Here is an article forwarded to me from Steve O'Leary. This Internet show will be great for those hanging out for the release of the Dreamcast in Australia. Those in Sydney, enjoy.
Dreamcast to appear at the Internet Show
Dreamcast will make one of its first public appearences this weekend at the Online Australia Internet Show at the Sydney Showgrounds and Exhibition Centre at Homebush. Starting on Friday the 29th October and running through to Sunday the 31st of October, the Internet Show will have all the latest breakthroughs in technology for the Internet on display in the Showground's massive halls.
Obviously the most important development in Internet technology of late has been the new Dreamcast system. It will be the first console ever to include a modem as standard, and will be packaged with a browser disc to connect it to the Internet and 3 months free Internet access. With the Dreamcast cunsumers will be able to surf the net, send and receive e-mails, chat with any PC of Dreamcast owner anywhere in the world and also play online games in 2000. E-commerce, video conferencing and cable modem abilities are also slated to appear for Dreamcast in the future, and together all these facets make the Dreamcast the ultimate lifestyle and entertainment product.
Ozisoft will have around 20 Dreamcast consoles on display along with some of the awesome lineup of launch titles including Soul Calibur, Ready 2 Rumble, House of the Dead 2, Sonic Adventures, Virtua Fighter 3 TB and UEFA Striker Soccer. Ozisoft will also be displaying the Inernet capabilities of the Dreamcast and some of its upcoming titles including the amazing Shenmue!
For more information on The Online Australia Internet Show, please visit the following URL:
www.kmiexhibitions.com.au
Crazy Taxi may be ready for release outside Japan as early as next February. It was previously believed that the game wouldn't be seen until April at the earliest.
The Dreamcast Keyboard has hit stores in the US and is retailing for $US24.99. Anyone wishing to use the internet is strongly advised to pick up this peripheral.
Tokyo Bus Guide has been given a release date of December 16th in Japan. FortyFive's game sees you driving a bus around Tokyo. Sure, it may sound sad, but then again so did Crazy Taxi until you actually play it.
Guess what Australia, there is only 1 month until launch...
Steve O'Leary, the Dreamcast Communications Manager for Ozisoft, has been spending a bit of time on the PlayNow Forums to answer questions being posed by the public. This is a summary of some of the more important points raised.
Sega's epic RPG, Eternal Arcadia, looks likely to include an option which will allow you to go fishing in the game with the special controller designed for Get Bass. No release date has been announced yet for the game.
The Dreamcasts internet is taking off in Europe. In fact demand for the console and internet use was so high that many people reported engaged signals when trying to connect to the servers. SOE are working hard to improve this situation with double the initial servers expected within a couple of weeks.
WWF Attitude has been given a release date of November 10 in America. The game is scheduled for release here in Australia at launch.
IGNPSX is reporting that Tecmo's Dead Or Alive 2 will be a Dreamcast only home conversion. Still no release date has been announced.
Bits Laboratories are apparently considering working on a version of Game Basic for the Dreamcast. This program allows people to actually writetheir own games for a system and run them. The 100MB Zip Drive would be the perfect medium to store the games.
Capcom have announced that both Chris and Claire Redfield will be returning in Resident Evil : Code Veronica and in similar fashion to Resident Evil 2 on the playstation each character will follow a different story line.
Reports are surfacing out of Japan that Sega are working on a Gran Turismo styled game called Sega GT. Reports are varying about the release date with March 2000 being mentioned to combat the PSX2 launch. The game is set to include over 100 cars to race in with realistic physics models as well.
Midway has gained the rights to develop and publish CART based racing games. Although the Dreamcast hasn't been mentioned as a platform yet it is almost certain that a CART based games is in the workd for Segas system.
Well, we should all be playing our brand new Dreamcasts by now, but it was not to be. Anyway I have been doing a lot of work on the site lately but am just waiting for a new server to move to. I have 2 good offers which I will be deciding between very soon. Stick with me this site is going to take off.
Virtua Fighter 3 : TB has finally shipped in America. I wouldn't be surprised to see the game soar to the top of the charts. Thankfully, Sega have fixed many of the problems that plagued the Japanese version of the game.
November should be a releif to Sega of Japan. Several huge titles are due for release on the Dreamcast including : Space Griffin and Langrisser Millenium on 3/11, Chu Chu Rocket and Giga Wing on 11/11, Speed Devils on 18/11, and on 25/11 Japan will see F1 World Grand Prix, Maken X, Go Golf, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and of course Zombie Revenge. What a month. There are more titles but these are the major releases.
Sales across Europe are booming. Total system sales across Europe have reached 185,000 systems in the first week. A total of 350,000 software titles were sold, as well as 295,000 peripherals. The top games were Sonic Adventure with 86,000 sales followed by Sega Rally 2 with 74,000 sales. In total 8 games were in the Top 20 charts in the UK. Peripheral sales included the VMU with 145,000 units followed by 90,000 extra controllers.
New game modes for Sega's Zombie Revenge have been announced. As well as the arcade mode the game will include a Gun Mode where you can't punch or kick your opponents at all, with only weapons being available. A Bare-Knuckles mode is the opposide with only punching and kicking without the weapons. A Versus and Boss Mode have also been promised in the game.
WWW.Soccer has been delayed until Spring 2000 in Japan. Apparently the developers, Clean Fight, are having problems with the internet modes in the game.
Sega and No Cliché are planning to release a special Christmas Edition of Toy Commander in Europe before the end of the year. The 1 level special game will see you riding a sleigh as Santa and having to collect all the presents while avoiding attacks. The game will be given away with the Official UK Dreamcast magazine.
Capcom has announced that Resident Evil 2 will be released in Japan on 23rd December 1999. The game will come on 3 CD's with one being the game, the second is a playable demo of Resident Evil : Code Veronica and the third disc is a compilation of music from the first 3 games.
Capcom also announced that Resident Evil: Code Veronica will be released in Japan on February 3rd, 2000. No details yet about a release outside Japan.
Well only 4 days before the launch Ozisoft have done the imaginable. Although it has been strongly rumoured for quite a while now, the Dreamcast has officially been delayed. The date. Well Australia will have to wait for 5 more weeks, until November 30. Yes, November 30. The following is the official announcement:
It's beginning too look more and more likely that the Dreamcast will be delayed here in Australia. Numerous people have e-mailed me about a delay to the system for some time now with many retailers, including Harvey Norman and Electronics Boutique, stating that the system won't be available until November. This really shouldn't come as a surprise to most as there still isn't any advertising or in-store demonstration units around the country. A full press release is expected this week from Ozisoft about the launch of the system here.
According to IGNDC Crystal Dynamics' Soul Reaver is being developed for the Dreamcast. Not only that but the game is progressing so well in development that it may be ready for release by Christmas in America. Eidos still hasn't commented on the rumour but IGNDC's source claims that an announcement is imminent.
Falcom have confirmed that they will be developing games for the Dreamcast. The developers behind the series Y's should provide a boost to the RPG genere on the system and will hopefully continue their legendary series on Sega's system.
President of Sega Europe, JF Cecillon, is already revising the sales projections for the Dreamcast across Europe. Initial targets were for one million sales in the first 12 months however SOE are now hoping to achieve this by May next year.
After only one day on sale, Electronics Boutique have released a list of the top selling Dreamcast games in Europe. They are as follows:
1. Sonic Adventure
2. Sega Rally 2
3. Ready 2 Rumble
4. Power Stone
5. Tokyo Highway Challenge
6. TrickStyle
7. Virtua Fighter 3tb
8. Blue Stinger
9. Monaco GP
10. Dynamite Cop
While Midway have denied the rumour for quite a while now it looks like Gauntlet Legends will be heading to Dreamcast sometime in the future.
European developers, Team 17, have laid the blame for lack of internet games squarely at Sega. In an interview with IGNDC Martyn Brown, the executive producer of Worms Armageddon, said that "Sega and the other people haven't been forthcoming in getting the thing (online gaming) organized"
Sticking with Team 17 it looks like there will be a new Alien Breed game heading to the Dreamcast in the future. The original was one of the best action games ever and it will be interesting to see how the sequel turns out, especially after the excellent Aliens VS Predator on PC.
Sega Rally 2 has been given a definite date in the US. The game will be released on November 23rd 1999 and the great news is that the game has been improved for a constant 60FPS. The bad news is that the game won't support online gameplay, ever. Apparently current projects being developed will overshadow Sega Rally 2 by the time it is ready next year. SOA even considered direct modem play but that was ruled out after complications. Remember this is for America and as far as I know Australia will get an internet version next year (after the non-internet version this year).
Sega have confirmed that Climax Landers will be heading to America in late February 2000. The game will undergo a name change to Time Stalker and although Sega haven't confirmed any enhancements to the game hopefully some of the problems plaguing the Japanese version will be fixed.
Sega of Japan have confirmed the rumours that Zombie Revenge will be delayed until November 25th in Japan.
The arcade version of Dead or Alive 2 has finished production and the game due to hit the arcades on October 16th in Japan. While speaking of arcade games my local Intensity, at Pacific Fair, has just received Ferarri F355 Challenge. The game looked very impressive but I was unable to have a go due to people lining up to play it.
Well the European launch should have passed by now. With 40,000 pre-orders in the UK and over 100,000 in Europe it should be another massiveboost to the Dreamcast. Both Electronica Boutique and Virgin Megastore opened at midnight to let the eager customers get their systems as soon as possible. More details soon.
It looks as if one of the most anticipated games, Zombie Revenge may be delayed from October 28th to November 25th. Sega are yet to confirm the rumours but if it turns out to be true it will leave this months Dreamcast lineup quite bare in Japan.
UbiSoft have delayed a couple of titles in Europe. Speed Devils has been pushed back by 2-3 weeks while Suzuki Alstare Racing is now scheduled for release in mid-November.
A rumour surfacing in Japan is that Resident Evil : Code Veronica has been delayed due to low system sales in Japan. Apparently Capcom want a higher installed user base before putting the product for sales. I have my reservations about this because Sega would be hoping to get the game out in time for Christmas to boost sales, even if they have to pay Capcom to do it.
Speaking of Capcom they have confirmed 3 titles for release this December. Resident Evil 2 is schedule, as mosy of you know, as well as Street FIghter III W Impact and Star Gladiator 2.
Sega will be releasing coloured joypads in Japan. The controllers will come in blue, pink, smoke and lime and will be limited to 150,000 units of each colour.
Kenji Eno has confirmed that Warp's D2 has finally entered the beta stage of production. Hopefully the game will ship on December 23rd as planned but going bythe games track record I still wouldn't count on it. (The game was originally scheduled as a launch title in Japan.)
Where are the Dreamcast ads in Australia? Well I don't know. A lot of you e-mail me every day about this and as soon as I get some news I will forward it to you.
Acclaim have confirmed that Psychic Force 2012 will be released in America in mid-November. No word yet on a release in Australia.
Sega Japan have released the Dream Flyer disc in Japan. This is the upgraded version of the internet software. The software allows users to send images with their e-mail as well as greeting cards.
Capcom have confirmed that Jojo's Venture: Legacy for the Future will be released in Japan on November 11th.
Speaking of Capcom, apparently they will be announcing 4, yes four, new Dreamcast games by the end of the year. Hopefully Strider 2 will be one of them.
Sega have put the release of Naomi arcade game Samba de Amigo on hold until further notice. There is nothing wrong with the game, the problem is that the sensors used in the arcade game are manufactured in Taiwan, which was hit by an earthquake a few weeks ago.
Sega have annnounced that Zombie Revenge will include several VMU mini-games. The strangest game is actually Zombie Fishing. Basically this is similar to Sega Bass Fishing , where you pick a lure and lake to catch the fish. Interesting. Several other mini-games will be available including a mode to breed a Zombie similar to the Chao's in Sonic Adventure.
Crave are working on a fighting ame based on the Ultimate Fight Championship (UFC). The development of this title should be watched closely as several members of the team worked on the phenomenal Soul Calibur.
Jaleco's Carrier has suffered a delay from mid-December until Spring 2000 in Japan. The game, which is similar to the Resident Evil series was one of the most anticipated titles this year, especially after recent delays to Shen Mue and Resident Evil : CV.
Virtua Striker 2000 has been given a release date of December 2nd in Japan. Hopefully, Australia will receive a release by the end of the year as well as little translation will be required in the game.
Acclaim have confirmed that Re-Volt is heading to the Dreamcast. No word yet on enhancements or extras but they are almost certain.
Sorry about the lack of updates over the last week but I'm working on several enhancements to the site which should be available shortly.
Reports have surfaced from Japan that Daytona USA 2 is currently in development for the Dreamcast. Apparently the game is already 45% complete. Sega are yet to confirm the reports but the game would be great for Sega around the PSX2 in March.
Team Andromeda are are working on a Dreamcast game according to Game Daily. These developers were responsable for the Panzer Dragoon series on the Saturn. It is unknown if the Dreamcast game will be a continuation of their famous series or an original title.
Europe's Dreamcast advertising is in full swing. With only 4 days until the launch the public are being saturated with TV, radio and print ads. Sega Europe are hoping for over 350,000 sales in the UK alone.
Midway have signed on LA Lakers star Shaquille O'Neal to be the spokesperson for their upcoming basketball game, NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC.
Rage, who have developed Incoming and Expendable on the Dreamcast, have purchased flight sim specialists D.I.D. from Infogrames. Hopefully Rage can convince them to convert some of their excellent games to Dreamcast in the near future.
According to ASCII Corp the price of the Playstation 2 might be too high for Japanese gamers. In a recent survey only 17% of people believed the price was reasonable at 39,800 yen. This is great news for Sega where the price of the Dreamcast is half that of Sony's machine.
AOL may be doing a backflip on games consoles. The Chairman and CEO, Steve Case, has said that they are now looking at supporting next-generation games systems. No word yet whether this will include the Dreamcast.
Sega of America Vice Presidet of Marketing, Peter Moore, has warned that there may be Dreamcast shortages in the leadup to Christmas this year. While there will be no problem producing 1 million units this year the prediction of 1.8 million units may be pushing their production to the limits.
Sega Bass Fishing has been released in America. The game is the first title to be released since the launch almost a month ago now. The game has a RRP of $US39.95 with the fishing controller available for $US34.95.
Speaking of launch titles the latest American sales charts shows the most popular title to be NFL2K. This is closely followed by Sonic Adventure, Soul Calibur and Ready 2 Rumble Boxing. These four titles are in the Top 30 games sales charts in America.
I have updated the Release Schedule to include several new games (I forgot about Take 2's lineup DOH!) and have arranged the games according to their release dates. Several games recently underwent release date changes and have been altered accordingly.
I spoke to Steve O'leary today about several major issues in relation to the Dreamcast launch in Australia. The following were the major points covered:
In a bit of a shock announcement Bioware, who I only interviewed last week, have confirmed that MDK2 has been delayed until 17th January 2000 in America.
According to PlayNOW!, Red Orb are considering porting their PC game, Prince Of Persia 3d to the Dreamcast. No release date has been set.
According to Magic Box Gaming there will be 2 Resident Evil games released on the Dreamcast. Resident Evil : Code Veronica, which is being developed in-house at Sega, has been delayed until sometime in 2000. To make up for this Capcom have confirmed that Resident Evil 2 will be heading to the Dreamcast with enhanced graphics. The game is scheduled for release in December at the low price of 4,800 yen.
Game Daily have quoted Sega America's marketing communications director, Charles Bellfield, as saying that a sequel to Sonic Adventure is in the works as well as a spin-off title starring another character from Sonic Adventure. No release dates were mentioned.
Another rumour doing the rounds is that Sonic Team are going to (re)develop Sonic The Hedgehog 3 for release on the Dreamcast. It is still unknown if the game would be brought into the 3rd dimesion but is would seem likely.
Here's an interesting rumour. Apparently Sonic Team are considering porting their Naomi arcade game, Samba de Amigo to the Dreamcast. The arcade game uses Maraca's as an input device and it's possible there will be a controller released for the Dreamcast version as well. Wierd.
Sega of America have set up a new division just for the Dreamcast. Called Sega of America Dreamcast, the company will have an initial capital of $US41.9 million ($AU60 million). The original SOA will now focus on arcade games.
In case you missed it on the front page I've added an interview with Greg Zeschuk from Bioware. Bioware are the company responsable for Baldur's Gate and are currently completing work on MDK2 for the Dreamcast. The interview can be read by clicking here.
The near impossible has happened. Shen Mue : Yokosuka has officially been delayed until Spring 2000 (out Autumn) in Japan. The game was scheduled for release on the 28th October. Apparently the game is undergoing some major gameplay changes and requires quite a bit of code modification. Sega are probably hoping that Shen Mue : Yokosuka will be ready to combat the Playstation 2 which is due on shelves on 4th March 2000.
According to IGNDC Castlevania Resurrection is still in development,and definately not cancelled as reported in some online web sites. One disturbing thing is that the game is still only about 25% complete and if this is true the release date of January 16th 2000 rumoured for America seems extremely unlikely.
Capcom have announced that both Street Fighter 3 and Tech Romancer won't be released this year. Both games are now scheduled for January 2000 releases. Capcom's Gigawing is still on schedule for release on 11th November in Japan.
Core have denied that they have Tomb Raider in development for the Dreamcast after a UK Dreamcast magazine claimed that a "reliable source" confirmed that the title is in development. One interesting thing I picked up on, is that Core talk about titles which they have *confirmed*, not future titles which they may have in development.
Added a preview to Sonic Team's online RPG Phantasy Star Online, Visual Concepts NFL2K, Sega's Crazy Taxi, and Acclaim's WWF Attitude.
A quick note that the release schedule has been updated with another 40 or so entries. You can read this scehdule on that Horizon page.
A rumour on Core Magazine web site is that Sega's flagship title, Shen Mue, may be delayed until Spring 2000 (Australian Autumn). Apparently there are a lot of software bugs that require fixing before release. It is important to note that these are just rumours, and Sega are sticking to the October 28th date.
The first VMU minigame has been put on the Sega America web site. Called VMU Football the game is apparently repeatitive after a while and takes up a whopping 111 blocks on the memory card.
Sega America have revised their sales estimates for this year. Prior to launch they were hoping for sales of 1 million units by Christmas and 1.5 million by the end of March 2000. After the remarkable launch of the system Sega now believe they can sell 1.8 million units this year alone. Hopefully Electronic Arts and Square are taking notice of these figures. With the European launch still to come, worldwide sales of the system could be over 5 million units by Christmas.
Sega will be setting up a Dreamacst display at Disney's Epcot world in America. With over 8 million visitors a year this will be a great showcast for Sega's new system. Hopefully we will be playing some disney based games sooner rather then later. The systems will be on display with the latest games for two years.
Virtual On : Oratorio Tangram will be released on December 9th in Japan. The interesting news is that the game is rumoured to include a link cable type mode for local network play as well as the online gameplay. Hopefully more news will be available soon.
A reminder to everybody that the Dreamcast Dreamworld promotion closes this weekend. If you want to check out the Dreamcast in it's first official public showing make sure you head to Dreamworld this weekend.
October is upon us at last. Of course the big news this month (apart from the poll on the main page) is that the Dreamcast will be released in 25 days time. It doesn't seem like a long time now does it? Hopefully most of you have saved up your money and possibly pre-ordered it through specialist games shops such as Electronics Boutique. If American sales are anything to go by then the system will sell out pretty quickly.
Well the month is upon us at last. 25 days from now all us Australians will have Dreamcast's in our homes finally.