Did the Gamecube come in last place because of 2 great games?

Last generation everybody knows that the G.C not only was the least selling console that gen but also was the worst selling Nintendo console of all time. I can't help but wonder if 2 of my favorite games last gen had something to do with it. Luigi's Mansion is my favorite Mario game of all time while Pikmin was the 1st chapter to my favorite franchise of all time and was also the game that would lead up to the best game of all time Pikmin 2 so how could these 2 wonderful games possibly cause Nintendo to come in last that gen? I am not saying that those 2 games were the only reason that Nintendo came in 3rd place last gen and I am also not saying that doing things different would have made them win last gen but if they put out these 2 games later they might have been able to outsell the XBox. Why? Well I will tell you what I think:

In my opinion the start of a new gen is very important and while it isn't the only important part is does play a big part and Nintendo didn't start off the new gen well.

Luigi's Mansion was the main big Nintendo game when the Gamecube 1st debuted and many were dissapointd because while it did involve Mario it wasn't what anyone wanted for the new console. Luigi's Mansion was seen as the demo of a good Mario game to come and was also seen as a replacement until the next big Mario game was ready which caused bad reviews.

Next Nintendo had a small saving solution called Super Smash bros. Melee. S.S.B.M was a huge game and ended up becoming the best selling G.C game of all time but it couldn't do it alone and needed help from another game to support the console and that game was...

Pikmin was a new Nintendo game unlike any other that made its debut on the G.C in December 2001 in America. Although Pikmin was well liked amoung almost everyone who tried the game out the problem was not many people tried the game out. Pikmin did end up doing well selling over 1 Million copies it still didn't help sell the console itself and many who got the game already had a G.C because of S.S.B.M which forced S.S.B.M to support the console alone.

My point is if Nintendo put out 3 other games in its debut year could Nintendo have outsold Microsoft and its XBox?

When I say 3 games I mean Mario Sunshine instead of Luigi's Mansion, Super Smash Bros. Melee like they did, and a known franchise instead of a brand new one like Pikmin.(Maybe Kirby, Starfox, or Pokemon)

What do you think?

It did not have THE killer app.
SSBM was an awesome 'right-hand man' type game, but the GC would not have been able to cross the 25m hump without a 10 million seller.

Actually, GC and Xbox were basically neck and neck when they first launched, but Xbox catered more towards the PS2 crowd and its "mature" lineup of games and that's what helped them take the #2 spot, especially here in the west.

Also, It wasn't uncommon for multiplatform games that came out on the PS2 and Xbox to not get a GC port for various reasons, or if they did, then it would be a stripped down edition usually lacking other features that the other two systems had, like online play for instance. Because of that, GC missed out on some huge titles, most notably the GTA franchise. And then factor in that both the PS2 and Xbox could also play DVDs at a time when the DVD market was really taking off and eclipsing VHS for good, and it just made the GC seem like it was a stripped down system aimed at kids.

Plus, say what you will about Microsoft's bulky beast of a machine and that ridiculously huge controller fit for a gorilla... but it didn't help matters much that Nintendo designed the damn thing to look like a purple lunch box with a Fisher-Price looking controller to go with it!

Let's not forget Halo. That helped Xbox sales in the west by a lot.

No, GC was mostly doomed from the beginning. With online play, they might have been able to fend off the Xbox (since it really made its push ahead with Halo 2, i think), but i've postulated before that the generation was pretty much destined to go to the PS2, given when the PS2 launched. There was nothing anyone could have done to win.

Gamecube came 'last' because of three things. 1) The PS2 2) Coming out after its biggest competitor and 3) No third party support (also the PS2).

Frankly, its can be seen as partially a fluke that the Wii didn't suffer the same fate. Or Nintendo purely forcing the Wii not to suffer the same fate and doing something so bold, it couldn't fail. But as it is, the Wii has two of the three problems the Wii does. Little third party support and it coming out after a major competitor. Just, this time, its not trying to directly compete with its competitors in things like graphics and 'mature' games like the GameCube was. Its doing the exact opposite. And that, along with the total lack of third party support, was the major problem with the GameCube.

There's also little things. Like the GameCube had big spaces in between major game releases (not unlike the Wii) and the system didn't have a DVD player. But these things aren't as big as the main three issues. And didn't cripple other systems which had the same issues.

I never said win I said could it have outsold the XBox

It has A LOT more to do with very little to no 3rd party support. Granted Luigi's Mansion is probably the worst launch title in Nintendo's history across all hardware. Not that it was a terrible game, it just had no appeal.

Also, you're forgetting about Metroid Prime, unfortunately Metroid is a great series, but only a niche series at that.

I thik the fact that the PS had gotten so big, with such high 3RD PARTY exclusive support, and the growing 1st party of SONY, caused it to just dominate, that and the fact it was the perfect gaming console for just games period..

and the DVD aspect of it..

I don'tknow why nintendo sunk so low last gen though.. then suddenly go #1 by a land slide this gen.. goes to show you there is no such thing as brand image.

it didnt matter if Gamecube didnt outsell the xbox. in the end Nintendo reported revenue with the gamecube, as microsoft lost about 4 bill! The question you should ask ur selfs is, would there be an Xbox360 if Halo had never been created??

im gonna flip the coin, the same thing could be argue for this gen... If you Sum the number of dollars spent on the 3 systems this gen... People have spent a lot more millions of dollars on the Xbox360 than on the Wii.

I guess is just how you look at things....