News/July 2002 Updated: 7/31/2002 BBC World's ClickOnline recently conducted a video game study. Apparently, the study conducted suggests that video gamers are able to get into the same rhythm of alpha brainwave activity as someone who has had meditation, such as a monk. Here is a direct excerpt from the study: "What have a Buddhist Monk, a sports person exhibiting peak performance, and a computer gamer got in common? Despite the fact that it sounds like the lead-up to a bad joke, the answer is actually alpha brainwave activity. It's common knowledge, in scientific and sporting circles, that sports people performing at the very peak of their abilities can experience an increased level of this type of activity." You can read the full article by clicking here. As part of a press kit sent by French gaming site Cube Nation, they sent some paper documents with a list of what games are under development for GameCube up to date to this month. They do not reveal much, but do give confirmation of some titles of particular interest. These include Konami's Eclipse, Squaresoft's Final Fantasy, Infogrames' DragonBall Z and several unfamiliar titles from THQ, Vivendi Universal, Ubi Soft, Acclaim, Cyro Interactive and more. Final Fantasy is confirmed to have GCN/GBA compatibility as it says in parenthesis next to the tentative title name. Donkey Kong Racing and Kameo are still in production according to this list. French site Newtechnix, Skies of Arcadia will be coming out this year in Japan. It will basically be the same, but it will look and play a bit better. There's also a new kick ass female playable character who will bawl and smash all over the skies, and she's some kind of bounty hunter. Rumor has it that there is a new ship in the game, though it has yet to be confirmed. Also, reports from other sites are saying that not only is there a new character but new "elements in the system" and new events. Whatever that means. Expect a Spring 2003 release in the U.S. of the GameCube version of Skies of Arcadia. Cube Nation reported earlier today the length of the upcoming Rareware game, Star Fox Adventures. Nintendo has stated that Star Fox Adventures has around 80 hours of gameplay. This comes as reassuring news to lengthy-game-starved owners of the Nintendo GameCube, as the longest game on GameCube is only about 20 hours. The gameplay is expected to match the impressive length of Rare’s sure-to-be hit game. Also, it has been revealed that the game spans TWO DISCS. Star Fox Adventures will being released this fall in the U.S. on September 23, 2002. Updated: 7/30/2002 The New York Times revealed today that Ziff Davis Media, parent company of Gamespot, the Official Playstation Magazine, Electronic Gaming Monthly and Xbox Nation, among others, will file for bankruptcy by the end of this week. The prepackaged bankruptcy seems to be a way for Ziff Davis Media to cut its 450 million dollar debt by 155 million dollars. It is currently unknown how this will effect Gamespot, EGM, and their others magazines. More on the situation as it develops. Updated: 7/29/2002 Japanese developer MultiTerm announced Monday a new middleware library for game studio's working on titles for Nintendo's next-gen system, the GameCube. The library, known as MPS (or MassPlayerSystem), allows for faster and better communications between your console and a network. The system will speed up network game development a great deal. MPS for GameCube remains in beta stages, but is expected to be completed around September 2002. Note that games such as Animal Crossing, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Starfox Adventures, and TimeSplitters 2 are also released in the month of September. Updated: 7/26/2002 Nintendo of Japan has announced that they will be holding "The Nintendo Game Front" at the Panasonic Center, which is scheduled to open in September. The Nintendo Game Front will allow visitors to test out the latest Nintendo games with the latest Panasonic equipment. For more information regarding the center, you can visit it's official website at http://www.panasonic-center.com. Yahoo revealed today that approximately 48% of counterfeit toys and games seized in European Union member states are Nintendo products. More than 750,000 of the seized items include game consoles. And although the amount of electical equipment seized has tripled, the number of toys and games taken has fallen by 77% since 2000. You can read the article here. Updated: 7/25/2002 Just a reminder that today was "Nintendo Games Day" at the Cocomo bar in East London in the UK today. Games on display included Eternal Darkness, Legend of Zelda, Mario Party 4, Metroid Prime 4, Super Mario Sunshine, and many more. However, because of this event, Nintendo will not exhibiting at ECTS. Updated: 7/24/2002 Motorola has teamed up with Nintendo to bring wireless networking to gaming consoles. Not much is known about the agreement, but one has to assume is has to do with Nintendo's online plans. More on the situation as it develops. Nintendo announced today that effective October 14th, they will be releaseing a bundle in the US that will include an indigo GameCube, a Memory Card 59, and Super Mario Sunshine at a reasonable MSRP of $189.95. Also, effective November 3rd, Nintendo will be releasing a Platinum Edition GameCube for MSRP $149.95. Updated: 7/23/2002 Activision, Inc. announced today that the company has extended its successful partnership with world-renowned skateboarder Tony Hawk through an exclusive multi-year video game licensing agreement that will not expire until 2015. That's right kids, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 20 is only a little more than a decade away! Eidos announced earlier today "Blood Omen 2" for GameCube, set for a Oct.31 2002 release date. PS2 and Xbox version were released earlier in the year. It is currently unknown if the GC version of the game will have any special features. According to Media Create, Super Mario Sunshine has sold more than 400,000 copies since its release 4 days earlier on July 19. This means that Super Mario Sunshine is the fastest selling title in Japan in a 6 day or less span since Winning Eleven 6. Nintendo of America announced three new senior-level executive promotions. The promotions go to Mike Fukuda, who has been named Senior Vice President in Business Development; Don James, who has been named Senior Vice President of Operations; and Elizabeth Aurelio, who has been named Vice President of Credit. Updated: 7/22/2002 If you haven't pre-ordered Super Mario Sunshine yet, Nintendo has a great offer for you. For $69.95, you can get Super Mario Sunshine sent to you 2-day air, along with a Memory Card 59, coupon for $10 off a Wave Bird, and a full year of Nintendo Power, as well as the Official Nintendo Player's Guide for Super Mario Sunshine. Order it here. As an update to the recent post that new SSB:M trophies can be unlocked with a Metroid Prime and Super Mario Sunshine sve on your memory card, apparently this is not true with the Japanese version of the game. Apparently, the new trophies are only available via a mail-in offer or a visit to Toys 'R' Us. However, all this may not be needed for the US versions of the games. More on the situation as it develops. Gamefront revealed today the Top 10 selling Japanese games. Not surprisingly, Super Mario Sunshine is the #1 selling game in Japan. Universal won an auction late Friday for rights to the video game franchise "Spy Hunter," which the studio will develop as a franchise vehicle for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. In "Spy Hunter," the Rock will play an ex-fighter pilot who has become an intelligence agent. Using a fully armed G-6155 Interceptor vehicle, which has morphing capabilities, he hunts dangerous spies and assassins, who engage him in their own sophisticated vehicles. Updated: 7/21/2002 Sega released today the trial version of the PC version of Phantasy Star Online. You can download it here Note: make sure you have a broadband modem, as the download is quite hefty. Updated: 7/20/2002 The official US Super Mario Sunshine website was launched this morning via Nintendo. Check it out at http://www.supermariosunshine.com/. The site includes screenshots, movies, as well as other content. Updated: 7/19/2002 A recent study by Professor Akio Mori at Nihon University has found prolonged playing of videogames by children could lead to permanent disruption of their brain waves, causing them to lose concentration, get angry easily and have trouble interacting with others. However, Nalin Sharma, founder of UK-based Puzzle Kings, says such as notion is "absurd". The company's games are as mentally challenging as they are aesthetically stimulating. Mr. Sharma stated that it is impossible however to draw valid conclusions before the formal results of this research are published, together with details of the methodologies behind the study; which games were selected and how the sample population was selected. Updated: 7/18/2002 Treasure announced today that it will be developing "Tiny Toons: Defender of the Looniverse" for PS2 and GameCube. The game is expected out sometime this Fall. Electronic Arts has announced that they have reached an agreement with Pierce Brosnan to use the actor in the upcoming Bond game, James Bond 007: NightFire. Updated: 7/17/2002 Reuters revealed today that due to the rapid rise of yen that will slice into oversea sales, Nintendo Co. shares have dropped below the key 15,000 yen level to a 2002 low on Wednesday. Infogrames announced today that it will be bringing it's "Driver" franchise to GameCube next year, starting with Driver 3. Hong Kong based import retailers Lik-Sang and Lan Kwei are reporting that they have recieved their initial shipment of Super Mario Sunshine, and are shipping out their pre-orders today. There is no word from Japan if they have received their pre-orders early as well. Updated: 7/16/2002 Microsoft confirmed today the rumors that have beenb running rampant for years. Microsoft had indeed tried to buy out Sega, 3 times actually, but failed miserably. M$ also revealed that at one time they attempted to acquire Squaresoft as well. Nintendo revealed today some new release dates for upcoming GameCube games. Starfox Adventures(9/24), Mario Party 4(10/21). Also, Nintendo stated that Mario Party 4 will contain a total of 50 mini-games. NCSX revealed today that Datel will be releasing "Freeloader", a bootdisc for GameCube that will allow gamers to play GameCube games from any region(Japan, Europe, etc.). A price has yet to be set, but the disc is set for a tentative August 5th release date. Updated: 7/15/2002 Apparently, over 600 GameCubes and 400 GameBoy Advances were stolen from a Japanese warehouse over the weekend. Over 23.6 million yen worth of merchandise was stolen. Empire Interactive announced today that they will be developing "Starsky & Hutch" for GameCube and GBA. GameSpot announced today that video game fan Jason Read is attempting to break the world record the longest amount of time spent waiting for a video game starting July 18th. The 25-year-old UK resident plans to break the record by 20 days as he waits in line for the upcoming "Turok Evolution" from Acclaim. Luckily, Read won’t be alone in his massive wait, as Acclaim is promising to help him get into the record books. TDK Mediactive announced today that they have rrecruited the original voice-acting cast of the Robotech cartoon to provide voices for their respective characters in TDK's upcoming game "Robotech: Battlecry". We all know that if you have a Pikmin save on your memory card, you can get a Pikmin trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Well, Nintendo confirmed today, that if you have a Super Mario Sunshine save, you can get a trophy of Mario riding on Yoshi in SSB:M. Also, if you have a Metroid Prime save, you get a trophy of a helmetless Samus Aran in SSB:M. Updated: 7/12/2002 The mysterious Gamecube developer consisting of ex-Rare employees, Zoonami, has announced today a proposal for a game tentatively titled "Game Zero". The game was apparently proposed back in January 2000, so it has been in development for quite some time now. Details concerning the game's story or characters are slim, but Zoonami is expected to release details on their website sometime soon. Technos Japan recently registered a new trademark for River City Ransom, the Atari classic. Therefore, a new RCR game or a port of the original to GBA is very likely. Details should be released in the near future. Sonic Team updated their website this morning with the official list of games that will be appearing in Sonic Mega Collection. Here's the list: Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, & 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic 3D Blast, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, and Sonic Spinball. The Top 10 Rentals of the Month chart just came in, and Eternal Darkness has claimed the 10th spot. It should be noted that ED is the only non-PS2 title on the list. Updated: 7/11/2002 Rare fansite, Raretopia, revealed today that Conker's Other Bad Fur Day is indeed not in development, and has been confirmed as cancelled. Sources close to Rare confirm that the game was started, but was quickly put on hold due to the poor sales of the original. Rumor also has it that Microsoft is trying to acquire publishing rights to make the Conker series an Xbox-exclusive. 3DO announced "Army Men: Air Combat 'The Elite Missions'" for the Nintendo GameCube. The Army Men: Air Combat "The Elite Missions" game follows the exploits of the heroic Captain Blade and his Alpha Wolf Squadron as they once again take to the skies in support of the Green Army in their ongoing struggle with the Tan forces. The game is planned to ship in time for Christmas 2002. The Art Institute of California - San Francisco (www.aicasf.aii.edu) is answering that need through its new bachelor's degree program in Game Art & Design. The program, which started in January, has attracted students from throughout the United States looking to learn the new style of art used in interactive entertainment. The Art Institute of Pittsburgh announced today that it plans to begin offering a bachelor of science degree in Game Art & Design beginning on October 7, 2002. Game Art & Design will be offered exclusively through The Art Institute Online, a division of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, located at 420 Boulevard of the Allies. Sega and Sonic Team announced today that Phantasy Star Online Episodes I & II will be delayed an extra month in Japan due to some final tweaking. Therefore, the Cube's first official online game is now schedued for Sep.12. Also, because of the delay, the Network Trial Edition has been delayed until Aug.19 in Japan. PSO I&II's U.S. release date has yet to be announced. Updated: 7/10/2002 3DO announced today "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse", a multiplatform action game that has apparently been under development for three years, and is obviously based off the comic book. Look for it sometime next year. IGNCube recently interviewed Rareware's U.S. offices. In the interview, IGNCube questioned Rare about the rumors of Rare developing for PS2 and Xbox, with Activision and Microsoft as possible publishers. When asked why they only showed one game, Starfox Adventures, at E3, they responded by saying they wanted to put emphasis on SFA and didn't want to "overkill" by showing additional Rare titles. In regard to the Activision/Microsoft publishing deals, they said they do not comment on rumors. However, when questioned if Rare was in possession of PS2 or Xbox development kits, instead off offering another denial, they simply responded, "No comment". Updated: 7/9/2002 Sega has announced its plans to aggressively pursue the acquisition of other third party publishers in an attempt to become the second largest video game publisher in the United States this year and the largest by fiscal 2004. Sega of America Vice President Charles Bellfield informed Reuters that Sega is already talking with many publishers and that only its biggest competitor, Electronic Arts, is excluded from consideration. Sega is especially interested in buying out smaller publishers which include international publishers Infrogrames and THQ. Intensity Magazine recently revealed a list of all the old school Sonic games that will be included in the upcoming GC game, Sonic Mega Collection: Sonic The Hedgehog 1, 2 & 3, Sonic CD, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic R, Sonic Shuffle, and possibly Sonic Drift. Nikkei Financial Daily is reporting that beginning on July 19th, Toys R Us stores across Japan will feature kiosks with playable demos of Mario Party 4, StarFox Adventures, Metroid Prime and The Legend of Zelda. As you know, July 19th is also the Japanese release date for Super Mario Sunshine. According to Professor Akio Mori of Nihon University, the longer people spend time on video games, the less activity they show in the prefrontal region of their brains. You can read the article here. Universal Interactive announced today that their upcoming platform game Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly, will be on PS2 and GameCube. Look for the game sometime this Winter. Warthog has announced that they have signed the publishing rights to their original property "X10" to Conspiracy Entertainment. X10 is a first person shooter for PC, Xbox, GameCube and PlayStation 2. X10 places a gamer as a soldier, who, under strict instructions, must explore the world of X10 and tackle anything the environment throws at them, including political intrigue, military factions and deadly predators. Updated: 7/8/2002 Some new information regarding Super Mario Sunshine have risen today. Apparently, a new life bar has been integrated into the game, and also there are also at least 94 "Shines", or Sunshine coins in the game. Nintendo confirmed today that they will be releasing a special edition Super Mario Sunshine GameCube system on the launch day in Japan. The system will come with Super Mario Sunshine, and there will only be limited amounts of the unit. Nintendo has yet to confirm on a U.S. release for the product. The lead designer of Rainbow Six: Raven Shield confirmed today that Rainbow Six: Raven Shield will be coming to all next generation systems including PC. There will be no change between the four versions of the game, other then the control switch from PC to consoles. Raven Shield is expected to be released for GameCube in early 2003. Scandinavian show NIME:02 has been postponed until next year, following the cancellation of the consumer event which the show piggybacks. Intended as a forum for developers and publishers in the region, NIME was rocked by the cancellation of the GAMEX consumer event which runs alongside it. Bloomberg reported today that Nintendo sold 112,300 GameCube consoles, a gain of 30,300, according to the report, which is based on a survey of retailers. All three video-game companies lowered the prices of their consoles in May, with Nintendo and Microsoft seeking to boost sales against PlayStation 2, the top-selling machine. Microsoft, whose sales of Xbox have fallen short of its forecasts, may lose more than $2 billion on the console by next June, said Brendan Barnicle, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities. Updated: 7/7/2002 Various import stores are reporting that Super Mario Sunshine could be shipping 3-4 days early, and that those who imported the Japanese veersion of the game could be playing the game as early as July 16. Rumor also has it that those who imported could be playing Super Mario Sunshine before Japan. More on the situation as it develops. Updated: 7/6/2002 According to Gamefront, Nintendo plans to distribute demo versions of GameCube games in Japan. The discs should, at the earliest, be released in autumn - free of charge. The games included are playable but aren't scheduled to have videos in them. It is currently unknown if Nintendo plans to utilize this marketing stategy in the U.S. Updated: 7/2/2002 In a move that strengthens its already robust Hollywood-based video game lineup, Infogrames, a leading global publisher of interactive entertainment software, has signed a deal with C-2 Pictures and Intermedia to develop and distribute video games based on the highly-anticipated Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines motion picture. Subject to certain conditions, Infogrames also secured the exclusive first option for interactive rights to any Terminator 4 film through the deal. Game Live Events today announced its "2002 Summer Preview Game Tour" which will visit 10 cities starting July 6th and go across the country, showcasing the latest games from certain publishers. Updated: 7/2/2002 Midway has just announced worse-than-expected sales for many of its titles and has cancelled the GameCube version of Gravity Games: Street. Dirt. Vert. which was planned for the release in Q3 2002. The game will still come out on PS2 and Xbox. Midway has also announced a delay for Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. IGNCube revealed today that after they interviewed Sega earlier today, they found out that "Sonic Adventure" for GC will indeed be a complete port of the 1999 Dreamcast classic, and not a beefed up version like "Sonic Adventure 2". Today Nintendo announced that it will begin a new marketing program to replace SpaceWorld, in order to reach more gamers across Japan than it annual showing because of this year’s big lineup of games. However, Nintendo didn’t make it clear if SpaceWorld was cancelled for good. Instead of a big event, there will likely be smaller showings similar to the Pokemon Festa 2002 promotion which kicks of July 20th. Today, Nintendo of America Inc. and SHiNE launch a nationwide campaign to reach teens in a non-traditional fashion to beautify communities and paint neighborhood murals. Through July 23, aspiring artists, gamers and others interested in making a positive difference in their communities can enter the "Nintendo and Mario Make My Community SHiNE" contest through www.shine.com. Entrants will design murals that reflect SHiNE's mission of promoting cultural harmony, non-violence, and high self-esteem among teens. Winners will see their art prominently displayed in their hometowns or neighboring metropolitan area. Nintendo confirmed today that Super Mario Sunshine will take up a mere 7 blocks of memory. Updated: 7/1/2002 Following GameCube pricedrops around the world, Panasonic has finally dropped the price of the Panasonic GameCube/DVD player hybrid "Q" by 5000 yen, from 39,800 yen to 39,400 - approximately $290 in U.S. Dollars. Exciting news for importers, as Panasonic does not plan to release the Q in North America. Sonic Team recently announced they’d be unveiling a new game for the GameCube this month. Well, it looks like official confirmation of Sonic Team’s plans have already come to light. According to Famitsu & a press release on Sega’s webpage, the original Sonic Adventure as well as Sonic Mega Collection will be coming to GameCube while Sonic Advance 2 is heading for the GBA. Sega plans to show off Sonic Mega Collection and Sonic Advance 2 at the World Hobby Fair on July 13-14th. Additionally, both games are scheduled to be released in Japan before the end of the year.