October 31, 2002

THQ Joins Forces with Clear Channel Entertainment [ Yahoo! Finance ]
THQ Joins Forces with Clear Channel Entertainment for Title Sponsorship of THQ World Supercross GP. Leading videogame publisher THQ® Inc and Clear Channel Entertainment's Motor Sports division announced today that, beginning with the 2002-2003 race season, THQ has entered into a three-season agreement to be the new title sponsor of THQ World Supercross GP, which includes the AMA Supercross Series.
Matthew Silver

Fatality Friday [ Yahoo! Finance ]
Midway announced today that November 22, 2002 would be dubbed “Fatality Friday” to signify the launch of Mortal Kombat which is due out for all four next generation consoles (GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation2, and Gameboy Advance). This seems to work out nicely. I’ll be watching some Bond and then kicking some ass.
Matthew Silver

October 30, 2002

Outlaw Golf Ships to Retailers [ Coffee Talk ]
Simon and Schuster publishing has shipped Outlaw Golf for the Nintendo Gamecube. Already available for Microsoft Xbox, this hit brings yet another risqué title to Nintendo's latest console. We even have a Press release direct from the horse's mouth on all the juicy details.
Kevin McGinnis

Sega Shows Off F-Zero [ IGN Cube ]
IGN has some new footage of F-Zero, being developed by Sega and Nintendo. At the Tokyo International Computer Graphics Festival, Sega's Toshihiro Nagoshi spoke on the evolution of racing games over the years, and also quite in depth on their new racer for the GameCube and arcades using the new Triforce arcade board.
Matt Schraeder

More Nintendo Antitrust News [ Games Asylum ]
Nintendo's fine from the European Commission, for preventing the exporting of their products from one country to another between 1991 and 1998, has been decided. Nintendo themselves will suffer a €149 million fine - just under £100 million - while seven of their European distributors will share a fine of €18.8 million. John Menzies, whose THE Games division handled the UK distribution, is one of those seven, and will have to swallow €8.64 million of the fine.

Some of the specifics of the investigation are horrific - in 1996, certain Nintendo products were 65% cheaper in the UK than in Netherlands and Germany. Both Nintendo and John Menzies will appeal the magnitude of their fines.

The currency exchange for 100 million pounds is estimated in at around 156 million US dollars.
Matthew Silver

New Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire Information [ Computer and Videogames ]
Nintendo has released new details on Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, due for release in Japan this December. Poké-fans will be familiar with the likes of the irksome Team Rocket, but Ruby and Sapphire will boast two brand new enemy squads: Team Magma and Team Aqua. With the already-announced four-player link-up battling, with two-on-two Pokémon rucks now a possibility, fans of the series should be squealing like strangled marmosets in anticipation of this massive pair of titles.
Matthew Silver

October 29, 2002

Serious Sam to the GameCube? [ The Adrenaline Vault ]
In an interview with The Adrenaline Vault, Croatia announced that a GameCube version will be released in 2003 with a whole new story. Serious Sam was released on PC in 2001 and has won several awards. This is pretty impressive from a developer no one had heard of until it's release, and the fact that the game originally retailed for only $20. More on the GameCube version as it developes.
Matt Schraeder

Nintendo's First Online Title [ N-Philes ]
Sega has shipped the first online title for the GameCube, Phantasy Star Online. Starting today, millions of gamers will be able to hook their Cube's to the net via 56k or broadband and duke it out in their favorite games. Phantasy Star Online, which offers both online and offline gameplay, will carry a montly online fee of $8.95, to cover Sega's costs of server upkeep. The offline version of the game will not carry that monthly fee, but will offer 4-player splitscreen gameplay.
Matt Schraeder

ATI Ships 12 Million Flippers [ N-Philes ]
ATI has shipped 12 million GameCube graphics processors, which they named "Flipers". It's partly thanks to ATI and their Flippers that makes developement on the GameCube so easy, along with giving the system such great graphics.
Matt Schraeder

October 28, 2002

Freeloader to be in Stores Next Week [ Newtechnix ]
The Freeloader, a GameCube boot disc that allows imported games from any region to play on any GameCube is expected to be in stores sometime next week, occording to Newtechnix.
Matt Schraeder

Australian Game Rankings [ Game Power ]
Super Mario Sunshine seems to be holding onto a strong lead in the Australia among all consoles, only being beat out by The Sims Unleashed for the PC. Coming in second for the week in Australia is WrestleManiaX8. Apparently the Australians like their wrestling games as WWE Raw is War was the number one seller for Xbox (yes you can laugh with me over that). Nintendo GameCube, Gameboy Advance and overall numbers are listed below; if you want PS2 and Xbox number just go here.

Top Selling GameCube Games
1. Super Mario Sunshine
2. WWE WrestleMania X8
3. Resident Evil
4. Super Smash Bros: Melee
5. Turok Evolution
6. Luigi's Mansion
7. Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
8. Pikmin
9. Star Wars Rogue Squadron: Rogue Leader II
10. James Bond 007 in... Agent Under Fire

Top Selling Game Boy Advance Games
1. Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
2. Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
3. Lilo and Stitch
4. Stuart Little 2
5. Mario Kart Super Circuit
6. Sonic Advance
7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
8. Jimmy Neutron
9. Golden Sun
10. Jimmy Neutron

Top Selling Games Accross All Platforms
1. The Sims Unleashed (PC)
2. Super Mario Sunshine (GameCube)
3. V8 Supercars Race Driver (PlayStation 2)
4. The Sims Deluxe (PC)
5. AFL Live 2003 (PlayStation 2)
6. Grand Theft Auto III (PlayStation 2)
7. Tekken 4 (PlayStation 2)
8. Conflict: Desert Storm (PlayStation 2)
9. Medal of Honor: Frontline (PlayStation 2)
10. Lilo & Stitch: Trouble in Paradise (PSone)
Matthew Silver

Phantasy Star Online GCN-GBA Link Details [ Total Games ]
All of you GameCube and GBA owners, you who are getting ready to venture into the world of Phantasy Star Online will be pleased to know that SEGA have made their link-up plans clear. On the PSO GameCube disc, there is only one GBA game. To gain others, such as Chu Chu rocket and Nights you’ll have to complete certain downloadable quests on specific dates, such as the Nights quest in December.

SEGA will be continuing to release applications and games for your GBA for as long as the PSO servers are active, and as they use the N-Port technology, you won’t need a cartridge to store them on your GBA.
Matthew Silver

October 25, 2002

Tetris? Hard? No way!! [ Slashdot ]
Ever wonder why Tetris is so hard? Well a group of MIT students did, and published their findings on the internet. As it turns out, it is nearly impossible to determine how to win, even if you know exactly what pieces are going to be dropped ahead of time and have an infinite amount of time to place the pieces. If you are really good at understanding math, check out their report. For the rest of you, just remember: It isn't your fault that you stink at Tetris.
Matt Schraeder

Metroid GCN-GBA Connectivity Announced [ Planet GameCube ]
Nintendo has announced how Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion will use the GCN-GBA Link Cables. It turns out that if you beat Metroid Prime, connecting the GBA version to your GameCube will unlock the Metroid Fusion suit for Samus. If you beat Metroid Fusion, connecting it to your GameCube will unlock the NES version of Metroid.
Matt Schraeder

Nintendo Breaks European Antitrust Laws [ The Register ]
Europe is fining Nintendo for breaking antitrust laws. Their crime? Obstructing cross-boarder sales to keep prices high and to keep control of their own distribution. The Level of the fine is expected to be announced next week.
Matt Schraeder

New Resident Evil 0 Screens [ Capcom Japan ]
Capcom has released yet another new batch of Resident Evil 0 Screens. Head on over to Capcom Japan's Resident Evil website to check them out.
Matt Schraeder

October 23, 2002

Zelda Japanese Box Art Revealed [ Newtechnix ]
Newtechnix is reporting that Nintendo has released the Japanese boxart for The Legend of Zelda: Takuto of the Wind.

Matt Schraeder

Final Fantasy Chronicals Screens [ Games Radar ]
Some nice screens of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles can be seen here. I am not much of a RPG fan but these screens, to steal a line from Fat Bastard, “Dead Sexy.”
Matthew Silver

Final Fantasy Chronicals Details [ Games Asylum ]
Square took their shareholders meeting as an opportunity to reveal a few morsels of Nintendo Final Fantasy news.

Most interesting are the details of how the Game Boy Advance will be used with the GameCube title, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. In multiplayer games at least, you will be able to use the handheld as a controller. The screen will then hold all character specific information, such as health. This will force you to communicate with your fellow adventurers, for example to get someone to heal you if you are low on health - because only you will know. It smacks of nannying somewhat, but it's a nice idea. Square certainly seem to have taken to Nintendo's idea of promoting communication, anyway. And it was confirmed that Nintendo will be publishing the game.

Also announced were Japanese release dates for Square's first two Game Boy Advance titles. Chocobo Land will be the first, on 13th December, followed by Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on 14th February 2003.
Matthew Silver

THQ's Stocks Plummet [ Yahoo! News ]
THQ stocks since yesterday have taken a horrible hit. After announcing that they lowered next year’s earning standards the stock saw a drop of nearly 36%. Share prices are at an incredible low of $14.80, down nearly nine dollars since Monday.
Matthew Silver

October 22, 2002

Top 10 Games for the Holidays [ Yahoo! Finance ]
PlayDate Inc. has released their predictions for the biggest toys for this holiday season. Included in their predictions is a top 10 videogames list and a hardware sales list.

New Info for SSX Tricky on GBA [ GameSpot ]
More information on the new GBA version of SSX Tricky has been revealed. The game will use a mode 7 3D graphics engine and the camera will be positioned behind the rider, like the console versions. The game will feature all the same tracks and characters as the PS2 version with its own new additions thrown into the mix. Currently there are three modes in the game, World Cup, Show Off and Free Ride.
Matthew Silver

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 to Ship Next Week [ GameSpot ]
EA Sports reveals that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 will ship next week for the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube. The next edition of EA Sports' PGA golf game is coming out next week, on October 29, for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. The PC version of the game is scheduled for November 1. There are 14 courses in the console versions of the game and eight in the PC version because it ships on a lower-capacity CD disc. The game includes a few different play modes, including minigames.
Matthew Silver

Metroid Prime Commercial [ IGN Cube ]
IGN Cube has published what is easily the best GameCube commercial to date. The Metroid Prime commercial has gone live, and Samus rocks. There are three movie sizes to allow for all connection speeds to view this spectacular commercial.
Matt Schraeder

Resident Evil 2 and 3 Release Dates [ EB Games ]
Apparently Resident Evil 2 and 3 have been given release dates within the last few days. Since they have not being remade like Resident Evil 1 for GameCube they are coming out fairly soon; less than two months after Resident Evil 0. Mark your calendars for January 7, 2003 because the Evil will be unleashed once again.
Matthew Silver

October 21, 2002

New Resident Evil 0 Screenshots [ Capcom Japan ]
Capcom has released another batch of great looking screens from Resident Evil 0. This time they involve different locations you will find in the game, along with concept drawlings of them.
Matt Schraeder

THQ in the Top 200 Small Companies [ Yahoo! Finance ]
THQ was named number 69 out of 200 of Forbes Magazine's top 200 small companies. THQ was the only videogame publisher to make the list and their performance, profits, and equity over the last 5 years were recognized.
Matt Schraeder

October 18, 2002

Length of Metroid Prime Revealed [ IGN Cube ]
IGN Cube is reporting that Metroid Prime, which was once believed to only last less then 10 hours, will actually last between 20-30 hours. This estimate is based on beating the game through the final boss, not beating every aspect of the game. Supposedly it is to be the longest yet in the Metroid series. IGN is also reporting that the game's story will take place between Metroid II and Super Metroid, whereas Metroid Fusion will take place after Super Metroid.
Matt Schraeder

October 17, 2002

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 Soundtrack Announced [ N-Philes ]
Activision has announced the soundtrack to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, which will consist of a whopping 35 tracks.
System of a Down – “Shimmy”
The Offspring – “Blackball”
AC/DC – “TNT”
Sex Pistols – “Anarchy in the UK”
Run–DMC – “My Adidas”
The Cult – “Bad Fun”
N.W.A. – “Express Yourself”
De La Soul – “Oodles of O’s”
Public Enemy – “By The Time I Get To Arizona”
Iron Maiden – “The Number of the Beast”
The Distillers – “Seneca Falls”
Gangstarr – “Mass Appeal”
Goldfinger – “Spokesman”
Agent Orange – “Bloodstains”
Less Than Jake – “All My Best Friends Are Metalheads”
Flogging Molly – “Drunken Lullabies”
Rocket from the Crypt – “Savoir Faire”
Aesop Rock – “Labor”
Avail – “Simple Song”
Bouncing Souls – “Manthem”
Delinquent Habits – “House of the Rising Drum”
Eyedea & Abilities – “Big Shots”
The Faction – “Skate and Destroy”
Haiku D’Etat – “Non Compos Mentis”
Hot Water Music – “Freightliner”
JFA – “Beach Blanket Bongout”
Lootpack – “Whenimondamic”
Nebula – “Giant”
Toy Dolls – “Dig That Groove Baby”
US Bombs – “Yer Country”
Zeke – “Death Alley”
Muskabeatz – “I’m a Star” (featuring Grandmaster Melle Mel)
Muskabeatz – “Versus of Doom” (featuring Jeru the Damaja)
Muskabeatz – “Bodyrock” (featuring Biz Markie)
Jai Plus – “Bad Dreams” The game will be released on October 23, 2002 for the GameCube, Playstation 2, and Xbox.
Matt Schraeder

October 16, 2002

Zelda Title Revealed - Updated
Almost every website is reporting a different translation of the recently revealed title to The Legend of Zelda on GameCube. I am listing here all the possible translations that I have found, some being more plausible then others. Of course the title will most likely be Americanized, but at least you can get an idea of what it may be like.
The Legend of Zelda: Tact of the Wind
The Legend of Zelda: Stick of the Wind
The Legend of Zelda: Wand of the Wind
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit of the Wind
The Legend of Zelda: Rythme of the Wind
The Legend of Zelda: Melody of the Wind
The Legend of Zelda: Cycle of the Wind
The titles that seem most plausible are cycle, melody, and wand, because they seem to fit better with storylines of past Zelda games.
Matt Schraeder

Resident Evil 2 to Use DivX [ Newtechnix ]
Newtechnix is reporting that Resident Evil 2 for GameCube will be using Factor 5's latest GCN SDK, DivX for GameCube. Offering highly compressed, DVD quality video, DivX will be a great addition to Resident Evil 2.
Matt Schraeder

October 15, 2002

Zelda Title Revealed [ Newtechnix ]
Newtechnix is reporting the name to the Legend of Zelda for GameCube, The Legend of Zelda: Takuto of the Wind or The Stick of the Wind (as translated by babelfish). Just last week, an interview with Eiji Aonuma stated that wind played a big role in the game, so the title is of no surprise.
Matt Schraeder

Retrailers Refuse to Sell BMX XXX [ N-Philes ]
Retailers are refusing to sell Acclaim's controversial game BMX XXX. Major retailers, including Wal-mart, Toys 'R Us, and KB Toys, are refusing to sell the game which involves prostitues, pimps, and strippers as characters. Best Buy is willing to sell a censored PS2 version.
Matt Schraeder

Super Mario Sunshine Bundle Available [ N-Philes ]
The Super Mario Sunshine Bundle has shipped, and for only $189.95 you can get a Nintendo GameCube, Super Mario Sunshine game, and a Memory Card 59.
Matt Schraeder

October 11, 2002

Play Mortal Kombat with a WWE Superstar [ WWE.com ]
World Wrestling Entertainment has always loved new ways to try and get publicity. As of late on the WWE website found here you can sign up for a chance to be able to play Mortal Combat: Deadly Alliance with a WWE superstar the day before its release, which is November 22nd. Run along now a sign up fifty times, I know I already have!
Matthew Silver

The Word on the GameCube Keyboard is Revealed [ N-Philes ]
Sega has revealed that they have no plans for the ASCII GameCube keyboard but they are working with other third parties to try and perhaps get one out before the release of Phantasy Star Online. If they do not release a keyboard in the States then you can always go to an online or local import store and order one.

Matthew Silver

Resident Evil Creature Models Updated! [ Capcom Japan ]
Upon further inspection of the article, I realized that not only is Capcom is releasing model kit, but that it comes with a preorder of the game. For only 7,800 Yen ($63) you can have a 1/12 scale model of the zombie dog from Resident Evil sent with your import copy of Resident Evil 0. For more information on the item click here. No news on whether they will do the same with the American release, but we can only hope. Sorry for any inconvenience this error may have caused.
Matt Schraeder

New RE0 Weapon Info and Movies [ Capcom Japan ]
Capcom Japan has release new movies of Resident Evil 0, along with information on some of the weapons in the game. To see the movies, click the bottom right box on the site, and for the weapons click the center box.
Matt Schraeder

October 10, 2002

Australian GameCube Prices Drop [ N-Philes ]
Australia retailers seem to be slashing the prices of GameCube to as low as 107 US dollars. A more likely price to be found however is around 140 US dollars. Could this price drop in Australia mean that we might see another drop here in the States? With the upcoming holiday season there is a pretty good chance Nintendo might drop the price again to try and get a beat on the very popular PlayStation2.
Matthew Silver

Famitsu Interviews Eiji Aonuma [ Famitsu Magazine ]
Famitsu interviewed Eiji Aonuma, director of The Legend of Zelda for the GameCube a little while ago on what he thought about the latest edition to the series. Eiji seems to talk a lot about puzzles and how they will play a major part in the game. From the interview it sounds like Zelda GC will be a lot like SFA. Let's just hope they have the combat that we have come to learn and love in Zelda games. You can read the full translation here.
Matthew Silver

October 8, 2002

Nintendo To Release Preview DVDs [ IGN Cube ]
IGN Cube is reporting that Nintendo will be releasing a preview DVD with 80 minutes of game footage for 25 upcoming games. The DVD will not contain playable demos, just footage, and what games will be featured is still unconfirmed. Expect to see it on retail shelves at the end of the month or in early November.
Matt Schraeder

October 7, 2002

EA Ships NBA Live 2003 Early [ Yahoo! Finance ]
Originally set to release in late October, EA has shipped NBA Live 2003 early. Expect to find the ninth installment of the NBA Live series at your local store in the next few days.
Matt Schraeder

Nintendo Boosts Marketing 25% for Q4 [ Yahoo! Finance ]
Nintendo is boosting its marketing to $140 million for Q4. This is a 25% hike from last year's marketing budget. The hike is being used to focus primarily on teens and 20-somethings, with games like Metroid and Resident Evil 0.
Matt Schraeder

October 5, 2002

New PSO Movie [ Sega ]
Sega has released a new PSO I and II movie. Enjoy.
Matt Schraeder

October 4, 2002

Sega's Year to Date Sales [ IGN Cube ]
IGN is reporting Sega's Year to Date sales figures. Sonic Adventure 2: Battle is Sega's best seller of the year, with over 450,000 sales, with NBA 2k2 and Virtua Fighter 4 for PS2 coming in 2nd and 3rd with 375,000 and 360,000 sales.
Matt Schraeder

October 1, 2002

Factor 5 Releases DivX for the GameCube SDK [ N-Philes ]
Factor 5 and DivXNetworks have teamed up to bring DivX to the GameCube Software Development Kit (SDK). DivX brings the GameCube DVD quality video playback with compression 7-10 times that of mpeg-2 encoding.
Matt Schraeder

Cube Clubs To Start Again [ Nintendo ]
Nintendo has brought back the Cube Clubs, and starting October 17th gamers from across the country can try out games such as Zelda, Metroid, Mario Party 4, James Bond 007: Nightfire, and many others. Coming on December 14th, watch for live coverage from Carl DeNovio, Matthew Silver, and Matthew Marlow from the Cube Club in New York.
Matt Schraeder