__________________________________________________ / \ /_______> > > DREAMCAST WEEKLY MAGAZINE < < <________\ ////// \\\\\\ ////// ~Issue #34 - www.DreamcastWeekly.com~ \\\\\\ \\\\\\ ////// \\\\\\ Sega X - http://www.segadreamcast.net ////// \\\\\\ Sega 2000 - http://www.sega2000.com ////// \\\\\\ Media Site - http://media.seganet.com ////// \\\\\\______________________________________////// \______________________________________________/ o> Please scroll down to Editors Comments for the start >>> US Launch Information Announced >>>> Written by Tails Here is the OFFICIAL release list from the Electronics Boutique. This may change of course (except some more titles to be added at the E3). For example where is Sega Rally 2 and Floigan Brothers? However, most impressive is a December release date for Shenmue! September: ---------- 9/09/99 Dreamcast System - $199.99 9/09/99 Super Speed Racing - $49.99 9/09/99 Castlevania - $49.99 9/09/99 House of the Dead 2 - $49.99 9/09/99 Hydro Thunder - $49.99 9/09/99 Mortal Kombat Gold - $49.99 9/09/99 NFL Blitz 2000 - $49.99 9/09/99 Ready 2 Rumble Boxing - $49.99 9/09/99 Sega Sports NBA 2000 - $49.99 9/09/99 Sega Sports NFL 2000 - $49.99 9/09/99 Sonic Adventure - $49.99 9/09/99 Soul Calibur - $49.99 9/09/99 Street Fighter Alpha 3 - $49.99 9/09/99 Virtua Fighter 3 TB - $49.99 October: -------- 10/02/99 Geist Force - $49.99 10/02/99 Marvel vs. Capcom - $49.99 10/02/99 Power Stone - $49.99 10/02/99 Slave Zero - $49.99 10/02/99 Trick Style - $49.99 November: --------- 11/02/99 NBA Showtime - $49.99 December: --------- 12/02/99 Resident Evil: Veronica - $59.99 12/02/99 Shenmue - $49.99 Also rumours about a non-modem package for $150 were destroyed, as Sega announced there will be just one, $199 Dreamcast, with the modem. ---------------------------------------------------------- ======| IMPORTANT MATTERS |=============================== ---------------------------------------------------------- >>>> US$25 Puru Puru Packs! www.extreme-imports.com have plenty of official Puru Puru packs in stock right now, for AUS$39 (almost US$25). This is the cheapest price you'll find anywhere in the world. >>>> Redline Racer - Preorders Now Open Redline Racer will be the next title available for Sega Dreamcast. Stock will be available on or before April 28th. Pre-orders are now being taken for this Motorbike simulation. *********************************** * http://www.extreme-imports.com/ * *********************************** ---------------------------------------------------------- ======| NEWS |============================================ ---------------------------------------------------------- >>>> Something Huge From Eidos At E3 Eidos (best known as the publishers of the Tomb Raider games) have said, "there's going to be a huge announcement at the show." (E3). No more information was given, except that it is "something very, very exciting," according to a company spokesperson. Could it be Dreamcast related? Maybe. >>>> Act Labs Racing Wheel To Work With Dreamcast & PC Thanks to Dreamcast.net ACT LABS, developers of cutting-edge gaming peripherals, announced today that they will be showcasing their new Dreamcast add-on cartridge for their award-winning racing system this year at E3. The new accessory utilizes their patent pending cartridge technology, which enables end-users to purchase one wheel for use on both PC and console gaming systems. The Dreamcast RS will support Sega’s VMS (Virtual Memory System) technology in the form of a separate cradle unit that extends from the wheel cartridge. The cradle can be desk mounted or attached to the wheel itself for convenient viewing and/or use. "We are excited to launch this new cartridge and back our commitment to providing the gamer with the latest technology and system compatibility. We feel strongly that the user should not have to purchase a separate racing system for each platform." commented Jesse Callejo, Sales Manager for ACT LABS. "We are very impressed with the quality of the current Dreamcast titles such as Sega Rally 2 and look forward to the release of the other announced racing titles in the near future." The new Dreamcast RS cartridge is for use with the ACT LABS RS and Force RS products, which have won numerous awards in the past 6 months. The cartridge will be available this summer as an accessory (SRP: $29.99) or included free with their Dreamcast RS package (SRP: $99.99). ---------------------------------------------------------- ======| ARCADE ZONE |===================================== ---------------------------------------------------------- >>>> Crazy Taxi Impressions >>>> Written by David Calla The arcade near me (State College, PA) got Crazy Taxi today and I was able to check it out for a little bit. I only put in a couple of bucks (thing costs $1 to play, kinda high for a NAOMI game around here) but it was worth it, and I'll try to share with you what I remember. Well, the fist thing that comes to mind is LA Riders. The feel of the environment is kinda the same, but in this case it is more refined. There looks to be only one "course", a city with real traffic, in which you can drive pretty much anywhere you want. The environment is richly detailed with all kinds of roadside stuff to hit outa the way (boxes, tables, umbrellas, etc) and quite a large number of people on the sidewalks (who scatter when you get close enough) and cars on the road. The texturing is quite sharp for the most part (what would you expect from NAOMI :) but I did notice some ugly trees in some areas (down near the beach). Pop-up does happen every so often, but it is really not noticeable unless you are looking for it, and I only noticed slowdown once in an area with about 15 cars and loads of people. Oh, and there are some real life locations in the city like KFC, and Pizza Hut which add to the believability of the environment. Overall I came away quite impressed with the graphical presentation. Control was quite simple, maybe even too simple for my taste. The arcade unit itself has a shifter but it is only used to put your car into forward and reverse so there seemed to be only automatic transmissions on the 4 selectable cars. Also I don't know if this specific arcade decided to turn it off (I don't even know if that is possible) but there wasn't any force feedback on the steering wheel (rather disappointing). The cars overall are very responsive, making it easy to weave in and out of traffic and pick up and drop off passengers. The only problem I have is that when you stop to pick up a passenger on any other surface besides pavement, my car sat and peeled out for a rather long time, killing precious seconds from the clock (could just be bad driving on my part though :). If you didn't already know, the gameplay involves picking up passengers and dropping them off at specific locations in the city. The faster you get them there, the more money you earn (points) and the more seconds you get added to the clock. There is a helpful little arrow in the top center of the screen that keeps you heading in the right direction, so you can drop off your passengers with high efficiency. Thankfully, there are a large number of people looking for a lift, so the downtime between passengers is minimal, keeping the excitement high. The main idea behind the game works well, and will most likely attract a wide variety of players. Overall I had a great time playing the game, and would suggest that if you get a chance, to check it out. I'll probably go blow some more money on it soon, so maybe I'll see ya there :) --- Also in related news, SOJ has just opened a Crazy Taxi Website at http://www.sega.co.jp/sega/arcade/arcade/taxi/ ---------------------------------------------------------- ======[ TIPS & CHEATS ]=================================== ---------------------------------------------------------- O If you've discovered a secret on a Dreamcast or O O Arcade game, and would like to share it with the O O world, please e-mail me on Webmaster@sega2000.com O >>>> Get Bass In 'Consumer Mode' press UP or DOWN to change the color of your lure. This definitely plays a role in how "attractive" the bait is to the fish. - Thanks to suBXes. >>>> House Of The Dead 2 Thanks to Sages.Ign.Com, and Fritz Schober, here is a translation for all the items in House Of The Dead 2... http://sages.ign.com/codes/hot2_items.gif Very useful! ---------------------------------------------------------- ======| SEGA TRIVIA |===================================== ---------------------------------------------------------- >>>> Weekly Sega Trivia >>>> By Alex 1: Which game on the Mega CD contained excessive violence and full frontal nudity? 2: Who is Shinobi? 3: Shud Di uses what kind of fighting? 4: Raxal has what weapon? 5: What was Alex the Kidd originaly designed for? >>>> Answers 1: Night Trap 2: Joe Musashi 3: Drunken fighting 4: A guitar 5: To be better than Mario ---------------------------------------------------------- ======| BEST OF THE WEB |================================= ---------------------------------------------------------- There are sooooo many Sega sites across the web, wouldn't it be great if one place listed the most interesting bits?? Presenting the "Best Of The Web" section... >>>> Sega X - www.SegaDreamcast.net Plenty of news added every day, and the best coverage of the US Launch details your'll find anywhere. >>>> Sega 2000 - www.Sega2000.com Sega 2000's new news system means our staff can put news online any time of the day, and from anywhere in the world. >>>> Media Site - http://media.seganet.com They have the biggest collection of video game mp3's, video's (including some Saturn video's you've probably never seen before) and more. Also don't forget to vote for your favorite staff member. >>>> Dreamcast.net - www.Dreamcast.net Updates daily, to keep you up with the latest on all things Sega. >>>> Gaming Central Starpath - www.startpath.com/gamingcentral Our newest support site and provides hundreds of links for anything a gamer might be interested in. >>>> SegaDC - www.segadc.co.nz Updated daily with lots of news, a forum and more, this is a must see site for any Sega fan. >>>> Dreamcast Australia - www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Fortress/6831/ Dreamcast Australia has gone undercover to find out the latest in release dates, prices and titles for the Australian Dreamcast launch. Add in some of the best previews, reviews, news and other info and this is one hell of a site. Have a look. >>>> The Sonic Zone - www.suneet.com/soniczone/ Updated daily with a HUGE amount of Sonic content that is sure to blow you away! From Fan Fiction to Chatting to Cheats and even Fan Created Games this is your one stop Sonic site. You can now send online postcards too!! The official 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 as well! Then in the future... who knows, hopefully we'll be a print magazine one day :) ---------------------------------------------------------- ======[ CREDITS ]========================================= ---------------------------------------------------------- O Writer: Graham Parker "Tails" - webmaster@sega2000.com O DC Questions: Please send to - Steve@sega2000.com >>>> www.DreamcastWeekly.com - Official Website! ---------------------------------------------------------- Copyright, 1998-9 Graham Parker - WEBMASTER@SEGA2000.COM Written and edited by Graham Parker. The Dreamcast Weekly website is hosted thanks to www.totalvideogames.com and the magazine is owned by... me :) No parts may be copied without prior permission. I would have to send out my group of highly trained thugs otherwise, who will have a tea party with you until you crack and your mind turns into jello... MMmmmmm.... Sweet Sweet Jello.... hehe. Oh and finally... ----------------- You'd think after writing a funny little comment at the end of every issue, I'd run out of funny little things to say. Well... yes, yes I have. Until next issue... Happy Gaming :)