Friday, 8/22/03
More LAN Games
1080° Avalanche and Starfox Armada were recently revealed to have
LAN multiplayer modes. In theory, this allows for up to 8 players in a game,
each with their own screen. Mario Kart: Double Dash and Kirby Air
Ride will also
support LAN play. If the Gamespy stories from last year are true at all, and
online play is planned, we should all be happy. However, Kirby Air Ride is
already out in Japan and it has no online gaming option, so don't get your
hopes up too high yet.
Mario Kart: Double Dash Speeds Along
Reports from folks attending the Leipzig Game Convention in Germany report
that Mario Kart: Double Dash is running at much higher speeds than
that of the e3 demo. In addition, some form of "power sliding" seems to have
been added into the game, allowing you to slide around corners, wiggle the
joystick, then zoom off with a burst of highly illogical speed. Sadly, Toad is
not a playable character in this version of the game either.
Germany Produces Valuable Nintendo MP3
To celebrate the Leipzig Game Convention, a game music concert was held.
Music from an entire selection of games not available on any Nintendo system
was heard, along with some Final Fantasy music and a selection from
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. Expect to see these tunes appearing
all over the net in the usual places.
Bonus Disc with Mario Kart: Double Dash
As you might have read nearly everywhere else on the Net, it seems likely that
buyers of Mario Kart: Double Dash will receive a bonus disk. News of
this development came after several retailers reported receiving corporate
promotion signs saying that a bonus disk would be coming. Sadly, there is
no current information on what might be on this disk. Our best guess is that
it will feature demos (movie and/or playable) and that it might contain
some kind of emulated game, much like the upcoming Rogue Squadron III bonus
disk.
Paper Mario Coming to Europe?
Fire Emblem (GBA), Paper Mario and Nintendo Puzzle
Collection have all been announced as 2004 releases by Nintendo of Europe.
While NoE release lists tend to be taken with large pillars of salt by most of
us, these were part of a 2004 release list which was given at the same time as
the Leipzig Game Show in Germany. Nintendo officially announced a special
GBA 3D chip in Europe earlier this year, so the concept of Nintendo having one
of its regional divisions making a new game announcement isn't entirely out
of the question. Fire Emblem and Nintendo Puzzle Collection
were both displayed at e3, but Paper Mario is a mystery at this point.
If it is coming out, it could be a new game or merely a port of the N64 title.
The GBA game Mario & Luigi is scheduled to be released this fall, so
it is even possible that these two games could feature "connectivity" features.
Multiplayer Final Fantasy Without GBA
It seems that it is possible to play Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
using just one GBA and three standard controllers, although this feature might
end up being removed from the final U.S. release of the game. If you plug a
GBA into a controller port and start a game, you can unplug the GBA from that
port and replace it with a standard controller, which works quite well for
most standard game functions. You will need at least one GBA however, as you
can't start a multiplayer game unless you have a GBA plugged into the first
controller port.
More GBA SP Colors For Japan
Nintendo is planning to release two more colors of the GBA SP in Japan: pink
and blue. If you are about to become a parent anytime soon, these would make
lovely gifts for all your friends. In other news, the U.S.A. hasn't even
gotten the black SP yet.
SMB3 eReader Cards
The first wave of eReader cards compatible with the upcoming Super Mario
Bros. 3 GBA port will feature 50 cards. Of these 50, 11 unlock extra
levels (newly designed or pulled from other games), 25 give items or tweak
the game (capes from Super Mario World?), and the remaining 14 play movies
that show you how to beat levels or perform special manuevers. In Japan, the
cards will sell for 191 yen per pack (about $1.50).
Nokia N-Gage at German Gaming Show
Hee hee hee. N-Gage. Hee hee hee.
Microsoft's Rare to release multiple games for the GBA.
N-Gage. Hee hee hee.
Thursday, 8/21/03
F-Zero Anime
Nintendo announced that an F-Zero animated show, F-Zero: Falcon Tradition,
would begin broadcasting in Japan on October 7th. The series will be set in
2201, featuring Captain Falcon and a detective from 150 years in the past, one
Ryu Suzaku. Other F-Zero pilots should make frequent appearances.
A Faster Mario Kart?
Early reports from the NBC Today Show Toy Test indicate that the
upcoming racer is moving at a much greater speed than seen at e3. Sadly, there
is no report of Toad being featured as a playable character. More's the pity.
European Update
Contrary to popular report, the e-Reader is still scheduled for a European
release, although sources now indicate it might be launched in mid-2004. One
inside source at Nintendo of Europe has indicated that a British version of
Animal Crossing has been seen in the NoE offices this week. Interesting
combination of events.
Kirby/Smash Bros. Creator Speaks with Iwata
After Masahiro Sakurai (creator of the Kirby character and chief director of
the Super Smash Bros. series) announced he was leaving Hal Labs, the net was
abuzz with rumors. NCL president Satoru Iwata had a series of discussions with
Sakurai recently, and the net result is that his departure from Hal and Nintendo
is rather amicable. Sakurai says he isn't ruling out the possibility of working
on a Nintendo title in the future.
As a side note, Giles Goddard (programmer of the interactive Mario face in
Super Mario 64) left Nintendo back in the N64 days, only to return to Nintendo
prior to the Game Cube launch. Nintendo seems somewhat friendly to welcoming
back old employees, so it is hard to say what might happen to Sakurai in the
future.
Big Sites Finally Notice Activision Anthology for the GBA
Folks are finally talking about the upcoming Activision Anthology for the
GBA, with over 55 games and due for release sometime in October. While we'd
still rather see the PS2 Activision collection get ported to the GameCube, this
is a good thing. The Midway Arcade Treasures collection for the GC is coming
out this fall as well, so prepare to have fun.
Big Sites Talk About the N-Gage
Hee hee hee. N-Gage. Hee hee hee.
Metal Slug is coming to the GBA.
N-Gage. Hee hee hee.
