Tomorrow Morning Advanced

(well, you all knew it was coming. A colum about our beloved and newly launched in North America, GBA)

Sitting here in front of my computer, my punk music on mute, the television struggling to keep my attention; I cant help but wonder, how much longer can these batteries last? I am dead to the world. The Game Boy Advance is my life [Advanced]. I'm still soaking up everything. The new wave games like Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 and the old-school nostalgia of Super Mario Brothers 2 (Mario Advance) have completely blown me away. Talking to our "jetgrind" Nick about the future of the GBA has got me thinking that there will only be one clear-cut winner of the next generation "console wars."

Some people may just pass it off as just another handheld. Others may worship the thing. But these people have one thing in common: they will all buy it! Nintendo's dominance in the handheld market have never fully been challenged. Oh sure, the Game Gear had some success in the past and the WonderSwan will sell several units here or there in Japan - yet, have any of this put a dent in the "Big N"s wallet? Look at all the handhelds (may they rest in piece) the Game Boy has buried: the Nomad, Neo-Geo Pocket Color, Atari Lynx, the TurboExpress. Heck, those Tiger electronic games are pretty much nonexistent now.

On March 21, the Game Boy Advance quietly rolled into stores. Nintendo needed to generate no hype for this little guy - the fans were generally excited about it from the get go. At present time, it has sold over a million units at a steady pace of 20,000 units per week. Around half a million with the North American launch and half a million more with the upcoming European launch. Even now retailers are requesting 4,000,000 units by year's end. Although nothing is for certain, its pretty safe to say the GBA is going to have a great life in front of it. Of course, no console is perfect (save the GCN). The GBA has some minor flaws. Some developers and consumers complain of its sound capability and everyone is feeling the burn of the cost of the games...well, I think I should just say that...Its better to have a clear perspective on things and attempt to be non-biased. Yet, I doubt this will be enough to deter consumers from finding some love for the GBA.

Eep! With all the talk about the GBA succeeding, I forgot to mention why it will do so well: The games! Hmm, I doubt I can cover every game...instead, why don't you head over to our review and preview section.
-Matt "the mute" Ryan

Gameboy Advance

In Defence of the N64

The N64. We all know it. Back in 1996, there was alot of excitement for the first Nintendo 3D console. We were all wowed by Mario 64. So, what happened?

There has been alot of talk, especially lately, with the GCN stuff coming out, that the N64 was a failure. I beg to differ. People have called it Nintendos worst console, which is pretty harsh, when you remember the Virtual Boy.

Alot of it has to do with the fact that it was out-sold by the PlayStation. While this doesnt count my theory that alot of PSX sales were people buying new ones because their old ones broke (hehe), this brings up an interesting point. Consoles are being judged on sales alone. I think that is wrong. Just because a console is outsold by another, it doesnt mean it is a failure. Was the Genesis a failure because many say it lost to the SNES? No, of course not.

A failure is something that fails miserably, doesnt sell, and is soon dead. Examples of a failure are the aforementioned Virtual Boy, the Sega CD, and the 64 DD. They came, they sucked, and they died. Is it right to put the N64 in the same company?

I say no, for the simple reason that the N64 had some of the greatest games ever. To back up my point, I give you:

Mario 64. One of the most influential games EVER. We were wowed by the front garden area, and were more so when we finally played the game. Compete freedom the likes of which were never seen before. We could run anywhere, any time, whenever we wanted to. The fact that the level design was great, and the controls as well, cement its legacy.

Zelda, OoT. The game many people called the greatest game ever, until the Dreamcasts Shenmue came along, and some people still think that way. Although it received criticism for being too easy, which I believe is justified, you can not dispute its greatness. Deep, engrossing story, beautiful graphics, great game play all combined to make this one a classic.

GoldenEye 007. Another influential game, one of the best shooters ever. While many movie-licensed games have reeked of something other than awesomeness, the Nintendo 2nd party Rareware succeeded where others have failed. Great controls, weapons, level design, and overall fun combined to make this one a winner. The fact that the multiplayer is nearly perfect is icing on the cake.

Perfect Dark. Rare bought themselves some trouble, putting the word perfect in the title. They very nearly lived up to the name. While the game had some framerate and level design issues, some say the unofficial sequel to GoldenEye actually had a better multiplayer, which is no easy feat. Another Rare masterpiece on the worst Nintendo system ever.

Super Smash Brothers. I love this game to death. Let me make that clear. I even go so far as to call it the most fun game ever. Just the concept of having Nintendo mascots beat on each other sounds fun, and EAD (the creators of Kirby) do not disappoint. While the single player was a bit dull, it wasnt horrible either. But the meat of the game is multiplayer. There is nothing more fun for me than taking out Kirby and laying the smak down on my buddies.

Now, that is only a partial list. Note that I didnt even touch on such games as Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Tetrisphere, Zelda, MM, Conkers Bad Fur Day, and others. Now tell me how a system with all these games, and many more, can be a failure, and I will give you my N64.

--John S.

Annual Industry Forecast