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As we get closer to November 20th and the release of the Dreamcast, the anticipation is building to a fever pitch. The first of the games are beginning to surface, and thanks to the internet the details of various projects are starting to emerge; perhaps Sega finally realizes that they cannot keep a lid on their plans no matter how hard they try. With the advent of the worldwide web, the smallest and most trivial details are being released for public scrutiny, and much of the development community is beginning to leak information for future games. But just what can we expect in this first batch of games, and what will we learn in the next few months? Let's examine what we know so far, and what the future may hold. August 22nd, the Blue Blur returns in all his glory. It took the failure of the Saturn for Sega to realize just how much they needed a Sonic game. I'm talking about a real Sonic game, with speed and that certain charm that made the first few titles so special, keeping you playing until you had gathered all the rings and found every secret. I played that game for hours on end, and still pull it out and play it once in a while; there are very few games nowadays with that quality, and most aren't worth playing again after they have been "solved". The game is unconfirmed as a launch title in Japan, although we should have more information in a weeks time. No game either rumored or confirmed is anticipated more than this one, and I personally will be waiting up Friday night to obtain the first post-conference news about Sonic's new adventure. If it is a launch title, then the DC could be very hard to come by if you didn't preorder it; I personally ordered mine months ago and have been reassured that I should be able to obtain one when they come out. I'm also expecting to pay a premium for the machine, but if I can play Sonic this X-Mas it will be worth it. Another game I'm looking forward to is Pen Pen. Now I have heard a lot of complaints about this game over the past few months, but this game has me excited. It's wacky and different, and doesn't take itself seriously. This will be a good change from the more serious tone which many games have taken. It's supposed to be a race with these wacky animals, each with their own abilities and styles, and the environments range from deserts to oceans. The screens for this game are colorful and cartoony, and this game promises great multiplayer playability. Even though the graphics aren't realistic they are still very impressive, and they are reported to be unbelievable with the game up and running. The character designs are an accomplishment as well; on a personal note, I cannot wait to play that incredibly-wicked looking shark! What about Godzilla? The game certainly looks impressive, but I am wondering about the playability of this one. My guess is that it will be kind of like Rampage, where you try and destroy everything around you, and hopefully get to fight other monsters as well. This game will sell unbelievably well in Japan, but I am unsure if it will be released overseas as it seems to be made especially for the Japanese market. This game could be very interesting, especially since rumors seem to link it with the Godzilla game for the VMS. The game screens which have been released have certainly helped to build more hype for this title; they are absolutely gorgeous. Kudos to Sega for using the REAL Godzilla instead of that Jurassic Park wannabe that those morons in Hollywood designed. There are other games as well which deserve mention, although I personally am not all that excited about them at their present state of development. Monster Breeder looks visually impressive but is far from complete, and Mercurius Pretty appears good but unplayable without knowledge of Japanese. Seventh Cross and Sengoku Turb do not really do anything for me and will probably require a lot of Japanese as well. D2 looks promising, but needs to be polished more before I even consider a purchase. The simple fact is that after looking at most of the first offerings for this system, many of the games that I purchase will be made by Sega themselves, until third parties come to better grips with the hardware sometime next year. We certainly cannot forget the rumored arcade games which have a very good chance of being ported to the DC at or soon after the launch. VF3 in some form is a given, and will ensure the sales of millions of Dreamcasts. Scud Race, Sega Rally 2, and Daytona 2 all seem likely as well; at least two of these should be seen on the console before it reaches its first anniversary. Spikeout is said to be coming to the system in 1999, and I expect that Ocean Hunter will probably make it around the same time frame. Somehow I doubt that Lost World will make the transition, although I would love to be proven wrong. And what does the future hold after the first six months aside from the arcade scene? Konami and Capcom are keeping their plans secret but at least we know that Resident Evil will appear sometime in the future. Could we see a MGS port, or Castlevania, or maybe SFA3 sometime in the next year? Personally I would love to see Capcom make a sequel to Ghouls 'n Ghosts and some other classics from back in the 16-bit era. Sega sequels with Eccho, Nights, Panzer, Phantasy Star are rumored to be in development or at least the planning stages. If enough DCs are sold for the machine to become a viable alternative to the PSX, hopefully we will see Square and Enix making games for the system. Namco appears more of a longshot because of their competition with Sega in the arcades; however, I certainly would not mind seeing their games on my import DC as well. The fact is that November
20th cannot come soon enough for me; for certain I will be playing Pen
Pen this November since it is a confirmed launch title. But what
else? Hopefully Sonic, VF3, and Scud Race will be available at launch
as well but only Sega knows the answers for sure. Somebody give me
a crystal ball because I am going insane waiting on them to tip their hand.
With these kinds of games, it is no wonder that the future for the DC appears
to be bright. Meanwhile, the anticipation for the DC certainly must
have Sega smiling; I can almost see the dollar signs in Sonic's eyes.
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