aul Scholes is one of my favourite football players. He doesn't appear in any celebrity magazines, he isn't revered as some sort of God and he stands as much chance of being called 'sexy' as I do of being named games journo of the year. But his quiet brilliance plays a great part in the success his team (Manchester United) has enjoyed. If Man United was the Gamecube, who would Scholes be? Namco.

I don't know why, but when people usually talk about Gamecube's key developers, the Japanese company's name is oddly absent. It's probably because their impressive support for Gamecube isn't as widely publicised, or recognised. They haven't held a big press conference to announce major GC exclusives. They haven't had their games dubbed the 'Namco 5'. They don't have a long line of loved consoles, or a cult following of rabid fans. They don't have an instantly-recognisable horror or hedgehog brand to identify themselves. No, like the ginger midfielder, they just show up for the match, work hard, and head home.

When you look at their line-up, it is hard not to be thankful at a time when Japan's biggest developers are going ga-ga for the PS2. The fighting genre on Gamecube has been stale ever since Smash Brothers Melee came and went, but the masters of the 3D fighter are giving us something to cheer about. Soul Calibur 2 takes the original, and polishes it damn near perfection. However, Namco's biggest pledge to Gamecube has been with two exclusives. And the fact that they're RPG's just sweetens the deal. Although the role-playing genre isn't as dormant as some would have you believe (Lost Kingdoms, it's sequel, Skies of Arcadia and Balder's Gate have all been good) it's brilliant to see at least one heavyweight championing the genre (Tales of Symphonia, a game which has already sold over 200,000 copies in Japan). This is especially where they demand more from their stats-building adventures. It may not sport a superlative brand like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, but could establish Gamecube as a serious console for RPG-ers. And if initial reviews are anything to go by, it's mix of anime visuals, deep gameplay and bold design is sure to propel the momentum caused by Crystal Chronicles' release. Along with the already much-anticipated Baten Kietos, Namco could quickly garner a reputation as Nintendo's RPG company, something which matters much more in the East than it does here.

Namco are also bolstering Gamecube's software collection with a bunch of little-known titles, including I-Ninja and Extreme Force. Not to mention some of the fruits of Nintendo's development collaborations. Namco are taking care of the latest Starfox game - although (far too) early impressions cite big flaws, hopes are high the final version will be better than Rare's Adventures. Being behind the original classic, it's no surprise they're working with Nintendo on the GBA-promoting Pac-Man. And while Donkey Konga would've been more suited to Sambi De Amigas' developers, loaning them the franchise does illustrate Nintendo's eagerness to patch up post-N64 relations with the industry's top brass.

Nintendo aren't stupid. They know how much they've alienated important developers over the past couple of years (Namco wouldn't touch the N64 with a metre-long pole). The important thing is that they're making amends, just look at Gamecube Japanese sales figures for the last few weeks to see the dividends such actions can pay. Namco can play a leading role in reviving the Gamecube in Japan, and should be applauded. They've went from an unofficial Sony second-party to a huge supporter of, and collaborator with, Nintendo. And I see an even bigger role for them as the next generation roles in.

Now, all we need is the same from Sega, Konami, Square-Enix and EA and we'll be flying...

Conor Smyth
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Ben will be showing up next week for a new Bitchzone, with a new time slot and name. What's it called? Well, that would be spoiling it, wouldn't it?