Reviewed: April 12, 2005
Reviewed by: Mark Smith, Mike Colgan, Jason Porter, Roger Cox

Manufacturer
Gamer Graffix

Type: Custom Mod Skin
System: GameCube

Rating: 8.5

Features

For the affordable price of $20 you can pimp your console with dozens of designs. Recently, Gamer Graffix sent us several of their Nintendo GameCube Skins which we distributed to various staff members with Cubes. Here are some independent thoughts on this exciting new product starting with mine.

My chosen skin was the “Red Storm”, which looks like some space phenomenon you might see on an episode of Star Trek. It's basically an eruption of red and white hot energy that makes your GameCube look like it's short circuiting.

Applying the skin is a “sticky” proposition. I had a heck of a time removing the larger sections of the vinyl from the backing material. The backing stuck to the skin and tore off leaving a transparent section of thin paper. I had to carefully separate the backing material from the skin with a razor blade before applying.

My only minor complaint is that the skin leaves some rather large gaps or exposed sections of the Cube showing through between the various sections. I have the ugly indigo Cube so I'm always looking for something to hide that evil purple color. The Gamer Graffix skin blocks about 95% of it from my view, so it's better than no skin at all.

Tricking out your Cube with a custom skin is a great way to personalize your console, especially if you take it out in public or work in an office with other Cube owners.

Sure, the ‘Cube is fun to play, but does the way it looks just bore the crap out of you? Well, good news! Gamer Graffix has stepped into the market with a variety of “skins” to modify and personalize your mass-produced console (and not void your warranty). For a cool $20 you can buy one of 24 different skins for the GameCube, heavy-duty stickers with designs like explosions for the big time action gamer, American flags for the patriotic, and leopard skin print for those who might love their GameCube a bit TOO much.

In addition to their usual X-TREME designs, Gamer Graffix has created the first game-licensed skin for the GameCube, using a Resident Evil 4 theme. Now, I’m not the biggest connoisseur of the Resident Evil series, but the skin looks pretty nice, and definitely jazzed up my boring black ‘Cube. The color scheme for the stickers is black, and a faded bluish-gray, which suits itself particularly well to the colors of the GameCube line. The printing is pretty sharp and high-resolution, so that it looks great. The surface of the thick stickers was a bit blemished out of the package, but nothing that you’d notice unless you were touching the skin or were particularly close up.

Installing the stickers was a bit tricky. Peeling them off the backing took a little experimentation, and I had to be really careful to make sure I had the stickers centered properly. Also, installing the stickers for the top of the machine was nerve-wracking. Because the stickers have to be strangely shaped to avoid blocking the disc compartment and the 3 buttons on the top of the machine, the stickers around the outer edge were very flimsy. I was afraid that I would apply the stickers crookedly or tear them where the buttons meet the edge. However, all went according to plan, and the machine not only looks great, but works just fine.

A warning – though the package claims that the skins are removable and reusable, I’m not sure how true that is. Attempts to remove the stickers by hand indicated that they did not want to come off easily, though they probably wouldn’t shred like normal paper stickers when you remove them. Also, reusing the stickers might weaken the glue. If you decide to buy a skin, make sure you like the design before you apply it, because it may be a pain and a half to properly remove the decals.

Gamer Graffix has a cool thing going on here with their new line of removable customization skins for home console systems. The Gamer Graffix skins are easy to put on, almost as easy to take off and certainly add a conversation piece to the next LAN party or Double Dash bash.

The idea is simple - create a set of high-quality adhesive decals that can be stuck to your system in order to give it the look of a custom paint job (sorta) or, occasionally, a franchise tie-in special (as is the case with their Resident Evil 4 GameCube skin). The marketability comes not only from the geeky-cool factor of putting an eye-popping, high-quality graphic on a system, but the idea that once gamers have tried one, they'll want to get more. If your flaming GameCube is the envy of your less-informed friends, you’ll want a different skin on standby just in case anyone else figures out where to buy the things. Being able to remove and re-use the skins is a great marketing strategy, as well as being convenient and fun for players.

When I got my GameCube skin, I was skeptical. I opened up the slim box and took out the contents. The only instructions were a few steps on the back of the box - it's really that easy. The kit consists of eight decals that, when placed correctly on the machine, cover all but the bottom and back of it (and the vents on the sides, of course). The box has a reminder to clean your machine first - "Dirt is the ENEMY!" - and then, plainly, tells you to apply the decals and enjoy.

A few of the pieces seemed precariously narrow at certain points, and I was sure I would rip at least one of my new "mod stickers" before I had peeled them all off of their backings, but my fears were unfounded. The material the decals are made of is tough, more plastic than paper. The Gamer Graffix skins are the real deal, high enough in quality to really consider buying, since there's little possibility they'll get destroyed by accident. That's a good thing.

What isn't a good thing is the design I was given. After about five minutes wrangling with my 'Cube, I had all the decals set - and my beloved machine looked like nothing so much as a glorified tissue dispenser from a third-rate beach motel. The design, called "Seashell," consists of school photo background-looking swishes of purple and cream paint, with a hint of blue behind. Who's going to buy this? My editor helpfully suggested relocating my new, bland interior design-style machine to the bathroom, where it might fit the decor a bit better (a fine solution, all things considered), but I digress.

My problem isn't with the idea, or implementation, of the Gamer Graffix skins. They're durable, they're high quality, and they're just plain a natural fit for today's mod-hot consumers. The fact that they're re-usable and easy to remove (with no sticky residue, I noticed happily) is great, too. Rather, my problem is with this... this... "Seashell" design. It's just plain hideous! I suppose if a motel owner wanted to offer complimentary console gaming to patrons, it could come in handy. Or if I ever decided to hollow out my GameCube and use it as a toothbrush holder or something.

To make a long story short, I have nothing but good to report about Gamer Graffix skins in general. I just think the particular design in question is a flop. The average gamer wants flames, lightning, two-color fading, and that sort of thing. Why this design ever made it to market is beyond me. Take my advice: If you're interested in modifying your 'Cube's appearance, by all means check out Gamer Graffix's cheap, durable, easy to apply line of mod skins. Just... forget you saw the Seashell.

The one out of 32 available Gamer Graffix skins I received was one called “Dripping Blood.” It’s an orange skin with red blood running down the sides. It has transformed my everyday black GameCube into an orangey block that’s leaking blood faster than a 5 inch deep laceration. True, it’s kind of nasty looking, but that’s what draws the attention from anyone in the room.

Unfortunately, I don’t take my cube with me everywhere I go (like my DS) so the investment of $20 bucks for a console system doesn’t hold as much personal value to me. If it where a portable system then I’d be more than willing to shell out that kind of cash.

As far as installation goes, I had no trouble other than the patience it requires to put on the stickers in the exact locations you want them. Once again I had no trouble getting the stickers off of the paper.

Overall, I would say that I am satisfied with the results. People definitely ask questions when walking into my house and seeing my freaky GameCube. If you’ve always wanted to show off your cube in a unique way, Gamer Graffix is the way to play.