News/May 2002 Updated: 5/30/2002 The 3DO Company today announced it has signed an agreement with expert racing game developer, Eutechnyx, to produce an immersive street racing title for next generation gaming consoles. The titles are expected to be available in Summer 2003. Eutechnyx is responsible for such games as "Formula One", "James Bond 007", and "Le Mans 24 Hours". Yahoo! Reuters released a list of the top 10 selling games of April yesterday. 2 GameCube games and 2 GBA games made the list. Resident Evil made No.4 and Spider-Man: The Movie made No.7. What's really impressive is the fact that Resident Evil was only available ONE day in April(April 30, it's launch day). There is a strong rumor going around that Spaceworld will not take place this year, AT ALL. According to sources, Nintendo is beginning to realize how global E3 is and is considering pulling the event. Keep in mind, Nintendo has YET to confirm this. More on the situation as it develops. Longtime Nintendo fan website, TendoGamers, announced this afternoon that they will be closing their site due to several server problems and various "corruptions" that have afflicted them in recent months. They will be missed. During Nintendo's roundtable last week at E3, Shigeru Miyamoto revealed how much he is involved with Metroid Prime. He described his level of involvement as "very high". He also stated that three of his people from Nintendo EAD in Japan are working on Metroid Prime everyday. The game is of course primarily being developed by Retro Studios in Austin, TX, now a wholly owned Nintendo subsidary. Nintendo and Retro want to work together closely to make sure the game lives up to the Metroid name. During Nintendo's roundtable last week at E3, Shigeru Miyamoto mentioned Mario Kart for GameCube and that it is progressing along well. Apparently, it could have been shown in playable form at E3, but Nintendo wanted to only focus on games due out be E3 2003. Miyamoto explained that there were screenshots reveal because that would reveal what kind of game it is. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!? Rumor has it that this means Mario Kart GC will be playable online. Nintendo Co. announced this morning that it had a record group net profit for the second year in a row for the year ended March 31, thanks to higher overseas sales on a weaker yen and the launch of advanced game machines worldwide. The developer of Super Mario and Pokemon said its group net profit rose 10.2 percent from a year earlier to 106.44 billion yen, or $8.6 billion, last fiscal year, on a 20 percent increase in group revenue to 554.89 billion yen, or $4.47 billion. Yahoo! Reuters revealed this morning that video game giant Nintendo Ltd. seeks shareholder approval approval for a scheme to buy back up to 14 million of its own shares - or 9.88 percent of shares outstanding - or up to $2.01 billion worth. The plan requires permission from the company's shareholders at a meeting to be held on June 27. Nintendo is the latest Japanese company to set up share buyback plans to boost management flexibility by holding all or part of the re-purchased shares as treasury stock or to cancel them to boost per-share value. Updated: 5/29/2002 Natsume announced "Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life" for GameCube today. The game will combine elements of all the past Harvest Moon games all wrapped into one. Staying true to the series' tradition, it will of course feature completely non-linear gameplay, letting gamers create a unique life of their own. The game is planned for a Q2 2003 release. 3DO announced "Cubix Robots for Everyone Showdown" for GameCube today. The game is of course based on the hit TV series, in which you must fight robots. The game is quite similar to Pokemon, in which if you defeat them, they become good and you can make them your own for future battles. Kallisto announced "Halloween" for Nintendo GameCube today. The game is dark themed yet kid friendly. The two characters, Anne and Greg have unique abilities, according to whichever costume they have on. Certain costumes will be needed for specific tasks. Anne and Greg will explore haunted houses, cemeteries and many other ghostly places. No release date has been announced. Ubi Soft Entertainment today announced the hires of two industry veterans, Tony Kee and Allen Adler, at its San Francisco based U.S. headquarters, to capitalize on the company's extensive growth. Ubi Soft recently announced sales figures for the 2001-2002 fiscal year that represent an increase in sales of 42% to 326 million dollars. Infogrames announced "Big Air Freestyle" for Nintendo GameCube today. The game is due out sometime this Fall. CVG had a chance to interview gaming legend Shigeru Miyamoto at E3. In the interview, he talked about violence in games, bringing games to wider audiences and the innovation of Nintendo. Updated: 5/28/2002 Steven Kent, video game journalist, wrote an article for MSNBC.com describing his take on E3. Some of the things it specifically high lights are rivalries, first person games and remakes of classic games. Read it here. During E3, Nintendo showcased it's LCD screen for the GameCube with Metroid Prime and a Phantasy Star card game. This PS card game was not a fluke, and it's display on the LCD screen was for a reason. Apparently, Sega got the idea from knowing the fact that if multiple players were each to have a Nintendo GameCube and LCD screen, each player could have a private screen which other players could not see. For obvious reasons, a card game would be a great application for this new technology. The PS card game is still in the planning stages, and no release date has been announced yet. Just keep in mind this game will ONLY work if you have a LCD screen and a modem. For a limited time, Video Game Advantage is lowering the price of membership from $35 to $20. They offer expensive games at cheap prices, new or used. So don't miss out on this offer and become a member today to get the full Video Game Advantage! Updated: 5/27/2002 SN Systems Ltd., the leading provider of software development tools to the console games industry, today announced their Network Development Kit for Nintendo GameCube. The software includes a TCP/IP stack that runs on the console and links game code to the internet via Nintendo’s broadband or modem adapter. It enables Nintendo GameCube developers to add networking capabilities to their games with minimum effort. The TCP/IP stack provides the underlying software infrastructure to enable online game play, in-game matching, in-game chat, buddy list, and web browsing. Gamer.tv are in the pre-production stage of a gaming quiz show with some pop culture thrown in. The show is called "Hi-Score". There will be 4 contestants on each show which is divided into 5 levels. Competition is for the title "Ultimate Gaming Legend" and many other prizes. Unfortunately, the show will only be shown in the UK and only residents of the UK over 18 can apply for auditions. Updated: 5/26/2002 According to a picture of some generated box art shown at E3, there is a label that says "1-4 Player" on the back of the box. Could Rare have some sort of 4-player shooter mode of some sort planned for SA? All of Rare's games have always had some sort multiplayer mode. However, the number of memory blocks said "00". Does this mean "1-4 Player" is accurate, or is it just a placeholder? Activision announced today that they have bought out Z-Axis, developer of the Dave Mirra games. The first game based on the deal, Dave Mirra BMX XXX, is due out sometime in 2003. Acclaim revealed today that Burnout 2: Point of Impact will feature new tracks, cars, secret game modes, and more realistic crashes. The game is due out sometime this holiday season. Under the new publishing agreement bewteen Infogrames and Shiny Entertainment, the first Matrix-based game will be released under the name "Enter the Matrix" and will be based on the second Matrix movie, Matrix: Reloaded. The game is due out in May 2003. Updated: 5/25/2002 Activision and TDK Mediactive announced today a strategic agreement that allows them to co-develop and co-publish games. This collaboration of companies will be known as the "Worldwide Alliance". During E3, a mysterious game called "Roll-o-Rama" was shown, in which you use a GBA to roll a ball around on the screen, a feature similar to that of Kirby Tilt 'N' Tumble on GBC. When asked if RoR is indeed a new Kirby game, NOJ reps said no because they don't want to spread the Kirby franchise too thin in Japan. This is quite the opposite in the States, as a Kirby cartoon is in the works as well as an adventure game due out in 2003. Rumor has it that if Roll-o-Rama is successful, a Cube version of Kirby TNT will be released. NOA representatives revealed at E3 that Animal Crossing will be the first game to be shipped to the U.S. packed with a FREE memory card. Updated: 5/24/2002 Hiroshi Yamauchi, President of Nintenfo of Japan, OFFICIALLY announced his retirement today. His successor will be Satoru Iwata, as of the end of the month. Yamauchi was president for more than 50 years. Iwata is currently a board member of the Kyoyo-based company and is head of Nintendo's business planning department. Satoru Iwata joined Nintendo in June of 2000. Updated: 5/23/2002 THQ revealed today that they will be developing a BattleBots game based on the popular TV show for GameCube. The game is due out sometime Q4 2002. Midway revealed new information today regarding Dr. Muto. The game will be released on PS2 and Xbox this Fall, and GameCube this Winter. The game is an action/adventure in which Dr. Muto, a mad scientist, has accidentally blown up his home planet(except for his laboratory), and must use his ingenious morphing technology to rebuild his planet. Midway announced that Freak Flyers, a fast and furious 3D airplane racing game is scheduled to be released on all next-gen systems this Fall. Midway announced that Fireblade, an all-new helicopter action game, is in development and is scheduled for a release on PS2 in June and GameCube sometime this Fall. Konami revealed today that they will be bringing their most popular franchise, Frogger, to all next-gen plaftorms. Frogger Classic(working title) is expected out this Fall. Konami announced Evolution Skateboarding today for PS2 and GameCube. Evolution Skateboarding will be the first game EVER to feature a "Boss Mode:. The game is due out in October. Konami announced Evolution Snowboarding for PS2 and GameCube today. The game is due out in November. Evolution Snowboarding will up the anty on competitive racing as ES will be the first game EVER to allow you to punch and kick the other racers to knock them into the snow, slowing them down. Updated: 5/22/2002 The latest issue of Nintendo Power was released today, and with some new details, including the plot for Wario World. The plot is this: Wario finally finished building his dream castle, and in the basement where he keeps his jewels, a strange black jewel is transforming all the other jewels into monsters and turning the basement into an weird, parallel world. Two other titles by Conspiracy Entertainment were also announced in the magazine: the first is "Hidden Invasion", a 3D action game in which you lead the elite team Shadowforce to combat an alien invasion; the other game is titled "Immortal Warrior", a game in which you choose one of three heroes and travel through the land of Gomar and capture spirits that have been corrupted by a magical, but evil, queen. LucasArts announced today that it will be bringing Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast to GameCube and Xbox this coming Winter via Vicarious Visions. Nintendo released a press release concering E3 today. In the press release, it stated that it's incomparablee 'Game Giants'(Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Fox McCloud) will drive retail sales through the roof. It also stated that Nintendo's unique connectivity ability will expand players' dreams. The GameCube's library is expected to have more than 150 titles by the years end. Activision OFFICIALLY announced X-Men: Wolverine's Revenge for all next-gen systems today at E3. Nintendo's exclusive company party at E3 was held at the House of Blues this year. Musical entertainment was provided by Lifehouse and Smashmouth. Acclaim revealed today that their newest franchise "Vexx" will be coming to all next-gen systems, not just GameCube. The game will be available this Fall. Acclaim announced "ATV Quad Power Racing 2" for all next-generation platforms today. The game is due out this Winter. TDK Mediactive announced today that they have acquired the "Conan" liscense. The first game based on the cult character will be released sometime in 2003. Updated: 5/21/2002 LucasArts announced that "Full Throttle II", on of their most beloved classic adventure franchises, will be coming to all next-generation systems and PC in 2003. Wal-Mart's website is advertising Eternal Darkness for only $29.95, and Target has been selling Resident Evil for $40. Is this a sign that Nintendo will be dropping the price of software? SCEA announced in its press conference today that the GTA franchise will stay exclusive to the Playstation 2 until October of 2004. Therefore, any dreams of GTA3 coming to GameCube are now shattered. Dreams of GTA4 on the other hand remain intact... GCN-GBA connectivity was a major issue at Nintendo's pre-E3 meeting this morning. During the meeting, Satoru Iwata briefly mentioned the Game Eye, a device that using the GCN-GBA connectivity can take a picture of your face and put it into a GameCube title. This feature was once shown with the Game Boy Camera, N64 Transfer Pak, and Rare's Perfect Dark, but it was canceled before the game's release in the wake of the Columbine massacre. During a teleconference at E3 today, Nintendo revaled the following details: the price for the modem adapter and broadband in Canada will be priced at $49.95 which will be released this Fall; when asked if Nintendo would drop its game prices, their answer was no -- they have no plans to cut the price and they are sticking with the price...at the moment; The question was asked if the Zelda game earlier scheduled this year was still going to come out this year.. They replied that it will come out this year in Japan but February for the U.S.; Nintendo confirmed that Animal Crossing will be out in September in the U.S.; The rep speaking at the Teleconference took a stab at the other next gen consoles saying "If you want to have a console that will collect dust, we suggest you try one of the other consoles."; and finally F-Zero is going to be the first game for the Triforce arcade platform. It will be four players according to the speaker. According to Nintendo, The Triforce platform is pretty much the GameCube; since it uses the same motherboard. Two people asked Rare the question we have all been asking ourselves for weeks today at E3: "Are the rumors true about Rare going mutliplatform?". First, Rare simply answered "We are focusing on software that will be out before the next E3, Rare is only showing SFA." Then they said, "Business as usual." Rare seems to be comfortable in Nintendo's camp for at LEAST another year. Nintendo OFFICIALLY revealed on their E3 website that Doshin the Giant will indeed be coming stateside, along side a few other unheard of titles, such as Giftpia, Roll-o-Rama, and Stage Debut. Nintendo has announced that the new price for the GameCube in Japan will be 18,800 yen, or under $160 US, taking effect on June 3. Acclaim announced today that they are already working on Legends of Wrestling II, which will feature more than 65 wrestling superstars including Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Bruno Sammartino, Bret "Hitman" Hart, Sid Vicious, "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner and Jerry "The King" Lawler. Acclaim OFFICIALLY announced the release date for Turok: Evolution: 09-01-02. The day will be known as "Turok Bloody Sunday". IGN released some new details regarding Animal Crossing today. Apparently the game has been improved with e-Card Reader abilities and there will also be a feature where you can unlock and download NES game to your GBA. Updated: 5/20/2002 According to Financial Times, Sony has dropped the price of its PS2 software from $49 to $39. Will Nintendo follow in their footsteps and drop their price in software like they did with the hardware? Nintendo recently acquired the liscense to the Japanese "Hamtaro the Hamster" franchise. The first game based on the franchise will be coming to GameCube and GBA in Japan...and the U.S.! 15 seconds of Super Mario Sunshine footage was shown on CNN's Moneyline while they were doing a piece on the Price Wars today. Infogrames announced NASCAR Heat 2: Road to the Championship for GameCube today. No word on when it will be released or if it will be on any other platforms. As popularity in video games increase, so do rental sales. According to the Video Software Dealers Association(VSDA), rental sales in video games have rised an average of 9% since 2001. Just in it's first 4 weeks on the shelves, Nintend's GameCube rental sales went from zero to 4.5% grabbing the #4 overall popualar system spot. The Nintendo 64 had a 18% increase in rental sales. Rage, one of the U.K.'s biggest developers, announced today that they have signed a three year deal with Automobili Lamborghini to produce officially branded Lamborghini video games. The first game is due out Winter 2003. In case you didn't catch the trailer for Matrix: Reloaded in Star Wars Episode II, you can catch the movie on Infogrames official website. Speaking of Infogrames, they announced "Enter The Matrix" for all platforms. Matrix Reloaded is due out May 2003 and Matrix Revolutions is due out late 2003. Codemasters officially announced today that they will be developing for GameCube now. Games they are currently working on include Colin McRae Rally 3 and Shoot to Kill: Colombian Crackdown. Nintendo OFFICIALLY announced today that effective tomorrow, the Nintendo GameCube's MSRP will be $149.99. Also, Nintendo has released a few details regarding the plot for Zelda GC. Here's the official word: "The elfin hero Link sports a brand-new look that perfectly reflects his emotions throughout The Legend of Zelda(TM), as he embarks on an epic quest across land and sea to rescue his sister." SISTER?!?!. You have to wonder, if Nintendo is revealing these big announcements before E3, what the hell are they keeping from us??? Updated: 5/19/2002 Eternal Darkness Films has finally been narrowed down to the last 10 contestants. The finalists will be revealed starting May 23 thru July 3. Online fans can vote for their favorite film for the "Viewer's Choice" medal, but the actual winner will be decided by a prestigious panel of judges including Richard Kelly, director of last year's film Donnie Darko and Denis Dyack, president of Silicon Knights. The winner will receive a cash prize and a chance to screen his/her work at a major film festival. Bandai announced that they will be developing "One Piece", a game based on a popular Japanese anime and manga for GameCube. The game will most likely not be coming Stateside. Updated: 5/18/2002 A new video game history book, "High Score! The Illustrated History of Video Games", has been released. The authors of the book are DeMaria and Johnny L. Wilson. The book is 328 pages long, and costs only $17.49 at Amazon.com. Sega announced some financial reports and some new game announcements this morning. Apparently, the PS2 version of Skies of Arcadia has been cancelled (as it is now exclusive to Nintendo), Sega is working on a Skies of Arcadia 2 (scheduled for all platforms), they are also working on a new Sonic anime series. Lastly, Sega expects to sell 20 million games worldwide in the fiscal year of 2003. Acclaim has launched a website for Burnout 2: Point of Impact. The site reads "Coming Soon", however, one could expect Acclaim to announce something at E3. Expect the game to be release on all next-gen systems. Rumor has it that Nintendo's price drop for the GameCube down to $149.99 will become effective as of Tuesday, May 21. Look for an official announcement from Nintendo at E3 this week. Updated: 5/17/2002 Activision announced today that they have acquired the rights from Revolution Studios to develop a game based on their upcoming action movie "XXX", starring Vin Diesel from "The Fast and the Furious". Arcadia Magazine recently interviewed Toshihiro Nagoshi about F-Zero AC and GC. Arcadia asked such questions as how Sega got involved with F-Zero, what differences there will be between the Tri-Force and the GameCube version, the sense of anticipation on working on a free-floating racing game instead of a 4-wheeled racing game, and a few other tidbits. The interview can be be found translated on XenGamers.com. Updated: 5/16/2002 Midway announced "Haven: Call of a King", an action game that features turret-shooting, boat action, space exploration, and back again. The game is about a boy named Haven, who discovers his "Golden Voice" The game is set for a all next-gen system release in the Fall of 2002. Updated: 5/15/2002 An anonymous fan is reporting to Planet GameCube that he works at a major games-retail chain and just received a new sign for GameCube that reads "NEW LOW PRICE!", alongside signs that advertise the price drop for PS2 and Xbox. This information leads many to believe that Nintendo will indeed drop the price of the GameCube. It is unknown how much the price cut will be or when it will take effect. IGNCube is reporting that Zelda for GameCube will not be released in 2002 as originally expected. The game is due out early 2003, possibly in February. Activision announced "True Cop: Streets of L.A." for all next-gen consoles this morning. The developer, Luxoflux, is responsible for such games as Vigilante 8. The game follows the "hard-boiled" exploits of Nick Kang, a Los Angeles cop who takes on the Russian and Chinese mobs. The game is expected out sometime 2003. TDK Mediactive acquired the liscense to produce Chevrolet games from General Motors Corp. The new game will be dedicated to the upcoming Corvette 50th Anniversary. The game will be a part of TDK's 2003 lineup. In light of the Price Cut Wars, Steven Kent has writen a new article for MSNBC.com. In the article, there's lots of interesting quotes from people in the industry and covers the recent price cuts of Sony and Microsoft, and compares them to the Price Cut Wars in 1995 when Nintendo, Sony, and Sega were in the same situation. Microsoft announced earlier this afternoon that they too will be dropping the price of Xbox by $100, making the MSRP of Xbox now $199. As previously reported, Nintendo is expected to drop the price of the GameCube $50 to $149. It is doubtful that Nintendo would drop the GameCube's price $100 ro $99, as they would eat into their Gameboy Advance sales, where they dominate the market with no competition. Updated: 5/14/2002 As an update to the previous report that Namco would be releasing an RPG for GameCube, it is now known who the developer is: Ex-SquareSoft team, MonolithSoft. MonolithSoft is responsible for games such as Xenogears and Xenosaga. It is unknown if the game they are developing for GCN is a continuation of the Xeno series. 400,000 GameCubes, that is 80% of the launch shipment, were sold throughout Europe during the week of launch. The average tie-in ratio was 2.3 games for each console sold and 23 years is the average age of a GameCube owner. The next two first party games to be released are Super Smash Bros. Melee on May 24th, and Pikmin on June 14th. 50 games to be released by this summer! TDK Mediactive announced today a worldwide, multi-year exclusive licensing agreement with Mattel to publish software based on Masters of the Universe. The agreement grants TDK Mediactive exclusive rights to publish interactive Masters of the Universe games for console systems manufactured by Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft, as well as PC. No word yet on a release date for their first game. Following the PS2 price drop announcement, Nintendo made it effective immediately that the upcoming wireless WaveBird controller will be $5 cheaper than originally announced, at $34.95, and also 14 days early, on June 10th. Nintendo also announced that their regular controllers' price has dropped as well to $24.95. Electronics Boutique has already sent out a message on their website in compliance with the price drop. GET YOURS NOW! Sony announced this morning that they have slashed off $100 on their PS2 console, making PS2 $199, effective immediately. Microsoft is expected to make a price cut on the Xbox in the very near future, as there is a 10:1 lead over Microsoft by Nintendo in Europe. Nintendo also announced a while back that they would consider a price drop in the GameCube if Sony ever dropped the PS2 into the $199 price range. Rumor also has it that Sony would be cutting $10 off their software, making PS2 games $39.99. It is unknown if Nintendo and Microsoft would follow the example on this as well. Updated: 5/13/2002 Nintendo announced that they will be releasing their FULL ONLINE PLANS at E3 this morning. Here is a brief excerpt of their plans. The first announced online product is of course Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II, which will be released this Fall. Nintendo's network strategy is built on the philosophy that online will be most successful if the game play is extremely compelling and highly affordable. To match this philosophy, Nintendo's initiative consists of a flexible development program, favorable publisher business model, and support for all consumers whether the player connects by modem (narrowband) or broadband. Nintendo currently is making software development kits available to developers worldwide. It will begin selling both the NINTENDO GAMECUBE v.90 Modem Adapter and the NINTENDO GAMECUBE Broadband Adapter this Fall at retail for an MSRP of $34.95 each. Blockbuster, Inc. announced this morning that it is ready to increase its offering of games for sale or rent, gaming hardware and accessories such as controllers and cables. By Memorial Day, it will reconfigure the game sections of 4,300 company-owned stores, taking out old wooden shelves and installing metal shelves that hold more games. Officials declined to say how much they will spend on additional inventory. Updated: 5/11/2002 According to Xengamers, Sega will be shutting down 3 of their PSO DC servers(Anake, Carme, Leda) in order to make room for the trial version of PSO Episode I & II that will be released in Japan on May 25. The trial version will NOT feature an offline single-player mode. Rumor has it that Sega plans to release PSO Episode I & II for GameCube stateside in October. Nintendo is expected to announce this at E3, 10 days from now. Electronic Arts announced "Medal of Honor: Frontline" for Nintendo GameCube this morning. Because the PS2 version will hit shelves in June, the GC version will most likely be available by the end of the year. Updated: 5/10/2002 InterAct Accessories will be releasing the Mobile Power GC, a lightweight and sturdy rechargable battery that connects to the GameCube and powers the console for as long as 90 minutes. The Mobile Power GC will be released in a bundle called the "Mobility Kit", which contains the Mobile Power GC, the Mobile Monitor 5.4, a carrying case and headphones. At a MSRP of $149.99, this kit is truly your ticket to gaming on the go. The Mobility Kit will be available in major toy and electronics retailers as of July 2002. EA announced "Ty the Tasmanian Tiger", a adventure game about the last remaining Tasmanian tiger on Earth who must travel to Dreamtime to save his fellow tigers. The game will debut on Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2. Nintendo of America announced today the home for the upcoming Kirby cartoon...Fox Kids. The cartoon, now titled "Kirby: Right Back at Ya!", will appear on Saturday mornings starting September 14. Updated: 5/9/2002 LucasArts announced "Gladius", a combat/role playing game, for all major consoles. The game is due out Spring 2003. The floor plans for this year Electronic Entertainment Expo(E3) was released earlier today. According to the floor plans, Nintendo will have the largest booth space of all of them. Sony will have a booth slightly smaller, with Sega having the 3rd largest booth. Microsoft will have a relatively small booth somewhere in the back. EA announced "James Bond 007: NightFire" today. The game is set to be released on all consoles, and is scheduled for a worldwide Late 2002 release. Nintendo of Europe sales figures show that over 75,000 Nintendo GameCubes were sold in the first TWO days in the United Kingdom. The best selling title for the UK launch was of course Rogue Leader, with Luigi's Mansion, Super Monkey Ball, and Sonic Advetnure 2: Battle close behind. The previous 4 games also took positions 2-5 place in the All Formats charts. Wave Race: Blue Storm also made the All Formats charts at 11th place. Updated: 5/8/2002 Nintendo of Europe have found some new, unique marketing ideas for GameCube. First revealed at the Cube Clubs, models in Milan were painted with designs of Donkey Kong, Mario, Star Wars, Pikmin and Wave Race using a new type of paint, Latex Art. This is applied to the body and dries to form a fabric-like layer after thirty minutes. Namco released a promotional poster for the Starfox game they are working on, which will apparently feature flying missions. The game is set for a April 2003 release. Namco also announced that they are working on a new GCN racing title, which is apparently a new Ridge Racer title, and a new GCN RPG title. According to the German game site, Gamefront, Biohazard 0 (AKA Resident Evil 0) will be released on August 28, 2002 in Japan and will be a whopping three discs in length. Capcom has yet to confirm this. Nintendo and HAL Laboratory will be holding the Smash Brothers DX Orchestra Concert on August 27 in Tokyo. The New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra will perform melodies from classic Nintendo games such as Zelda, Metroid, and Mario. Tickets will cost ¥3000 (around $25 US) and go on sale on June 17. Biohazard(Resident Evil) producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi and director, Shinji Mikami were recently interviewed by Dengeki magazine. In the interview, they talked about why they decided to move Biohazard 0 onto GameCube, why they started from scratch on the game, and what the status of development the game is at right now. Updated: 5/7/2002 In the latest edition of the Scribes, Rare's mailbag, Rare answered several questions including some on Perfect Dark, Starfox Adventures, and E3 2002. LucasArts announced "RTX Red Rock", a shooter action/adventure for GameCube and PS2. The game is due out Spring 2003. New details regarding Dragon's Lair 3D were released today. The game will feature 43 different areas of the castle to explore in full 3D, almost 40 different enemies, over a dozen new characters, the game will also supported Dolby Pro Logic. The game is due out September 2002. Updated: 5/6/2002 According to IGN, there is a NEW Starfox game in the works, besides Starfox Adventures. Apparently, Nintendo has handed over the license to Namco, who will "be taking the franchise back to it's roots". It is unknown what this means, but it is suspected it has something to do with the fact that the game is being developed using the Triforce hardware. This isn't the first time Nintendo has let a third-party developer use one of their major franchises: Amusement Vision, F-Zero; Capcom, Zelda; Retro Studios, Metroid. LucasArts released 40 new screenshots of Star Wars: Clone Wars today. Content on the screens include single player mode, multiplayer mode, and cutscenes. A recent bill was passed by Congress last week that makes it a federal crime to sell or rent violent video games to minors. The Protect Children from Video Game Sex and Violence Act of 2002, introduced by Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif., would apply to games that feature decapitation, amputation, killing of humans with lethal weapons or through hand-to-hand combat, rape, car-jackings, aggravated assault and other violent felonies. Twenty-one other representatives co-sponsored the bill. Crave Entertainment announced this morning that it will be publishing a game via Papaya Studio entitled "Whirl Tour", that will mix action, extreme sports, and adventure elements. The game is due out late 2003. Updated: 5/4/2002 Famitsu magazine recently interviewed Nintendo Director, Satoru Iwata. In the interviwed, he describes this year's software as the 'strongest lineup in history' for Nintendo and gave his perspective on recent delays. The first ever screenshots were released of Star Wars: Clone Wars for GamCube and PS2 at the Star Wars Celebration II in Indiana. The game was demonstrated with GameCube hardware, and showcased 2 vehicle based missions. One screenshot showed Anakin on a speederbike type vehicle, which is supposedly a racing type level. The other part shown was a tank based level. So far no space missions have been shown. Updated: 5/3/2002 Namco announced their E3 2002 line-up earlier tonight. In it they revealed the following games they would be displaying for GameCube: Pac-Man World 2(already released), Pac-Man Fever, and Namco Museum. Nintendo released an official press release earlier this morning announcing that they have officially bought out Retro Studios, developer of Metroid Prime, as a wholly owned subsidiary. The Nintendo GameCube officially launched in Europe today at midnight this morning. Rumor has it that over 10,000 Cubes sold in the first two hours. Apparently, people started lining up since 9AM yesterday morning. Updated: 5/2/2002 Kemco announced their E3 2002 line-up earlier today. In it they revealed that they will be displaying a new piece of hardware, the GameBoy Advance MP3 player, plus some new games for GameCube including Egg Mania: Eggstreme Madness. Activision announced earlier today that they are developing X-Men: Wolverine's Revenge for all next-gen platforms. It is a third-person action/advetnure game that is expected out Spring 2003. According to Reuter's, a "industry insider", Nintendo will finally OFFICIALLY announce their FULL plans for their online strategy at E3 2002. Nintendo has yet to confirm this. This is just a rumor, but with the release of PSO Episodes I & II so close, this rumor might not be so farfetched. E3 Expo 2002 released an official press release today. In it, they said that they will be displaying "never before seen games and products". It is currently unknown as to what this means. Nintendo released a new screenshot of Link's face from Legend of Zelda. The new Link has subtlely different eyebrows, and the lips no longer look so girly. A couple of fans managed to get their hands on a Nintendo flyer for E3 BEFORE it was released. On it were new screens of previously announced and unannounced games. One of the unannounced games was "Wario World". Other announced games included Super Mario Sunshine, Metroid Prime, Legend of Zelda, and 1080o: White Storm, and Mario Party 4. Updated: 5/1/2002 Sega released their list of games they will be showcasing at E3: Beach Spikers(due out Summer 2002), Super Monkey Ball 2(due out Fall 2002), and Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II(due out Fall 2002). Amusement Vision released earier today the first ever 6 screenshots in-game of Super Monkey Ball 2. Midway updated their release calendar earlier today as follows: Gravity Games BMX and Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance are due out in Q3 2002(most likely September); and Defender, Fireblade, and Freaky Flyers are due out Q4 2002(most likely in December). Starmen.net started an Earthbound petition a little over a month ago and have over 16,000 signatures at the moment. They still need more, so if you haven't signed already and want Earthbound on the Gamecube, click here.