N-Sider Q&A Mailbag

Edition: 03-22-2005

The mailbag is back again, though with a bit of a limp. We received an underwhelming number of letters this week. Come on guys, at least try and give us a challenge. Unless its about Circus folk, we usually respond to just about every letter were sent so dont hesitate. Anyways though, you know the routine. Send your criticisms, commentary, feedback, praise, or rants to qa@n-sider.com. We wont bite.hard.

In this edition a reader who spells his name oddly wonders about WiFi, everyone rags on Sony and its CELLs, people mock our efforts with subpar letters, and one guy asks four questions only to answer them himself.

Revolution on the Interweb

Dear Jeff and Travis,

After the keynote speech by Mr. Iwata at the GDC there has been a lot of talk concerning the free WIFI Nintendo will be using for the DS and Revolution. For the Revolution could it be possible that they will be using something similar to Xenon's Gamers Cards? It would be pretty cool to make your own profile and have that to show off to potential challengers and friends over the net. Also will the Revolution be able to access the net using its free WIFI as well? If the Revolution does come with some sort of touch interface, which I'm sure it will, then using the net would not be a problem at all. Of course they will have parental controls and such but thats a given. One more question, is it too far out to say that Nintendo will use the Revolution as a hub for DS downloads or downloads for the Revolution itself?

Regards,

- Jeffery C.

Travis: I have some good news and bad news for you. The good news is that everything youve speculated is definitely possible. The bad news is I doubt much of that will come to pass. However, anythings possible and even though Nintendos service will be free of charge Im sure it will try to take away some of Xbox Lives thunder in some way.

Jeffrey: Let me use this as an opportunity to link everyone to Glens excellent feature, Nintendo Online. It is the most accurate and detailed account of Nintendos online history Ive ever read. If you want an idea of where Nintendo could be heading, the first place to look is its past.

A Lonely Road Ahead for Sony?

A Company's Enhancement Limps Lonely Chip: Nintendo's Uprising?

First of all, let me open up my little commentary with a little picture as seen below:

Now, onto the actual thing, I have questions regarding the CELL Chip concerning affairs with how company's will deal with the incredible technology. In the forum of the week, Game Guru posted that the CELL was behind schedule, yet, Sony and IBM said that they have been working on the chip for three years. Even so, the startling news of the CELL's capabilities sparked the companies' curiosity... Are the third-party companies reluctant to work with it or will the CELL leave SCEA to do their own games? (And believe me, the SCEA makes a game by themselves once in a blue moon).

What drives me to say this is the mistake that Xbox made by advancing technology too much in the current generation. When the Xbox first came out, any gamer could see that it was a system with the more powerful hardware out of the three. Since this was the case, I noticed many of the companies (Besides companies who develop sports games) were not willing to put their games on the Xbox as quickly as Microsoft would have liked. With the lack of third-party support, Xbox rehashed games from the PC and that developed a base on which companies could see the Xbox's capabilities. Now, since Sony and IBM are making something that pushes the limits of the next-gen systems could this CELL chip be Sony's downfall in both terms of the system's release and no third-party support?

In theory, if the cell chip scatters the interest and rescriction in creativity of the third party, could those games very well go to the "Revolution" and "Xbox 2" rather than the PS3?

PS: Congrats, on the constant updates... I voted "I don't think they remember how" on the poll.

PPS: What do you think of the picture?

PPPS: Travis, you're debonair.

PPPPS: The CELL runs at 4+GHz, right?

PPPPPS: I know this is annoying, but I felt another "PS" was needed.

~Thank you!

- Carlito C.

Jeffrey: Well, Im not sure that you are right about what happened this generation. It was not difficulty in programming that held back developer support for the Xbox; it was the fact that Microsoft was a newcomer to the console industry. However, Microsoft has done a better job than Nintendo at building momentum with the Xbox. The system now gets much more third party support than the GameCube. The fact is that both the GameCube and Xbox are much easier to develop for than the PlayStation 2, which is a mess internally. But the PlayStation brand continues to sell and because of that developers and publishers continue to support it. If the PlayStation 3 outsells Xenon (Xbox 2) and the Nintendo Revolution then it will continue to be the preferred platform for third party publishers. It is all about the bottom line.

To defend SCEA (Sony Computer Entertainment of America) though, the company is now releasing the critically acclaimed God of War and is responsible for such games as the Mark of Kri, Sly Cooper, Ratchet & Clank, ICO, SOCOM, Jak, and the upcoming Shadow of the Colossus. Id call that a strong lineup of exclusive games. Sony has definitely been strengthening its development muscle this generation. I wouldnt count the PS3 out of any running.

Oh, and I liked the picture. You are quite an artist.

Hah Hah. You Got Me.

CONGRATULATIONS JEFF, FOR UPDATING THE SITE FOR THREE WEEKS IN A ROW! WOW!

- Ryan (Boaksie) Boak

Jeffrey: This is my roommate, Boaksie (I named him that. Has a ring to it). He decided to be a smart aleck and send me a sarcastic letter after I forced him to read through the last mailbag for my own entertainment. Thanks to a cruel lack of letters this week, I had no choice but to include this. I hope youre all happy.

However, Boaksies largest problem stems not from his wit. I purchased Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat last week and it has proven to be one of my favorite games in a long while. Nevertheless, Boaksie (a diehard DKC fan) refuses to even give the game a chance simply because he believes bongos are dumb. Someone out there smack some sense into him and convince him why Jungle Beat is worth his time of day.

A Comedian

So what are the odds we see Konami make a "Dance Dance Revolution Revolution"?

- Alan

Jeffrey: Im not going to answer that because its the dumbest question I have ever heard in my life. I think I can safely say that we are all dumber for having read it.

Asking the Question and Answering it Too

I have read a transcript from Mr. Iwata's recent speech at the GDC regarding Nintendo's intention to revolutionize gaming with innovative ideas. The concept of Nintendo's direction seems promising, but it leaves me with several important questions and conclusions about my favorite hardware and software company.

Questions:
1. If Revolution is going to be backward compatible, does that mean the game discs wiill still hold less data than a PS3 or XBox 2 disc?

2. If Nintendo realizes the importance of online gaming, why has Sega been the only company to release online games for the Gamecube?

3. If Japan and the United States are the largest markets for video games, why doesn't Nintendo release a universal system and develop all their games with both Japanese and English language options for seemless distribution in both markets?

4. I have seen the new Zelda game footage, based upon the graphics and action shown does that mean the Zelda series maybe taking on a more mature and gritty approach?

5. If Nintendo is gonna change the way gamers play and interact with games, does that mean I am gonna have to hold my nose to keep from smelling Dong Kong and control Princess Toadstool with an all new foot controller when I play the all new Mario Wrestling All Stars?

Conclusions to my Questions:
1. I doubt that the discs will be the same size as the Gamecube discs. More storage on the discs means more room for expanded graphics and sound.

2. I think Nintendo is merely waiting to see how Microsoft and Sony fully implement their online gaming to learn from their mistakes.

3. Nintendo doesn't do this because I believe they think North American gamers are not ready for all of the innovative or Japanese influenced ideas. But I got news for them, we are. Just look at the success of Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, and the Mario Party series. Yet they continue to procrastinate while many North American gamers plead for games like Giftpia.

4. My conclusion is a firm no. While the graphics may be darker and more realistic, I believe a more mature approach to the whimsical, but compelling Zelda stories would ruin this series.

5. I hope not. I think Nintendo will introduce a control scheme that will allow gamers to say goodbye to 11 button controllers. But it still wouldn't surprise me to see any type of Mario game. I don't know how they do it, but Nintendo has no problem dropping their flagship characters into any genre seemlessly whether it be racing, sports, platformer, or rpg. Which is one of the reasons I am devoted to their games. I love being able to play any genre I am in the mood for and still have familiar characters and worlds.

I know how you hate long letters, so in conclusion, what are your opinions on the topics I have brought up?

- C.J. Charles

Travis: Well to be fair its officially just Jeff that hates long letters. Personally I think he didnt get any long letters as a child and now hes prejudiced against the poor things. Anyway, lets get started!

1. Youve got the right idea here. I can guarantee (without having heard anything official) that the discs for the Revolution will be able to hold a lot more data. Look at the PSX discs compared to the PS2 discs. Theyre the same size physically but the PS2 discs hold a lot more data while the system can handle both. Furthermore, disc drives already exist that can handle both physically normal and small sized CDs as well so Nintendo could even expand the physical size of the disc and have no problems.

2. I think Nintendo, at this point, is officially waiting for the Revolution to make its big splash in online gaming. The DS will be its experiment in online functionality and the Revolution will be the power house. As for why Sega has been the only company to even use the Cubes modem/broadband adaptorwell the PSO (Phantasy Star Online) games require a monthly fee so theyre going to make extra money off the internet use. Bottom line: Nintendo hasnt supported the online model in the least and has even made it difficult for gamers to obtain a modem for their GCN. As a result very few people even own a broadband adapter. So, from a financial standpoint, its just not worth it for developers to spend the extra cash to give a GameCube project online functionality if few will get any enjoyment out of it.

3. The main reason for no universal system depends on exactly how you buy a game. Whats to stop everyone from importing games for their system and taking away from the US market? Naturally, this brings up other questions such as: who would import if the games came out at the same time anyway?! And thats some sound logic. Im willing to bet there are a lot more legal intricacies preventing it than we can possibly know.

4. I can guarantee this new Legend of Zelda wont be darker just because of the graphics. I think itll be darker in tone than The Wind Waker, but WW was much more lighthearted than previous games, in many respects. What everyone seems to forget is that weve had two realistic (in design) Zelda games before; Ocarina of Time and Majoras Mask. Last time I checked those games didnt ruin the essence of Zelda. We really dont need to worry about this one.

5. I dont expect much innovation on the actual controller, honestly. I think itll be more refined and have a better d-pad and, hopefully, a second analog stick that is just as good as the primary one. However, I could easily be wrong. I only speculate on this fact because Nintendo doesnt want to alienate third parties by creating a new control style while the PS3 and Xbox 2 controllers have more buttons.

Jeffrey: Now that each question has been answered twice, Ill just add a bit here and there. (And yes I do hate long letters, but Ive come to accept that they will never stop coming.)

3. There is no universal perfect way to create a game simultaneously for the Japanese and American markets. As the Nintendo of America localization team would likely say, its a very complex process and the company spends considerable time tailoring each game to both markets. Games like Metroid Prime and Geist, on the other hand, are developed in English first and then make their way to Japan. However, I too still hope for a State-side release for games like Giftpia, Earthbound 1 + 2, and a number of other games. If you havent already, check out our interview with the NOA localization team here. The interview focuses on Animal Crossing and is definitely worth a read.

5. I think Travis is wrong on this one. I believe that Nintendo will adopt one of two models. Either the Revolution controller will feature a traditional control setup akin to the GameCube in addition to whatever innovation Nintendo is planning (Gyro control, you name it) OR the controller will be completely new and radical, but Nintendo will keep selling GameCube-styled controllers (perhaps even allow you to use your old GCN controllers). In any case, this device is backward compatible, so one way or another Nintendo will make available a more traditional controller.

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