While the initial launch games of the Dreamcast seemed rushed and felt like...well...launch titles (with the exception of VF3tb), the DC lineup is shaping up to be very solid. Recent updates on many key titles that we will see between now and spring '99 show a tremendous amount of promise and should help DC make a smooth transition into the next year. Here's a look at titles that have improved since we last saw them.

Sonic Adventure- This game looks exactly the same as when I last saw it - and this is a good thing. Sonic Adventure looks just as amazing as when we first saw pics of the blue hedgehog in full 3D. The recent pics of the city show HUGE environments where there is a happy coexistence of humans and hedgehogs. The large playing fields have also maintained their clean texturing, as well as the rich coloring that's present with the entire Sonic world. Thankfully the rumors of Sonic's delay have been put to rest by distribution houses, and with only a few days away till its launch, our dreams of Sonic's return are finally coming true.

Sega Rally 2- Arguably the most controversial arcade port next to Virtua Fighter 3tb, Sega Rally 2's appearance in non-playable video form at the Tokyo Game Show disappointed many fans who were waiting to see a perfect Model 3 port. Fortunately Sega was also unhappy with the seemingly PC-ish conversion, and are working feverishly to make sure that the DC port is every bit as good as its arcade counterpart. Recent pics show a vast improvement over the early ones, with elaborately textured cars, bright colors showing off the track environments, and generally a much more eye pleasing conversion. It seems that Sega's 24 hours a day work on the game is paying off. We'll find out if it really did in a couple of weeks.

Buggy Heat- The first look of Buggy Heat showed promising gameplay but seemed to need work in the graphics department. Fortunately recent screens of Buggy Heat show a much more polished game. The off-road vehicles now show a huge amount of detail, including racing strips and stickers plastered all over a 4 x 4, and a close up of the truck even shows a shot of the driver through the transparency of the front windshield! Very cool. Buggy Heat has shaped up very nicely over the past month, and if the gameplay matches up with the visuals, it could be a solid contender in the racing scene.

Grandia 2- One of the most anticipated RPGs has shown why it is, with colorful and rich villages, sharp, detailed characters and environments, and explosive battle scenes that could make even the most seasoned RPGer cringe with excitement, Grandia 2 looks great in every aspect. The latest screens of Grandia 2 have concentrated on the battle scenes, which feature impressive lighting coming off of big magical explosions. But as most role playing gamers know, RPGs aren't about graphics. Hopefully Game Arts will either match or exceed the quality of storytelling that was found in Grandia, and give a game with great graphics an even greater story.

Frame Gride- Anyone who has every played Armored Core on the PSX would agree that it was one of the best mech action games around. Mech fans have From Software to thank for Armored Core, and gamers may be thanking them again for the awesome medieval mech game, Frame Gride, set to appear next year for Dreamcast. The title was first shown at the Tokyo Game Show, and was believed by many to be a Virtual On side story. Comments from show-goers exclaimed that the game was very smooth, and was also one of the few games at the show to showoff the DC's graphic capabilities. The early shots from TGS looked a little plain due to the minimal detail, but the latest screens of Frame Gride show impressively designed mechs as well as very nicely textured and wide-open playing fields. Pics also show transparent lighting blazing away on the thrusters of a mech, and an onslaught of mech-piercing laser beams. From Software delivered solid gameplay for Armored Core, and if Frame Gride holds up in this department, mech battling will be as easy on the hands as it is on the eyes.

Shen Mue- First known as the mysterious Project Berkley, Yu Suzuki's Shen Mu is set to create a new genre all of its own. The initial character sketches from the game provided some insight on what the look of the game might be. Now that the Project Berkley demo disc has been released on the net, gamers around the world have began to take notice at just how epic this game really is. The demo disc displayed some very impressive CG cuts, along with what looked to be some in-game footage. Being that it was hard to tell what could or could not have been CG gives testament to the power of Dreamcast. One also has to remember that all this footage had to be prepared before the launch of the DC, so whatever we saw on the demo disc can only look better now. Yu Suzuki has never seemed more excited about any other project, and with a 3 year development time for Shen Mu, a couple of months will give the team even more time to polish up what might be the gaming event of 1999.