...a lot, apparently. Alleged NGC manufacturing costs included.

Check out this report from Gaming-Age - here are a couple highlights:

In a new research report recently released, the Investment firm of Merrill Lynch has raised their rating on Nintendo from Accumulate to Buy.

....

Previously, they had expected a bearish 1 million units to be sold... Read more...

Penny Arcade, one of the best game-themed online comics is doing a series of strips based on why video games "suck" these days. Funny!

We'd really encourage all of our readers to read Penny Arcade daily but every so often comes a strip we feel we have to link directly. What with the recent story on the Famicom comeback and people wishing to return to "the good ol' days" of gaming, Penny Arcade is beginning a series of strips examining "the Sucking," more precisely, why video games suck these days. PGC looks forward to seeing how this unfolds.

Starting this Thursday Advance Team is kickin' it in Boston. We know the where, and when...as well as we've got some pics from Philly!

PGC got in contact with our peeps inside Advance Team, and we have most of the details pertaining to this weekends excursion!

Thursday, June 7th

ALL DAY @ Six Flags of New England

Friday, June 8th

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. @ Fanueil Hall

Saturday June 9th is still to be determined….but... Read more...

Although Justin Nation met up with the Advance Team Tour in Philly, another site, Gaming Target has some in-depth coverage of the event.

Up until just a bit ago, I'd never heard of Gaming Target. Then, one of its staff, Matt Swider, emailed me and told me about the site & it's coverage of the Advance Team Tour in Philly. Matt pointed out that we had made it too, but their coverage was nothing like ours. He's right! Justin just caught the tail end of the presentation. Luckily Gaming Target was there to cover the event in full! Good work guys!

PGC's received word that some stores have received their GBA units! But the big question is...will they break the date?

I've received numerous e-mails from people that they've seen stores who've gotten their full shipments of GBA hardware from Nintendo already. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, the stores aren't selling yet.

So will they break the June 11th release date? We'll see. If history repeats itself,... Read more...

Two Zelda games for the GBC were just released in North America & PGC has found a Q&A w/its creators: EAD’s Shigeru Miyamoto, Capcom/Flagship’s Yoshiki Okamoto and Capcom’s Yoshifumi Yamashita.

I was just browsing through one of my favorite sites, Video Senki and recommended it to Mike Sklens. He found this interview, which we both enjoyed:

Freelance writer and Nintendo's #1 Japanese fan Shigesato Itoi was wondering the same thing. So he rounded up Shigeru Miyamoto, producer Yoshiki... Read more...

Nintendo lines it self up for a head on collission with the European Consumer Trade Show.

Nintendo recently announced the dates for it's upcoming European trade show, called The Nintendo Show. The show will occur on September 1st and 2nd. This is the same weekend as the European Consumer Trade Show. The first day of the show will be invitation only and day two will be open to anyone with an ECTS pass. Nintendo's MD of sales and marketing, David Gosen, had this to say:

Thanks to a UK Nintendo site, screens & a summary of a humorous Game Boy Advance ad have been posted online.

I just got an email from "Tom Hill" who figured I might be interested in this rundown of a UK GBA ad. The ad takes place in an airport and features a person completely adsorbed in playing F-Zero. Unfortunately, while playing, he fails to notice he's holding up the line... Funny stuff, check it out.

What, you wanted confirmation that Mario Bros. 3, Mario World and many other great classics are returning to GBA? Read inside!

After receiving my NP Advance in the mail I was scanning the "Upcoming GBA titles" release list and guess what caught my eye: "Super Mario Bros. 3", "Super Mario World" and "Yoshi's Island".

Here's the entire list:

Advance Wars

Aerial Aces

Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge

Bionicle: Tales of Tohunga

Check out this super cool trick for you GBA!!

While flipping through the latest EGM mag I read the low-down on the GBA. They have a picture of the GBA and it explains all the parts of the GBA. There was a nifty easter egg listed for the On/Off Switch.

First, you will need a GBA and a GBA game. Put the game in and hold down both start and... Read more...

During E3, a horse racing simulation game was showcased and ambitious plans were revealed. Most people maybe didn’t catch the full scope of what was being announced. We did & now we’ve posted it.

During Sega’s E3 Press Event, “Sega Unleashed” presidents of each development team (with the exception of Smilebit) took the stage to discuss & show off upcoming projects. It was both a historic and exciting event at this point of transition in Sega’s career.

While only two of Sega’s... Read more...

Broken Saints, the online comic that aspires to be a Nintendo game is “Cool Site of the Day” for Monday, June 4, 2001. Help get B.S. more exposure! Here’s the details!

Last week we reported on Broken Saints being mentioned on New York TV by way of Entertainment Weekly Magazine. Today, B.S. has been honored as "Cool Site of the Day." The most recent B.S. Newsletter asks for fans' support.

From the Saints themselves:

"The original CSOTD gives BS the nod... Read more...

OK, so I was mistaken. Magma is a replacement for Fuchisa--it is different.

After more extensive research and more than a few e-mails, PGC has decided that Magma is a different coloUr (as it is for Europe.) The plastic is more purplish, while the buttons are slightly darker. Click the link to see a comparison of the 2 colours' boxart. Who knows why Nintendo decided to change more than the name this time?!

Max met Smilebit’s Takayuki Kawagoe during E3 and asked him this very question.

“Ogenki desu ka?!” (“How are you?”) screamed Smilebit’s Takayuki Kawagoe excitedly as he took the stage of Sega’s Press Event at E3.

“If you have energy, you can do anything!” Kawagoe-san beamed to the crowd, as a translator repeated his words in English.

“Our president should be here on stage, but he did not want to get on a plane. So, here I am!”

It was speculated and rumored, and now it's confirmed!

Not only is AM2's President, Yu Suzuki, researching GameCube, his teams are also apparently developing for it!!!

In Sega's most recent UK version of its Official Dreamcast Magazine, AM2 was listed among the 2 other known Sega GCN developers. Tendo Box also quotes the magazine as stating all 3 have been at work since last Fall! All rejoice!

We've got a new retail report from our old friend SillyMrMan. Along with info on retailers preparing for NGC, we have X-Box info too!

SillyMrMan, the contributor that sparked a series of Retail Reports has returned with hot new info. Apparently, at the game store he works at, two GameCube titles have been added to the computer! And so, apparently, have some X-Box titles. Read on…

SillyMrMan says: I had work today and... Read more...

In another GIA E3 interview, Sega's Yu Suzuki admits to researching both the GameCube and X-Box.

A couple days after I mention Ed McGlothlin and his Howard Lincoln interview, I'm browsing the GIA and find another interview he did at E3, with Sega's Yu Suzuki.

It's a quick but good interview. Here's a particularly interesting exchange:

GIA: Why did you choose the PlayStation 2 for your first home conversion outside Sega?

Europe is getting the color "Magma!" Come inside for details.

Hah! Caught ya! I bet you were thinking this is a Europe exclusive! No, this is just the European name for the Fuchisa GBA, and nothing more. It seems Nintendo can't decide on a name for this baby. Go to Puissance Nintendo for the European boxart as well as Conker asking your opinion of the site in French.

EAGB has posted the Dengeki Console Game Ranking, and we have the numbers for the GBA games.

EAGB posted the big numbers list of portable games, and we have the GBA games right here:

At #5 Final Fight One (Capcom) GBA

Units sold for the week: 16,780

Units sold in total: 16,780

At #7 Super Mario Advance (Nintendo) GBA

Units sold for the week: 14,290

Units sold in total: 553,890

Thanks to EAGB, New details about this game have been revealed.

EAGB has posted new info about a new Challange Mode.

Quest is also adding in a new Challenge Mode which offers special battles outside the scope of the main story. Once they discover a special book within the game, players will be able to tackle these difficult missions at any time. Certain rare items and equipment is only attainable by beating these challenge battles.