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Thanks to GameSpot for their editorial discussing the problems in pacing a videogame correctly, as the author theorizes: "It's almost always the same sorts of things that make us get sick of them in a hurry", and goes on to pinpoint game facets that affect pacing adversely. He suggests: "Loading times are quite possibly the single worst thing about today's games", and also points out "...providing the player with easy access to often-used features" as a pacing-killer, referencing Vagrant Story's "unwieldy menu system." Finally, he argues that "the ideal game should never require pausing or fast-forwarding", mentioning that Star Wars: KOTOR had "...combat [that] was paced seemingly just right so that I'd be able to react to what was happening as it happened, not in between desperately toggling the pause button."

Thanks to GamerFeed for their impressions of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga for GameBoy Advance, as they explore the November-due turn-based handheld RPG, suggesting: "Anyone who has played Super Mario RPG or Paper Mario should find themselves right at home with Mario & Luigi", and claiming it's "shaping up to be one of the best RPGs on a Nintendo console to date." Nintendophiles also have hands-on impressions of Mario & Luigi, but also take the opportunity to look back on Super Mario Sunshine, over a year after release. Opinions on this GameCube flagship title range from "Mario Sunshine will not be remembered like other Mario titles on past Nintendo systems", to "It took everything Mario 64 did, and went one step further with it" - but overall, they conclude it's not a 'classic'.

Thanks to GamerFeed for their impressions of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga for GameBoy Advance, as they explore the November-due turn-based handheld RPG, suggesting: "Anyone who has played Super Mario RPG or Paper Mario should find themselves right at home with Mario & Luigi", and claiming it's "shaping up to be one of the best RPGs on a Nintendo console to date." Nintendophiles also have hands-on impressions of Mario & Luigi, but also take the opportunity to look back on Super Mario Sunshine, over a year after release. Opinions on this GameCube flagship title range from "Mario Sunshine will not be remembered like other Mario titles on past Nintendo systems", to "It took everything Mario 64 did, and went one step further with it" - but overall, they conclude it's not a 'classic'.

Thanks to several sources for illuminating Nintendo's first-party software plans for the next few months. There's a preview of Kirby's Air Ride over at GameSpy, discussing the "very odd" GameCube racer which only uses "...the analog control stick for steering, and the A-button... for everything else." Nintendo has also confirmed Paper Mario for a GameCube release, say IGN Cube, following on from the excellent N64 version. Also, Nintendojo has news that 1080 Avalanche and StarFox 2 will also feature multiplayer LAN gameplay, as well as the already-confirmed Kirby and Mario Kart - the site suggests elsewhere that "GameSpy promised to enable Internet play for any Nintendo LAN games to be released via GameSpy Arcade", so... fingers crossed? Finally, IGN has a hands-on preview of Pikmin 2 - go, go Captain Olimar!

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to a Gamers.com report discussing the bizarre Japanese PlayStation 2 game, Mojib Ribbon, from the creators of Parappa The Rapper and this title's cult prequel, Vib Ribbon. The article says, "Like its predecessor, [Mojib Ribbon] ..is a simple rhythm game, but ..the game takes any text file and converts it into a Parappa-style rap, which players must then follow through stick inputs." Furthermore, the game uses the network adaptor and "..lets players send game data back and forth between each other. Players could e-mail especially inspiring raps to each other, or simply use their morning spam to generate a new game challenge." There's more info available via a preview at The GIA and pictures from this year's GDC.

Thanks to InsertCredit.com for posting a translated interview with Seed9 president Gun Kim about his Korean company's success in Japan with their extremely bizarre dating sim, Tomak: Save The Earth. The Playstation 2 version of this PC game, which was instructively previewed by The GIA back in 2001, "..is a combination life/love simulation starring a girl's head in a flowerpot." The object of your affection can appear contented, glum, or even ecstatic, and The GIA also ran an earlier interview with Gun Kim, in which he explains possible inspiration: "..maybe I was looking at the plant pot and our graphic designer in the office when I got the idea." Seed9 are also responsible for the retro and fun Tomak 2D shmup for the Korean GP32 handheld.

Thanks to InsertCredit.com for posting a translated interview with Seed9 president Gun Kim about his Korean company's success in Japan with their extremely bizarre dating sim, Tomak: Save The Earth. The Playstation 2 version of this PC game, which was instructively previewed by The GIA back in 2001, "..is a combination life/love simulation starring a girl's head in a flowerpot." The object of your affection can appear contented, glum, or even ecstatic, and The GIA also ran an earlier interview with Gun Kim, in which he explains possible inspiration: "..maybe I was looking at the plant pot and our graphic designer in the office when I got the idea." Seed9 are also responsible for the retro and fun Tomak 2D shmup for the Korean GP32 handheld.

Thanks to InsertCredit.com for posting a translated interview with Seed9 president Gun Kim about his Korean company's success in Japan with their extremely bizarre dating sim, Tomak: Save The Earth. The Playstation 2 version of this PC game, which was instructively previewed by The GIA back in 2001, "..is a combination life/love simulation starring a girl's head in a flowerpot." The object of your affection can appear contented, glum, or even ecstatic, and The GIA also ran an earlier interview with Gun Kim, in which he explains possible inspiration: "..maybe I was looking at the plant pot and our graphic designer in the office when I got the idea." Seed9 are also responsible for the retro and fun Tomak 2D shmup for the Korean GP32 handheld.

Thanks to InsertCredit.com for posting a translated interview with Seed9 president Gun Kim about his Korean company's success in Japan with their extremely bizarre dating sim, Tomak: Save The Earth. The Playstation 2 version of this PC game, which was instructively previewed by The GIA back in 2001, "..is a combination life/love simulation starring a girl's head in a flowerpot." The object of your affection can appear contented, glum, or even ecstatic, and The GIA also ran an earlier interview with Gun Kim, in which he explains possible inspiration: "..maybe I was looking at the plant pot and our graphic designer in the office when I got the idea." Seed9 are also responsible for the retro and fun Tomak 2D shmup for the Korean GP32 handheld.

Thanks to InsertCredit.com for posting a translated interview with Seed9 president Gun Kim about his Korean company's success in Japan with their extremely bizarre dating sim, Tomak: Save The Earth. The Playstation 2 version of this PC game, which was instructively previewed by The GIA back in 2001, "..is a combination life/love simulation starring a girl's head in a flowerpot." The object of your affection can appear contented, glum, or even ecstatic, and The GIA also ran an earlier interview with Gun Kim, in which he explains possible inspiration: "..maybe I was looking at the plant pot and our graphic designer in the office when I got the idea." Seed9 are also responsible for the retro and fun Tomak 2D shmup for the Korean GP32 handheld.

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing out GamePro's article describing former Capcom boss Yoshiki Okamoto's plans to found a new game development company. You may know Okamoto as "..the designer of Time Pilot, Gyruss (both for Konami), 1942, Final Fight, Street Fighter II, and many other classic Capcom arcade and home titles", and more recently as the producer of the Resident Evil series. According to GamePro, "..his departure from his employer of 19 years was seen by analysts as acceptance of responsibility for disappointing sales for the Resident Evil series", which had dipped since Capcom's single-minded decision to opt for GameCube exclusivity in 2001.

According to this story at Rollingstone.com, the former singer of Deee-lite, Lady Miss Kier, is suing Sega for borrowing her image and style for the game Space Channel 5. She's seeking more than $750,000 for misuse of her likeness, and claims that Sega originally tried to negotiate a deal with her during 2000, but she declined. This calls to mind Nintendo's brush with Uri Geller.