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Jon's Spaceworld Impressions

by Jonathan Metts - September 13, 2000, 3:59 pm EDT

Remember how we were all told "Wait until Spaceworld"? Did Jon think it worth the wait? Find out by reading his editorial!

I remember snooping around E3 this year, trying to dig up ANY info on "Dolphin" that I could get my hands on. It seemed like everywhere I looked, I ran into a brick wall, and on that wall were the words "Wait until Spaceworld!" Ugh. Spaceworld seemed so far away! So, to say that I was eagerly anticipating this year's show in Japan would be a severe understatement. Was it worth the wait? Hell yeah! Finally, after months and months of stubborn silence, Nintendo let the cat out of the bag...and what a beautiful cat it is. The most shocking thing to me about the GameCube's debut was not the utilitarian design, the gorgeous game footage, or even the shocking controller. No, what blew my mind was this whole set of concrete data that I had to assimilate into my vault of concepts and mental images of the elusive "Project Dolphin". GameCube=Dolphin, Dolphin=GameCube...it seems like a simple thing, but it really took a while for that fact to sink in.

There's been a lot of talk about the console unit's design. I think it's fine...it could maybe use a little more flair, but in the end, who cares? A system's aesthetic appearance is the LAST thing I would consider in a purchasing decision. Still, it can't hurt to comment on the appearance, eh? The small size is kind of cool and trendy, so that's definitely a mark in the GC's favor. It's good to see a dedicated modem slot on the bottom; at the same time, the four controller ports show that Nintendo doesn't expect us to totally abandon social gaming in lieu of online play (coughPS2cough). The carrying handle is a little weird, but if the Japanese like it, cool. I seriously doubt it will ever survive the trip overseas, so no skin off my back.

The miniature optical disk would appear to be the ultimate compromise in terms of capacity, size, cost, speed, and encryption. I'm sure any Dreamcast owner will tell you that a gigabyte is PLENTY of room for a big, gorgeous game, and 1.5 GB is just that much better. I am extremely, extremely pleased with the "mini-DVD" (it's not really DVD, but rather a very similar technology). Nintendo has really hit the mark this time in their choice of storage medium.

The controller is the most important part of any console's design; it's the component that the user has the most direct interaction with. After recovering from mild shock at the GameCube's pad, I began to see just how elegant it is. The primary joystick looks much more durable than the N64's, and the inspired addition of a camera stick should free up all the action buttons for their real intended purpose: action. The L and R triggers look good, as long as they offer a little more resistance than the Dreamcast's analog triggers. The placement of the action buttons seems fairly logical, no complaints there. The small Z trigger on top is a great idea, the perfect evolution of the N64's innovative (and very popular) Z button. My only real worry so far is about the two handles; it appears that they're pretty much identical to Sony's, and any of you with big hands will know why I'm not really fond of the Dual Shock.

And finally, the games. I have no problem telling you that I nearly soiled myself when I saw the first pictures of the Metroid footage. I had been maintaining a whole section for the new Metroid at my old site, before I joined Planet N2000, so I'm pretty knowledgeable about all the rumors and info leaks that led up to this announcement. I must admit that I was caught off guard by the news that Retro Studios is behind the game, but I think they will do a fantastic job, and of course Shigsy is gonna be around to keep them in check if they start to get frisky with our beloved franchise. Luigi's Mansion was almost as exciting...now Nintendo has all sorts of crazy thoughts running through my head of a platform game at launch starring just Luigi...and maybe Mario as an unlockable character, hehe. I'm disappointed that Rare didn't show anything real; it was pretty obvious that the Banjo-Kazooie and Joanna demos were just filler, put together at the last minute. The new Rogue Squadron looks incredible, and obviously it's going to sprout into a full game pretty quickly. Zelda almost knocked me off my chair...I had no idea GameCube would be able to do graphics like that. I can only hope and pray that it's not just a tech demo... Finally, Too Human has me salivating up a storm. I can't wait to see how Silicon Knights uses the system's immense graphical and audio prowess to convey their dark and mature themes.

Hmmm...this is getting long, so I guess I'd better wrap things up. Suffice it to say that short of playable GameCube demos, Spaceworld came through as everything I'd hoped for and more. I truly think GameCube will be the console that brings Nintendo back as the industry leader. I know I'll buy it and plenty of games...it just remains to be seen if John Q. American will follow suit.

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