Surprise Gamecube price drop? Reuters reports of a possible but unconfirmed Gamecube price drop to $99 that, were it to take affect, would materialize by the end of the week. The article offers various tidbits of possible proof, including upcoming Wal-Mart and Target circulars that state a $99 price point for the Gamecube. Nintendo has declined to comment on the matter, however. Reuters.com
Meanwhile, heavy-ass earthquake slams Japan Japan's northernmost island Hokkaido just got hit by a huge earthquake earlier, which of course raises the question of whether or not TGS (which is located in Tokyo) will be affected. Probably not. A burning oil refinery is thusfar the only visible proof of significant damage, so let's hope it's not any worse.
Nintendo takes Gamecube to China As the first console maker to do so, Nintendo is launching the Gamecube in China under the pseudonym "iQue player", in an attempt to battle the humongous amounts of piracy there. Chinese gamers will be able to purchase flash cards with which they can download software that will only play on their unit, and none other. Whether this version of Gamecube will have other online capabilities (such as multiplayer gaming) that currently hold the Chinese games industry in sway is unknown, however. BBC News: "Nintendo braves China market"
Ambrosia Odyssey revealed Square Enix revealed a new "3d multiplayer online action RPG" called Ambrosia Odyssey, which will apparently be based around "automatically generated" history, dungeons and towns. The game will begin beta testing in Spring 2004. Gamefront
More Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children details To rid you of any confusion, Square Enix announced that the previously announced DVD movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children will have a running time of around one hour and be released in summer 2004. Speculation that the movie would be a trailer for an upcoming game seems less likely in light of the movie's length.
Game Boy Advance goes wireless Nintendo and Motorola are teaming up to produce the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter which will allow wireless multiplayer gaming on the handheld. Battery power consumption is low, data communication speed is high, and Nintendo seems overall quite pleased to brag that it's a pretty kickass accessory. We agree; the Wireless Adapter will be out in 2004 with the next editions of Pok?mon. Nintendo Press Release
"There will be no Final Fantasy VII remake", says Square Enix At a TGS press conference, Square Enix officially stated that they will not be making a remake of Final Fantasy VII. Gamespot reported that the company would only consider such an endeavour once the original were no longer available on current hardware, but since the PS2 (and PS3?) has backwards compatibility, anyone can still play the original, making a remake pointless in their eyes. Gamefront
Are you the sexiest gamer? Gamer.tv has launched a USA & UK campaign to prove to the world that gamers aren't "pizza-eating, cola-swilling, acne-scarred geeks", as they put it. The Sexiest Gamer will win "serious booty" after being mocked by the entire internet and losing any hope of a serious relationship in the near future. Just like the national lottery!
Nintendo spends $100M to figure out its target audience Nintendo's new and admittedly hilarious Who Are You? marketing campaign has launched in the US and will feature various Nintendo icons pasted over photos of... stuff. So get your Nintendo on for the run up to Xmas while watching The Matrix Revolutions, reading Playboy, surfing the web, or watching MTV! Show them how it's done, Ninty...