E3 and so forth

In case you havent noticed, no one is updating their game news lately. Well the other guys NEVER update but me and cali have been reading a ton of stuff from e3..well at least i have. Anyway a small site like us doesnt really need to spew forth other sites' info and impressions so i suggest clicking on one of the above links for your E3 fix :)

..:: posted by hybrid on Wednesday, May 22 ::..

Nintendo confirms Online Plans

Official Nintendo Press release down below. Everyone else just copies and pastes these things, why not us?

Nintendo Reveals Online Gaming Plans
Modem And Broadband Adapters To Launch This Fall
REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 13, 2002--Nintendo of America Inc. unveiled plans for its online gaming initiative for NINTENDO GAMECUBE(TM), slated to begin this fall.

The first announced product is Sega's Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II launching this fall in North America. Sega's game will be playable at the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) starting May 22 in Los Angeles.

Nintendo's network strategy is built on the philosophy that online will be most successful if the game play is extremely compelling and highly affordable. To match this philosophy, Nintendo's initiative consists of a flexible development program, favorable publisher business model, and support for all consumers whether the player connects by modem (narrowband) or broadband.

"Nintendo is known for great gaming and our first priority is to continue that legacy, " explains Satoru Iwata, director, corporate planning, Nintendo Co. Ltd. "Game content developed with that sole mission will enhance the joy of video gaming."

"The profitable part of the online business is very likely several years away. Entering the business because it's the hot topic of the day doesn't make a profitable business nor satisfied customers," Iwata adds. "That's why it will be a part of Nintendo's strategy, not the mainstay, as other companies are attempting to do. There still are too many barriers for any company to greatly depend on it."

Nintendo currently is making software development kits available to developers worldwide. It will begin selling both the NINTENDO GAMECUBE v.90 Modem Adapter and the NINTENDO GAMECUBE Broadband Adapter this fall at retail for an MSRP of $34.95 each.

"We understand the strong appeal of online gaming to a select group of video game players, and indeed, it's one way to increase their satisfaction in exploring new types gaming," says Peter MacDougall, executive vice president, sales and marketing, Nintendo of America Inc. "To make online more appealing to the rest of the game-playing population, we're taking concrete steps to aid our development partners in overcoming some of the inherent technical and financial obstacles to successful online games."

As part of an incentive to publishers, Nintendo will not require royalty fees from revenue generated by a publisher's game played online through the NINTENDO GAMECUBE. Nintendo is in discussions worldwide with a large number of world-class developers about online projects. The intent of the low-risk model is to encourage developers to consider new genres of games for online play. Several of Nintendo's internal development groups also are researching online projects, but none will be demonstrated or discussed at this year's E3.

As the worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co. Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home video game systems. The systems include Game Boy®, Nintendo® 64, Game Boy Advance and NINTENDO GAMECUBE. Since the release of its first home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.4 billion video games worldwide, creating enduring industry icons such as Mario(TM) and Donkey Kong® and launching such franchises as Zelda(TM) and Pokemon®. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere.

..:: posted by hybrid on Monday, May 13 ::..

GC net bound sooner then expected?

May 13, 2002 - After months of silence, Nintendo has finally revealed its plans for bringing GameCube online as soon as the end of 2002. Initial plans call for the release of the v.90 Modem Adapter and Broadband Adapter this fall, both with a retail price of $34.95. Perhaps pushed by the pioneer of home console gaming, Sega, the first product to support the service will be Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II, presumed to be scheduled for a year's end release. Sega was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.


Currently Nintendo's is already taking an active role in getting developers to support GameCube's online plans and is making software development kits available to developers worldwide. It is further in discussions internationally with "world-class" developers about its online projects. As an added incentive, publishers will not be required to pay any sort of royalty fees from revenue generated by their online GameCube software. The goal is to bring a low-risk online model to the table, thus encouraging more projects

Source: IGNCube.


Check the link for more info.

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by calilove on Monday, May 13 ::..

Medal of Honor on ANOTHER Nintendo system

That system? Gamecube. Yes we all [should] know that Medal of Honor was confirmed for GBA quite some time ago, but today EA told igncube that Frontline, the PS2 port, will also be coming to GC. "Electronic Arts confirmed to IGNcube this evening that a version of Medal of Honor: Frontline is underway for Nintendo's next-generation console. The company would offer no details in regards to the version, but it is expected to be a replica of the forthcoming PS2 game." I'd give you a link to the news but that's all you really need to know. However, if you wish to learn about the game, I suggest looking it up on a PS2 site :).

..:: posted by hybrid on Friday, May 10 ::..

First Sega, Now Namco!

Earlier this week, Nbrid reported about a rumor that Namco might be making the next Star Fox game (in fact it's the news story right below this one). Today Namco and Nintendo made it official. A real sequel to the N64 Star Fox is on its way, not only that, but Namco has backed Nintendo even more with a few other top notch games, check out the link below!

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by calilove on Wednesday, May 8 ::..

A true Starfox shooter from the arcade masters

Insiders out of Japan allege that the Namco is currently working jointly with Nintendo on a brand new Star Fox title for GameCube. The new project, underway for a short period already, is said to be a straight 3D shooter "in the traditional style of the series." The title is in development on Nintendo's Triforce arcade hardware, according to sources. No other concrete details about the game are available at this time.

Source: IGN

It seems like Nintendo is friendlier than people assume with 3rd parties. Working with Sega on a triforce compatible F-zero game and it also appears they are working with Capcom on another joint project but right now it is unknown which platform it will be on (GC or GBA duh).

..:: posted by hybrid on Monday, May 6 ::..

M rated + No ID = Outta luck?

US Representative Joe Baca, D-California, introduced a bill in Congress last week that would make it a federal crime to sell or rent violent video games to minors. The Protect Children from Video Game Sex and Violence Act of 2002 would apply to games that feature decapitation, amputation, killing of humans with lethal weapons or through hand-to-hand combat, rape, carjackings, aggravated assault, and other violent felonies. Twenty-one other representatives cosponsored the bill, which was referred to the House Judiciary Committee.


Violators of the act would be subject to fines of up to $1,000 for a first offense and up to $5,000, plus 90 days in jail, for multiple offenses.

Keep in mind this bill hasn't been passed yet, however, I see this being passed very shortly with the stance the government has taken on gaming violence. With 4 days till my 18th b-day I'm not stressing much over this, however if this is passed, I feel the youngin's pain.

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by calilove on Monday, May 6 ::..

Revealing Pamphlet

Nintendo is about to release a new promotional pamphlet to the masses, most likely after E3. However, someone has obtained one of these said pamphlets and it is very revealing. Click the link to find a place where you can look at 5 of the many offered pictures. They include a slightly altered face of Link, and many new, yet blurry screenshots of confirmed games. Some screens not yet seen are Mario Party 4 (ditching that lame storybook look from MP3), 1080: White Storm (going for a "storm" series are we?), and the surprising Wario World which appears to be either an original platform or possibly a puzzle game. Click the link for the tidbits of info revealed in the pamphlet and wait in dire anticipation for this year's E3.

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by hybrid on Friday, May 3 ::..

Nintendo buys out Retro Studios!

Today Nintendo bought Dallas, Texas based developer Retro Studios, now a wholly owned subsidiary(the team behind the new Metriod game). Nintendo purchased the remaining 55 million shares for a sum of $1 million. Previously Nintendo owned 15 million shares, a 21.4% stake in the company, "Nintendo has become the majority owner of Retro Studios by purchasing shares from now former owner Jeff Spangenberg. Spangenberg desired to pursue other business interests, and opportunity to become majority owner made itself available. Nintendo's belief in the talent of the company's 40-member development team and their excellent work on Metroid Prime, to be released later this year, led to this decision.We look forward to our continued work with the team."


Check the link for the source.

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by calilove on Thursday, May 2 ::..

Super Monkey Balls and then some

Super Monkey Ball 2 is coming to GC and I'm here to give you the meat of what you need to know. All the original 6 mini games are back (race, fight, target, bowling, golf, billiards) but now in revamped form. Now add to that 6 NEW mini games and you've got what aspires to be the greatest party game of all time. The 6 new games are Monkey Boat Race, Monkey Shot, Monkey Dog Fight, Monkey Tennis, Monkey Baseball, and Monkey Soccer. The standard gameplay is still intact but the levels are much more detailed as are the graphics a little smoother. Check back for more info around E3 or click the link for the full preview at IGN.

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by hybrid on Wednesday, May 1 ::..

The Need for Speed

No, Im not talking about that episode of Family Ties where Michael J. Fox experiments with drugs to get more school work done; EA is bringing the next installment of their Need For Speed series to all platforms. Hot Pursuit 2 capitalizes on the success of the first Hot Pursuit game (and shows that racing Porches can be pretty boring). The GC, XBox, and PC versions will feature a mode called "Top Cop" in which the player gets to be the cop. As a highway patrolman, players chase down speeding miscreants and compete in over 30 events. Completing the 30-plus events in Hot Pursuit and Championship modes unlock new cars, tracks, and upgrades. The reason the PS2 version does not include this mode is because its version is being developed by Black Box, while the rest will be handled by EA Seattle. It will be interesting to see the differences in the 2 versions.

..:: posted by hybrid on Friday, April 26 ::..

Resident Evil Playable @ E3

I'm pasting and copying this directly from IGN:


April 25, 2002 - Insiders have confirmed that Capcom Entertainment's Resident Evil 0 will be fully playable at the forthcoming Electronics Entertainment Expo, which kicks off this May in Los Angeles, California. The title is said to be very advanced in its development cycle.
Resident Evil 0, called Biohazard 0 in Japan, follows the exploits of Resident Evil side-character Rebecca Chambers and newcomer Billy Cohen as they travel through a zombie-infested train and into the dark surroundings of the locomotive. The third-person adventure uses Resident Evil remake-style high caliber pre-rendered backdrops and adds in a zapping system, which enables players to switch characters at will and drop items on the spot.

It is not yet known how many kiosks Capcom plans to make available to play Resident Evil 0 at E3, but the company has confirmed previously that the adventure is its "big game of the show," so with that in mind we expect it'll have a significant presence.

More as we head toward the anticipated event.




This is indeed very good news for GameCube owners.

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by calilove on Friday, April 26 ::..

Nintendo announces a price cut in Europe for launch

Following Microsoft's price cut for the Xbox, Nintendo has announced that the Nintendo GameCube will launch across Europe on May 3 at a recommended retail price of 199 euros ($175) instead of the original price of 249 euros ($220). "Europe is a very important market for Nintendo and we are committed to making it a success," said David Gosen, managing director of Nintendo Europe. "On May 3 we will launch the only dedicated games console, the Nintendo GameCube, with an excellent software lineup, both for launch and throughout 2002, at a very competitive price. This is a very strong offer for consumers and one that we believe will ensure Nintendo's success across Europe."

[Click the article link below for the entire press release.]

A good move it is indeed, but Nintendo has a long way to go still to capture the European market. More rally and racing games wouldn't hurt as they seem to be very scarce even at this early stage of the Gamecube life span in the US and Japanese markets, but one business mark that Nintendo has to accomplish to get a living chance in Europe.

[Thanks to AP33ME for this post.]

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by bonestormer on Monday, April 22 ::..

Zelda, Mario, and Metriod oh my!

The first link is to an article on GamingWorldX reveling Metriods story, check out the story here: http://www.gamingworldx.com/news/ThebasicplotlineforMetroid.html

The second bit of info is on a new, newer Mario and Zelda game.....maybe the new game is Mario X (a wierd game found on Nintendo's site, but the page was blank.)

heres the link to the second story: http://cube.ign.com/articles/357/357694p1.html

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by calilove on Friday, April 19 ::..

Star Wars? Thems fightin words!

LucasArts, working with the developer Totally Games (the coolest name for a developer since From Software) plans to bring an all-new World War II flight combat game. Its inspiration comes from Secret Weapons of Lufftwaffe. Other games Totally Games has brought us have been X-Wing Alliance and TIE Fighter. The game will pits players in the cockpits of WWII aircraft and sends them out to engage in air-to-air and air-to-ground battle scenarios. A 2003 release is planned for all consoles and PC.

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by hybrid on Wednesday, April 17 ::..

College Football on GC, N64's shame still showing

For the first time in a long time, a Nintendo console will have a college football game. Today Sega announced the 2001 Heisman Trophy winner, Eric Crouch, will be the cover athlete for NCAA College Football 2K3. Of course it will be made by Visual Concepts. Crouch has contributed to the making of the game much like other cover athletes. The game is expected out this fall for all major consoles in time for the 2002 season.

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by hybrid on Friday, April 12 ::..

Capcom VS. SNK2 EO release

Capcom VS. SNK 2 EO will debut in Japan this July according to Famitsu. This port is a slight update on the original, plus it's on GameCube. A new control scheme has been utilized to better interact with the GCN controller.

..:: posted by hybrid on Wednesday, April 10 ::..

GameCube Q & A

A great collection of Nintendo questions. If you need the low down and latest GC news check out this Q & A page.

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by calilove on Tuesday, April 9 ::..

All known 3rd party games from now until this Fall

This info comes straight from Nintendo, but click the link to view it on Planetgamecube :). It also has 3rd party GBA games.

1ST QUARTER 2002

18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker - Acclaim
All Star Baseball 2003 - Acclaim
Bloody Roar Primal Fury - Activision
Dark Summit - THQ
Disney's Donald Duck Goin' Quackers - Ubi Soft
Driven - BAM!
ESPN International Winter Sports 2002 - Konami
ESPN MLS Extratime 2002 - Konami
Gauntlet Dark Legacy - Midway
James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire - EA
Jeremy McGrath Supercross - Acclaim
Home Run KING - Sega
NBA Street - EA
NFL Blitz 20-02 - Midway
Pac-man World 2 - Namco
Sega Sports: NBA 2K2 - Sega
Smashing Drive - Namco
Soccer Slam - Sega
Sonic 2 Adventure Battle - Sega
Spy Hunter - Midway

2ND QUARTER 2002

Burnout - Acclaim
EVO - Take Two
Evolution Worlds - Ubi Soft
Gravity Games BMX - Midway
Legends of Wrestling - Acclaim
Mafia - Take Two
MLB Slugfest - Midway
Rayman Arena - Ubi Soft
Red Card Soccer - Midway
Reign of Fire - BAM!
Resident Evil - Capcom
Shantae - Capcom
Smuggler's Run 2 - Take Two
Spider-man: The Movie Game - Activision
Top Gun: Combat Zones - Titus
Virtua Striker 3 - Sega
Worms Blast - Ubi Soft
Wrestlemania X8 - THQ
Zoo Cube - Acclaim

3RD QUARTER 2002

Acceleration - Xicat
Batman "Dark Tomorrow" - Kemco
Crash Bandicoot: Wrath Cortex - Universal
Cubix Arena - 3DO
Dragon's Lair - Encore
Extreme Downhill Mountain Biking - Acclaim
Gothic - Xicat
In-Line Skating - Acclaim
Mage - BAM!
Mary Kate & Ashley Tropical Trouble - Acclaim
Quarterback Club - Acclaim
Race of Champions - Activision
Resident Evil 2 - Capcom
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis - Capcom
Shade - Metro 3D
Top Angler - Xicat
Time Splitters 2 - Eidos
Turok Evolution - Acclaim
X-Men: Next Dimension - Activision

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by hybrid on Thursday, April 4 ::..

The next RE playable at E3

IGN's sources have indicated that Capcom will show off RE0 in playable form at this year's E3. Coupled with 4 of the finest Nintendo labels and some other decent 3rd party outings from Sega to Namco, E3 is not expected to dissapoint anyone this year. More as is breaks...

..:: posted by hybrid on Wednesday, April 3 ::..

More PSO sales info

Sonic Team has posted a quick Q&A concerning Phantasy Star Online Episodes I & II that addresses some of the hardware issues:

Q: Will the modem adapter be sold separately?
A: There are plans to sell it separately alongside the bundled sets.

Q: How much will the keyboard controller and modem adapter cost standalone?
A: At the present time prices have not yet been decided.

Q: Does the trial version support broadband?
A: At this time we are asking for your support on the trial version. It does not support broadband. Regarding broadband, we are still discussing it with Nintendo. Plans for the broadband adapter have not yet been finalized.

..:: posted by hybrid on Wednesday, April 3 ::..

7 new Mario Sunshine screens courtesy of the French

Even though Miyamoto says Sunshine isn't going to be a graphical powerhouse because of the living worlds Mario is exploring, you can tell that once this game is finished, it will look damn fine. Click on the big picture of Mario's head and when comparing that image with my "Change the System" poster, somehow Mario really does look a little more mature but retains that same image.

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by hybrid on Saturday, March 30 ::..

PSO info again...finally some light on the modem.

Phantasy Star Online will be avaliable in different bundle packages. The packages included.

Game and Modem: 9,800 yen (US$74)
Game, PSO keyboard, and modem: 16,600 yen (US$125)
Game, modem, and Nintendo GameCube system: 37,700 yen (US$284)
Game, PSO Keyboard, modem, and Nintendo GameCube system: 44,500 yen (US$335)
Phantasy Star Online Episode 1 & 2 will be released on a trial (beta?) basis from May 31st to June 30th. The final game should be out by the end of July. More information will be released at SEGA's GameJam 2 event tomorrow.

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by hybrid on Saturday, March 30 ::..

Mario Party and 1080 2 finish the year for Japan..

No need for a link, here's the news straight from the Nintendo press release:

The next installment in the wildly popular Mario Party® franchise will be released for NINTENDO GAMECUBE before the end of this year in Japan. Previous Mario Party titles topped best-seller lists in 2000 and 2001. In Japan, 1080° Snowboarding, another NINTENDO GAMECUBE exclusive, will debut this winter.

It is strongly rumored that 1080 2 is now being worked on by EAD (good thing).

..:: posted by hybrid on Saturday, March 30 ::..

Virtua Fighter to GC!

I knew that would pull you in. Yes Virtua Fighter is coming to GC...but not what you expect. It seems it’s a Virtua Fighter RPG type game. Not much more is known, but check out the link for more details on this late breaking announcement.

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by calilove on Saturday, March 30 ::..

F-Zero to the Triforce and GC.

Recently there have been a lot of remarks about Sega developing so many games for the Xbox. However today it was announced Sega will develop a new F-Zero game. The titles, tentatively called F-Zero AC for Triforce and F-Zero GC for GameCube, will be developed by Sega studio Amusement Vision and Nintendo respectively. Not much is known, but both games are expected to be released by the end of the year.

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by calilove on Thursday, March 28 ::..

Eternal Darkness Voices

The developers of Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem, Silicon Knights announced the voiceovers for the game characters. Here's the list.
Some of the people providing voices for Eternal Darkness


Michael Bell -- Voiced Raziel in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Earl Boen -- Voiced Colonel Sergei Gurlukovich in Metal Gear Solid 2
Cam Clarke - Voiced Liquid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 2
Neil Dickerson -- Dynasty, Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion
Richard Doyle -- Voiced Moebius in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Greg Eagles -- Metal Gear Solid 2
Paul Eiding -- Metal Gear Solid 2, Diablo II
Jennifer Hale -- Metal Gear Solid 2, Power Puff Girls
David Hayter -- Voiced Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 2
Bill Hootkins -- The Omega Code, The Island of Dr. Moreau
Kim Mai Guest -- Voiced Mei Ling in Metal Gear Solid 2
Phil Proctor -- Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, Monsters, Inc.
Rino Romano -- Voiced Spider-Man in Spider-Man 2 Enter: Electro
Neil Ross -- Voiced Han Solo in Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader
Paula Tiso -- No information available

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by calilove on Wednesday, March 27 ::..

Weather forecasts Sunshine on August 26, and more!

Nintendo today issued a press release with a number of interesting facts. Of most importance is that the next Mario game, Super Mario Sunshine, will debut August 26th (to help celebrate Mario's 21st birthday, which is the same age as MTV and Britney...). It also confirms that StarFox has been delayed until sometime this fall (no exact date given, or even a reason), but Eternal Darkness is still set for June 24th. On this same day Nintendo will launch 2 new items for your Gamecube. One is a MUCH needed larger memory card, a 251 block card for $20 (as opposed to the current 59 for $15); and the wireless GC controller Wavebird will finally ship for $40. So get ready! GC should have a whooping library of over 100 games by the end of September. Hopefully many more soon after with the "nearly 400 teams currently developing games for NINTENDO GAMECUBE" the release claims. (VGamin)

..:: posted by bonestormer on Monday, March 25 ::..

Godzilla Melee, Smash Bros clone?

Pipeworks Software is working on a Godzilla fighting game that seems to be in the lines of Smash Bros. To be published by Infogrames, Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee features roughly 14 monsters from the Godzilla universe and is located in numerous cities around the world. Up to four players can battle it out in destructable environments. Also the army will play a role in your battle with advanced weaponry to attack certain players. Click the link for more info and screenshots.

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by hybrid on Monday, March 25 ::..

Need more Memory?

InterAct has just released their Mega Memory 16x card for GameCube. This new card is a great solution to Nintendo's card 59. Interact's card preformed well, and was equal to Nintendo's own card in terms of speed. The card is 16x the size of Nintendo's Card 59 (8MB of solid-state memory), and is very affordable at a suggested retail price of $29.99. Expect to see this card in stores very soon.

..:: article link ::.. ..:: posted by calilove on Sunday, March 24 ::..