Eddie asks, I am a great fan of street racing

games such as Tokyo Xtreme Racer and Project Gotham. I was wondering if there would be any

games like that on the horizon for the Cube. I just wish someone would look at the

following behind "The Fast and Furious" movie and realize that a street racing

game that had fully licensed cars and aftermarket parts would sell well. Anyway, a guy can

dream right?

Jonathan Says: You should see at least a few

street racers on GameCube, maybe even one this year. With the success of Project Gotham

and its brethren, more publishers will want to cash in on this facet of the market, and

that means more games with a chance of being on GameCube

Koquin asks, I think it would be a great idea for Wizards to release a Magic: The

Gathering game for GBA, where you could scan special cards through the E-Card reader, then

play with your friends, or with this new bluetooth adapter, play online. Then a Magic

Online for GameCube could use the same E-Card process, scanning onto the Cube via the

GBA-to-GCN link cable. The possibilities are endless, but do you think it could happen?

WindyMan Says: Say, that sounds like a good

idea...

Jonathan Says: I'm a big MTG fan, and I think

using the e-Card technology would be awesome. Unfortunately, I doubt we'll ever see

something like that...even though Wizards of the Coast will soon have experience with

e-Cards in its new Pokemon set. Using the e-Card reader also doesn't make too much since

for Magic because the cards would have to activate something...and the reader itself

doesn't have any sort of game built in. Basically, they'd have to release a whole new

Magic game for GBA built into an e-Card reader, and that'd be pretty expensive (not to

mention bulky). With the standard e-Card reader, the most you could do with specially

printed MTG cards would be to store playing tips or something on them. Too bad...

Dave asks, I would like to play Animal Leader, but I need to mod my GameCube first. I'm

assuming I'd have to find someone to do it for me. Is there a cost range to have this

done? How safe is it to get it done? Can we do it ourselves?

TYP Says: First you should ask your local import

stores if you have any. If they do US GameCube mods (unlike mine) you should let them, as

they will provide the quickest turnaround time and you wont have to pay for shipping

insurance. If you can't find anyone in your area I highly recommend

href="http://www.ncsx.com">NCS. My GameCube is actually migrating across the states as

we speak. They have an excellent reputation and great customer service. NCS charges $38,

which includes materials, labor and return shipping.

You could do the mod yourself, but I wouldn't risk it. Taking apart and reassembling a GCN

is a task in itself, and modding a US 'Cube is more demanding than its Asian equivalent.

Rick Says: I would highly recommend having a professional do it, if anything, just

so you have someone to BLAME for screwing it up. :)

NCS does a great job, and you can get pre-modified machines for not much more than the

cost of buying and shipping one to be modded.

Jonathan Says: You might want to read my

impressions of the NCS mod that I posted on our forums not long ago:

href="http://pub89.ezboard.com/fpgcforumsfrm13.showMessage?topicID=4.topic">pub89.ezboard.com/fpgcfor...ID=4.topic

Basically, they did a great job, although their price for modding is higher than most

others I've seen. But I'm happy.

Guglio asks, do you have any freaking idea when PSO is coming out for GameCube? I've been

to about a trillion different sites, and I've gotten 45376 different release dates. Could

you please set the record straight? Also, is their any word of how much the

modem/broadband adapter will cost, and/or will it be bundled with PSO?

TYP Says: As of right now, any

release date is TBD (according to Sega of Japan's site). Nintendo has made it clear in the

past that they aren't crazy about online gaming but will provide the hardware when other

developers want it. Lack of networking hardware probably isn't the reason for delay:

Naka-san's recent comments suggest that Sonic Team is still hard at work on the game

itself. Nothing is known about modem/LAN pricing or packaging.

Dragona Says: It's coming, please be patient. It

might take awhile, but the wait will be more than worth it.

Jonathan Says: Yeah, it really is still

unannounced right now. My guess is maybe late summer in Japan, sometime in the fall for

North America and Europe. Definitely this year though...

Daniel Says: Hopefully, Sega can get Nintendo to

actually put the network adapters on shelves when PSO releases. It would suck if people

have to order them online like the GBA-GC link cable.

James asks, Previously, the general consensus was that Zelda would not make it out

in 2002. But in recent interviews, Miyamoto-san has revealed that Zelda GCN will indeed be

playable at E3. Does this affect your opinions on the possibility of Zelda arriving for

GameCube in 2002, or do you still believe that it won't arrive until 2003?

TYP Says: If Mario Sunshine really DOES come out

this summer in Japan, I believe Zelda may have a slight chance. However, having a playable

demo means squat in terms of a release date, as Eternal Darkness and Star Fox Adventures

have demonstrated so well. It would be best to assume a 2003 release until Nintendo gives

an exact date stating otherwise.

Rize Says: Given Nintendo's history, something is

probably getting delayed. Zelda is the strongest contender for that honor.

I hope it makes it out this year, but it just seems unlikely. The only thing that makes it

possible is that Nintendo probably wants to release it for the Christmas season and they

may not want to push it back an entire year. I think LttP was released in the first half

of its... year of release in the states. Perhaps we'll see Zelda before the first half of

2003 is over.

Rick Says: Arriving for GameCube in 2002 ... in

JAPAN. I wouldn't expect it here until Christmas 2003. They need to give Mario time to

sell.

Dragona Says: Mario and Zelda on GC in 2002 will

happen.

(ed- If I say anything more specific I will be shot. 2002 in the US. You heard me.)

Jonathan Says: Let me put it this way. Metroid,

Mario, and Zelda. They're all scheduled for this fall. They won't all make it. Now

obviously the easiest choice is Zelda, because we've seen the least of it and Zelda games

historically come out later than Mario games in a system's life. Then again, historically,

the Mario game would have already been released. With some of the recent talk about

Mario's graphics being kind of blah, I'm beginning to wonder if maybe it won't be delayed

until sometime in 2003, and maybe Zelda is much farther along than we thought and really

can be finished this year. If it is, I question whether a 2002 release for the US is

possible, but Ocarina of Time was translated simultaneously and released almost exactly

the same time in each continent... The wild card, of course, is Metroid Prime, but I think

whether it makes its window or gets delayed again won't have much effect on whether Mario

and/or Zelda is released this year. And right now I'd give Prime a 50/50 chance of making

it out this year, but that's just an educated guess.

Max Says: Not just Mario and Zelda on GC in 2002 but also Star Fox Adventures, Kirby (the GBA/GC Tilt n' Tumble), Metroid Prime and probably Pokemon in some shape/form. That's just Nintendo franchises too! Factor in Eternal Darkness and Animal Forest + and Miyamoto & Iwata's comments about there being nearly too many games to play in 2002 starts to make sense. If anything gets delayed, it'll be Metroid Prime, though I've heard it's on track and looking great. If Nintendo doesn't delay anything, this could be one of its biggest years ever.

dbcollien asks, Which is your favorite genre and why?

WindyMan Says: Personally, I'll play any type of game. I

really like them all. But as for my favorites, I'd have to give the nod to puzzle games

and racing games. Puzzles make you think, and are present in just about every other genre

anyway, and racing games come in so many forms it's like another set of games by

themselves. Lots of options there.

TYP Says: As expected, my favorite genre is the

platformer. I suppose I should also include the "Adventure" category, as I love

Zelda, and games like Banjo Kazooie teeter between the two genres. I'm trying to open

myself up to more genres, but it's difficult!

Rize Says: I don't have a favorite genre per se. I

experiment with the best games from many genres, and I try to avoid mediocre games from

all genres. I imagine someone with a favorite genre enduring decent games and enjoying

good ones just to get their fix. I'm the exact opposite. Now, in the realm of really good

games, nothing makes me happier than an excellent first person shooter. I'll take the

sequel to Perfect Dark over Zelda or Mario any day of the week. On the other hand, I do

have a few genres I generally don't like. I don't like most sports games for example

(basically, anything that involves a ball with the exception of Mario Tennis). I dislike

racing games with standard car physics. In other words, Gran Turismo and Ridge Racer =

very bad, Excitebike 64 and Wave Race = very good. Finally, I'm generally not a big fan of

the RPG genre (but I do enjoy a good turn-based strategy game as long as it doesn't have a

lot of micro-management: Advance Wars).

Rick Says: Racers. I can't wait for a decent

racing game. Not so much simulation, like Turismo.

Hell, I hear Boss Game Studios has a killer racer coming for X-Box. Someone should

evangelize the GameCube to them.

Jonathan Says: Heh. Well for starters, I don't

necessarily believe in genres. Some games clearly fit into one, but a lot (and many of my

favorites) are stuck in-between genres or don't seem to fit into any of them. Pikmin comes

to mind...even Smash Bros. Couldn't you call Marble Madness a racer since you race against

time? Doesn't Zelda contain tons of puzzles? To me, that sort of situation messes up the

whole genre idea. They're somewhat useful for helping us classify things, but I think they

can become detrimental if we start to take them too seriously and we place games in these

strictly defined categories. The world of literature is ripe with such abuse, and I fear

it could one day happen to games as well.

Daniel Says: Leave it to Jonny to get all

philosophical on us. :)

I'd have to say that my favorite genre is adventure. There seems to be a good mix of

different elements: exploring, situational puzzles, some story, and action.

Max Says: My favorite genre is probably action-adventure. From Castlevania to Zelda, there’s nothing quite like games with lots of action, a good story and lots of exploration and/or puzzle solving. I like almost all types of games though (save for most sports games) and don’t really get too hung up on genre. Puzzle, RPGs, Shooters, Platformers, whatever; as long as it’s fun and well made, I’ll play it.

A bunch of people with their BS meters turned off say, to Unlock Sonic and Tales

in Super Smash Brothers Melee, get a high score of 20 KO's on Cruel Melee with a

character.

WindyMan Says: phhhhh, what are

you talking about? My copy of SSBM came with Sonic and Tails already unlocked. Oh, and the

Green Hill Zone battle arena kicks ass! Once you had Sonic, it was really easy to race to

the finish in under 20 seconds.

Rick Says: "Why, yes Ross, pressing my third

nipple opens the delivery entrance to the magical land of Narnia."

Dragona Says: Die.

Jonathan Says: No, live! Live to tell the world of

this wonderful secret you've discovered! Do us all a favor and send 100 emails about this

to each of my favorite websites, IGNcube and GameSpot. Then they'll surely get the point

and have to post this awesome news for all the world to enjoy!

Daniel Says: Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't you

try it first and then send it to us with a photo of it on your own TV screen?

Mike H. Says: In case you haven't figured out the

sarcasm of these replies, AND THE CODE ITSELF, it was an Aprils Fools joke,

like the magazine has EVERY year. I swear they do it to give other news reporting outlets

a headache. :) Turn the BS meters on. Don't believe everything you read, especially from

EGM of all places, and LEAST of all their April issue. Jeez.

Max Says: Didn’t anyone read this preview update?!