Your fortnightly roundup of everything Gamecube (and some other stuff).

Welcome again, folks, to the Fortnightly Digest- C-E's bi-weekly news round-up, encompassing all the Nintendo news that's fit to print, from the GameCube to Nintendo's increasingly promising DS platform. In the last two weeks, there has been no shortage of news to report- strange, thought this was meant to be the summer drought. Let's dive in then...

All things Wario Ware are topping the bill this week. Firstly, the GameCube version of the GBA classic is set for release (at the very reasonable price of �19.99 or �29.99) on September 3rd, a mere two and a half weeks away. If you haven't snapped up the GBA version by now, this is your chance to sample the extraordinary phenomenon that is Wario Ware- but now with some extraordinary multiplayer modes, which make Mario Party seem about as entertaining as watching paint dry.

Secondly, Nintendo have just announced a brand-new version of Wario Ware for the Game Boy Advance. With a difference. Remember that tilt sensor which was used in the brilliant Japan-only Kirby's Tilt and Tumble? The tilt device is going to form an integral part of the next Wario Ware. Details are scant at the moment, but we do know that the game is set for a Japanese release in a mere two months time (October 14th, to be precise). We'll be sure to keep our eyes on that one...

And finally, Wario Ware on GBA has just won the main prize at the Edinburgh International Games Festival. It beat off strong competition from Sony's EyeToy and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (not to mention Zelda: 4 Swords Adventures) to land the Edge award.

Two delays to announce- IGN are insisting that Namco's Starfox title for the GameCube is to be delayed until 2005. Nintendo are keeping typically schtum on the matter though, claiming that "Nintendo does not comment on rumours or speculation".

Worse news, though, is that Capcom have finally confirmed that their much-anticipated Resident Evil fourquel is to miss the Christmas rush. The game is now set to debut on January 11th, 2005- a release date which will not change. The game though, has not actually been delayed- as a miffed Capcom representative put it, "Resident Evil 4 will ship January 11, 2005. We've always said that it is coming out in the winter and this has not changed".

The unpronounceable Reginald Fils-Aime, aka Reggie, the Reginator, and a dozen other names, has had a few choice words to say about the handheld gaming market. It makes for interesting reading, although he has no bombshells to drop, and says 'wow' a lot.

Cube-Europe this week brings you some interesting media content- click here for a high-quality direct feed video of Namco's beautiful and highly impressive Tales of Symphonia. For a video interview with the creative director of Prince of Persia 2, showing gameplay footage, click here.

Electronic Arts have confirmed the existence of two often-rumoured titles, Batman Begins and The Godfather. Electronic Arts have 'secrectly' been working on Batman Begins and The Godfather for quite some time. Batman Begins has been confirmed for all consoles but it is not known yet which consoles will see The Godfather. Before Marlon Brando's passing he recorded the voice for The Godfather, a game that promises to have GTA-style gameplay- something that seems to be very much in vogue at the moment.

Developer support for the Nintendo DS seems to be getting better each day. Nintendo have announced that more then sixty titles are in development for the DS in the Western Hemisphere alone. A while ago Nintendo announced all the titles currently in development for the Nintendo DS by Japanese companies and now they've announced all the ones being worked on by Western developers. Included in the list are over sixty titles from some of the biggest companies, such as Electronic Arts and Square Enix, offering a wide range of titles.

"Publishers worldwide have taken the unique creative tools of our dual-screened Nintendo DS and used them to invent completely new ways to play," says Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales and marketing. "Just imagine the possibilities that a touch screen, voice recognition and wireless multiplayer action bring to video games."

"EA's studio teams are working on a lot of great titles for the Nintendo DS," says Steve Chiang, General Manager of EA's Tiburon Studio. "With the wireless feature, Madden players will be able to battle one another head-to-head like never before on a portable system." "THQ will be a big supporter of the hand-held Nintendo DS," says Brian Farrell, THQ's president and CEO. "The untapped capabilities demonstrate an exciting leap in hand-held video game technology."

For a full list (containing some surprise- new Mana game, anyone?- click here)

Microsoft supremo Bill Gates whipped up a bit of a storm recently, when he told a German magazine that he would be interested in buying Nintendo. He apparently said that if the powerful shareholder Hiroshi Yamauchi rang him, he would pick it up- implying, presumably, that he'd be interested in talking business if Yamauchi decides to sell up. We could talk about the pros and cons, the ifs and maybes of a potential Microsoft-Nintendo buyout, but there is little point, for the simple reason that it is more likely that David Gosen is human than Yamauchi will give up Nintendo. It's just not going to happen.

Sonic Mega Collection, a collection of retro Sonic titles, will enter the Player's Choice range next month. This means that the title will be sold at a RRP of �19.99.

The title will become available on Player's Choice from the 17th of September. Nice to see Nintendo properly supporting and continuing to maintain a decent budget range. What would be even nicer, though, would be to see Nintendo lower the extortionate price of GBA games, which have risen over the life of the GBA, to near enough the price of a standard Cube game. But that's an issue for another day...

Nintendo has given us official word on the upcoming Metroid Prime Bundle, coming out on August 15th (today) in America. The bundle, set to retail for $99.99, will contain a platinum GameCube, controller, Metroid Prime and two free discs.

"Other companies sell their systems starting at $150," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "No one can match Nintendo's value as we offer a Nintendo GameCube and two free discs, all at an MSRP of just $99.99."

The bonus discs will contain:

• An exclusive playable demo of Metroid Prime 2 Echoes
• The Metroid Chronicle, an interactive history of the Metroid franchise
• Two Metroid Prime 2: Echoes cinematic trailers
• A 'stunning' Metroid Prime art gallery. Nice.

Well, that just about wraps everything up for this week. The digest will be reverting to it's former weekly spot starting in September, but until then, enjoy the rest of the summer.

Mark Cullinane
[email protected]