What's a typical Nintendo system?  I mean, at the time, the only "quirky" Nintendo system was the N64 with its newfangled analog stick.  The Gamecube was right in line with the Nes and Snes, right?  Just more power than what came before and able to capably run most third party games.  The Wii was actually the first time a Nintendo home console went batshit crazy.

It is waiting for you, still working and ready to play some Mario 64 with you

Man, I sure wish these kinds of statements could be entirely absent from a thread like this.

It takes some nerve to tell someone they're not a "true" fan because they like the same thing as you in a different way.

I loved the GameCube as much as you seem to love using the underline tool.

So, yes.

Those were the days! My cousin and I used to spend so much time playing Metroid Prime and Mario Party 7! It was awesome! Best console ever!

Fantastic console, and the one that got me back to serious console gaming again after pretty much skipping a generation. (I later caught up on N64 and PSX). It is still the console where I have the largest gaming library, probably around 50 titles.

Wind Waker was awesome, SSB Melee was the best party game ever (4 controllers for the win), and I enjoyed getting the living crap scared out of me with REmake, RE:0 and Eternal Darkness. Later came the action culmination of the generation with RE:4.

It also had Metroid Prime 1 and 2, games that are close to perfect, especially MP1. The only real letdown of the generation in terms of "franchises" was Super Mario Sunshine, which, while having some great platforming, was at times more frustrating than fun, and I actually broke my first GC controller smashing it against the table after a particularly annoying part of Sunshine.

It also had a gem Viewtiful Joe, which is one of the coolest games ever, sadly the franchise never caught on with the general public.

Finally not to forget Twilight Princess, if you are purist, you do _not_ play TP on Wii with everything mirrored. Too bad there was no widescreen option on the GC version, and some slowdown in the city especially.

Special mention:
Soul Calibur 2
Rogue Squadron II
Beyond Good and Evil
Pikmin
Paper Mario
Super Monkey Ball!
The Wavebird controller (most comfortable controller that will ever be made)
F-Zero GX (fastest game EVER?)

I still wish the Panasonic Q would have been a bit more successful... but I still love my GC!!

I miss certain aspects of the GameCube, but losing Rare and I think it was EAD's weakest console output soured it.

If you replace Super Mario Sunshine with Super Mario Galaxy and Mario Kart: Double Dash with what Mario Kart Wii was (minus the Wii Wheel), and give it Rare games like Banjo-Threeie and Perfect Dark 2, it would've done considerably better IMO. 

Also I think cell shading Zelda was an OK idea, but they should've released a Twilight Princess styled Zelda first, then followed with a Wind Waker style one. I think consumers would've be far more accepting of that. 

I've had a GC in my desk for the past 4 years, so I'm never more than a few feet from one for very long (':

Man, it has been nine years already I own my Gamecube. Good times...