A link to the past

The GameCube-Game Boy Advance link cable is now a relic of Nintendo’s past. First shown at E3 2002, the cable was designed to connect gamers’ GBAs to the GameCube and allow them to use it as a controller.

At that E3 show, Nintendo showed off Pacman Vs., a game that could only be played with GBAs. In truth there weren’t many games that utilised the cable in this way; The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures is another game which used it to its full capacity but many games only really allowed you to unlock secrets by linking up - for example, the Character Gallery in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, when connected to Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, and the Fusion suit in Metroid Prime, connecting the game to Metroid Fusion.

This was arguably the humble beginning of asymmetric gaming for Nintendo, and now Wii U is out on the market, the company is looking at some of the unrealised ideas it had with the GameCube-Game Boy Advance link cable.

Speaking to GamesMaster, Shigeru Miyamoto spoke about how the link between the GameCube and Game Boy Advance was not easily accepted by developers but that he is now hoping to make some of his past ideas a reality with Wii U:

I think it is very likely. I cannot tell specifically what ideas I used to have at the time which might be realized this time around. But as you might recall, at one of the E3 shows several years ago we showcased a game of Pac-Man Versus, which was a really interesting game. Unfortunately however it was rather hard for everyone to own four GBAs at the same time.

Of course there’s the 3DS that can link to Wii U, we know that Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate has some connectivity between the two but could we soon be seeing games emerge that allow you to use Nintendo’s handheld as an additional controller? Only time will tell.

What do you think about this style of gaming? Is it something you want to see more of? Let us know your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.

[source nintendoeverything.com]