Is the GameCube the most experimental Nintendo console software-wise?

[S.Peelman]

Well obviously the Wii was more experimental from a visionary standpoint, and as such had a greater amount of newer style games. I do agree that Nintendo took more risks on their main franchises on GameCube than on Wii. Mario Galaxy, Wii Zeldas and Mario Kart follow their series roots strickter than Mario Sunshine, GameCube Zeldas and Double Dash. GameCube branched out with Luigi, overturned Metroid's design and did new things with Star Fox.

Sadly they were hit and miss though.

I think GameCube is vastly disappointing. I found the double driver gimmick of Double Dash pointless, and the game wasn't saved by it's substandard track designs. Mario Sunshine's, and here I vastly disagree with OP's discription of the game, platforming mechanics and the game's difficulty were ruined by the water gun, which eliminated the core of a Mario game. No more was precise platforming the challenge, no, just float over there. The best parts of the game were the levels that took away the water gun. It looks like Mario 3D World on WiiU took inspiration on those levels. Wind Waker is the weakest 3D Zelda game to me, it's dungeons were sub-par and again it's way too easy, while it's overworld design strayed too far from it's ingeniously designed interconnected predecessors, in the wrong direction. I won't even talk about Four Swords. Multiplayer in a Zelda game. Then finally there was Star Fox that wasn't Star Fox anymore, a decision so desastrous that the franchise would remain dormant for almost two generations.

GameCube wasn't all bad though. Experiments like Luigi's Mansion worked and succeeded to give 'helper extra' Luigi an identity of his own. It's too bad we needed to wait a long time for a sequel, but Luigi is unmistakenly linked to ghosts now. Moreover, even though it was a launch-title, it remains the best GameCube game ever released to me.

GameCube was experimental software-wise, but did it at it's own peril. It put me off console gaming for a while and I'd much rather prefer how Nintendo handled their franchises during the Wii age, or especially N64 age. WiiU should be careful to not also end up down there.