The Spot 070601

By: Shane Satterfield

It's been almost a year since James Mielke left GameSpot to pursue his cushy life in print media. With his departure, our letters section was left to die a swift death. You've asked for it, and here it is: the return of GameSpot letters in the form of The Spot. In addition to answering your most burning questions, The Spot will serve as an outlet for GameSpot's editors to discuss hot topics in the industry or simply ham it up. So don't just sit there; send in your questions and comments so that we can get The Spot off to a running start. Without further delay, we give you the rebirth of GameSpot's letters section.

Send your questions and comments to thespot@gamespot.com.

Where's the Strike?

Could you tell me if there's going to be a new Strike game? I beat Nuclear Strike on the PlayStation, and at the end it said, "Future Strike, Coming Soon!" It's well past soon. Will there be another title? Can you let me know who to write to? Thanks.

-Amassdude81


Our fearless leader Joe Fielder has the skinny on this information, so I'll kick this question over to him.

Joe responds: Future Strike became Future Cop LAPD, which was fairly cool and can probably be found pretty cheap right now (click here). A lot of the people who made the Strike games moved over to 3DO, where they make the Army Men Air Combat games. Those are supposed to be pretty cool. Check out our review of the latest Air Combat game by clicking here .

Raw is War or Smackdown!?

OK, I wanted to give you a little time back from E3 before I asked this question. I've seen screenshots from Raw is War and Smackdown! 3. I personally think Raw is War's graphics look so much more realistic, and I have never really liked the Smackdown! engine. So you can guess which game I'm more excited about.

Which game do you think is coming along better, and which game are you really excited about?

-Mike

Before anything, I humbly ask you to please reply to this e-mail. Your opinion is very important to me. Please reply! I have seen screens and character models of both Smackdown! Just Bring It and Raw is War, and I must say the difference is huge in terms of graphical achievement. To put it simply, I have compared WWF's Blockbuster star wrestler The Rock character model in both the PS2 and Xbox versions, and Smackdown's model looks flat, lifeless, and to be honest...dull. If you let me express my opinion, I can honestly say the model is identical to the PlayStation version, only rendered and cleaner. That is not what I expect from a PS2 WWF game. On the other hand, WWF Raw is War moves and looks phenomenal.

These are my questions:

1) Do you think Smackdown! will have detailed, slightly more muscular, (à la Madden 2001 for the PS2) attitude-filled wrestler models, as in the Xbox title?

2) Which game do you think will look best?

I deeply thank you for taking your time to read these lines.

Virtually yours,
Jonathan Sohm


Gerald Villoria wears pointed shoes to work like The Iron Sheik used to wear, so I figured he'd be the best one to answer your question.

Gerald responds: We were impressed by the commentary and presentation in here , meaning it will probably have a better story mode, more still images, a better create-a-wrestler feature, and generally better use of the WWF license. Smackdown! was also more playable at E3 than Raw is War--the AI was in place, and the action was pretty tight. The wrestling game players on staff generally prefer the Smackdown! "arcade" style of play over the No Mercy style; however, here will have absolutely fantastic graphics, awesome intros, and animations that are going to merit a second look. We're probably more excited about Raw is War, since visually it's a cut above the competition, but its success will likely depend upon the success of the Xbox. Our polls have shown that our readers are jumping full steam onto the GameCube train or are continuing to support their purchase of the PS2. It's interesting to see how the opposing consoles' wrestling titles pan out as watermarks for their respective success. We'll see what happens when the systems launch. We really doubt you'll see Madden 2001 level detail from the wrestlers, but of course, that's not what the series is known for. If you're just looking for graphics, you're probably better off buying an Xbox and picking up Raw is War, although it would be premature to pick one game over the other at this point, since they're both still in development.

Do we have Sega?

In your preview for NBA 2K2 for Sega you wrote, "disappointing first outing" about NBA 2K2 . I have one thing to say: You are wrong. How could you say something so stupid? Oh I know. You have probably never even played it. You are probably one of those stupid lame people who speak of things without knowing for sure. It is not right to assume so much.

Do you even have Sega? I assume you only have a PlayStation and an N64. Then it is safe to assume you do not know anything about the NBA 2K series and were probably just asked to write something about it. In fact, I question if you know basketball or sports at all.

Have you ever dribbled a ball before? I did not think so! I myself have played baseball my whole life. But I know a thing or two about the hardcourts (that is basketball talk).

Fact is, NBA 2K is awesome. NBA 2K2 is just okay but definitely not better than NBA 2K. So you are wrong once again. Probably assuming (there you go again assuming) NBA 2K1 is the better one because it is the sequel. By the same argument, you would probably say the N64 II that is coming will be better than the first. Is it so? Ha got you. Proof you don't need to know anything about sports or video games to write about sports video games. I am sorry if you cannot understand. I assume you have not the brains for it.

Get help with your problems before your next writing assignment.

Sincerely,
TB


We're sorry we tried to fool you with that preview, TB. You're right; you've figured us out. We never did play the NBA 2K2. We only pretended to in order to meet our deadlines. We actually prefer to speak of things without knowing for sure, because, well, it's more fun than talking about things we know about. This Sega that you talk about seems interesting. No, we don't have Sega, but who needs one, since we have the PlayStation and the N64 II?

This NBA 2K series for the Sega that you mention seems pretty cool, but we don't really understand what's going on half the time. We never got to play sports when we were young, often being too busy talking about stuff we don't know about. Wouldn't dribbling a ball get messy? Why would we want to? Tell us more about these hardcourts, if you can. Sorry about dropping the ball (basketball talk) on NBA 2K, but we couldn't help but assume.

And yes, you're right, we do think the upcoming N64 II that Nintendo will be releasing will be better than the first. And while we have never dribbled a ball, we have put the ball in the basket plenty of times.

GameSpot rock!

Is it true that Blake Schwarzenbach used to write reviews for this site? I'm just curious because I love his music, and I heard that he used to write reviews for GameSpot.

-Eddie Geller


Well Eddie, our site director Joe Fielder dusted off the now-crusty GameSpot employee logs and confirmed that Blake indeed used to write for us. He reviewed Soul Blade and a few other games before moving on to pursue his career in music.

Saturn savvy

Do you know where I can find a list of every Sega Saturn title released in the US? And also, I hear of this incredible death the Saturn died everywhere. How exactly did Saturn die? In other words, why did the Saturn die? It had good games, didn't it? I can't find an editorial or anything about it. I was hoping you could help me. Thanks.

-Anonymous


We don't have a complete list, I'm afraid. But you can find all of our Saturn reviews by going through our review page or by doing a search using our search engine. You can also click here for a feature that we did on the best games on the Saturn. As for why the Saturn failed, it was overpriced, underpowered, and a pain to develop games for thanks to its dual processors.

You hiring?

I'm a fourteen-year-old high school honor student, and I have a serious question and a problem regarding the question.

You see, I love video games very much, and I would like to know how I could possibly make a career out of playing and reviewing them. I know more about video games than anyone at my school, but a few kids say that it will be impossible for me to reach my goal of getting this career because of my ethnic background (African-American).

So here are my questions to you, sir:

1. What steps should I take to pursue my dream of having a career in video games?

2. Do you think the kids who told me that it would be impossible because of my ethnic background were telling the truth?

Well, thank you for your time, I hope that you can respond to this e-mail. But if you can't, I understand.

-A. B.


Hey A.B. As far as GameSpot is concerned, we don't care what your origin is. We have people from all different races, creeds, and colors working with us, and the same holds true for all the other video game media outlets. The kids who told you that rubbish are just trying to hold you down and are not being truthful. If you're really interested in working in the industry, start working for a fan site and get some experience working under deadline. After you accumulate some clips, you can start shopping yourself around to the commercial sites and mags like us. It doesn't hurt to submit concise and well-written reader reviews, either. It's a sure way to get our attention and an even better way to get published. If you're really dedicated to getting a job in the industry, take some writing classes and learn as much as you can about the video game industry's past and present. Oh, and if you plan on working online, be prepared to work really, really hard.

Which one is for me?

This is Lamont again, and I was just wondering about all the systems coming out like the Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2, N64, PlayStation, and Dreamcast. Which will be the most user-friendly and will have the better games like WWF No Mercy, NBA Live, and a great college basketball game?


Hi there Lamont, how is Grady doing anyway? While I've got you, you never should have let Julio bring that goat in the house. Now to answer your questions: Each of the three systems (the Xbox, GameCube, and PS2) will have great games, but we'll try to narrow down your options according to the games you've listed. If you're looking for the next big wrestling game and were a fan of No Mercy, then you should be anticipating WWF Raw is War on the Xbox. It'll likely control similarly to No Mercy, and be right up your alley. You can't get much more user-friendly than the GameCube. Have you seen its single-button controller scheme? And if you're looking for basketball games, the fun and addictive NBA Street was recently released for the PS2, and the abysmal NBA Street shipped for the PS2 last December. We say buy all three consoles, but if you're into sports games and aren't concerned with having the best graphics on the block, then pick up a PS2 and be happy.

Where's Kessen II?

Hey, what's up, you guys? I just want to ask you if you know when Kessen II is going to be released in the US?

-Just a fan


If you check out our Kessen II NBA Street , you'll see that it's currently scheduled for release in Q3 2001, meaning the game will come out sometime in July, August, or September. Publishers usually announce this sort of vague release date when they're not sure when a game will be completed. Keep your eyes peeled to our news section for Kessen II's exact release date.

Freedom!

I'm from Mexico, and I just became a member. I don't have any problems, but I wanted to write to congratulate you all on your excellent Web site. I was having some problems with Tomb Raider Last Revelation, and now thanks to you, it's all gone. I'm not deeply hooked on video games (I guess that's like saying I'm innocent when in prison), but I'm sure I'll be able to use your site to get an inside and some tips on all new games. Thanks for having this page available, and thanks for keeping it free. Who says there's no good free stuff around?

Keep it up!

Best,

Juan Carlos M.
Mexico City, Mexico


Thanks for the kinds words, Juan! They are always appreciated. Free is good, no?

One-handed games?

I enjoy your game site very much, but I have a problem. Because of a car wreck, I am paralyzed on my right side. In particular, I'd like to know which games for the Dreamcast, Nintendo, Sony PlayStation 2, etc., can be used with the left hand alone. Any suggestions or information would be appreciated. Thank you.

Sincerely,

John


Gerald has done some digging and has come up with the following solutions: You might want to try to find an Ascii Grip one-handed controller for the PlayStation. You should also be able to at least play Perfect Dark and Goldeneye for the N64--albeit with a bit of trouble swapping weapons. Moving and firing is easily done one-handed, however. Puzzle games like Tetris, Devil Dice, and Puzzle Fighter should also be playable with one hand. You may also want to check out the Tilt-Pak for the N64 (available from Pelican). It lets you control directional movement by tilting the controller, leaving your fingers free to press buttons.

A need for college pigskin

When can we expect a review of NCAA Football 2002 for the PS2? And have you seen the Dreamcast's college football game or heard anything new about it? Thanks.

-Keith


EA just recently gave us a copy of NBA Street , and if you like college football, you're going to love this game. It's currently scheduled for release July 24, so there's not much time to wait. Based upon the version of the game we recently played, it should have no problems making it to store shelves next month, and you can expect our review of the game right around then. The college football game for the Dreamcast wasn't playable at E3, but we've been told that it's still on the way. Visual Concepts is developing the game, so you can expect NFL 2K1-styled gameplay with college teams.

Fast and furious inspiration

I have an idea for a game. Please don't delete this yet. The idea was spawned from seeing the movie The Fast and the Furious. The basic idea is an awesome street-drag-type racing game. Just hear me out. I know that there may have been attempts at this before, maybe not, but if not, why not jump on this idea while it's hot...

-Bill Brock


As much as we wish we were making our own games, we're not. We only report on games. While I have deleted the rest of your ideas to keep them from being pilfered, sending us your game ideas is relatively pointless other than just to share. Publishers and developers do not accept outside ideas for fear of being sued. Even if you had an idea for the next Pokémon, no company would be willing to listen to it unless you're on its payroll. Then they'll gladly take your ideas and give you no credit for them whatsoever.

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