PGC Bag,

Just wondering if you had any speculation about whether Nintendo will be adding any more games to the GCN Player's Choice series. Having paid full price for Mario Golf and Mario Tennis, only to have the price lowered shortly thereafter (though the MG online tournament did make MG worth full price), I've been holding off on Mario All-star Baseball and Super Mario Strikers hoping the price will go down.

Thanks

Nintendo will definitely add more GameCube games to their list of cheap titles. It's just a matter of which ones and when. A good time for them to slash some prices would be around the time that new-fangled Wii console launches. Nintendo can serve up new Player's Choice GameCube games and at the same time, tout the Wii's backward compatibility with GC games. I would wait and see if Nintendo does that, and hope some of the games you want are on their list. If not, wait some more. Good games are still good no matter when you get them!

Wasabi bag!

Simple question: Will the Wii work with projectors?

Yup. As long as the sensor bar is positioned directly above or below the surface on which the game is being projected, the Wii will work just fine. If you have your home theater setup away from the display, the sensor bar cord looks like it should be long enough to stretch across a room.

So the Wii will play just about everything from the Cube. But what about the few games that supported LAN play through the broadband adapter? Will I be able to bring together 2 Wiis and have play 8 person Mairo Kart?

- Optimistic

Hmm, that's a good question, I don't know that one for sure. If I had to take a guess at it, though, I say the Wii's backward compatibility with GameCube games won't include support for LAN or online capable GC games. The wireless network hardware Wii comes with may not function in the same way as the broadband adapter did in the GameCube, so getting games to work with it could be tricky. Since only three games had LAN functionality (and really, only Mario Kart was worth setting it up for), I don't see Nintendo putting that much effort into getting GC networking working on Wii, unless it's really easy to implement. We'll see.

Greetings Planet Gamecube. I've sent this message to the IGN mailbag more times than I can count without so much as even a response. I hope you guys don't leave me hanging.

It's been said many times that the Wiimote is pixel-perfect, but I've been wondering if it is in fact "light-gun perfect" I understand that the Wiimote is picked up by the sensor bar, and has nothing to do with what is displayed on-screen, but what I mean to ask is if the Wiimote could potentially be used without needing crosshairs, even if it requires some pre-game calibrating.

Secondly, I've been pretty underwhelmed by the menu systems that have been implemented with the Wiimote. For the most part, they just have players use it like a mouse, letting them direct an on-screen cursor, which looked as though it needed too much precision for just a menu. A D-pad just seemed easier.

I think that they should make some menu systems similar to Warioware Twisted. The menu could scroll as you move the Wiimote, and a slight rumble could occur after each option is highlighted. They could even include a click noise coming from the wiimote speaker when a new option is selected, similar to the ipod. This would also open up the possibility of 3D menu systems, ones that can scroll on all three axis. What do you think?

Thanks a bunch!

-Kaeruyaki

I'm sure there will be “point and shoot" Wii games that don't have an on-screen aiming reticule. The corners and center of a TV screen could be calibrated so the game knows where the user is pointing the remote relative to the TV screen. There could be troubles when the remote loses sight of the sensor bar, but I think the Wii can still handle that okay. Because of the sensor bar, people won't be able to cheat by putting the gun up to the screen. Take that, you cheaters!

Judging menu layouts for games that aren't done yet is a little unfair. Yes, what was shown at E3 was a little rough, but everyone was unfamiliar with the remote and didn't have the steadiest of hands, so take that into consideration. Mouse-style menus will work fine, just like how touch-sensitive menus on the DS work. I agree that a D-Pad for menus is the best thing, though.

Speaking of game menus, there's one thing I absolutely hated about Nintendo's own GameCube games: in none of them could you scroll through menus with the D-Pad. Using it is faster and more precise, yet Nintendo-developed games require the use of the analog stick for navigation. It was alright for Super Smash Bros., but it was a big hassle in a game like Wind Waker, where you need to flip through sub-menus constantly. Third parties have always used the pad in menus, and Microsoft goes a step further in requiring that Xbox and Xbox 360 games use the D-Pad for selections (though the pad on Xbox controllers are terrible). I hope Nintendo Wii games give people every option available, since everyone has a preference.

Hola Mr. Windyman,

In the July 16th bag, Mysteryman wrote in asking about GBA multiplayer on the DS. You responded "once a game boots in GBA mode, the DS becomes a Game Boy Advance without a link cable port. DS games can access GBA the cartridge slot, but only if the DS card was booted and the system is running in DS mode".

That got me thinking, while almost certainly impractical, do you think it would be possible for Nintendo to release a DS cartridge that told the system to access the GBA port and play the game using the DS' wireless capabilities for multiplayer? I'm sure it's not a commercially viable product, but I'm just curious if it's possible.

Vudu

I've been thinking about this lately, and I don't think it would work in the end. Even if DS hardware allowed GBA games to access the wireless functionality, multiplayer GBA games would have a problem. GBA games expect a wired link between GBA systems, providing a solid, stable connection. A wireless link can't guarantee that, so the slightest bit of network instability would screw up a game. We all thought that the wireless GBA link adapter would let us play all multiplayer GBA games without the cable, but it turned out it only worked with games that were programmed to work with a wireless connection. It would be the same deal for multiplayer GBA games on the DS.

Hey PGC!

Just a quick question for you; I hope it's not too off topic....I recently finished reading the classic video game book Game Over by David Sheff (the newer edition with the updated chapters at the end) that tells the story and history of Nintendo. I found this book completely fascinating, and I was wondering if you knew of any similiar type of resource that picks up where the book left off (i.e. the N64 era until now).

Thanks!

There's no Nintendo-specific book, but there are a few other books about game history. Steven Kent's excellent The Ultimate History of Video Games covers everything about all the major players up to the first days of the PlayStation 2. It's not all about Nintendo, but there is still a lot of fascinating information contained within its pages. Beyond that, Dean Takahashi has books all about the Xbox and Xbox 360. They show the history and philosophy behind the Microsoft console empire, and are both good reads. Read The Ultimate History of Video Games first, though. It compliments Game Over rather well, I think.

Dear Bag

With the recent insurgence of questions about the Wii, I thought you'd appreciate a question about the GameCube. After all, you ARE still PlanetGameCube, right? My question has to do with the Cube's internal clock. What type of battery does it use to power the clock? Does it use CR2032, like most computers do? Will I be able to replace it myself once it goes dead? I'm really worried about this, because I don't want to have to reset the clock every time I power on the system.

-Mop

Yes, the GameCube's internal battery is one of those replaceable coin-sized watch battery type thingies. I don't know the exact size, but it's definitely one of the common ones. Don't fret over it going dead soon, though, because those things last a really long time. The one in my watch has lasted me six or seven years so far, and some batteries in NES and SNES games still work after 15 years of use or more. By the time the clock battery in your GameCube expires, you're probably going to have a Wii (or the Nintendo system after that) to play your GC games on.

Yoshi's island is probably my favorite game of all time and when i found out they were makeing yoshi's island 2 i was extatic, but than i found out it was being made by artoon and I got worried. I'm pretty sure they're the guys responseable for alot of mediocre games and that makes me worried that it wont live up to many gamers expectations. What's your opinion on YI2's developer?

Don' be too concerned about it. It's not like Artoon is making a new Yoshi game from scratch, they're just taking one of the greatest games ever, making it work with the Nintendo DS hardware, then adding some new stuff to it. As long as things aren't lost in the transition to the portable, it will be fine. Our own Aaron Kaluszka has some E3 impressions of the game, and it sounds like it could play even better than the SNES original. Hopefully, the finished product will deliver on its E3 showing.

I consider Super Metroid to be one of the best if not the best Super Nintendo games ever made. Everything about the game is excellent and without that game, we wouldn't be enjoying the current Metroid offerings.

So my question is what are the chances of their being a remake and/or port of Super Metroid to the DS or even the GBA. Nintendo has done it with the Mario games and with A Link to the Past, so why aren't we all enjoying a portable Super Metroid? Sure the GBA is considered "dead," but if Nintendo were to bring the game over to the GBA, they'd at least get a little more mileage out of it. Plus DS owners could play it too.

I think it's a travesty that such a great game from the SNES era hasn't been ported to the GBA when crappy games like, lets say, Aero the Acrobat and Pitfall are.

Thanks for any feedback!

Nintendo had better remake Super Metroid for a handheld. I don't think a straight port would do the game justice, considering the new paint job the NES original got in Metroid Zero Mission. Because of that, I think the DS would be better system to do it on. Nintendo could add a ton of extra stuff to a DS version, just like they overhauled the NES game on the GBA. Come on Nintendo, do it already!

What is up bagizzle?

I had a question about those good ol' first person shooters we've been anticipating on the Wii. In a previous bag the Wii's FPS controls were discussed and it was concluded that the mouse/keyboard setup on PCs set up allows for functionality that the Wii cannot. One can take the mouse off the pad to recenter or regain orientation while the screen remains fixed. It was mentioned that the Wii cannot do this because it is in constant communication with the console with no interruptions.

What I am wondering is if it is possible to simulate this mouse affect with some control functions. For example, an FPS could be programmed to not respond to inputs when the wiimote is pointed up. That would be kind of like how Leon in RE4 holds his standard pistol when he is not aiming. Or maybe a button press either on the wiimote or the nunchuk so that when held down the screen will stay where it is. Does that sound like a possible solution to the mouse versus wiimote issue?

Thanks for you time,

Kyle J.

I know I said before that a fixed-cursor FPS setup wouldn't be possible on the Wii, but after thinking about it some more, I've come to the conclusion that it is indeed possible. How it could be done is to have the cursor set in the middle of the screen, and by moving the remote up, down, left and right, it would move the game camera in the same way, much like how an analog stick works. You'd lose the ultimate accuracy of pointing and shooting, but for those that prefer it that way, it can be done. I've been back and forth on the issue, but I'm still learning about the new controller can be used in games just like everyone else.

Anyway, your method of pointing the controller up would be a neat way of doing it. You could move around freely as long as you're not aiming a gun, but you'd need to stop to aim and shoot. That sounds like a stupid idea, but Winback on the N64 used a system like that; it had some great multiplayer. I wouldn't want a button press to activate aiming, though. The Wii controller doesn't have many buttons to begin with, and giving up one for something the remote could handle by itself wouldn't be the best thing.

Dear glorious mailbag,

I really like the name wii and wish that everyone else did also. There sadly are people in my school that have already shunned the wii the same way they did the purple lunchbox that was the gamecube. What I mean by this is that people seem to think of the console they buy as a status symbol. They will go buy a PSP and brag about it at school when in fact the Ds Lite is a better system. The same has already happened with the wii and PS3. The 600 dollar price tag makes them want it more because it makes them seem rich which makes them “kewl" when to me it makes them look like idiots! This is just so frustrating I wish everyone would just see how cool the wii is.

Sorry for rambling,

JG.

A status symbol isn't created overnight. Sony built up its reputation as the “cool" games company over 10+ years, at the expense of Nintendo. When the PlayStation came out, bragging about buying one to friends would have been like bragging about buying a 3DO. Now that the PS2 is the run-away market leader, new stuff Sony releases automatically comes with some status right out of the gate. The PSP had a lot of pre-launch hype (perhaps too much), but it also had a successful console brand name behind it. The PS3 will have the same thing. Would the $600 PS3 be as attractive as it is if Sony were a distant third in the console race? Probably not.

The Wii needs to prove itself in the market before Nintendo or anyone else can claim it's a cool thing to have, because if it ultimately winds up selling only as much as the GameCube did, will it really be that cool? Only when the Wii starts selling all over the place will people want to take a closer look at it, see what it's all about. After all, no one cared about the iPod all that much until it kept selling, selling and selling. It's going to take time to sway people over to the Nintendo way of playing games. Hopefully in a few years, it's going to be the coolest thing in the world.

Dear Bag of Greater Holding,

Maybe you can help me with something; which version of Twilight Princess should I be buying come release day? I (and every Nintendo fan out there) have been anticipating this game with a fervor that rivals the heat of the sun. Now, the announcement of the Wii version is great and all, but there's one big stumbling block for me, and that is that I'm not exactly what some people would call loaded, so there's no way I'll be able to afford a Wii and both TP versions. With this in mind, I'm experiencing daily ulcers over which version to pick. My TP experience has to be perfect, and that's not an understatement. So the question is: do I risk the classic GC controls, which I know will be great (they always have), or do I do what I'd really like to do and go with the Wii version, which will certainly have a different feel to it (perhaps so much so that it no longer feels like Zelda). Do you personally have a preference for either version, and if so, for what reason(s)? Additionally, if you were in my position, which would you choose?

Thanks in advance,

-Leon Powalski

Let's not forget that there's still a good chance the Wii version of Twilight Princess is compatible with GameCube controllers. If the game allows the use of the old controller and you plan on getting a Wii, the choice should be obvious.

Let's pretend that GameCube controllers don't work on the Wii version, though...which one is the Zelda to get? People came out of E3 excited about the game, but apprehensive about the Wii remote controls. Everyone was adamant about sticking with the GameCube version for the solitary reason of a proven control setup.

I still think the obvious choice is the Wii version. Yeah, the Wii controls at E3 were a little weird, but part of that was due to the new control style the new hardware offers. Although another part of the weirdness was due to some of the choices Nintendo made in presenting submenus and item assignment, I have faith in Nintendo that they'll improve on that stuff in time for the game's release alongside the console at launch.

After getting used to the new Wii controller, the Twilight Princess experience on Wii has a chance to be a lot better than the GameCube version could ever hope to be. My favorite part of the E3 demo was shooting the bow, because it actually felt like I was holding the bow steady and shooting it where I wanted to. When I missed, I knew right away that it was my fault, and not the controller's fault. When they add in the speaker sound effects, that's going to make it even better. Swordplay was a little awkward to me, but again, that's probably due to the awkwardness of using the Wii controller for the first time.

No matter how awesome the GC version will be, the Wii version has the potential to be awesomer in every way. It'll look better, it'll sound better, and if Nintendo can nail the control system, it'll play a lot better, too. If you're still not sure of it, think of it this way: when Nintendo releases the Wii Zelda game after Twilight Princess, are you still going to want to use GameCube controllers at that point?

That's it for this week. It was a big bag this time, and I still have some questions left over that I couldn't get to. If you sent something in that wasn't here this week, check back next week and I'll probably get to it. If you haven't sent in anything yet, you'd better get to it if you want to see yourself here! Hit that bag address at the bottom of the page, and do me a favor and check the back issues and talkback thread. All the cool kids are doing it.

Seven days until another mailbag update is a long ways away. Can you hold out until then? I hope I can.