August 23, 2001 (Thursday)

Spaceworld 2001: US Gamecube Delayed - Press kits from Spaceworld 2001 have confirmed a delay for the North American Gamecube launch. The original release date of November 5th has been pushed back to November 18th. No word on why the delay was issued...

Spaceworld 2001: New GBA Games Named - Sega and WOW Entertainment are working on "The House of the Dead: Pinball" for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. As the title suggests, this is a pinball game. Where the ball will be used to destroy zombies and other monsters. Sammy is working on a GBA version of "Guilty Gear X". The game's characters won't be super-deformed and the play mechanics will strive to remain true to the arcade original. Nintendo showed off "Super Mario Advance 2" which turned out to be upgraded version of Super Mario World (which first appeared on the SNES)... 

Spaceworld 2001: New Gamecube Titles Revealed - Sega will be showing off a playable version of "Sonic Adventure 2" for the Nintendo Gamecube at this year's Spaceworld event. Whereas Namco has confirmed that a port of "Soul Calibur 2" will hit the console. Though the title will only be on video at the show. "Mario Sunshine" (a tentative title) from Nintendo was shown. And looked like a graphically improved version of Mario 64. While "the Legend of Zelda" (also a tentative title) was shown on video. Surprisingly, this new Zelda game takes on a cartoon-ish feel with cel-shaded graphics, a very young Link, and traditional cartoon antics (i.e, over-exaggerated expressions, falling off cliffs, etc.)...

New Game Magazine - Ziff Davis will be publishing a brand new video game magazine shortly. The monthly publication, GameNow, will be aimed at the 10 - 16 age group and will focus on the next wave of console and handheld gaming. Since this magazine caters to a younger crowd, it won't feature any M-rated video games or their ads. GameNow is set to premiere this November with a price tag of $5.99 per issue...

39th JAMMA Show Info - The 39th JAMMA Show (Japan Amusement Machinery Manufacturers Association) will take place at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center from September 20 to 22. Many of the top game developers and publishers will be showing off current and new arcade titles. A few of the big names include Namco, Sega, Taito, Tecmo, Konami, Atlus, and more. I'll let you know if any major news comes from this show... 

 

August 15, 2001 (Wednesday)

Sega Dreamcast Price Drops - As of August 12, new reduced prices will have hit selected Dreamcast products. A stand-alone Sega Dreamcast console will now cost $79.95. In addition, the Sonic Hardware Bundle (a Sega Dreamast Console with Sonic Adventure 1 + 2 and Sonic Shuffle) will cost $99.95. DC controllers will now cost $14.95 and VMU memory cards will sell for $9.99. August 13th will mark the debut of the new Sega Sports Bundle (consisting of a DC console and the 2001 versions of Sega's NFL, NBA, and World Series Baseball games) at the set price point of $99.95...

Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within, DVD Details  - Both DVD and VHS versions of Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within will be released on October 23rd of this year. The VHS will just contain the film itself. Whereas the DVD will feature the film and a load of extras. The goodies include track commentaries, storyboards, various trailers, production notes, a making of documentary, character and vehicle profiles, an alternate opening, a music video, a complete screenplay, Aki's Dream mini-movie, a visual tour of Square Pictures, screensavers, internet links, and the Final Fantasy Shuffler. Which allows the owner to edit and playback scenes. Whew! No word on the pricing details as of yet... 

CoreMagazine Changing to XenGamers  - Yep, more internet site changes are happening. CoreMagazine.com will become XenGamers.com within a couple of weeks. Apparently because of a merger with XenGen, a future gaming network. Luckily much won't change. There will still be regular news, previews, reviews, and more. And the site will remain fee free... 

 

August 9, 2001 (Thursday)

XBox Pre-Orders Begin - Gamestop.com has started selling pre-orders for the upcoming Microsoft XBox console, XBox peripherals, and a host of XBox titles. However the XBox systems aren't being sold individually. Rather they will come in pre-made bundles including the console and a number of games and extras. The current bundles cost anywhere from $600 to $1200 each. Click here for more information regarding these early pre-orders...

Sony in Trade Law Troubles - Sony was recently busted by the Japanese FTC (Federal Trade Commission) for violating several trade laws. One being the threatening and/or pressuring of retailers to sell PSX software and hardware at controlled prices. And the other complaint was against free distribution laws in which retailers and wholesalers were directed by Sony on how and who to sell their PSX merchandise. No word yet on what punishment and damages Sony will suffer...  

GBA Zone of Enders Info - Zone of Enders 2173: Testament will make it's way stateside sometime next year for the Game Boy Advance. The plot follows the events immediately after the PS2 Z.O.E game. The game will also feature a blend of action and strategy with turn-based combat scenes. I'll hit you with more news regarding this title as it becomes available...

Hello Kitty Game Boy Advance - Yep, a Hello Kitty Game Boy Advance Package will be released in Japan on October 19th. The pack will come with the GBA game - Hello Kitty Collection: Miracle Fashion Maker and a Hello Kitty-fashioned Game Boy Advance unit. The set will cost 15,500 yen (roughly $125 US)...

Editorial Note: I've changed the color scheme for the left panel. Hoping it'll be easier on the eyes than the previous colors. I've also changed the wording of few things here and there. Nothing major. I'll have the next batch of reviews posted by the end of August. The Art Gallery and Links pages are still under construction...

 

August 2, 2001 (Thursday)

G4, the Video Game Channel - Yep, a video game channel is in the works. The new channel will simply be called G4, and is set to premiere sometime next year. Comcast (who helped launch E! Entertainment Television) is the company behind the project. We can expect more details regarding this digital cable network in the future...

Gamecube Launch Details - North America will receive 1.1 million Gamecube units on November 5th of this year. Japan will only get 500,000 units on September 14th. Purple (Violet) is the only confirmed console color for launch. With other colors (most likely) shipping at the beginning on next year...

Nintendo Spaceworld 2001 - The Nintendo Spaceworld 2001 will be held in Tokyo, Japan. It'll run from August 23rd to the 26th. But will only be open to the public on the 25th and 26th. We'll bring you more news when the event is underway...

Defective Final Fantasy Tactics CDs - Word from TheGIA.com says that the first shipment of the Final Fantasy Tactics, "Greatest Hits" Playstation games are indeed defective. Square and Sony are reportedly working to address the problem. But an official announcement regarding this issue hasn't been made yet. This information comes after problems encountered with Square's Final Fantasy Chronicles for the PSOne a short while ago...

Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger Soundtracks - Tokyopop.com will be selling the official US-version soundtracks for both Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger. Both music CDs will be available on August 21st for $14.98 retail price. Check out the Tokyopop.com website for more information...

 

2001 August News

 

July 26, 2001 (Thursday)

Nintendo Sues Tirnanog & Enterbrain - Nintendo has filed a suit against the Japanese companies, Tirnanog & Enterbrain. The dispute centers around copyright infringement. More specifically, Nintendo claims that Enterbrain's Tear Ring Saga (formerly Emblem Saga) copies many elements from their long running Fire Emblem games. Nintendo wants to prohibit the sale, manufacture, and distribution of the game. In addition to a reparation payment of 260 million yen (roughly $2 million US). I'll get you more details as this story progresses...

SNK vs Capcom: Card Fighter 2 - The sequel to SNK vs Capcom: Card Fighter's Clash will be released, but only in Japan. SNK vs Capcom: Card Fighter 2 Expanded Edition (you gotta love Japanese titles) will hit the Neo Geo Pocket Color on September 13th for 4500 yen (about $36 US)...

Express.com Clearance Sale - Express.com (formerly DVDexpress.com) has a huge clearance sale going on right now. They got plenty of domestic and import games, game soundtracks, subbed and dubbed anime, Pokemon merchandise, and Beast Wars toys to get rid of. You can save about 60-75% on all sale items. Check it out if you're hurting for some cheap games and anime tapes...

 

July 23, 2001 (Monday)

Matsushita DVD Gamecube - Matsushita's hybrid system (a DVD Player and Gamecube Console in one) will hit Japan this November. It will retail for less than 40,000 yen ($325 US). No word about a North American release as of yet...

Gamecube RPG Canned - Raven Blade, the upcoming Retro Studios RPG for Gamecube, has officially been cancelled. Resulting in the lay off of twenty-six employees. Apparently, Retro Studios wants to focus all it's resources on the development of Metroid Prime for the Gamecube...

SegaNet and Earthlink - Sega's internet service, SegaNet, will be phased out shortly. But don't worry, you'll still be able to play your Dreamcast games online. And you won't see any interruption in your service.  All current subscribers will be transferred over to the ISP, Earthlink. The monthly fee of $19.95 will remain the same...

Official XBox Magazine & Disc - Microsoft will launch the Official XBox Magazine on September 25th. The monthly magazine will come packed with XBox-related news, previews, reviews, interviews, & more. Each issue will also ship with an XBox Disc that'll contain playable games, movies, and downloads. A year subscription (12 issues and 12 discs) will only cost $24.95. Click here for more information. And click here to subscribe...

 

July 18, 2001 (Wednesday)

GameyPlace.com Update - I've got the next batch of views up and ready to go. Here's a list of what just got posted...

Final Fantasy, Box Office Numbers - CoreMagazine.com has some Box Office Numbers for last week's batch of movies. 'Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within' opened at Fourth Place behind 'Legally Blonde' at First, and 'The Score' at Second. Final Fantasy only generated $11.5 million dollars...  

Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2 Details - Phantasy Star Online Version 2 will be released in North American this September 11th. Gamers who own a copy of the game and whom want to go online, will have to pay a fee of $15 for 3 months. That's pretty much $5 per month. This fee will give you unlimited access to all current and new game features. Sega also wants to remind people that the original Phantasy Star Online will remain free...

 

July 11, 2001 (Wednesday)

GameyPlace.com Update - I've got the next batch of views up and ready to go. Here's a list of what just got posted...

Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within - The new game-based movie, Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within, opens to the public today. Wednesday, July 11th. The early buzz on the film has been very good. Ebert & Roeper even gave it two thumbs up. But it's the weekend box office that'll show if there's an audience...  

Win an XBox Development Kit - The guys at XBox.com will be giving away an early XBox Development Kit (XDK). It's pretty much a silver computer bearing the XBox logo. It features 733 MHz Pentium III, 128 DRAM, 20 Gigabyte HD, 6X DVD, Ethernet Card, 2 Controller Pads, & more. The software package includes Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional w/ DirectX and Microsoft Visual C++. On top of that it will be signed by four XBox big names including J Allard, Seamus Blackley, Scott Pickle, and Paul Lukinich. The contest runs from July 2 to July 23, so you better enter soon. Click Here to go to the XBox.com website and enter...

 

July 7, 2001 (Saturday)

The King of Fighters GBA - Marvelous Entertainment is currently developing a King of Fighters title for the Game Boy Advance. The character art will remain true to the original series. With just over 20 playable characters. The cast will consist mainly of returning fighters, but there will be a handful of new combatants created just for this game. KOF GBA is scheduled for a December release in Japan. No word about a US release as of yet...

Metal Gear Solid 2 Info - Konami Co. Ltd. announced some general release dates for their upcoming PS2 game, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. North America will receive the title this November and Japan will get it in December. It's not often that a game's US release date precedes the Japanese release date. No reason was given regarding the staggered dates... 

 

July 4, 2001 (Wednesday)

Happy Fourth of July - Looks like it's that time of year again to break out the fireworks and sparklers. Enjoy this odd vacation week while it lasts...

Crazy Taxi: the Movie - Goodman/Rosen Productions and Richard Donner (responsible for films such as Lethal Weapon, the Goonies, and Superman) have obtained a license from Sega to produce a movie based on the Crazy Taxi video games. Not much is known about the film so far. But the movie is scheduled for a future summer release...

Tomb Raider: the Ride - Paramount's Kings Island (right next to Cincinnati) will be getting a new attraction in 2002. Tomb Raider: the Ride will be based on the Tomb Raider movie (which is ironically based on the Tomb Raider series of games). The ride takes place in a theater setting with a wide-screen picture and moving chairs. Much like the old "Days of Thunder" ride or the more recent "Terminator 3D" ride...

 

July 1, 2001 (Sunday)

Final Fantasy Chronicles Ships - Squaresoft has officially pulled back the release date for Final Fantasy Chronicles on the PSOne. The game shipped out to retailers June 28th. Check with your local shops for availability and pricing...  

Yuji Naka Returns - In celebration of Sonic the Hedgehog's 10th Anniversary, Yuji Naka (Sonic's creator) will be making a trip to the US to sign autographs and to throw a birthday party for Sonic. The event will kick off this Saturday (June 30th) from 11 AM to 1 PM. Down in San Jose, California at Software Etc. Located at 3600 A-Stevens Creek Blvd. So if you're one of the lucky people to live near that area, get going because it's gonna be a heck of an event...

Game Boy Advance Launch Stats - These official statistics come from the NPD Group. In the launch week of June 10th to 16th, the GBA launch generated $45 million in revenue (for Nintendo). Capturing 76% of that week's video game sales. As reported previously, over 540,000 units were shipped and sold through. GBA games even dominated the the top ten video game sales. Those titles include; Super Mario Advance (1st), Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (2nd), F-Zero: Maximum Velocity (3rd), Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (4th), Rayman Advance (5th), Namco Museum (8th), and GT Advance (9th)...

Z.O.E Heading to GBA - Rumors about this game's existence were flying around the net a few weeks ago. But Konami has finally revealed that a Zone of Enders (Z.O.E) title will definitely make it's way to the Game Boy Advance. The game play will lean more to the adventure and RPG side, but will still feature plenty of action...

 

2001 July News