JULY 1999 NEWS

Just a quick reminder that today is the last day to vote in the POLL on the main page. Make sure you vote immediatly.

Could it be that there is a PERFECT game. Well according to Weekly Famitsu, Soul Calibur is exaclty that. All four reviewers gave the game 10/10 for a perfect 40/40. Even the great Sonic Adventure only got 38/40, while Sega Rally 2 received 36/40 in the magazine.

Sting have confirmed that they are working on Evolution 2 for the Dreamcast. A release date has not yet been set.

Some more news on Sega's epic Shen Mue has surfaced. Firstly the game will now ship with 3 GD-ROMS in October. This means there is up to 3.6 gig's of data, or 5 normal CD's. The other bit of news concerns the games realism. Apparently if you character doesn't receive enough sleep during the night then this will increase his vunerability to attack and damage as well as reducing the players speed the next day.

UEP System's Cool Boarders ~ Burrn has been renamed to Snow Surfers. This had to be done for legal reasons and although I'm not sure of specifics it could be that Sony hold the naming rights to Cool Boarders.

I have to apologise for the slight delay of the second half of the OziSoft interview. As you can guess Steve O'Leary has been flat out in meetings re-organising the Dreamcast launch and advertising. I thank you for your patience.

Of course the big news of yesterday was the delay of the Dreamcast in Australia. After speaking on the phone to Steve O'Leary this morning some good news has come to hand. Although the system will be delayed by 4 weeks it is almost certain there will be more then 10 launch title here. The 10 titles he was talking about are Sega titles and doesn't include games from 3rd parties such as Midway, Konami etc.

Sega are apparently set to test the networkability of the Dreamcast using optical fibres through Tokyo railways. It is believed the test is to check the performance of the system with plans to release cable modems later on in the Dreamcast's life.

Sega Of America have confirmed that Toy Commander will be released in the States this year. Sega have stated that No Cliché's title will include 50 hours of gameplay, 35 vechicles, 8 environments as well as 4 player support.

Will Q3A (Quake 3 Arena for those unsure) ever make it to the Dreamcast? Well in an interesting interview with Gamers' Republic, Id's John Carmack has stated that there have been some tough times with Sega. On several occasions the two companies have stopped talking for several months. At one point Sega were willing to have Q3A as a pack-in with the modem but at the last minute Sega pulled the deal. That said, John Carmack is still keen to develop on the Dreamcast and believes the system will be able to handle Q3A quite well. Hopefully Sega start kissing John's feet.

Remember when my site first started around a year ago now? There was an interesting title called Drones. But the game soon disappeared. However, it's back. Now titled DorneZ, the game isprogressing slowly. How well this futuristic sports game will fare is unknown but I've always like the concept and look of the game.

Well the Dreamcast has been officially delayed in Australia until late October. Steve O'Leary released this statement to the press concerning the delay.


Let me just post an official reply to the delay rumours for Dreamcast.

The Dreamcast will now go on sale in October 1999. The reasons for this action are quite simple and are as follows.

Customising the browser disc for use in Australia has taken longer than expected. Sega is in an incredibly unique situation where they are launching the first on-line console that will offer the user full Internet access, including web browsing, sending and receiving email and on-line gaming. This takes a great deal more effort and planning than just launching a standard console, including liaising with an Internet service provider, developing a 'plug and play' operating system and setting up a huge network that can cater for over 200,000 users in the first year. The unique situation for Sega also extends to the fact that they are launching the console in the US and Europe in the same month, and that even with this incredible workload Sega are currently working 24/7 to ensure that the launch of the Dreamcast is an absolute success in both territories.

Australia and New Zeland are also in a unique situation where their telecommunications system is different from the UK, Europe and Japan, so additional modifications have to be made to the browser disc to ensure that the console is fully Internet compatible day 1.

Dreamcast is currently facing the largest launch ever for a games console, with over 2.4 million consoles pre-ordered in the US alone. Demands like this obviously place a strain on the company as a whole, but as I mentioned, they are doing their best to ensure that the Dreamcast is a success in all territories. With they systems current specs, Internet abilities and large range of launch titles, its a safe bet to day that they will achieve this goal.

With these factors in mind, OziSoft have decide to delay the console's launch until October'99 so that the console will be fully Internet compatible at launch with a 'plug and play' browser disc that allows even the most computer illiterate user to browse the web with ease.

Our decision was further strengthened by the fact that Sega Europe had decided to only have around 5 games at launch and had adopted a strategy where they would release games every week rather than all at once. While we don't disagree with this strategy, the option of delaying the console a month because of the browser disc modifications will ensure that the console has 10 games day 1, as well as games being released every week until Christmas.

Please understand that OziSoft are completely dedicated to the Dreamcast becoming the success in Australia and New Zealand that it will be in the rest of the world.

We have the best technology, and most importantly the best games.

Be rest assured that OziSoft has the best marketing team on-board who will do justice to the great system that Sega have created for you, the gamer.
Regards,
Steve O'Leary
Dreamcast Communications Manager
OziSoft

Before I get into the news just a quick reminder to everyone that the poll on the main page will close in just 3 days time. If you haven't voted this month, do so immediatly.

Namco have confirmed that they are working on two other games on the Dreamcast, although no details were given one title is strongly rumoured to be Tekken Tag Tournament. My guess is that the second title will be either Time Crisis 2 or a version of Ridge Racer.

Thankfully, it appears as if the delay to Climax Landers may be minimal. The game is now set to be release on August 19th, a delay of only 3 weeks.

Although Climax Landers has been delayed by a couple of weeks that hasn't stopped Dreamcast Magazine from reviewing the title. The game received a score of 24/30 with 2 reviews giving the game 9/10 and another (obviously not a RPG fan) giving it 6/10. With several weeks until it's release, there is still time to improve the game further.

Sega have announced plans for a limited edition of Shen Mue upon it's October 28th release in Japan. The limited edition will included the Shen Mue music CD. The price of the limited edition package will be 6,800 yen.

One interesting rumour of late is that Sega Of America will be publishing Grandia 2 in the United States. Game Arts have been working on the title for over 2 years now however a Japanese release date is still to be confirmed.

Sega CART Super Speed Racing has undergone a name change in America and is now known as Flag To Flag. No reason for the name change has been given.

More game reviews have been release in Japan. Weekly Famitsu has rated Konami's Airforce Delta 31/40 (77.5%) while Dreamcast Magazine gave the game 23/30 (76.7%). Other titles reviewed were Akihabara Pata Pies! (Weekly Famitsu 24/40 - 60%, DC Weekly 22/30 - 73.3%), Marionnette Handler (Weekly Famitsu 25/40 - 62.5%, DC Weekly 20/30 - 66.7%), and Seaman : Forbidden Pet (Weekly Famitsu 29/40 - 72.5%, DC Weekly 22/30 - 73.3%).

Wrestling game Toukon Retsuden 4 now has a projected release date of September 30th in Japan.

Microsoft have announced plans for DirectX 7, including plans to build in into an new version of the WinCE operating system which the Dreamcast uses. What does this mean for you? Well the new DirectX should allow better conversions of PC games to the Dreamcast as well as better online gaming.

SNK's King Of The Fighters: DM '99 has been confirmed as a launch title in the United States. No word yet on a PAL conversion.

The second half of the OziSoft interview should be posted on Dreamcast Australia on Thursday night. Sorry it's late, but these thing happen.

The interview with Steve O'Leary from Ozisoft is now online. The interview goes into detail about the actual system as well as the lead up to the launch of the system here. This is something you must read. Click here to do so.

Gamespot have announced that Capcom aren't developing Resident Evil : Code Veronica for the Dreamcast. Gamespot have reported that Sega are actually developing the title in-house with Capcom keeping a very close eye on the title.

SOA web site is now stating that Visual Concepts' NBA 2000 title has been delayed until November.

NCS have announced that the Dreamcast will be able to play imported games via the use of a mod chip. No details yet on when it will be available or how much it will cost.

Sonic Team are looking for new staff. Apparently they are looking to put on some CG experts for new projects, including a new title in an old Sega series, most likely Nights.

Atlus have apprently confirmed that Maken X has once agin been delayed. This time the delay is believed to be from September until November at least.

The Dreamcast version of Gundam will now include online gameplay.

Sega have announced that their AM Show, which runs from September 9th - 12th, will now include console games as well as arcade games. No doubt the Dreamcast will be prominant.

Capcom have apparently shown off Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike and Gaea Master behind closed doors in Japan. Both games should be released near the end of this year.

New sales figures have been released in Japan. The top selling Dreamcast game was Street Fighter Zero 3 in 5th position with a rather low 28,182 sales. Shutokou Battle is in 10th position with 15,238 sales (103,875 total sales). Other titles include KOF : DM99 (24th, 7,261 this week, 79,031 total), Giant Gram 2 (25th, 6,970 this week, 73,309 total), Virtua Fighter 3 :TB (27th, 6,671 this week, 395,603 total) and finally Sonic Adventure (28th, 6,649 this week, 435,112 total).

Keep an eye out soon for the first part in a massive interview with Steve O'Leary from Ozisoft. The first part of the interview covers technical details about the system and the build up to the Australian launch.

Climax have delayed their highly anticipated Climax Landers until a "TBA 1999" date. Apparently some bugs were found in the game at the last minute which has resulted in the delay. I have added a preview to the game which can be accessed by clicking here.

Yu Suzuki has hinted that Shen Mue : Yokosuka may be released on 2 GD-ROM's.

Capcom have announced that the Dreamcast port of Star Gladiator 2 will be released in October, not September as previously announced.

Konami will be releasing Dancing Blade on August 26th in Japan, slightly ahead of schedule.

Capcom USA have announced release dates for their games in the USA. They are; Power Stone - September 1st (yes, prior to launch), Marvel Vs Capcom - September 9th, Street Fighter Alpha 3 - October, and in a surprise Resident Evil : CV is scheduled for release in November.

A quick reminder for everone to send me questions for the interview with Sega Ozisoft early next week. E-mail them to the usual address at phantom@winshop.com.au.

Sega have announced that Virtua Striker 2 : Version 2000 will include 32 teams from the 1998 World Cup. The game will include new defensive formations and new moves.

Capcom have announced they are also supporting the rental program in America. Power Stone will be available for rent on August 1st while Marvel Vs Capcom will be available on August 30th.

Keep an eye out in the arcades. Ferarri 355 Challenge will be released in Japanese arcades on the 22nd July and should start appearing in Australian arcades soon after.

Sega's RPG Project Ares is apparently coming along nicely. So well in fact, that the game could be released in the first half of next year. Hopefully the programmers can create a game with the same perfection of their Phantasy Star series.

Rumours are mounting that Tecmo, the developers of Dead Or Alive are working on a new Dreamcast game titled, Blue Evil Light. No other information is available yet.

Toukon Retsuden 4 has been delayed again, this time from mid August to September.

Konami's highly anticipated flying game, Air Force Delta will include a replay mode where you can edit it into a film and save it to the VMS.

Sega of America have finally updated their web site with the latest Dreamcast information. Although they only include previews for about 10 games it's still worth a look at "www.sega.com".

For all those interested, I am now sending out a newsletter every couple of weeks with latest Dreamcast and DCA information. Those who haven't received the e-mail and wish to receive it simply fill out the survey.

I have added a review for Acclaim's Trick Style.

I have added a review for Sega's Naomi arcade game Zombie Revenge.

Here's an interesting rumour. More likely then not it's begun as misinformation but the latest rumour is that Europe will now receive the Dreamcast on 9/9/99 as well as America, instead of 23/9/99 as SOE have stated.

Majesco, who are developing Rainbow 6 for the Dreamcast have announced they have another 2 titles in the works. It is believed one title is a port of and existing game while the second is a brand new title.

Capcom Asia have confirmed that SNK Vs Capcom will be coming to the Dreamcast. No release date has yet been announced.

Some worrying reports out of America are that Sonic Adventure :LE includes less then stellar voicing in English. In parts where English speech has stopped the characters lips are still moving. Hopefully the rental version is still not the final game. It doesn't feature any musical or graphical changes as promised outside Japan.

Konami have recetly stated that they will not be developing any more titles for the Playstation and N64. Any games currently in development will be completed and then their teams will move onto newer systems. Hopefully more Dreamcast titles will be on the way soon.

Capcom's Resident Evil : Code Veronica will include several features no found in previous incarnations of the game. Firstly the game will include multiple paths which will affect the overalll storyline in the game. Secondly the game will feature random monsters as well as special camera modes.

Apparently the Sonic game released for rental in America is titled Sonic Adventure : Limited Edition. The game features English text and speech but doesn't have any bug fixes as promised for release outside Japan. It was hoped the rental version would be complete to get an idea of how much effort is putting into the Dreamcast launch outside Japan.

In a strange twist to the ongoing PAL Get Bass saga, SOE have stated that the Fishing controller won't be a launch peripheral there. Seeing as Australia follows the Europian releases the controller and game may be off the release list again.

Tecmo have announced that Dead Or Alive 2 will be released in the arcades in August with the Dreamcast version to follow by February next year.

Apparently Dreamcast demo units have begun to appear in Europe. According to Core Magazine the system is a Japanese model with the logo altered to appear blue as in PAL territories.

Contrary to reports Accolade's Slave Zero will be a launch title in America. This confirms that there will be a staggering 23 launch titles in the States.

Japanese Dreamcast Magazine has review several recent releases in Japan.Permanent Expert 3 received 24/30 (80%), Frame Gride received 23/30 (76.7%), Boy Kanipan received 20/30 (66.7%) and World Neverland Plus received 23/30 (76.7%). Needless to say it's unlikely that we will ever see these games outside Japan. (The possible exception being Frame Gride.

Famitsu has also rated several games in Japan. Buggy Heat received a disappointing 26/40 (65%), Boy Kanipan 28/40 (70%) and in a massive boost for Sega Street Fighter Zero 3 received a very impressive 33/40 (82.5%).

According to Dreamcast IGN Evolution will be released in the United States on October 15th. No word on a PAL release but if the game does well in America it should be converted.

Dreamcast software sales in Japan have dropped in the last week. Shutoku Battle dropped from No 2 to No 9 with sales of 20,929 units (125,715 total). Giant Gram 2 dropped from No 4 to No 15 with sales of 13,055 (100,975 total) and KOF: DM '99 dropped from No 3 to No 16 with 13,018 sales (109,958 total). Expect game sales to pick up ext week with a strong line up of releases.

The Dreamcast rentals have begun in America, but only for those with deep pockets. The system requires a $US350 deposit to stop thieves.

Dreamcast units sales are still holding up strong in Japan following the price drop. The last week saw a further 45,000 units sold, almost double the Playstation and five times the N64. Expect further sales next week when Street Fighter Zero 3 and Buggy Heat enter the charts.

Accolade have confirmed that they are enhancing Test Drive 6 for the Dreamcast. The backgrounds will included more polygons and the game will have improved volumetric lighting and fogging.

Two quick reminders for everyone. Firstly I need more questions for the Ozisoft interview. I have a heap already but make sure you get them in by next week by e-mailing me at phantom@winshop.com.au. The second reminder is for the poll on the main page of the site. If you haven't voted make sure you do so ASAP.

In a major revelation the "swap method" to get games from other countries to work on the Dreamcast no longer works. This means that those with Japanese systems can only play Japanese games, and those who purchase an American Dreamcast will only be able to play American games. Funcoland in America received final US Dreamcast units and tried the trick with no luck. Apparently more code is now in games to check the terratories after the game has begun.

Stores in Japan will be receiving copies of Soul Calibur to demonstrate within the next week or so. The game is due out on August 5th.

Atlus's Maken X has been given a release date of September 25th in Japan.

Weekly Famitsu have reviewed Frame Gride, a mech battle game. It received a modest total of 29/40 (72.5%).

In a recent newsletter from Electronics Boutique they have listed the US Dreamcast release schedule which has a few surprises. Of course the dates are subject to change but some of the surprises are; Climax Landers (13th October - so early?), Get Bass (20th October - well after PAL release), Shen Mue (2nd December - so soon after Japan?), and Toy Story 2 (16th February - well after the movie release).

Even though it's only been a month since the last Ozisoft interview, another one will be held towards the end of the month. If you have any questions you want answered send me an e-mail at : phantom@winshop.com.au

Sega X are reporting that SOJ are looking at the possability of adding online play to Virtua Striker '99 but are having problems with the lag.

I have added a detailed preview of Shen Mue : Yokosuka to the site.

A list of games on the US demo CD (to be packaged with the Dreamcast) has been announced on the gamefan website. The playable demos include Ready 2 Rumble, Sonic Adventure, House of the Dead 2, Cart Racing, Monaco GP, Power Stone, and Get Bass. Videos of Hydro Thunder, Sega NFL 2000, Sega NBA 2000, and Blitz 2000 will be included as well. The PAL demo CD si likely to be similar, although the some demo's (probably NFL) may be removed for some other games.

In an interview with Core Magazine CRI (developers of Aero Dancing and Buggy Heat) have confirmed that they are working on several more Dreamcast titles. No details were announced about the games although sequels to their other two games are being discussed.

There has been much talk about Sega not releasing their light gun. Let me assure all the readers out there that this only applies in America. Australia and othere PAL territories will receive the official light gun from Sega.

Tecmo have announced that they will be releasing Dead or Alive 2 on the Dreamcast within 6 months of the game hitting the arcades.

Data East's Revive will be released on October 28th in Japan and Hudson's Super Producers now has a release date of October 7th.

Electronics Boutique and Hollywood Video are joining in a promotion in America to coincide with the Dreamcast rental program which begins in a week. Anyone who rents a Dreamcast will receive a $10 off coupon to purchase any Dreamcast equipment at EB's. Any anyone who uses the $10 coupon will receive a rent one/get one coupon for Hollywood video.

Rumours from Japan are that Enix are working on Star Ocean 3 for the Dreamcast. The previous game in the series sold over 500,000 copies on the Playstation. Hopefully there will be confirmation of this soon.

Nyko are working on a 6 button Dreamcast controller to be released in the States. It looks similar to the standard pad with 2 extra buttons above the 4 main one. No work on an Australian release yet.

Added previews of Get Bass and Suzuki Alstare Racing.

As predicted it's been a massive week in Japan for the Dreamcast. 5 games appeared in the top 20, with 3 new releases and 2 older titles which have had their prices dropped. Shutokou Battle was the number two game in Japan selling 104,786 copies. King Of The Fighters 99 was 3rd with 96,940 copies sold and Giant Gram 2 was at number four, with 87,920 copies sold. The two reduced games in the chart were Virtua Fighter 3 and Sonic Adventure which sold 23,800 (total 377,497) and 23,480 (total 416,733) copies respectively for 13th and 14th places.

Hardware also sold well with another 65,000 Dreamcast units sold last week. This is a big improvement over the average 5,000-10,000 per week in recent months.

Two more games have been released in Japan. Both Buggy Heat and Super Adventure Boy Kanipan should be big sellers in the coming week.

With the news of Konami porting 3 Microsoft titles to the Dreamcast come the (strong) rumours that the titles will be Links Extreme, Age of Empires, and Monster Truck Madness 2. This is in addition to MS Flight Simulator which was already announced.

With the Dream Passport 2 now due out on August 5th in Japan comes news of it's availability. Gamers can take in the original CD to Japanese retailers and exchange it for free. This offer is valid in Japan until the 31st August. Dream Passport 2 will have support for Javascript, Macromedia Flash, E-Mail attachments, MPEG streaming, as well as MIDI, WAV and AIFF support.

You have been asking for it and now it's happened. I have got a much shorter URL for you to type in. All you now need to type is; come.to/dcaustralia

Konami are apparently converting 3 more unnamed Microsoft titles to the Dreamcast. They are already doing a port of Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Details of Sega's RPG, Project ARES, have been released. The game will be set in a fantasy world with the game being played in the third person perspective (similar to Zelda64).

I have updated the Links page with several new sites, updated ratings and the topic of the linked site.

I have added a review of the new Naomi arcade game Crazy Taxi which is now appearing in Australian arcades. You can read the review by clicking here.

With the recent game price drops in Japan comes the news that 4 cheaper titles have sold over 65,000 units each. This is great news for Sega with the Dreamcast struggling in Japan prior to the price drop. Official figures should be out in a couple of days.

Konami have confirmed that Dancing Blade 2 will be released on 30th September. This comes very soon after Dancing Blade which is due out on the 2nd September.

Capcom's highly anticipated Street Fighter Zero 3 has shipped to retailers. Expect this title to shift quite a few Dreamcast units in Asia where the series is still very popular.

Sega have started to ship Dreamcast demo units to stores across America. Although not confirmed it's likely that Sonic Adventure will be the demonstration game with the system. No word yet on when systems will appear in Australia, but late July or early August seems likely.

Apparently Japanese wrestling title Toukon Retsuden 4 has been delayed by a week from the 5th August to the 12th August 1999.

Of all the releases so far Blue Stinger has been the most disappointing. Japanese reviews averaged under 70% and sales slumped after the first week. But thinks are looking better for the English version. CG Studio have stated that the American version will contain selectable viewpoints, hence fixing the main problem with the Japanese game, camera angles. Some controller and musical problems will also be addressed.

Sega have announced that the Dream Passport 2 internet software will be sent out on August 5th for free to registered Dreamcast owners.

The Iomega Zip Drive, which was announced a couple of months ago, is now rumoured to have a 250MB capacity instead of the 100MB as previously announced.

CRI will be holding a Buggy Heat tournament to coincide with the Japanes release of the game on July 8th. Players can upload their best times to be in the running for 30,000 yen plus a cup for first prize and 10,000 yen and a cap for 2nd to 4th prized.

Rumours are circulating that Sting may be working on a sequel to their Saturn game, Baroque for Dreamcast.

What are Sega hiding now? Several reports from Japan have surfaced that Sega are working on something called "Project B-A-D". Sega have apparently shown the project to several companies, but no one is talking. All that is known is that B-A-D stands for Box-Angel-Devil. If I was to take a total guess I would say it might be some sort of hardware, possibly Model 4 or the rumoured upgraded Dreamcast. I only concluded this from the Box part (ie development box). Only time will tell.

Well here is probably the best news that I have had all week. It seems as if Sega Europe have had a change of heart. Get Bass Fishing will be released after all. Better still the game is set to be a launch title. Here's what Sega Ozisoft had to say about the matter : The game will be available at launch. Retail are going absolutely nuts over it!.

Here is some big news from Sega Europe. Apparently they are asking developers to include a 60Hz option in their games. By doing this it will allow gamers with 60Hz TV's to play Dreamcast games full screen and full speed. Sega are probably doing this to reduce the demand in PAL territories for imported NTSC games.

With Pop N' Music 2 now set for release on September 14th comes the news that the game will come with mini games for the VMS unit. The game is also rumoured to come on 2 GD-ROMs.

It looks as if Bizarre Creations cartoon shooter, Furballs, will be heading to Japan. Apparently 2 separate Japanese publishers are looking at the game.

It looks as if the Dreamcast sales have taken off after the price drop. Sega are stating that system sales have increased 5 times over the last week. This is a good sign as Sega's shares dropped to an all time low 2 days ago with their share rating dropped to just above "don't touch" status.

Development company Classified Games, are working on a new game for the Dreamcast to be published by Microsoft. The game is titled Cut Away and is similar to Capcom's Resident Evil series. No other details or release date have been announced.

More details regarding the Dreamcast rentals have been announced in America. The systems will be available through Hollywood Video beginning July 15th. Sonic Adventure will be available on the first day. Two weeks later Power Stone will be released followed another 2 weeks later by Ready 2 Rumble. The final rental game NFL 2000 will be available a couple of days before the system launches.

The release of Climax Landers is drawing nearer in Japan. But be warned the game uses 128 VMS blocks. Seeing as the VMS only has 128 blocks it may be a good idea to purchase another before buying this potentially huge RPG.

Genki will be releasing new VMS downloads which will unlock more cars and hidden features in Shutokou Battle, known as Tokyo Highway Battle outside Japan. These VMS features will be downloadable from July 9th.

Red Lemon's first Dreamcast title, Take The Bullet, will use an innovative control feature. The game is controlled using the Light Gun's D-pad with people being shot using the light gun as normal. This will be the first light gun game where you can control the players movements as well.

I have added previews to Soul Calibur, Ready 2 Rumble, NBA 2000, and Toy Commander on the web site. They can be accessed, along with other previews, from the Coming Soon page.

You may have noticed a couple of changes on the main page. Firstly, and as always, the poll has changed for the new month. Secondly, the navigation menu on the left is a new picture. I will be changing the picture on a regular basis from now on. And finally I have changed the title slightly.

With Resident Evil : Code Veronica still away off it is encouraging to see the latest series of screen shots which show a vast improvement in Capcom's game in recent months. For more pictures and information click here.


Sega of Japan have announced that their Dreamcast network now has over 250,000 users.

Dreamcast.IGN are reporting that Sega are about to set up their first pay-per-play option for the Dreamcast. Make Your Own Baseball Team will allow games player to play the game online, for a fee. The charge is expect to be around 50 yen ($0.60 Australian) per inning. For a full game of baseball that's around $5.00. The service will commence on August 5th and will also include Make Your Own J-League Pro Soccer Team. Neither of these titles is expected to be released outside Japan.

Stormfront Studio's are apparently negotiating with several companies to bring a game to the Dreamcast. In the past Stormfront have developed Nascar 99 for Electronic Arts.

More features for the Dreamcast version of Soul Calibur have been announced. The main addition will be the ability to upload you highest scores to the Dricas site to compare against the rest of the world. Namco are also adding in a full CG intro to the game as well as other CG sequences which can be unlocked by playing the game.

Konami have confirmed that Dancing Blade will be released on September 2nd in Japan. Pop N' Music 2 will be released later, on September 14th.

Three Dreamcast commercials have aired on MTV in America this week. The three commercials can also be downloaded from the Sega web site.

Virtua Striker 2 - Version 2000 will be in the arcade soon. The game uses the Naomi arcade system and should appear on the Dreamcast late in the year.

Two new pages have been added to the web site. Both are accessible through the Odd Bits page. The first new section is a comparison chart between recent and upcoming gaming systems. The second page shows the results from all the previous polls on the site.

I have updated the previews for Sonic Adventure, Virtua Fighter 3 :TB and Resident Evil : Code Veronica.

I recently had the opportunity to play 2 Naomi games in Gold Coast arcades this week. Initial impressions of both Crazy Taxi and Zombie's Revenge were promising and full reviews will be on the site very soon.