N-Sider Mailbag

Edition: 02-28-2005

Send in the hate mail! After promising a more regular Mailbag schedule Ive gone and left you all hanging for three months! Weve all been feeling the burn of tight schedules here at N-S, but I apologize nonetheless. I will try and update much more frequently from here on in. Most of the following letters are from December and January, but they are still pretty relevant today so I answered them anyway. I received a pretty long and thought out email by Rousos about Nintendos Revolution just a few days ago, which Ill include that in the next edition along with some question about the new Legend of Zelda. Unless those are the only two letters you want answered, send your criticisms, commentary, feedback, praise, or rants to qa@n-sider.com.

In todays belated update I talk up StarCraft: Ghost, everyone worries about Interplay, some jerks try and tell me why I was wrong about why GCN is the GameCubes abbreviation, people keep asking about Silicon Knights even though I know nothing, and the Revolution makes its way into the conversation.

StarCraft Ghost Vanishes

Hey, great job as always guys on everything you do, and everything you're working on (like N-Universe :) ) N-Sider is a constantly evolving community, and it's great to be a part of it.

Just want to know if anyone has heard ANYTHING about Starcraft: Ghost. That's about it. Oh, and if anyone has any more insight into what's happening with Silicon Knights, besides working on Too Human for next gen. Oh, and if anyone has any info about what EA is doing with Nintendo besides what just got reported. Like, in case you can't update the Q&A before more info is revealed about this "all star" team or whatever.

Oh, and umm... that's it!

Bye!

- Dan (MewCubed)

Jeffrey: Sadly, nothing much to report on StarCraft: Ghost. I was a bit puzzled when I opened my copy of World of Warcraft (in January) to find an ad for the game which stated coming soon to next generation consoles, but didnt think much of it. When other sites finally got wind of it in early February rumors ran rampantfor a day. Then Blizzard announced that it was simply an oversight on their part and the game is still scheduled to hit the GCN, PS2, and XBX sometime before the apocalypse and death of all mankind. One things for certain though, if World of Warcraft is any indication, Blizzard definitely still knows what its doing and well can expect Ghost to make up for its delays in polish alone.

As for Silicon Knights and Too Human, speculation is all we can go on at this point. No one knows anything. Well some do, but they arent talking! In the mean time though, everyone go buy Eternal Darkness if they dont already own it. Its very good. You can probably get it for like ten bucks. You have no excuse.

Just Steal It

I do not have money for any of the following items:

  • Pikmin 2
  • Paper Mario 2
  • Mario Tennis
  • Metroid Prime 2
  • Baiten Kaitos
  • Viewtiful Joe 2
  • Nintendo DS
  • Super Mario 64 DS
  • Feel The Magic
  • Pokemon Fire Red
  • Kirby's Magical Mirror Something Or The Other

I have spending my time sitting around waiting for Heart Containers to update. Day by day, hour by hour, minute.by.minute.

What do you suggest I spend my time on?

Love,

- Alan

Jeffrey: Since this letter is old, Im sure you should know the answer by nowBuy Resident Evil 4. Seriously, its really good.

Oh and we all made Brandon feel really guilty the other day for never updating Heart Containers. So he slaved away and there should be a new one up as we speak. Youre welcome!

What Becomes of Interplay?

Dear N-Sider,

I was wondering if you know what happened to the company of Interplay? Did they go bankrupt or something? I seem to remember hearing about that a long time ago, but I may just be crazy. However, I havn't seen any "For gamers, by gamers" games lately, so I got to thinking, where did they go? It'd be curious to see a Clayfighter game this generation, don't you think?

- Kalen Knowles

Jeffrey: An interesting question. In a way, they did. Interplay was a subsidiary of Titus Interactive, which declared bankruptcy back in January. Titus held a 67% controlling stake of Interplay along with controlling stakes in a number of other developers across the globe. Tituss assets in the company will likely be liquidated to pay off the companys creditors. However, Im no business major, so dont hold me to that.

Interplay has already been hit very hard by the bankruptcy. Once considered one of the premiere North American developers, Interplay has been forced to sell off most of its franchises (Intellectual Properties) to stay afloat. The only notable franchises that it still has, I can think of, are Kingpin and Dark Alliance. The Dark Alliance franchise is also nearly useless. Last year, the company lost the Dungeons and Dragons license, which means they cant even put Bulders Gate in front of Dark Alliance. Definitely not a good situation.

Oh and there hasnt been a good Clay Fighter game since the SNES. That series has been plagued by constant development issues for many a year. I think its cursed.

Bulders Gate No More

ok, I just got the game [Bulders Gate: Dark Alliance], and I beat it in less then 20 hours. Luckily I got it for free because of a buy one get one thing. But I was wondering when the sequal, if there is one, will be coming out?

Thanks,

- Lindsay

Jeffrey: Hah. See above.

When Touching is Not Enough

I had a couple of things I've been wanting to discuss on some level:

1.) I bought a Nintendo DS on launch day and spent quite a bit of time playing Super Mario 64 DS, which I've greatly enjoyed overall. However, with this being the mostly highly regarded DS game, what does the system really have to win anyone over in terms of actual software? When I'm looking for new games to purchase for my DS, it's hard to want to put forth the money when only a single game has managed to break an 8 in general, mainstream reviews.

This kind of worries me. While I think the DS is a really cool piece of hardware and expect great things to be done on it, when exactly are these things going to happen? The only original game (I'm really interested in Zoo Keeper, but that game has been seen elsewhere... there's little new to it) that seems interesting to me in the near future is Wario Ware Touch... which apparently isn't even as interesting as the new GBA version with the tilt-sensor.

So, basically, at this point, what is considered the must-have future title for this thing? I'm finding myself playing it less and less and I've kind of been scared away from Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits since it sounds way too similar to the other Mr. Driller titles I own.

2.) I saw Silicon Knights mentioned in the last mailbag and something was brought up that I've seen mentioned in IGN's mailbag as well. Here, the idea of their next game appearing on non-Nintendo systems was brought up. On IGN, I find that when Matt talks about this, he makes it seem as though it's just plain fact that SK is not bringing their next game to a Nintendo console.

This confuses me. Denis Dyack was very positive about Nintendo and their future, seemingly even after they parted ways for whatever reason (which I don't get, as they fill a gap Nintendo itself really just cannot fill). ED didn't sell in the millions, but I still think it did rather respectively for something barely advertised and with what I consider to be awful cover art on a system that many people feel appeals only to younger kids.

Why would SK do this? Is there something in it for them? Is there bad blood with Nintendo I don't know of? Is it just felt that there's more of a market for their style of games on competing systems? Whatever it winds up on, I'd happily buy it, but I am not sure of the reasons for the current ideas on this subject.

Thanks for any responses.

- Tony Jacobs

Jeffrey: I love numbered emails.

1. You have a legitimate concern. Months after its release, the Nintendo DSs library is still very thin. Wario Ware: Touched has hit shelves and Im sure its great, but I dont think Wario Ware can really combat the PSP. There are a number of cool games, including Kirby & the Magic Paintbrush, that have me excited, but Nintendo has a fight on its hands. The PSP has been outselling the DS in Japan by a healthy margin since the New Year and both systems are slowly killing off GBA hardware sales. As it stands, the PSP might launch with more games than the entire DS library.

2. I really dont understand the whole Silicon Knights situation and am as puzzled as you by the positive comments Dyack made just prior to the supposed break-up with Nintendo. I dont get it. IGNs Matt and Fran were supposed to head up to Canada to visit the developer last week, but ended up canceling the trip due to several unspoken circumstances. After the amount of hyping they did, its a bit of a disappointment. Still, keep checking our news section. If we learn anything new well get it up there as fast as we can.

Playing it Safe is Definitely Not Rare

Hey!

First off, I love your site. Great layout, editorials, staff and whatnot. Secondly, I have some questions I believe you might be able to answer!

1. The recent rumor that the D-Pad, and A & B Buttons will be lead me to think that Nintendo is going big on it's "Touching" campaign. The other rumors being that It will have a built in computer, and online play (thank GOD). What do you think of all this hype? And how do you feel about the Nintendo "Revolution"

2. As Jeff mentioned in "Playing it Safe" Nintendo has really lost it's original title edge. Since Microsoft now owns Rare, do you think Microsoft will go down that path?

3. How might one go about getting a job at N-Sider?

Thanks!

- Brian W.

Jeffrey: Thanks for the compliments.

1. I can see the D-Pad (directional pad) going, since it barely made it on the GameCube controller, as is. I dont really even want it there if they are going to make it Game Boy size again anyway. That ludicrously small D-Pad is the only thing that I dont like about the GCN controller. To be fair though, the D-Pad on the GBA SP is much better (to me). I cant imagine a controller without A & B buttons, but I couldnt imagine a controller with them until Nintendo released the NES. Im desperately hoping that the Revolution is online capable and supported right out of the box, but well see. If Nintendo doesnt knock everyone out with something spectacular with the Revolution, they are in for trouble. You cant give your upcoming console a codename like that and not come out all fists blazing. Overall, I am very scared, yet cautiously optimistic about the Revolution. Anyone who doesnt feel that way is either a dirty fanboy or a communist.

2. First off, I am Jeff. With that said, I completely agree with his editorial and think hes a most excellent writer and superb asset to the N-Sider staff. All who disagree with him should be reprimanded and beaten with a static stick. But to answer your question, yes. Nearly every company in the entire industry has been going down that path at an alarming rate over the last decade or so. Video game budgets are rising and gamers continually expect more out of their games. So its only natural that publishers and developers would rather put their money into something safe than something untested. Its not a good trend and I often worry what the industry will be like in another five or ten years.

3. If youre still interested, email us at staff@n-sider.com. Tell us a bit about yourself, your gaming history, and give us some samples of your writing. We are currently a nonprofit site funded in full by our Site Manager, Cory Faller. We each work on N-Sider in our spare time solely because we feel we have something to contribute, have an undying love for Nintendo (past and present), and believe in what the site stands for. There is no money paid out, nor do we currently review games (we dont believe in arbitrary number ratings). So if youre in it for the free games, might want to try someplace else. If I havent scared you off, send us an email.

GCN Again?

In the last Q&A mailbag, someone asked what GCN stands for, your answer was:

"Im not sure if this is a joke or not, but Ill answer it nonetheless (learn how to spell). GCN stands for GameCube Nintendo. The systems official title is Nintendo GameCube so I bet you are wondering why its initials arent NGC. If I remember correctly, Nintendo of America (NOA) and Nintendo Co. Ltd. (NCL, basically Nintendo of Japan) couldnt agree on what the initials of the system would be. I spoke with fellow staffer Brenden Petracek about it and he reminded me that NGC is a Japanese phone company. With that in mind, it's likely that Nintendo didnt want to initiate any disputes with the company."

But doesn't NGC also stand for Neo Geo Color?

- anonymous

Jeffrey: Hah, that could be the reason right there. The Neo Geo Color kind of passed right under my radar during its run. I never really gave the system much of a chance. I must have been too consumed with the new Game Boy models Nintendo was releasing annually.

But okay, here we go: I was wrong, you are right.

Words cannot describe how much I hate saying that.

GCN Yet Again

Hey about the letter you answered regarding GCN...It's called that because if GameCube was reffered to as NGC, it might be confused with the handheld Neo-Geo Color.

- James Smith

Jeffrey: Lies!