Playstation 2
Konami have announced a release date for Metal Gear Solid 2 on the PS2. The game will be released in Fall 2001 in Japan (Spring 2001 Australia) and will be set in New York. The game will allow you to select from two characters. The original title was one of the Playstation's best games and a sequel will be highly anticipated from gamers worldwide. More information should be known a day before E3 starts on May 10.
Rage have confirmed that they will be showing their driving sim Wild Wild Racing at the E3 show. The game is close to completion with members of Rage moving to Japan to work on the title in conjunction with Imagineer. Wild Wild Racing should be a lunch title in America and Europe late this year.
Some of you probably noticed that I have started putting up previews of Playstation 2 games. The first preview is of Ridge Racer V, with Tekken Tag Tournament in the next day or so.
Dreamcast
Rumour from Japan is that Sega will be announcing a major racing title for the Dreamcast within the next 2 weeks. Exactly what title will be announced remains unknown although some possabilities are Ferarri F355 (likely), Daytona USA 2 (possible), Super GT (average), Crazy Taxi 2 (remote), or Sega Rally 2 Online - US/PAL (remote).
Activision are beginning to have second thoughts about Tony Hawk on the Dreamcast. It's not that they think the game won't do well. It's exactly the opposite with Activision now seeing a missed opportunity by handing the title to Crave. While Activision still make some money it is no where near as much as if they had developed the title themselves. One consolation is that Activision have Tony Hawk's 2 in development for release later this year.
Ripcord recently announced several new Dreamcast games that will be playable online, and now there is some more great news. The titles announced include Quest of the Blade Masters, Spec Ops Online, Gorka Morka, and M.O.U.T. 2025. But just like Sega's Quake 3 Arena Ripcord have announced that they are planning cross-platform online gameplay. This is another major boost for the Dreamcast with console owners able to compete with PC owners for the first time.
Dolphin
Although Nintendo have stated that the Dolphin will not be shown at the E3 show speculation is now mounting that Nintendo will be showing off the system just after E3 at the end of May.
Others
Firstly I have to apologise for the lack of updates over the Easter break. I had a lot of work planned but had some pretty painful days with a toothache. Of course it stared the day after my dentist closed for a week and I had to load up on the pain killers. All is getting better after the removal of the nerve in one tooth, a root canal filling and 2 crowns (and a $2500 dent in the wallet).
There is only a couple of days left in the poll on the main page so if you haven't voted this month go have a look now.
Dreamcast
Sega may be working on a brand new sports game in time for the Sydney Olympics. According to IGNDC a source in Japan has informed them that Virtua Athlete 2K is scheduled for release on July 13 for 5,800 yen. With the game only 3 months away we can expect some information soon, possibly at the E3 show in a couple of weeks.
Sega of America has got a new boss after all. After the mysterious resignation of Bernie Stolar last year the company was left without a replacement President and COO (Chief Operating Officer). But Peter Moore has now been announced as the replacement at SOA. Peter was previously the Senior Vice President and the man responsible for the marketing of the Dreamcast in America last year.
Famitsu has scored the latest batch of Dreamcast games in Japan. Sonic Team's music game, Samba De Amigo received a very respectable 32/40 (80%) and a Famitsu Gold Award. Capcom's Power Stone 2 obtained 31/40 (77.5%) and will be hoping to immporve on the mediocre Japanese sales from the original title. Finally, Konami's Dance Dance Revolution Club Version Dreamcast Edition received 29/40 (72.5%).
The Gathering have announced three Dreamcast titles which they will be showing off at the E3 show next month. They games include Terminal Reality's 4x4 Revolution, Tremor's KISS Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child and a port of Railroad Tycoon II. All three games are due out late this year and will be distributed by Take Two.
X-Box
While Microsoft may have the most powerful console ever with the X-Box that doesn't seem to be making major developers jump on board quickly. Microsoft has failed to lure Namco to develop exclusive titles on the X-Box and Square Soft denied Microsoft's bid to buy them out. Their deal with Sega to make the X-Box Dreamcast compatible also fell through. The latest rumour is that Microsoft are trying to ink a deal with none other then Nintendo to make the X-Box and Dolphin compatible with some games. I don't think Nintendo will be too favourable considering their past moves. (Remember that the Playstation was originally a SNES add-on.)
X-Box
Anybody who reads Edge magazine regulary will have heard a lot about Elixar Studios through a regular developers diary. It is now lookinng likely that their first title, Republic: The RevolutionM may be heading to the X-Box. The PC Version is due out early next year while the X-Box version is said to be close behind. A Playstation 2 conversion is possible while a Dreamcast port seems unlikely.
One of Microsoft's strategic hardware suppliers, Flextronics International, has been brought in to help with the developing and manufacture of the X-Box.
Microsft has paid nVidia $US200 million in advance for the graphics chip to be used in the X-Box.
Dreamcast
We all love Soul Calibur and when Namco announced 2 more Dreamcast titles on the way we all assumed that Soul Calibur 2 was one of the titles. After the announcement that Mr Driller was their next title a few months ago people started to get a little upset. Well now Namco has announced their third Dreamcast title, and you might want to get the tissues ready. The third game is none other then Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness. (WTF! - Dave) This is a 3D action maze game similar to Pac Man World on the Playstation. The game will include 180 different mazes and is scheduled for release in October for only $US29.95 ($AU50).
According to Famitsu the Dreamcast mouse may not be too far of at all. Apparently the Japanese Dream Passport 3 internet browser will include an option for mouse support. The new browser software is due out soon and hopefully Sega will make an official announcemnt regarding the mouse. Of course it won't be limited to the internet browser with games like Quake 3 Arena and Half Life certain to support the peripheral as well.
One of the hit PC games in recent years was Particle Systems' I-War. A sequel, called Independence War 2: The Edge Of Chaos is now in the works for the Dreamcast as well as PC. The game is due out late in the year and promises to include and improved graphics engine over the original, not that that one was too shabby to begin with.
Sega's upcoming World Series Baseball 2K1 is starting to look hot. But Sega have been tight lipped about the developer of the game, until now. The developer is non other then the same group of programmers at Sega of Japan who developed the Naomi baseball title. The home conversion isn't a port of the arcade game but meore or less a new game built from the ground up, and it's looking better then the arcade version. Sega hasn't announced yet who will convert the game to English with American teams and stadiums.
Warp, the developers of D2 have removed their web site and replaced it with a countdown. This timer will run out on April 26, when it is rumoured their next game will be divulged on their web site.
Playstation 2
The Playstation 2 continues its road to domination. Sony Japan has announced that sales of the system are already past 2 million units, more then the Dreamcasts total in just over a month.
Although the Japanese Trade Ministry has classed the Playstation 2 as a supercomputer and restricted it's exportation, Sony has already been granted an export permit for the maching. A nice bit of publicity for the system never goes astray.
According to a report in Bloomberg Sony have a few surprises up their sleeves for the Playstation 2 in America. According to the report a Sony representative has gone on record saying that a modem and a hard drive may be released for the system. Details such as modem spped and hard drive size are still being worked out and priced and availability are still being discussed. Expect to hear a lot more about this at next months E3 show.
Dolphin
Rare are apparently working on Perfect Dark 2 for the Dolphin. An announcement may be made at the upcoming E3 show depending on Nintendo's plans.
X-Box
Some more details about X-Box's graphical processor from NVIDIA have been announced. The chap will have 65 million transistors which is 23 million more the the Playstation 2's Graphics Synthesizer. The pixel fill rate is also considerably higher then the Playsation 2 with 4.8GB/sec compared to 2.4GB/sec. Both graphics chips can handle 16 parallel pixil engines with the X-Chip running at 200Mhz compared to 150Mhz on the PS2. Finally the X-Chip can process 300 million polygons per second compared to the 75 million for the Playstation 2. This is making the Dreamcasts 3 million polygons start to look a bit average.
Others
I have to appolagise for the lack of updates this week. I have just bought a new computer and setting up the system and transferring the data accross has taken a lot more work then I thought. I have also been working my 3 jobs from abouf 8am-12midnight this week. Anyway it's holidays from work at the school for a week so expect the site to go through it's holiday phase of regular updates and additions. For thos of you wondering what system I got it is the following;
Dreamcast
Mucky Foot, a relatively new developer, has announced that their 3D RTS (Real Time Strategy) game for the Dreamcast is called Startopia. This game has you playing the roll of Station Master on an intergalactic space station. Your task is to build up harmony in the space station by making sure no aliens at war are placed near each other. For those of you still confused the game is similar to EA's Theme Park and Theme Hospital series. The game is set for release in late 2000 or early 2001.
Jet Set Radio may have been one of the hottest game at the recent Tokyo Game Show, but that doesn't mean it will make it to America unmolested. In fact there is certain to be one change. The name Jet Set Radio is already being used in America so the name will be changed. To what, is still unknown.
Following the success of Crazy Taxi Sega have announced that 18 Wheeler Ampro Trucker will be ported to the Dreamcast. This game is similar in style to Crazy Taxi except you are driving a truck to deliver goods within the city. The game will include changes similar to Crazy Taxi and should be released in Q'3 2000 in Japan. Expect an Australia release in time for Christmas.
Climax Graphics' upcoming Illbleed will be published in America by Sega. The game is currently expected to be released towards the end of the year.
Playstation 2
Namco may not be supporting the Dreamcast in the way we all hoped but they are certainly jumping on the Playstation 2 bandwagon. According to Computer & Video Games they have 12 titles in development for the Playstation 2 including 500GP and Tekken 4. Although not announced I would expect a Time Crisis game there as well.
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has also announced several new Playstation 2 titles in development. These include;
Formula 1 2000: Formula 1 is very big in Europe and it figures that the sport would be released on the Playstation 2. Expect all the usual features plus a player controllable replay mode which can be saved onto the memory card.
Wipeout Fusion: Psygnosis are back with their hit series which is being updated for the Playstation 2. The game is set in 2150AD in the new Wipeout F9000 league. Each craft has a total of 48 variable parameters compared to just 7 in the original Playstation game. Best of all the craft are now able to travel upside down in tunnels.
Crash Bandicoot 4: Crash is coming back to the Dreamcast. This version however is more of a puzzle type game. Only time will tell how this game will differ from previous versions. hopefully the developers have had a look at the Dreamcast version of Rayman 2.
This is Football 2: This is the sequel to the Playstation hit soccer game of 1999. New gameplay features and AI are promised as well as faster and more responsive players.
The Getaway: Being developed by Studio Soho this game has recreated over 70 square kilometers of London. The game allows you to explore the city on foot or steal one of 50 real-life cars to drive around performing stunts and skids.
Evo Rally: With over 48 stages from around the world and destructible cars this will be one rally game that will hopefully provide as much gameplay as Colin McRae and V-Rally on the Playstation 1.
Spin: This is a sprint car racing game which hasn't appeared on consoles recently. Expect the action to be fast with a lot of tweaking available for the cars.
Dropship: In this game you assume the role of a rookie pilot who flies advanced dropships. Each is loaded with weaponry to be used in the three different game styles including Space-To-Ground, Real-Time strategy and Flight Sim Combat. This should prove to be one very interesting game, and one to watch.
X-Box
According to online reports Microsoft's X-Box will be released in Japan in Fall 2001 (our Spring) at a price of 38,000 yen ($AU600). The Japanese system will be identical to the US version although Microsoft are still deciding about online capabilities.
Others
Paramount are apparently considering making a movie based on Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6. While the game is constantly delayed on the Dreamcast, it was a massive hit on the PC. The movie will apparently follow anti-terrorist experts Mike Clarke and Ding Chavez as they, naturally, battle terrorists. Hopefully this potentially great movie will get the green light soon.
Dreamcast
All those people expecting to be playing Dead Or Alive 2 on their Dreamcast on April 28th are due for a rude surprise. Acclaim has announced that the PAL version of Tecmo's hit fighting game will not be released until August, a full 3 month delay at best. No reason has been given for the delay. Expect a full preview of the game in the coming days.
I spoke to Andrew Hodgson from GT Interactive today with regards to the Titus/Konami rumour that they will no longer be developing Dreamcast games for the PAL format. While Andrew was unaware of anything officially he said that he wasn't surprised by the move. As a side note, Titus's Dream Roadsters will not be making it's way to Australia after very poor reviews from America and Australia's poor Dreamcast sales.
Now I don't usually flog another companies goods but this is too good to ignore. Import specialists Lik-Sang are selling a peripheral called Total Control 2 through their web site. This peripheral allows you to connect your Playstation controllers to the Dreamcast as well as PC Keyboards and PC controllers in the new version which retails for $AU35 plus shipping. Lik-Sang can be found by clicking here. (Note: I am in no way affiliated with this company but have found them great to deal with in the past.)
Team 17 have announced they they are working on a new online version of Worms. The game, titled Worms World Party will hit the Dreamcast late in the year and will allow up to 6 players from across the globe to compete. The game will include over 40 mission with 400! different game styles.
Sega of Japan has confirmed they will be providing 24 hour technical support, 7 days a week beginning mid year. This is a result of online users mainly using the system at night after school and work.
Dolphin
Climax has announced that they are developing Stunt Driver for the Nintendo Dolphin. The game will include an online option as well as six different play modes. This is the second game, after Title Defense to be announced by the company.
Dreamcast
I'm not totally sure if this is correct or not but I have received a few e-mails stating that Konami and Titus will no longer be porting their games from NTSC to PAL. This means we will miss out on most, if not all the Japanese/American releases from these companies. I am hoping to get in contact with GT Interactive (the Australian distributers) today for more details and confirmation of the news. For those of you wanting to get the excellent Deadly Skies I suggest you get to the stores quickly.
Konami's next Dreamcast exclusive title, Imperial Hawk has been given a release date in Japan on June 29th. The game is a world war 2 flight simulator which is looking fairly impressive although an Australian release may be unlikely given the news above.
More reports of Electronic Arts developing on the Dreamcast continue to appear. Top-Rope.com are reporting that Nitro 2000 will be released on the Dreamcast in October this year. This game will have the WCW branding which EA have the liscense for. Still, I wouldn't take this news as absolute proof yet.
Sega have confirmed that they will be releasing a special "Sega Sports" edition black Dreamcast for the American market. The system will hit the shelves in the America Fall (Q'3 2000) and it's possible it will be bundles with software although nothing has been confirmed. (My guess is NFL2K1 and/or NBA2K1.)
Sega of Japan has confirmed that their MP3 playing VMU will contain 64MB memory which should hold around 1 hours worth of music. The unit is expected to go on sale in Japan during their summer (our Winter).
For those of you that are interested I have added a preview to one of the hottest games due out this month, Ecco The Dolphin: Defender Of The Future.
Playstation 2
EA Square have announced that they will be releasing FIFA Soccer World Champions on May 25 in Japan. The game will be released on CD-ROM for 6,800 yen and will include 4 player simultaneous gameplay. Japanese soccer star Nakata will also feature in the game.
This one's straght from the rumour box but it's so good that it had to be posted. Apparently Capcom are planning to port Resident Evil: Code Veronica to the Playstation 2 for release next March. Better still a playable version of Resident Evil 4 is *rumoured* to be included with the game. I have mu doubts about this story because Resident Evil: Code Veronica was (apparently) co-developed by Sega.
SCEI's recall of the Playstation 2 utility disc isn't quite going to plan. Of the 1.2 million discs to be returned and replaced for version 1.01 SCEI has only had a few thousand copies returned. I guess people are enjoing playing DVD's from around the globe. All Playstation 2's on the shelves now have the new "territorial locked" discs.
There is some great news on the DVD front in Japan. Nikkei are reporting that the Japanese DVD market has grown 60% since the launch of the Playstation 2. Around 60% of PS2 purchasers have also bought more then 3 DVD movies and another 30% have rented movies as well. Surprisingly 15% of Playstation 2 owners are useing the system as a DVD movie player system only.
Dreamcast
Will the amazing run of Dreamcast news never cease? Confirmation has now come from IGNDC that Majesco's Rainbow 6 is now complete and is jsut waiting for Sega's rubber stamp of approval. The game, which was originally a September 9 launch title in the US, is now schedule for release in May and is looking the goods.
Konami are apparently planning another Pop N' Music game for the Dreamcast. Pop N' Music 4 is apparently in development for the Dreamcast although Konami haven't officially commented on the game.
The Dreamcast has had a boost in Japan with sales. For the week 27/3 to 2/4 the top Dreamcast game was Capcom's Marvel Vs Capcom 2 with 119,987 units while SNK's King Of Fighters '99 Evolution racked up 61,119 units sales. Sega's Typing Of The Dead sold a disappointing 30,853 units while Konami's Jikkyu Powerful Pro Baseball DC Edition sold 22,909 units, not likely to inspire new development on Sega's system. The ever-persistant Seaman has dropped out of the top 30 thanks to the Playstation 2's 8 entries (see below).
I have added a review of Konami's first release in Australia, Deadly Skies.
Playstation 2
PS2IGN has posted several rumours regarding the Playstation 2 including a possible launch date and price for America. Apparently Sony are looking at releasing the system for under $US300 sometime in September. Expect an official announcement at the E3 show in a coupe of weeks.
3DO have confirmed that they are developin Crusaders of Might and Magic on the Plastation 2. Strangely it looks like the game will be release in Japan before America
Playstation 2 game sales are very strong in Japan. With several new releases over the last week the sales were as follows. Namco's Tekken Tag Tournament sold 210,176 units to reach the number 1 spot. Following that were Tecmo's Dead Or Alive 2 (157,317 - 3rd), Namco's Ridge Racer V (57,753 - 7th), Square's Driving Emotion Type - S (52,612 - 9th), Koei's Kessen (35,827 - 15th), T&E Soft's Golf Paradise (21,668 - 21st), SCE's Fantavision (16,970 - 26th), and finally Capcom's Street Fighter EX3 (16,667 - 27th).
Dreamcast
I've had a lot of questions about the free internet and and keyboard for Australia and the newsisn't good. In speaking with Ozisoft their official response was along the lines of "that is America, we have a different marketing strategy to them".
The highly anticipated Rayman 2 will be on store shelves within a couple of days. Ubisoft have confirmed that the game is currently shipping to retailers. Expect a review on Future Games within a couple of days.
Another peripheral was announced to coincide with the free Dreamcast's in America. A mouse. Although this peripheral hasn't sold particulary well for consoles in the past it is becoming more and more vital especially for First Person Shooters such as Quake III and Half Life. No exact release date or price has been announced yet.
Ripcord have anounced 6 new games for the Dreamcast, they are as follows;
Legend Of Blade Masters: A 3D action RPG which is set in a fantasy world over 40 levels. Release Date - June 2000.
Spec Ops: Omega Squad: An elite special forces tactical game in a first/third person shooter. Release Date - June 2000.
GorkaMorka: An online racing title with a very interesting name and ties in with Warhammer 40K universe! Release Date - October 2000.
M.O.U.T. 2025: An online combat game which takes place in several major US cities where you are to stop terrorists. Release Date - November 2000.
Quest of the Blademasters: An online multiplayer game with up to 5 players simultaneously. Release Date - November 2000.
Spec Ops Online: An online version of the tactical action game with over 25 new levels. Release Date - November 2000.
Playstation 2
Although it has been reported otherwise is now looks likely that Capcom's Dino Crisis 2 is not in development for the Playstation 2. Apparently the game is scheduled for release on the original playstation in late 2000 and is currently 20-30% complete.
Tremor Entertainment have confirmed thay they are in negotiations with Henson to convert the classic movie Dark Crystal to a Playstation 2 game. If the deal goes ahead the game should be released in 2001.
Others
For those of you that skip the Main Page I have added an interview with Luxoflux, the team responsible for Vigilante 8 Second Offense on the Dreamcast. Click here to go directly to the interview with Peter Moraweic.
The force is here. If your a Star Wars fan like myself you should already know that today is the day that Star Wars: The Phantom Menace officially hits the shelves. Actually some stores such as BIG W and Target have been selling the video since Monday. The cheapest I've seen it for is $22.44 at BIG W. If your a DVD owner like myself your out of luck. George Lucas has stated that it won't be coming to DVD in the forseeable future.
Dreamcast
Do you want a free Dreamcast and keyboard? This is not an April Fool's joke but an new marketing ploy by Sega of America, for Americans (booo!). The company is giving people who subscribe to their internet service for 24 months a free Dreamcast and keyboard. For those people who already have the system, if you sign up you will receive a cheque for $US200 to pay back the cost of the system. Sega are setting up a new company called Sega.com, Inc., to handle the operation with Brad Huang put in charge of the business which is an ISP rather then a gaming company. "SegaNet" is the gaming site that will be set up similar to AOL with messaging, chatting, e-mail and of course online gameplay. At the moment the service will be offered to PC and Dreamcast owners whrough standard modems although is is believed that broadband services (ie cable) will be added later. Sega are expecting to have twelve online games ready by the end of this year including Chu Chu Rocket, Quake 3, NBA2K1, NFL2K1, and Phantasy Star Online. Four of the games are expected to be released to coincide with the lauch in August.
A Future Games exclusive with details about several more games on the way to the Dreamcast thanks to UbiSoft. The games, which are mentioned on EBWorld.com have been confirmed by Ubisoft in Australia as well with some tantalising details. The first game is POD 2 a sequel to the hit racing game from a couple of years ago. This game is scheduled for release in October and although not mentioned by UbiSoft Australia online gameplay is rumoured. Another game possibly due for release in October is Speed Devils 2. I have to emphasise that Ubisoft Australia haven't even heard about development on this game let alone a release date. Still with the success and quality of the original title it wouldn't be out of the question. Another game confirmed for the Dreamcast is Evil Twin, formally known as Cyprian. This game is a Japanese styled 3D action adventure (similar to Rayman 2 in style) with a dark and moody setting. It is being developed in France but not in-house at Ubisoft. Two other games scheduled for release in September in America are Peace Makers a realtime was simulation tied into CNN, and Dragon Rider a 3D action title. Expect more news on these titles closer to E3.
Jet Set Radio was one of the hottest games at the Tokyo Game show with gameplay between Crazy Taxi and Tony Hawk and a release date has been revealed. The game will be released on June 29th in Japan, under 3 months away. Expect an American and Australian release towards the end of the year.
Keep an eye on the site over the next couple of days for a great interview with Luxoflux, the developers of the upcoming Vigilante 8: Second Offense.
Dreamcast
It's amazing how many people wake up and forget what day it is. This was proven yesterday, April 1st. For those of you that still don't know what I mean the story about Ozisoft stopping distribution of the system was an April Fool's joke. Your minds can be at rest people, the Dreamcast will be continuing well into the future in Australia thanks to Ozisoft.
In a speech at the Tokyo Game Show, Sega president Shoichiro Irimajiri confirmed that worldwide sales of teh Dreamcast now stands at 5.8 million units. Over 1 million people now use the internet on a regular basis. Best news yet is that MegaDrive games will be playable through the internet beginning in May.
Sega have had a successful first day at the Tokyo Game Show. The press have generally acknowledged that Sega's stand was far more impressive then Sonys and I'm not talking about design. I'm talking about games. Some of the (potential) hits on display includes Sonic Team's RPG, Phantasy Star Online, Game Arts' Grandia II, Jet Set Radio and Rent-A-Hero No 1.
No sooner do you do a preview of a game, namely Toy Story 2, then it's release date changes. Although the game was due for release in the second week of April the developers have now pushed the release date to June or July this year.
SOA and Blockbuster Video have signed a deal which will see the rental chain renting out the Dreamcast beginning April 7th. A whopping 45 different games will be available for rent at the same time.
Eidos have confirmed their 6 Dreamast titles currently in development. These include Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2, Omikron: The Nomad Soul, Commandos 2, Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, 102 Dalmatians (based on the upcoming Di$ney movie) and Walt Di$ney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour.
Playstation 2
SCEI has confirmed that they have shipped their projected 1.4 million Playstation 2's at the end of March in Japan. Around 36% of the systems being sold were via the playstation.com website. Furthermore SCE have confirmed that they will ship 10 million units they year with 4 million for Japan, 3 million in North America and andother 3 million for Europe (where Australia's supply comes from).
Dreamcast
In a shocking development it's looking more and more likely that Ozisoft will drop distribution of the Dreamcast in Australia within a couple of months. Rumours had started circulating on the official Dreamcast website forum a couple of weeks ago and the following e-mail was forwarded to me early today:
Unfortunately the Dreamcast has failed to meet Ozisoft's expectations in Australia. Following the successful launch, the system failed to gain a market share and with the impending launch of the Playstation 2 it's future wasn't guaranteed. Sales to this point have been weak with around 20,000 units sold in 4 months, well short of our targets. Major retailers are also ignoring the Sega Dreamcast and without retail support the Dreamcast was doomed to fail. Management are still considering several options for our loyal Sega followers who have already purchased the system. It is possible that another company will pick up the distribution rights in this country. Expect an announcement soon.
Quake 3 Arena has been officially announced for release on the Dreamcast. But instead of a cut down or limited port of the PC game iD are including all new maps for the Dreamcast version. The best news however, and a landmark in gaming, is the fact that the console and PC versions will be compatible so Dreamcast gamers can prove their worth against PC owners. Hopefully by the time the DC version comes out there won't be any more major patches required for the PC game. No release date was given although the end of the year seems likely.
KISS Psycho Circus has also been officially announced for the Dreamcast thanks to Tremor Entertainment who are developing the title. This should be the first, first person shooter on the Dreamcast although multiplayer options haven't been divulged yet. Oh and in case your wondering the game isn't based on the rock group.
Resident Evil: Code Veronica has gone on sale in America and pretty much sold out within the first couple of days. No word yet on an Australian release but going by Capcom's past translation time I wouldn't count on it too soon.
There are some new release dates for American Dreamcast games. Over the coming weeks US gamers can expect to see F1 World Grand Prix 25/4, Maken X 25/4, Space Channel 5 6/6, Ecco The Dolphin 11/7, Seaman 11/7, Virtua Tennis 11/7 and finally D2 on 15/8. Expect the PAL releases to be soon after.
Sega of Japan is planning an announcement with regards to a translation of their Naomi Tetris title to the Dreamcast. This will be the second tetris title after the mediocre Tetris 4D. Current rumours are pointing towards a mid-year release with a low RRP of 2,800 yen ($AU35).
Playstation 2
Sony of Japan might be in a bit of trouble with the Playstation 2. SCEI has been forced to recall all the start up DVD software due to a fault which allows users to play movies from any region. Because this is illegal Sony were forced to recall all the software for replacement which will cost them a fortune considering 1.25 million units have been sold. There is also a remote possibility that US movie studios will sue the company.
SCEI has confirmed they are planning to ship the 8MB memory cards for the Playstation 2 this week. Hopefully the problems have now been sorted out for good. It should be a busy week for stores in Japan with Tekken Tag Tournament and Dead Or Alive 2 both hitting the shelves.