April 27th, 2001 (Friday)

New Reviews Added - This month's batch of reviews are finally done. 

Sega Genesis 
 Alien Storm
 Earthworm Jim
 Lethal Enforcers II
 Maximum Carnage
 Mortal Kombat
 Streets of Rage		 Neo Geo Pocket Color
 Biomotor Unitron
 Sonic Pocket Adventure		 Sega Dreamcast
 Cannon Spike
 Tony Hawk Pro Skater

Columbine Victims vs Game Makers - Several victims of the Columbine High School tragedy have filed a lawsuit requesting $5 billion in punitive damages from 25 major entertainment publishers. Including Id Software, Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Activision, Acclaim, Midway, and GT Interactive among others. Their reasoning is that this tragedy wouldn't have happened if violent video games didn't exist. (Honestly. Let's put some thought behind this people!) A case almost identical to this lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge back in 1999. ID Software will fight against this case, but no word has come from the other companies yet...

Sega.com Cutbacks - Some jobs will be cut over at Sega.com. Which makes up a small portion of the overall 30% decrease in Sega's workforce. Their website and the SegaNet service will run uninterrupted...

Toys 'R Us w/ Gameboy Advance - Many Toys 'R Us stores across the nation have begun to receive their Gameboy Advance displays. Which includes a rotating hologram stand, two GBA units with two Super Mario Advance games, and lots of promotional wallpaper. In addition, these stores have begun to take pre-orders for GBA games, but not the handheld units. Check your local Toys 'R Us these displays and more details...

More Movie & TV Games - Rage Software will be bringing a series of "Rocky" based games to the PS2 and XBox. Infrogames will be working on "Survivor" games for multiple platforms...

 

April 24th, 2001 (Tuesday)

Enix, Square, and Namco - The three Japanese game companies are buying 5% stock from one another. A deal valued at 44.2 billion yen or $363 million dollars. The reason stated; "to promote cooperation in view of heightened development costs". It'll also increase the value of each company's stock... 

XBox Tacos? - Microsoft and Taco Bell have joined forces to promote the upcoming XBox console. Unfortunately details regarding the joint venture haven't been revealed yet. How about a limited time only, XBox Taco?...

New Gamecube Games - Acclaim unveiled their list of upcoming Nintendo Gamecube games including Crazy Taxi, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2, Extreme G3, NFL Quarterback Club 2002, and All-Star Baseball 2002. Universal Studios Interactive will be bringing Crash Bandicoot: the Wrath of Cortex and a new Spyro the Dragon game to the GC as well...

New Bleemcast! Paks - The originally planned Bleemcast! (a disc that allows you to play Playstation games on your Dreamcast) has undergone some changes. There will now be a series of discs released with a price tag of $5 to $6 each. The catch is that one disc will only allow you to play one pre-selected PSX game. The upcoming game discs will be for Gran Turismo 2, Tekken 3, Metal Gear Solid, and the Final Fantasy games...

Microsoft vs Walmart - Mircosoft's Bill Gates is no longer the world's richest man. Walmart's Sam Robson Walton has taken that spot and is worth reportedly $64.5 billion dollars. Bill Gates sits in the number 2 spot with roughly $54 billion dollars (that still ain't too shabby)...

 

April 20th, 2001 (Friday)

Sega Gamecube Development - Sega currently has two development houses working on games for the upcoming Nintendo Gamecube console. The first company is the famous Sonic Team. Who's credit ranges from Sonic the Hedgehog to Phantasy Star Online. The second team is Amusement Vision. Who's responsible for classics such as Daytona USA and Planet Harrier. None of the games in development for the GC have been announced yet...

Fuchsia Gameboy Advance - Nintendo of America has renamed their new GBA color, Milky Pink, to Fuchsia for the North American release. The unit is set to hit our shores on July 2nd. Only a couple of weeks after the initial launch of the GBA...

IGN Insider - The gang at IGN.com have introduced a Subscription-Only Side of their website. Where subscribers can read reviews, view feature stories, access chat/board rooms, and more. Whether or not this proves to be a success is yet to be seen. But with a $20 price tag (soon to be $30) and a wealth of free sites to view, it could be very hard to convince viewers... 

Gamecube Delays & News - Nintendo of Japan (and America) have announced delays for the release of the Nintendo Gamecube console. The Japanese release was pushed from July to September 14th.  And the North American release has gone from October to mid-November. The pricing of the GC and further plans will be revealed May 24th (at or around E3)... 

 

April 17th, 2001 (Tuesday)

Final Fantasy Chronicles - The new game package from Square will include updated versions of Final Fantasy IV (Final Fantasy II in the US) and Chrono Trigger. Upgrades include new animated scenes and a 2-player option for FFIV among other tweaks. The game is set to hit the North American PSOne this July for roughly $40 retail price... 

Nintendo Power Advance - The new GBA-only magazine will be hitting stands this June (appropriately enough). Details on pricing and availability are unspecified at this time... 

Tecmo Booth Gal Vote - Tecmo and IGN have teamed up to get your vote. Specifically on which actresses/models you want to play as your favorite Dead or Alive characters (aka booth babes) at upcoming game shows. Click Here to make your pick...

Tokyo Game Show Fall 2001 - The fall show is officially slated for October 12th to the 14th. And will be held at the Nippon Convention Center in Tokyo, Japan...

Capcom DC Delays - Capcom has delayed the releases of several upcoming Dreamcast titles. The new dates are as follows: Giga Wing 2 on June 2nd, Project Justice (Rival Schools 2) on June 2nd, and Mars Matrix on April 25th.

 

April 14th, 2001 (Saturday)

Indrema's Linux Console Canned - Indrema President, John Gildred, confirmed that the company has discontinued its LS600 gaming platform. The Linux-based console promised to be a gaming machine, DVD player, interactive TV, MP3 player, and internet browser all in one. Unfortunately there just wasn't enough interested parties to get the system off the ground...

Seaman Microphone Sold Separately - Sega's own online store is selling the microphone peripheral by itself for $17.95 + shipping. The reason? Maybe left over stock from unsold Seaman games (just kidding)...

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Details - The game will be released on 5 different systems including XBox, PS2, Gameboy Advance, Gameboy Color, and PSX. Sorry, no Dreamcast version was mentioned. Bam Margera (you should know this guy by now) has joined the cast of eleven returning skaters. The new stages will cover areas like Middleton, Rio de Janeiro, Los Angeles, Canada, Tokyo, and Paris. These new levels will feature pedestrians, traffic accidents, weather effects, and natural disasters...

Gameboy Advance Tops 1 Million - Sales data from Famitsu (a Japanese magazine) says the Nintendo Gameboy Advance has sold 1,132,612 units to date since its launch in Japan on March 31st 2001...

Sega.com Daytona USA Sweepstakes - Sega.com is sponsoring a sweepstakes in which one person will win a Linked-Cabinet Deluxe Daytona USA Arcade Unit (whew!). Ten other winners will receive a their own copy of the Dreamcast's Daytona USA Online. Click Here to fill out their form and enter...

New Dead or Alive 3 Screenshots - Tecmo has released some high-resolution screenshots of their upcoming XBox title, Dead or Alive 3. Click Here to check them out...

 

April 10th, 2001 (Tuesday)

Conker a Big "N" Flop? - Rumors over at IGN.com suggest that Conker's Bad Fur Day for the N64 has turned out to be a huge sales failure. Reportedly only selling 55,000 copies total. 23,000 of those units were sold the first day, but sales quickly trickled off over the past few weeks. Speculation puts the blame on the marketing of the game. Which received no coverage in Nintendo Power due to young subscribers, and was targeted to a small "mature" N64 audience...

2 Gundam Titles To Hit the PS2 - Bandai has officially confirmed that the US Playstation 2 will receive two new Gundam titles come this Fall. The two games are "Gundam: Journey to Jaburo" and "Gundam: Zeonic Front". Both are set to take place during the One Year War timeline...

DC Championships Winner - The Crazy Taxi competition at this year's Dreamcast Championship has come and gone. And the grand winner has been announced. Lindsay Gall won the $15,000 dollars and the trip to Jamaica.  Surprise, surprise - The only female competitor sweeps the event...

 

April 6th, 2001 (Friday)

Soul Calibur the Movie & Sammo - Sammo Hung (the star of Martial Law and probably best known as Jackie Chan's fat sidekick) will be directing the upcoming movie based on Soul Calibur. He will have a preliminary budget of $50 million to produce the film. So cross your fingers and hope the movie turns out good...

18-Wheeler Loses Online Play - Sega of America released a statement saying that the online multiplayer mode has been cut from the final version of 18-Wheeler Pro American for the Dreamcast. This decision was made so the game could make it's release date this May 2001...

New Info on Dragonball Z Games -  In a recent interview between Infogrames' Rob Watson and Gamespot's Shahed Ahmed, some new details concerning the upcoming DBZ games were revealed. The first game is expected to be released before their Superman title, which is scheduled for release in the next 6 to 12 months. And two different projects are currently in development for the license...

IDSA with New Figures - The Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) has released its State of the Industry Report. Last Year, the industry generated over $6 billion in sales. And 60 percent of All Americans age 6 and over play video games on a regular basis. That's roughly 145 million people with 43 percent of that number being female. Part of the report was a survey asking which form of entertainment is the most fun. "Playing PC and/or Video Games" took the number one spot at 35 percent. While "Watching Television" took second place with 18.5 percent, and "Surfing the Internet" took third place with 15.3 percent...

 

April 4th, 2001 (Wednesday)

Gamer's Alliance Gone / New Site Formed - Have you been wondering why sites like Dreamcast.net and PSXNews.com haven't been updating lately. Well we finally have an answer. The number of sites that made up the Gamer's Alliance have now forged themselves into one gigantic site. Which can be viewed at Euniversegames.com...

New GBA Color Revealed - Nintendo of Japan has recently unveiled a new Gameboy Advance color dubbed "Milky Pink". Check out the shot to your right. Click on the pic to view a larger image...

SNK's Final Nail in the Coffin - The masters behind great games such as Metal Slug and the King of Fighters series have finally bit the dust. Though the end was a long time in coming. SNK has officially (and finally) filed for bankruptcy citing a 38 million yen debt. Any remaining titles will be published by Azure (whom they had recently became a subsidiary under)...

TGS 2001: Namco Confirms XBox Development - Namco representatives recently confirmed that the company is working on two separate titles for the XBox console. The games are being developed with the North American and European markets (audience) in mind...

Sega Employees Strike! - A group of 30 employees from Sega of Japan (SOJ) have joined a branch of the JIMU labor union. And were out on April 2nd in front of the SOJ Headquarters protesting. Now here's why. Everyone knew some "cut backs" were coming. But Sega employees are currently upset at the way this is being handled. Employees are being approached and then asked to "voluntarily" leave the company. Those who refused were taken to an "isolation room" were they would be "convinced" to retire. Though the tactics used in the "isolation room" are unspecified at this time, it doesn't look good for Sega...

 

2001 April News

 

March 30th, 2001 (Friday)

2001 Tokyo Game Show Underway - We expect a lot of news to come our way over the next several days. So GameyPlace.com will be sure to keep you all up-to-date on the latest information... 

TGS 2001: Azure with Neo Geo Games - Azure has picked up the rights to publish the Dreamcast version of Gauro: Mark of the Wolves and Card Fighters Clash 2: SNK vs Capcom for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. Both games expected to be released this Summer or Fall 2001 in Japan...

TGS 2001: Dead or Alive 3 on XBox - Tecmo has unveiled Dead or Alive 3 for the XBox. And the game is an exclusive title. Which will feature 3 new characters and larger, more detailed backgrounds than before. Game play details are unknown at this time...

TGS 2001: Sega and Microsoft Sign Deal! - Both companies have confirmed that they inked a deal resulting in 11 exclusive games for the XBox from Sega. Four of the eleven titles are Gun Valkyrie, Jet Set Radio Future, a new Panzer Dragoon game (shooter variety), and a racer similar to Sega GT. We'll list more details as they develop...

TGS 2001: Namco's Project X Revealed as "Xenosaga" - And appropriately enough, this PS2 game is being developed by MonolithSoft. Who's past credit is the Squaresoft Playstation RPG, Xenogears. Whether or not the two are related are unknown at this time. Though a full unveiling of the title is expected on July 8th for a select 600 attendees...

TGS 2001: Playable Final Fantasy X Demo - Square actually had a playable demo of Final Fantasy X at their booth. The game featured two different levels. One where you had to swim through the water and another showcasing the game/cinema transitions. The game was obviously drawing huge crowds...

TGS 2001: PSO Wins Big at JESA - Phantasy Star Online (PSO) won big time at the Japanese Entertainment Software Awards (JESA) during this year's Tokyo Game Show. Taking home 3 Section Awards for Game Design, Programming, and New Wave (innovation). And the Grand Award for Excellence (Top Game of the Show) beating out nominees like Final Fantasy IX, Dragon Quest VII, and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Yuji Naka accepted the awards and was quoted as saying, "Mr. Okawa must be pleased in heaven as well"... 

Capcom's DC Titles get New Release Dates - Two Dreamcast games from Capcom have received new dates. Mars Matrix is now set for the middle of April. And Project Justice (Rival Schools 2) is set for the end of April...   

 

March 29th, 2001 (Thursday)

Editorial: I've finally finished my update for the "Nintendo Gameboy Advance" Link (that's located to your Right under "Console Previews"). Check it out sometime to get the latest news and screenshots concerning Nintendo's nifty little handheld. I've also changed the style of Advertisement on the site, so no more annoying pop-up windows. Now you gotta put up with ads at the top of each page...

Nintendo Cuts GBA Launch Shipment - Official word from Nintendo of America says that the Gameboy Advance shipment for the official launch (on June 11th) has been cut to only 500,000 units. Though the a grand total of 1.1 million units is still expected to be released by the end of June...

PSO Fan Cup Restarts - The contest has restarted today and will continue until April 6th. Now participants will have to download three separate files onto their VMU. Which eats up about 115 blocks. The Fan Cup is limited to Japanese users only...

2nd Annual Dreamcast Championships - Taking place April 7th. The main event this year will be a Crazy Taxi competition between several pro-players. The top winner will receive $15,000 and a two-person trip to Jamaica. And the new DC game, Crazy Taxi 2, will be on display and test for all attendees...

New PSO Downloadable Quests - The US quest is entitled "Letter to Lionel". And the 2 other quests can only be accessed by players who have "Japanese" set as their main language (on the game)...

 

March 27th, 2001 (Tuesday)

Hackers & Cheaters stop PSO Fan Cup - The online time attack competition known as the PSO Fan Cup (found under the downloadable quest) for Phantasy Star Online has been temporarily halted. Sega made this decision after receiving tampered (hacked) attack times in the competition last Friday. Wanting a fair contest, Sega is pondering what to do at this time without canceling the event and how to bar cheaters...

XBox Hard-Drive gets Bigger - A Microsoft Representative officially confirmed that the XBox Hard Drive will increase from 8GB to 10GB. Stating the reason for this change is due to the falling prices of hard-drives...

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon at GBA Launch - Yep, Konami has officially confirmed it. "Castlevania: Circle of the Moon" will be available on the Gameboy Advance launch date of June 11th 2001...

Saudi Arabia Bans Pokemon - This bit of news comes from Gamers.com. Saudi Arabia's Higher Committee for Scientific Research and Islamic Law has issued a law banning Pokemon games and cards, saying they have "possessed the minds of children, promoting Zionism and involve gambling..." Click Here to read more on this interesting development...

Video Game Violence Ordinance Slammed - If you remember from late last year, an ordinance was passed in Indianapolis that banned all violent and sexually suggestive arcades from areas were minors could access them. Arcade hosts who failed to follow this ordinance were fined $200 daily until the arcades were removed. Well today, the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously agreed that the ordinance could not be lawfully enforced. However Indianapolis Mayor, Bar Peterson, said the ruling will be fought in court. And could possible go all the way up to US Supreme Court for review..

Editorial: I've finally finished my update for the "Nintendo Gameboy Advance" Link that's located to your right. Check it out sometime to get the latest news and screenshots concerning Nintendo's nifty little handheld. I've also changed the style of Advertisement on the site, so no more annoying pop-up windows. Now you gotta put up with ads at the top of each page...

 

March 25th, 2001 (Sunday)

Reminder: New Reviews Added - It's been a long time in coming, but I finally have my next batch of reviews finished with more scheduled for the near future. Again, feel free to submit any reviews if you got 'em, and they'll be posted on the site...

3DO Sues Lucasarts - Apparently the lawsuit is over the use of the title "Starfighters". StarFighters being a long running space-shooter series by 3DO. And Lucasarts recently published Stars Wars: StarFighters game. 3DO claims Lucasarts use of the title will cause "loss of profits, dilution of its goodwill, and injury to its reputation". We'll let you know the outcome of this case as soon as it comes...

Limited Edition Gameboy Advance - Nintendo had a surprise for people who reserved their Gameboy Advances at Pokemon-themed retail stores in Japan. Because these stores had received shipments of the Limited Edition Gameboy Advance, which comes in a metallic blue color and features Pokemon characters on the box art. Only 50,000 units were made and shipped with the official launch. Though Nintendo had never mentioned them before. It's guaranteed to be a rare item that will fetch some good money...

Gameboy Advance Metroid Details - A recent interview with Nintendo of America's Ken Lobb revealed some interesting details concerning the GBA version of Metroid. The first news was that "Metroid is not Super Metroid. It's something new". He went on to explain that it will play like the previous Metroid games (thank God) but will of course feature new gameplay elements, new stages, and a new story. Metroid-fans can breathe a sigh of relief. A new Metroid is coming and it's staying true to its roots... 

Electronic Arts and XBox - Heading to the XBox in Fall 2001 (from EA, of course) are 2 new games: Madden NFL Football 2002 and NASCAR 2002. It's a start that could help the XBox grab some attention of sport-game fanatics...

Onimusha hits 1 Million - The Capcom game, Onimusha, becomes the first Playstation 2 title to sell 1 Million units worldwide. With 700,000 sold in Japan, 300,000 sold in North America, and counting. A sequel is underway...

Sony stays True to Predictions - Despite numerous production problems and other events, Sony has managed to reach it's goal of 10 million PS2 units shipped worldwide. Only 2.76 million units of that total have hit North America. Now if they can just get better game out...

 

March 21, 2001 (Wednesday)

New Reviews Added - It's been a long time in coming, but I finally have my next batch of reviews finished with more scheduled for the near future. Again, feel free to submit any reviews if you got 'em, and they'll be posted on the site...

A New N64 RPG! - Believe it, the aging Nintendo 64 is actually getting another Role Playing Game (RPG). This title comes from THQ and is being called "Aidyn Chronicles: the First Mage". And is described as being a traditional RPG with turn-based combat and a deep, involving storyline...

GBA Doom - Activision is working on a Gameboy Advance version of the FPS classic "Doom". Though the details are unknown at this time, a representative promised the game would be true to the PC original and feature an advanced 3D graphics engine...

More DC Titles Canned - Metro3D recently cancelled the Dreamcast versions of the games "Dark Angel" and "Armada 2". Though no one is sure how the games would have turned out, I don't think we'll be missing anything...

Gameboy Advance Hits Japan Today! - The launch of the new Nintendo Gameboy Advance has come and gone. The unit and a nice selection of games have finally hit Japanese store shelves. And the people are going nuts. So if you ordered an import GBA, you're real lucky and I'd be expecting it real soon...

DC Smash-Pack Game going Retail - Sega of America has had a change of heart and decided to release the "Smash-Pack" game by itself for a retail price of $29.99. The game should be in stores shortly or even now...

 

March 19, 2001 (Monday)

DC & PS2 Half-Life News Updates - Several sources say that both versions are on their way (most likely fall of 2001) despite numerous delays. But the Dreamcast version will most likely lose it's online components while the PS2 rev will remain fully intact. DC games and gamers just can't get a break, huh? 

In Memory of Mr. Isao Okawa  - Sega of Japan's President/Chairman, Isao Okawa, died of heart failure on March 16th at the age of 74. The man will be remembered for his $772 Million personal donation to Sega in it's time of need. And for being a big supporter of online gaming, and the reason the Dreamcast launched with a built-in modem. His contributions to the video game community and industry will not go forgotten...

Sega's New President/Chairman - Mr. Tetsu Kayama (formerly a special advisor) will take over as President of Sega of Japan. And a Mr. Yoshiji Fukushima is expected to take over Okawa's role as Chairman...

Capcom's GBA Games & Screenshots - Capcom has recently released some incredible screenshots of their upcoming Gameboy Advance titles. Namely Final Fight, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, and the new Breath of Fire. Click here to check out the pics and more from Videogames.com...

Capcom vs SNK Upgrade & Sequel News! - Capcom has made it official by announcing the forthcoming update to the Dreamcast version of Capcom vs SNK: Millennium Fight 2000. The updated game will feature 2 new characters from both sides. With Evil Ryu and Akuma playable from the very beginning. The arcade version of Capcom vs SNK 2 is in development and will be shown (in video format only) at the Spring 2001 Tokyo Game Show...

Express.com Files For Bankruptcy - Express.com (a former affiliate of GameyPlace.com and seller of domestic & import games) has finally filed for bankruptcy. Putting blame on their original marketing views. Which believed they could undercut DVD and video game prices for awhile to draw in huge crowds. And then make up their debt & profit afterwards with increased prices. Unfortunately the plan backfired and now they company is in some financial trouble. They are still accepting orders at this time, but no one is sure of the site's future...

Japanese Gameboy Advance Launch - As time nears closer for the release of the Japanese Gameboy Advance handheld. NOJ President, Mr. Hiroshi Yamuachi, revealed that the initial shipment has increased from 1 million units to a whopping 1.1 million units. It ain't much, but it's still more than before...

 

March 16, 2001 (Friday)

Phantasy Star Online Version 2.0 - Sega has officially confirmed the arrival of the Phantasy Star Online Appendix Disc (which is hinted at being called Version 2.0). It is currently scheduled for a release in Japan on May 17th for roughly $40. Though a US date is undetermined at this time. The GIA (an industry rumor and news mill) reports that the disc will include 2 new stages, bug fixes, broadband support, and several unexpected features. Several new play modes will debut including Player Battles, Capture-the-Flag, a 12-Player Lobby Soccer Game, "Ultimate" Challenge Level, New Mags, New Weapons, New Costumes, New Beasts, and the Ability to Level upto 200...

Sony Buys Connectix - If you recall Sony had filed a lawsuit against Connectix. Because of Connectix's Playstation Emulators for the PC and Mac. Instead of fighting their (apparently losing) case battle. Sony has officially bought up the Connectix company and all of it's technologies. Connectix brand emulators will start to disappear from store shelves this June when the company stops production. The fate of this emulator technology is unknown at this time...

GBA Super Mario Advance 2 - Rumors indicate that the next Mario game for the Gameboy Advance will be based on the SNES Super Mario World videogame. And that the title will be Super Mario Advance 2...

Sega's "What's your Handle" Sweepstakes - To celebrate the upcoming release of 18 Wheeler American Pro for the Dreamcast, Sega is sponsoring a sweepstakes. To enter just click here and follow the link to answer 3 simple questions. You can either win a copy of 18 Wheeler AP or the monster Arcade Cabinet of the same game...

DC Soul Reaver 2 Petition Growing - If you haven't yet, I'd suggest following this link and signing the petition. It's a message to Eidos to let them know about every DC owner's disappointment in their decision to cancel the DC version of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2. The petition is upto nearly 11,000 signatures and growing. With a little luck maybe they'll change their minds...

Editorial: Sorry about this gang, but I just need to vent a little. MSN has been giving me so much bullsh*t lately. Half the time, the pages I want to view won't load. And instead I get the same damned ISP error message over and over. How the hell can Microsoft be the biggest guy in the industry and yet be the worst Internet Service Provider I have ever encountered. Oh well...    

 

March 14, 2001 (Wednesday)

Eight XBox Launch Titles Revealed - This news comes straight from Microsoft's Gamestock Event where 8 XBox Launch Titles have been officially unveiled. Check out XBox.com for more info and images...

GBA Backwards Compatibility Problems - In the Japanese market a list of games have emerged that have compatibility issues with the upcoming Gameboy Advance handheld. Here are the games and troubles experienced:

SOJ's Phantasy Star Online Tournament - Sega of Japan has announced an Online Tournament for their Phantasy Star Online game. The contest is set for March 23rd to April 6th. When you will be able to download a special quest and aim for the quickest time. The fastest player will receive several goodies. Including a $1500 cash reward (sorry, I don't have yen translation), an A License, and one Rare Item. It is unknown at this time whether or not USA and European players can participate in this contest...

 

March 12, 2001 (Monday)

Japan's SegaNet Server Hacked - Sega reps revealed that a lone hacker did in fact gain illegal admittance to their Phantasy Star Online servers. And in doing so deleted and rewrote several parameters. Afterwards Sega had to temporarily shut down the server to correct the problems and to modify security measures. Investigations are underway, but the only info they have at this time is that the event occurred on March 6th and the hacker used a PC from outside the local calling area...

Phantasy Star Online Users & Community - Sega recently announced that over 200,000 people have registered with Phantasy Star Online. With an average number of 26,000 players going at it during peak hours. To celebrate their success, Sega is building a PSO online community which can be accessed from their home page or by clicking here. The community will feature player and fan sites containing all sorts of PSO-related material...   

Yahoo!, Nintendo, and EA Come to Terms - If you call recall from earlier this year. Nintendo and Electronic Arts were threatening to file a lawsuit against Yahoo! if they did not take measures to stop the sell of pirated software on their auctions and classifieds sections. Well today, all three companies have finally struck a deal. Yahoo! will now use updated filters to prevent illegal software postings and will take action against law-breaking users when necessary. In return Nintendo and EA have dropped their respective lawsuits. Looks like all you bootleggers will have to go elsewhere to break the law and rip-off software developers...

 

March 09, 2001 (Friday)

Dreamcast Dominates Playstation 2, Sorta - Famitsu (a Japanese gaming magazine & website) reports that the Sega Dreamcast actually outsold the Sony Playstation 2 for the week of February 26th to March 4th in Japan. With the DC selling 40,497 units over PS2's 38,586. Talk about close...

DC Soul Reaver 2 Canned - Eidos recently cancelled the upcoming Dreamcast version of "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2". Citing Sega's Restructuring Plans as their main reason...

XBox Signing More Developers - Microsoft has been gathering more developers to work on their upcoming XBox console. The six new companies include Blitz Games, Curly Montsers, Double Fine Productions, Radical Entertainment, Vision Scape Interactive, and Yeti Interactive. Now developers are all fine and dandy, but what about some games, Bill?

More Gameboy Advance Games - Mr. Satoru Iwata (Corporate Planning Director & General Manager of Nintendo) revealed in an interview that several updated classics will be hitting the Gameboy Advance. The five games mentioned were Metroid, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, Yoshi's Island, and Yoshi's Story...

Neon Genesis Evangelion Typing E Plan - Anime and Import fans rejoice! A new Evangelion game is heading towards an import Sega Dreamcast system near you. The game is suppose to use the DC Keyboard similar to "Typing of the Dead". Sounds weird, doesn't it? The Japan PC version reportedly exists and will be ported over to the Japan DC this April... 

 

March 07, 2001 (Wednesday)

Gameboy Advance Price & Launch Titles - Official word from Nintendo of America says the GBA handheld unit will retail for $99.95 and will be released this June 11th. It will come in three colors named Artic, Glacier Blue, and Indigo. The system will launch with 15 titles that will cost between $29.95 to $39.95 each. And over 60 titles are expected before this Christmas season. The scheduled launch titles are as follows:

Hey, Phantasy Star Online Cheaters! - Sega of Japan issued a warning recently concerning cheating players in Phantasy Star Online. Cheaters being defined as players who resorted to illegal measures to gain items, credits, and develop their respective PSO characters. Sega will pursue these specific users and if identified, will have their access to the PSO servers disabled without notice...

Japanese Gameboy Advance Packaging - The guys and gals at Coremagazine.com have obtained some pictures of the Japanese Gameboy Advance packages. Click Here to check out the pics..

 

March 03, 2001 (Saturday)

Loads of New Gameboy Advance Titles - You can get the full list straight from Nintendo anytime, but here's the most recent titles added. There are a few surprises in store for you too...

Namco Hints at New PS2 Games - During Namco's Financial Report (which we mentioned earlier) it seems that some new games were also hinted at. Including PS2 versions of Tekken 4, Soul Calibur 2, a New Ridge Racer Game, and a port of Vampire Night. A Namco representative commented; "The list was given to investors as a view of things to come. It is not an official announcement of what will be released in Japan, UK, or North America." But here's hoping anyways...

New PSX Twisted Metal - Sony and Incognito revealed recently that they are working on new version of Twisted Metal for the PSOne system. The game is to be "kiddy" take on the franchise featuring most of the old members in remote controlled cars...

 

March 01, 2001 (Thrusday)

Namco Gamecube Support and PS2 Profit Losses - Yesterday, Namco of Japan officially confirmed that they will be supporting the Nintendo Gamecube. Though no games have been announced yet. On top of this, Namco expects to lose $55 million dollars this quarter due to poor sales of their Playstation 2 software. They attribute this to Sony's inability to ship the promised PS2 units to the Japanese market...

New XBox DVD Features Revealed - Jen-Hsun Huang (CEO of Nividia Corp.) revealed some info about the DVD drivers that will be used in Microsoft's upcoming XBox console. Apparently they will support HDTV and Progressive Scan. Click Here for a explanation of Progressive Scan...

GBA Earthworm Jim Announced - Majesco revealed the new Earthworm Jim title for the upcoming Gameboy Advance. It's to feature seven levels from the previous Genesis and SNES Earthworm Jim games. And will include some new mini-games. The game is expected to come out this Summer...

Sega Dreamcast Sales Up! - Console sales shot up 52%, Games sales went up 60%, Peripherals are up 3%, and Accessories sales have gained 2%. These tallies were reportedly taken before Sega's Restructuring Announcement. Looks like people are finally taking the DC seriously...

 

2001 March News