I got a cube for the variety of games and titles available on it. And as a Mac owner I know how important it is to support your platform of choice (or an Amiga user, even more so).
I don't mind paying for games. In fact I think it the only ethical and honest thing to do.
What sucks about the new gen consoles is they are all dis-based and discs scratch!!! My buddy's kids have trashed more than one game by trying to bean the other lads with one (Oh well, they're learning). The older cartidge-based consoles were almost bulletproof.
Try asking one of the publishers for a backup at a reasonable price. I did. You'll get laughed at or told to return the disc (w/$$$) for the new one. Most won't replace a disc if it didn't ship damaged.
I truely wish I could make backups of my gamecube discs, but I have'nt heard of any other way than the Phantasie Star broadband exploit (I.E. network adapter) to do this.
While it may be the only way. It's a drag. The beauty of the consoles is "buy a game, put it in, turn it on, play."