February 27, 2001 (Tuesday)

Gamecube Chip Production Begins - NEC has begun production of a set of graphics related chips that will be used in the upcoming Nintendo Gamecube. Nintendo is spending $2.8 Billion on the chips...

Sega Cuts 300 Jobs - Today Sega of Japan announced that over the next two weeks, about 300 people will be laid off. This accounts for 11.9% of their work-force. And will save the company an estimated 1.9 Billion Yen a year. The industry can be ruthless sometimes...

New PS2 Release Dates - The following North American dates come straight from SCEA (Sony Computer Entertainment of America):

Yu Suzuki, Virtua Fighter 4, and Limp Bizkit? - I hope I don't start any bad rumors with this. But in a recent interview with Yu Suzuki concerning Virtua Fighter 4. Mr. Suzuki expressed an interest in a "raw" music soundtrack noting the band, Limp Bizkit. What does this mean? Absolutely nothing at this point. But I thought it was good for a laugh. Click Here to read some more of the interview... 

 

February 23, 2001 (Friday)

Sega and K-Mart Lawsuit - Sega of America filed a claim against K-Mart last Thursday due to the non-payment of Dreamcast shipments the retail store had received from as early as September 1999. K-Mart was suppose to remit $2.2 million dollars of a bill totaling $25.9 million dollars, but has yet to do so. K-Mart has also yet to give a public response on the matter... 

US Official Gameboy Advance Colors - Nintendo of America announced recently that North America GBA units will be the same color as their Japanese counterparts. The three colors will be renamed to Arctic (White), Indigo (Violet), and Glacier (Milky Blue)...

US Fighting Vipers 2 Canned - As of now, Sega of America has no intentions of bringing the Dreamcast version of Fighting Vipers 2 over here to North America...

PS2 WWF Smackdown! 3 Confirmed - No release date has been set yet. But the game will be published by THQ and developed by Yuke's. Click here to check out a preview by ps2.ign.com...

PS2 Monster Rancher 3 Confirmed - Tecmo plans to bring the new game over to North America this Summer with a retail price of $49.99...

 

February 21, 2001 (Wednesday)

GameCube Zelda Title Confirmed - In a recent interview between ArmChairEmpire.com and several Nintendo developers, the next Zelda game was mentioned for Gamecube. Click here to check out the full interview...

Video Game Deals #2 - Looking for a Neo Geo Pocket Color at an affordable price? How does $39.99 for a brand new one sound? Then you better head on over to Buyrite1.com. The only catch is that you need to buy one NGPC title to get the Hardware Deal. The unit is available in six different colors, and they have a wide selection of import and few domestic games to choose from...

Z.O.E Anime Series Announced - Yesterday, Konami and Sunrise revealed their plans for an animated series in Japan based on the PS2 Game, Zone of Enders (Z.O.E). The series is slated to premiere April 6th on TV Tokyo. The first season of "Z.O.E Dolores, I" is to have about 26 half-hour episodes...

Sega Game Gear Re-Release - I announced this news earlier, but it seems Dreamcast.net got a hold of some more information. The Game Gear handheld units will retail for $29.99 each and will be accompanied by a small selection of games retailing for $14.99 each. The available titles include The Lion King, Aladdin, The Jungle Book, Deep Duck Trouble, Caesars Palace, Super Battletank, Sonic Chaos, Sonic Spinball, Pac-Man, and Ms. Pac-Man. The Game Gear Re-Released Units and Games will only be available at Toys 'R Us stores...

Gamestop.com Playstation 2 Packages - The online store currently has 3 different PS2 Packages available right now at $499.92 each. The packages are named "Sports", "Action", and "Fighting". Click here to check out the site for more details... 

 

February 17, 2001 (Saturday)

Video Game Deals #1 - This is a new feature where I'll post extraordinary deals on the best games available. For this first notice, I'd like to direct you all to Express.com who is having a Clearance Sale. Please check with them for availability, shipping, and other info:

Gamecube Metroid FPS - Word from IGNCube says that Retro Studios is working on a First Person Shooter Metroid game. This decision came after Nintendo had made some complaints about Metroid's progress as a 3rd Person Adventure. Shocking news, but it's anyone's guess as to how the game will turn out now. Here's hoping its good...

Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine is Gone - You knew this news was coming after Sega made their recent Restructuring Announcements. But now it's official. The last issue will feature Spider-Man on the cover... 

 

February 15, 2001 (Thursday)

Editorial: Well, I'm finally done with the new layout. What do you guys and gals think? I still gotta a little more work to do. Sonic (above) will eventually be replaced with random pictures. And new quotes & reviews are heading this way. BTW, Happy Valentine's Day to all those who celebrated yesterday...

Tidbits on Sega's Playstation Games - Charles Bellfield (Sega of America's Vice President) revealed that the upcoming ports will be announced in April 2001. And that they will actually be released in Summer 2001 for a retail price of $19.95 each. Unfortunately, the Panzer Dragoon series is not a part of the plans...

Pirating Class Action Lawsuit - The Interactive Digital Software Association consisting of 12 Video Game companies have filed law suits against several individuals for distributing pirated ROMS on the internet. The big guns include Activision, Capcom, Eidos, EA, Havas Ent, Sierra Online, LucasArts, Interplay, Microsoft, Midway, Nintendo, and the 3DO Company. More information is forth coming as it progresses...

Gameboy Color Zelda Games get Official Titles - One will be named the "The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages" and the other will be called "The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons". They are expected to hit the US in May 2001...

Sega Dreamcast Demo Discs - Sega of America said that they were planning to release a continuing Demo Disc series for retail purchase. But now the discs will only be included with future Sega DC game releases. Similar to what they did with the Sonic Adventure 2 Demo that was included with Phantasy Star Online... 

XBox Chip Production Begins - The Nvidia Corporation announced that they have finally begun frabrication of the GPU (XGPU) and MCPX chips. Which will be used in future XBox Consoles...

 

February 12, 2001 (Monday)

New Todd McFarlane Toys Unveiled - Including seven figures from Metal Gear Solid 2. Only four are actually shown while the rest are silhouetted. And new models from Akira and Tenchi Muyo will be introduced under their Animation (Anime) line. Click Here to check out pics and info on the upcoming action figures...

Gameboy Advance Release Date Announced - Visitors at this year's Toy Fair in New York were treated to a Nintendo Marketing Calendar that placed the GBA's release on June 11th, 2001...

US Surgeon General's "Report on Youth Violence" - The report began in 1999 after the Columbine High School incident, and it's purpose was to find if media (including videogames) made the public aggressive and/or violent. The end result says not quite so. Apparently it appears that people who are aggressive to begin with tend to be more influenced by media violence. While less aggressive people aren't really effected at all. Finally, the big "G" is beginning to make some sense... 

 

February 10, 2001 (Saturday)

Sega Dreamcast Karaoke Unveiled - The add-on is set to hit Japan on March 29th for 9800 yen ($89 US). Or you can get a complete unit for 18800 yen ($162 US). This nifty device hugs the bottom of the DC, can download songs, and has ports for 2 separate microphones. A US release is unexpected...

Console Market Still Going Strong despite all the restructuring, lowered projected sales, and even the closing of a few companies. The Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) released some surprising figures for the year end of 2000 concerning the gaming market. The US market drew $6.02 Billion. With console gaming taking $4.1 Million and pc gaming scrapping up only $1.55 Million from the total...

Sega Reveals GBA Sonic - It's only one screenshot, but Sonic never looked better on a handheld. Sorry if it looks a little fuzzy. Click Here to view the capture...

A Sega/Square Arcade Game was apparently announced in a Famitsu Interview (a popular gaming magazine in Japan) with Sega of Japan member, Tetsu Kayama. The details regarding the title are unknown...

More Sega Development News was unveiled at a press conference in Japan recently with new COO, Satoshi Kayama. Sega will be supporting the Nintendo Gamecube and Microsoft XBox in the near future. Dreamcast software will be phased out internally over the next 2 years. The cost of Development tools and Licensing fees will be decreased in the future to draw smaller companies to develop for the DC...

 

February 07, 2001 (Wednesday)

New Great Games Released! - Just a side note to let you all know that Paper Mario for the N64 and Megaman X5 for the PSX are now available. Call your local store for pricing and stock...

Gamecenter.com Shutting Down thanks to cut-backs at CNet.com. The last companies to suffer from industry shakeouts were Sega and Gamefan...

Jaleco Game Cancellations were made earlier this week. The Playstation 2 versions of Carrier and Navy Force have been canned to cut back on development costs...

PaperMario.com Opens today. Besides news and multimedia, you can download the ultra-cool Battle Background Diorama. Click on the link above to check it out...

TheGIA.com, Amazon Honor System - The two companies have joined forces to take donations. Yep, the dot com shakeout is still underway and it looks like the Gaming Intelligence Agency is suffering a bit. Click here to find out more on how to make a $5 donation...

 

February 05, 2001 (Monday)

Editorial: Sorry about the lack of an update over the weekend guys and gals. Angelfire's FTP system was down and I couldn't use it. You didn't miss much since there has been little news after Sega's recent announcements...

The Sega Petition - You knew it was coming. After the recent restructuring announcements were made by Sega, loyal fans have begun a petition pleading for Sega stay on the Dreamcast boat and not to abandon it just yet. Click Here to check it out and/or sign.

XBox Trademark Lawsuits - as reported earlier (well late last year), Microsoft is being sued by a small company named XBox Technologies which obtained the patent for the XBox name 9 months before MS had applied. Unfortunately this situation hasn't been resolved yet and the battle is still ongoing. Though, I gotta a pretty good feeling MS will be securing the name shortly (come on, Bill Gates has the dough)...

Infrogames and Peanuts, the kind comic strips are made of. Infrogames made an announcement recently saying they have secured the rights to make games based on the Peanuts comic strip by Mr. Schultz. Click Here for more info... 

Sega of America Downsizing Begins - Reports claim that several dozen employees in the Marketing and Quality Assurance departments have been laid off. A similar action is expected to take place at Sega of Japan when DC production stops this March...

Another Pokemon Movie!!! - Still soaking the franchise, Nintendo is preparing the 5th Pokemon movie for release in Japan this July 7th. The worst part, you know it's going to be heading over to the US along with the 3rd and 4th movies...

 

2001 February News

 

January 31, 2001 (Wednesday)

Sega of America's Plans - An official announcement from SOA at AOU confirms that Dreamcast production will be discontinued this March 31st. And that the company will become a 3rd-Party Publisher for the Playstation 2 Console and Gameboy Advance Handheld (not excluding future consoles). Online Gaming will still remain a focus. They plan on supporting DC throughout December 31st with a huge list of titles. Check out the stories below for more... 

Sega Confirms PS2 Games - Unbelievably Virtua Fighter 4 (VF4) is being produced for the PS2. And ports of Space Channel 5, 2 titles from the "Let's Make a Sports Team" series, and unspecified titles from the Sakura Taisen Strategy/RPG series are all heading their way over...   

Sega Confirms Gameboy Advance Games - to be heading out in 2001. Titles include Sonic the Hedgehog Advance, Chu-Chu Rocket, and Puyo Puyo...

Sega Dreamcast Price Drop - The hardware will be dropping to a retail price of $99.99 come this February 4th, 2001. And the special Smash Pack Package will be reduced to $119.99 MFRP (jeez, the Sega news just won't stop)... 

Sega Announces US 2001 Dreamcast Titles - 

Gameboy Advance's Polygons - yep, the little guy can handle Star Fox and Doom (FPS) variety graphics using a polygonal game engine - click here to check out some demo shots...

PS2 Consoles Available at Playstation.com for the price of $299 plus applicable taxes and shipping. Only 5000 units are in stock so order while you can...

 

January 29, 2001 (Monday)

PaRappa the Rapper 3 was announced for the PS2 during a recent press event in Japan for the new PaRappa TV anime series - details regarding the game are unknown at this time...

Target Discounts Dreamcast Games - a lot of reports say that the retail store has dropped prices to $19.99 on many DC titles - some of the notables include Jet Grind Radio and Shenmue - check your local store for details and stock availability...

Sega's Virtua Fighter X Renamed to Virtua Fighter 4. The game is set to premiere at the upcoming AOU Show in Japan this February...

More Sega News - apparently the aforementioned set-top box that utilizes Dreamcast hardware was finally revealed today by Sega and UK-based Pace Micro Technology - click here for the full story...

 

January 26, 2001 (Friday)

Sega of Japan New Release List - notable titles include Shin Space Channel 5, Toe Jam and Earl III, House of the Dead 3, Crazy Taxi 2, Sonic Adventure 2, Get Bass 2, Alien Front Online, and Project Propeller Online...

PS2 Onimusha will be hitting the United States this March 14th for a retail price of $49.99 - those who pre-order through Capcom.com will get a free Onimusha T-Shirt...

Sony Changes Quote on PS2 Shipments from the originally projected 10 million to 9 million units worldwide for the end of the fiscal year, March 31st - a Spokesperson blamed the change on the shortage of parts to make the consoles..

More Sega Rumors - The first one claims that Virtua Fighter X is headed to Microsoft's XBox. The other one suggests that Dreamcast games will be compatible with the XBox console. Sega has not commented on the VFX rumor, and Microsoft has firmly denied the compatibility claim...

 

January 24, 2001 (Wednesday)

Japan PS2 BASIC Studio is on it's way in April for 9800 yen ($84 US) from Artdink. The big deal, its a variation of the old-school programming code known as Basic that let's it's users create their own videogames and programs. Homebrewing on your PS2 is almost here...

Capcom Confirms Heavy Metal: Geomatrix for the Sega Dreamcast. The game has received heavy input from Heavy Metal magazine. And is said to be a 4-player death-match style title (Spawn?)...

Official Sega Responses - a lot of rumors on the net have suggested that Dreamcast production will stop and that Sega will start publishing titles on rival consoles such as the PS2 and Gameboy Advance. Today, Sega of Japan makes it's response. Click here to read the statement.

Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within (Movie) will debut this July 13th in America while Japan will see a Fall release...

 

January 23, 2001 (Tuesday)

Dr. Mario 64 Announced by Nintendo for the aging N64 - scheduled for release on April 9th 2001...

Square gets Busy by confirming that 23 titles are in development. Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX are being remade for the Playstation 2. Remakes of Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI are set to hit handhelds (most likely the Gameboy Advance). And PS2 will also recieve Final Fantasy X, XI, and XII. Wow, that's alot of roman numerals...

Sony acquires Naughty Dog and Red Zone Interactive as Playstation 2 only developers...

Biohazard Commemorative Package has been confirmed by Capcom for release on the PS2 this March 22nd for 28,000 yen ($245 US). It's to carry the latest versions of all Resident Evil releases, a special DVD, aluminum carry case, keychain, medal, ring, pen, dog-tags, stationary, and a binder...

Shenmue: the Movie recently had a premiere screening in Japan - afterwards series producer Yu Suzuki revealed some tidbits on Dreamcast Shenmue II - a projected release date is set for Fall 2001 and the game will come on 4 GD-Roms... 

Nintendo Releases More Gameboy Advance Info and new screenshots of their upcoming handheld and games on their website - I recommend checking it out...

Japan Gameboy Advance to be released in three official colors including White, Purple, and a Clear Purple - click here to check out a pic of the GBA units...

Mario Advance was Revealed by Nintendo for the Gameboy Advance in Japan - it appears to be a graphically updated version of Super Mario Bros. 2 and will feature a 4-Player Mode ala the original Atrai-based Mario Bros. game...

Final Fantasy X Official Site Launches - thanks to Square and PlayOnline.com you can now check out character designs and early screenshots of this anticipated PS2 title...

Sony Kicks Up Playstation 2 Production in order to meet the great demand and now that some of their problems have been solved - they expect to ship 2 million units a month worldwide for a projected 10 million units by March 31st...

XBoy? - rumors on the net say Microsoft is planning to release their own handheld in 2002 or 2003 - Microsoft denies the rumors at this time saying their focus is the XBox...

 

January 20, 2001 (Saturday)

Editor's Note: Sorry about the delay. Our computer crashed and we just recently got a new one today - btw plan on seeing a new look for the site in the near future...

Playstation 3 is in the Minds of Sony - click here to read some interesting comments from Ken Kutaragi (PSX Creator) and Shinichi Okomoto (VP of R&D at SCEI)...

PSX Sqaure Rumors - current rumblings suggest that that the US PSX will see versions of Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy IV (with some new additions) for later in 2001...

Nintendo Sues Again - apparently Imagine Media is in the cross-hairs of Nintendo this time as they recently filed a law suit against them for using trademarked pictures and other material in their "Unofficial Pokemon Guide" - Imagine Media has snapped back with a official ban on all coverage of Nintendo products until the suit is resolved - so much for press on the upcoming Gamecube and Advance, huh?...

 

January 16, 2001 (Tuesday)

Nintendo Releases More Gameboy Advance Info and new screenshots of their upcoming handheld and games on their website - I recommend checking it out...

Japan Gameboy Advance to be released in three official colors including White, Purple, and a Clear Purple - click here to check out a pic of the GBA units...

Mario Advance was Revealed by Nintendo for the Gameboy Advance in Japan - it appears to be a graphically updated version of Super Mario Bros. 2 and will feature a 4-Player Mode ala the original Atrai-based Mario Bros. game...

Final Fantasy X Official Site Launches - thanks to Square and PlayOnline.com you can now check out character designs and early screenshots of this anticipated PS2 title...

Sony Kicks Up Playstation 2 Production in order to meet the great demand and now that some of their problems have been solved - they expect to ship 2 million units a month worldwide for a projected 10 million units by March 31st...

XBoy? - rumors on the net say Microsoft is planning to release their own handheld in 2002 or 2003 - Microsoft denies the rumors at this time saying their focus is the XBox...

 

January 12, 2001 (Friday)

Reminder: XBox Conosle and Controller was Unveiled this past weekend at the 2001 CES Show in Las Vegas, Nevada - click here or below on "XBox Preview" to check out pics and details of the upcoming Microsoft system...

Sega Dreamcast Broadband Adapter is Now Available for purchase online at the official Sega Store website for $59.99 plus shipping - click here to go directly to the page...

XBox Non-Simultaneous Launch? - rumors indicate that some Microsoft execs are talking about staggered launch dates for the XBox Console in the US and Japan - if this proves true America would be the first to recieve the console...

Sega's "Live the Phantasy" Contest offers you a chance to meet the famous Yuji Naka and play the very first game of Phantasy Star Online with him - click here to get more details on this cool event...

 

January 10, 2001 (Wednesday)

New Gundam Arcade by Capcom was on test in Japan recently - the official title is Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs Zeon and it'll play & look similar to the Virtual On series or Capcom's Spawn Arcade - no release dates have been set yet...

Nintendo TV Advertisement Edited - the Parents Television Council recently complained about Nintendo's commercial featuring the cross-dressing dad - so the TV ad was edited and now the father is dressed up like a cowboy... isn't it amazing how something so insignificant can cause concern in a tiny social group such as the PTC...

Namco Confirms Three Gameboy Advance Titles for the Japanese market - the titles are Tekken Advance, Pac-Man Advance, and Namco Museum Advance - an announcement on possible US translations is expected later this year...

Virtua Fighter X News - the game will be running on Sega's Naomi 2 arcade board and is being produced by series original creator, Yu Suzuki - an unveiling is expected at the Japanese Amusement Expo AOU on February 23, 2001...

Reminder: XBox Conosle and Controller was Unveiled this past weekend at the 2001 CES Show in Las Vegas, Nevada - click here or below on "XBox Preview" to check out pics and details of the upcoming Microsoft system...

 

January 08, 2001 (Monday)

Reminder: XBox Conosle and Controller was Unveiled this past weekend at the 2001 CES Show in Las Vegas, Nevada - click here or below on "XBox Preview" to check out pics and details of the upcoming Microsoft system...

New XBox Titles Announced - Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2X (with online features) and WWF Raw is War...

XBox Console has No Lock-Out Feature - meaning you don't need to modify your system to play import games - however publishers could still put in there own Lock-Outs in their software since Microsoft will not be handling it...

Majesco Reveals Gameboy Advance Lineup - some interesting titles to note are Earthworm Jim and Pitfall - other games include Caesar's Palace, M&Ms: Lost in Time, Iridion 3-D, Aerial Aces, F-18, Fortress, Jelly Belly, and Paintball...

PS2 Resident Evil 4 is being developed completely in-house at Capcom with series original creator, Shinji Mikami - the game won't be arriving until 2002 or after...

 

January 05, 2001 (Friday)

XBox Console and Controller Pics! - looks like someone leaked some info - click on the "XBox Preview" below to take a peak at official pictures of the XBox Console and Pad...

XBox Spec Tweaks - GPU Speed goes from 300mhz to 250mhz, Polygon Performance slips from 300 million to 175 million polys per second, and you will have to separately purchase an XBox Wireless Remote to use the DVD Playback Capabilities of the system...

PSX Dragon Quest VII hits the 4 million mark of units sold in Japan becoming the "Top Selling Playstation Game of All Time"...

 

January 03, 2001 (Wednesday)

Capcom Announces a Jojo's Bizzare Adventure Sequel but no word on it's features - people have speculated that it will be a 3D fighting/adventure game, but only Capcom knows for sure...

Mario Advance is heavily rumored to be the next Gameboy Advance Mario title - built like a classic 2D platformer - but no official word from Nintendo as of yet...

XBox Stats Drop a Little - the GPU speed has been reduced from 300mhz to 250mhz - this means the system loses a little bit of polygon processing power, but it can still handle 125 million polygons per second (twice that of the PS2)

 

2001 January News