Questions about Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, old Nintendo employees, and more in this week's update. Remeber to send in your questions to qa@n-sider.com.

No FF bundle after all?

Hey,
Just read this recent Q&A and wanted to say that the "White GC" isn't actually a Nintendo bundle with FF:CC that people can buy in the shops, I heard there are 150 and you can only get them through a competition. So I think there isnt a FF:CC Gamecube bundle in Japan! :(
- Nic4321@aol.com

Josh: Yeah, sorry about the confusion; apparently, the White GameCube is to commemorate Crystal Chronicles, and does not actually have anything to do with the game. If that sounds like it doesn't make any sense to you, you're not alone. Perhaps something about this news got mixed up in a Japanese-to-American translation? Anyhow, the final statement from me goes something like this: to my knowledge, there is no FF:CC Japanese bundle being planned. I think such a thing would be a smart idea, but as far as I know right now, it isn't going to happen. This falls in line with Nintendo's relatively silent standing on the game so far (with regard to hype and advertising) as it nears release in Japan...

Punch Out

I was just wondering if we are ever going to see a revival from one of the best boxing games ever. During my youth I spent many days fighting Super Macho Man, Soda Popinski and everyone's favorite King Hippo. Who could forget running after your trainer on a bike. So what are the chances that I could relive the glory in the ring with a new Punch Out. It would def need to have a multiplayer though and maybe lan play to fight your buddy. Oh yeah Mario needs to be the ref too. So what are my chances of getting back into the ring anytime soon?
-Stephen

Josh: I'd say it's definitely a possibility. The franchise has been tossed around in interviews before -- once or twice even with Mr. Miyamoto himself -- and rumours that the game is being worked on constantly surface and then disappear. I'd put my chips on a new Punch Out someday, but whether that's sooner or later is anyone's guess.

More FF questions

Dear N-sider
I have been a big fan of FF since nes days and being that I am old fashioned, I am still a one console gamer. That means I have not played any FF since SNES. Here where question comes. I know how they are emphasizing the multiplayer aspect FFCC and thats great and all because I really liked Secret of Mana. Here's the thing though I play my games at all different times and I don't usually call my friends at 2 in the morn to help me defeat a dragon. So will my playing alone take away from the fun, because that is my final decision on whether getting the game. Thanx in advance
-Ira

Josh: Well, although you playing solo won't make the game dull or boring by any means, I'd be lying if I told you that it's as much fun as the multiplayer quest. The fact of the matter is, FF:CC was designed with multiple players (and Game Boy Advances) in mind; taking away these elements will naturally knock down the enjoyment factor a few pegs. For more information on Final Fantasy, visit our Forums, and our recently-posted N-Depth on the game.

Lots of stuff.

Hi! Great site you have here, i would like to ask you a few questions.
1-Any news on Too Human? i've read that igncube pal Matt said that this game might be delayed for a release with the next Nintendo's Console, is this true(now including Pilot Wings from Factor5)???
2-Any news on a new Kid Icarus game or old forgotten franchise??
3-Also do you know what were the two well known companies that gamefront.de rumoured to be changing to Nintendo's side???
4-When is Capcom going to properly show RE4???we've seen so little of the game......
5-Zoonami, is the company actually alive???
Regards,
-Joo Rossa

Josh: 1) Yeah, the current word now is that the game may see a delay. I think Silicon Knights has at least one more GameCube release in them after the Metal Gear remake, but we'll see if that is indeed Too Human, Eternal Darkness 2, or something else entirely. 2) Kid Icarus: sorry, nothing has surfaced since a few scattered rumours about an update to the franchise following the Smash Brothers Melee trophy inclusion. I really don't think any Pit game is in development right now. 3) This was a rumour from a while back that never really panned out, if memory serves me correctly. Depending on the date of the story, it's possible the site was alluding to Capcom's GCN support and Konami lending out the Metal Gear franchise. 4) Don't expect to see much more for at least a little while...remember, the game isn't scheduled to come out until 2004. 5) Yes, they're alive, and they're working very hard...and apparently, it's showing. Even though we've seen or heard practically nothing about Game Zero, I'm very interested in seeing it. Don't dismiss Zoonami just because we haven't heard from them in a while.

N-Sider game lists

why are you missing so many games? you only have about an eighth of all the gcn and gba games..
-Jonathan Montroy

Josh: Our games list is comprised of games we have covered here on the site, not all games in existence. Once we write something about a game, it is added to the list.

Cory: Yeah, as suprising as it may be, the majority of the N-Sider staff lead very busy lives. We simply don't have the manpower to cover every single game out there. For the sake of practicality, we typically cover whatever games we think the readers would care about the most, or whatever games publishers ship us. Maybe if we one day turn this site into an actual paying career, ala IGN, we might be able to cover every game out there. But until then (if ever), we'll just continue to do the best that we can.

Soul Calibur: better on PS2 or the Cube?

Hi,
I dont know whether to get the Gamecube version of Soul Calibur 2 or the Playstation 2 version. I'm torn between the "beat 'em up friendly" controls of the Playstation 2 or the inclusion of Link in the Gamecube version. Somehow, I have this horrible vision that I wont be able to pull off the slick combos I did in Soul Calibur 1 on the Dreamcast, with Gamecubes Control system. So I'm wondering which version to have and do you have any ideas on which version to get?
Also, does all the talk of Sony's PSP (and how it would fail against the GBA) sound very reminiscent of all the talk about the Playstation 2 would definitaly flop and bankrupt Sony Entertainment due the hard development cycle, very poor games at launch, the influence of the dreamcast and the infamous "jaggies". Think about it :) Thanks,
-Laurence

Josh: The controls actually work fairly well on the GameCube controller. Depending on your preference, you might get a bit more comfort from using a PS2 pad, but I don't think it's anything to really concern yourself with (on a side note, if you're really serious about the game, I'd recommend using a Hori Arcade stick for superior control). Anyway, once that factor is cleared up, it becomes obvious that the GCN version is the best choice (the inclusion of Link and slightly cleaned-up graphics).

Cory: Based on my experiences at E3, Soul Calibur 2 controlled fantastically on the GameCube controller. The only problem I had was trying to execute one of the throws that you perform by pressing B and X simultaneously. It's nigh impossible to press those two buttons with only one finger. I heard that you can map certain things to L or R, though, so if you can stick that throw onto one of the shoulder buttons, I have absolutely no qualms with the controller. Many people will claim that they hate the idea of using the joystick instead of the D-Pad, but I don't personally find it to be that problematic at all. But then, that's just a matter of preference.

Howard Phillips

Hi N-sider,
Do you know what happened to Howard Phillips? The guy who used to work for Nintendo and the star of "Howard and Nester" (the old comic that ran in Nintendo Power). I remember he was so strongly associated with the company, and in the book "Game Over' it seems he had a large role in helping build the company in America. I think it would be neat if you found him and interviewed him or wrote an article about him. Thanks and keep up the great work!
-Ryan Yoo

Josh: Howard -- who actually was the President of NOA for some time -- eventually left the company in the early '90's to "pursue other goals".

Nintendo no longer innovative?

Dear N-Sider,
I would like to know what you opinionate on the dilemma of veteran gamers. I have been a Nintendo loyalist since I got my NES at the age of 1 in 1987. I dabbled in some Sega gaming with the Genesis, but I was really only interested in their selection of Marvel Comics games since comics were my bigger obsession as a child. Anyway, I have always been loyal to Ninendo, until what I like to call 'The Abomination." This in reference to that cursed little purple box atop my VCR. So far, it has not provided anything significantly revolutionary like the previous Nintendo consoles, and it certainly doesn't seem to have anything for the future either. Not to say that I don't enjoy going through the games, but I haven't been truly enamored by any of the Gamecube's supposed heavy hitters. The modern games can't seem to jump from the realm of entertainment to captivation like the good old days of Nintendo gaming.

Just 3 short years ago I remember playing through the slightly-more-modern greats such as Majora's Mask, Super Smash Bros., Ocarina of Time, and to an extent Mario Golf/Tennis/Party. Since then, the only title of those mentioned to receive a notable improvement was Smash Bros. SSBM is the only game on the Gamecube that I can always pick up and have fun with, and that when I was playing through the first time, I was completely engrossed. All the other titles have either been complete rehashses with supposed improvements added, or a sub-satisfactory cash-in title. Take, for example, Super Mario Sunshine. Though very fun to play through, it just didn't have the innovations that did Mario 64. The water pack, though its controls were crafted appropriately, just wasn't anywhere near enough to make the game a classic. Another example: Wind Waker. I absolutely despised the graphics. They would have been great on a Mario title, and it would have made any Mario game much more entertaining, but not on Zelda. I was thoroughly disgusted looking at Link while playing through the game. Furthermore, it is the easiest Zelda to date, the game's map was wasted with a fairly barren ocean, and the game is riddled with anachronisms (such as Ganondorf, who should've been Ganon). The game was fun (except for the collecting of the Triforce fragments), but I felt that it stepped on the history of Zelda and left an irreparable dent in my Zelda fanaticism.

The aforementioned illustrate my plight: I feel that I am simply not receiving products of the same quality as in years past. Regardless of graphics, extras, length, and all the other glitter tossed about in the modern gaming public, these games are, at heart, merely rehashes of their predecessors with a few corny changes tossed in (Island themes in both of the previously mentioned games). I wanted to see the power of the Gamecube harnessed to create a majestic vision of the land of Hyrule, not wasted on a lifeless ocean. Unfortunately, much like Link, Nintendo has been pulled in by the violent current of modern gaming's figurative sea.
-CaptainCC

Josh: It occurs to me that people like you who complain that Nintendo is no longer innovative always conveniently fail to mention titles such as Pikmin, Animal Crossing, and to a lesser extent, Metroid Prime. Haven't you played any of those? You also fit in with others clamouring for originality in that you seem to hold this quality as the Holy Grail of gaming. A "freshness" to a game can help it, but it does not necessitate or guarantee fun. F-Zero GX, as a sequel in the most successful futuristic racer franchise of all time, is certainly not new, but I promise you that it's going to be one hell of a game this August. If you reserve your gaming only for titles which you consider innovative, you're going to be playing games once every solar eclipse or so. Fresh and new ideas simply cannot flow constantly. It's fine to enjoy those types of games, and to an extent, it's fine to realize that Nintendo has admittedly not delivered a major franchise (ex., a Mario or a Zelda) that significantly alters the gaming playing field. But until that does happen, enjoy fresh, quality games that do come along -- such as Pikmin -- as well as those that may not be the newest concept in the world, but are still plenty of fun. If you can't do this, then stop playing.

Cory: What Josh said. In regards to your Ganondorf/Ganon comment, though, it's not nearly as problematic as you might think. Check the next question in this week's Q&A, and keep glued to the site in the coming days/weeks. All shall be explained.

Attention Cory

I read your storyline for zelda and liked it very much but when are you going to include the wind waker?
-TriLZWaKer7

Josh: Ask Cory -- he's the one responsible for the superb timeline. Hopefully he'll add his reply here, and if not, you can always mail him directly at cory@n-sider.com.

Cory: What if I told you to expect it up by next Monday? That'd be awfully optimistic of me, that's what. I'm doing more than just adding a chapter for the Wind Waker; I'm doing a very large amount of editing to all of the already existing chapters. The OOT chapter alone has more than doubled in size, and I'm not even done with it. Now, my plan is to use as much of this weekend as I can to try and get it all finished, but I can't make any promises. So look for the revision/update as soon as next Monday, and if not then, then hopefully very soon afterwards.

Q&A By: Josh Righter.

Send your questions for next week's Q&A!