looking (and playing) games of the entire generation, and it also had a plethora of 3rd party multiplats that were'nt severely gimped due to hardware limitations like many Nintendo fans complain about today with the Wii U.  In fact, in your original post you list ALL exclusives for the GC with the exception of SCII and PSO2, and a mix of 1st and 3rd party titles for the Wii U.  That shows how strong the GC's 1st party lineup was but it also does it a disservice as the GC had far better 3rd party support, in fact it had better 3rd party support than the N64 did for most of its life.

In contrast, Nintendo was trying to have it both ways with the Wii U by trying to appeal to the "core" gamer and longtime Nintendo fan while simultaneously maintaing the casual / expanded audience that made the Wii so successful, but they failed on both fronts.