Welcome yet again to the Nintendo Spin Gate. Jeez, it seems like we just did this a week ago. Once again, I’ll be discussing the past week’s news, as well as next week’s upcoming releases. For the first time in the Spin Gate’s short history, we actually have a bit of both to discuss. One would think that with two systems to work with, we’d have plenty to discuss here, but I suppose it is a slow time of year for gaming. Don’t forget that if there’s something Nintendo related you think we should talk about, my inbox is only a few clicks away.
GameCube Successor On Schedule Nintendo has said, once again, that their next generation hardware will be launching right around the same time as their competition - sometime in 2005 or 2006. While the GameCube’s release did coincide with the Xbox’s, perhaps Nintendo would be in a better situation right now if it had coincided with the PS2’s.
Hopefully, Nintendo can launch soon after or before Sony’s new system this time around. Of course, launching too early could land them in a Dreamcast-like sales situation. I can’t believe we’re already talking about new hardware... it feels like only last year that these new systems launched. My wallet sure isn’t ready for the next generation- how about yours?
Another Nintendo Bonus Disc I love bonus goodies. Japan gets them all the time, but lately, we’ve been getting more and more. The Wind Waker bonus disc has been the best, containing an all-new (to the US) version of Ocarina of Time.
Here’s hoping the next Mario game comes with a Mario 64 or Mario All-Stars disc. This time, with the preorder of Pokemon Colesseum, gamers snag a disc with a preview of the upcoming Pokemon film, as well as the ability to transfer Jirachi, a highlight of the film, into their GBA Pokemon games. I can’t say I’m too excited about the disc, but it’s nice to see some kind of preorder bonus.
Over 20 Million Sold or Why Doesn’t Joe Like His GBA? Nintendo proves once again that the GameBoy is a successful product, boasting sales of over 20 million GBAs in the United States alone. The GameBoy and I have a strange relationship. I actually went ahead and imported the GBA on the Japanese launch date, and had fun with it for a few months. I found myself using it less and less as time went on, though, so I sold it for a small loss right before the US unit was released. Then the SP was released, and Nintendo started all this hype about GBA connectivity. I buy an SP, and now, a few months later, I hardly use it. Pacman Vs. is great fun, and I can’t wait for the Four Swords, but I don’t use the thing as it was intended. Perhaps once a month I take a 4 1/2 hour train ride, each way, and I only end up using my GBA for about half an hour. I have some great games; they just don’t hold my interest for too long, usually. Has anyone else felt this way about their GBA?
Release Highlights Disney’s Aladdin - GBA Does it make sense that I’m recommending a GBA game right after telling you that I’ve become disinterested in the system? Not really, I suppose, but this is a fun game regardless. It’s a port of the Super Nintendo version of Aladdin, featuring all the carpet riding, apple throwing and pole swinging of the original. Capcom made a few great licensed games during the SNES era, and this was one of them. It isn’t incredibly long or challenging, but it’s good pick up and play fun.
James Bond: Everything or Nothing - GCN EA’s track record of 007 games has been pretty spotty. Agent Under Fire is best left forgotten, but NightFire was pretty good. Let’s not even mention the PS1 adventures. But, with any luck they’ll have finally ironed everything out with Everything or Nothing. I haven’t played so much as a demo of this one, so I can’t quite recommend it yet, but I think it has the potential to be a great title. Expect our review next week.
Well, that’s it for this week. I’m off to play some Majora’s Mask, a game I didn’t really like when it was first released. But, now that we’re in a bit of a new game drought, I’m playing through it again on the Zelda compilation disc. I just got my Ocarina back, which is right about the time I stopped playing last time. That whole "Do the same tasks over again because you went back in time" thing kind of irritated me, and the mask element seemed gimmicky, but I’m giving it a fair go this time around. Wish me luck. Have a good weekend, and stay out of the trees.
