Playstation 2
Activision has secured the rights to develop Playstation 2 titles based on the X-Men franchise. Apparently there are two games in development. The first is a fighting game similar to X-Men Mutant Academy on the Playstation while the second game is an action-RPG. No release dates have been mentioned yet.
Konami have confirmed that a Metal Gear Solid 2 demo will ship in Japan early next year. Apparently the playable demo will be released with Z.O.E. in February 2001.
Electronic Arts in America has confirmed that Kessen will be a launch title there. No word yet on the Australian release other then that the title is coming out here.
Dreamcast
Sega of America and Sega of Japan have confirmed release dates for the highly anticipated Phantasy Star Online. The Japanese version will be released on December 21 in Japan. Unfortunately the plans for a simultaneous worldwide release won't happen as America has the game scheduled for January 2001 to allow more time for "testing". The PAL version will most likely be released around February/March, after America.
One of the biggest games this Christmas will no doubt be Sierra's Half-Life on the Dreamcast. Some new details have been announced regarding online gameplay. Apparently the version that hits the streets this year will be single player only, no multi-player. But it's not all that bad. Sometime next year the developers will release a new Half-Life game which will be targeted at multi-player only.
Other
I have added a feature article to the site which has a look at the Cover Art for upcoming Dreamcast games. Make sure you have a look and tell me what you think.
I have update the Past Polls page with all the latest results as well as the Previews & Release Schedule page with the latest release dates including several more Playstation 2 launch titles.
Finally, if you haven't voted in this months poll, which only has 2 days to go, make sure you go to the Main Page to vote now.
Playstation 2
I have added another preview to the site. This time it is the impressive game TimeSplitters from Free Radical Design.
Dreamcast
Sega of Japan has announced that their highly anticipated Phantasy Star Online will be released in Japan on December 21st. It will also be possible to connect to th PSO network through any ISP, not just the official Sega one.
I have added a preview to Sega's Ferrari F355 Challenge.
Other
Once again I have updated several pages on this site including the Previews page and the Reviews page which lists all the Dreamcast games available now.
Playstation 2
I had an interesting conversation with my work collegue the other day regarding the Playstation 2 launch. After telling her to put a deposit down on a Playstation 2 at Electronics Boutique she surprised me when she returned and said that staff there told her the games would be up to $AU130. This wasn't the first report of this with a couple of e-mail's over the last month with the same story. Time for some phone calls. I rang up most of the major Australian publishers including Ubisoft, Acclaim, Ozisoft, Jack Of All Games, and Sony regarding this matter. Although most companies haven't yet set the final prices almost everyone agreed that pricing games over the $AU100 mark would most likely not occur. Even with the weak Australian dollar most games will come in at $99.95 with the occasional title possibly as low as $79.95 or $89.95. Exactly how Electronics Boutique got their $AU130 price point is unknown but it is highly unlikely.
Dreamcast
I have added a preview to the highly anticipated Sonic Adventure 2. This preview includes some of the latest pictures from Sonic Team released in the last week.
It look like Mag Force Racing will be delayed slighly from this weeks expected release. Leanne Pine from Jack Of All Games today advised me that they had not yet received the stock from Europe but that it is due any day.
Other
I have update the Letters page with a couple more interesting reads. If you have anything you want to say please e-mail me at the usual address, phantom@winshop.com.au.
Make sure you keep checking Future Gamez over the coming weeks as there will be some interviews with game developers such as Shiny, Melbourne House, Illusion Softworks and more.
Playstation 2
Universal Interactive Studios and Konami have announced that they will be developing games based on Jurassic Park 3 and The Thing for the Playstation 2. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that Crash Bandicoot has been announced to appear on multiple next-generation platforms, possibly XBox.
Activision has confirmed that they are developing Spiderman 2 for the Playstation 2. This is the 14th title that the company has announced for the Playstation 2. As yet there is no expected release date for the title.
Square have announced that The Bouncer will include 5.1 Dolby Digital sound. This sound format is used in DVD movies to create 6 separate channels of surround sound (left-front, center-front, right-front, left-rear, right-rear and bass). This sound format can only be decoded with a special receiver but with those who have it (myself included) this should be an awesome experience. Apparently the Square sound engineers are trying to get 5.1 surround sound working in the real-time gameplay elements as well, something which requires enormous CPU power.
I have added some more previews to the site including Volition's awesome shooter Red Faction, EA's Nascar 2001 and also EA's FIFA 2001.
Dreamcast
Fox Interactive's The World's Scariest Police Chases has been delayed from Q'3 2000 to Q'2 2001. The official reason for the delay is "to improve the product".
According to Australian Gamer web site Ozisoft have confirmed that NFL2K1 will not be coming to Australia. Yet another reason to support the importing games and mod chips (not that I support it). Not allowing the public to get this game is a crime.
I have done a review of Acclaim's latest racing game, South Park Rally.
XBox
Microsoft has held a press conference in America to announce a list of developers for the XBox. In fact the company announced 160 developers in total, with several big name companies. Some of the most notable developers on the list included Konami, THQ, Infogrames, Midway, Eidos, Argonaut, Capcom, Activision, Namco, and Rage. Activision has confirmed that they have 6 titles in development for the system while Konami are expected to announced their titles in the next couple of days.
Gamecube
Nintendo's VP Peter Main has confirmed that the Gamecube will be playable at the 2001 E3 show in America. The connectivity between the Gameboy Advance and Gamecube will also be demonstrated although Peter Main didn't say which titles will be present.
WELCOME!!!
Welcome to Future Gamez everyone. For most of you the site would have remained pretty much the same. The big difference is that there is now a proper domain name.
http://www.futuregamez.net
This will be the sites new address from now on while my e-mail address will remain the same at phantom@winshop.com.au. With more web space I can now expand and not have to worry about limiting space. Expect a lot more improvements in the coming months as I work to make this one of the better sites on the internet for Australian gaming news.
Special Note
A good friend of mine, Tails, has asked me to mention his Dreamcast Weekly newsletter to you. On the Main Page of this site there is a box on the bottom right hand side to sign up to receive his newsletter. I strongly urge you to do so as this newsletter, which reaches some 40,000 people, regularly has exclusive Dreamcast news. The 100th issue will be e-mailed out on Sunday 24th September and will include an interview with Peter Moore, President of SOA. In the coming weeks there will be an interview with Yuji Naka from Sonic Team. Well done Tails.
Dreamcast
Some more cheap Dreamcast games are appearing. Electronic Boutiques apparently have WWF Attitude for $AU29.95 as well as several other older titles. BIG W have also reduced the price of Virtua Fighter 3: Team Battle, Snow Surfers and Formula 1 World Grand Prix to $AU68.84.
While FGN Online posted a news article stating that Microprose's Grand Prix 3 may be coming to the Dreamcast. Hasbro Interactive has confirmed that the title will be coming out with a release date of November 30 penciled in.
Unfortunately Hasbro has also been the bearer of bad news with confirmation that Stunt GP has been cancelled. Apparently this cancellation is worldwide, however it seems extremely close to the launch date.
Dreamcast
America now has a collectors edition Dreamcast. The Sega Sports pack includes a black Dreamcast, with matching black controller, as well as two of the hottest sports games, NBA2K and NFL2K. The pack retails for $US169.95 or just over $AU300. Once again Australian Sega fans are being short changed.
Fox has cancelled Sanity: Aikin's Artifact for the Dreamcast. No reason has been given for the cancellation.
Playstation 2
Sony has announced plans to release a digital camera and printer for the Playstation 2 in Japan later this year. The camera will be released on October 20 for 99,800 yen ($AU1250) and has the capability to store about 60 seconds worth of animation. The printer, called Popegg will be available on November 15 for 15,000 yen ($AU200) and will have 360 x 360 resolution in colour. No word if either peripheral will be released outside Japan.
Unreal Tournament should be a launch title for the Playstation 2. The game is on target for an October 26 release in America. A couple of weeks ago Infogrames announced that the game would be delayed by a few weeks however the game now appears to be back on track.
Interplay has confirmed that Rage's Wild Wild Racing will be ready in time for the American Playstation 2 launch on October 26.
Genki has announced that they will be porting their Tokyo Highway Battle series to the Playstation 2. The game is scheduled to be released in Japan at the end of this year on DVD media. There will be over 180 km of road to drive on and will have over 60 different types of cars.
UEP Systems has announced that they are developing Cool Boarders Code Alien for the Playstation 2. This snowboarding series has had much success on the Playstation and Dreamcast. The Playstation 2 version is expected to be released in December.
Sony has redesigned the Playstation 2 motherboard to stop modchips from working in the new models.
Metro3D has announced plans to port 2 games to the Playstation 2. The first is Armada 2 which is an online action game. Currently the game is scheduled for release in February or March next year. This is around the time when Sony are expected to announce online plans for the system. The other game is Dark Angel: Vampire Apocalypse which is an action/adventure game.
I have added a preview of Volition's Summoner to the site.
Gamecube
Peter Main, the president of Nintendo America has hinted at a price for the Gamecube. When asked by Game Business about the expected price he responded with "I can't tell you." followed by "I will say it will be something like that of Nintendo 64, which came in at $199.".
Other
Sorry I haven't updated in a couple of days I've been a little busy. Over the last couple of days I have hardly been able to walk with an extremely sore ankle. Last night I went to the Gabba to watch Kuwait and Czech Republic in the Soccer. (Kuwait won 3-2) Expect a lot more updates soon as I have spent a lot of time doing previews.
Dreamcast
A couple more cheap Dreamcast games have been brought to my attention. Firstly BIG W are also selling Vigilante 8: Second Offense for around $29.95. An even better deal is that BIG W are also selling House of the Dead 2 w/ Gun for $98.84. These prices are permanent reductions but I'm not sure how long they will keep stock for.
I have added yet another review, this time it is Acclaim's Trick Style which is now selling for $29.95 at BIG W.
Playstation 2
Konami have confirmed that Silent Hill 2 is headed to Playstation 2. The game, which will be released sometime in 2001, will include improved fogging effects and several new monsters to deal with.
Confirmation from Sony Australia today that it is likely that Gran Turismo 2000 will be pushed back into 2001, possibly as late as February or March. This is quite different to the FAQ on their web site a couple of days ago stating it was a launch title.
Other
A reminder to everyone that I am awaiting your E-Mail's so I can start building up a bit Letters Page. You can write to me about anything at all and I will reply to you. Go on, get to it.
Dreamcast
Several Dreamcast games seem to have been permanently reduced in Australia. Currently BIG W are selling games such as Worms Armageddon, Trick Style and Psychic Force 2012 for $AU29.95. If you find any more deals and bargains in Australian stores send me an E-Mail so I can post the news.
I have added reviews to Acclaim's rather average ECW Hardcore Revolution and Sega's awesome NBA2K.
Playstation 2
Sony Australia has confirmed some more details about the Playstation 2 launch in Australia. There will be 3 titles at launch from them including Tekken Tag Tournament, Ridge Racer V and Fantavision. December will see the release of Dead Or Alive 2: Hardcore. There will probably be more titles from Sony during those months, with Gran Turismo 2000 highly rumored.
Dreamcast
Sega.net has launched in America. American gamers can now play some of the biggest games, including the awesome NFL2K1 against their friends via the modem. It will be interesting to see how well the huge load on the servers will cope but Sega remain very confident of success. Of course some of the big titles we will see by Christmas include Quake III Arena, Unreal Tournament (possibly) and NBA2K1.
SNK Vs Capcom has smashed it's way to Number 1 on it's first day of release in the Japanese sales charts. The game managed to knock the recently released Dragon Quest 7 to second spots. Dino Crisis managed to appear at number 7 on it's launch day.
Capcom have announced that they are porting Resident Evil 3 to the Dreamcast. The game is scheduled to be release in Japan on November 16. No word yet on an European/Australian port.
Playstation 2
Sony have announced plans to release a new steering wheel to coincide with the release of Gran Turismo 2000. The wheel will include force feedback and accelerate and brake pedals. Also announced was that the game will use anti-aliasing to reduce the jaggered edges notorious in so many Playstation 2 games. The game will also include 150 cars with each on made up of 5,000 polygons. The rally mode from GT2 will return and the sounds have been totally re-recorded.
According to Amusement Graffiti Soul Calibur 2 is in development on the System 246 arcade board. What is this you ask? Well, it's the Playstation 2 arcade system. So the chances of a port to the Playstation 2 seem likely, although not for quite a while.
According to PS2.IGN SCEE has released a list of titles for Europe's Playstation 2 launch. Australia should be similar if not identical. Below is the list;
November 24, 2000 (November 30 - Australia)
Xbox
Microsoft have once again bumped up the specs of the Xbox. This time the PIII-600Mhz has been bumped up to PIII-733Mhz. There are also rumors that the RAM may increase from 64MB to 128MB although this seems a little unlikely considering high RAM prices.
Gamecube
Capcom have confirmed that the Resident Evil series is coming to the Gamecube. The game is actually Resident Evil 0 which was in development for the N64 but was scrapped in favor of a launch title on the Gamecube in late 2001. Expect more details closer to launch.
Konami have confirmed that they will be bringing their International Superstar Soccer series to the Gamecube.
Sunsoft have confirmed that they will be porting their Looney Tunes games to the Gamecube. No release dates have been given yet.
Dreamcast
Daytona USA has been confirmed for the Dreamcast, with online gameplay. Sega showed about 5 seconds of video footage in a presentation at the ECTS show. There is still no release date yet, however Q'1 2001 is fairly likely.
Confirmation from Ozisoft of yet another game that won't make it to Australia. Unfortunately Atlus' Maken X won't be released here due to poor potential sales.
Sega Europe dropped another surprise at the ECTS. They are planning to release 4x VMU, which will include the VMU screen as normal but will have 4 times the storage capacity. The new memory card should be released around October/November in Europe.
Jet Set Radio was also shown at the ECTS show and it looks like the game will include several new tunes not found in the American version. Other enhancements included new signage around the streets. Expect more news closer to release.
Playstation 2
I have added previews to Konami's Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and EA's X Squad to the web site.
Other
Just a reminder to everyone that a new POLL has been put up on the Main Page. Go vote now.
Dreamcast
The Dreamcast has officially been dropped in America and Europe to $US149.00 in America and 149 pounds in England. This follows the Australian price drop last week to $AU299 ($US180).
Famitsu in Japan has rated two of this months hottest Dreamcast games. SNK Vs Capcom was given scores of 8,7,8,7 (30/40 - 75%). Not great, but not too bad. The other game was Capcom's Dino Crisis which scored 8,8,8,7 (31/40 - 77.5%), hopefully it will be bound for Australia soon.
Toe Jam & Earl III has been confirmed for release on the Dreamcast. The game is development by Visual Concepts although there isn't a release date yet.
Rumors from Japan are pointing towards a new game in development for the Dreamcast from Namco. No it's not a sequel to Soul Calubur but it is rumored that the game is a RPG.
Other
To all those out there wondering what has happened to me lately, I can report that I am very much alive and well. In fact I was locked out of my Geocities account for a few days and even at the moment I am getting reports that some graphics aren't appearing on the site. If you are having problems please let me know. Thanks.