Q&A Mailbag: 07-31-2005

N-Sider Q&A Mailbag
Column by Jeff Van Camp, Travis Woodside, James Burns

Edition: 07-31-2005

Only two weeks! Thats not TERRIBLE. Not good, but not too horribly late. Cut me some slack guys. Jeez. But anyway, I am pretty happy with the variety of letters we got this week. In any case, be sure to send your questions, criticisms, commentary, feedback, praise, or rants to qa@n-sider.com. The more good letters I get, the more motivated I am to publish the next edition!

In this edition, GTA takes some heat, people try and make fun of us, I try (desperately) to find new ways to insult N-Siders Brandon Daiker, someone hates me (Jeff) for backsassing his Zelda Voice ideas, people want to play Genesis on their Revolution, someone thinks 2D games are better than 3D, and MORE!

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Jeff: Hey Mark, glad to see you checked out some of the stories I linked to about the recent Grand Theft Auto fiasco. Its a very touchy subject, but the problem is that the minigame is within the original code of the game. Every copy of GTA: San Andreas had this minigame within it, just not unlocked for normal play. Whether or not you have to download a small patch to unlock it or not is irrelevant: its still there. The copy of GTA that the ESRB ratings board reviewed contained this hidden pornographic minigame. So the real problem is that Rockstar deceived the ratings board by keeping this content within the game code (and the developers DID know it was there) without showing it to the board.

The ESRB doesnt actually play the games through when they rate them. How it works is that game makers send in a very detailed description of what the game is about as well as video of selected scenes and portions of the game that are deemed most offensive. That information and footage is then reviewed by a team of raters. This entire system has, thus far, relied on the honesty of game developers and publishers to provide an accurate representation of the material within their games. By including this minigame in GTA and not informing the ESRB of that, Rockstar broke that trust and it will have repercussions for the industry.

The sad thing is that the ESRB rating system is actually applauded and hailed as the best entertainment ratings systems by the FTC. I am glad that Rockstar and Take Two will be hurting in their pocketbooks for this. Its not an issue of the content alone. Its an issue of deceit in an industry of self-regulation. It shouldnt be tolerated.

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Travis: Assuming this is true, I think its incredibly awesome. Thats what I think. I actually owned a Sega Genesis instead of a SNES back in the day (Im a heathen, I know) and would love access to the full library. Sega didnt have the major hits Nintendo did, but it still had some really good games. Its a shame theres no talk of Dreamcast games being apart of the service, however.

Jeff: Im with both of you; I think having Genesis (and possibly Master System) games would be awesome. However, I havent heard anything more than faint rumors about this. Id like to think that Nintendo and Sega would both be onboard with this and are talking right now, but my better judgment is rallying against that thought. Nevertheless, I am very certain that if Nintendo is successful with this idea and doesnt approach Sega, someone else will.

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Jeff: Ah, good to know. In any case, the bulk of my response was dedicated to debunking your entire letter. I wasnt nearly as concerned about its application to me. Still, I didnt make you Letter of the Week for nothing. As for the lack of mailbag updates, I blame Heart Containers Brandon Daiker. His genuine lackadaisical attitude is contagious! I just knew I had to get in on that action.

I recently caught up with Brandon at the N-Sider offices and asked him about life at N-Sider. He didnt really answer me, since he was on the phone with someone, but heres what he said anyway:

[talking on the phone] And I said, I don't care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Bill that if they move my desk one more time, then, then I'm, I'm quitting, I'm going to quit. And, and I told Don too, because they've moved my desk four times already this year, and I used to be over by the window, and I could see the squirrels, and they were merry, but then, they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn't bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it's not okay because if they take my stapler then I'll set the building on fire...

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Travis: Its certainly understandable to be concerned about the Revolutions release date when you see all of the Sony/Microsoft fans getting hyped about their consoles. Right now though it is best to keep faith in Nintendo. Last I heard Nintendo still maintained they would launch when their competition did. Obviously this will be after the release of the Xbox 360, but it can still launch around the same time as the PS3. Im actually reminded of the console launches of this generation. The PS2 was a year ahead of everyone (excluding the ill-fated Dreamcast, of course) and the GameCube launched almost simultaneously with the Xbox a year later. So really, you dont have too much to worry about. Nintendo, in my opinion, seems more on top of things than it did last time. Frankly, I think Microsoft is being hasty, launching ahead of everyone just because it worked out for the PS2 last time.

My current prediction is an August release for the Nintendo Revolution. I base this on pure instinct and not on any logical speculation whatsoever.

Jeff: I believe that Revolution will launch around November of 2006. The Xbox 360 will have been out for about a year by that time. But theres little anyone can do about that. Microsoft is determined to launch this year, cutting short the current console generation. Why? Because it isnt making money off of the Xbox. Irregardless, I think that the PlayStation 3 launch will mirror the PS2, with the system launching in Japan in early to mid 2006 and hitting North American shelves around November. Nintendo will probably launch the Revolution simultaneously in America and Japan. Unless Im way off on all of this, I really dont see the issue with Nintendo launching in late 2006. Truth be told, it isnt when they launch that will determine their success. Its what they do with that launch and the subsequent year.

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Jeff: Perhaps I came off a little harsh. The point I was trying to make is that you are melding two completely separate issues into one case. The issue of whether or not the Zelda series should ever have voices is not the same as whether or not you believe Nintendo can do those voices justice. If youd like to debate on whether or not Nintendo is capable of doing voice acting any justice, then fine, lets rumble. But if they cant do voices justice, I dont believe they can do some made up language any justice either. Being against Nintendos lack of skill in voice acting shouldnt impair your ability to either be for the idea of voice acting in a Zelda game (assuming its done right) or against it. Thats the point I was trying to make.

Travis: I think the voice of Toad in Super Mario games is good and/or fitting.

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Travis: I wholeheartedly agree with you. I had a long and steamy affair with the Kings Quest franchise years ago and would love it to return in some capacity. In fact, I just want a re-release of Grim Fandango for the DS. That would be swell. On the bright side, I think the as yet unreleased Trace Memory (seen below) will, at the very least, have some point-and-click adventure elements so you may want to keep an eye out for it.

Land HO!	Its a Sign!

Jeff: What I wouldnt give for a Nintendo DS Sam & Max adventure. Those were the days. Maybe a sequel to The Dig, Full Throttle, or another Monkey Island as well. One can only hope.

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Jeff: OMG. You are such a tool.

Travis: I dont know what made it more obvious, your misinformation or your poor grammar, but you are one misguided fellow. If you had looked over the N-Depth on Twilight Princess that Chris and I put together, you would know very well why the game is dark and how it has nothing to do with the fact that the graphical effect is now more realistic compared to The Wind Waker. Twilight Princess is dark because of what happens.

I can tell, though, that youre not one that listens to anybody else (unless theyre the friends that hold your peer pressure leash). I will say this much, however. While the mainstream gamers are after PlayStations and Xboxes, military shooters and murder simulators, they always stop and notice when Zelda returns. Why? Because they know that Zelda is business. You can even watch a channel like G4, which mostly caters to the mainstream gamer mindset, and when theyre done making fun of Nintendo they still pay attention when Zelda comes around.

Do some fact checking before you insult Nintendo. They may be in need of third-party support, among other things, but something they have always succeeded in doing is producing outstanding games. The reason Nintendo isnt dead is because their games sell so well. Metroid is intrigue, Zelda is adventure, Mario is fun. And that wont change any time soon.

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Jeff: It does look pretty, thats for sure. You are right; Nintendo does usually outsource its FMV (Full Motion Video) work. However, Ive been unable to figure out exactly who is responsible for the FMV in Fire Emblem. I wish I could help you more on that front. Perhaps well be able to find out more as the game comes closer to a North American release.

Do you know who made this?

As for your second question, I dont think Eiji Aonuma will be directing a movie anytime soon. There is a big difference between game and movie directing. Honestly, I dont see any Zelda movie happening for a while. Nintendo is always unpredictable, but I think it will enter the animated movie business very cautiously and strategically. The most important items on Nintendos agenda in the coming years are the Nintendo DS and Revolution. I can wait for a Zelda movie.

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Jeff: I like you, Kirk Johnston. You bring up some valid points. However, I respectfully disagree on a few fronts. Instead of answer though, Im handing the reigns to James. He can usually sum up my opinion much more eloquently than I could ever hope to.

James: You know, I often see people mention that they felt games generally became worse when they moved into three dimensions. In some ways I agree, but not entirely.

Obviously, a three dimensional game is fundamentally different to a two dimensional game. It's not just a visual upgrade; the basic foundations are very different. If you look at Super Mario 64, you can see that the structure of the game is totally different to its predecessors. Presumably, Nintendo struggled with this issue for quite a while. I know that Shigeru Miyamoto recently commented on the difficulty of introducing a 2D classic to the realm of 3D gaming. Where Mario and Zelda have generally made a strong transition (especially Zelda), other franchises haven't (including Sonic - and I'm a huge Sonic fan).

Do games generally have less polish now? I'm not so sure. It would have been much easier to polish up a 2D game, by its very nature (less staff required, shorter development time, less cost, simplicity relative to 3D games). But even then, don't forget that we saw a lot of garbage during the 8 and 16-bit days. I think people tend to look back on that time with rose-colored glasses, but they forget that, just like today's industry, there was a whole lot of rubbish floating around.

Still, I think quality has always been intrinsically linked to Nintendo's products. No matter what the era, I don't think Nintendo has ever really slouched when it came to quality. Of course, there are exceptions. But take a look at GameCube as an example - intelligent hardware design and generally very good games from Nintendo itself. Even Super Mario Sunshine, which disappointed a lot of people, was nonetheless a highly polished game. I think it was only received somewhat badly due to the incredibly high expectations. But I don't think there's any doubt that it was significantly better than most platformers out there at the time. In any case, I don't know if Nintendo is necessarily "re-focusing" on quality -- I think they've always been quality-focused, pretty much. But certainly, Twilight Princess seems to be an attempt to make up for the rushed latter part of The Wind Waker (the Triforce quest).

It's difficult to form a conclusion on this issue of whether or not games are significantly better or worse than they used to be, because in many ways it's simply impossible to make comparisons. You could say that games now are worse because they often have camera issues and clipping problems, but these issues were largely irrelevant in 2D games for obvious reasons (ie: not because of better design, but because of the nature of 2D games themselves). However, I like to think that games are always improving, even though we do get the copycats and the general glut of awful titles each year.

The only thing I particularly disagree with in your letter (and in many comments that I see) is the comparison to Apple. On a surface level, perhaps Apple is comparable to Nintendo. But generally, I see more contrasts than correlations. You could argue that both companies are committed to quality and simplicity -- I'd probably agree with you there. But Nintendo's products usually carry a mass-market price tag, whereas Apple's products generally tend to be quite pricey (including software). Bear in mind, I'm a happy customer of both Nintendo and Apple, but I've never quite grasped the frequent comparisons between the two companies, other than on a very thin surface level.