BERJAYA

I just read your article stating the dates for Mario Party and Strikers and that you suspect NPCB will be cancelled. Well I work at EBGames in Canada and normally employees such as myself do not find out about such things before the press, however about a week ago we received in our daily 'EBee Line' notification that NPCB was indeed cancelled and that we are to refund all existing pre-orders. I hope that is confirmation enough for you.

Keep up the good work.
Daniel (SaiyaFluxx)

Matt responds: Thanks for the heads-up, Daniel. Several others have sent me similar e-mails. Looks like the inevitable happened.

On a side note, I've received word from a self-described "insider" that NPCB was approved by Nintendo of America, but not by Nintendo Japan, which resulted in its demise. The insider also alleges that developer Exile Interactive is no longer in business. I placed a call and an e-mail to Exile Interactive for details, but have not yet received a reply.

Where Are You, Kirby?

I was reading the list and commented that two games have gone off the list. TP and pennant baseball but, what about Kirby GCN? I thought it was supposed to be released right around November but, its not listed on the list that Nintendo is releasing.

Matt responds: Yup. Our old pal Kirby is relaxing a bit for the moment. The new Kirby game for GameCube isn't scheduled for a 2005 release, according to Nintendo's calendar. Rather, the title is listed as TBA sometime after the release of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess next year.

What About Chibi and Odama?

This is third time I've written in on this title, but where is Chibi Robo? I just read your updated release list and still no love for the little robot? Am I going to have to import this title? Would I be able to understand, and play the game not knowing any japaneese?

Matt responds: Don't worry just yet. Chibi Robo and Odama are both listed as coming to GameCube by Nintendo. Neither game has an official release date yet, though -- just the standard TBA label. I expect we'll hear a lot more about both projects next year. Meanwhile, I wouldn't recommend importing the Japanese version. It's not exactly overflowing with text, but there's enough to make gameplay cumbersome, if not downright confusing.

Soften the Blow

Hey, IGN!

I am a major Zelda fan, and I was very disappointed when it was postponed. However, due to it being released later, don't you think Nintendo should release a new video or something? Just to make it up to us fans?

What's with that?

Matt responds: Well, Nintendo did release seven new screenshots of the game when it announced the delay. You can find them right here. Unfortunately, I have no idea if and when it will decide to showcase a new video of the game in motion. If it's smart, it would let press play more of the game and post new videos sometime in November to at least acknowledge the launch of Xbox 360 and try in vain to combat some gamers from buying it. But Nintendo works in mysterious, secretive ways and it may very well opt to go dark on the anticipated title until next year, and then start in promoting it.

Revolution News

Hey Matt.

Recently you claimed that Revolution news would be announced very, very soon. I'm not sure where or how it was established but for some reason people think the news would come about within a week or two after this recent event in Germany (thats where it was, right?).

I dont mean to nit-pick, or nag, but I would like you to clarify with all readers what you mean.

If you have no reason to believe the information would be released in that time period, please just say so.

I ask you this because rumors and hype do more harm than good in my opinion. Nintendo fans get worked up over some apparently true release date only to get nothing, resulting in a high level of dissapointment.

So yeah, please just let us readers know what you mean, so we're not guided down the wrong track.

Thanks a heap.

Jarrod

Matt responds: I'd love to clarify with an exact date, but unfortunately I don't know when that it is. What I was told is that nothing would be revealed at the German Games Show, but that Revolution news would be announced "very soon" afterward. I got the impression that the news would be forthcoming within a week or so of the event and that could very well be the case. Then again, "very soon" is a pretty relative description, I suppose. I can tell you with confidence that in a worst-case scenario, something is going to be announced by the time Tokyo Game Show rolls around in mid-September. But beyond that, your guess is as good as mine.

Bigger is Better

Those new Zelda Screenshots: 1216 x 896 pixels Isn't this beyound the spec of both the GC and Revolution?

Matt responds: Definitely beyond GameCube's capabilities. Although Nintendo maintains that Revolution won't be partaking in the high-definition movement, I'd say that realistically the jury is still out on that one. But yeah, the Zelda screenshots are rendered out at a higher resolution than you'll actually get when the title arrives on GameCube. It'll still look good, trust me.

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