N-Sider Q&A Mailbag
Column by Jeff Van Camp, Travis Woodside
Edition: 06-22-2005
Hah, its been nearly a month since the last true Q&A Mailbag. Weve been kind of buried in E3 content (most of which still isnt up btw), which partially explains why Ive left you all utterly alone for the past 20 some days. Some of these letters are very old, others are fairly recent. Try and point out the old ones! Its like a game. We will, nonetheless, be responding to all of them. This mailbag is filled with mostly revolution related questions. Enjoy! And be sure to send your questions, criticisms, commentary, feedback, praise, or rants to qa@n-sider.com.
Travis and I populate this edition. We respond to questions about Metroid Prime 3, Paper Mario 3, Donkey Konga 3, removing sticky stuff, and a bunch of stuff about High Definition and how it relates to Nintendos next system.
Sign my Ill-Informed Petition, Please!
Despite Nintendo's decision to not include HD support most of us would still purchase the Revolution because we are hard-core Nintendo fans and know the first-party software will be amazing (as always).
However, it is also obvious that if Nintendo does not include HD support in their system and the competition does then it will be an open opportunity for the competition to yet again dominate this generation and for 3rd-party support to weaken.
So.... despite the fact that most of us would buy the Revolution anyway I am sure that most of us would like it much better if the system had HD support.
So, go here: http://cube.ign.com/mail/2005-06-13.html and read a convincing rant and then go here: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/webform.jsp and tell Nintendo what you think. Nintendo must know that not including HD in the Revolution is next gen. suicide!
- Joe Swantek
Jeff: Joe Swantek, you disappoint me. Diving into an all out petition after reading but one IGNcube editors opinion on HD and Revolution is rather rash. In fact, I think its all together crazy talk.
We know next to no facts about this supposed non-HD stance by Nintendo. All we do know is what IGNcubes Matt Casamassina stated in his editorial/news piece entitled The Definition of the Future. In the editorial/news piece, he sews together a few quotes that should be in a news post with a whole lot of his own personal opinion on HD. You learn more about why he thinks HD is do or death, than actual facts about anything. Throw in a few quotes from Factor 5 and its an article.
The fact of the matter is that there are good reasons why Nintendo might make this kind of decision. We also have no idea exactly what this decision is, because Nintendo has made no official announcements regarding the technology. HD is certainly going to become the standard in the years ahead; I dont think anyone will deny that; but I dont, for a second, believe that it will be a do or die decision for Nintendo in the upcoming generation. This is not like the online issue. Online gaming fundamentally changes multiplayer gaming. HD makes the picture look a little cleaner. What people dont realize is how much more power it takes to produce a game that is optimized for a 720p or 1080p HDTV, rather than the 640x480 standard television resolution weve become accustomed to. A 1080p screen is roughly 2000 x 1100 pixels. Thats over six times as large as a standard television. Think about that. With HD mandates like Microsoft and Sony have put forth, all games must be compatible and playable at much higher resolutions. That may prove to be very taxing on the PS3 and Xbox 360 as time goes on and should Revolution be weaker than its competitors, could even help Rev. games look comparable to their HD counterparts.
However, I doubt much of that made sense and honestly its difficult to tell what kind of impact the HD mandates will have. Its all number crunching at the moment. I could be entirely and completely wrong. Ive been wrong before. But heres what I think Nintendo does need.
In an interview with G4TV this past E3, Nintendo of Americas Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Reginald Fils-Aime, stated that Nintendo was an and company and not an or company. I dont believe Nintendo needs to mandate any form of HD, nor do I think that 720p or 1080p support is even needed to be a viable competitor in the next console generation. What Nintendo needs to do is launch a system that supports and possibly mandates 480p as well as fully supports component cable output. Even if Nintendo doesnt push directly for HD support, it is unfair to anyone who owns a HDTV if Nintendo doesnt even support component output. The difference component can make over standard composite cables is very noteworthy. Still, if the company is going to make obtaining component cables as difficult as it was for GameCube, theres no point at all. Id like to think Nintendo will support component output though, and thus be on the side of the majority of console buyers in the next five years.
If you disagree, send me a letter. Thats what Im here for.
Grasping at Straws
What about this idea....what if Nintendo offered two versions of the Revolution... one that included HD support and a 2nd that is identical but incapable of outputing in HD. This would provide the user the option to purchase a console without HD but also give the users that want HD in their home console to purchase a HD Nintendo system. All games that are developed are going to have to support SD anyway...so really its a win / win situation for Nintendo. They offer the user the option but can also off the consumer a less costly console.
- Joe Swantek
Jeff: You again? Haha. You sure are adamant about this HD thing Joe. Do you own an HDTV? How on earth have you been able to survive this long without the clarity HD provides gaming?
As for your proposal, sure, that would be great. Except that the cost to add HD support to the Revolution isnt nearly as much as some people think. The true costs come in where game development is concerned. Thats where the real risk is taken. So if Nintendo doesnt support HD, it isnt just to save money on hardware. It might just be to really try and make Revolution cheap to develop for, in comparison to the competition. Will that help Nintendo? I have no idea.
Metroid Prime 3
Mr.Travis & N-sider thanks for responding to my last questions. ^_^ Here is another. It's about Metroid Prime 3; I wanna ask as to what you guys thought about it? It was short and you couldn't see anything really. But.. graphically, I'm not impressed.. But the game is in early development ... so I'm jumping the gun a bit.
Maybe Nintendo showed that to get us all worried and such? I'm sure the Revolution is indeed more powerful than Nintendo leads it to be. At least I hope.
Thank you.
- Sion
Travis: Unlike some others, I was positively thrilled with the Metroid Prime 3 teaser. Of course, I wasnt paying attention to the graphical look either. I was more excited about the gameplay details in the teaser. Confused? Im not surprised. It was a short teaser, but it did teach us at least three things. One, its called Metroid Prime 3, so it will most likely build upon the story elements in Prime 1 & 2 as well as involve plenty of Phazon. Two, Samus ship (assuming it was Samus ship) was very different in design, which creates a likelihood that Metriod Prime 3 will take place after Metroid Fusion seeing as how in that game Samus traditional ship was destroyed in the opening cutscene. And three, Samus ship did some shooting. I wouldnt go so far as to say there will be any portion of the game involving flight combat, but the teaser did give me that impression. I for one am quite intrigued.
As for the graphical presentation I do reiterate your point that the game is early in development. I would also like to add that I dont think the shots from the teaser were shots from the game, but something else made exclusively for the teaser. I highly doubt the game has been worked on enough to show anything yet.
Jeff: Yes! I finally found a link to that Metroid Prime 3 video shown at E3. Here you all go. Did the footage impress me at all? Nope. Do I think Revolution is much more capable than that footage implies? Yep. Could Nintendo have put together a much more impressive demo reel just to ensure that people wouldnt think Revolution is far weaker than it is? Yes. Does that change anything? Nuh-uh. Am I done framing everything in the form of a question? Not quite.
Does Pac-Man Poo?
Travis, i have to protest, 42 is NOT the answer to everything. It's the answer to the question that everyone want's to know (the answer). But the question is unknown (even though one possible question is "How many roads must a man walk down?"). Read those Hitchhiker books, and enjoy the Movie (if it comes to the states).
Regarding the F.L.U.D.D.: I think the water is chemically changed, so that it's hot at the moment when it exits but cools down very quick in direct sunlight. And paint staying wet: If you take paint based on oil instead of water, it stays liquid for quite a long time.
What's more interesting to me: if Pacman eats so many dots, why doesn't he get fat? Is he throwing up from time to time or is there a black hole within his body? And his yellow shell protects the world from being sucked in automatically? Hmmm... whackawhackawhacka
- Reto S.
P.S.: have you seen that Futurama show featuring DK, Mario and PacMan?
Travis: Ive read all the Hitchhiker books and the movie has been out in the states for a while. I have seen it twice. But enough of that. Your query makes me want a Science of Mario book. If someone can get books published regarding the science of Superman, Harry Potter, and so on then why not Mario? I think itd be enormously entertaining.
Jeff: Do you know Pac-Man? Does he call you at home? ARE YOU A YELLOW SPHERE?!
Like any creature, it is inevitable that Pac-Man must make several hundred bowel movements on a daily basis. However, unlike you, he doesnt want to concern everyone with that kind of garbage. He pinches off a loaf everytime you enter that warp that takes him from one side of the stage to the other. Its actually a time warp. When he enters, time stops and he can do whatever he wants in there for as long as he wants. When he decides to come out, he is inevitably feeling refreshed and much lighter. Oh and yes I have seen that Futurama episode. Har-har, it was hilarious
Paper Mario 3 a Possibility?
Is there any mention by Nintendo about continuing the paper mario series ? have they said anything about releasing more mario sports games? if not, have they mentioned anything new about future games on the GC or the new system in the next few years (i.e. the new zelda, the new fire emblem, continuations of their classic series'). Thanks for your time and effort guys, you're doing an amazing job.
- Jesse Rendell
Travis: Unfortunately, the Paper Mario franchise has never been a hot topic in the news world. We wont know about a new Paper Mario until there is gameplay to show. I do believe that there will be a sequel, though, if thats any consolation.
Dont expect anymore Mario Sports announcements until the Revolution. Were being flooded with them as it is. Expect sequels for the Revolution with online play (most likely), but Super Mario Strikers and Mario Baseball is most likely it for the Cube. Whether or not there are handheld releases is another story, however, but nothing has been announced.
Jeff: We must not be doing that well of a job if you didnt even know more Mario Sports games are on the way. There are too many sports left that Mario hasnt been in for Nintendo to contemplate stopping the gears on that cash cow. As for Paper Mario, well its hard to say. The good news is that Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door has already outsold its N64 predecessor in North America. So theres definitely a strong chance youll see Mario back in paper form in the future.
Karaoke Revolution Party!
Hey Jeff & Travis
Its me, Blakepro again
I just wanted to say that you guys did a great job covering E3. I also liked the recent Rumor Mill (I had no idea my Rumor would be included though! [Karaoke Revolution])
Im sure you noticed that Konami announced that Karaoke Revolution IS coming to the Cube with the new Karaoke Revolution Party game RUMOR CONFIRMED! ;-) (Oh, and by the way I never speculated that it would be Karaoke Revolution With Mario I was simply saying that I thought KR would be coming to the Cube. But thats okay.)
Im actually relieved that KRP is not a With Mario game I am hoping to be able to get friends and other couples that normally wouldnt be willing to play video games to gain an interest in KR, and I think Mario might hinder it a little (Dont get me wrong, I love the Mario franchise, but he can be a little embarrassing some times. Being married and in my mid 20s I think that if I said to one of my non-gamer friends: Hey check out this cool karaoke game! Its allot of fun But as they look at the box, or as it boots up, they see this fat plumber with all the mushroom kingdom characters running around with bright colors and everything, they might turn their nose up to it It might be the best game in the world, but the look of it could give the impression that Oh, this game is for little kids I cant play that, I would feel stupid playing a kids game They treat it like its a Elmos ABC learning fun game or something
I think serious gamers can often look past the image of a game, and discover a really fantastic game. But, I think casual and non-gamers often judge games by the way they look and dont even give them a chance Karaoke Revolution is a game that can appeal to ANYONE Gamer, non gamer, It doesnt matter. There are no complicated controllers to worry about. All you do is try to sing. (Of course there is the new somewhat complicated dance mode too, but you dont have to play it that way if you dont want to) It appeals to everyone. You can take it to a group of people with no experience of video games and it grabs their attention They want to try it IT LOOKS FUN I am personally excited to see how people react to this game, and Im excited to share it with non/casual gamers. So, my question (Yes, I know that kind of turned out to be a rant Thanks for listening..er reading)
Do you think Karaoke Revolution Party would sell better or worse on Nintendos Console if it were a With Mario title?
I sure hope the game sells well, because it really deserves allot of attention, and Konami/Harmonix is taking a risk putting it into a untested Nintendo market I dont necessarily think that I single handedly persuaded them to bring this game to the Cube, but I do like to think that my letters may have helped give them a push in the right direction.
Anyway, As always, I appreciate your time, and I think your site is great Keep up the great work
Thanks,
- Blakepro
Oh, uh.. P.S. Did you guys ever play Time Splitters: Future Perfect? I would be interested to hear what you thought of it.. J Thanks!
Jeff: Good to hear from you again Blake. I was very happy to find out that Karaoke Revolution Party was coming to GameCube as well. Your sleuthing skills are unmatched by any other reader Ive heard from yet. I cant wait to hear your next big tip. Haha. But seriously, good call on that one.
Im almost positive that a Karaoke Revolution with Mario would outsell the regular edition. Im not so sure about the margin, but it would happen. Its kind of sad that owners of Nintendo consoles seem to purchase less and less titles that dont feature Mario, Pikachu, or Link. There are a lot of great games that get glossed over because of it. Its a trend that is both good and bad for Nintendo. Good because Nintendo is a software publisher as well, but bad because its systems see less third party support and dont see much of certain genres like sports and RPGs.
Anyway, yeah I did finally get a chance to play TimeSplitters 3 and talked about it in the last mailbag. =)
Two Revolution Questions
I have a couple of questions that no one seems to be asking about the revolution.
1. If nintendo is so afraid of the opponent stealing their revolutionary controller idea, then what makes them think that sony & m$ won't steal the controller idea soon after the revolutionary controller is shown? If it's such a great idea, then sony would definitely create a new controller or peripheral to take advantage of it. In which case, why not just buy a more powerful ps3 console (with the numerous 3rd party support) and wait for them to steal the revolutionary idea?
2. If the rumble pack is any indication of how revolutionary this controller is, i don't see it as a selling point for the revolution. I mean, what can they possibly do to a controller to attract new audience. Would a gyroscope really make u want to buy a console? Would u look at some new controller (no matter how brilliant) and say wow i have to buy that console?
- idgaf
Travis: Lets be fair. Nintendo is probably more concerned with the idea getting stolen and put out for everyone before it even perfects and releases its own system. The company knows that no matter what it does, someone will replicate the idea with reverse engineering somewhere down the line. Nintendo just needs to make sure that its first.
I have no clue what the Revolution has up its sleeve to bring on its namesake. Truly, I do see a revolution already in terms of policy with allowing developers to make games for a cheaper amount so that we can get more creativity in the market in a world that cant get a game published unless they have a deal with Electronic Arts. However, we know that isnt what the revolution is. I can say, though, that Im 99% positive well get something more exciting than the equivalent of the rumble pack.
Removing the Sticky Stuff
Hello once again Jeff, Travis and whomever,
I got a question about the stickers that game stores often put on the game case. Today, my brother got a new copy of Tales of Symphonia for $20 thanks to the price drop a couple of hours ago. Anyway, my brother got the copy with a big, fat yellow sticker with the price on it. The problem is that my brother tried peeling off the sticker only to have a ton of that white fuzzy stuff left over from it which really annoys me. This happened with the copy of Disgaea: Hour of Darkness I got from Gamestop as well, and this whole "sticky stuff" ordeal is really irking me off. So, my question for the week is:
Is there an effective way to remove the sticky stuff from the game case without damaging it?
- Carlito C.
P.S. I don't use water.
P.P.S. When is the Electric Blue DS coming out? Nintendo said this month, but they didn't give a specific date.
Jeff: Hmm. Two good questions and I have nary a good answer to either of them. Most games I purchase seem to have plastic wrapped over them, so the sticker doesnt touch the actual game casing. I do know exactly what youre talking about as Ive had that annoyance with CDs from time to time, but Ive never actually tried any products to remove the sticky mess.
I did a little research though, and saw a few recommendations for a product called Goo Gone, which can be found at stores like Wal-Mart, etc. Apparently some people have had luck with that. You basically apply some of it to the spot with a Q-Tip, let it sit for a bit, and then wipe it off. Probably costs about three or four dollars. Its supposedly good for removing price stickers and the like. I also heard that butter or margarine works from somewhere, but Im not holding my breath on that one. Cory told me that lighter fluid works for him and to put it on a cloth and rub it off. If you do purchase it or figure out your own method, let me know how it all turns out. =)
Oh, and as for the DS, Im not sure. Im betting its already in stores. Haha. All I could find was the same vague June release date as you. Ill check out some local stores tomorrow and see if they are carrying it.
Games Arent as Fun Anymore?
So I find it so hard to think of things to ask now that E3 is over. So some people were not happy the way N showed the Rev but hey lets face it I think will all be diggin it by the end of the year. I also agree with them on the graphics thing. I find myself playing old nes, snes games because I think that there more fun or just hold that nostalgia of when I was a kid. So either way I can barely play any of today's games with out losing interest halfway threw them. So maybe I'm just old or maybe that all these games are are just rehashes of old games with just better graphics. They seem new with a new coat of paint but underneath it's the same old shite. What do you guys think? I hope that the big N can change the way we play games from here on out because now even with all this emphasis on graphics I feel that video games are turning to a big mess of repetitiveness. Oh and thanks for the trip to E3. Even though I lost a limb and the Doctor said I might never be able to shite threw my anus again I think it was worth it. Oh and a shout out to those nice Russian men who managed to take me to a hospital after finding me in a suitcase. Though they said that I owe them and something about a dirty Sanchez and reach arounds. Oh well they are nice so I set an appointment to meet these nice fellows next week and then I'll find out what is this Sanchez that they say is great. See ya guys. :)
Sincerely,
- Jeremy Tafoya
Travis: Youre not just getting older. Gaming today suffers from expensive production that keeps anyone not rehashing a sure thing title in the red unless it pays off. There is still creativity out there, its just a bit more rare these days.
And whats wrong with you? You cant trust the Russians. Clearly they have brainwashed you. How can I even trust you?
Jeff: Well, I would like to clarify one thing. Its not that games are worse today than they were in the 2D era. Comparatively speaking, Id say that there are many more playable and semi decent games today than there were in the late 80s and early 90s. Back then, there were many games that were so bad that they were completely unplayable. Today that number is fewer. There seems to be a much broader understanding of what makes a game playable throughout the development and publishing community. The problem is that today games seem to be much more generic and unoriginal at the same time. There are much fewer standout games and those that do, stand out for the wrong reasons. Due to the inherent rising costs of game development today, this is a natural phenomenon.
Over the last few years, Ive both found myself playing games more and playing them less at the same time. Sometimes its almost as if Im running through the motions. Honestly, Im willing to bet it also has a good deal to do with how long Ive been playing games. Even many Nintendo games this generation just havent done it for me. So perhaps part of the problem is me. I really dont know. This is why I really hope Nintendo goes out on a limb and invests in some new franchises and totally new game ideas, as it seems to be doing. I think the industry needs to be shaken, not stirred.
Accusations against IGNcubes Matt
To the bumbling staff at N-Sider,
Hey N-Sider, I'm assuming the Q&A is in need of some love. Although you may not be able to answer this question, I will ask anyway; does anyone else think that Matt from IGN does next to nothing? Aside from his one or two editorials and a paragraph for news (which he ussualy just copies and paste from somewhere else), what does he do? He has an entire week for work and its as if he gets nothing done. Maybe I'm just unjustly hating on him. I don't have anything against the guy.
From,
Your number one most ubber poster in the history of foruming,
Yes, I did say "ubber." "Hella" would have worked too.
- Emmanuel "Serge" Cruz
Travis: I dont always agree with Matts view on things and sometimes he really makes me want to boot up Perfect Dark so I can shoot him in the face, but I certainly wouldnt say he does nothing. He ticks fanboys off too often to not be doing something. Hes got someone else that works with him on IGNcube as well so it could just be possible youre seeing all of that persons work by chance.
Jeff: Hey now. Thats kind of mean. I dont envy Matts job. I think it seems like a very stressful and strenuous position to have. Sure he posts news, but he also has to play nearly every GameCube game, write reviews for all of those games, help out with the DS channel from time to time, and secure other opportunities for content. IGN has to have a cover story every single weekday. Thats a lot of pressure. So as much as Id love to come down on him, I dont think Id like having his job.
More Donkey Kong Please!
Hello my n-sider friends.
i was wondering if there is any word on the release of donkey konga 3? I have to say that i love the dnokey drum series but i didnt purchuse the last volume because the playlist of "top 40" covers just didn't do it for me.
Oh! and is there any word on a Sequal to Jungle beat?? i have to say that has been one of the funnest games i've played in years!! If you own a gamecube you should really go out and buy it!!
thnks for the great site!
- Ali I.
Jeff: Donkey Konga 3 has been out in Japan since March. Im not really sure when the third Konga game will hit North American shelves. If I had to guess, Id say that it will probably arrive around the holiday season (next March at the very latest). I sincerely hope we get a sequel to Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat though, as it is one of my favorite games in a long while. Maybe one of these days Ill actually post up the editorial I wrote on it a few months ago, since NONE OF YOU are buying the game!
Revolution Letter of the Week
Nintendo stated that the Revolution will be 2-3 times more powerful then the Gamecube. Alright, I was defending that we may not even be able to tell the differance between x360/Rev. graphic wise. Then I read this on a message board: "The Nintendo Revolution is supposed to be 2-3 times as powerful as the GameCube. Does anything seem fishy to you people? Even if IBM and ATi contributed their lower end, bottom of the barrel processors and graphics chips, it would still be more powerful than three times the Gamecube.I mean, theoretically, even if IBM used their slowest clocked G5 processor in the Revolution (1.6 Ghz G5 currently being phased out of the Powermacs), it would still run circles aroun the G3-based Gecko processor in the Gamecube. And it would be a massacre. Maybe 5 or six times faster. That's just the processor. Let's also theoretically imagine that ATi used their lowest powered graphics solution for the Rev (I'm saying this just for the sake of making a point). Their lowest end part would still be way more powerful than the Flipper in the GC.
It's silly to think that IBM and ATi would use lower performing parts for a partner that has sold 10 million + units for them the past generation. If for any reason, the use of old technology is nullified because of the fact that old technology is often more expensive than the newer ones. As newer silicon is taped out, it becomes cheaper to produce something with a smaller nanometer process than an older, larger nanometer process. This is true of most x86 processor manufactureres today as they are going from 90nm to 65nm, which helps them create more chips per wafer, therefore more profit per wafer."
The rest of the post goes into a bunch of crazy stuff, like IGN is being controlled by Nintendo (which I doubt), but he has a point here, does he not? Even take a look at yhour own Revolution FAQ: https://www.nsidr.com/articleview.php?articleid=344: "(Revolution)...will allegedly feature a 2.7GHz PowerPC G5 processor, 512MBs of RAM, and a 600MHz graphics chip." Now I didn't go with system two, because honestly, it's not real. Nintendo announced the Rev will have 512MB of RAM (correct?). And although I have heard a slightly differant processor (2.5GHz with four cores, IBM G5 PowerPC), it doesn't really make a differance. Both of these will 'run cicles' around the Gamecube, correct? And like the poster said in his first paragraph, even the lower-end of IBM and ATi's chips are way more powerful then the GCN. So the 2-3 times more powerful then GCN doesn't make sense. What I think Nintendo is doing is not being a Sony -- meaning, under-hyping the Revolution's specs, so when all the chips are finalized, Nintendo can tell us what the system can do in real-time ( Shigeru Miyamoto said that Nintendos is waiting to reveal the Rev's specs until they are finished, heres the link: http://cube.ign.com/articles/617/617000p1.html, and here is the quote, "We could throw out a bunch of numbers, too, but what we're going to do is wait until our chips are done and we're going to find out how everything in the game is running, what its peak performance is, and those are the numbers that we're going to release because those are the numbers that really count.") So, heres my question: Is what this guy saying make sense? Is it possible that Nintendo under-hyped its console? And what are possible reason for this, besides the one I mentioned?
Thanks.
- Allen
Jeff: People say that a system is 6 to 10 times as powerful as its predecessor and I just dont get it. What does that tell me? Does that mean games will be 10 times as good or look 10 times as real? No. It isnt anything like that. In all honesty, I firmly believe that Revolution will be graphically comparable to the other two systems. Nintendo has no track record to say otherwise. It may be a bit weaker, who knows. In the end, it wont really matter. I really hope that Nintendo doesnt skimp out on RAM, but thats about it. Its a waiting game for me. The generations ahead are going to be less about graphics and more about games and gameplay. Whoever has the games gets the prize.
I dont mean to dismiss your points though, as you raise a few interesting ones. I dont think Nintendo is under-hyping its console so much as trying to build hype around aspects of Revolution that arent related to a spec sheet. The company is innovating in several ways and would like the focus of the media to be on that subject instead of just the dull and almost meaningless spec sheets that are so frequently rattled off as if they are actually going to redefine anything.