Dain asks, Every game that I have bought

from Nintendo has been a very deep enjoyable experience. It seems that popular opinion has

swayed to the idea that a game has to look "real." It's almost as if gameplay

was secondary. Take a game like Yoshi's island for the SNES. You just won't see stuff that

radically whacked out on a Sony console. :) I am all for some adultish titles, I just

don't want to see the console flooded with the bitter end of the world scenarios that seem

to plague the Next Gen Consoles. Why is it that gamers have such short memories?

TYP Says: I think that

when gamers get older...especially into the teens range, they feel that they need to prove

themselves to be mature. Games with a more family-friendly approach are called

"Kiddy," "proving" that he or she is grown-up. It is all too easy to

be label immature if you are playing Pokemon on your GameBoy--heck, my sister finds me

immature for even owning a GameBoy! Young Adult gamers want to forget the fun they had

with Nintendo games in the past so that they can impress their peers. And as you may

recall, many reports show that as people get older, they tend to become more open to

Nintendo again...possibly for retro reasons, or family reasons. And if they have kids,

they'll be playing games with them: Nintendo games.

Jonathan Says: TYP has

pretty much covered it. It's a matter of insecurity, something that plagues many (though

not all) people in the age group in question, probably 15-20 or so. As we already know,

many people above that age overcome their insecurities (or just finally realize what

they've been missing) and go back to more pure gameplay experiences, which Nintendo tends

to offer. This is not to say that "mature" games can't be deep...that's

definitely not true. However, adults seem more able to overcome these "kiddy"

and "mature" labels and enjoy great games no matter the content type. I'm pretty

sure that I'll love Eternal Darkness, but not because it has blood in it. That's

the distinction.

Rick Says: "I

can't play a Nintendo game! They're for kids, and all my friends will make fun of

me!"

This is the unspoken mantra of the insecure teenager. I have yet to have anyone make fun

of me when they sit down to play Mario Kart.

Open-Mindedness is a virtue, and one all too lacking in the youth of today.

Rize Says: The interesting thing is that some

of these people probably aren't doing it on purpose. And they aren't necessarily insecure

either. For example, in the beginning of the N64 era, I was hitting the age of 16. For

whatever reason, I didn't buy Mario 64. I didn't' say to myself "that game is kiddy

crap". It just wasn't a title I was interested in owning at the time. I rented it,

and it was fun, but I tended to buy games like Turok, Doom 64, Star Fox and Goldeneye. I

never even played Super Mario World 2 on the SNES. I can't say why I didn't buy these

games, but a few years later I was "cured" by a run in with

href="http://nintendorks.cjb.net">Nintendorks and subsequently bought my first

"kiddy" game since the early SNES days: Banjo Kazooie. It's just a phase that

most relatively normal people will go through.

That said, nothing stopped me from buying Mario Kart 64 because I remembered how much fun

it was on the SNES. I don't think I was ever honestly blown away by a normal Mario title.

Of course, anyone who never played a Mario Kart game could easily pass up the franchise if

they've never experienced it. I just want to repeat that not all people avoid these

"kiddy" games because they are immature are insecure. Some of them probably just

don't believe they will be fun games. Of course, some people are perfectly happy playing

Tomb Raider. If someone can enjoy Tomb Raider, then they have the luxury of playing only

games that appeal to their aesthetic senses!

Dragona Says: "You just won't see stuff

that radically whacked out on a Sony console."

You're wrong there. Vib Ribbon is LITERALLY

what happens when someone produces Digital Crack. The game is addictive, fun but mein

gott, it's like some 60's hippie tripping all over the place with a brick of LSD.

At any rate this whole "maturity" thing is really such a bore. It's been around

since forever and I don't give a sodding nappy for it. The same people who claimed

"MARIEO SI TEH RUIENED!@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111111111" not once but twice

were proved wrong when both Yoshi's Island and Mario Story proved to be instant classic.

Nuts to you I say, o "mature" ones. Your mothers are vowels.

Mightyreddog asks,

People are continually complaining about Zelda. The new direction it is taking has

seemingly earned the scorn of many fans. Nintendo have also denied the development of the

"realistic" Zelda, so much as saying that the new Zelda is the Zelda the world

will be receiving.

What does PGC think of the chances or the possibility are that an ultra-realistic Zelda is

in development for GameCube to be released at a later date? Perhaps it's the game that

Nintendo is using its motion capture studios in Japan for (for a 2003 release?) Miyamoto

has mentioned that they were having trouble finding new scenarios when they were

developing the realistic Zelda. A 2003 release date may give them time to be creative for

such a title. In not mentioning its existence, Nintendo would not hurt sales of Zelda in

its new form. Could this be possible or am I paranoid?

Ty Says: Not going to

happen. Just face the facts that the new Zelda is THE Zelda you are going to see on the

GameCube. It really makes more sense this was. The NES and SNES and GB/GBC Zelda games all

have link in a similar style. The GameCube version looks very much like this. It is in

fact the 2 N64 games that are different in style from the rest.

Also, it was stated that the reason Zelda was changed is because it did in fact look too

real. Now why would Nintendo take the game from too real to cartoonish and in the

background develop a "real" looking game? This makes no sense.

TYP Says: I think those

who are protesting the change really need to think about others' point of view before

demanding that they revert back--something that is just plain impossible at this point.

Just because someone likes one way better, it doesn't mean that it should be changed.

Gamers need to remember that Nintendo is trying to cater to many groups with this title.

Some rants that I have read online even go as far as to state that the modern gamer wants

and would prefer the more mature look. Such comments are very, very, very

narrow-minded. Believe it or not, the modern gamer does not consist of only

teen-to-early-twenty gamers. In fact, there are some in that age group that like the new

Zelda approach (like many of the PGC staff members). Nintendo wants to make a game that

anyone can play. Just because someone is 7 years old doesn't make them any less of a

gamer! In many cases, the younger children will either be turned off by a SW2000 Zelda or

their parents will. Heck, when I was an even younger plumber, I would have been scared of

Ganon and even Link in that form!

What is worse for Nintendo: losing some gamers that judge a book by its cover, or many

individuals in their biggest consumer group? Face it, younger gamers make up the biggest

part of Nintendo and the gaming industry in general's paycheck! Nintendo made the wise

move. Now they just need to add a few more details, I say!

Jonathan Says: I'm not

going to try to change your mind... if you don't like the new Zelda, that's your business.

By the same token, you're simply not going to change Nintendo's mind, and no, there's no

way in hell they're also making the realistic Zelda as a back-up plan or anything else.

Remember all the craziness after Resident Evil 2 was released, and people found out that

there was an unfinished "Resident Evil 1.5" floating around Capcom offices?

There were very good reasons for stopping production on that game, and no matter how much

RE fans beg, they'll never get to play that unfinished game. And why would they want to?

The designer himself said it simply wasn't fun, and that's why they started over

completely. Miyamoto is the best game designer in the world, and when he looks at the

realistic Zelda and says, "Hey, this isn't going to work," I for one am willing

to AT LEAST give him the benefit of the doubt until I've played the game personally. But,

like I said, you don't have to if you don't want...just be aware that begging, pleading,

angry emails, and passionate petitions have fallen and will continue to fall on deaf ears

at Nintendo. Like it or not, Nintendo does their own thing regardless of what anyone else

thinks...and that includes their loyal fans.

Rize Says: Ah, the

Zelda situation. I'll reiterate what the staffers above already stated: there is no way

that Nintendo is making two Zelda games right now. Period.

I personally hope Link ends up looking drastically different than he does right now, but

otherwise, I think the overall look and feel of the game will benefit greatly from this

change. In any case, think back to the original Zelda games. The first game featured

enemies such as animated skeletons, mummies, dragons and other such things. The second

game was even worse in some ways because the characters proportions were more realistic.

The SNES incarnation of the series has link fighting similar foes including an evil wizard

who just looks... evil. Zelda is about good and evil, and the game will always have a dark

and foreboding side to it. You don't need Spaceworld graphics to make Zelda work. You'll

have to be patient, but I think in the end the cel-shading will make the next installment

of Zelda more true to the original franchise.

I also want to emphasize that you won't necessarily see cut-scenes like the one shown at

Spaceworld 2001 in the final game. You may never see Link wink his eye at the camera. In

fact, I would hope that Link ultimately ignores the fact that a camera is there, but that

is up to the designers. I think the only things we can be sure of about the next Zelda is

that it will be cel-shaded, and that it will share a lot of gameplay elements with Ocarina

of Time. Personally, I can't wait to play it.

Dragona Says: I'll just

put it this way. I find it incredibly ironic that many people were quite content in

trusting an unproven, American team somehow make Metroid an FPS without losing its

"feel" and yet they're lambasting the person who created The Legend of

Zelda.

krookedlettaz asks, EA

has announced that their F1 title, F1 2002, will be going to both the PS2 and Xbox.

However, I haven't heard anything about a GameCube version. Do you guys know if EA, or any

other developer, will have F1 titles on the GameCube?

Jonathan Says: Considering

the TONS of F1 games for N64, I think it's pretty likely that at least a few will be

hitting GameCube. That's not the sort of game that comes out very early in a system's life

though, so it may be a while.

The Game asks, Bearing

in mind that the GameCube will be released about a year after the PS2 (State-side), how do

you think it'll fare against it in the sales figures? I know it has the potential, but

with the PS2 having such a large user-base, don't you think the GameCube will level the

scores at best?

Mike H. Says: If you

mean in terms of system sales, I'd say even catching up to the PS2 is a stretch. With a

some-11 million unit headstart, the PS2 campaign won't slow down once the competition

finally arrives. It's sure to intensify when they can no longer coast along with no other

next-gen competition yet on the market.

I'm not yet sure how the Xbox will play into the equation. If I were a betting man, I'd

say Xbox takes #3, but only because Microsoft is green and because of pricing. There isn't

much data to play with yet.

For those that like to play with numbers (like me), the IDSA projects that close to 70% of

homes will have a console in their home by the year 2005. That's the same penetration as

VHS. And while the 3 consoles will certainly have varying degrees of success, none of them

will be short on customers and will be able to claim their products as a success,

regardless of their placement.

TYP Says: I'd have to

agree with Mike. With over a year in the US and 2 in Japan of the PS2 without competition,

there is almost no way that Nintendo can catch up. But console numbers aren't everything,

as Nintendo could still sell more games than Sony overall (and hopefully 3rd parties on

GCN as well.) Add Xbox into the situation and you see that it can only hurt the GCN sales.

Personally, I could care less who "wins" the console wars, as long as that

doesn't include who gets the best games (for me.) If GCN gets less 3rd party games that I

wouldn't play anyway, I don't really care, personally. As long as GameCube doesn't close

shop, I'll be proclaiming Nintendo GameCube #1, even if they aren't going off the shelves!

Jonathan Says: Nintendo's

in this for the money, and with their extremely small loss on hardware and the assurance

that the majority of GameCube software sales will be first- or second-party, Nintendo has

set themselves up for financial success with this system regardless of whether it ever

catches up to or surpasses the PS2's penetration. Sony has to concentrate more on that

statistic because it has a much larger hardware loss, lower third-party software

royalties, and very few successful first-party games. Nintendo is the only company in the

world that could (and very nearly has) supported a console entirely with its own software,

and that spells $$$.

Rick Says: Nintendo loves to point out that

it will be in a very similar situation to PS2 as it was with the N64 launch compared to

PlayStation. The N64 OUTSOLD the one-year lead the PlayStation had after it's launch.

That's right ... at one point, the N64 was beating the PlayStation. However, it's the lack

of games that held it back, and handed Sony the win.

Nintendo points this out for two reasons. One, to show that you can NEVER count out

Nintendo. Second, to prove that it remembers the past and is capable of learning for it.

Now, even without the advertising that people think is SO critical, Nintendo is for all

intents and purposes SOLD OUT in Japan even before launch. GameCube has been on a major

upswing post-Spaceworld, and analysts are very bullish on GCN's chances.

Rize Says: I can say one thing with

certainty. If GameCube sales eventually exceed PS2 sales, you can mark that as a major

accomplishment for Nintendo and a serious disappointment for Sony.Chris asks, Having

played Luigi's Mansion at E3, I was impressed, but I'm still confused as to how Nintendo

expect to stretch it into a full game.

I still feels like a single level of a much bigger game to me. Could one of you

who've played a more recent version give any insight as to Luigi's longevity, or is it (as

I fear) going to end up being a novelty game with little replay.

Jonathan Says: I

have not played a more recent version, but judging from what NOA people told me at E3, and

what I've read of the complete Space World demo, this is definitely a full and complete

game. The E3 demo concentrated on teaching you the game mechanics, which is useful in such

a complex game. From there, I think the game develops into more of an adventure structure

with heavy puzzle elements. The addition of water and fire powers to your vacuum creates

tons of gameplay possibilities that will be exploited to the max. In fact, I think you'll

find that most of the GameCube demos at E3 were set up like that...they were designed to

show off the graphics and controls and basic concepts while still keeping the gameplay

depth and storylines a secret. What more could you expect from Nintendo?

Joseph asks, For those

who have used the GameCube controller, how does the NGC rumble compare to the other rumble

accessories/controllers out there, like the N64's Rumble Pak, Tremor Pak, or the PS2's

rumble? Does it rumble as well, or is it stronger or weaker?

TYP Says: From my

experience at E3, I was quite impressed with the rumble. Although I don't think there are

two rumblers, it is really a moot point. It is much more realistic than the N64: it is

more streamlined (and less bulky,) making it more responsive and more natural overall. It

vibrates...differently from the N64. While the vibration came from underneath on the N64,

the GCN controller has the vibration right between your hands. So it doesn't need to

vibrate as much or as erratically to shake the actual controller (some of the vibration

momentum is lost at the port connection.) Trust me: being in the middle of the controller

makes the rumbling much more involving.

Oh yeah--and I don't remember hearing a crazy rattling like you sometimes hear with the

N64!

Jonathan Says: I wish I

could add something to TYP's description, but I honestly don't even remember the rumbling

at E3. I've been playing force feedback so long that I've just gotten used to it...I

usually notice when it's absent, but otherwise it only registers on a subconscious level.

Rick Says: The rumble

is not as strong as the Rumble Pak, and a bit stronger than the Jump Pak. I hate to sound

wishy-washy, but it's really about the same as in the Dual Shock/Dual Shock 2.

Rize Says: I personally

never play with the Rumble Pak anymore. However, I remember it has being kinda bulky and

annoying because you had to change the batteries. From the little rumbling I've

experienced, I'd say that the GameCube's rumble is far superior to that of the N64's, and

about equal to the PS2's. The controller itself is very light weight and I think everyone

will be very happy with it when they get a chance to try it out.

Dragona Says: From what I played at E3 it is

significantly weaker than the PSX Dual Shock. However, I was told that the current

motors are placeholders and that there would be a different engine in the final version...

Billy or J-Dub would have a better time answering this as they were at both E3 and

Spaceworld.

Fireball asks, If I

use the component video on my non-HDTV TV, will I get a noticeable improvement in sound or

picture?

Ty Says: I don't think

you'll see any difference in sound. The same two cables that are used for the standard RCA

(A/V) input are used for the audio input in Component Video. But yes you will see a much

better picture quality with Component Video. Though I don't think the games will run in a

mode that will take advantage of HDTV.

Mike Says: There are 3

standard ways of connecting the GameCube to your TV set; Composite video, S-Video, and

Component video.

Composite is the lowest quality solution, but by far the most popular. You know this

connection as the standard Red-Yellow-White cables, or just A/V cables.

S-Video is the middle of the road, offering considerably better picture quality than

composite. This connection only transmits video, however. You'll still need the above A/V

cable to attach to the Audio In connections on the back of your TV.

Component video is the top of the line for GameCube, with (realistically) a small

improvement over S-video. However, those that have digital and HDTV sets (particularly

with progressive scan, also known as 480p, compatibility) will get the most benefit from

this connection. As with the S-Video, you'll still need the above A/V cable to attach to

the Audio In connections on the back of your TV because this connection type is

video-only.

Rick Says: Mike has it

down pat. If your TV can handle a component source ... USE it.

That said, it's important to note that there is another type of TV as well ... a Digital

TV called "Standard Definition." What this means is that your TV can process

digital signals, but not in "high-definition" mode. However, you'd still end up

with a non-interlaced, 480p picture ... twice the number of lines in a standard picture.

But only when using a component input.

Just another reason...

Enrique asks, There has been little news

about the GameCube's audio performance, and I think it's one of the most important things

of a system. Exactly how powerful is the audio? With all those games going multiplatform,

are we going to notice a better sound in GameCube than in Xbox or PS2? Since several have

played it, I want to know about the quality from first-hand experience, not just talk

about MusiX audio tools, etc.

I also read that Rogue Leader will support Dolby 5.1, although the system is not

physically designed for it, so it makes me wonder if all the games will be capable of

doing the same.

TYP Says: Unless you can detect Dolby 5.1 and

really care about it, you shouldn't have to worry about sound. All three systems can play

pre-recorded audio with ease--it is up to the developer to make the composition and

effects sound good. Of course, sample size, etc. is a big part, but all three should have

more than enough space. Nintendo has some of the best audio compression anywhere, which

should make up for the smaller disk size (which isn't that big of a deal anyway.) The

number of effects at a time will be better on the Xbox and GameCube, as will loading

times, etc. When it comes to MIDI composition, I was blown away. You need not fear MIDI

anymore: the sound samples are very high in quality, and look to be dynamic (changeable,

programmed per game). As I mentioned in my E3 impressions, Super Smash Bros. sounded so

amazing that I couldn't tell if it was pre-recorded or not--and neither could the Nintendo

employees! Reflecting back on it, I am pretty sure it was actually MIDI--though damn good

MIDI!

Rize Says: To the audio-illiterate, there

will be practically no distinction between the three consoles in the audio arena. On a

more technical note, I'd say that GameCube and Xbox have a step up on Sony when it comes

to real time interactive music. However, I think that there will be very few developers

actually using this feature. Most will simply opt for red-book (CD quality) streaming

audio. As for the 5.1 surround situation, if you have the equipment to take advantage of

this, I hope that GameCube can use it as effectively as Xbox. For mere mortals, 5.1 audio

is practically pointless though.

Rick Says: It's getting to the point in

technology where you can't really have an audible difference in sound between competing

technologies. All you can do is increase the number of sounds, and play with them

(effects). All three consoles are going to be pretty even in that department. They all

have different bullet-points, but it depends on which features developers decide to use.

It's certainly not a selling point.

As for the Dolby Digital 5.1 debacle, I seem to remember the Factor 5 blokes saying that

Rogue Leader was going to support "5.1 channel sound." That does NOT mean

"Dolby Digital 5.1." This could possibly mean Dolby Pro Logic II ... a new

format, backwards compatible with Pro Logic, that allows for 5.1 channel sound carried

over a standard stereo signal.

Dolby Digital sounds a LOT better than PLII, being a digital signal, but the Factor 5 guys

are staying mum on what they meant.

Personally, I think it has to do with the Panasonic GameCube DVD player, which has the

outputs necessary for a digital audio signal. We'll let you know as soon as we find out.

Scott asks, What are the odds of an MSG

title coming out for GameCube? Has it been hinted yet? What kind of release timeframe

would we be looking at?

Mike H. Says: There are RUMORS circulating

that Konami has something in the works for MGS and GameCube, though I don't think

anybody's been able to confirm it. Grain of salt.

Jonathan Says: A few months ago I might've

said no, but with all the third-party support suddenly showing up for GameCube, I think

Konami will eventually come around and offer their major franchises. Whether MGS2 will be

one of them probably depends a lot on Sony and the offers they make to Konami, but if it

ever does show up on GameCube, I think it'll be a while...at least Fall 2002.

Rize Says: Agreed. If Metal Gear makes its

way to GameCube, it will be months, and possibly years after it hits the PS2 at the end of

this year. If you're a Metal Gear fanatic like me, you might consider buying the PS2

version and renting the PS2 (or rent both). If you have the cash, you might even (God

forbid) buy a PS2 as I did.

Rick Says: No. Konami is convinced that the

Nintendo GameCube is a child's platform. It's highly unlikely that you're going to see

Solid Snake on GameCube any time soon.

However, if Nintendo can come out strong and snag some of that teen/young adult

demographic Konami craves, you might see not only their head turning, but many other

developers that have written off Nintendo as well.

Dragona Says: Hehe I'm not so sure about that

Rick.

Konami's first "official" GC title is RAVE. What's so big about that? It's

aiming for the same "cool" teen demographic that is looking forward to MGS2.

Even from the same Company: KCEJ. I am unaware if it is Kojima's team or now. (Most likely

no, as they're frantically finishing MGS2.) It's a funny thing really. This is exactly the

kind of game that would be set for PSX release a year ago.

And it's coming out in the first part of the GC's

lifecycle.

Thanks for your informative article about

the HDTV cable features. The worst thing is I can't afford a HDTV-compatible TV. I live in

Europe and HDTV isn't as popular as they are in other countries, plus the cost would equal

at least 10 GameCubes. Are there any PC monitors that support progressive scanning? And if

so, what kind of monitor/cable will we need?

Ty Says: I'm not sure about

the monitors, but I'm pretty sure that Nintendo isn't releasing a cable that will hook up

to a Monitor's VGA port. Unless they have one planned and haven't said anything about it

yet.

Jonathan Says: It wouldn't surprise me to see

some third-party make a "VGA box" for GameCube...the system is obviously capable

of better graphics than can be displayed on a standard TV. Whether progressive scan is

possible on PC monitors, I've no clue, but you'd at least get higher resolutions if

developers would include them in their games.

Rize Says: I thought this was common

knowledge! Ok, first of all, PC Monitors (at least in the U.S.) are definitely capable of

progressive scan. In fact, PC monitors are incapable of playing interlaced signals without

special converters! To play a GameCube on a PC monitor, you will need a VGA adapter. As

Jonny mentioned above, Nintendo hasn't announced one, but a 3rd party may fill the role

for us. We'll just have to wait and see. As for HDTV, you can actually take advantage of

GameCube's progressive scan feature with a simple digital TV (like a Sony Wega), and those

only cost about three times as much as GameCube where I live. It won't be wide screen, and

it won't play higher than TV resolution, but the signal will be progressive.

Rick Says: Theoretically, the

"D-Sub" cable is a standard 15-pin connector, just like on your monitor. If the

GameCube or GCN software is capable of outputting the signal in RGB format, instead of Y,

Gb/Pb, Gr/Pr ... then you'd be able to use that cable and be off to the races!

However, Nintendo has claimed that there will not be an option to do this in the GameCube

itself, and likely, the software won't either. While this is yet to be seen (the PS2 has

these toggles built-in), this means that an inconvenient converter box WILL be required.

For the uninitiated, HDTV's have two types of connections: Component Video (Y, Gb/Pb,

Gr/Pr ... also used in some flat-screen, non-HD televisions), and D-Sub. An HDTV is really

just a computer monitor, albeit not capable of as decent resolution. The only difference

is whether it can handle the particular video signal.