Welcome to NSports, if we feel that you as a sports fan will be interested in a game or peripheral, we will give it coverage right here on NSports. If you enjoy other genres of games in addition to sports, then be sure to visit NAdventures and NShooters in order to get your fill of gaming content. Check out http://hub.ngenres.com for the highlight stories from each genre.

Editorials   He missed Ninten-debates, but he still proves he can ramble about E3 with the best of 'em.
- By Neal Gittens [Associate Editor]

So many things to choose from for discussion at this time of year. I could go on an on about Resident Evil, because it is mind-numbingly awesome, but I will leave that for our esteemed colleagues in a separate genre. However, there is one thing that we can all agree on. When E3 approaches, it’s like the 12 days of Christmas for the gaming public. Everyone knows what they want to see when the day arrives. Some will be pleased, some will be disappointed, some will be absolutely blown away by what may show up out of the blue. Since this will be my first E3 that I will be able to attend in person, I am more ecstatic than usual. (And I am usually VERY ecstatic. I may actually spontaneously combust when I set foot in the convention center.) That having been said, and having missed the E3 Ninten-debates last Friday, I will throw out some of the things I am most looking forward to at E3 this year.

1.)The Nintendo booth – If I have to explain this one to you, then you have stumbled onto this site by mistake, and/or you have forgotten to take your medication. This may very well be the one booth that qualifies as “must see” at the whole show. With a multitude of games going on display, and most of them in playable form, there is little that could match up to it. Let’s run down the list: Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Eternal Darkness (probably not going to be a big showing for this one, due to its pending release in a scant month and a half), and Starfox are all set to be there as major first and second party games. All of those are said to be playable as well, and in the case of Mario, Zelda, and Metroid, I believe that this is the first occasion that they are able to be played by the public. Wow. All of this is great in and of itself, but you must remember that the big N is also the master of surprises. Who knows what new things we may see there? I am physically trembling at the thought. (Actually, I think I just need to close the window. Minnesota nights can still get pretty chilly this time of year.)

2.)Star Wars Galaxies – I realize that this doesn’t technically fall under the category of Nintendo or GameCube related, but I really need to mention this PC game. If you haven’t heard of this, well, you are now going to hear about it. Imagine EverQuest’s online worlds, but set in the Star Wars universe. I am now in a state where I need to become independently wealthy in the next few months, so that I can dismiss all financial obligations from now until my life ends, and focus solely on life’s most important pursuit. Namely: Star Wars Galaxies. Never has a game forced me to upgrade my computer solely for the purpose of playing it, but this will do just that. I am a huge Star Wars geek, and will likely disappear from the face of civilization (I’m not sure who would be considered the “loser” in this scenario) at the exact moment I obtain a copy of this game. In case I forget to say so then: Goodbye.

3.)Rare – All the gaming world has been abuzz with talk of Rare going third party in either the near or not-so-near future. E3 is the obvious place for them to announce their future intentions, and I’m assuming they will do just that. I am still up in the air as to how I think it will go down, but signs point either way at this point. On the negative side, every news source this side of “Dear Abby” is saying that they are going to definitely cut off their Nintendo exclusivity. On the positive side though, I can’t imagine MS and Sony staying this quiet about Rare developing for them for this long. I mean, they may want it to stay a “secret” until E3, but can information ever go without being “accidentally” leaked for more than about 2 days in the gaming biz? It seems that if Rare were going to develop for the other systems, that MS and Sony would be screaming it to the masses. There are very few exceptions to “secret” information in the gaming biz. I mean, Nintendo somehow manages to keep their development secret until they are damn good and ready to tell the world about it, but I think that is because they keep their developers locked in cages deep beneath the surface of the earth during the development cycle, and only allow them out for brief periods between the release of one game and the start of the next game’s development. (But the pay must be good! And I hear they get full dental benefits.)

4.)Yamauchi – If the president of Nintendo is there, I want to see him first hand. Not just because I admire him, (I mean, turning down a $25 BILLION offer from MS to buy his company? Talk about a man with integrity. Unwilling to compromise his company’s reputation even in the face of an ungodly amount of cash. That single revelation has elevated him in my opinion by a million percent. THAT has to be the greatest ever example of the Nintendo difference!) but because I honestly can’t be sure he is still living. Personally, I am of the opinion that he passed away a while back, and has been made into a Muppet, and will rule over Nintendo for the rest of time. I may be wrong, but if I see strings holding him up, (and I will be looking for them) I will let you know.

There are many, many more things I could delve into, but rather than force you into even more idiotic ramblings, I will wrap it up. There’s still one more Tuesday before E3, so I can always write more in that column. But more than likely, it will just end up as another steaming pile of my writings, being swarmed by the gaming information flies who feast on such deliciously vile substance. (I’ll cut that analogy off right there, because even I’m a little disturbed by it, and I’m writing it.) I’ll catch you all next week.

Last note: If there’s anything in particular you would like to hear about in that column or any other, drop me, or any member of the NSports team a line. We will do whatever we can to help you out, or your question/concern/problem could even end up as a Ninten-debate! (Perhaps one of these weeks, we can actually get all four members of the team there!)