Newsletter: Sega World Weekly issue 59 (then Dreamcast Weekly)
From Video Game Morgue File
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/_______> > > DREAMCAST WEEKLY MAGAZINE < < <________\
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//// ~ Issue #59 - www.DreamcastWeekly.com ~ \\\\
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\\\\ Sega 2000 - www.sega2000.net ////
\\\\ Sega X - www.segadreamcast.net ////
\\\\ Perfect Zero - www.perfect-zero.com ////
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o> Please SCROLL DOWN to Editors Comments for the start <o
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======| ABOUT DREAMCAST WEEKLY |==========================
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> For past issues please visit www.dreamcastweekly.com
> DREAMCAST QUESTIONS: Please note because of the huge
amount of mail I get personally, I can't reply to all the
Dreamcast questions sorry. Please send your DREAMCAST
questions to...
Rob@sega2000.net
As he does a great job on our mailbag. Thanks.
> For the latest game news, reviews and previews visit the
Premier Video Games Site http://www.totalvideogames.com
With over 300 archived News Articles and the greatest game
reviews. Up-dated throughout the day with everything!
----------------- www.totalvideogames.com ----------------
> Our domain name for DC Weekly is provided thanks to Total
Video Games, the UK's premier video games magazine up-dated
daily, and The Junction, the best place for Teens to chat.
------------------ www.the-junction.com ------------------
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======| EDITORS COMMENTS |================================
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5 weeks left of this Millennium! And what better way to
end these 1000 years than with Shenmue. Yes that's right,
it's now due out December 29th 1999. Check out the news
section for more details.
This week's cover feature is a preview of Grand Theft
Auto 2. Most of you will have played the original,
here you can find out what's new the second time around.
The big feature though is a review of Slave Zero. A game
that hasn't received quite as much press as many others,
so this is a must see review!
A big cheats section, including NBA 2K and Toy Commander
this week, and since Sega 2000 to affiliated with Prima
Games (www.primagames.comnow, we may have some DC
strategy guides to give away sometime soon! :)
As the Christmas bells approach, look out for our DC
Weekly Christmas List coming soon. Which games may suit
each type of person, and which to avoid all together.
Until next week then, Happy Gaming!
~ Graham "Tails" Parker (Editor)
> Dreamcast Questions to Rob@sega2000.net
.oO Page 1 - Cover Story Oo.
.oO Page 2 - The News Oo.
.oO Page 3 - Importing Oo.
.oO Page 4 - Review Oo.
.oO Page 5 - Cheats Oo.
.oO Page 6 - OUR SUPPORT SITES Oo.
.oO Page 7 - Credits Oo.
HOT QUOTE This Issue: "Leaving a trail of mangled human
flesh behind you"
-- Grand Theft Auto 2 Preview - Cover Story
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======| COVER STORY |=====================================
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>>>> Grand Theft Auto 2 Preview
>>>> Written by Matt White
O Developer: Rockstar Games
O Release Date: January 2000
Whether or not we're willing to admit it, I think we've all
wondered what it'd be like to run carelessly through city
streets with a large gun, doing whatever makes us feel good
with no fear of the consequences or repercussions. With
increasingly strict gun laws, as well as this thing known
as the "Justice System", the prospect of having such a ball
at the general public's expense just keeps fading more and
more away. Although there are some of us who are disturbed
enough to act on those powerful malicious tendencies, most
of us will have to settle for the next best thing. If you
ever wanted to indulge your bad side, Grand Theft Auto 2
is the game to get.
Those who have played either installment in the franchise
know what I'm talking about. Free ballin' it through the
city with nothing but a pack of smokes and a .48 is fun on
its own, but, as the title suggests, the real kicks stem
from your ability to high jack any vehicle on the road.
See that pretty red sports car? It's yours. Just wait for
it to stop at a red light, pull the guy out of the driver's
seat, and put him out on the pavement. Attracting the
attention of the city's finest? It may be better to lay
low, but what fun is that? Seeing how long you can cheat
death and evade capture is the real fun.
As enjoyable as it is to rampage through the various
cities leaving a trail of mangled human flesh behind you,
there are specific goals to accomplish if you want to
progress in the game. In the grand scheme of things, there
are several different crime organizations working the
streets, and, at the beginning of the game, you have no
particular loyalties to any of them. Each gang controls
a certain area of each city, and to receive jobs you must
answer the ringing pay phones in any particular gang's
turf. Depending on whose jobs you accomplish and whose
you totally mess up, you will, sooner or later, ultimately
take sides with one of the gangs. This makes the game
become much more interesting, as enemy gang members working
the streets won't hesitate to open fire on you!
Visually, the game is extremely sharp. We haven't seen
the Dreamcast version, but the PC version blew us away.
The game's top down Blast Corps-esque look sports appeal
to no end, endearing the game to all of us with its simple
gameplay and irresistibly evil charm. All of the buildings
and cars are composed of polygons and high res textures
that seem to scream "pet me!". The game features a
variety of weather and time effects as well -- When
dusk comes, the city is bathed in a beautiful orange
blanket of light. At night, car headlights and street
lamps illuminate the city.
The game's explosions are some of the best we've seen in
a video game -- The huge flash of light and fire that
occures upon the destruction of various autos is nothing
short of invigorating, and is more than rewarding. The
Dreamcast incarnation will be very similar to the PC
version in appearance, which, simply put, is gorgeous.
From getting caught up in an epic battle between crime
lords to the simple pleasures of haplessly executing
innocent bystanders, this game is pure bliss. Grand Theft
Auto goes against everything politically correct in our
pansy ass society, and is proud of it. If you wanna
break the mold, (as well as a lot of heads) save your
pennies for when this game hits the Dreamcast.
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======| NEWS |============================================
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>>>> Shenmue - December 29th 1999 !!!!
Sega Of Japan updated their website this week, with
shocking news about Shenmue.
The game has been pushed forward, to December 29th 1999.
A reason for this huge change hasn't been given, although
I hope Yu Suzuki hasn't cut a chunk of the game out to
make an early release. From April 2000 to the end of
1999 is a big jump forward.
Even though it's missing the Christmas deadline, this
is certainly going to make a few people over in Japan
fairly happy. Shenmue - The final game for the great
game for the Millennium.
>>>> Dreamcast Reaches 1.6 Million Consoles In Japan
Great news, Sega of Japan has recently announced that recently
Dreamcast has reached 1.6 million consoles in Japan.
Sega announced also that the Japanese DC with the forthcoming
releases of ShenMue, Zombie Revenge, Crazy Taxi, Virtua
Striker 2, Virtual On OT and Sega GT, hasn't nothing to
fear from the forthcoming release of Playstation 2.
With spectacular and successful worldwide launches, with
the excellent numbers reached in Japan, Dreamcast is doing
very well!
>>>> Messiah DC Confirmed
Dave Perry has confirmed quite possibly one of the longest
rumored Dreamcast games this week. Shiny's Messiah, is coming.
Messiah has been hyped considerably as the PC release
comes closer, in fact the demo was also released this week.
The game uses revolutionary tessellation graphics, which
will always push your PC to the limit (it adds more
polygons to everything, until your PC says that's enough).
While just how the Dreamcast version will be done hasn't been
announced yet, you can be sure it will look very close to
these PC shots. Please click for larger versions.
>>>> DC Receives More Accolades
Time Digital, Time Magazine's personal technology
publication, has named the Sega Dreamcast as "Machine of
the Year." The Dreamcast has been cited for its revolutionary
design and technology advances, including 128-bit 3D
graphics capabilities, home theater-quality sound, portable
gaming options and Internet functionality, including web
browsing, chat, e-mail and online gaming. The honor is
part of Time Digital's special holiday issue dated
November 29, 1999, on newsstands Monday.
The Dreamcast beat out other products like MP3 players
and video recorders. "We at Sega are honored to have
Sega Dreamcast hailed as the 'Machine of the Year' by
the respected editorial staff at Time Digital," said
Peter Moore, senior vice president, Sega of America.
"Moving forward, Sega will continue to set new standards
in gaming, especially via the online Dreamcast Network,
which will further expand consumers' gameplay experience
on Sega Dreamcast."
As you may know, Popular Science Magazine also recognized
the Dreamcast recently, dubbing it "Best of What's New."
Sega of America expects the DC's popularty to escalate
through the coming holiday season, and expects to sell over
1.5 million DC's by the end of the year.
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======| IMPORTant MATTERS |===============================
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>>>> World Wide Importer - Lik-Sang.com
Now that Extreme Imports had to close, where do we
recommend you go for your imports (which ever store pays
us the most, heh, no!). We recommend Lik-Sang, and as
much as this looks like an advert, our DC Weekly Importer
Tick isn't given out lightly.
Range:
Check out their website at www.lik-sang.com for the
range of Dreamcast games they have. Last time I checked
there was around 40 different titles. You can also
pre-order Virtua Striker 2000 and Zombie Revenge.
Price:
An import Dreamcast, with the Mod chip built in, comes
out at just US$199.
Size Matters:
Firstly, they are HUGE! This is an International group
of importers, which means trust, always something to think
about when buying off the net, isn't a problem.
MOD Chip:
They are the only place to sell import Dreamcast with a
mod chip built in! At the moment nowhere sells Mod Chips
by them selves, but we'll keep you updated.
/
/
/ Lik-Sang get the DC Weekly Importer Tick, heh.
\_/ (I've always wanted to do something like that)
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======| REVIEW |==========================================
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>>>> Slave Zero
>>>> From Infogrames
>>>> Written by Mitsurugi
I have been waiting for this game since June and when I
finally got it I was overjoyed. I first heard about the PC
version of Slave Zero and was instantly interested. A few
days later I went to my local software retailer and asked
about the release date for Slave Zero. After telling me what
the PC release date is the clerk then asked me if I knew
that it was coming out for the Dreamcast as well. This
excited me. I like my PC... but I love my Dreamcast, so
I asked him when that was coming out and he told me that
it was the same date as the PC version. After what seemed
like a media blackout (to me) and a few changes in the
release date I was foaming at the mouth to get my hands
on a game that was originally promised to me at launch.
Finally, the day came, November 12th! For some reason
school seemed to run long that day…to the length of about
twelve hours. I finally got out and remembered that I had
basketball practice, there's another two-hour delay. I
eventually arrived at my local software retailer and pick
up my long awaited and much anticipated copy of... Slave Zero.
I first turned the game on and saw the now all so familiar
orange dot bounce about and unravel itself into the beauty
that is the Dreamcast swirl. The opening movie relayed the
story to me in dropped frame-rate form. Surprisingly,
Slave Zero actually maintains a general story line
throughout the course of the game. What follows is the
story line exactly as it is written in the instruction
manual:
"500 Years In The Future
The SovKhan rules the first corporate dynasty with an
iron fist from the staggering vertical city, Megacity
S1-9. A powerfully productive military/industrial complex,
S1-9 spews mysterious and lethal pollutants into the
surrounding countryside, creating a flood plain miles
deep in stagnant toxic waste.
The Guardians, descendants of an ancient clan of warrior
priests know for their strength of mind and body, have
sworn to destroy the unholy Megacity S1-9 and bring
down the tyrannical SovKhan. Banished to "the suck", a
complex of utility sewage conduits, the Guardians have
constructed a hidden installation that could provide
a new base of attacks. But the fearless Guardians are
no match for the SovKhan's evolving army of inhuman
sentinels and giant, destructive Slaves. These terrible
war machines are "grown" from a combination of
cybernetic embryos, metal exoskeletons, and the
mysterious neutronium (NTR95879) growth compound, Dark
Matter. In twelve hours, the embryonic Slaves will
complete their gestation and emerge from the tanks
combat ready-thanks to the work of the mysterious Dark
Matter.
What the Slaves lack is the strength and intelligence
of the Guardian's will. What the Guardians lack is
the scale and power of a giant robot. Most human minds
are too weak to control a Slave, but the rigorous
training practiced by the Guardians might prove the
exception. The Guardians have managed to steal one
Slave unit, and have chosen their best-Chan-to try to
pilot it, to achieve perfect melding of man and
machine. You are the last hope of the guardians
and, perhaps, of humanity.
You must master the first of these combat monstrosities.
You must become Slave Zero!"
After reading that can you really think that Slave
Zero is short on plot, true... it may be a typical
"you're the last chance for humanity" type of story,
but it is done masterfully.
I believe that the gameplay is some of the most solid
on the Dreamcast. This game is likely to have the most
well rounded gameplay on the system to date. I'm sure
I'm gonna' catch a lot of heat for saying that
because there are a lot of die-hard Sonic fans out
there that have beaten the game upwards of thirty
times (Tails, our webmaster) that will debate that
Sonic Adventure was absolutely perfect. My only
problem with Sonic (don't get me wrong-I love Sonic) is
that on occasion there are those Dramamine lows in
the middle, but there isn't any of that in Slave Zero.
As you first play, the game starts out "slow" to kind
of ease you into the control system and the perspective,
but as you get deeper into the game it picks up pace...
and picks it up fast!
The first mission is pretty uneventful, but by the
second mission you are facing a constant barrage of
enemies that just doesn't let up. The missions in
the game are great and well thought out. When it
comes right down to it, all you do is shoot things,
but you don't really notice that. When you are playing
the game you are totally immersed in the plot and the
things going on around you. As you run through the
levels you get messages from the base that tell you
where to go and what Is happening in other parts of
the game, this gives you the feeling that there are
things going on not just in your general vicinity.
The combination of the audio "blips" (yes, that is
a technical term) and fast paced gameplay turn into
one very well rounded and enjoyable single player
experience.
One great thing about Slave Zero is the fact that there
are two totally different modes of play: single player
missions, and multi-player deathmatch. I'm a big fan
of the deathmacth (Team Fortress or Quake 3 anyone?)
and to tell you the truth, I love the Slave Zero
deathmatch. I was running through a map with my friend
and I had never had more fun killing my best friend,
not even in Goldeneye for the infinitely crappy N64.
All of the maps are well rounded and the battles
always seem to come together in one place unlike
some of the worse maps for games like 'Sin' and
'Forsaken' (anyone else even remember those two?).
Now that we have discussed the basics of the gameplay
we can get down to the details. The weapons are great
in this game! You can only carry three weapons at
once: a rocket launcher, a machinegun and a plasma
weapon. All of these weapon types are upgradeable
and just about every level you run across a new
weapon. You can also pick up debris, cars, boxes,
and even people and then throw them at your enemies!
Two other things you can do is punch (or bludgeon if
you have a piece of debris that is shaped like a
club) and stomp on your enemies. The stomp sends a
shock wave that momentarily stuns everything in the
direct vicinity, but you better watch out for the
little humans walking around the maps when you stomp
because if you don't you may just end up with little
pedestrian paste all over your foot…and we all know
that blood stains don't come out. One other extra I
like is the addition of a 1st person mode. I personally
like third person mode better, but sometimes you just
have to mix it up a little.
The graphics on Slave Zero are beautiful. Gigantic
cities from 500 years in the future have never
looked better. I would say that the lighting effects
easily pass the par set forth by the Dreamcast's power.
The muzzle flare from your gun lights up the area
realistically and makes shadows jump all over the
place. Slave Zero's movement is extremely fluid and
lifelike, which is amazing because he's not really
alive. As you run around the levels you take giant
leaping strides that look very cool for some reason.
When you are idle you sit there swaying slightly and
your fingers open and close as though they have a mind
of their own-very cool looking. The first person mode
looks good but no quite as good as third person mode.
For some reason things just don't look like they're
in quite as high a resolution as when you're in third
person. There is real attention to detail in this game
since when you do the stomp, it sends cracks rippling
through the street. One problem is that when there are
multiple enemies on screen the frame rate drops
slightly, but not enough to really make a difference
in your game. The biggest problem with the graphics
is that during the real-time movies clips, the frame
rate drops from the smooth 60fps standard of the
Dreamcast to about 20fps, which is sub-standard of
even the PlayStation! This really disappoints me.
All in all it isn't that big a problem because most
of the story and plot is relayed to you through
radio communication, which I mentioned before.
The sound is very good... sometimes. Unfortunately, in
the beginning stages of the game the sound continuously
cuts in and out briefly (on some things), for example:
in the first two levels, you can't even hear the thunderous
boom your stomp makes. That is a big problem. It
doesn't affect gameplay directly, but it will bother you...
A LOT. Another problem with the sound is that sometimes
the dialogue is in audible. I was listening to a radio
transmission from the base and I couldn't hear it for
about thirty seconds, then it cut back in... strange. The
sounds of your guns echoing through halls is very
cool and realistic, as are the loud booms your mech.
makes when it lands off a jump or stomps (once that
sound starts working that is). When Slave Zero has a
major triumph he lets out a loud, menacing roar that
sounds all too cool. The only sound I would ADD (not
change or fix, add) would be the addition of a fast
paced techno sound track, Some fast paced music could
really add to an intense gun battle.
The control in Slave Zero is just plain strange when
you first use it. The A, B, X and Y buttons are to move
forward, the analog thumb-pad aims your gun, and the
digital thumb-pad jumps and stomps. The L and R triggers
shoot your missiles and guns. If anyone reading this has ever
played Turok for N64 (I just can't emphasize enough haw
badly that system sucks), you may have a general idea of
what the control is like. Once you get a hang of the
controls though, you'll laugh at newcomers and the
difficult time they're having getting it down.
Slave Zero's single player game has some replay value,
but not much. The thing that will really keep this
one from becoming coaster-fodder is its multiplayer
game. The single player game doesn't change in the
slightest your second time through, but there's always
room for another good deathmatch!
High Points:
? Fast paced mech. action!
? Beautiful graphics (not including real-time movie clips)
? Cool weapons
? Good sound (when it's working)
? Immersive story line
? Well scripted dialogue
? I just stomped on somebody!
Low Points:
? Drop in frame rate during movie clips
? Extremely buggy sound (when it's not working)
? He left a stain...
Bottom Line:
Right now, this game holds my favorite spot despite of
the slightly buggy graphics and extremely buggy sound
because it's just plain fun! If you've ever thought an
adventure game was even slightly fun you must go buy
this game!
>>>> Graphics - 92%
>>>> Sound - 83%
>>>> Gameplay - 98%
>>>> Lastability - 89%
>>>> OVERALL - 92%
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======| CHEATS |==========================================
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>>>> NBA 2K
O Password Cheats:
In the password screen type in these codes as they appear
here:
MONSTER -- Giant Players
TURBO -- Turbo Mode
LARD -- Fat Players
Submitted by Travis, and BMW
O Screen Saver:
Go to a screen other than the main menu (options, or
customize) and don't push any buttons then the screen will
turn many different colors. - Submitted by GIJoe
>>>> Toy Commander
O 99 Heavy Ammo:
Pause the game, then hold L and press A, B, X, Y, B, A.
If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a tone.
Submitted by T. Bowman
O All Rooms Available:
Pause the game, then hold L and press A, Y, X, B, Y, X.
If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a tone.
Submitted by T.Bowman
O Artwork:
If you have a PC or Mac, you can put the Toy Commander
disk in your CD-ROM drive and open it up. There will be
icons, screen shots, logos, and artwork
O Extra Multi-Player Levels:
Play through each stage on 1 player mode in each level
(ex. beat all stages on the 1st level) to access a new
multi-player stage. - Submitted by Aric Vanselous
O Fix Toy:
Pause the game, then hold L and press A, X, B, Y, A, Y.
If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a tone.
Submitted by T. Bowman
O Health Recharge:
If you turn on the sink, go down to the drain and let the
water fall on you, your health will recharge. NOTE: this
has only been tested in the Demo - Submitted by Scott Petrie
O Upgrade Machine Guns:
Pause the game, then hold L and press B, A, Y, X, A, B.
If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a tone.
Submitted by T. Bowman
O Upgrade Weapons:
Pause the game, then hold L and press X, A, Y, B, A, X.
If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a tone.
Submitted by T. Bowman
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======| BEST OF THE WEB |=================================
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There are sooooo many Sega sites across the web, wouldn't
it be great if one place listed the most interesting bits??
Presenting the "Best Of The Web" section...
>>>> Sega X - www.segadreamcast.net
Plenty of news added every day, and the best coverage of
the US Launch details you'll find anywhere.
>>>> Sega 2000 - www.sega2000.net
Sega 2000 has grown a lot lately, and one section that
really has... is reader reviews. Sega 2000 is THE place to
send your reader reviews. Don't forget to send in your Top
10 Most Wanted games either.
>>>> The Next Level - www.the-nextlevel.com
The Next Level is a multi-platform gaming magazine focused on
all current and upcoming next-generation systems. We provide
up-to-date news, in-depth reviews, reader reviews, intriguing
editorials, and more.
>>>> Perfect Zero - http://www.perfect-zero.com
A brand new design, and what a design!! You have to see this!
They have the biggest collection of video game mp3's, video's
(including some Saturn video's you've probably never seen
before) and more. Also don't forget to vote for your favorite
staff member.
>>>> SegaDC - www.segadc.co.nz
Updated daily with lots of news, a forum and more, this is
a must see site for any Sega fan.
>>>> The Sonic Zone - 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 to
Cheats and even Fan Created Games this is your one stop
Sonic site. You can now send online postcards too!!
>>>> Gaming Central Starpath - www.startpath.com/gamingcentral
Our newest support site and provides hundreds of links for
anything a gamer might be interested in.
>>>> DC Australia - www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Fortress/6831/
With the Dreamcast launch in Australia fast approaching it
is my pleasure to bring to you interviews with some of the
most important people in the gaming industry. Recent
interviews include Archer Maclean (Awesome Developments -
Jimmy White's 2), Frederick Raynal (No Cliche - Toy Commander),
Trip Hawkins (3DO - Heroes III) and Greg Zeschuk (Bioware -
MDK2). But thats not it, there are several more surprises in
the coming weeks (does Sonic Team sound good?)
The official website for the Dreamcast Weekly is now open at
www.dreamcastweekly.com :) We've got the history of the
magazine, daily news and plenty more. Specially if your a
webmaster, there is lots of great information about how
you can be involved as well! Then in the future... who knows,
hopefully we'll be a print magazine one day :)
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======[ CREDITS ]=========================================
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O Editor: Graham Parker "Tails" - Webmaster@sega2000.net
O DC QUESTIONS: Please send to - Rob@sega2000.net
But please NO tips questions
>>>> www.DreamcastWeekly.com - Official Website!
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Copyright, 1998-9 Graham Parker - Webmaster@sega2000.net
Written and edited by Graham Parker. No parts may be
copied without prior permission. Otherwise I would be
forced to send out my group of goons... Ok so I don't have
any goons, but copying is just mean... very mean. There,
that should scare them off :)
