Thursday, 11/06/03
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Website Active
NOA's Mario Kart Double Dash!!
is now up and running. One interesting twist to this site is that visitors
can join one of four character teams and compete in some game knowledge
contests. The team with the highest overall score will win some kind of
"special download" in December.
Wednesday, 11/05/03
GameCube Production Resumes
Thanks to the surge in GameCube sales over the past month, NCL resumed
production of the system in October. Due to a surplus of systems, Nintendo had
haulted new GC production back in January. It seems the price cut has done the
trick.
Donkey Konga Series?
Nintendo's online Nintendo Dream magazine is hinting that a series of
Donkey Konga games could be in the works. The logical conclusion from
this is that "sequels" really means "the same game with different music", like
most music/rythm game sequels, although we could well be wrong.
1080° Press Conference/Interview
Nintendo Software Technologies members held a press conference today to shed
some light onto their newest game, 1080° Avalanche. The NST employees
taking part included NST president Shigeki Yamashiro (previous work includes
F-Zero and Pilot Wings), NST lead game designer
Vivek Melwani (formerly with EA and Igloo Games), and three other members of
the 1080° team: Alain Schneuwly, Lawrence Schwedler, and Sheldon Baines.
Some interesting aspects of the conference include...
Blue Storm, one EAD artist from the original 1080° is part of the
development team. Masachimi Abe, director of the original game, took part in
discussions and some planning for 1080° Avalanche.
members of NST.
to the "extreme" versions that others are creating. They mentioned that the
SSX series seems to be more of a trick based, Tony Hawk style
of game.
musical tracks. The chief aim was to keep a consistent style to the music and
the game.
If you want to view a transcript of the conference, take a look over at
1up.com's coverage.
Tuesday, 11/04/03
Zelda Bonus Disc Update
While Nintendo plans to pack the Zelda compilation disc with GameCube
systems in the near future, they recently informed the public of two other
ways gamers can obtain the disc. Starting November 11th, you can receive
the disc when you purchase two other Nintendo games (specifically Mario
Party 5, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, 1080° Avalanche, or the GBA game
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga) and register your purchases on
Nintendo's Zelda
promotion website. Or, if you prefer, you can subscribe to Nintendo Power
magazine and receive the disc free, starting November 17th.
The Zelda compilation disc includes The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II:
The Adventure of Link, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask. Aside from
the games, there will be a playable demo of Wind Waker, some kind of
Wind Waker "movie", and a "retrospective movie experience" of the Zelda
series.
GameCube Selling Well
Nintendo claims that the GameCube is currently responsible for 37% of all
console sales in the USA, up from the miserable 18% it was at not that long ago.
The $99 price is generally held to be responsible for this sales gain.
More Interviews Conducted By Someone Else
Computer and Video Games recently published an interview with some of
the Mario Kart: Double Dash!! design team. As we someone failed to
sneak into the room, go visit
the web version of the interview to learn more.
Tiny Bit of Mario Tennis News
In the latest "Nintendo Dream" issue, the news has come out that the GC version
of Mario Tennis is about 3/4 complete, and that Nintendo and Camelot
are planning for a release sometime in the first half of 2004.
Monday, 11/03/03
1080° Avalanche and Custom Robo Delayed in Japan
Both of these upcoming Nintendo titles now have Spring 2004 release schedules in
Japan. Will this mean that the US release of 1080° will also be delayed?
At this point on-line retailers seem to indicate it will appear in early
December.
Mario Kart Bundle for PAL Territories
Ninteno of Europe and Nintendo of Australia plan to release a GameCube bundle
containing the system, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, and the upcoming
Zelda bonus disc for about $25-$30 more than the system alone. While
the bundle deal is interesting, it should be pointed out that the Zelda
disc should be made available with all new GC purchases sometime towards the
end of this month. However, the first wave of Mario Kart discs in Europe
will come with red cases.
Another GameCube Online Project
The open source Xlink project, which
allows LAN games to be turned into online games for the Xbox, has recently
revealed plans to extend their software to the GameCube. They hope to release
GameCube compatible versions of their "tunneling" software later this year,
allowing you to hook your GC up to your PC and broadband connection to play
games like Mario Kart, Kirby Air Ride, and 1080° Avalanche online.
In Stores This Week
While they aren't exclusive to the GameCube, Gladius, True Crime: Streets
of L.A., Road Kill, and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King should
all be in stores either this week or the next. Fire Emblem for the GBA
should be available as well.
Wacky Deals (Which Will Soon Sell Out)
Best Buy's online store recently reduced prices on several games and is offering
free shipping again. For $10 you can get any of the following:
Baldur's Gate,
4x4 Evo 2,
Dakar 2,
Disney Sports Skateboarding,
Madden 2003,
Die Hard Vendetta,
Whirl Tour,
Minority Report, or
SSX Tricky.
In addition, you can get
Mega Man & Bass for the GBA for $10, or either the
Donkey Kong 3 or
Ice Climber eReader card sets for just 99 cents each.
