dm2128 asks, First off, let me say that I

am, in fact, a big fan of the Zelda series, but I think it needs a change. It has always

confused me a little. A game named after a princess, but you don't see her much; you play

a little elf-dude instead.

In my opinion, I am tired of the

Gannondorf/Ganon-has-a-plan-to-takeover/destroy-the-world-and-Link-must-stop-him

storylines which are prevalent in most of the Zelda games. The storyline has never really

been "gripping" to me. We need something new that doesn't have to do with same

old lame fate of the world. A new hero, a little homeless kid that could be somehow

related to the now aged Zelda, who wants to decipher his past. Yada yada yada he meets a

strange old Hermit named Link. It would be cool to meet an old wise bearded Link, who

could mentor him like the owl to Link. There could be a Prince of Hyrule who is corrupt,

looking for something, or doing illegal stuff or something else that would be bad for the

citizens of Hyrule.

I don't know. This is all randomly off the top of my head. My point is that with a new

generation (with new character names, for God's sake!) in the series could have a myriad

of possibilities for the storyline. Heck, I wouldn't even mind playing as a girl

descendant of Zelda, though I think many people would become angry at a development like

that. What do you think?

Rick Says: History tends to repeat itself,

especially to those that are powerless to stop it. This is a classic example of what's

happening in the Zelda series. The Link-Ganon confrontation keeps happening because they

are destined to spend eternity battling each other. Fate would have it no other way.

That said, there have been adventures that Link has had that did not involve fighting

Ganon ... but considering that the story is about Link, and that he's a hero that people

care about, I can't see the storyline diverging from Link any time soon.

Michael Cole Says: I don't think that the

story should be changed, but I agree that more intricacies need to exist.

Fortunately, additions of detail should be quite common thanks to the larger storage space

the GC minidisc can hold.

Rize Says: Well, look at Majora's mask. That

broke away from the usual Zelda plots, but it put a lot of people off. Honestly, I liked

that game, but I didn't feel the new story really benefited the game in anyway. Zelda

might benefit from a storyline with crazy twists and turns, but the games have never been

about the story. It's all about the gameplay and the atmosphere. Even the first game was

solid gameplay. The evil guy stealing a princess story is about as old as time itself.

Majora's Mask proved that Link can get away from the usual storyline, but I think link

will always be a part of the game. That's the way it should be.

Ed Says: I'd have to disagree with Rize. I

think the different plot in Majora's Mask was a wonderful change. I liked seeing Link save

the day in a different manner. Having said that, it's just as cool having familiar faces

in Zelda games. Also, the story really hasn't been the driving force in a Zelda game.

Either way, it's all good to me. Play as Link, play as Zelda, play as a different

character from Hyrule...as long as Miyamoto has his hands involved, we'll all love it. Of

course, with too much change we might get a whole bunch of disgruntled fans and have a big

controversy (take a look at Metroid) so maybe it's best to keep the formula. Still, as I

said before, the new story in Majora's Mask was great. Can you tell I can't make up my

mind on this issue?

Jonathan Says: You're right that the story is

getting old or will eventually get old, and Nintendo realizes that. While the basic

characters (Link, Zelda, Ganon) should be in all the main games, I certainly have no

problem with the formula getting mixed up a bit. Having Zelda masquerade as Sheik in OoT

was a step in the right direction. And going along with what TYP said, you can always

stick to the basic "princess kidnapping" story and mess with tradition from that

point forward. Like, what if Zelda escapes and helps you with defeating Ganon? What if

Ganon has a change of heart and decides to aid you in battling an even greater foe? (Of

course, he'd eventually turn out to be a double-crosser!) Nintendo has already been

experimenting with this sort of thing in the Mario RPGs and in Majora's Mask, and I think

the main Zelda games are next in line.

Max Says: Great responses from everybody

here!

Yeah, I agree that the Zelda series could use some changes but by messing with the time

line recently it seems clear that Nintendo is ratifying the Zelda series a bit. The most

recent Zelda game (Majora's Mask) didn't have Ganon and the GB/GBC's Link's Awakening was

a bit of a departure from the other games too. It seems Ganon will indeed be back for the

NGC Zelda but overall, I have found that the tremendous game play and engaging storyline

get me hooked. Yes, the plot is usually somewhat the same but given that most Zelda games

appear as Nintendo systems do, I don't mind playing through something similar again, since

it always is new somehow. And no doubt about it, Zelda games are almost always amazing.

That said, I'm hoping we get a few changes... New

playable characters would be cool, new henchmen, new bosses... I'm sure Miyamoto & his

teams won't disappoint no matter what!

Zosha Says: The Triforce Saga is over.

At least, it should be. The first three Zelda games told the tale of Ganon's

destruction. In Zelda I, you save Princess Zelda from the pig-dog and reunite her

with the Triforce of Wisdom. Zelda II, Link goes on quest to not only awaken Zelda

(a different one) and also finds the Triforce of Courage. Now, in the Japanese

series, (which is what I go by,) Zelda III: LTTP, takes place after the

first two Zeldas. Link finally destroys Ganon, he's dead. Completely. Dead. Gone.

No more. Ain't comin' back son.

Then there was the prequel; Zelda: OoT. It explains Ganon's origins and how the

whole Triforce Debacle began.

So remember people: Two Links and Three Zeldas. Got it? Good.

It's done people. Link is going to have to kick something else's ass. It's no big

deal since Link's Awakening proved it's worthiness as well as the superb MM.

This Zelda Universe thing that NOA just pulled on us is beyond me. Aisha.

Ahem, anyway what with the purported ease of Gamecube development, I think Miyamoto-sensei

and his team can concentrate more on the gameplay and storyline of the upcoming Zelda

for GC... and we'll all love it. >:)=

Brian Asks, Since THQ is one of the big 3rd

party developers for Gamecube, why are they pushing their WWF game for XBox and haven't

given much word on their WWF title for Gamecube, such as will it be ready for launch or at

least Christmas?

Mike H. Says: THQ, like most other 3rd party developers, have to keep quiet at

least until E3. I'm a fan of their wrestling games and just as anxious as anyone else. If

their plans for the Gamecube are anything similar to those of other consoles, I'm sold.

Rick Says: THQ will make WWF titles for any

platform that can make it money. X-Box was just actively recruiting them. There are

Gamecube plans, but they are probably just focusing on X-Box for now. Never fear.

Justin Wood Says: Just one thing to keep in

mind here guys......

Almost all of Nintendo's developers have signed NDA's. This has kept things relatively

quiet. Still, some companies have announced titles. I'm sure we'll see a surprising amount

of support at E3.

M$ has also been pushing everyone to talk about them. You can even see XBox posters in

many stores. M$ is paying a lot of $$ to get the word out.

Nintendo has always preferred to keep quiet, and to keep its developers quiet too. Damn is

that annoying?!

Ed Says: I wouldn't worry much about WWF (and

WCW too since they're both owned by the McMahons) on Gamecube. With the success that they

had on the N64, THQ would be stupid not to bring it to the Gamecube. I can't say for sure,

but I'm pretty sure that Asmik should be working on a wrestling game for the Gamecube,

which I'm sure THQ will want to turn into a WWF game in time for Christmas 2001. E3 should

provide all the answers (what else is new) but I really wouldn't worry about it too much.

Jonathan Says: I think I read somewhere that

THQ's Japanese wrestling developer (Asmik? Aki? Whatever.) really likes working for

Nintendo's systems. Plus, THQ's wrestling games for the N64 were some of the only

third-party games on the system to go million-seller status. So there ya go.

Max Says: THQ have said they would provide

wrestling titles for Gamecube back in November 2000 and have the WWF license, so no

worries. The reason the X-Box title is getting pimped and not the Gamecube version? The

NDAs that Justin Wood mentioned. We won't hear many developers promoting NGC projects

until E3. THQ may already have WWF for NGC at the show come May... Won't be long now!

Zosha Says: N.D.A. = Nintendo's

Damn Annoyances.

Thank the K'Gara that these little bits of bother will be no more at E3!!

Well, until it's time for Nintendo to start working on the successor to the GC... Which is

probably already in planning stages... >;)=

Mike H. Says: Last minute notice here.

Jonathan posted the story already about THQ's Gamecube and GBA plans.

href="http://www.planetgamecube.com/news.cfm?action=item&id=1253">Read all about

it.

Brian also Asks, I haven't heard too much on

the DVD playable version of Gamecube, and would like to know when that will be launched

and how much will it cost?

Rick Says: No one knows. As a matter of fact,

it's not scheduled to be release in the US at all, and I can't see that happening.

Gamecube is a game machine, and keeping that focus is of utmost importance.

Justin Wood Says: Matsushita will be

releasing the GCN enabled DVD player shortly after the launch of the stand alone GCN unit,

according to the company.

No word on the cost, but Matsushita has conceded

that it will be more than the stand alone unit. Big surprise there! I expect it

will be released around $249 or less. As of right now, it is slated for release in Japan

only.

Rize Says: Not only is it slated for a Japan

only release, it's very likely that it will never see American shores. I honestly don't

know what the big deal is though. Most people will play Gamecube and (especially PS2) on a

normal TV. Regular TV's really aren't suitable for the wide screen format that 90% of all

DVD's come in. The extra features are usually gimmicky at best and with a normal analog

TV, the increase in quality is minimal. I watch DVD's on my PC, but at least the monitor

supports high resolutions and I'm close enough so that I don't mind the wide screen

format. The bottom line is, Nintendo originally planned the DVD thing as a response to the

PS2, but I think public interest is fizzling out on this one.

Jonathan Says: I'll take Rize's comment one

step further and say that it's quite possible that the Matsushita DVD-playing version

never existed and was never actually planned for release at all. What's to keep Nintendo

from announcing it to offset PS2 hype and then just never release it? I'm skeptical that

the thing will ever come out even in Japan. Including the larger DVD drive would open the

doors up to piracy, and that's one thing that Nintendo definitely does not want in this

generation.

Max Says: I like Jon's theory, simply because

the rest goes on what we already know and we haven't heard anything in a long time,

practically since the announcement of the Matsushita-DVD NGC. It is possible that Nintendo

just announced such a device to offset the PS2's capabilities and figured that by the time

it brought NGC to market, DVD-play wouldn't be as big a deal.

Still, I suspect that Matsushita stands to gain from NGC compatible DVD players, so it's

likely the device is still on, at least for Japan. No matter what happens, it'll be

interesting to see how this issue is resolved.

Zosha Says: Hmm, it's useful to remember that

by the time the GC launched, many people will have already bought a PS2. Nintendo knows

this and has already announced that it is aiming for that "joint-ownership"

demographic, people who have both PS2 and a GC. People aren't going to need a

DVD-enabled GC, and perhaps Nintendo has scrapped it so to lessen the chances of pirating.

Luke Asks, Do you feel that Nintendo is

going to try to shrug off the kiddy game image that the nay-sayers of the Gamecube

continually talk about? Evidence is pointing to the fact that hey are aiming at an adult

audience as well as the kids this round. After all, what do they have to lose?

Mike H. Says: You pretty much answered your

own question. Gamecube is going to attract all age groups. I think Nintendo themselves

will still probably stick to their usual guns -- Mario, Zelda, Pokemon -- and offer games

that can be played mostly by anyone in the home.

As a complete aside, Speaking of Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon, is there anyone else waiting

for Nintendo to create something entirely new? They haven't produced anything from scratch

since Pokemon, and many of us are way out of that age group. :)

Rick Says: Nintendo has carefully designed

the machine to appeal to kids and parents ... it's traditional target market. The GAMES

are going to be what attract the older crowd. Nintendo has always focused on gameplay, and

is just now embracing the more adult themes that will attract the older gamer.

But frankly, they have everything to lose. If they try to straddle the fence too much,

they run the risk of alienating both groups, which will impact sales. It's a very fine

line.

Justin Wood Says: Nintendo's image is

evolving. They are still primarily, as a software publisher, aimed mostly towards kids. I

think its a smart move personally. No other system really has a lot of good kids games.

It's a very profitable market that Nintendo has all but cornered.

At the same time their second party developers are working on the more adult themed games.

The third party developers will continue the mix of adult and family games as well.

It seems that people forget how many "adult" games were on the N64. There were

plenty of games like: GoldenEye, Turok, Duke Nukem, Doom, Quake, TWINE, Perfect Dark,

Conker, Armorines, and the list goes on. The best selling of those came out of Nintendo's

second party companies.

I just think its taken people a while to finally start to see this. Nintendo lately has

been trying even harder to broaden their appeal without alienating existing customers.

They only advertised Conker later at night and with more adult themed programming. Conker

has barely even had a mention in the Nintendo Power Magazine, and there really wasn't even

much POP advertising where kids would be enticed as easily. Nintendo was careful to get

the word out only to the appropriate audience.

I think they should be applauded for the effort, and it should make parents feel a bit

more comfortable with Nintendo's broader image.

Michael Cole Says: Nintendo is playing it

straight. Nintendo is not giving up the kiddy image, but instead, it is trying to create a

SECOND image. By catering to two different groups, Nintendo will be able to attract many

people. And once they play a Nintendo adult game, they'll be kicking themselves for

passing up good gameplay in the past because of looks ;-)

Mike Sklens Says: All will be revealed at E3.

If you'll notice Nintendo has barely mentioned any Pokemon. Except for the GBA game due

out next year and that little Mewouth's Party footage. They are really pimping out their

teen and adult titles and the media is helping when all they talk about is "the next

Metroid" and other such things like Dino Planet.

Ed Says: Microsoft and Sony are both

targeting the older audience. They may like to have a younger demographic in their user

base, but it's not a priority. At the Consoles Vs. PC debate at GDC, there was a lot of

discussion about how big the older generation of gamers is and how the XBox and PS2 will

be fighting for their dollars. These gamers were the ones that grew up playing games and

represented a generation that would be more open to gaming as adults.

The question that I wish had been asked to follow up this discussion is "who will

address the current younger generation of gamers to help shape them into the older gamers

of tomorrow?" Of course, the question might not have been asked because everyone knew

what the answer should be. Nintendo. Panelists mentioned Pokemon and GameBoy several times

and it seems like a given among the industry that Nintendo will take care of the younger

market.

So what does this mean for Gamecube? Simple, Nintendo should have little trouble keeping

it's traditional market and continue making a profit from it. And because they'll have

little or no competition for that market, they can invest other resources (parts of EAD

but especially second parties like Rare, Silicon Knights, NST, Left Field) into making

games to attract an older market to expand their traditional younger market. Also, expect

to see Nintendo leverage classic franchises that can draw in an older market based on fond

memories of their NES days. Metroid is a prime example, but Kid Icarus, Startropics, and

Punch Out are other potential franchises that can be updated to appeal to an older crowd.

Also, don't forget the GameBoy Advance. While the GameBoy has traditionally been

associated with a younger audience, games like F-Zero, Castlevania, Tony Hawk, Iridion 3D,

and High Heat Baseball are perfectly suited for an older audience. If the GBA can get a

respectable share of older gamers, these are even more potential older gamers that the

Gamecube could acquire. So overall, Nintendo should keep its core "kiddy"

audience in the next-generation, but it should also be able to grow-up and attract an

older audience, too, providing the best of both worlds.

Jonathan Says: I'm still waiting for

Nintendo's Spinal Tap game.

Zosha Says: Aisha, we're still

dealing with this? Gah. >:P

Nintendo makes great games that are easy to learn, harder to master. Titles such as the

venerable Mario and Zelda series are timeless classics and anyone who

considers them "kiddy" and refuses to play them are probably more immature than

the closest Pokéfreak.

End of discussion. PERIOD.

Goldshadow Asks, It seems to me that

Nintendo is doing great and learning from a lot of its mistakes from the last generation,

and the system itself seems to have no limits or bottlenecks when compared to its

competitors. But Nintendo isn't perfect. What do you guys think that the worst mistake

Nintendo is making this time around is?

Mike H Says: As part of the media, we could

poke at them for the usual stuff like false release "targets" and what not, but

none of those things are going to prompt Nintendo to rot in Hell.

I would say their WORST mistake is not courting

developers as I think they should be. The conditions for them are MUCH improved over N64,

but they're still seemingly waiting for the top developers to come to them. I'm all for

keeping crap developers out of the mix, but this is been a bit much. I'm sure Nintendo is

operating just as they want to, however.

Rick Says: Talking to developers, Nintendo is

a very hard company to work with. Many N64 exclusive developers have left Nintendo are are

now developing exclusively for X-Box. That's a testament to Microsoft actively recruiting

and maintaining excellent developer relations.

Nintendo desperately needs to stop being an old-line Japanese company, and start playing

nice with developers. Anything less will hurt them in the long run.

Think about it. Excellent Developer relations are what won Sony the war last time, and is

poised to win the war for Microsoft this time around.

Justin Wood Says: I think Nintendo's biggest

problem is not actively courting developers.

However, I don't think it will hurt Nintendo too much in the long run. I think most

developers will eventually come over to the GCN. Still it will hurt their launch a bit.

As for Microsoft, nothing at their recent show even

raised an eyebrow from me, or anyone else at the show for that matter.

Most of Microsoft's big name publishers have already pledged allegiance to Gamecube and

GBA. I really don't see how MS can win the war. They have NO real Japanese support. With

out that, they will lose out on most of the really big games that can make a difference.

They have no hot franchises either. Besides, if I see a GCN with several of my favorite

franchises and some new titles for $149 sitting next to a M$ box with no familiar names

for $300, I think I'm going with the GCN.

Nintendo's GBA will be a huge boost to GCN in my opinion. There will be so many great

games and technologies that will complement both the systems. GBA owners will be compelled

to buy GCN because of this.

Nintendo definitely has its own problems (all caused by them), but they more than make up

for it with their stellar hardware and software!

Michael Cole Says: I'm not going to give a

real answer to this one. Sorry! I think that it is very hard to see what the biggest

mistake is when we haven't seen the outcome. For all we know, developer support could be

great, but well hidden. It may turn out that 1.5 Gigs really isn't enough (doubt it).

Perhaps the system's casing will be the biggest turn-off. It all really depends on how the

consumers react once the baby's out on the shelves. Maybe I'll be able to give you my

answer after E3....

Rize Says: I think Nintendo's biggest problem

is that they are a little too conservative. Sega recently released new "shells"

for the Dreamcast. You actually take off the old cover and put a new one on. Do you think

Nintendo would ever do this? Not a chance. The Dreamcast is held together by normal

Philips head screws. The N64 is held together by these crazy-weird bolts which require a

special trip to a weird store if you plan on putting the N64 back together afterwards.

Then you have games like Sin and Punishment which will probably not be released here. I

guess it's good that they don't take a lot of risks though (look where it got Sega). I

also think Nintendo should pay more attention to it's local branches (why are our GBA's

coming in white, purple and frosty blue?). All in all though, I agree with the majority of

Nintendo's philosophies, and I think their attitude towards third party developers is the

right one. It seems they want to launch Gamecube with nothing but 1st and 2nd party games

so they can really control the quality level. Having a lot of third party games at launch

can have your launch line up labeled as mediocre with a few gems. Hopefully the Gamecube

launch will go down as the best launch in history. Naturally, Nintendo is very interested

in getting third parties in line to pick up the slack between the next batch up Nintendo

games. So, I don't worry about that.

Ed Says: My biggest concern for Gamecube that

could turn into a 'mistake' is whether Nintendo can deliver a steady supply of quality

games in many genres (or even new ones). I don't doubt that we will see quality games and

games that create new genres, but I'm worried that we might see gaps in the release

schedule like on the N64. Having more second parties should help, but third parties are

really the ones to fill out the game library.

At this point, there aren't enough details to determine if there will be sufficient third

party support to do this. It'll be interesting, though, to see if Nintendo's exclusive

software can create a large enough user base to attract solid third party support or if

Nintendo will be unable to create a large enough user base because there are no third

parties to round out the software library.

Jonathan Says: Public image. The company has

a lot of work to do before it proves its worth to all the people that were die-hard fans

in the NES/SNES era.

Zosha Says: Biggest mistake? Hmm, Retro jokes

aside you mean? Damn. There goes my fun. >:P

(j/k! But if you insist on giving me hate mail, here is a

href="mailto:zosha@planetgamecube.com?subject=I_HATE_YOU!!" target="_top">link for

your convenience. >;)= )

Seriously though, we can't really say if Nintendo isn't courting devs close enough, though

I trust Rick's sources. After all, we've been trying to peer through NDAs for some time

now. It'll be clear soon however, hopefully.

Hmm, my bet would be the media choice of the previous generation. Myself, I prefer carts

over CDs, but carts just won't be feasible again for another few years. I expect that

either the system after GC, or more likely the one after that, will be once again

on a cart-based system, simply because they will be able to hold insane amounts of info

for a very reasonable price.

In other words, I look forward to throwing my games around again when I get mad, instead

of seething silently and wishing death upon you all. Wait, did I just type that out? Oops.

Brad Asks, All of the PlayStation sites seem

to be rejoicing in the fact Gamecube doesn't support AC-3 capabilities. What is AC-3, and

how does not having it make Gamecube audio inferior to X-Box and the PS2?

Mike H. Says: AC-3 (Audio Coding #3 [3rd

generation]) is also known as Dolby Digital. It uses a total of 6 sound channels -- 3

speakers positioned in front of you, and 3 behind you.

Dolby Digital was designed primarily for movies. In reality, it's been said to pose

latency issues for games (the time between something triggering a sound and the time you

actually hear it). Factor 5 decided it wasn't necessary because of said latency issues,

and also because the full potential of Dolby Surround hasn't even been tapped yet due to

hardware limitations to date.

It's probably more important for the PS2 and XBox to support Dolby Digital because their

systems have DVD playback. The quality is great, and it wouldn't have hurt to support it

in the Gamecube, but I'm not going to lose any sleep over the loss. I've never personally

been an audiophile. I can understand it being an issue for those that are, though.

Michael Cole Says: Mike has gotten it down

pretty well. As for making the audio itself inferior to X-Box or PS2, rest assured that

the lack of AC-3 capabilities in the GC will not affect the MIDI quality or anything. AC-3

Encoding doesn't have that much to do with music/voice sound quality except for more audio

channels, really.

Oh yeah, and I don't believe there is any game on the PS2 that supports AC-3 as of yet IN

GAME.

Ed Says: Yeah, Mike pretty much nailed

this...PS2 and XBox should only be utilizing AC-3 during cut scenes or FMV scenes. Unless

they came up with a revolutionary new decompressions system, actual gameplay in PS2 and

XBox games will not utilize AC-3.

Rize Says: Yeah, that's the only drawback for

us; no AC-3 in our cut-scenes. Honestly though, how many people really appreciate sound

that much, and how many people have a system that can play the sound. Nintendo is trying

to keep the price reasonable and if that means skipping a technology that most people

won't be using, then so be it.

Jonathan Says: It takes something like $1000

worth of audio equipment to get anything out of AC-3 that you won't get out of Dolby Pro

Logic or regular Dolby Surround. The IGN editors and folks like that have that kind of

stuff in their offices and in their homes, but most normal people will never know the

difference, nor would they care if they did. Would I shell out hundreds of dollars so that

the audio during my game's FMV cutscenes sounds better? Nope, and you probably wouldn't

either.

Zosha Says: You realize that the original

story from IGNPS2 was actually a joke? Fran let it loose that it was an in-joke among the

editors at the presentation. Anyway, if you recall, the guilty one in this mishap also

happened to put "Doesn't believe what he types" in between his First and Last

names.

Niall Asks, The demos shown at SpaceWorld

were running at Nintendo's conservative polygon figure of 6-12 million, right? On IGN they

showed the spec for Flipper (the GPU) and it states that it can handle 25 million with all

effects on. Does this mean we will be seeing games twice as good for the launch, or

eventually?

Rick Says: Eventually. Developers seem to hit

their stride in utilizing a systems power in about the third generation of games for a

system. Still, wasn't the SpaceWorld footage impressive enough?!

Justin Wood Says: I would say that these

games were probably using the "conservative" numbers. What helped them look so

good, even at conservative polygon count is the fact that Gamecube can layer up to 8

textures at once before compression (up to 6 times).

Sony's PS2 can't do any textures without using

system resources. XBox can only do 4 before compression.

I expect that during the systems life we will be seeing games using 25+ million poly's a

second with all effects on and displaying up to 48 textures at once.

Rize Says: The polygon figures given at Space

World was not the limit of the Gamecube's power, it was the range that the Space World

demos were running at. Nintendo simply demonstrated that things will look at least that

good. IGN Cube recently posted some information about the Gamecube's performance with 1

light and 1 texture. However, if you keep up with the technical discussion our forums (and

others) it seems very likely that the Gamecube can do the first 1-4 textures with almost

no difference in rendering time with the second group (5-8) taking up another

"block" of time, but still not as much as would be required on the XBox (due to

it making a whole new pass rather than a "loop back"). This is by no means

official, but I would say we will absolutely see games with twice the polygon figures of

the Space World stuff. At launch? Maybe. If not, then soon. However, as Rick so eloquently

stated above, the games already look fabulous.

Jonathan Says: Who cares? They sure as hell

looked better than the crap Microsoft had at GameStock, or any of the PS2 titles currently

available.

Max Says: Hear hear, Jon. Although polygon

count is certainly important, I'm more concerned about the overall look of the game and

even MORE worried about how they play. What was shown at SpaceWorld still floors me

and looks superior to anything on the competition. I'll let the more technically inclined

on staff handle the nitty-gritty of polygons...

Zosha Says: Well, ya know, at least Nintendo

hasn't overestimated their polygonal output. Really, it means that the news only get

better. Seems like Nintendo is the only one "under promising and over

delivering". Hehe.