Today's Special Archives: December 2005

News Archives Index True Crime: New York City [ Reviews ] Mike takes a day trip to the city that never sleeps and comes back very, very tired. Unfortunately, we can report that he is neither King of the Hill, Top of the List, nor A-number-one. Mike Twomey -- Posted on Saturday, December 31 2005 22:47 PM [Top] Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones [ Reviews ] Most people think Time is like a river, that flows swift and smooth in one direction. But I have seen the face of Time, and I can tell you, they are wrong. Time is an ocean in a storm. You may wonder who I am, and why I say these things. Sit down, and I will tell you a tale like none which you have ever heard... Carl DeNovio -- Posted on Thursday, December 29 2005 22:28 PM [Top] Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble [ Reviews ] Viewtiful Joe and Nintendo DS, it would be hard to screw up such a perfect match. Eric takes a look and sees if Joe's first handheld adventure can live up to his previous console ones. Eric Jones -- Posted on Thursday, December 29 2005 19:32 PM [Top] Sonic Riders [ Previews ] Another 3D Sonic game that does not really look all that impressive. Someone needs to smack Sega, and by smack I mean Sega needs new management. I don't think they can get much more pathetic. Will Szwagiel -- Posted on Thursday, December 29 2005 19:29 PM [Top] GameCube Café Presents: An Interview with EA [ Home Brewed ] With the holiday season upon us, by now you're making your final preparations for Christmas, Channukah, or whichever holiday you celebrate. We here at the Café, naturally, wish all our readers a very Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year, but before then we'd like to present you all with a little early Christmas present, and a major surprise. Our own Editor In Chief Kevin McGinnis recently got the opportunity to have the interview of a lifetime: an exclusive one-on-one conversation with John Schappert, Senior Vice President and group studio general manager of the world's biggest third-party game company, Electronic Arts. Yes, THE Electronic Arts. Click the source link to read for yourself what will undoubtedly go down as a major event in GameCube Café history. Eric Jones -- Posted on Saturday, December 24 2005 17:57 PM [Top] Tales of Phantasia Boxart and Logo [ Nintendo ] When young swordsman Cress Albane finds his home village destroyed and his parents killed, Cress sets off on an adventure to find those responsible. In his efforts to uncover those behind this evil deed, Cress soon finds himself on a mission that will take him back and forth through time. Tales of Phantasia hits GBAs March 6. Images: Tales of Phantasia Logo Tales of Phantasia Boxart Carl DeNovio -- Posted on Friday, December 23 2005 14:00 PM [Top] Odama Boxart [ Nintendo ] A main character in Odama is Yamanouchi Kagetora, a young general struggling to avenge his clan and preserve the Way of Ninten, a philosophy that puts the greater good above the individual's needs. With this philosophy to guide him, he finds that his individual soldiers can band together to create a force strong enough to defeat even the most powerful enemy, here a general named Genshin who killed his father. Kagetora exacts his revenge, using only limited resources against a vast army. One of these resources is a sacred object protected by his clan: a legendary weapon called the Odama. Look for Odama on the Nintendo GameCube on March 6. Images: Odama Boxart Carl DeNovio -- Posted on Friday, December 23 2005 14:00 PM [Top] Drill Dozer Boxart and Character Art [ Nintendo ] Jill is the spunky daughter of the big boss of the Red Dozers, a friendly band of thieves. She may be a little girl, but she’s a skilled Drill Dozer robot pilot. Her father is in critical condition after being attacked by the Skullker gang. During the attack, the gang also steals her most prized possession, a red diamond given to her by her deceased mother. While her father recuperates, it’s up to Jill to take over as the big boss, demolish the Skullkers with her Drill Dozer and get her red diamond back. Drill Dozer hits the GBA February 6. Images: Drill Dozer Boxart Drill Dozer Character Art 1 Drill Dozer Character Art 2 Drill Dozer Character Art 3 Drill Dozer Character Art 4 Carl DeNovio -- Posted on Friday, December 23 2005 13:59 PM [Top] Chibi Robo Screens and Character Art [ Nintendo ] For her eighth birthday, little Jenny receives a very strange gift from her toy-fanatic father – a little robot named Chibi-Robo. But Jenny's mother isn't happy, because Jenny's father has just quit his job at a robotics plant for reasons he won't explain. Chibi-Robo helps around the house, cleaning up and doing whatever he can to bring happiness to this troubled family. When the robotic Spydorz show up, it's up to Chibi-Robo to protect his family from the evil plans of Macroware Robotics, Inc. Chibi Robo comes Stateside for the Cube February 6. Images: Chibi Robo Screenshot 1 Chibi Robo Screenshot 2 Chibi Robo Screenshot 3 Chibi Robo Character Art 1 Chibi Robo Character Art 2 Chibi Robo Character Art 3 Chibi Robo Character Art 4 Carl DeNovio -- Posted on Friday, December 23 2005 13:59 PM [Top] Super Princess Peach Screens and Character Art [ Nintendo ] After Bowser gets hold of something called a magical Vibe Wand, he kidnaps Mario and Luigi and heads back to his castle on Vibe Island with an emotional troop of minions in tow. Intent on rescuing the Mario Bros., Peach gives chase, only to find herself affected by the emotional vibes given off by the island. Using these newfound vibes to channel special abilities, she sets off to rescue Mario and Luigi. Super Princess Peach launches on February 27 for the Nintendo DS. Images: Super Princess Peach Screenshot 1 Super Princess Peach Screenshot 2 Super Princess Peach Screenshot 3 Super Princess Peach Screenshot 4 Super Princess Peach Character Art 1 Super Princess Peach Character Art 2 Super Princess Peach Character Art 3 Super Princess Peach Character Art 4 Super Princess Peach Character Art 5 Super Princess Peach Character Art 6 Super Princess Peach Character Art 7 Carl DeNovio -- Posted on Friday, December 23 2005 13:59 PM [Top] Twilight Princess to Work With Revolution Controller? [ Joystiq ] It's been known for quite sometime that the upcoming Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess would in fact be playable on Nintendo's upcoming Revolution console, due to the system's backwards compatibility with GameCube. However, Joystiq by way of independent UK Nintendo magazine NGC may have blown the lid off of a huge development as it regards to the game's playability on Revolution, as they claim that, according to sources, the game will also be playable using the Revolution's controller. As you might expect, moving and targeting would be handled by the controller's "nunchaku" attachment, while the controller itself would act as Link's sword, and the player would swing it in various directions in order to make Link do the same on screen. The controller would also work as Link's secondary weapons: pulling back to shoot arrows, making the action of throwing like a boomerang, and placing bombs. The magazine also sets a timetable for the Revolution's launch, as it claims the system will hit stores by November, which has also been rumored by other sources. It remains to be seen if Nintendo will confirm NGC's statements, but Twilight Princess being playable with the Revolution's controller would certainly add a second life to the GameCube's last big game. Eric Jones -- Posted on Thursday, December 22 2005 20:36 PM [Top] Happy Birthday Marlow! [ GameCube Café ] Today our resident redneck turns twenty-two. Yes, I know what you are all thinking right now. You are amazed he hasn't drank himself retarded during the twenty first year of his life. Well as one of his best friends I can assure you that he tried his best, but even Marlow has his limits. It's hard to imagine that he just graduated from college the other day and will spend the next few years of his life at Seminary school. The drinking and the religion don't seem to mix very well, but he somehow manages to pull it off. Yeah, you wish he did the services at your church. Stop by the chat or the forums and wish him a Happy Birthday. Matthew Silver -- Posted on Thursday, December 22 2005 6:00 AM [Top] First Tales of the Tempest Video [ Jump Festa ] Direct from the show floor of the Jump Festa expo in Japan, we have the first gameplay video of Tales of the Tempest, the upcoming RPG in the legendary Tales series from Namco exclusively for the Nintendo DS. From the video it looks like the game will have some spectacular graphics, and will also use a version of the Tales series' trademark battle system as previously seen in Tales of Symphonia. The game also looks to make use of the touch screen in battles, although in what way is not yet known. You can download the first gameplay video of the title below by right-clicking the link below to save to your hard drive, but be warned: this video is taken from a camera on the show floor, so the quality isn't exactly the best. Video: Tales of the Tempest Gameplay Video (3.7 MB) Eric Jones -- Posted on Monday, December 19 2005 16:04 PM [Top] Nintendo Announces Pokemon Trozei! [ Nintendo ] On March 6, get ready for Pokemon Trozei! Pokemon Trozei! is a sliding puzzle game where you slide the Pokemon puzzle pieces with the touch screen and line up four like pieces vertically or horizontally. You create a "Trozei" when you clear a line of at least four or more pieces. The game has single-player and two-player and also has a Pokedex mode for more than 380 Pokemon in the game. Check out the boxart, logo, and screenshots below. Images: Pokemon Trozei! Logo Pokemon Trozei! Boxart Pokemon Trozei! Screenshot 1 Pokemon Trozei! Screenshot 2 Pokemon Trozei! Screenshot 3 Pokemon Trozei! Screenshot 4 Pokemon Trozei! Screenshot 5 Joe McCollum -- Posted on Monday, December 19 2005 12:59 PM [Top] Latest Nintendo Sales Information [ Nintendo ] Nintendo has released their sales information for the first half of the fiscal year ending in September, 2005. Nintendo DS U.S. DS Hardware: 2.37 million units DS Software: 5.16 million units Worldwide DS Hardware: 8.83 million units DS Software: 23.8 million units Nintendo GameCube U.S. GCN Hardware: 10 million units GCN Software: 79.49 million units Worldwide GCN Hardware: 19.31 million units GCN Software: 169.51 million units Nintendo Game Boy Advance/Game Boy Advance SP U.S. GBA/GBA SP Hardware: 29.8 million units GBA Software: 128.34 million units Worldwide GBA/GBA SP Hardware: 70.04 million units GBA Software: 296.12 million units Total Worldwide Sales Total Hardware: more than 360 million units Total Software: more than 2.09 billion units Eric Jones -- Posted on Friday, December 16 2005 19:04 PM [Top] Tales of Phantasia Logo and Info [ Nintendo ] When young swordsman Cress Albane returns home to find his village torn asunder and his parents killed, he is forced to set out on a quest through time and space to uncover the villains behind the tragedy. This classic role-playing game from the popular "Tales" series comes to the United States for the first time. The Linear Motion Battle System puts the emphasis on action as players attack their enemies without the use of menus. New game events, dialogue sequences and other features enhance the adventure on this release. Players can crack open the Monster Dictionary to view the strengths and weaknesses of the enemies they meet in battle. Players will want to collect data on them all. Players use the innovative Cooking System to collect ingredients and recipes to brew up meals that restore their health and magic. Developed by Namco's Tales Studio and published by Nintendo of America, Tales of Phantasia is rated E10 for ages 10 and up and hits stores in the US on March 6th, 2006. Check out the game's logo below. Images: Tales of Phantasia Logo Eric Jones -- Posted on Friday, December 16 2005 18:43 PM [Top] Welcome to the Ice Age [ Vivendi Universal ] Vivendi Universal has announced it has obtained the rights to publish the games for the upcoming CGI film Ice Age II: The Meltdown. The game will follow the premise of the film, as players will play as the unlikely trio of Manny the Mammoth, Diego the Sabertoothed Tiger, and Sid the Sloth as they must save their fellow animals from the melting of the ice...and the flood that comes with it. There will also be mini-games starring the ever-lovable squirrel Scrat. Ice Age II: The Meltdown will hit stores for all consoles, including the GameCube, DS, and Game Boy Advance this spring. Eric Jones -- Posted on Friday, December 16 2005 18:33 PM [Top] SEGA Climbs The Tower [ SEGA ] SEGA of America has announced that it will be bringing The Tower SP, the GBA port of the classic SimTower PC game, to the US next year. Originally published by Nintendo itself in Japan, the Tower SP is developed by Vivarium Games and challenges players to build and maintain a massive hotel, keeping track of expenses, while all the while caring for guests and protecting against intrusions. The Tower SP will hit stores for the Game Boy Advance in March. Eric Jones -- Posted on Thursday, December 15 2005 17:40 PM [Top] Sam Fisher is a Double Agent [ Ubisoft ] Splinter Cell 4 officially has a title. Ubisoft announced today that the highly-anticipated latest installment in the acclaimed stealth-action series will be called Splinter Cell: Double Agent. In the game, Sam Fisher will find himself in his most precarious position yet: in prison. Framed for a crime he didn't commit, Sam must use all of his skills, wits, and abilites to escape his captors, and then find and infiltrate the true culprits to not only bring them to justice, but stop a devestating terrorist attack. Splinter Cell: Double Agent will hit stores for all consoles, including the Nintendo GameCube, in the spring of 2006. Eric Jones -- Posted on Tuesday, December 13 2005 18:05 PM [Top] Tales of the Tempest Announced for DS [ Namco of Japan ] The Tales series of RPGs has always been one of Namco's premier franchises, and thus RPG fans worldwide were happy to learn that the company planned to bring the series to the Nintendo DS earlier in the year. Now, Namco has officially announced the game, which will go by the title Tales of the Tempest. The game's main hero will be 15-year old Caius Qualls, a young swordsman on a journey to find his true parents. Expect the series's standard real-time battle system to make a return, perhaps enhanced by some touch screen features. Tales of the Tempest will hit stores in Japan in 2006, with a US release not yet announced. Eric Jones -- Posted on Monday, December 12 2005 20:18 PM [Top] Castlevania Gets Packed Up On GBA [ Konami ] Konami has announced it will be bringing the Castlevania Double Pack, bringing together the two critically-acclaimed Castlevania games for the Game Boy Advance into a single cartridge. Both Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance and Castlevania Aria of Sorrow let Castlevania fans experience twice the amount of evil and adventure in one convenient game package. Both chapters are among the most highly acclaimed games in the long running Castlevania franchise and will provide hours of portable gaming fun, and considering how rare both games are this should come as a great opportunity for gamers to pick up two of the GBA's best titles for the price of one. Castlevania Double Pack is scheduled for release in North America in Q1 of 2006. Eric Jones -- Posted on Saturday, December 10 2005 2:57 AM [Top] EA to Officially Support Revolution [ IGN Revolution ] While it wasn't really a doubt (in fact, it was previously confirmed) that Electronic Arts, the world's biggest 3rd party game company, would throw their hat in the ring, they have been announced officially as a developer for Nintendo's Revolution console. At the recent UBS Media Conference in New York, Nintendo VP of sales and marketing, Reggie Fils-Aime happily divulged information on EA's enthusiasm for the system. Quoting the company: "It's a brilliant controller, and as usual we can credit Nintendo with being innovative and neat and fresh and fun. They continue to pioneer in our industry...they make some of the best games in the industry...and we look forward to partnering with them." EA's support means we can expect many of their biggest franchises to hit the Revolution, including Medal of Honor, Harry Potter, James Bond, Need for Speed, and of course, the cavalcade of EA's sports library, especially the venerable Madden series of NFL titles. EA should reveal their official Revolution lineup at E3 2006, and you better believe GameCube Café will be there for what we promise will be our best E3 yet. Eric Jones -- Posted on Thursday, December 8 2005 22:57 PM [Top] Resident Evil: Deadly Silence Boxart [ Capcom ] A secluded mansion in Raccoon City has been the center of top-secret biotech experiments – all funded by a mysterious corporation known only as Umbrella. When contact with the scientists at the mansion is broken and reports of gory attacks come in from areas nearby, the Special Tactics and Rescue Squads (S.T.A.R.S.) is sent in to investigate. The team is chased into the nearby foreboding mansion by a pack of monstrous creatures. Once inside the adventure begins. Players control Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine as they embark on a horrific quest through a dark and mysterious mansion filled with unimaginable horrors. An entire arsenal aids them on their quest including bazookas, shotguns, pistols, health supplies and more. The heroes will need all the help they can get to survive a house filled with flesh hungry zombies, giant spiders, horrific amphibious creatures, mutant dogs and worse. Check below for the awesome-looking boxart to this hotly-anticipated DS remake of a survival-horror classic. Resident Evil: Deadly Silence will be released stateside for the Nintendo DS sometime early next year. Images: Resident Evil: Deadly Silence Boxart Eric Jones -- Posted on Wednesday, December 7 2005 20:51 PM [Top] Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe [ Reviews ] Kevin comes out of the closet to tell us about Narnia. Wait a minute, that's not right. Kevin McGinnis -- Posted on Wednesday, December 7 2005 8:19 AM [Top] More Revolution Tech Details Surface [ IGN Revolution ] The guys over at IGN's Revolution site have come forward with more developer details about the Revolution console, and its power, or lack thereof. We've known since day one Nintendo isn't going for a graphical approach with the console, instead concentrating on a low price, downloading capabilities, and of course, the unique controller. According to developer sources, the console will have even less RAM than previously thought: instead of 128MB, it will build on the GameCube's original 40MB of RAM with an extra 64MB, making for a total of 104MB of RAM. Also mentioned was the system's potential clockspeed, as it may only be double that of the GameCube's. Brought up as well was the disc space of Revolution discs: while they will be 12cm, like DVDs, they won't in fact be DVDs, but a propritary Nintendo format able to hold 4.7 GB of space for a single-sided disc and 8.5 GB for a double-sided disc, a huge step up from the 1.5 GB minidiscs of the GameCube. However, the biggest shocker is the sources' unanimous agreement on a launch price for the console, based on the tech: a mere $149. One developer even stated a $99 launch price, which has been rumored, is not out of the question. While the lack of tech in the system (sans the controller) is certainly disappointing, the fact that this system may sell for a dirt-cheap price may make this a bit easier to swallow. Nintendo has promised a nice stream of news to come over the next year, culminating at E3 2006, so definitely stay tuned. Eric Jones -- Posted on Tuesday, December 6 2005 20:22 PM [Top] Nintendo Announces Partnership with JiWire [ Nintendo ] Nintendo has announced that for its Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service, it has partnered up with Wi-Fi search service JiWire in order to provide a comprehensive search source for Wi-Fi hotspot finding. You can check out the engine at Nintendo's official Wi-Fi website by clicking the above source link. Eric Jones -- Posted on Tuesday, December 6 2005 20:02 PM [Top] Animal Crossing: Wild World Highlights a Handheld Holiday [ Nintendo ] Whether your hands are outdoors covered in gloves or indoors roasting by an open fire, Nintendo has a game to keep them happy. Today the second installment of the extremely popular Animal Crossing franchise makes the leap to Nintendo DS, with Animal Crossing: Wild World, a new community-building game that incorporates use of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo's new wireless gaming service. Game Boy Micro and Game Boy Advance SP owners will get to enjoy two new titles, Mario Tenni: Power Tour and the combo puzzle package, Dr. Mario & Puzzle League. "The original Animal Crossing for Nintendo GameCube became a huge sleeper hit, selling more than 1 million units," says Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales & marketing. "The Wi-Fi capabilities of Animal Crossing: Wild World will create a fun, expansive community that will entice even novice players to check it out." Animal Crossing: Wild World lets players move into a village and have fun fishing, catching insects, remodeling their homes and interacting with their neighbors. Best of all, the game makes use of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, which lets users near and far connect with their friends via certain Wi-Fi hotspots at no additional charge to visit one another's towns where they can find exotic fruit, hunt for new animal species or just hang out with their friends. For more information about the game, visit www.animal-crossing.com. After just three weeks, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection has logged almost 3 million connections worldwide. Already nearly 200,000 unique visitors worldwide have signed on to play Mario Kart DS and other games. The next Nintendo game to make use of the service will be Metroid Prime Hunters on March 20. For more information about Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, visit www.nintendowifi.com. Not to be outdone, the video game industry's most beloved character, Mario, appears in two Game Boy Advance games being released today as well. Mario Tennis: Power Tour takes players on a role-playing adventure as they rise through the ranks to become tennis pros. It's a great way to keep tennis skills sharp during the cold winter months. For more information about the game, visit powertour.mariotennis.com. Fans of puzzle games will spend countless hours this holiday season playing through the addictive fun of Dr. Mario & Puzzle League, a combination of two classic puzzle games on one cartridge. For more information about the games, visit www.puzzleleague.com. Both games look great, whether users play them on the hip new Game Boy Micro, the new Game Boy Advance SP, which sports a brighter, backlit screen, or the secondary slot of Nintendo DS. Animal Crossing: Wild World, Mario Tennis: Power Tour and Dr. Mario & Puzzle League are all Rated E for Everyone. Eric Jones -- Posted on Tuesday, December 6 2005 18:10 PM [Top] MLB 2K6 Coming to GameCube [ 2K Sports ] Cheer up baseball Ninty fans. Disappointed that Nintendo Pennant Chase Baseball seems to have gone into limbo? Well, you will have another baseball game for your system. After a brief absence of the series, 2K Sports has announced Major League Baseball 2K6 is coming to GameCube, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, and PSP (phew). The game, featuring Derek Jeter on the cover, is set for a spring 2006 release. New features include updated rosters, a new movement system, realistic player collisions, flashback replays, and a player morale system. As soon as a firm release date is announced, you'll get it right here. Joe McCollum -- Posted on Tuesday, December 6 2005 17:52 PM [Top] Under the Revolution's Hood [ IGN Revolution ] There are still no specs on the Revolution's "Hollywood" graphics chip, developed by ATI, and most developers are not working with complete Revolution kits yet (the ones they have are "GameCube based"). But that doesn't seem to have deterred developers. The developers, of course speaking anonymously, have mentioned that so far the Revolution seems to be, power-wise at least, a "souped up Xbox." Despite having the power of an Xbox Plus, if you will, developers seem to be loving the controller, giving positive responses to it. The RAM is still a far cry from the 360, but given some of the gorgeous games developers have pulled off on the GameCube, the Revolution should have power sufficient enough to make some very nice looking games without paling totally in comparison to the other systems. Developers are not ruling out some extra graphical horsepower, however, as the specs of the system's GPU are still unknown. Developers are excited about the possibilities of the controller and are looking at making games specifically utilizing the it. It should be interesting to see how these developers turn out. Look for more Revolution information at the beginning of 2006 and a total blowout come this May. Joe McCollum -- Posted on Tuesday, December 6 2005 0:29 AM [Top] Turkey-Time Revolution? [ IGN Revolution ] Some new information has come about with the launch of IGN's new Revolution channel. Anonymous developers are reportedly saying that Nintendo has told them they're aiming for a Thanksgiving Week 2006 launch date. The timeframe makes sense. After all, the GameCube, Metroid Prime, and a number of things were released around this time, specifically November 18. This could be a brilliant move in getting the console out not only in time for Christmas, but also for the ever-popular shopping day, Black Friday. Expect a firm release date at E3 2006. Joe McCollum -- Posted on Tuesday, December 6 2005 0:20 AM [Top] UbiSoft's Revolution Shooter? [ IGN Revolution ] Developers seem to be taking an interest in the Revolution, and UbiSoft in particular has raised a few eyebrows. Apparently sources close to Nintendo have let slip that UbiSoft is indeed working on an FPS for the Revolution, which is sure to stand out from the 360 and PS3 with its controls. Whether or not this has to do with the Free Radical partnership is unknown, but time will tell. Joe McCollum -- Posted on Tuesday, December 6 2005 0:15 AM [Top] Bushnell Swipes at Sony, Praises Nintendo [ DIEC ] Nolan Bushnell is widely regarded as the Father of Video Games, but he is also known for Pong, Chuck E. Cheese, and founding Atari. At the Digital Interactive Entertainment Conference in Kyoto, Bushnell took a jab at Sony and gave a hand to Nintendo for the Revolution. Bushnell said in his speech that Nintendo was "on to a very good idea" and that added that "if you look at today's controller with triangles, Xs, squares and circles, it's scary. It's like a keyboard. People are interface phobic." Bushnell also noted that not only has the industry lost the female demographic due to the rise in violence in games, but the number of gamers today have dropped from 44 million in 1982 to 18 million today (although he provided no source for this number). Joe McCollum -- Posted on Monday, December 5 2005 17:53 PM [Top] Zelda Coming Next April for GameCube [ Joystiq ] It's been so long since we've heard news about Nintendo's upcoming last gasp for the GameCube, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, that many have speculated that the game isn't even coming to GameCube anymore, but would instead be a launch title for Revolution. However, according to Joystiq by way of Nintendo's official South American publication, Club Nintendo, that isn't the case. In an interview with Nintendo's head of marketing, Reginald Fils-Aime, he confirms that Nintendo still fully plans to release the title for GameCube, and the title is on track for an April release. However, the game will be "compatible" with Revolution, but Reggie did not clarify if this meant it will simply play on the console (due to the system's backwards compatibility with GameCube), or if it will be playable with the system's unique controller. However, we do know now that we can expect the game in April of next year, so hopefully Nintendo will reveal the game's exact release date soon. Eric Jones -- Posted on Monday, December 5 2005 12:59 PM [Top] Jim Merrick Returns to NOA [ Computer and Video Games ] In what is most certainly an interesting move, Jim Merrick, former Nintendo of America and current Nintendo of Europe head of marketing, has announced he will return to Nintendo's American branch after a 3-year tenure across the pond. Merrick and Nintendo both stated that the move was merely a "motivational" one, although the move could be inferred as a way, with the Revolution's big reveal at E3 right around the corner, to bring together two of Nintendo's most firey spokesmen: Merrick, as well as the man who replaced him as NOA's head of marketing, Reginald Fils-Aime. No word as of yet what position at NOA Merrick will fill. Eric Jones -- Posted on Monday, December 5 2005 12:26 PM [Top] Sakurai Reveals More Smash Bros. Revolution Info [ IGN Cube ] After being announced in an issue of Famitsu magazine as the director of the upcoming Revolution version of Super Smash Bros., Q! Entertainment head Masahiro Sakurai was once again interviewed by the magazine to reveal a few more choice details about the development of the game. Sakurai reveals that development has only recently begun, as Nintendo has created a new office in Tokyo, where Sakurai resides, made especially for the game, which opened in the beginning of October. Sakurai also reveals that a team of more than 50 designers will eventually be working on the game, including ones from an unnamed development company. While Sakurai does not reveal which company this is, he did state that they had just finished with the design of a "major game". This pretty much confirms what many had already guessed, which is that Super Smash Bros. Revolution will not only star Nintendo's own characters, but some from another's franchises as well. It's anyone's guess who this mystery company is, but the picture should become clearer at E3 2006, now a mere 6 months away. Let the speculation begin! Eric Jones -- Posted on Sunday, December 4 2005 21:36 PM [Top] Tony Hawk's American Wasteland [ Reviews ] Is Tony Hawk's latest a winner or an American Wasteomoney? Mike reveals all inside (he might even talk about the game a little, if you're lucky). Mike Twomey -- Posted on Saturday, December 3 2005 11:19 AM [Top] Mario Kart DS [ Reviews ] Eric takes a look at Nintendo's long-awaited foray into online gaming, and one of the most anticipated titles of the year. Does it live up to the grossly high expectations? Eric Jones -- Posted on Saturday, December 3 2005 11:17 AM [Top] So You Want a Bigger Revolution? [ Kotaku ] As Nintendo's own legend Shigeru Miyamoto was speaking at DIEC, he summed up what everyone seems to know about the Revolution controller. Except this time, he added one more thing. Near the end of his speech, Miyamoto throws in this little bit of information: "There's another secret, but I'm not going to go into that here. That'll be for a later date." Here's hoping Nintendo reveals more on their new system soon, because it seems the more we discover, the less we truly know. Joe McCollum -- Posted on Friday, December 2 2005 16:50 PM [Top]