We are the best! Oh, and a question, too. Hey guys,
I just wanted to tell you guys that your site is the best. I consider GamingWorldX.com like an EGM magazine; it's all there. Keep up the good work. I also have a question. Will Xbox have any other light-gun type games besides House of the Dead 3, and if so, who will be making them and what are they called?
Thanks, Kris Rivera
Adam Replies, We appreciate the kind words, man. It's good to know that people care enough to write. As for your question, I'm not sure if there are any light-gun games besides HOTD 3 slated for release - Microsoft seems to have tried to get so many genres on the X-Box that there aren't a lot of X-Box exclusive titles in each genre. For now, HOTD 3 is the only light-gun game coming to the X-Box, but there are rumors abound that Capcom will attempt to sway the masses with a port of Dino Stalker to compliment the upcoming Dino Crisis 3, and Namco may possibly be brewing a new Time Crisis game, although neither has been confirmed. Your best bet is to sit tight. Detonating Grenades and Extra Challenges Hello there!
I just read you awesome preview of Halo 2 and can hardly wait to play it. But as you said, getting too excited is simply torturing myself. The reason I am writing you is that you seem to have a close connection with Bungie and I have a suggestion for Halo 2. You had mentioned they are considering detonating grenades. What would be awesome here is if I could snipe a Covenant and watch him fall to the ground, dropping his weapon and grenades. I can't tell you how many times in Halo 1 I wanted to shoot the grenades on the floor and blow them all up. This would be kick ass if they could do this in Halo 2, don't you think? Another thing that I think would improve the game is to not make it so linear in style. Though when you first start Halo the delusion that you can actually get lost is there, after playing it many times you begin to see all the scripting and the illusion breaks down. So, how can they fix this? I think it would be cool to be more inventive by finding ways to sneak by the enemy like through secret tunnels or driving to the top of Halo (2nd level) with a sniper gun. I guess what I am saying is wouldn't it be cool if after playing the game, like Halo 1 for example, you could say to yourself, “Was there any way to prevent the Captain from dieing? And if so, how?” And the answers would reveal secrets in the game to keep our interest. Or how about this... at the end of the game Bungie could raise the question to the gamer: Can you save the Captain? And when that game is done it could say, “Can you stop the Flood without destroying Halo?” or something. Anyways, my point is to somehow keep the illusion of a non-linear game so that it fully creates an effect mimicking chess. It’s the same game but always different. That is the true test for games.
Thanks for you time and let me know what you think of these suggestions, Paul
Joe replies, You have some really cool ideas, but I’m afraid that gaming companies never take outside suggestions. It’s a legal issue; if they listened to someone’s ideas and then implemented them, well, it’s a potential lawsuit that gamemakers just don’t want to deal with.
I think that your grenades idea could be interesting, but it does have a downside. During major battles, a stray bullet could possibly detonate a nearby grenade, invoking an early and somewhat cheap death for Master Chief. I think that would possibly be more frustrating than anything else.
The extra challenges are really neat, though. I’ll support pretty much anything that extends the life of a game. I think lots of other little things could help create that “chess” feeling, such as an option for random enemy positions.
Does anyone else have some cool ideas for upcoming games? Drop us a line at the mailbag. We’ll post the best ideas in the next X-Communication! Casual gamers will be the end of the Xbox. I think you guys are jumping the gun thinking it's inevitable that Microsoft will control the console world. Only in the U.S. is the Xbox selling well. How will they dominate without the rest of the world? Casual gamers still haven't bought into the Xbox. You all seem to be speaking from a hardcore gamers point of view. Drooling over Sega's future games is pointless if casual gamers ignore their games as the poor sales on the Xbox have shown. I still haven't seen one game that interests me on the Xbox and most people at my place of employment still refer to anything to do with gaming as "Sony" or "Playstation". Most casuals still ask what the h-- is an Xbox when a few of us talk about video games. What do you think Microsoft's future is in console gaming if they can't sway the casuals, Europe, and Japan this generation or the next?
The Okieraider
Adam replies, Don't get us wrong, Okieraider. The September 30th roundtable was discussing the possibility that Microsoft had of pulling a lead - some of us thought so, others thought otherwise. I myself am a PS2 gamer till the end, and I've got plenty of ultra-fanboy rants up my sleeve, just waiting to get out. Your arguments were quite well thought out, but for most of us, you're preaching to the choir. “What I’m Most Excited About This Holiday Season…” Picture this: Animal Crossing meets The Sims and they converge in Washington D.C. to become... Monkeys at the Helm.
In real time, you the gamer, can spend a taxing day with the difficult task of managing national, or in your case, tree security. Just like a rodeo, you get to rope up every monkey who looks like they might be from a different tree and then lock them up until you are bored with the activity. But where will you put them? Not to worry, as Master Monkey, you can have your minion monkeys build you a detention center in the middle of somebody else's tree. It's okay; you are entitled to be there, just ask yourself!
After you've cleaned out your tree, you can try to rally whatever monkeys are left over and declare your sovereign right to defend your tree by preemptively burning the sapling dwelling of a rival monkey who's ass you beat senseless ten years ago. In an effort to gain the support of the other jungle creatures, you try to frighten them with a story about how the rival monkey will pee in their drinking water and you must burn down his tree to stop him. When that doesn't work, YOU pee in their drinking water and then tell them how you must burn down his tree to stop you. (Don't even try to understand, it can't be done) There is no way you can lose. After all, you have the advantage of Stratreegerery.
Of course, the long, drawn-out story will be filled with mini-games like: Throw Your Feces, Eat Your Feces, Wear Your Feces, Precision-Guided Crapping (similar to the popular Nintendo mini-game Monkey Target), and finally Pick & Eat The Bugs From Your Neighbor's Head.
Just like in the real world, you can have a monkey-tantrum when you don't get your way. You can threaten to shave all the monkeys who don't agree with your whims. You can even install monkey cams every place you like, mostly because you're a sick voyeur monkey. Anything is possible, but each day ends the same. You defecate all over your room, throw, eat and wear your feces and go to bed as your monkey of defense reads to you from The Adventures of Babar the Elephant.
Tell me what you think-
Sincerely, The Spirit of 1125 Fremont
Joe replies, When we asked our readers what they were excited about this holiday season, we expected answers like “Metroid” or “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.” Oh well, to each his own. I’m excited about Metroid and GTA:VC! Star Fox’s Mediocre Adventures Star Fox Adventure scored a 57?? Is this a bad joke??? I got the game 2 days ago and I think it frickin' rocks. I guess it is because Rare left Nintendo!!!?? I mean, IGN rated SFA with a 90%! That's a huge difference!
Spitfire
Joe replies, Like many other gamers, I was highly anticipating Star Fox Adventures. Sadly, I was sorely disappointed. It has nothing to do with Nintendo's selling of Rare (I'll still play their games on my Xbox!). I feel that while the game isn't terrible, it is simply boring; a 5.7 is about an average game here at GamingWorldX. More detailed reasons for my scoring are described in the review itself, which I assume you have read. I am glad you're having fun with the game, though. Replacement Battery Covers? My 6 year old son has a working Gameboy Color, model CGB-001, that is missing it's battery compartment cover and I wish to replace it. Do you know of a source? Thank you SO VERY MUCH for your time.
Gail Ford
P.S. Taping it causes it to stay together too loosely, so that it works intermittently.
Katy replies, Nintendo's Customer Support Section has a link for ordering new battery covers for all models of the GameBoy and GameBoy Color. You can link to it here: http://store.nintendo.com
Feature by Joe Mackie, Adam Matlock, and Katy Wickman
