SEPTEMBER 1999 NEWS

Resident Evil : Code Veronica will include som ZIP Drive support. Not details have been released about the purpose of the support although downloadable characters and levels are possible.

The reason for the cancelation of Outcast has been announced. According to Infogrames rewriting the graphics engine was going to take too long and by the time it was released Outcast 2 would be ready to come out. When asked what systems Outcast 2 would be released on they stated it would "be hitting everything".

Interplay will be releasing Caesar's Palace 2000 on the Dreamcast. The game isscheduled for a 4th Quarter release.

Blockbuster have announced they will be renting Dreamcast's in Europe starting on October 14th, launch day. The system will cost £10 for 2 days with games available for £3.50 for the same period of time. Still no word yet if any video chains in Australia will have a Dreamcast rental scheme.

According to Dreamcast IGN Infogrames have canned plans to release Outcast on the Dreamcast. While no reason has been given for the cancellation speculation is pointing to the Dreamcast not being powerful enough to display the voxel engine. (Voxels are calculated on the CPU and don't use polygons which 3D graphics chips use)

The other day I told you that the Dolphin won't be released until 2001 in Japan at the earliest. In a recent press conference Matsushita have announced that there are no plans to release the system outside Japan with the compatibility with DVD movies. The key factor in leaving out this feature is to compete with the Playstation 2's pricepoint.

Just a quick reminder to everybody that today is the last day to vote in the POLL on the main page before it is changed again.

Sega America have set a release date of 9/11/99 for Sega Rally 2. The game won't include online play although it is likely that, like Australia, the game will be released without internet modes this year, with an upgraded version available early next year.

The first pictures of the Dreamcast Zip Drive have been revealed thanks to NGO. The unit sits underneath the Dreamcast and has a capacity of 100MB. The Zip Drive will serve several purposes. The obvious use will be for saving and storing information such as e-mail from the internet. However the biggest potential will be for saving data for games. It will be possible to download new levels for games through the internet and permanently store them on disk. No price has been set yet for the unit although an early 2000 release is planned.

South Park fans will be pleased to hear that Acclaim have confirmed that Chef's Luv Shack is headed to Dreamcast. CLS is a party/quiz type game. No release date has been confirmed yet.

Although Rainbow 6 isn't out yet on the Dreamcast, no thanks to the WinCE operating system, it appears that the sequel Rogue Spear will headed to the Dreamcast as well. Although the PC version was released last week a Dreamcast date hasn't been set.

Finally Huge congratulations to the Australian Davis Cup Team who smashed Russia 4-1 this weekend. Oh and Kafelnikov, if you think that Hewitt has a really poor tennis game, all I can say is that you must play like shit to lose your 2 singles rubbers. Get back on your antinov and go home.

Sega have announced that sales of the Dreamcast are still breaking records. After 2 weeks 514,000 units have been sold. To put this in perspective the Playstation took 4 months to achieve this and the Nintendo 64 took 2 months. Sega's prediction of 1,000,000 units by the end of the year should be easily reached.

It looks like there might be a couple of surprise release in America by the end of the year. According to the Electronics Boutique computers Konami's Castlevania Resurrection is scheduled for release on 15/12/1999. Another Konami game, Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator is also scheduled for this date. Could the success of the Dreamcast prompted the pre-Christmas release?

I heard from GT Interactive today that the Australian releases for Air Force Delta and Roadsters will most likely be pushed back until sometime in 2000.

Not only is production of the Playstation 2 having trouble but Nintendo have confirmed all the Dolphin titles are still in planning stages and that a release is unlikely until 2001 at the earliest. This would most likely put the European/American release sometime in 2002. That's a lot of breathing space for the Dreamcast.

Well I've been teasing you for a couple of days now about a special interview which I've recently conducted. Trip Hawkins was the man brave enough to put up with me for a while. He built Electronic Arts from nothing to the largest software company in the world, and now runs the 3DO company. Although not heavily focused on the Dreamcast the interview is still a great read. You can read it by clicking here.

Mr Irimajiri, the man in charge of Sega Japan, recently spoke about the Dreamcast's potential broad band (cable) network. Apparently Japan will be capable of the system by mid next year with America soon after. The biggest problem in America at the moment is the latency of the 56k modem which broad band networks would overcome.

Sony may be running into trouble with mass production of the Playstation 2. Toshiba are rumoured to be having trouble producing enough Direct RAMBUS chips. Sony are apparently shopping around for other manufacturers including NEC and Samsung.

I have added previews for Jimmy White's 2 :Cue Ball, and Tokyo Highway Battle as well as updating the Shen Mue :Yokosuka preview with new pictures of the near complete game.

I would like to quickly wish all the Australian soldiers in East Timor the best of luck. At times like this I am proud to be an Australian, and hope that everyone returns safely from their mission.

For all those people that keep on asking, there is NO delay to the Dreamcast in Australia. The date is still firmly 25th October 1999, the reports of 15th November are totally false. As for advertising there will be none during this weekends footy grand finals but is expected to begin in early October.

According to Next Generation Online Midway have already begun development of Ready 2 Rumble Wrestling. Although no systems were mentioned the Dreamcast is almost certain.

Another tidbit from Phantasy Star Online. According to several online reports the game will allow 4 players together through the internet. Although you won't have 100's of people from around the world in the game keeping the number to 4 allows tighter control of the game world which reduces the likelihood of cheating or annoying characters. The game should be released late next year or early in 2001.

Please say it ain't so Sierra. Babylon 5, one of my most wanted PC games, has been canceled. The company laid off around 100 workers in restructuring and canned four PC games. Babylon 5 was a great looking product that would have been great on the Dreamcast if they wanted spend some time on it. Hopefully, someone else will pick up the game and finish it.

A note to everyone on my mailing list (or those who want to join). I am moving the mailing list to the new server. Anyone who wishes to remain on the list has to enter their e-mail again. This can be done on the main page of the site. Newsletters are sent out every couple of weeks with all the latest news on Dreamcast Australia.

Make sure you check back tomorrow for a very special interview with one of the biggest people in the gaming industry.

Make sure you check back over the next couple of days for another special interview. Although this person isn't directly developing games on the Dreamcast to say that he is a big player in the industry is an understatement to say the least. Hopefully, you have all checked out the Archer Maclean and No Cliché interviews on the Interviews page.

Four of the top five games in America last week were Dreamcast games. Only the Playstation's Final Fantasy VIII manages to beat off Sonic Adventure, Soul Calibur, NFL2K and Ready 2 Rumble.

I have added 2 new previews. The first is for UbiSoft's impressive looking Speed Devils. Not to be outdone Activision also have an impressive looking racer headed to Dreamcast called Vigilante 8 : Second Offense.

Shen Mue was strangely absent from the TGS. Many people expected the game to take up a majority of Sega's booth however the game wasn't even on display at all. The game is about 85% complete and still on target for an October 28th release.

One of the hottest games at the recent Tokyo Game Show is the excellent looking Jet Set Radio. The problem is from the breif showing not many people could tell exactly what it was about. It sounds like a music program but the 30 second clip shown at TGS was of people on roller blades.

Sega announced several details about Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram at the TGS. The Dreamcast game will be based on arcade version 5.4, the latest model. VO:OT will be released on December 18 for 5,800 yen and will allow people to battle over the internet. But the Dreamcast version will be enhanced as well. Short range attacks will be more powerful while long range will be weaker. V-Armour will become more important and special attacks will be included to attack the V-Armour. The game will also have a higher polygon count then the arcade version.

Sega have announced that a special Twin Stick controller will be released on December 18th to coincide with the release of VO:OT. The controller will retail for 5,800 yen.

Capcom have annouced that their CPS2 game Giga Wings will be released in Japan this November. Several new features including a gallery mode and internet ranking mode will be included.

All those crying out for a 6 button DC controller need worry no more. ASCII will realease a Saturn styled joypad on November 25th for 2,900 yen. The conroller will have a built in Puru Puru (Rumble) pack.

Staying with controllers for a moment a company is creating a peripheral which will allow you to use the PSX Dual Shock controller on the Dreamcast. The device will be released in October. The same company is also advertising a 4MB memory card for the Dreamcast. Better still, the memory card will hook into your PC for data transfer. You can read all about it here at Ultimate Video Accesories : http://www.mp3psx.com.

The other day I mentioned that those who had ordered their Dreamcast's before September 3rd on the Sega web site and hadn't received the system would get a free gift from Sega for their patience. Apparently the gift is a Dreamcast T-Shirt which they should receive within 2 weeks. Not only that but the customers will receive, absolutely free, a copy of Virtua Fighter 3tb.

Great news about online gaming. Sega America have denied yesterday's reports about the online gaming. The are still adament that online gaming will be in operation in the States before the end of Q'2 2000. They are predicting around 12 online titles before the 2nd half of next year and confirmed that Half Life will be release on the Dreamcast.

Sega America have announced that Dreamcast sales have broken the 410,000 mark in a weeks time. This is great news for the system which has had to battle the Playstation 2 announcement.

Sega have announced several new Dreamcast games in Japan. Crazy Taxi, the superb arcade game, is confirmed for release in January 2000 in Japan. Dee Dee Planet is a multiplayer fighting game with online support (where is Spikeout Sega?), Typing of the Dead is like HOTD but you must type in words quickly to kill characters and finally the least welcome news is that a sequel to Godzilla Generations is in the works called Godzilla Generations Maximum Impact. Before I get a tonne of e-mail: No I don't expect a release outside Japan, especially if it's like the original game.

SNK have announced The King of Fighters '99 Millennium Battle will be released in Japan in March 2000.

Capcom have confirmed that Resident Evil : Code Veronica will be released this winter in Japan (that's summer in Australia).

Sega have announced that online gaming will not begin in America until the 2nd half of next year. While this news comes as a bit of a shock, especially since SOA though it would be ready on day one only a few months ago. But there was good news from this announcement. Half Life has been confirmed for release on the Dreamcast and will make use of online gameplay.

Also announced at the pre-TGS Sega meeting was that LucasArts are now an official developer on the Dreamcast. No word yet on titles for the system but the Star Wars Arcade racer announced a couple of days ago may be ties in with LucasArts somehow. Perhaps an enhanced version of the PC/N64 game?

Also at the conference it was revealed that Resident Evil : Code Veronica is around 3 times bigger then the upcoming Playstation game.

Shen Mue may be compacted to be released in about 4 or 5 parts instead of 16 parts. SOJ are apparently condensing several chapters into each release with the second part to contain chapters 2-5.

Sega Japan have announced Get Bass 2 in Japan. The game will appear in the arcades using the Naomi system instead of Model 3 like the original. No doubt a Dreamcast version will appear soon after. How about Get Trout or Get Marlin Sega?

I have had a few people ask me what type of systems are at Dreamworld. The systems are NTSC with all games being the Japanese version except Ready 2 Rumble which is American of course.

Well I managed to spend a few hours at the special press event at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast today. While the main purpose of the trip was to finally meet Steve O'Leary in person there was also 20 units set up to play. Playable titles included Sonic Adventure, Sega Rally 2, and Virtua Fighter 3tb which were pretty much expected. But there were a few unexpected playable games as well. Both Ready 2 Rumble and Cool Boarders ~Burrn were playable and Get Bass will apparently be playable from Saturday when the Dreamcast arcade opens to the public.
Several games did make a surprise appearance to the press, including Soul Calibur. (Due to the MA15+ rating this will be non-playable for the public). I managed to spend a bit of time on this game and had an absolute blast. The graphics put everything else to shame and the gameplay is much faster then it's prequel.
But the biggest surprise for me was Steve O'Leary putting on Shen Mue for the press. This is the disc that was released in Japan a few weeks ago. Needless to say I was very, very impressed with this title. Shen Mue does contain a lot of Japanese speech and text which makes a public appearance very unlikely during the holidays.
The press day was more then entertaining as racing car drivers competed on Sega Rally 2 and they were filming a segment for Popcorn (Queensland movie show on Saturdays) in which I may appear as well as my girlfriend. (I'm the one in the black and white striped shirt playing Cool Boarders and my girlfriend is in the purple top playing Sonic Adventure.)
But the best news for everyone going to the event (I know there have been a few of you e-mailing me) is that Dreamworld will be giving away one Dreamcast plus a game EVERY DAY over the holidays. All you have to do to enter the draw is buy a large Coke while in the theme park.

Well I promised another feature for you all today and in case you missed it on the main page I have added an interview with Frederick Raynal, creative director at No Cliché, and the mind behind launch title Toy Commander. Click here to read the interview.

Every week I get a tonne of e-mail from people asking for information about the Dreamcast launch in Australia. The following is what has been announced. The system will launch on October 25th for $AU499 with the games priced between $AU89 and $AU99. The system will come with a period of free internet access (details are still to be announced) and the online gameplay will begin in early 2000. At this stage the system should launch with around 20+ titles in October. Of course everyone is wondering where the advertising is. Ozisoft will being the advertising four weeks prior to launch (around the end of September) which is when the displays will begin to hit stores.

Sega have announced more record breaking sales for the Dreamcast. After 4 days the system has amassed $US132,712,000 in sales with a record 372,000 units sold. This surpassed the Nintendo 64 record of 350,000 units in six days. Software sales are equally impressive with an average ratio of 3 games for every system.

New sales charts are out in Japan and Yuke's Toukon Retsuden IV managed to appear at number 5 with 53,264 sales. The biggest surprise is that Seaman: Forbidden Pet has jumped from number 22 to number 8 with 33,959 sales (161,295 total). Bandai's Gundam Side Story 0079 manages a further 15,057 sales (82,777 total) for 17th position. Namco's Soul Calibur continues it's slide from number 13 to 22 with 10,415 sales (247,835 total). Let's Make a Pro Baseball Team sold another 9,348 units (160,932 total) to sit in 29th position.

Weekly Famitsu have reviewed the latest batch of Dreamcast games. It will come as some disappointment that Climax Landers received only 27/40 (67.5%). Konami's Pop N' Music 2 received an impressive 31/40 (77.5%) as did Yuke's Toukon Retsuden 4.

Well today I am off to Dreamworld on the Gold Coast for the special press event for the Dreamworld Dreamcast promotion. Steve O'Leary will be there as well as a host of other people. Hopefully I can bring back some interesting information for you all. The public will be able to access the Dreamcast promotion from this Saturday.

I've been getting a great response to the Archer Maclean interview. In the last couple days I have conducted another amazing interview with another developer. Make sure you check back tomorrow for that.

Well it had to happen one day. Sony finally announced details about the Playstation 2. The system will be released on 4th March 2000 in Japan with a late 2000 release for the rest of the world. Although the system is much more powerful then the Dreamcast it is also twice as expensive as the Dreamcast at 39,800 yen (Dreamcast - 19,900 yen). Several games were also announced for Sony's new system including Tekken Tag Tournament, GP500 and New Ridge Racer from Namco, Street Fighter EX3 and Resident Evil from Capcom, and several RPG's from Square. Of course there are many more titles from smaller companies. One good thing for Sega is that the system is still 5 months away in Japan and 12+ months in the rest of the world.

I spoke with Steve O'Leary late last night in regards to the rumoured Dreamcast delay in Australia/New Zealand. He said that as far as he knows there has not been any mention of a delay to the system at all and is still on schedule for a late October launch.

Reports have begun to surface on the internet that Sonic Team's 4th game is in fact Phantasy Star Online. This comes as some surprise as Nights 2 wasn't one of the four games announced over the last month.

Sega Japan have showed off a 4 player Naomi version of Tetris. The game is quite different to the Dreamcast version which was released last year.

Sega have announced details about Space Channel 5, a Dreamcast music game. It is being developed by the same team behind Sega Rally 2 and Manx TT. The game is similar to Enix's Bust A Move and should be release towards the end of the year for 5,800 yen.

AM3 are apparently working on a Naomi racing game based on Star Wars : Episode 1. It's possible the game is an arcade version of Star Wars Episode Racer however this is not confirmed.

Well we knew the launch of the Dreamcast was going to be big in America. However the launch has exceeded almost all expectations. Total sales in the first 24 hour period was a staggering $US97,904,618.09. This beats the previous entertainment record held by Star Wars:TPM which reached $US28 million. Equally exciting is that Toys R Us has completely sold out of the system and many companies are expected to run out soon. Another 50,000 units are expect to hit the shelves within the next 2-4 weeks.

It can't be true, can it? According to SegaDC (http://www.segadc.co.nz) the Dreamcast may been delayed in New Zealand until November 15th, or possibly even later. This statement was apparently made by Mark Campbell, the sales manager for Sega Ozisoft NZ. Hopefully this delay won't occur in Australia as well, but with rumours of a delay until November in Europe and internet software still being programmed for Australia a delay seems more and more likely. I was unable to reach Ozisoft in Australia for an official comment.

Sega have announced a new shooting game at the recent JAMMA show in Japan. The game runs on the Naomi chipset, which makes a Dreamcast conversion very likely and should be released in arcades soon. Enjoy the two screenshots below.



Sega of Japan will cease production of Sonic Adventure on October 14th. But their is nothing wrong. Apparently Sonic Team's Sonic Adventure : International is selling so well there is no point producing the original game any more.

Activision have set up a line for people in America with problem copies of Blue Stinger. People can call 1-888-402-8951 to leave their name and details to receive a new copy of the game. When the new copy is received there is a postage paid envelope to return the defective game. But don't think you can scam a game out of them. You must supply your credit card details and if you don't send in a game for replacement they will bill you for the new copy.

Capcom have announced that Street Fighter 3 : Double Impact will make it's way to the Dreamcast. What is it you ask? The games is actually the first 2 Street Fighter 3 games merged into one title. The game should be released towards the end of the year in Japan with Street Fighter 3 : Third Strike rumoured for release next year.

Excite have been officially confirmed as the internet search engine in Europe.

Just a quick note to everyone who contacts me by ICQ (#14948450). I recently had my computer kill ICQ and I lost all my contacts. Don't hesitate to contact me if I'm online. That goes for anyone else who wants to have a chat with me.

Well the Dreamcast launch has passed in America and it hasn't been without it's problems. Reports are coming in that several games don't have any sound or are not even booting. Sega America have stated that a small percentage of Sonic Adventure, Blue Stinger and Internet Software disc's may be faulty. However, other titles such as Ready 2 Rumble, Hydro Thunder and NFL2K are experiencing similar problems. According to Sega the reason appears to be a bad manufacturing run in one of four CD plants. SOA are determined that the fault is in the software and not the actual Dreamcast hardware.
Of course the game software can be returned for a refund at the store where it was purchased. The Internet Browser will be replaced by Sega through their web site or via the "1-800-USA-Sega" phone number.
The good news is that Sega apparently know where all the faulty shipments went, and are currently contacting stores to remove the offending games from the shelves.

Even after all the disappointment of a small percentage of the software not working the launch was still a huge success. People lined up at midnight to be the first to own the system and many people who have gone into stores to purchase Final Fantasy VIII on Playstation have waled away with Dreamcast's.

The big news which I hinted at a couple of days ago is an exclusive interview for Dreamcast Australia with Archer Maclean. Archer is the MD of Awesome Developments and decided to tell us all about Jimmy White's 2 : Cue Ball which has just finished development for the Dreamcast. To read the interview (and it's a beauty) click here.

In what can only be seen as a boost to the Dreamcast in the immediate future it is believed that Sony are having production problems with the PSX2. At the moment the rumours point to 2 possibilities. Firstly the console could be released this year with only 200-300,000 units or secondly the console will launch in March 2000. Either way it's good news for Sega.

October 28th should be a huge day for Sega in Japan. Not only is it the release date for Shen Mue but Sega have just announced that Zombie Revenge will also be released on this date.

Sega Japan will release the microphone device for sale in November for 2,500 yen. Although only Seaman: Forbidden Pet uses the peripheral at the moment both Death Crimson 2 and Densha de Go 2! 3000 will make use of the device.

Rumours are mounting that Sega will release a single screen version of Ferarri F355 in the coming months. The game may be running on a single Naomi board and a Dreamcast version would seem likely soon after.

SNK Vs Capcom should be released in December this year. Although neither company involved mentioned which platform this release date is intended for.

I recently added a detailed preview for Sega's potentially epic RPG, Eternal Arcadia.

Of course todays is the day that many people have been waiting for. The Dreamcast has gone on sale in America for $US199. Midnight store openings are being held across the country with the system likely to be a sellout within a week. Expect more coverage in the coming days.

The ECTS was held in London over the weekend and there was very few surprises for Dreamcast fans. In fact the biggest news is that the Dreamcast may be delayed yet again in Europe. This was pure rumours and seems rather unlikely due to the delay announced a few days ago.

There was one disturbing thing at ECTS. PAL games haven't been optimised to run full screen or full speed. Games like Virtua Fighter, Incoming, and Expendable. Why Sega wouldn't spend a bit of time to fix this is beyond my comprehension.

Acclaim have announced at ECTS that they will be publishing Bizarre Creations' Furballs when it is released next year.

In a strange move Bizarre Creations highly anticipated Metropolis : Street Racer wasn't on display at the ECTS. A spokesperson stated the game is undergoing a few last minute alterations.

It's been a great week for Dreamcast software sales in Japan. A total of 5 titles made it into the Top 30 with 17.5% of the market share. At number 2 was Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story 0079 ~ Rise from the Ashes with 67,720 sales. Nadeisco The Mission managed 5th position with 44,280 sales for the week while Soul Calibur dropped from 8th to 13th with 16,756 sales (237,440 total). The big surprise was that Cool Boarders ~ Burrrn managed only 12,725 sales for 21st position. Finally Seaman ~ Forbidden Pet managed to sell 12,694 copies (127,337 total).

Fox Interactive have confirmed that a Croc game is in the works for the Dreamcast. A release is expect in mid 2000.

Apparently Dreamworld on the Gold Cast will have a special Dreamcast display setup beginning next Friday. Not only that but Steve O'Leary will be there to answer your questions. More details shortly.

I have a very special interview coming up in a couple of days. Few people have had as much impact on gaming as this person. Keep cheking back soon.

The Dreamcast's European web site has finally been updated. The site is quite interesting and can be found at http://www.dreamcast-europe.com.

Sega Europe have announced several release date changes for the Dreamcast games. Those due on 14/10/99 include Dynamite Cop 2, Incoming, Ready 2 Rumble, Sega Rally 2, Sonic Adventure, Toy Commander and finally Virtua Fighter 3 :TB. Due on 29/10/99 is House Of The Dead 2 while Sega Bass Fishing (also know as Get Bass) has been pushed to 5/11/99. Both Red Dog and Snow Surfers are due on 12/11/99. Although not yet confirmed I expect these changes in Australia as well.

Namco are rumoured to show Crisis Zone at the upcoming JAMMA show in Japan. The game is rumoured to be one of 2 new Dreamcast titles from Namco, and may even appear at the TGS. Crisis Zone is the third game in the superb Time Crisis series.

Sonic Team's second game has been unveiled in Japan and is set for release on the 11th November for only 2,800 yen. Chu Chu Rocket is a multiplayer puzzle game. No screenshots have been released yet and it is unknown if it will make it outside Japan.

Microsoft are still trying to dominate the world. Not only do they supply the Dreamcast's operating system and internet browser (and screw the Queensland Education Departmen in the worst deal ever - don't ask) but they are now planning on bringing out their own gaming console. Apparently the system will include a 500MHz processor (Pentium III or AMD chip) and nVidia's GeForce (NV-10) grphics chip. The system should hit stores in late 2000 for under $US 300 and will be similar to PSX2 in performance. No official statemnt has been made by Microsoft yet.

Attention to Detail, who developed Rollcage for Psygnosis, have secured the rights to develop the official Sydney Olympics 2000 game on multiple platforms.

Core have officially announced that Fighting Force 2 is in development for the Dreamcast. The game was shown behind closed doors at the E3 show in May but never officially announced until now.

Rainbow Six is no longer a launch title in America. In a final list released by SOA the action/espionage game was missing from the list. The game should be released in late September or October.

Last month I had a bit of a go at Hyper Magazine about their review of Blue Stinger and their criticism of the camera angles. The latest issue of Hyper apologises and does point out that the game was the Japanese version and that many problems with the game will be fixed before release in Australia.

The first game has been announced from Sonic Team. That game is Sonic Adventure : International. The game is the same as the American version with several bug and camera fixes from the Japanese version as well as extensive internet enhancements. This leaves 3 more games to be announced this month, with one of them expected to be Nights 2.

Sega Europe have announced that they will be distributing Namco's Soul Calibur in Europe. SOE will handle all marketing of the product. Ozisoft are the Australian distributors.

Well after yesterdays news that games may goon sale early in America it seems as if some pressuring by Sega has ensured that the games won't hit the shelves until 9/9/99, the official launch date. Pretty pointless having the games without the console anyway isn't it?

Genki, the developers of Virtua Fighter 3:TB and surprise hit Shokotou Battle are possibly developing a sequel to their racing game. Although still rumours, strong sales of Shokotou Battle in Japan and it's imminent launch outside Japan (as Tokyo Highway Battle) almost guarantee a sequel.

Apparently several Dreamcast games are set to go on sale early in America. Trick Style, Powerstone and Blue Stinger should begin appearing in stores later this week. Rumours are circulating that Dreamcast systems may also be on the shelves before the 9/9/99 street date.

Sales of Soul Calibur are still declining. Last week 23,554 copies were sold putting the game at number 8 on the Japanese charts.

Weekly Famitsu have rated several new Dreamcast games in Japan. Cool Boarders ~ Burrn received 30/40 (75%), Bandai's Gundam Side Story 0079 received 32/40 (80%) while ESP's Nadesico could only manage 24/40 (60%).

The picture on the right is exactly what the Dreamcast display cabinets will look like in Australia. They are being especially built to house the Dreamcast securely and should begin appearing in stores in about 3-4 weeks time. The front panel is built to house the Dreamcast game case and manual. To get more details about the cabinet click on the image.

Well there's only 8 days now until the launch of the Dreamcast in the United States and it has just been announced that pre-orders for the system have topped 300,000 units. Sega of America are hoping to have sold 400,000 within 30 days and are predicting that the first 24 hours after launch will be the biggest sales of an entertainment item in history with sales of $US45 million possible.

Steve O'Leary yesterday assured me that the delay of the Dreamcast in Europe will not affect the Australian release. The Australian launch is still set for October 25th.

Human Soft have confirmed thay are going to port their upcoming PC racer, Planet Heat to the Dreamcast. The conversion should take around 8 months but internet racing is almost certain as it was one of the reasons for choosing the Dreamcast.

Don't forget that there is a new POLL on the main page. Make sure you go back and vote immediatly.