Bub asks, As you know, there's a game in development for Xbox called Project

Ego. I was wondering if there was a possibility that it would be ported to the GameCube?

Mike Suzuki Says: Unfortunately

for Nintendo loyalists, the chances of Project Ego coming to the GameCube are slim to

none. Project Ego should be making extensive use of the Xbox's hard drive to keep track of

all the various things you do while playing that will have repercussions later in the

game. To use an example that's been cited in the game's previews, if the game is going to

keep track of something as detailed as where you cut someone as a child (so that in the

future there will be an appropriately placed scar on that adult), it's going to require a

large rewritable storage medium. So, unless the GameCube SD Card adapter takes off big

time in the next 1-2 years, there'll be no way to store all the data; which means there'd

be nowhere near the level of detail in the game;, which means there'd be no point in

bringing Project Ego to the GameCube; which means it might be time for you (and me) to

start saving up $200.

Luis asks, Are any SNK franchises coming to the Cube? King Of Fighters, Metal Slug

or Mark of The Wolves?

Jonathan Says: Uh, Capcom vs. SNK 2 is

coming to GameCube later this year, which would at least have some of the SNK characters

you love. Other than that, I wouldn't know. Victory!

Max Says: Although SNK went bankrupt awhile back,

there's been a lot of effort made to keep its classic franchises alive. From what I

understand, the family of the original owners of SNK have re-obtained most of the

franchises, with possible exception of Metal Slug. Ty was telling me there was an auction

or something, where Capcom bid heavily on the Fatal Fury and KOF characters, but lost.

Breakyboy (Andres) would probably know more on this subject, but he just moved and

currently doesn't have online access.

We'll see more games featuring SNK characters, possibly even on the GameCube someday.

Until that happens, Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO will have to do.

Mike asks, I noticed on the Lan Kwei site that they have an

href="www.lan-kwei.com/gamecubeE/">SVGA Box for sale. I was wondering if it allowed

you to play games in 60 frames per second on your monitor, compared to a normal TV's 30?

Are there better ones on the market? I'm interested in playing my GameCube on my monitor,

and I'd like your opinion on the best product/solution to do this.

Rick Says: First, you can play 60FPS on a regular

TV. You just aren't seeing the entire image in each field.

Second, no... there is NO VGA box on the market which

will allow you to use your GameCube in Progressive Scan with your computer Monitor.

They're all just converter boxes.

Jonathan Says: I've seen several guides to modding a component video or

D-terminal (Japanese) cable so that it will hook up to your PC monitor and let you play

GameCube in progressive scan on the monitor. Whether or not they actually work...who

knows. They didn't seem terribly complicated though. Naturally any such mod would void

your warranty and could permanently damage your GameCube if not done correctly.

Jeffrey asks, Do you have any information on Enix's plans? With Square coming back

from the dark side, does this pave the way for Enix to bring DragonQuest to the GCN as

well?

TYP Says: Though Enix

hasn't announced any games, they have stated that they plan to support the GameCube. I

expect at least a Dragon Warrior Monsters game sometime in the future, but who knows?

Maybe we'll get the full treatment: the next Dragon Quest title is still shrouded in

mystery.

Jonathan Says: Considering how long it took

them to make Dragon Quest VII, we'll probably be playing GameCube 2 and PS3 before DQ8 is

released. But in the meantime, Dragon Quest Monsters, maybe a Torneko's Adventure, stuff

like that should be pretty cool and will likely hit GameCube. I don't expect any super

mega-mega titles on GC though, unless Enix actually develops a multi-platform game

(unlikely).

Max Says: I have heard very positive things

in regard to Enix & Nintendo, but nothing too specific. At the very least, as TYP

pointed out, Enix have confirmed they will support the GameCube. What's more, the company

seems pretty interested in the GC-GBA connection...

Nick asks, Nintendo wants their online games to adhere to everyone. They want the

games to be good for narrowband as well as broadband. Do you think this will have an

impact on load/ping times in the online games? If you compare today's PC online games,

you'll see that narrowband gets the short end of the stick. Most of them stay at a 500

ping, if they're lucky, while others just flat out get booted. Do you think that Nintendo

will provide broadband only and narrowband only servers?

Will we be able to use my home broadband ISP to play games online, or will we have to sign

up for another service?

Rick Says: The problem you face here is when you're trying to play

a twitch game online. Ping time (the time it takes for your packet of information to reach

the server) is critical in twitch games.

Broadband doesn't always solve the problem, as some services have high ping times,

regardless of your download speed. Satellite internet being a prime example.

All that really matters is the distance between your machine and the server, and how many

"hops" (other machines) you need to take to get there. Even modem users can have

low ping, but it's rare.

That said, a game like Mario Party Online wouldn't need to be ping-proof to work well

online, nor would an online RPG, or even a Mario Kart if properly coded.

But, if you have an option to get Broadband ... DO IT. You'll never regret it, not even

once.

Mike S. Says: There is a BIG difference between

narrow and broadband on a PC and on a console. On a PC developers have to code a game not

designed for a certain set of hardware. Thus, PC games can run choppy on systems even if

they meet the requirements. On a console, all the hardware is the same. Online games can

be coded to take advantage of the GameCube's specific modem/broadband adapter. This is

what happened with the Dreamcast. Because of this, dialup games on the Dreamcast worked

extremely well. Much better than dialup games on the PC. It is likely that the same will

happen with the GameCube. Dialup on a console is nothing like dialup on a PC. Though any

way you slice it, broadband is still better.

Jonathan Says: In addition, keep in mind that Nintendo isn't really maintaining any

standards for online GameCube software. How well games perform over narrowband will vary

widely among developers and publishers. I would expect Nintendo's first-party games to

work very well over dialup though.

Matt asks, How many channels are on the WaveBird controller and adapter? What

if you live in an apartment building and your neighbor upstairs has four friends over

(including yourself), you both have four WaveBirds and your all playing SSBM (for lack of

a better 4 player game). Wouldn't the WaveBird signals cancel each other out or

criss-cross?

Rick Says: No. Each WaveBird can be on one

of up to 16 channels, so even four full GameCubes would work without any crosstalk.

If you get interference, just change channels. Easy as pie!

TYP Says: Actually, I was fooling around

with my two WaveBirds today and discovered something quite interesting. Depending on how

you go about setting the WaveBird channels and turning the controllers off/on (how you

initialize them), you can actually get two controllers to work without interference ON THE

SAME CHANNEL. I guess each WaveBird transmits a unique signal. This is probably why no one

was able to mess the Mario Party 4 competitors up during E3. Nintendo never ceases to

amaze me!

Mike Suzuki Says: Yeah, interference should

not be a problem. And, if you have 2 or more WaveBirds, try using 1 WaveBird with 2

receivers set on the same channel. Think using 1 pair of Ice Climbers in SSBM is fun?

Well, now you can double your pleasure! 4 cute little hammer-wielding buggers can now be

yours to control at the same time to make plumbers, Pokemon, and Hylians wish they'd never

set foot on the same stage with you. Or, for those who aren't fond of brawling and are

look for something more elegant; behold the beauty of Synchronized Skateboarding on Tony

Hawk 3. If you thought pulling a 900 with 1 skater was cool, wait until you see 2 skaters

doing a 900 in unison. I'm really looking forward to an FPS with a good co-op mode.

Remember: 1 WaveBird + 2 receivers on same channel = bonus fun!

Varun asks, I was wondering if you believe Eternal Darkness truly deserves an M

rating? I am not yet 17, but my parents buy me "M" rated games if the content

isn't disagreeable. Blood and Gore are usually not a big deal. Is there any trace of

profanity, nudity, or is the game too gruesome, to frightening, or too difficult for kids

between the ages of 14 and 16?

Rick Says: Yes, Eternal Darkness has earned every bit of it's

Mature rating. However, there is no profanity or nudity. The game is dark and very

mentally challenging. All I can really suggest is that you have your parents rent the game

and try it themselves. Then they can decide for themselves if the game is too mature for

you.

Adam Says: Now Dave Mirra XXX on the other hand...

Jonathan Says: Eternal Darkness vs. Dave Mirra XXX... Now that might be a fun

article one day.

Seriously though, Silicon Knights have a very intellectual definition of

"mature" as opposed to most of the industry. They make games for adults. That

doesn't mean they put porn or ridiculous profanity in their games; rather, they make games

that only an adult can truly appreciate, because of the depth and complexity of the

content. ED is scary and even gory, but that's not what makes it mature.

Max Says: From what I understand, the content of ED is more psychologically

disturbing and freaky than being all out graphic or gory. Yes there is blood and gore but

that's not the main reason this game is "mature." While I wouldn't be surprised

if there was some profanity, Denis Dyack has confirmed there is no nudity in the game.