GamerNode: The Q's Columns

Daily Q: Can Wii survive past this year without an...

There's no question that the Wii is a bigger success than anyone imagined it would be--but is its time up? With most of the normal Nintendo giants out of the way--and still little to no third party support for the little white system--can it possibly last much longer?

I've believed the Wii would steadily decline after Mario Kart and Boom Blox since last year, and that's still my stance today. After this week, and the release of Boom Blox there isn't too many big games left for Nintendo. Well, Wii Fit for one, but I don't think that will succeed as well here as it did in Japan. That leaves Animal Crossing and Star Fox as the last two popular franchises with today's gamers, but neither has performed well with recent console titles. So are the Wii's days numbered? Or will we see some non-Ni...

• (11)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Daily Q: Would a GTA MMO slay World of Warcraft?

World of Warcraft sits high atop the crowded MMO space; a facet of gaming where even the most anticipated games fade into obscurity. Blizzard's MMO has such a vice grip on the genre, it seems that too many studios are a useless gesture to compete. With ten million subscribers logging countless hours, it is clear that the people have made their choice.

But we aren't stupid here at GamerNode. Someday someone, or something is going to finally dethrone WoW. It could be time, lack of interest, or (the most interesting) a new franchise. So for discussion's sake let's tackle the latter; a new franchise.

Today's Q comes from the rumor that the next Grand Theft Auto installment will be an MMO. Think about it; an MMO littered with locals as detailed as Liberty City in GTA IV, but with the rolling hi...

• (10)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Daily Q: Can another franchise take down GTA?

When the idea of the Daily Q was first pitched to me, today's question was the very first thing that came to mind. With all of the hype surrounding Grand Theft Auto IV, I wonder how the gaming community views the competition (if you even acknowledge that there is any) that "GTA clones" present to Rockstar's flagship franchise. Here's my question:

After one solid week of playing Grand Theft Auto IV, do you think there is room for other free-roaming action games in that style, or does the GTA series' prominence make competition impossible?

I'd say that GTA is pretty much unsinkable at this point, more due to brand awareness than to actual game quality. While it is definitely a great game, I am fairly confident that another studio could eclipse GTAIV in terms of videogame quality.  It would ...

• (7)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Daily Q: What started you on gaming?

I was a casual gamer before the term even became popular. By that I mean I wasn't a hardcore gamer but still enjoyed the occasional videogame now and then.

I really began some 'serious' gaming when I started playing the Sega Genesis. There was a game called Zero Tolerance, an FPS that most people would call lame by today's standards, but I remember playing untold hours on that game till my fingers ached.

But the incident that sealed my fate as a dedicated gamer was when I bought the original PlayStation and got into a couple of little games called Final Fantasy VII and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. These two games basically defined what I loved about video games -- an alternate world to play in and lots of neat adventures and puzzles.

After that, I never turned back.

So, just what was it that star...

• (23)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Daily Q: Which Mario Kart is the best?

Today's Daily Q is something I ask anyone who claims to be a Nintendo fan, because I find the answer varies quite a bit from person to person. Recently, Creighton and I actually got into a no-holds-barred cage match over this very topic (secretly, I want to see all of the GN faithful tear each other limb from limb inside of a chainlink DOME), so I pose the question to you:

"Which game is the best in the Mario Kart series...and why? Which is the worst?"

Yeah, I mixed it up there with the bonus question, but I know you guys can rock two at once. For me, Mario Kart DS is the best, and Double Dash is the worst.

Admittedly, I have had very little time with Mario Kart Wii, so my assessment may be unfair, but Mario Kart DS has tons of characters and karts to choose from, with a great range of at...

• (24)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Daily Q: Do you read instruction manuals?

What to ask, what to ask?

Well, I'm always a little curious when I hear/read critiques of videogame instruction manuals, because I feel like they are only a small step up from those supermarket flyers that are stuffed in my mailbox almost every day. They offer information that is completely useless until you actually arrive at the store -- where it's all written already.

To me, videogame instruction manuals are like that -- something to either gloss over quickly or skip completely, because I'm going to get the info, regardless. I rarely read them, and I wonder who actually does. Hence, my question:

When you buy a new game, do you read the manual before playing (at all, even), or do you just jump headfirst into the game?

[Eddie Inzauto]

• (23)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Daily Q: Do you play movie games?

It is Friday, May 2nd and that means it's the first summer movie blockbuster weekend. And where there are summer movie blockbusters, there are movie tie-in games. It is on this day that the Iron Man movie game is released, so I thought that should be the subject of our Daily Q.

Do you play movie games? Why?

As a rule I stay away. I haven't played a direct movie tie-in game since the Toy Story 2 game on the PS1, but people seem to buy these things by the truckload. The Cars game was the best selling game of 2006. Yeah, it was on a whopping 12 platforms but that's still pretty impressive.

The problem we have as gamers is picking the crappy titles and staying as far away as possible. The most dangerous titles are the movie tie-ins. Ever since I played Super Star Wars on the SNES I have be...

• (10)
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Daily Q: What is your favorite game?

Welcome to the first ever Daily Q. This is going to be a new daily feature where we ask you, the readers, what you think about games, characters, genres, perephrials, consoles, achievements, colors, shapes and all sorts of things, because honestly, it's you guys who are more important than we are.

Since we are opening this dialogue I thought we should start at the very beginning. It's like asking a new friend "what's your favorite color," when you're ten.

What is your favorite game of all time?

For those who follow me, I actually answered that last week. For those who don't, or who are new to GamerNode (welcome), my favorite game of all time is Zombies Ate My Neighbors. It's a SNES game with a lot of heart, a lot of weapons, and a lot of crazy monsters. I love the top down free-roaming ...

• (19)
• 
• 
• 
• 
•