Anyone with IGN insider

[Yoda9864]

Can anyone with access to Insider please post this: http://insider.ign.com/teasers/384/384019.html
I know it's not a real game, but I'm still interested in reading it.

[BreakABone]

It basically what they thought would make an ultimate crossover since SSBM remains the highest selling game on the GCN and well Sega games sell well on the Cube, how a crossover would be killer and whatnot. Nothing too major in it, also talk about how some of Sega characters seem built for the game which I agree with.

[Ginkasa]

Does it surprise anyone that Nintendo hasn't even so much as hinted at a sequel to its best-selling GameCube game of all time? Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec was a hit -- so Sony announced that Polyphony Digital was working on a special edition of the game as well as a sequel. Grand Theft Auto III was a hit, so Rockstar announced the acquisition of the developer (then called DMA Design) and development of a sequel (even if actual information about the game was kept under lock and keep). Halo was a hit, and Microsoft announced the sequel faster than anyone would have expected. Heck, it even created SKUs for game retailers so that preorders could commence more than a year before the game's scheduled completion. It even bested other companies by putting out a slick announcement trailer just to kick off the excitement. Did it work? We think so.

Announcing a title early was once perceived as risky, as some companies (like Nintendo) thought that popularity and buzz could possibly thin out before the game would be ready to ship. Case in point: Nintendo criticized game retailers for displaying Xbox stand-ups and posters at their stores much too early and continued to keep information about its GameCube console under wraps. The outcome was that the newcomer, Microsoft, not only kept up with, but outsold its competitor in the US with a console that cost $100 more and did not have the recognizable star power of the likes of Zelda, Mario, Metroid, and co. That's the US -- but what about Japan? How about this: HAL's prolonged, delay-prone, and ultimately fruitless development effort of EarthBound 64 did little to discourage gamers from putting the title at the top of their most-wanted lists in Nintendo's homeland. When the game was finally cancelled, thousands of gamers lamented Nintendo's move and Famitsu's Top 10 list lost a recurring entry for good.

Fast forward to 2003. The Pokemon franchise remains the biggest thing on Game Boy Advance (with only hints at a GameCube title trickling out) and Super Smash Bros. Melee is the only game on GameCube that can even be mentioned in the same sentence with record-selling Nintendo titles from the N64 and SNES days. Better yet, unlike titles like Metroid Prime that will inevitably appeal to the US gamers more than, say, Animal Crossing (which is a bigger hit in Japan than here), Smash Bros. transcends audiences and is a hit on both sides of the Pacific. The time is ripe for an announcement, a sign, a hint -- anything that tells fans of the first title to hold on to their GameCubes and get ready for another big one.

With Nintendo working closely with multiple companies like Capcom, Namco, and Sega (but sadly not Konami), it's time for the next big step: a joint Smash Bros. project that pits the biggest Nintendo characters against the biggest third-party stars. Nintendo is probably tightest with Capcom, but all three aforementioned allies have a character lineup that would not only broaden the appeal of Smash Bros., but also guarantee and GameCube hit of epic proportions in Japan.

But before we examine the possibilities of Namco, Capcom, or even Square cross-over Smash Bros. title (wait for a future installment of this column), let's pick the one company that seems to be the perfect fit for Nintendo's demographic: Sega. It's almost ironic that games like Sonic and Monkey Ball sell better on GameCube than most other third-party games.

A SNES and a Genesis console appear on screen in an elaborate CG opening clip -- after growling at each other, the two colide and a smattering of mascot trophies come flying out of the ensuing explosion. It's Nintendo vs. Sega, the classic showdown that will no doubt send goosebumps down every hardcore gamer's back.

Nintendo and Sega are alike in a lot of ways. While Sega relied on sports titles to gain an advantage over Nintendo in the 16-Bit was in the US, both companies can look back (and hopefully forward) on a huge number of popular mascot titles. Even though Nintendo's offerings in the past have almost always been on the cartoonish side, the number of Sega franchises that contain characters that would esily fit into the Smash Bros. universe is quite large. We whipped up some image mock-ups to prove the point.

The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is so obviously tailor-made for inclusion in Smash Bros., it's no surprise that many gullible fans fell for a "Sonic and Tails in SSBM" April Fool's trick in a leading gaming magazine published last year. Apart from spin attack moves that could be similar to Pikachu's charge attack, Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles, and friends can jump, roll out of the way, and fight with the best of them. Heck, even Tails fits perfectly with his limited hover ability that recalls Kirby's or Jigglypuff's ability to stay in the air. But Yuji Naka's famous series isn't all about characters, of course. Think of four-player battles set in Sonic's world -- from the classic loopy 2D landscapes to the lush jungles of Adventure.

ToeJam and Earl aren't really known to Japanese audiences, so Sega pushing for inclusion of the characters in a Smash Bros. game could only be a good thing. The oddball aliens are a great fit and could add plenty of humorous moments to the game. Can't you already see Earl's victory celebration pose, set to old-school beats of the original TJ&E?

Other, more realistic characters may not seem like such a great fit at first, but once you start to think about their abilities and their combat styles, things start to come together. Take the underexposed GUNVALKYRIE, for example. Kelly's look and attack maneuvers could have come straight out of the Metroid series (and were most likely inspired by it, as well). With the dearth of compelling female Nintendo leads, Kelly would make a good counterpart for Samus -- not to mention that the jet-pack jump moves fit right into the air-heavy Smash Bros. gameplay. Need more girl power? Ulala from Space Channel 5, or characters from Panzer Dragoon, Skies of Arcadia, or Jet Set Radio are waiting and ready to get another chance at mainstream stardom. Who wouldn't want to fight on and under a graffiti-covered train overpass in Shibuya while hearing "Iiiiiii labu labu labu yooou!"

Sega's also got an impressive posse of realistic looking characters that may fit better into Smash Bros. than you would think. If the drivers from Crazy Taxi are a little too far out there for you, how about Ryo "I'm looking for Chinese people" Hazuki's karate or the varied fighting styles of the Shinobi or Virtua Fighter crew? Sega's played around with mixing realistic and cartoon characters in the VF series before -- we're sure many Sega fans would love to see something similar again some day. The beautiful opening score of the Shenmue titles should be enough to convince someone at Nintendo to call up Yu Suzuki and ask if Ryo and friends can come out to play.

Sega is definitely the "monkey company", even if Nintendo's Donkey Kong remains the most recognizable simian in videogame land. Admit it, you too want to see the ultimate showdown between Donkey Kong, the Samba De Amigo Monkey, and AiAi or one of his bubble monkey friends. Imagine how cool it would be to fight with a monkey who rolls around the stages and possibly flaps the two plexiglass half spheres like wings to do his double jump.

But that's of course not all. Let's not forget that the inclusion of Sakura Wars characters in a Smash Bros. game would actually make quite a few Japanese Sega fans go out and buy a GameCube just to play around with the pause camera feature. And House of the Dead? Phantasy Star? Ecco? Okay, maybe not Ecco...

Still, the number of eligible franchises that include great characters, beautiful landscape designs that could serve as backdrops, and plenty of memorable music, is large. In many cases, Sega has already created next-generation games that feature 3D models that are roughly at the same polygon count level as the Smash Bros. Melee characters. Adapting Sonic, for example, to star in a Smash Bros. game should be a cinch. Likewise, using single-player levels inspired by Sega's franchises wouldn't be much of a challenge for developer HAL. Most of Sega's games use fighting or jumping as standard gameplay elements, so sidecrolling Sonic, TJ&E, PSO, Virtua Fighter, GUNVALKYRIE, Jet Set Radio, or Space Channel 5 levels would add some fresh and original visuals to the usual lineup of Nintendo scenery.

Smash Bros. Melee was a celebration of classic Nintendo characters in both its gameplay and the cool gallery and history features. Sure, there are still plenty of Nintendo characters left to star in a sequel, but a game that would bring together the best of the two former reigning gaming giants would be an event to remember.

Chances of this game becoming reality: About medium. Nintendo and Sega have grown closer over the years and as long as Sonic continues to sell on GameCube, the support will be there. But many of Sega's characters have lost the box office draw they once had and are in dire need of some mainstream exposure. A game starring Nintendo and Sega characters would no doubt pack a huge punch that would greatly benefit both companies. With Sega's AV team creating the next F-Zero game for Nintendo, we're sure Sega and Nintendo could hammer out the details on a joint Smash Bros. product. Perhaps Sonic Team and AV could work on polygon modeling and animation of its own characters (and the no doubt numerous trophies that could be included), with HAL taking over the actual game programming duties. Or perhaps Nintendo could even outsource other parts of the game, such as the single-player mode. Unfortunately, the creation of such a joint project may just be a smaller hurdle than the time and effort both companies would have to invest into sorting out the legal side of things and the revenue share. But it can be done. It should be done.

There ya' go.

*shrugs and walks away*

[Dyne]

Wow, fascinating. :eek:

[Yoda9864]

Thanks Ginkasa, although not nearly as interesting as I thought it would be. Hell, I already knew all of that stuff. Stupid IGN.

[The Duggler]

Dream Games: Super Smash Bros. 3: Nintendo vs. Sega All-Stars
Super Smash Bros. 3: It's time for the next big step in mascot fighting. Here's what we want, Nintendo!

January 29, 2003 - Sequels are the life bread of the entertainment industry. Whether you're talking about the latest Harry Potter novel, a new James Bond movie, or the follow-up to your favorite videogame, game makers are just as intent to keep a good thing going as kids are to ask their most favorite of questions: "and then?" We all want to know what happens to the hero or heroine after the curtain falls. Is the evil monster really locked up for good? Did the main character really fade away like a dream? Or even, how did it all come to this? What happened before?
This column is designed to take a look at the game sequels and prequels that aren't... yet. It's our way to give you a glimpse at what could be -- and you a voice to tell the game makers what you really want. We will also ask you to write in with comments and ideas about the dreamed-up franchise sequels and we will post your comments right here on this site.

This time, we fantasize about the absolute fanboy wet dream: Super Smash Bros. 3: Nintendo vs. Sega All-Stars.


Edit - How come I don't have the same thing has Ginkaza?

[Jonbo298]

Interesting, but that didn't really surprise me. People are wanting the inclusion of Sega characters since they seem to fit. But hopefully something llike this is added to the next SSB

[BreakABone]

Originally posted by Ranzid
Dream Games: Super Smash Bros. 3: Nintendo vs. Sega All-Stars
Super Smash Bros. 3: It's time for the next big step in mascot fighting. Here's what we want, Nintendo!

January 29, 2003 - Sequels are the life bread of the entertainment industry. Whether you're talking about the latest Harry Potter novel, a new James Bond movie, or the follow-up to your favorite videogame, game makers are just as intent to keep a good thing going as kids are to ask their most favorite of questions: "and then?" We all want to know what happens to the hero or heroine after the curtain falls. Is the evil monster really locked up for good? Did the main character really fade away like a dream? Or even, how did it all come to this? What happened before?
This column is designed to take a look at the game sequels and prequels that aren't... yet. It's our way to give you a glimpse at what could be -- and you a voice to tell the game makers what you really want. We will also ask you to write in with comments and ideas about the dreamed-up franchise sequels and we will post your comments right here on this site.

This time, we fantasize about the absolute fanboy wet dream: Super Smash Bros. 3: Nintendo vs. Sega All-Stars.


Edit - How come I don't have the same thing has Ginkaza?

You quoted the intro paragraph to the article as a whole while Ginkasa just copied and pasted the article dealing with the game itself.

[Ginkasa]

Originally posted by Ranzid

Edit - How come I don't have the same thing has Ginkaza?

That's the intro to the article. If you don't have Insider, that's all you get. I assume since that's all you got, you don't have Inisder, or you forgot to sign in.