Newsletter: Sega World Weekly issue 19 (then Sega 2000-X)
From Video Game Morgue File
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/ > > > SEGA 2000 - X MAGAZINE < < < \
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/ Issue #19 of The Original Dreamcast Magazine \
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\ Sega 2000 - http://www.sega2000.com /
\ Sega X - http://www.segadreamcast.net /
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======[ EDITOR'S COMMENTS ]===============================
Just 13 days to go now! But still, for importers we're in
the dark for some of the prices. Some stores promised a
set price for the console, while a few others could end
up charging a few fortunes. I'd recommened not paying
over US$500, as pretty quickly... that price will come down.
Here's a bit of exclusive news for you aswell... SOA is
calling all the import stores and telling them not to
stock the Dreamcast until Feb. The reason being ofcourse
they have to get enough Dreamcasts to the people of Japan
before they even think about importing. They did say that
if they sold them before, they would take legal action,
but I'm not exactly sure how much they could do.
Also with the Playstation 2 rumours flying everywhere (some
say Sega don't know how stuffed they are, some say Sony are
in for a trashing from Sega) I have to admit I'm getting
a little worried. The only offical news is with the chip
company, and if what they're saying is true, Sega do have
problems. But... (this is turning into a mini-editoral isn't
it? hehe) Sega have an excellent head start, and can the
people over in Japan really resist playing games like Sonic
Adventure, Virtua Fighter 3:TB, Bio Hazard: CV, Project
Berkly, Sega Rally 2 and more? I don't think so.
Well there will be announcement on the PS2 in the next 12
days, so I guess we'll see then. Really, I don't think it
will have much impact on the Dreamcast's launch, Sega has
done such a good job with the hype and advertising. But
anyway, for now, hope you enjoy this issue! (there's a
pretty intresting rumour in the letters page this week,
anyone have comments? Please send them to tuna@ebox.tninet.se)
---> ONLY 13 DAYS TO GO <---
Elijah (Editor)
----> Page 1 - Andys Rantings <----
----> Page 2 - The Future... <----
----> Page 3 - Web Event <----
----> Page 4 - Importing <----
----> Page 5 - Feature <----
----> Page 6 - Survey <----
----> Page 7 - Editoral <----
----> Page 8 - On Your Mind <----
----> Page 9 - Web Sites <----
----> Page 10 - Last Words <----
======[ ANDYS RANTINGS ]==================================
---> ANDY'S RANINGS...
Here you are gamers. The week in review. Go ahead and read
it. It won’t kill you. (Not for people with heart or back
problems. It could kill you.) :)
11/10 -->
Which one of these words doesn’t belong?
Zip
Iomega
Dreamcast
Disk
"Hrmm. It’s gotta be Dreamcast!!"
Sorry, trick question! They all belong. Iomega, the makers
of the Zip drive, may be making a Zip unit for use with the
Dreamcast. If you can surf the net with Dreamcast, where
are you going to download to? Definitely not the DC. The
VMS...too small. This could be a great alternative. Here
is part of an interview with Briscoe, one of people working
at Iomega. Listen up.
IBD: "What is Iomega doing to include Zip in game consoles
and set-top boxes?"
Briscoe: "We have a group we’ve formed that allows us to
break away from traditional personal computing applications.
The group is working with the respective market leaders in
each of these catagories. You can expect that we will have
a series of announcements in the near term."
While this may not be official, this could easily be
coming for the DC. All I gotta say is that Zip Drives are
really handy. While it may not hold as much as a CDR disk
(I just need $300 more....=>), it does hold 70 times that
of a 3.5" disk, and that’s a lot. 100 megs of space sure
holds a lot. Well, I’ve spent enough time on that one.. on
to the next story.
Is Incoming coming? Hell if I know. Sega says it’s coming
on December 23. Rage says it’s coming on November 27.
WOULD SOMEONE MAKE UP THEIR MINDS???? Sega Europe commented
that "It is basically just a re-jigging of the release schedule,
to ensure that there is a fair spread of releases over
Dreamcast’s first few months of availability." In reply to this
ghetto talk that Sega Europe (re-jigging?) has blurted out,
Rage had this to say, "I will get on to my product guys. However,
if Sega intends to delay the release of Incoming until December
23, so be it - they have every right to do so." Well then,
maybe Sega will write down all their crazy talk, and figure
out when this game is incoming. Make up yer minds!
Armored Core 2: Coming soon for the Playstation. Afraid not.
This is a Dreamcast column, so lets think about this one
for a second. "Hrmm...not for PSX, DC column...no clue!" It’s
a Dreamcast game. Uh huh. You heard me right. Kawamori Shouji,
creator of the two Armored Core games before it (AC, and AC:
Project Phantasma), commented on this new development. "Im
planning for Armored Core 2 not for Playstation, but for
a planned new machine, Dreamcast. I was very impressed by
the digital imagery and computer graphics effects that can
be created." There is no release date yet, but expect it some
time 2nd half of 1999. I played the demo of the first game a
while back, a I thought it was an OK game. Imagine the depth
that could be achieved with the DC....
11/11 -->
A new game announcement. Little Dreams. Am I the only one
who is officially scared of this game? My god. Reminds me
of...nevermind. In the upcoming Dreamcast game, you play
as a young doll, Marionette Charlie. If you take a look
at the four pictures on the news page, you will see...
fairies. This is one of the things that makes me nuts.
They are flying around a glowing purple ball. Ugh...
This game is expected to be released Spring 1999.
Here is a second announcement. A Lego game. Well, this can
be good. At least you won’t constantly step on them barefoot
and go, "Damn it! Ouch!!!!!" But seriously, Digital Domains
and the Lego company are working on the 3D real-time game. I
don’t think this has anything to do with the upcoming Lego
Racers for N64. It probably won’t be released until the year
2000. This will likely appeal to the younger gamer, unless you
are over age 11, and have some strange obsession with them
(someone in my nieghborhood...be afraid...hahahahaha).
Anyway, here is the big announcement of the day. If you
know what the Saturn NetLink is, then you probably know
who PlanetWeb is. They are the creators of the not so popular
item. PlanetWeb has now produced the browser for a certain
128-bit machine ("Hrmm...what might that be?"). When the
founder Ken Soohoo was asked what features we could expect
from it, he replied, "JavaScript, SSL, streaming audio,
streaming video, and Java." Hopefully this gains much more
popularity then the Saturn’s one did. It wasn’t exactly
the "talk of the school". :)
11/12 -->
Sega sure as hell wants exclusivity! If you sign up for
Sega’s internet provider, you get the first month free!
I’m not exactly sure what other browsers there currently
are, but this seems like a good deal. This deal last
until December 27, and is only available in Japan
(lucky bas...people).
Pictures and more pictures. There were pictures of VFRPG
and Sonic Adventure. Enjoy!
It should be pretty easy to port a PC game to the
Dreamcast...but how about DC to PC? Sega is getting
a little picky on this particular subject. A game on
the Dreamcast cannot be ported over to the PC within
6 months of the DC release. This applies to any game
using the DC development kits. Of course, this is a
very good rule. Sega should suck all the money they
can out of it, and then send it away! :) Also,
concerning the PC, Sonic R PC was released today. It
has many improvements over the Saturn version (good...
maybe it will be acceptable [word of mouth...never
played it)!
Warp (D2...No, I’m not talking about the Mighty Ducks
so get off my back!) are porting their game (porting
from where???) "Real Sound Wing of Regret" to the DC.
The game will use 2 GD-ROMs because of it’s massive
size. No release date. Probably 1999 though.
11/13 -->
Toby Gard (Tomb Raider) had a little something to say
about the Dreamcast compared to Sony. "Dreamcast is
exceptionally good. If Sony doesn’t do something about
it fairly swiftly then they deserve to be utterly
trounced by Sega" I don’t really believe this coming
from him (why not? He's making a Dreamcast game - Elijah).
Sony was the one company that made Tomb Raider so
popular. PC and Saturn alone would not have made it so
popular. Anyway, expect an announcement from Sony
very soon concerning the Playstation2.
Pictures were released of the VMS mode of Landers.
It looks pretty cool for an LCD screen.
Final -->
Well, that was all the news for this week. Not all
too exciting. With the release so soon though, I'm
sure this week will be very exciting! Anyway, more
news on Monday. Later.
- Andy
- http://come.to/ff8source
======[ THE FUTURE... ]-==================================
Being a Dreamcast magazine (the very original one at that)
of course we'll be providing you with plenty of info after
the Dreamcast has been released. Along with reviews, well
have mini features on things like the control pad (is it
as bad as every one thought earlyer this year?) and plenty
of bragging that we've got a Dreamcast console in our hot
little hands (hehe, kidding!). We also have plans for a
few other things, but more about them in the next issue. :)
======[ WEB EVENT ]=======================================
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I SEGA FAN CHAT III I
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I N N OO V V EEE M M BBB EEE RRR I
I NN N O O V V E MM MM B B E R R I
I N N N O O V V EEE M M M BBB EEE RRR I
I N NN O O V V E M M B B E RR I
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I ---------------- 28th 1998 ------------------ I
I I
I ---> THE EVENT FOR SEGA FANS EVERYWHERE! <--- I
I ---> www.sega2000.com <--- I
I ---> Details @ sega2000.com <--- I
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SEGA FAN CHAT III - THE EVENT FOR ALL SEGA FANS!
---> More Details:
Thanks to all the sites that are supporting the Sega Fan
Chat III, the event is looking better than the previous
2 already. Here is a few new details...
* SONIC ROBO BLAST:
I've had quite a few requests for this game which was
downloadable at the first fan chat, and I've managed to
track down a copy. Looking for a copy? You can download
it from the Sega Fan Chat III :)
* PRIZES TO BE WON:
There will be a box to enter your e-mail address in on
Sega 2000, and winners will be randomly picked. So what
can you win? There's a whole collection of prizes from
Sega pens, Sonic pencil cases to a Dreamcast t-shirt.
Hope to see you there - NOVEMBER 28th 1998
---> Webmasters:
How can this help your site? Well if you place our button
advertising the Sega Fan Chat III on your front page, we'll
put your site in a special links box on the very front page
of Sega 2000! You'll also get more free promotion as the
chat gets closer. Really, the more people that know about
this the better, and any sites that can help, I would
really appreate. The button it's self is only a tiny
2k anyway...
http://www.sega2000.com/graphics/chat.gif
Thanks for your support and I look forward to seeing you
all there at the Fan Chat :)
======[ IMPORTANT MATTERS ]===============================
Are you intrested in buying Import? Here's a great mailing
list to join brought to you by VGL...
http://server.com/WebApps/mail-list-subscribe.cgi?id=12567
Just follow the link above and enter your e-mail address,
and thats it, simple!
======[ FEATURE ]=========================================
---> FIRST DREAMCAST PLAY TEST
---> Thanks to Kevin
First off I’ll explain how I managed to get my DC three
weeks before any of you are going to get your own hands
on one. I work for a local computer store and through a
well balanced diet of hard work and sucking up managed to
work my salary up. I was about to leave work last Thursday
when my boss surprised me with a $500 (Cdn.) bonus check. I
was extremely happy but before blowing it all on CDs I read
that you could import a DC three weeks early for $1,000 (Cdn.).
I was already going to pay $500 to get it over in the first
place so I quickly canceled my Nov. 27 DC (keeping the games
of course) and thanks to my Sega addicted local importer, I
actually managed to import one from Hong Kong! Saturday night
I was playing music off my new $1,000 CD player (well, until
the games come).
Here’s some initial impressions but keep in mind I am one of
the first in the world to be using the interface and since I
can’t translate Japanese it’s been a little difficult.
First the boxing is all really plain, same as the screenshots
you’ve seen on the Internet. It was packaged very well also.
The instructions were in English so it made connecting the
system up to my TV. an easy process. It uses the three colored
wires just like the PSX\N64. It also comes with a whole load
of phone line! Thank you Sega!! People wont realize just how
big of a deal this is until they try to hook up their DCs and
find out that their phone connection is a little to far from
their TV. Again, this phone cord is a blessing from Sega and
it will save me the trouble and $10 of having to buy one myself.
OK, enough about the box.
The next thing I IMMEADIATLY grabbed for was the controller!
HOLY SH*T! I love the feeling of this controller. It just
feels right in your hands. The analog stick is going to be
sweet, their are these little plastic bumps on it that keep
your finger from sliding off of it. This is something my N64
analog sticks are lacking and people will feel the difference.
The buttons are very springy, should be quite nice. The "back"
buttons are great too, they feel different then the other four
buttons for some reason. You can "half push" the button. Their
is no clicking noise, it just slides in. Weird but I like it
myself. One big complaint I’ve been hearing from Sega fans is
the lack of 6-buttons. This is not a problem and it never has
been. These people must be old die hard Genesis fans that
taunted SNES owner for only having 4-buttons. Don’t worry,
being an SNES \ Genesis owner, I can assure you that 4-buttons
are fine, even for Capcom fighters. Their are two slots for
VMUs, one will vibrate and the other will be the actual data
saving VMS I’ve heard.
OK, the interface took me a little time to get the hang of.
It’s pretty good. When you turn the DC on you see the "Dreamcast"
in black font at the bottom of the screen then this orange dot
swirls around and draws the swirl DC symbol. Then a white screen
will come up with options to play CDs, games, etc. I’m having
some language problems understanding the interface so I don’t
want to talk about it too much.
But I can tell you it’s simple and cool.
As far as playing CDs go the DC rocks. It’s great, it rivals
the quality of my Panasonic and Sony CD players. The sound
quality is very good though the quality of your sound system
will have the biggest impact on the quality of the music.
Now the Internet package thingy is pretty cool also. It’s a
web browser AND e-mail program. The 33.6k modem is of pretty
high quality because the difference between it and my 56K is
barely noticeable. The browser itself is very easy to use, it’s
a real Netscape \ IE rip-off but I think that’s a good thing.
The interface is almost exactly like Netscape, again it took
me awhile to figure out how to use it because of obvious
language difficulties so I don’t want to go into too much
detail. Right now I know where the BACK, FORWARD and STOP
buttons are and through a half hour of trial and error managed
to get my ISP information into the machine though the easy
setup. All in all, very well done Sega. When IE 4.0 comes out
for the DC I’m only going to get it because it will be in
English but American buyers wont have to buy a browser
because the one they will get is quite functional.
So far I’ve spent $1000 getting a DC ahead of everyone else.
And to be honest I have no regrets because for the next three
weeks I should be the envy of any true die hard Sega fan. I
can’t wait for some games though. But for now browsing
VictoriaSecret.com and Zelda.com on my 30" TV screen will
be enough for me.
======[ SURVEY ]==========================================
The rumour about a secret 5th launch title is so strong
now, everyone is talking about it... but what do YOU think
the title is? This week Sega 2000 is running a survey on
which game people think it might be... why not have a vote?
www.sega2000.com
======[ EDITORAL ]========================================
Hey Everyone! I'm back, and I have an editorial on RPGs for
all of you. Anyway, the game I'm working on will be started
late December. You can get info on it from fantasoft.home.ml.org.
Without further delay, here's the editorial:
RPGs. The best type of game. Sure, they're not the most
realistic, but they always pull you in like no other game will.
And God is good to the Dreamcast fans, as lots of RPGs are on
their way. From Landers, Grandia 2 and ofcourse the epic Project
Berkly, we're going to have a really good time.
Now, I've heard from my friends that DC's RPGs are going to stink,
but then again, they're only anti-Sega freaks. They'll see just
how wrong they are next year. :) Anyway, I know we're going to
see some of the best RPGs out soon, with Phantasy Star 5 & Grandia.
What made PH a unique series was it's incredible writing (I'm not
exactly sure what kind of writing was in Grandia, it was in Japanese
:). Anyway, I was drawn into PH4 like no other game (except maybe
FF7:). And with rumors going around about Square developing for
DC, we'll have enough RPGs for anyone and everyone.
If you're not a fan of RPGs, maybe you should try one. I would
suggest one of the Square games, on account they're some of the
longest and best. However, if you have a Genesis, try one of the
Phantasy Stars. If you have an SNES, try the Final Fantasies and
Chrono Trigger. Believe me, if you try them, you'll probably like them.
I used to not like RPGs, but FF7 converted me, then I tried
many other Square games, then I tried the PH series, then I
was hooked. RPGs were the best, are the best, and always be
the best. If you don't believe me, try them for yourself.
You'll probably have fun!
---> COMMENTS?
Please send them to Andreas (tuna@ebox.tninet.se) at our
letters section.
======[ ON YOUR MIND! ]===================================
---> GOT SOMETHING TO SAY?
If you have a letter you would like please e-mail it to
Andreas (tuna@ebox.tninet.se). But also please include
a note saying you wish it to be in the magazine.
---> SEGA & NINTENDO... TOGETHER?
The following news has not yet been confirmed and could
be a load of crap so I want you to treat it as pure speculation.
I am only posting this news because it comes from a reliable
source who also told me that the PSX price would drop 2 weeks
before it did. Reports are circulating that Nintendo and Sega
are to join forces. Nintendo have already started looking into
a next generation console and have spoken to some software
developers such as Rage (makers of Goldeneye and Diddy Kong
Racing) and Argonaut (makers of Turok) about a new Nintendo
console. But I have now heard that Nintendo have decided to
join Sega in the battle against Sony. Apparently Nintendo saw
a list of software for the Dreamcast and decided it was just to
powerful to be stopped. So now they have decided to join Sega.
If this rumour turns out to be true then it looks as if the PSX
2 has no chance.
Nintendo and Sega, two of the most powerful console firms
together would be unstoppable. Imagine games such as Mario 64,
Sonic Adventure, Goldeneye and BioHazard: Code Veronica
(Resident Evil 3) all available on the same machine and you'll
see what I mean. This rumour can be seen as good or bad news.
It's good news because if it's true then videogaming would be
closer to the single format everyone thinks it needs. It would
be bad news though for Sony and their die-hard fans. Sony
would either have to get their butt kicked or join with Sega
and Nintendo. We'll know soon.
SEGA 2000: Sega and Nintendo together eh? Well a few years ago
I would of just laughed and said, "it's NEVER gonna happen!"...
but now, hmmm... Sega did almost merge with Bandi last year,
maybe it could be possible. Nintendo are in trouble, except for
the Game Boy, thay are getting worse and worse. The next gen
of consoles is starting, with the Dreamcast, and next year the
PSX2, but what about Nintendo? They are falling behind, and
it would take them years to come up with a new next gen system.
For starters, they are far behind in CD development, which would
slow them down, and with these 2 huge companys flying past...
pehaps Nintendo would be intrested in grabbing onto one of them
before they fly out of reach. It's worth a thought...
======[ WEB SITES ]=======================================
If your looking to have your site advertised in this section,
please e-mail me on elijah@sega2000.com
----> http://www.angelfire.com/ms/elijahparker/
Elijah Net - My wacked out home page
----> http://www.dreamcastlife.com
Dreamcast Life
----> http://www.dchq.com
Dreamcast Alliance
----> http://pluto.beseen.com/chat/rooms/k/11061
Kevin's Sega Chat Room
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I SEGA FAN CHAT III I
I I
I N N OO V V EEE M M BBB EEE RRR I
I NN N O O V V E MM MM B B E R R I
I N N N O O V V EEE M M M BBB EEE RRR I
I N NN O O V V E M M B B E RR I
I N N OO V EEE M M BBB EEE R R I
I I
I ---------------- 28th 1998 ------------------ I
I I
I ---> THE EVENT FOR SEGA FANS EVERYWHERE! <--- I
I ---> www.sega2000.com <--- I
I ---> Details @ sega2000.com <--- I
\_________________________________________________/
SEGA FAN CHAT III - THE EVENT FOR ALL SEGA FANS!
----------------------------------------------------------
Copyright, 1998 Elijah Parker - ELIJAH@SEGA2000.COM
- MADCOW@IHUG.CO.NZ
----> http://www.sega2000.com - Sega 2000
----> http://www.segadreamcast.net - Sega X
Written and edited by Elijah Parker (just so you know who
to blame for the terrible spelling... he he... and who's
real name isn't even Elijah, it's Graham! But anyway, that's
a totally different story) The magazine is owned by
Sega 2000 / Sega X and no parts may be copied without
prior permission. I would have to send out my group of
highly trained thugs who will have a tea party with you
until you crack and your mind turns into jello... MMmmmmm....
Sweet Sweet Jello.... hehe, anyway... If you have any
friends that might be intrested in this magazine, it would
be excellent if you could let them know about it. Thanks!
p.s What do I think the 5th launch title is? A new Alex Kidd
anyone? hehe, NO, erm... Super GT is my best guess. It would
be just a straight arcade coversion due to time limits, but
it would be something to keep racing fans happy until Sega
Rally 2 :)
