Newsletter: Sega World Weekly issue 111 (then Dreamcast Weekly)
From Video Game Morgue File
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//// ~ Issue #111 -- Dec 10th 2000 ~ \\\\
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\\\\ Past issues at www.DreamcastWeekly.com ////
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((( DREAMCAST WEEKLY INFO ))) | Page 1 |
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> For daily game news, over 200 Prima Fast Track Guides
online, codes, downloads, and contests every day, be sure
to visit Primagames. Prima is the #1 source for video and
computer game strategy in the world!
- http://www.PrimaGames.com
> For the latest game news, reviews and previews visit the
premier video games site TotalVideoGames.com With over
300 archived news articles & the greatest game reviews.
Updated throughout the day with everything!
- http://www.totalvideogames.com Our domain name is
provided thanks to Total Video Games, the UK's premier
video games magazine updated daily, and The Junction, the
place for Teens to chat. - http://www.the-junction.com
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((( EDITORS COMMENTS ))) | Page 1 |
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15 days to go. Got your Christmas gifts all sorted out?
Your letters to Santa in the mail? If you need a little
more help deciding which Dreamcast games to look for, this
week we review both Skies Of Arcaida and Sonic Shuffle.
It's another jam packed issue of DC Weekly, and again we've
had to drop regular sections like news and rumors. Aww...
so do you miss them? Drop me a line sometime with your
thoughts as we continue to work and improve your magazine.
Now this weeks cover feature... how to tell if your kids
are addicted to gaming, and then for our younger readers
themselves, how to tell if your parents are addicted! The
tell tale signs are all here in this funny feature. Don't
miss it!
PROJECT CHRISTMAS NIGHTS: If you've got a Saturn and
haven't experienced the joy of Christmas Nights, or you
own the game and want to give others the chance to play,
we can help. Simply send me an e-mail with "Christmas
Nights" in the subject, and tell me if your wanting or
giving a copy of the game, what format it's in, where you
live, and if you have any restrictions on where you'll
post to and such. We can't be sure we'll get a copy for
everyone, but we'll do our best!
Finally we've got a correction on the LeMans 24 hour
details, the game is actually 4 player, rather than just
2 player as we stated.
Until next time then, Happy Gaming!
- Graham "Tails" Parker (Editor)
p.s We heard a BIG game is about to be revealed in Japan,
NiGHTS 2? Panzer Dragoon Saga 2? Who knows, but we'll
keep you fully updated through DC Weekly and DC Weekly
Extra!
.oO Page 2 - Cover Story Oo.
.oO Page 3 - Prima Games Corner Oo.
.oO Page 4 - Reviews Oo.
.oO Page 5 - Question & Answer Oo.
.oO Page 6 - Our Support Sites Oo.
.oO Page 7 - Credits Oo.
HOT QUOTE this issue: "Naming RPG characters after your
children so it feels as if you're spending quality time
with them."
-- Signs Your Addicted To Gaming - Page 2
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((( COVER STORY ))) | Page 2 |
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>>>> Addicted To Gaming? Take Our Funny Little Test...
-- Written by Graham
Think your kids, or maybe your parents are a little
addicted to videogames? Here's our list of sure fire signs
you have a gamerholic in your house... :)
How To Tell If Your Kids Are Addicted To Games:
------------------------------------------------
1) Their best friend is Seaman.
2) They blame that 'F' grade at school on their poor maths
co-processor in their heads.
3) They no longer invite friends around because they have
online gaming.
4) They ask Santa for the 7 Chaos Emeralds.
5) When you look under their bed and find a stash of hidden
strategy guides.
6) They want to go for their drivers license at the age of
ten because they've mastered Ferrari 355.
7) After playing Shenmue, they suddenly start keeping a
notebook of how many cans of each softdrink they buy at
the local dairy, and how many times they've walked into
a wall.
8) They claim Sword Of Beserk is an educational history
lesson, that it's not a mindless blood bath, and that
you should buy it for them.
9) When it's time to do homework they tell you that
suddenly the Pause button doesn't work any more, and
they can't save just now.
10) When they grow up, they want to be Sonic The Hedgehog
and save the world.
11) Being naughty decreases 75% and sucking up to you
increases 300% a week before the next major game is
released.
12) For show and tell they bring in a TV, Dreamcast, and
show everyone how to beat the final boss in Sonic
Adventure.
13) They come running to you in the morning excited they
finally "clocked" their dreams.
14) They sleep with their Dreamcast Light Gun in hand after
playing House Of The Dead 2 just incase the zombies
come during the night.
15) You give them $10 to spend at the store and they come
back with a box full of VMU batteries.
16) You wonder why they can't remember to take out the
garbage, but they can remember two hundred different
moves in Soul Calibur.
17) They tell you not to worry about dinner tonight, they
are going to catch a whopper in Get Bass.
18) They want to take the Dreamcast on holiday with them,
just so they can check their e-mails... honest ;)
19) You celebrate when they get Dance Dance Revolution
because at least they are getting some exercise.
20) Their gym grades go up sky high after you bought them
the Sega Sports Pack.
Signs Your Parents Are Game Addicts: - By the_raps
--------------------------------------------------
1. "Geez, Mum, hurry up and find a save. We're hungry."
2. "Dad!!! Josh is on the phone. He wants to know if you
have any codes for MDK2?"
3. Naming RPG characters after your children so it feels
as if you're spending quality time with them.
4. "What do you mean you didn't ask for this? Santa could
have sworn Sega Marine Fishing was on your Christmas
list."
5. Electric bill?...Grandia II?....electric bill?...
Grandia II?
6. Every time your seven year old daughter sees a picture
of Lara Croft, she pulls out imaginary twin .45's and
begins shooting up the place.
7. "You've got a job now. Buy your own VMU."
8. Gas bill?...Test Drive LeMans?...gas bill?...Test Drive
LeMans?
9. A section of the couch is designated as "the player's
seat."
10. Your daughter wakes you up at 5:00 am because she wants
to go downstairs and go fishing.
More Signs Your Kids Are Game Addicts: - By duderanger
------------------------------------------------------
1. They can sit through a 6 hour session with a game, but
can't go on a 45 minute car trip without having to go to
the bathroom.... twice.
2. Your kids slowly get out of shape, yet build thumb
muscles of Arnoldian proportions.
3. You see the image of Sonic burned into their retinas.
4. Their bedroom door has a sticker picturing Calvin peeing
on a PS2.
5. They can't tell you the plot of the book they just
finished reading for school, but can recite reviews for
games going back 8 months and use this as evidence of
general bias, and a conspiracy to undo a company.
6. They spend more time in console themed Internet bulletin
boards than watching TV.
Even More Signs Your Kids Are Game Addicts: - By Glen
-----------------------------------------------------
1. You enter a new shopping mall and they begin mapping it.
2. They stop watching TV.
3. They sign their name with three initials.
4. They're hopeless at math but know their 8 times table
backward. 8, 16, 64, 128...
5. They know Chun Li's blood type. And they wonder what her
weight is.
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((( PRIMA GAMES CORNER ))) | Page 3 |
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>>>> 20,000 Cheats
- http://www.primagames.com/strategy/codes/
Prima Games, the company responsible for those brilliant
strategy guides launch their cheats database... and they
feature more games than you can shake a stick, no a whole
danged tree at!
>>>> Shenmue Fast Track Guide - Free & Online!!
- http://www.primagames.com/strategy/guide/1409/
The Prima Fast Track GuideTM for Shenmue provides an
overview of the game and will get you started with some
game basics, fighting strategies, info on a couple of the
mini-games, and a brief sampling of the making of Shenmue.
>>>> What's Cool For December 6th 2000
- http://www.primagames.com/news/article/2597/
On-location with Star Wars Episode II? Plus the best
tribute/spoof of a Star Wars film you've ever seen. Keep
up with what's cool each week at http://www.PrimaGames.com
It's all right there waiting for you!
>>>> 300 Fast Track Guides
- http://www.primagames.com/guides/pftg.php
Remember, Primagames.com has more than 300 Prima Fast Track
Guides online for you to check out right now. For the best,
fastest, and most up-to-date game strategy you'll find,
Prima's the ticket.
>>>> Hot games that Prima Official Strategy Guides cover:
Shenmue - http://www.primagames.com/strategy/book/4901/
Quake 3 PC - http://www.primagames.com/strategy/book/4296/
NFL 2K1 - http://www.primagames.com/strategy/book/5096/
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((( REVIEWS ))) | Page 4 |
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This week: Skies Of Arcadia and Sonic Shuffle
Sonic Shuffle:
--------------
Imagine a four player Sonic game filled with wacky mini
games, lots to collect and do, all with cartoon style
graphics and some of that brilliant Sega style innovation.
Well they at least got the graphics right.
While it boasts an impressive line up of 41 mini games,
all of Sonic Shuffle is plagued with problems that suck
the enjoyment out faster than Sonic can run the 100m
sprint! The game tries to be fun and Mario Party-ish,
it really does, but in the end this spin-off of their
popular mascot characters fall flat on their face.
Some have complained about long loading times, and while
true, this isn't really the end of the world many reviews
have made it out to be. No the first problem lies in
waiting to reach a mini-game. Using a board game style,
each of the four players (made up out of your mates, or the
seemingly cheating computer) must pick a card and then move
the number of spaces it tells them to. The object being to
reach the Precioustone, and the one who collects the most
at the end wins. Each of the spaces you land on triggers a
different event, and ideally would open up a new mini game.
Yet most of the spaces are simple gain/lose ring affairs,
having some kind of sad fight with a bad guy, or going
through an almost pointless story with Robotnik. 70% of
the time moving around the board will be boring, 10%
you'll swear the computer was cheating, picking the perfect
card every time, or that one character or another has a too
high advantage, and the last 20%... mini games which bring
a whole new set of problems.
Very few of these games are actually what you would
describe as fun. The idea of walking around in a giant
robot suit and trying to squish the other players with your
feet before they shoot you with laser guns sounds good, but
in practice the poor camera angles and tiny split screens
destroy the game before it even began.
Other games such as swirling around a tornado (ala Sonic
Adventure), collecting rings, and avoiding the debree
flying up into the air are just as bad. Hard controls,
a total lack of strategy and need for luck just adds to
the frustrating action.
Thankfully a few games are good solid fun, but they are
far too rare, and chances of getting to play the game you
actually want is even worse.
Further attempts at adding variety into the game, such as
fights where you must get a higher number on your card
than the opponent has, or roulette wheels to steel things
from other players also fail. Once again a reasonable idea,
but having to press a button to stop the card or wheel
spinning just doesn't work if it's not going fast enough.
Getting the highest possible card and stealing from any
player you want is as easy as pressing the A button about
half a second beforehand. Maybe little kids will find this
harder, but I think even they will work out the trick soon
enough.
But gripes aside, is there anything making this game worth
buying? Well the graphics are impressive, using the cell-
shading technique seen in Jet Grind Radio, Wacky Racers
and Loony Toons Space Race. This gives everything a very
cartoonish look, and works perfectly for this style of
game, and for the audience it's aimed at. But in the end
you'll need kids with unbelievable attention spans and
very high IQ's to last through, and understand this game.
Unless you have four of the former mentioned kids at your
house, give Sonic Shuffle a miss. This is one game I wish
Sonic Team had worked on themselves.
Graphics: 94%
Gameplay: 58%
Sound: 90%
Lastability: 65%
OVERALL: 67%
Skies Of Arcadia:
-----------------
A good Role Playing Game takes time to design, develop,
and perfect. Hence first generation RPG's such as
Evolution and Time Stalkers lacked that touch of magic a
well thought out adventure can give you. But now with
Shenmue, Grandia II, and indeed Skies Of Arcadia, the
second generation of role playing games are finally here,
and far beyond what people first expected.
Just as the adventure takes time, it also takes imagination,
and SOA (Skies Of Arcadia) is full of it. Not too unlike
Robin Hood, your an air pirate who steals from the rich and
gives to the poor. Born into the Blue Rouges, your dream is
to follow in the foot steps of your father and see the
world. Along with your best friend, Aika, and new comer to
this land Fina, you'll fight huge monsters, battle ship to
ship with the evil Army of Valua, and not only see the
world, but try to save it.
As you fly through the skies you'll see how Sega put effort
into every aspect of the game, even the use of the rumble
pack. While riding a train you can feel it go down the
tracks through your very hands, proving the old rumble pack
still has a few tricks left in it.
New features to the classic turn-based combat have been
added, including the ability to change the color and
therefore properties of your weapons. Different colors have
strengths and weaknesses against certainly monsters, and
not only that, but changing and understanding the system is
vital to your characters development.
Other parts of the title such as ship battles are highly
original, and could only be likened to those of Panzer
Dragoon Saga. Add fifty hours of that gameplay, mixed with
puzzles, in-game cut scenes, some brilliant spell effects,
and you've got yourself a hit! Oh and don't forget the VMU
mini-game to gather extra items and gold :)
All the classic elements of an RPG are present, including
Hit Points and Magic Points, but also many more stats.
Naturally all of your skills go up with each level, but
unlike other titles the difficulty level in SOA is
balanced just right. There's no need to spend hours
building up your characters just so they can make it
through the next fight, but on the other hand the bosses
are anything but a push over. They will kill you on several
occasions, forcing you to re-think your tactics. And given
the large number of fights you'll get into, plotting some
tactics wouldn't be a bad idea.
Magic spells are as impressive as always to watch, and
unlike Grandia II, they are all rendered real-time through
your Dreamcast. Although it has to be said a little more
variety in the spells you can use wouldn't have gone
un-noticed. Also while we're onto it's short comings, of
which there are few, the in-game speech, or more to the
point, the "Yeah!" and "Oh!" sound effects do get tiresome
after awhile. It's like the developers couldn't quite
decide what they wanted to do with voice acting. But the
glimpses of it you do hear sounds of good quality.
Overall Skies Of Arcaida is a long awaited trip for your
imagination where the skies are the limit. So batten down
the hatches and prepare to set sail. For the next fifty
hours you and your Dreamcast live in Sega's fantasy world.
Graphics: 97%
Gameplay: 98%
Sound: 90%
Lastability: 94%
OVERALL: 95%
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((( QUESTION & ANSWER ))) | Page 5 |
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Do you have any questions for our Sega know-it-all? Simply
e-mail in your questions to Ross at zondaro@usa.net and
look for the answers in the next issue of Dreamcast Weekly.
The best questions will be answered each week, although
we're sorry we are unable to personally reply to all the
e-mails.
<<<< Just Shoot Me Now
Given only three questions a week are answered, some people
might think that mistakes would never happen, however last
week one was made. Martin Mathers pointed out a small mix
up. The 3-in-1 Arcade Pak that Sega Europe has been talking
about is not going to have Burning Rangers, rather Brave
Firefighters. Which would make more sense given that the
two games in the pack are Jambo Safari and Emergency Call
Ambulance. All of these games are arcade games. I confused
the two when writing up the answers. Rather then give the
DCW Q&A Award to Martin, I will beat my head in with the
award while chanting "I will not make another mistake!"
several thousand times.
Next week: Don't get between girls and their lightguns!
>>>> Full Motion Video to the Rescue!
Q) The Dreamcast has greatly improved since the first year.
However, the problem is that with these great new games
there are still no FMV's on Dreamcast. Why not? The has
Dreamcast has 128-bit graphics. Playstation had 32-bit,
and yet ironically, PSX games are chock full of FMV's. I
am quite disappointed by these next generation games not
showing us top quality cinematics. Why doesn't Dreamcast
show us any excellent FMV's in its next generation
games? - Squirt
A) Some would argue that real-time movies are better and
immerse you in the story rather then make you realize it
is just a game after all. Metal Gear Soild really shows
how true that statement is. The Dreamcast can do FMV,
rent RE: Code Veronica if you need proof. FMV is not a
question of how powerful a system is, the Gameboy Color
can do FMV. It is an issue of how much space you want to
use up. That's the reason Nintendo 64 games often don't
have FMV. It is worth pointing out that creating pre-
rendered FMV costs a pretty penny and only a few
companies, such as Square, have an internal studio.
>>>> Go Speed Racer Go Speed Racer
Q) I have been a subscriber to Dreamcast Weekly since the
first issue and I have found it to be my authoritative
source. (Wow, thanks!! - Tails) Excellent job and many
thanks for all your efforts. With Christmas coming I
want to buy a Racing Wheel Controller for my 7 1/2 year
old son. I don't know which one I should get. Any
endorsement or urls for reviews? Best of holidays. -Hugh
A) I got a couple questions this week about racing wheels.
Must be all the lucky people in Europe who have MSR
already. (But wait until you find out the real reason
for the US delay! Online functions? - Tails) I
personally have never bought or used any of the wheels
available for the Dreamcast. http://dc.ign.com Hit the
hardware section and find reviews for pretty much every
Wheel available. Hope that helps!
>>>> Chu Chu Chumped
Q) G'day again, I'm really fed up with waiting for Chu Chu
Rocket to be released on our lovely shores. The problem
is that, because the UK Chu Chu is free, I can't buy
the PAL version anywhere! I've tried to E-mail Sega-
Europe on many occasions about getting a free copy of
Chu Chu Rocket sent over, but all E-mails have bounced
back on me. Is there anyway of getting the PAL version?
A) You don't say where you are from, but given the G'day
I'm going to say Australia? I never thought I'd hear a
complaint about Chu Chu Rocket being free. I'd try an
import store as they can pick stuff up sometimes that
can't be found elsewhere. One reason why Chu Chu may not
be out in your area yet is that the network play for the
Europe version probably only works with their
DreamArena. If you really have to play Chu Chu Rocket go
ahead and pick up the US version, however the game does
get a bit old after awhile unless you've got friends who
can come over and play with you.
Keep the questions coming. - zondaro@usa.net
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((( OUR SUPPORT SITES ))) | Page 6 |
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Dreamcast Weekly goes out to over 40,000 gamers every week.
How did we get so many people signed up? With the help of
these websites, that's how. Thanks to them Dreamcast
Weekly has become the huge e-magazine it is today.
>>>> Sega X - http://www.segadreamcast.net
A website with plenty of news, and always the latest game
reviews, but also a IRC Java chat room where you can chat
about all the latest Sega topics. Sega content for each and
every day.
>>>> Sega 2000 - http://www.sega2000.net
A new Sega 2000 has been born. Out with the old design, out
with the old webmaster, and in with the new. Yes it's a
newer, better, and faster loading web design, you have to
see Sega 2000.
>>>> DC-United - http://dc-united.com
The Premiere Dreamcast Community, DC-United.com gives you
the ability to view members online, build your own
homepage, send messages, read in-depth reviews, and much
more. DCU Network Members are also eligible for various
monthly prizes.
>>>> Absolute Sega - http://www.absolutesega.com
One of the first Sega sites out there with the most up to
date news every 24 hours, 7 days a week. Absolute Sega is
not jus famous for it's news, but also it's reviews and
previews. Want to talk about games, then go to our forums
or you can talk in our IRC chat room.
>>>> PSY Online - http://www.consolereviews.net
PSY Online is a multiformat reviews website specialising in
the Sega Dreamcast console. With 24/7 updated news, forums
and chat, its a great place to hang out for Sega fans.
>>>> Perfect Zero - http://www.sega2000.net/PZ/
As game music goes well beyond the beeps and bleeps of the
past and into the soundtrack quality tracks we hear today,
Perfect Zero becomes one of THE most important sites for
game fans. Hosting hundreds of MP3s from different games,
turn up those speakers and click that link.
>>>> The Next Level - http://www.the-nextlevel.com
The Next Level is a multi-platform gaming magazine focused
on current and upcoming next-generation systems. We provide
up-to-date news, in-depth reviews, reader reviews,
intriguing editorials, and more.
>>>> Future Gamez - http://www.futuregamez.net
What ever console your looking for, Future Gamez have them
all. From Dreamcast to GameCube, and X-Box to Playstation
2. So get your news, reviews, previews, and more at Future
Gamez, and stay on top of all systems.
>>> The Sonic Zone - http://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, and
even Fan Created Games, this is your one stop Sonic site.
>>>> Gaming Central Starpath
- http://www.startpath.com/gamingcentral
This site contains hundreds of links for anything a gamer
might be interested in, no matter what format, including
some game specific links.
>>>> Dreamcast Weekly - http://www.DreamcastWeekly.com
The official website for the Dreamcast Weekly is right
here. It includes our history, back issues, and more. Then
in the future... who knows, we might start up an HTML
version, and hopefully be a print magazine one day (Hint to
any publisher that may be reading this :) )
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((( CREDITS ))) | Page 7 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
O Editor: Graham Parker "Tails" - Madcow@ihug.co.nz
O Red Hot Rumors: Michael Monahan - Mikelad1@aol.com
O Question & Answer: Ross Fisher - Zondaro@usa.net
Thanks goes out to all our support sites above, along with
our sponsor, PrimaGames.com, all for helping make Dreamcast
Weekly as big as we are today!
>>>> http://www.DreamcastWeekly.com/ - Our Official Website!
>>>> http://www.PrimaGames.com/ - Our Sponsor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copyright 1998-2000 Graham Parker - Madcow@ihug.co.nz
Written and edited by Graham Parker. No parts may be copied
without prior permission or correct credit where due. There
should probably be a pile of other legal lines here, but
please just play nice and don't steal. Thanks for reading
DC Weekly!
