N-Query
The All-Stars
I've been hearing rumors that Mario will make an appearance of some sort in the next NBA Street. Have you heard any of this? I also seen box art of the game with Nintendo's mascot in the top corner.
Matt responds: Very likely true. That is, you'll definitely be able to play with the Nintendo All-Stars if you purchase the GameCube version of NBA Street Vol. 3. But I'm not entirely sure how that's going to work out yet. They may be featured in the game, or there could be a variation of Street with Nintendo characters included in the package. Click here for our story. No more details to report just yet, but we should have some specifics for you in the near future. Incidentally, I don't think this is the beginning of a trend. An EA rep told me today that the Nintendo All-Stars are not featured in the upcoming FIFA Street.
Mascot Madness
Hey Matt,
I was just wondering what your thoughts are on Mario and friends appearing in the new NBA street? Personally I am not a fan of the whole idea. They dont fit into the NBA universe at all. At least Link fit into the scheme of SC2, in terms of being a fictional fighter. But, Mario taking on Kobe Bryant or something is just silly. I am very dissapointed Nintendo would licence their charecters in such a way. Oviously we all know they are just trying to sell more copies, but i still find it a cheap ploy to do this, in this game. Granted we dont know the extent to which Mario will be used but, I am pretty against it, and thats coming from the mouth or a Nintendo fan since day one. Your thoughts?
Matt responds: It does seem as though Nintendo is whoring out its characters to make a quick buck. Mario Baseball was surprising, but I was shocked when I found out that Nintendo's mascots would be featured in EA's basketball title. On the one hand, I can see how this could be a bad thing. Nintendo could over saturate the GameCube-buying public with Mario, if this keeps up, and that could backfire, effectively diluting the draw and power of the brand. On the other hand, if you can get beyond that, there's definitely an upside, which is that these characters give the GameCube versions of third party games a little something extra, an obvious selling point. Just look at Link's inclusion in Soulcalibur II for proof, if you need any. Furthermore, if you don't think that Mario and Luigi have a place in EA's NBA Street Vol. 3 -- and by the way, I'm with you on that -- you don't have to play with them. I expect that a lot of people won't care either way, but some will undoubtedly be thrilled by the prospect of taking Luigi to the rim. I guess the inclusion of the mascots is for them.
Time Frame
You mentioned Silicon Knights in one of your past N-Query's. When do you think you can start talking about them officially? You know, the break up and all that good stuff.
Anyway, thanks in advance!
Matt responds: Not too long now. Pencil something in for early to mid-February. That, I think, is pretty much set in stone. Whatever we can report at that time, I'm pretty sure it'll be strictly related to the split from Nintendo. Details on the company's project(s) will follow when we're given the go ahead at a later date.
RE4 Control
a recent letter confused me about the controls of Resident Evil 4. Do you actually use the c-stick to aim the gun and what are some of the other controls.thanx
Matt responds: No. The camera stick is used to change the view angle. Using it, Leon can look up or down, but not left or right. When you press the R button down, you can manually aim with the regular analog stick. This seems like a small addition, but it really changes the way the game plays. For the first time, you have precision control when gunning down enemies. You can target their heads, arms, legs -- whatever, and knowing when to shoot a villager's knees, dropping him to the ground, may on occasion save Leon's life.
The Darkness
In an old re4 (biohazard)japanese trailer i saw leon walking into a certain area of the village, and it was raining. There was also thunder and lightning. This was very creepy, and seemed to make the game much more scarier. Do they still have this in the new build for re4? I think if Capcom kept it then they would have a lot of gamers jumping out of their seats when an enemy was eluminated by the lightning, suddenly standing in front of them.by the way love the new site layout. Thanks
Matt responds: You bet. They are still in the game. I should take this time to clarify exactly what we've played of Resident Evil 4. There are two demos. The first is the one that we previewed several months ago, which is incidentally also the same build of the game that most of you have access to now. It's a short thing. It's over in 15 minutes, but obviously it's pretty engaging anyway. The second demo is the one we recently received from Capcom. This is a much more detailed look at the survival horror sequel. It runs between two and three hours and it shows off much more of the world.
The interesting thing to note -- and this relates directly to your question -- is that there appears to be full-fledged day/night and weather systems in the game. As I made my way through the updated demo, I noticed that the daylight started to fade. It began to grow gloomier. Not dark, per say, because it wasn't, but given an hour or two more, it would have been. I also encountered some rain. I expect that the evening levels filled with darkness and flashes of lightning that we saw in older videos will be waiting in the final version of the game. Given that I've jumped several times at situations that took place in broad daylight, the idea of running through graveyards at night with villagers chasing borders on terrifying. Should be completely atmospheric and spectacular.
Hmm
Why is HAL churning out endless Kirby games instead of a new Smash Bros. which would undoubtedly sell better, thus making Nintendo more money?
Matt responds: I think the answer is clear. Kirby Air Ride sold a gargantuan 330,000 copies and Super Smash Bros. Melee only sold 2.5 million units. So of course it makes sense that Nintendo wants to capitalize on the success of Kir-- uh, wait...
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