Late Night Consoling

July 7, 2003 8:00 PM

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Here's a bit of news that's really not surprising but still is something of a disappointment...even with their next console system, Nintendo isn't putting too much stock in online gaming. As I said, this isn't surprising per se, but I for one had hoped that at least in the next round, Nintendo would pull their head out of the ground and see the benefits of online gaming. How many times do the words Animal Crossing, Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. have to be paired with online for gamers to start salivating enough for Nintendo to see the potential here? I've said everything I need to say on this subject a zillion times before, so I'll skip most of that...but I really hope, even without online multiplayer, Nintendo learns from the mistakes of the GameCube. Yes, there were some big mistakes with the GameCube, and I really hope they don't just create another system without listening to the needs of developers or gamers. Nintendo knows games, and nobody's disputing that. But just coming out with a more advanced GameCube at the same time as the other two systems hit the market ain't going to cut it. Nintendo needs to listen to what people want instead of telling us what we want. And we want online multiplayer.

	F-Zero LAN Capable Speaking of which, Nintendo's sticking it to online gamers again, while still offering network play. According to IGN, F-Zero GX will feature four-player multiplayer over networks using the GameCube broadband adapter. This should also mean that it will be easy to set up an online tunnel over a shared internet connection, but that's a step that just shouldn't be necessary.
	PlayStation 3 Games in Production? IGN is reporting that "a handful of publishers and developers" are starting early work on PlayStation 3 games for a planned 2005 release, and that a next-gen Grand Theft Auto and Star Wars Galaxies may be among them. This does indeed make sense, and I have also received some murmurs lately about developers who have started work on next-generation titles (or at least started talking about it) for both Sony and Microsoft. Given the length of time it takes to acclimate to a new platform, the earlier work begins the better. With any luck, we'll see some really strong PS3 launch titles to make up for the under whelming PS2 starting lineup.
	First Person Football Returns Sega has announced that their upcoming ESPN NFL Football will feature the return of a first person mode to the football genre. This has been done a few times before, never particularly successfully, but who knows...it might work this time. Then again, it might also just make people sick. Regardless, a pair of screenshots and a trailer showing off the new perspective are up at GameSpot, so check 'em out and decide for yourself.
	New Content Available for RtCW Activision has announced that a new multiplayer map is now available for Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War. Like the first one, this has just been unlocked, and so all you need to do is log on to Xbox Live to start using it. This seems a little silly, since the whole point of extra content is that it can be downloaded over the Xbox's broadband connection, not merely unlocked. After all, if it was ready when the game shipped, why wasn't it just available from the start?
	I-Ninja Cinematics by Bluth Here's an odd development...Namco has announced that the cinematics for their upcoming GameCube and PS2 title I-Ninja will be produced by none other than Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, the duo responsible for such animated films as The Secret of N.I.M.H, Anastasia and most recently Titan A.E, and the creators of the animation in Dragon's Lair. Bluth is still in pre-production on a Dragon's Lair film, some information on which can be found at his official site.
	Pre-Order Halo Action Figures Bungie has started taking pre-orders for the first three Halo action figures. At $18 a pop they're pretty pricey, but they look pretty damn cool nonetheless. And hey, if you've got access to a Mac, while you're there pick up Bungie's Mac Action Sack, which has all of their kick assMarathon games and is only $10. (Disclaimer: I receive no compensation for any e-commerce links posted here).
	Next-Generation GBA Details? A report on Total Video Games (which cites a ZDNet story) says that during a technology seminar, a member of Nintendo's hardware research team let slip some of their next-generation GBA plans. While there's not a whole lot of juicy info here, he did supposedly say that they are looking at a 300x200 resolution (up from 240x160 on the current hardware) and a palette of 260,000 colors (up from 65,535). They are also looking into using an OLED screen, although this has been hinted at before, and this upcoming technology has yet to be used in anything larger than a mobile phone, so it's unknown if such a thing will be possible by the time Nintendo launches this system.
	PS2 Co-Op Roundup PS2.IGN has an article online that lists a ton of great PS2 co-op games. While it's become less and less common among PC games, co-op is still very much a viable thing with a console system, so if you long for the days of co-op Doom (or just really like the Diablo LAN experience) check this article out.
	Final Fantasy III for GBA? According to The Magic Box, Square Enix is currently debating whether or not to release Final Fantasy III for GBA, by porting the WonderSwan version that's currently available in Japan. Note that this is the Japanese FF3, and is not the game released in North America under that name for the SNES. That was in fact FFVI.
	Bitch, bitch, bitch. Just because he's no longer head of Nintendo doesn't mean mean old man Hiroshi Yamauchi has stopped whining about the industry...Computer and Video Games reports on some comments he made recently in which he says Sony's PSP will be good for Nintendo, and blames the Western preference for violent games on the slower sales of the GameCube in North America and Europe.
	New PSO Content Available GamerFeed is reporting that new quests, gameplay items and lots more are now available for Xbox Live Phantasy Star Online subscribers.
	Data East Declares Bankruptcy Once a titan in this industry, Data East has declared bankruptcy. If you came into gaming in the last ten years or so you may not remember Data East, but they were the company behind arcade classics like Burger Time and Karate Fight, as well as the Neo Geo Magical Drop games and the Shadowrun RPGs.
	Misc. Media/Previews GameSpot has posted updated impressions and a trailer from Star Wars: KOTOR (Xbox) along with new screenshots from Silent Hill 3 (PS2) while IGN has new shots from Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike (GC), a new trailer from War of the Samurai 2 (PS2), screenshots from Shadow Hearts 2 (PS2) and the first shots and details from Dinosaur Hunting: The Lost World (Xbox). Elsewhere online, Konami has opened their official Japanese Castlevania: Lament of Innocence site (thanks Games Are Fun who also has the box art from the game), Planet GameCube has screenshots from Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (GC) and Worms 3D (GC, PS2, Xbox) and CvG has a crapload of stuff from Otogi: Myth of Demons (Xbox). And finally, Slashdot Games reported over the holiday weekend about a wacky Dragon Quest standalone game where you hack at your television using a sword controller. SquareEnix wants to sell a million of these, but chances are it won't ever be released over here, where the series has nowhere near as big a pull as it does in Japan.

Console Game of the Evening: Fantasy Zone for the Sega Master System. "Whoever did this game must have also done his/her share of the drugs. Gotta be the weirdest game. Ever. But I loved it." (submitted by the7dead).