N-Sider Q&A
Got a Question? Send it Pete Deol
April 10th, 2001
Hello every one at n-sider! Do you know when nintendo will send people a video showing off GAMECUBE and it's games? I remember getting a video from nintendo power showing off N64 and its games. Also do you now anything more about smash bros. 2 for the cube? Thanks for answering!
-bc
Pete: Well *if* Nintendo sends out some kind of promotional video and/or DVD for the GameCube, we're guessing it would be in mid-September or early October. Nintendo generally does not send that kind of stuff out months in advance (although I think I remember a small Killer Instinct teaser at the end of the Donkey Kong Country video). We don't know anything more about a Smash Bros. sequel, except that its highly rumored and very likely to end up on the GameCube.
Why would rare want to do a sequel to "Conker's bad fur day" if those its high expectations met with misserable results at the cash register?
-LumeX
Pete: I'd have to say Rare might pass on Conker's Other Bay Fur Day after evaluating sales of the original. Then again, Nintendo and Rare know better than anyone that Conker wasn't exactly released early enough in the N64's lifespan to garner the sales it probably deserved. They may take that into consideration. Look at Sega -- they are readying a sequel to Jet Set Radio, even though the original didn't take off. Some companies understand it takes time and/or proper circumstance to "brand build" a franchise.
is madden 2001 or 2002 confirmed for gamecube and if it is will it be a launch title?
Jimmy K.
Pete: According to IGN's sources and other sources that we've linked to at EA, Madden NFL 2002 is indeed coming to the GameCube and will likely be a launch game. Whether EA makes it a full blown 2002 edition on the GameCube or they farm out the game and reuse the PS2 Madden 2001 engine with updated 2002 rosters is up in the air at the moment.
is square supporting nintendo pleez say yes
-F. Nguyen
Pete: I'd love to say yes, but right now it doesn't look like that's in the cards. We know Squaresoft wants to make Game Boy Advance titles, but we've really heard nothing on the Square/Nintendo situation since January.
I really want all those 2d capcom fighting and arcade shooters like Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Gigawing3 games on GCN. Do you think Capcom will suport GCN like Dreamcast?
-Odeh
Pete: I believe so, yes. I expect Capcom to be a big early supporter of the GameCube. Should be interesting to see how their 2D fighters work on the standard GameCube pad (you might want to think about splurging for a full blown arcade joystick).
I noticed that Tendobox has posted a story saying that Nintendo plans to announce 6 new N64 games within the next two months. Also, the May 2001 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly featured an interview with George Harrison, Nintendo's Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications. In the interview, when asked about N64 releases, Harrison said that they planned on continuing the one-title-a-month release for the N64 and that they would have to be very "creative" for the last new N64 games. He also said to expect announcements about these games in April or at E3. So, what do you think the games might be? Sin and Punishment? More puzzle games? How many new titles do you think there will be?
-Rick G.
Pete: Well this isn't a NGC/GBA specific question, but I'll field it anyway. I really, really hope Nintendo will bring over Animal Forest, Custom Robo V2, and Sin & Punishment. Even if these games only manage 100,000 copies of sales each, I think it would be a nice gesture to the N64 faithful and let the system go out with a bang with some really high-quality titles. It's just too bad Nintendo couldn't get games like this out earlier in the N64's lifespan.
What games do you think Nintendo will debut at E3?
-Felipe G.
Pete: It's almost impossible to say. Miyamoto did say internally they were working on something like 7 titles. Nintendo is sometimes stingy about how many games they make playable, so I think you'll see anywhere from 8-12 playable games at Nintendo's own booth. A lot of other titles will likely be on video tape. I suspect even if Nintendo could have more playable games on display, they'll want to focus on the most impressive or most complete titles.
Ok I know that in Japan and China it may be easy to sell Kiddy stuff to teens but in North America the most populary games are games like Quake and Rainbow 6! Now I know Nintendo can win the Next-gen wars hands down but they need (and i can't stress this enough) games like Perfect Dark! I personaly don't own any FPS for n64 because I have basic graphicaly requirements for me to buy a FPS! and PD was little short of it!
Another thing! Do you think Nintendo GameCube could have online rpg's??? the main reason I am going to buy a ps2 after it drops in price is because of square! i nkow lots of people that are doing that too! and do you think Nintendo might go with a more kool Mario?? i've heard that he'll be more buff!
-Ty
Pete: Well, expect a lot more "cool" games like Too Human and possibly Thornado from Nintendo's library this time around. A new first-person-shooter from Rare (rumored to be After Dark), is almost a shoe-in as well. As for an online RPG, well there are those rumblings that Sonic Team and EAD are working on some kind of game together.
Given Sonic Team's online experience with Chu Chu Rocket and Phantasy Star Online, it's possible that if such a game really exists, it could have online play. Retro Studios is working on a fantasy based RPG for the GameCube as well, which is supposed to be an online title. And, yeah, we've heard Mario's been working out lately to get in shape for the GameCube ;).
What are the chances for Golden Sun at U.S. GBA launch?
-KPE
Pete: Pretty low, I would think. The Japanese version is supposed to be wrapping up soon, but given the translation process and NOA's US schedule, you probably will not see this one at launch.
Do you feel that Nintendo's first and second party support will set them apart from Microsoft and Sony? Even though they both have strong third party support, I feel that they won't have the exclusive titles for their game consoles. If Nintendo could prove that it has a system geared towards older and younger gamers, then they would have good third party support, and have their great first and second party games which set them away from the rest.
-IceL
Pete: I think a lot of 2nd parties that Nintendo invested in late in the N64's lifespan will definitely "blow up" on the GameCube. I think by 2002 people will look at studios like NST, Silicon Knights, Camelot, and hopefully Factor 5 as real prime-time developers that create incredible killer-apps. These companies will unquestionably be key for Nintendo in developing a *diverse* catalog of exclusive software.
Hi!
First off, great site! No really...GREAT site!
Okidokie... It seems that it has been pretty much settled that the "Indigo" coloured US GBA is just a more "gaijin" friendly name for purple. But according to dictionary.com, indigo = "A kind of deep blue, one of the seven prismatic colors." (which to me, is NOT a Grimace coloured purple) AND according to the screenshots from amazon.com's GBA site *, they picture the "indigo" coloured GBA as a bright blue/purple instead of the Japanese purple GBA. * =
Is the amazon.com's box art just plain wrong, or am I simply clueless?
with thanks, Adrian
ps. I hope the Aus coloured GBA includes a lime green...mmm...limey...
Pete: Well that picture on Amazon.com certainly looks very blue (we're sure Sonic Team would love that color). But from what we understand, the "indigo" moniker probably just means purple. In certain kinds of lighting the purple GameCube and Game Boy Advance do appear to look a bit blue, so maybe that's why NOA decided to go with Indigo.
Hello! A while ago, I heard that Square was interested in developing games for GBA/NGC and that Hiroshi Yamauchi said that Square wasn`t allowed to develop games for Gamecube, why did he say that? And now when Sega is going to develop games for Nintendo, will there be a posibility that Phantasy star online will be developed for gamecube? And in which "month" do you think Gamecube will be released in europe?
-Thomas from Sweden.
Pete: Yamauchi said he had no interest in letting Square have a Game Boy Advance license. Why he said that is pretty much unknown, but the rough break-up between the two companies in 1996 probably has a lot to do with it. We expect to see a lot of Sonic Team titles on GameCube. Hopefully that will include Phantasy Star Online.
Sorry, first time writer. I've been a regular visitor of IGN lately, but lately they've been pissing me off. I was a regular ign64.ign.com visitor since the early Aaron days - long ago. Then, he was suddenly gone, like *Poof!*. No one even dares mention his name, and surely, no letters/Q&A's get posted mentioning his name.
Anyway, they haven't updated their reader input sections, N-Put (letters) and N-Query (Q&A), on ign64 since the dawn of Zelda: MM. Since then, I've picked up a Dreamcast. Well, dreamcast.ign.com hasn't updated thier release dates section since Feb 7 (I will say that Matt Cassamassina [sp?] and Fran Mirabella III have been very good updaters of thier release date sections). I mean... Half-Life DC is listed for a Mar. 10, 2001 release. Well, amazon.com doesn't seem to be getting their first copies before Apr. 30. That's just pure laziness, not following up on heavyweight titles like Half-Life and keeping the most accurate, up-to-date information possible on the game, or games as big as it.
Well now, even the Nintendo boys at IGN are slacking. They post next to no news and measly Q&A (no letters, mind you) these days. Sure, NGC (fuck GCN!) news is spread thin. But, even their Q&A's, like I said, suck now. They have like 5-6 questions and thats it. The last one, tonight's in fact, even had a guy asking why their Q&A's were so small lately, and Fran's response was that they had nothing to tell, basically. Well surely, more than 5 reasonable questions were asked of you. If it wouldn't be trouble for you (as in the IGN editors) to take all of your precious time away from NOT writing any news to read a few additional questions and write responses... I mean, I hope that's not too much trouble... It's completly pathetic!!!
Scott S.
Pete: Well, updating such sections, while fun, can really be time consuming. IGN does the best they can, believe me, and I think the boys over there do a really great job in getting the "money" news items first.
Well that's another round of N-Sider Q&A done. If you have questions for the next installment send them here.