__________________________________________________ / \ / ___> > > DREAMCAST WEEKLY MAGAZINE < < <___ \ / / \ \ / / Issue #22 - www.DreamcastWeekly.com \ \ \ \ / / \ \ Sega 2000 - http://www.sega2000.com / / \ \ Sega X - http://www.segadreamcast.net / / \__________________________________________________/ ======| EDITORS COMMENTS |================================ Well after 22 issues, we're now expanding the Sega 2000-X Magazine even more. Welcome, to the next level... Starting with the name change to Dreamcast Weekly, and it's own WEBSITE at www.DreamcastWeekly.com, our aim is to make this the #1 e-mail magazine all across the net. With the help of other sites to gain more subscribers, next year we should be able to have a lot more pull with the magazine, meaning exclusive interviews, contests and plenty more! If your a webmaster, we have details on the website on how you can help. While there isn't many changes you can see here, we are currently planning and working on the new sections / additions to the magazine starting Jan 3rd. We have lots of exciting things coming up! Well enough of me ranting on, hope you enjoy this issue! ~ Elijah (Editor) ---~> Page 1 - The News <~--- ---~> Page 2 - Review <~--- ---~> Page 3 - Virtua City <~--- ---~> Page 4 - New Website! <~--- ---~> Page 5 - Feature <~--- ---~> Page 6 - On Your Mind <~--- ---~> Page 7 - Web Sites <~--- ---~> Page 8 - Last Words <~--- ======| THE NEWS |======================================== Sonic Adventure Delay? Nope! After a lot of heavy rumours about a possible Sonic Adventure delay back there, I'm glad to say the game is ready for a Dec 23rd release. NCS have reported some shops saying it's ready, and Sega are now playing on the final master copy. Oh and by the way, even woundered where Sonic's Green eyes came from??? I was just playing Sonic 3 before, and when he turns into Super Sonic, his eyes go green... well a pretty pointless, but kinda intresting fact there. We normally have "Andy's Rantings" here with the whole week in review, but since we're only 1/2 way through, we'll just print headlines from today's news. Next issue will be back to normal, including maybe some exclusive news & rumors! ---~> New Sega Rally 2 Details http://www.sega2000.com ---~> More On Shen Mue http://www.segadreamcast.net ---~> Daytona USA 2: Power Edition http://www.sega2000.com ---~> First Impressions Of July http://www.segadreamcast.net ---~> New Grandia 2 Details http://www.sega2000.com ---~> New Arcade Games http://www.segadreamcast.net ---~> Import Price Drop http://www.sega2000.com ======| REVIEW |========================================== ---> PEN PEN TRICELON REVIEW ---> Written By Sajed If you fancy Pen Pen Tri-icelon, from General Entertainment, as a Mario Kart-esque racing title, then you're in for some bitter disappointment. Where Mario Kart masterfully incorporates powerups and traps into an all out fight to the finish, Pen Pen takes more of a simplistic approach. Outside of the occasional turbo boost and not-too-useful body attacks, it's just a straight forward mad dash to the finish line. It sounds virtually unchallenging, repetitive and ultimately boring, but in reality it is far from any of those things. The appeal in Pen Pen lies in the intricately designed courses and stunning graphics. The courses, rather than the opponents, provide the actual challenges. The large, vibrantly colored tracks give a sneak peek at what the Dreamcast is actually capable of. There is no polygonal breakup, with the entire course being rendered in real-time, no popups, no clipping...none at all -- this is especially impressive when considering the amount of detail present in the environments. The quirky Pen Pen characters (racers) are just as smoothly rendered during the game play mode as they are in the post race replays. From the sunken ship, to the sleeping dragon, to the always adorable rubber duckies, everything is rendered to the same high levels of detail. It is equally as pleasure-able to admire the unconventional scenery as it is to actually race the Pen Pen characters themselves. However, even the most exquisite graphics won't compensate for poor game play, and Pen Pen is surprisingly addictive in that area as well. Although, overall it caters to a younger audience, who will find this game highly appealing at first, it also provides just enough difficulty to entice the seasoned gamer. The game play incorporates periods of running, swimming, and sliding, for each stage, as you move from one surface to another -- on ice, under water, on grass, etc. Elements such as sharp corners (especially effective when racing on ice), roadblocks (in many shapes and sizes), and such, serve to further the level of difficulty. Pen Pen is not a difficult game to master by any means, but it will still provide hours of amusement. There are four total courses, each with the option to race only a portion of the large course, or the entire course itself. Depending on the position of finish in each track, the player can collect cute little articles of clothing, which can then be used to "dress up" your character. Besides making your characters look nicer, these items also increase their abilities in certain situations. For example, using a snorkel will add swimming ability to your character, and so on. Speaking of the characters themselves, they are equally as bizarre as just about everything else in this game. There are a total of seven characters (plus one hidden character) to choose from, including a penguin, shark, walrus, hippo, dog, octopus etc. The playable characters are Sparky, Tina, Mr. Bow, Sneak, Back, Jaw, Ballery, and the hidden character Hanamizu. Each has their usual strengths, some are strong at swimming, others waddling, some at running, while others are physically stronger thus able to withstand hazards easier. The music in Pen Pen is a consummate ode to the quirkiness of this game. Much of the score sounds vaguely out of Pee Wee's playhouse, or any Saturday morning cartoon for that matter. But that too, much like most of this game, can be catchy and adorable. So does this game's currently unrivaled graphics and adequately engaging game play make it a must buy? If you are not a die-hard fan of the Virtua Fighter Series, or are looking for something unique and visually revolutionary, then this should be the first launch title on your Dreamcast shopping list. There will certainly be more entertaining and graphically superior games in the Dreamcast's future, but Pen Pen, as a launch title is certainly worth a look. It is not the type of game that will revolutionize the genre, or leave a lasting impression, but it hardly attempts to accomplish any of those things. Pen Pen presents an entertaining preview of the amazing things to come on Sega's Dreamcast. GRAPHICS: 89% SOUND: 78% GAMEPLAY: 81% LASTABILITY: 84% ________________ OVERALL: 83% ---> COMMENTS? Please send them to Andreas (tuna@ebox.tninet.se) at our letters section. ======| VIRTUA CITY |===================================== Here we'll have information / mini features on upcoming games from Sega's AM teams. This includes many exciting games! First, here is Simons report on the History mode in VF3... In VF3 there is a very interesting touch added by Sega, and is essential viewing for any Virtua Fighter fan. Scroll down through the options on the main menu and you will find an option entitled 'History'. This takes you to a non-interactive journey through the history of the Virtua Fighter series. It starts with a simple 3D stick man moving in a simple 3D environment and then we see polygons added to form the simple Virtua Fighter, which then turns into Akira. The fighter then does some moves to promote the graphics engine, it seems to be a simple break-dance routine. The same happens with VF2, the logo comes across the screen and another more detailed Akira does some more impressive moves. The treat however, is when we see the VF3 engine. Firstly we see a woman on the ice-lake stage she moves a little and then the camera zooms close to show the amazing detail on her face. She then kneels over and takes a fan from her pocket and shows off the amazing graphics that VF3 can produce. The woman then starts to run across the screen and jumps and does a huge somersault. It contimues on for some time going through the stages and showing the detail. It truly is a great feature. ======| OFFICAL WEBSITE |================================= The offical website for the Dreamcast Weekly is now open at www.dreamcastweekly.com :) We've got the history of the magazine, daily news and plenty more. Specially if your a webmaster, there is lots of great information about how you can be involved with the magazine aswell! ======| FEATURE |========================================= Here's the history of Sega from SOA... Sega of America, based in Redwood City, California, was established in 1986 as the wholly-owned subsidiary of Sega Enterprises, Ltd., of Japan. However, its history goes back more than 40 years. Sega was founded in Japan in 1954 by an American, David Rosen, as a company called Service Games Company, for the purpose of developing amusement-type games. In 1956, Rosen started importing mechanical coin-operated games, which were popular on U.S. military bases in Japan. During these early days, Rosen learned a lesson that still guides Sega -- better technology plus great gameplay wins the market. In 1965, Rosen decided to make his own coin-operated games and acquired a factory through the purchase of a Tokyo jukebox and slot-machine maker. The company began stamping SEGA on its games -- short for Service Games, and the name was adopted by Rosen. The next year, Sega produced "Periscope", which became a worldwide hit. It was at this time that Rosen sold Sega to Gulf Western Industries, continuing on as CEO. Gulf Western continued to build on the company's original product and marketing strategy, with revenues hitting $214 million in 1982. By 1983, several "firsts" were introduced, including the first laser disc game, "Sega Astron Belt,"; the first 3D video game, "SubRoc-3D," and Sega's first consumer video game console, "SG-1000," all marketed in Japan. The arcades and the U.S. home market crashed shortly after. Gulf Western, which had spun off 20 percent of Sega, bought back the public shares and sold the U. S. assets to Bally Manufacturing Corp. However, in Japan, Sega survived. Back in 1979, Rosen had acquired a distribution company founded by a Japanese entrepreneur, Hayao Nakayama. Following the crash, Rosen joined Nakayama and other Japanese investors to buy the Japanese assets of Sega for $38 million. Nakayama became chief executive and Rosen headed the U.S. subsidiary. From that point forward, the company vowed to stick not with one concept too long, realizing that each generation of technology has a life and death. In 1984, Sega Enterprises was bought by a partnership between Sega Enterprises Japanese management and CSK, forming Sega Enterprise Ltd., a Japan-based company. In 1986, Sega Enterprises Ltd.'s stock was listed over the counter on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In addition, Sega of America was established to adapt and market video game products to a rapidly expanding American market. It was subsequently given the charter to develop software products specifically for the American market. In the late 1980s, Sega Enterprises introduced a line of extremely successful video game systems and software titles that propelled the company into international prominence, making it the world's second largest vendor of consumer video game products. In 1990, Sega Enterprises Ltd.'s stock was listed on the first tier of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In 1993, the stock was listed on the pink sheets of NASDAQ and available in ADR in the U.S. In 1990, Sega aimed its products at a slightly older market than its main competitor, Nintendo, and released the 16-bit console, Sega Genesis. Sega was quickly recognized by its fast-paced, "in-your-face" marketing and advertising, putting the company in the ranks of NIKE and Levi's as favorite brands among America's youth. In December 1994, Sega of America, in a joint venture with Time Warner and TCI, launched the Sega Channel, which is a nationwide subscription-based cable network which provides videogames to Sega Genesis owners via their cable box. The Sega Channel was praised by the cable industry as the "coolest new service." In 1995, Sega of America launched the Sega Saturn video game system, bringing arcade-quality gaming to the home. Saturn games earned more coveted "Five Star" product review ratings from a popular industry video game magazine than any other platform. In 1996, Sega launched the Sega Saturn Net Link, a modem that plugs into the Saturn console for on-line gaming and full Internet access. There ended up being more than 300 first-party and third-party games in the Sega Saturn library. Also in 1995, SegaSoft was formed through a joint venture between Sega of America and CSK Corporation to create interactive content. The growth of Sega companies continued in 1996 with the creation of Sega Entertainment, Inc., a joint venture between Sega of America and SOFTBANK Holdings, Inc. Named one of PC Data's top 25 publishers in 1997, based on software sales, Sega Entertainment is committed to creating original titles and customizing Sega content in the real-time strategy, simulation, action and sports gaming categories. Also in 1996, Sega, MCA and the DreamWorks' creative team of Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg joined forces as Sega GameWorks to create family-oriented location-based entertainment centers with the goal of expanding the gaming market. In 1997, Sega promoted Bernie Stolar to COO of Sega of America. Previously Executive Vice President of Product Development and COO of Sega Entertainment, Stolar is an industry veteran, with more than 20 years in the video game business. As a visionary, Stolar plans to lead Sega into the next generation of gaming, and that's where the Sega Dreamcast comes in! ======[ ON YOUR MIND! ]=================================== ---> GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? If you have a letter you would like please e-mail it to Andreas (tuna@ebox.tninet.se). ---> STOP THE CRAP GAMES "Hey everyone at S2K! Just a quick comment that I am looking at all these manufacturers of games for the DC and I really hope that we don't see a glut of crappy playing games that just look nice. I've heard the not-so-good comments about July and hope that this does not repeat on a regular basis in America. I know that Sega has dropped the licensing fee for developers, and since DC is very easy to program for many companies may jump aboard to push out a quick game and make a fast buck on a really crappy game with a good name or movie license attached to it. Sega should have at least some quality standard and have the game tested by REAL game players before releasing it to mass production. Have a great day!" - Rico Castro REPLY: If you don't want to buy bad games, check out the reviews it gets. Personally, I haven't bought a game that didn't have what I expected. This was because I read all the reviews I could get my eyes on before I bought it. I suggest everyone to do the same. ======[ WEB SITES ]======================================= If your looking to have your site advertised in this section, please check out the details at www.DreamcastWeekly.com ----> http://www.the-junction.com/tvg/ Total Video Games ----> http://www.the-junction.com/ The Junction ----> http://www.dreamcastlife.com Dreamcast Life ---------------------------------------------------------- Copyright, 1998 Elijah Parker - ELIJAH@SEGA2000.COM - MADCOW@IHUG.CO.NZ ---~> www.DreamcastWeekly.com - Official Website! ---~> www.sega2000.com - Sega 2000 ---~> www.segadreamcast.net - Sega X Written and edited by Elijah Parker. The magazine is owned by Sega 2000 / Sega X and no parts may be copied without prior permission. I would have to send out my group of highly trained thugs who will have a tea party with you until you crack and your mind turns into jello... MMmmmmm.... Sweet Sweet Jello.... hehe, anyway... If you have any friends that might be interested in this magazine, it would be excellent if you could let them know about it. Thanks! p.s Not long until Christmas now... YAY!!!!!!!