PGC,

Recently, Nintendo announced that three of their GBA games were going to be rereleased as "Player's Choice" games. I was wondering what the criteria was for a game to reach "Player's Choice." I know some games on the GCN have that label, but others, like SSBM do not have it when clearly its the most popular Gamecube game. With that said,my questions are; is there any chance Paper Mario: tTYD, Fire Emblem: PoR, or Pikmin 2 will reach the "Player's Choice" milestone, and what is the criteria for reaching that acknowledgement?

Thanks

Doug

I believe the primary factor for a game to be considered for Player's Choice status is to sell a million or more copies worldwide. This doesn't mean that any game reaching that mark will instantly become a Player's Choice game, though. For instance, if a title is still selling well at full price, the publisher would probably milk it until its sales started to sag. At that point it would be declared a cheap Player's Choice game, boosting sales again. All of the games in the GBA Player's Choice lineup passed a million a long time ago, but were only given the yellow stripe after the DS started to take over the handheld market. That is not a coincidence.

In stores, I've been noticing that a lot of GameCube PC games don't have that yellow border on their boxes, although the prices are right. The list of Player's Choice games at Nintendo.com should point you in the direction of games that are good and cheap. You will notice that SSBM is a PC game too, but unlike the rest it's priced at $30 (and is still selling).

Games that are coming out late in the GameCube's life, such as those you mentioned, will probably become PC games eventually. GC games will continue to sell for a while longer thanks to the backward compatibility of the Revolution. Nintendo can earmark the rest of their own games to be Player's Choice and continue selling them as long as people keep buying them.

I can't say for sure whether the E-Reader will fit in the new DS (though you folks expect it will), but the link plug is just a passthrough, and doesn't need to be connected. I have seen them opened up to show this, but you can also verify by connecting it to a GBA SP, where the plug sits atop the console.

-Andy

Yeah, the link port on the e-Reader isn't required for its operation. Regular GBA cartridges extend out of the bottom of the Lite, and that extra clearance should make enough room for the reader's link port pass-through port without it getting in the way.

hey you guys.i just wanted some help on the reasons why to buy or why not to buy naruto gekito ninja taissen 4 ,impot for the game cube.

thx,

leo

The answer to this depends on whether or not you care about following the American version of the TV show that's running on Cartoon Network. In Japan, the Naruto series is about 150 episodes ahead of the English version. Therefore, Taisen 4 has characters in it that won't be seen in the U.S. TV show for some time. That may spoil the series for you, so maybe you should just play them in order from the first game if you want to follow the story along. (The first game is out in America, and the second is coming later this year.)

On the other hand, Taisen 4 is the best of the lot. In fact, each of the games in the series was improved upon with every new release. If you want to get one Naruto game for the long haul, and you could care less about the story you haven't seen yet (or have already seen), that's the one for you. You might want to check out Lik-Sang if you decide to go for the import.

Any word on if/when Nintendo will get off it's collective ass and release Mac drivers for the USB wifi dongle?

-Ryan

From Nintendo? Probably never. The Nintendo Wi-fi dongle is just a re-branded Buffalo wireless USB adapter. That device is designed for Windows only, as is the Nintendo version. If you want to complain about the lack Mac drivers, try asking Buffalo for Mac support.

Hey guys. I love the site. Get ready, here is a DS question you HAVEN'T made clear before: did you notice that the DS Lite D-pad looks identical to the one on the revolution controller? It is possible this D-pad will feel and function like the Revo's, so briefly discussing your impressions with it would be helpful.

Always,

Greg

Now that I look at it, it appears the same D-Pad is used on the Game Boy Micro as well. Nintendo has used identical parts on multiple systems in the past (the D-Pad on the GC controller is exactly the same as the one on the original model GBA, for example), so I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the final Revolution hardware uses the DS Lite D-Pad. The size would be about right, because the controller is reported to be much smaller than pictures of it would suggest.

I did get to play around with a Lite at work for a little bit, and while I do prefer the standard DS model's clicky buttons, the smaller, squishier D-Pad buttons on the Lite do the job well. The majority of game input on the Revolution controller won't be by the D-Pad anyway, so I think it'll work out fine.

The biggest issue for Prime hunters is that after a few minutes my left hand will cramp up?

I haven’t had cramping in my hands since I played mario 64ds, and I thought it got over that. I rest after It starts to hurt but it still sucks. Is DS lite easaier to play Metroid Prime hunters with since its lighter and better shaped? Or not really

Also can I use the standard rumble pak on ds lite or no? What happens if you try to select the dust cover in the menu to play it like if your trying to play GBA game ?

-Adolph Vega

My hand cramps up after playing Metroid, too. I don't think it's the shape of the system that's the culprit, but more likely needing to hold up all of that weight with your weak hand. The DS Lite is less heavy than the regular DS, but the trade-off for that is the somewhat sharper edges and corners could dig in to your hands while you play. Judging by our impressions of the DS Lite, I think it's the better way to go due to it being smaller and lighter, making it easier to hold for extended sessions.

And the DS Rumble Pak? It'll stick out of the bottom a little bit, but there's no reason it shouldn't work in the Lite. The dust cover is just that; it just covers up the GBA port and does not actually plug into the cartridge slot, so it doesn't show up on the DS menu.

Hi Planetgamecube,

I was wondering why so many people in the gaming industry seem to be complaining about Nintendo's hardware redesigns and rereleases. How is it any different than Ford releasing a new (and improved) Mustang each year?

-Patrick

Well, if I just spent $150 on a new gaming system, and then they come out with an in-every-way superior model of the thing for the same price, how do you think that would make me feel? People get angry at Nintendo because they don't release the best possible version of the hardware from the start, basically forcing the consumer to wait until the better system is released, buy the same system again or be stuck with an inferior model. A lot of people I know wised up to Nintendo this time around and refused to buy a DS until the “real" DS was released. Sure enough, the DS Lite was revealed, and released in Japan earlier this year.

The difference with automobiles is that when you buy a new car, you're making a large investment. A new car purchased in 2005 doesn't depreciate in value enough to make it worth buying another new car within the next two or three years, since the improvements made in cars from year to year are negligible. The differences between the two DS models are significant enough to second-guess your original purchase.

Hi guys

My SP's light just doesn't cut it anymore and I'm thinking about getting either a new SP or perhaps a Micro. People are telling my I should just wait and replace my DS with a Lite, but I like to have a Game Boy as well... They're so much nicer when you're not using the two screens.

Anyway, I was wondering if there was any news on new SP or Micro special editions coming out in the near future, a la the Famicom Micro. If I'm going to spend MORE money on yet another gameboy I had might as well make it a cool one! Also, SP or Micro? Everyone's telling me SP as it's cheaper and plays old games, but I already have one, and that Micro sure does look cool...

Thanks!

Christina

I don't know what the future holds for the GB Micro. When it was released it was supposed to be Nintendo's new customizable little wonder. As it stands, there are a scant few official face plates available for it (and only if you import a Micro and/or game along with them), and not a word about new models. I would imagine that Nintendo will talk more about the GBA at E3 in a few weeks, but with all the buzz about Revolution and the steamroller that is the Nintendo DS, I'm not sure if anyone will really care about the GBA after May 9th.

I own a Micro, so I can tell you this first-hand: As cool as they are, they are not worth the price. The small size and interchangable faceplates are swell and all, but in reality every time I look at it the face reflection I see on the screen resembles Ben Franklin. I think about the $100 I dropped on it every time I use it...I should be thinking about the games I play on it. Get the new-model SP in a color of your liking. It'll work out better for you and your change purse.

Hi,

I make my living online selling vintage games on ebay and the like. Just curious what your thoughts are as to how you think the Revolution's download service will effect the number of potential online buyers looking for used games? If the service really catches fire could it potentially damage or sink ebay stores that specialize in selling vintage Nintendo games? Thanks for taking the time to read this, any input would be greatly valued.

-Brian

Interesting question. Of course, at this point in time no one knows exactly how the Virtual Console service will work. It could be a time-limited rental system, an unlimited play subscription-based model, a pay-per-game marketplace, or maybe even all of the above. How Nintendo sets it up could determine how successful it is, so that's a pretty big unknown.

Will its success hurt the vintage used games market? There's no real way of knowing for sure. If I had to guess, though, I don't think you have much to worry about for the time being. There will always be plenty of people looking for the actual cartridge with the original game on it. Sure, rare games might become less rare, but people who hunt down those old gems are probably doing it to display them as trophy pieces more than anything else.

I was reading about Exit for the PSP. It looks pretty sweet, and I think it would be a great DS game. Any chance at all? How 'bout a Phoenix Wright 2?

-Floyd of Monterey

I haven't seen Exit personally, but I must say it sounds really neat and I'd like to try it out. I do agree that putting on the DS would be cool, but then there are a lot of other PSP games that I'd like to see put on the DS, too. It looks like the game is better suited to be on the PSP, with the wider screen and such, and there's no indication that a port of the game would benefit Taito enough it to be worth it.

Capcom hasn't announced anything about a Phoenix Wright sequel. I would like to say that it's pretty much a lock, but with the confusion about the game being sold out and Capcom not shipping it anymore, it could be that the Ace Attorney is going to be around for only one game. At least, for now.

Do you think the big Rev announcement is something as simple as its price tag standing between $150 to $200? Do you think you can calculate how much Rev cost to make including console, sensor and controller? I think Cube sells for $100 with a game and controller. If Rev is roughly three time as powerful as cube it should cost roughly three times as much.

-Nikoiskhan

Simply calling it “the big Rev announcement" is the understatement of the year. The Nintendo press conference will reveal everything we want to know about the system (and stuff we didn't know), from the games, the controller, the hardware, and more likely than not, the price.

Back in December, IGN ran a story on the Revolution's hardware specs, which included price estimates from developers. They said that based on the hardware in the console, a price of $99 or $149 was possible. I personally don't see that happening. Even if the guts of the console is that low-cost, Nintendo has a big opportunity to make a load of money from the hardware. A day-one price point of $199 seems to be the best number: Still affordable, and cheaper than the 360 and PS3 by a mile. Plus, I don't think it would make that much sense to release a new console and a new handheld (the DS Lite) at the same price.

Hooray, the mailbag is back! With E3 just around the corner, we wanted to get the show going again, this time once and for all. Yours truly, Steven Rodriguez, will be handling PGC's postal duties from this point forward. This means we'll be having mailbag updates at least once a week, but hopefully more than that! If you've got a burning question or an inquiry that you want to show to us, you've got to send it to . If you've got a good question, you'll see it in the next update!