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Wednesday, March 31, 1999
Sorry not to send any mail for a few days, but not being at school makes it harder to send mail and feel good about it as the phone company is evil. The only DC related info I have is about D2's opening. I was watching a piece of anime from 1983 last night and damned if the opening from D2 wasn't very similar. Starts with a meteor coming toward Earth, then on a plane a woman has a crystal ball that starts turning colors before the meteor hits the plane. So D2 is a bit different with the terrorists and the mirror and the person holding the crystal ball, but otherwise the whole scene is ripped off. I always wondered about Kenji Eno's borrowing of ideas after Enemy Zero, the story of that and of the Alien movies are so very close. I think the anime that good old Eno borrowed from is called Harmaggedon in the US. No Yukawa butkissing for me on Sunday, my mom has unexpectedly decided to come here and drain my money supply. And of course I have his CD, it is kind of funny if you listen to it, hell Yukawa is the best part about the DC marketing in my opinion. Everyone knows him now, even teachers that would never touch games. Now if only Sega would throw out the name, the symbol, and the color orange I might be happy!! Mega Drive Mark 5 would have been a much cooler name for the DC. On Buggy Heat, it has some nice qualities, but the idea of a demo is to make the person playing it interested in the game and that demo made it so I won't buy it without playing the finished version. If the gameplay is so bad in a demo, then show a movie instead or something. Now, I never had any plans to get Buggy Heat in the first place, but after the demo I won't even care when it comes out. The House of the Dead demo for Saturn made me want the game and the Bio Hazard2, Rockman RPG demo disc made me want both of those games. The small amount of Metal Gear Solid at E3 last year made me want that game also. I am not saying that judging a game on the demo is ok, but it has made me weary of the final product. And trust me, America is not so bad. At the current exchange rate you get Japanese games cheaper if you buy from the proper place and faster if they are made by Capcom. Oh, and Sega has done their best to keep foreigners from using Dream Point Bank stuff. Only one person can have a DPB per address and I couldn't log in multiple copies of the same game when I tried before. Well, I have to go and play the evil Yukawa game for this week. I did see the Get Bass commercial yesterday, it looks very nice, but they could have used arcade shots.But after HotD2, I think Get Bass will be easy for the system. Fernando Mosquera
Replies: That's true, a demo should be easy for anyone to play and the Buggy
Heat demo certainly isn't. I think CRI really delayed Buggy Heat because
of the initial negative response the demos; something tells me that when
the game finally comes out there will be the option for a more
traditional control style available.
The DPB regulations seem pretty strict, looks like Sega is holding on
to their black DC pads pretty tightly... Blue Stinger Impressions
liveliness in the environment. What's wrong with the characters? First of all, they move like clones of the Tin Man from the "Wizard of Oz" - the animation is that bad. Dogs and Eliot run so unnaturally (and a bit slow to boot) that it hurts; I know animating human running isn't exactly simple, but come on, this is 1999, standards have been set for how well 3D animation should look in a high-end video game, standards Blue Stinger doesn't meet. To top it all off, the character models aren't exactly polygon intensive. With the power of Dreamcast there's no excuse for models of humans that look less like real people and more like GI Joe dolls. It seriously looks like one could go right up to Eliot, tug on his appendages a bit and pop them right out of their respective sockets with little struggle. The environments, the graphics' saving grace to some degree, are also not quite as satisfying as they should be. It's hard to describe, but everything I Say---- Are you playing the same game???? Wow you must have a Playstation 2 already because I work with SGI machines all day and Blue Stinger ( I thought ) has some of the best graphics I've ever seen. The way the Eliot runs is fine...why do you harp on that fact so much. I almost did not buy the game because of your review... but I did and ...darn I'm really glad I did. I think your being wwwwaaaay to critical on this one. Graphics in this game are top notch, Animation is better than anything on a console. And the smoothness of the models in the game make eliot look real... Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Game Conformer Magazine
If they're not trying to lodge a cleaning kit elbow deep into your unsuspecting sphincter, they're trying to go up in ya with a 'Fun Club' Membership. The 'membership' comes replete with a paper card that gives you 10% off of their questionably priced used games (no discount for new games, or any systems or accessories-new or used), and a 6-issue subscription to...Game Informer! Gee...all that for $9.95 (there is also a one-year membership for $19.95 w/12 issues)! Yes folks, 'tis a sick little incestual relationship. They're all family, and FuncoLand is the head of the house-hold. In fact, one of the original GI crew(I won't mention any names) began as an employee of the first (or one of the first couple) FuncoLand storefront (they started as mail-order) in Eden Prairie, MN. I'm not sure about now, but their offices were located at the FuncoLand HQ in Eden Prairie as recently as 1997-98. So, as you can see, they have plenty of support and circulation...it's built in! They've already been around at least 5 or 6 years...maybe more. The reason people think they're a small start-up mag is that, until recently, they haven't had much by way of a newsstand showing. Prior to this year, they have only been seen, for the most part, at FuncoLand, and some Walden Soft stores (when they used to be in the back of the book store). I guess they are looking to expand. As long as their are FuncoLand stores around to punish your wallets (I just love it when I go into a store, and can occassionally find a used game priced anywhere from $.05 to $5.00 more than its new counterpart), there will be Game Informer. As for the mag, it's a bit spotty. One month I'm actually impressed, the next it reads like a Sony fanzine, and the following month may read more like a high school newspaper. Some of the guys have real talent and/or potential, and there's no denying that they are true gamers (with skills!); no wannabes here. I just hope that they can achieve fiscal independance, as their long-standing close ties with a retail chain may have hurt their objectivity. I do fully recommend the GI website...nice updates, and they seem to be more at ease, with a more entertaining writing style than most prose in their print mag. They also have an excellent links sections, with some cool links to obscure and Japanese sites. Good guys, bad idea (from a journalistic view-point, good for business I guess). Check out their guest appearance on Issue #1 of the video magazine FUSE. They review a few games, and offer an interesting debate on the merits of MGS and Tenchu, and compare their respective gameplay head to head. You may still be able to find it at Software etc., EB, EBX or any VG store...it costs something like 7 or 8 bucks with tax, and has a preview of Sonic Adventure, as well as a trip to the now infamous Sonic Adventure unveiling. This is a great opportunity for those people with no import stores near them, or who have only seen SA in grainy movies off the web, in small little windows on a 15 inch monitor. Hey Fernando! I got a question fer ya too, dag-nab-it! There were some rumors going around during the dark days of the first impressions of the DC controller (you know, before anyone actually bothered to play with it, and hold it in their hands.....oooooooo that sounds kinda bad....you know what I meant though, right?...RIGHT?). They spoke of an adaptor that would allow the Saturn controllers to be used on the DC. I have since heard nothing on the subject. Given the word that PS2 will allow for use of PSX pads and mem cards, and reports of tricky controls for MvsC, do you think Sega will deliver, or must we rely on third parties. Any word on a Sega-made fighting pad? There are quite a few Capcom games on the way! ps. Everybody get over to NCS and tell them you want custom clear cases for your DC...Hey...it's better than the vibrant Caulk/Winter white it comes in. It wouldn't be fashionable to play it after Memorial Day! Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Saturn to DC peripheral device was just a rumor, Sega never
officially mentioned it - it's safe to say that it's not going to
happen. Fighting game fans have to go with the Dreamcast arcade stick
right now, it offers a perfect Capcom three over three button layout and
a solid joystick. Super Speed Racing
Fernando Mosquera
Replies: My initial impressions still stand. More Horror Stories
Take it easy, Jay Fernando Mosquera
Replies: The USA is a different *bad pun alert* ball game; baseball/soccer
games can simply be brought over from overseas with different teams but
basketball and American football needs to be developed here. Visual
Concepts' two titles look good enough, but who knows how they will play?
With any luck there will be multiple developers contributing sports
games, increasing the chances that something good will come out of it
all. Blue Stinger Impressions
liveliness in the environment. What's wrong with the characters? First of all, they move like clones of the Tin Man from the "Wizard of Oz" - the animation is that bad. Dogs and Eliot run so unnaturally (and a bit slow to boot) that it hurts; I know animating human running isn't exactly simple, but come on, this is 1999, standards have been set for how well 3D animation should look in a high-end video game, standards Blue Stinger doesn't meet. To top it all off, the character models aren't exactly polygon intensive. With the power of Dreamcast there's no excuse for models of humans that look less like real people and more like GI Joe dolls. It seriously looks like one could go right up to Eliot, tug on his appendages a bit and pop them right out of their respective sockets with little struggle. The environments, the graphics' saving grace to some degree, are also not quite as satisfying as they should be. It's hard to describe, but everything I Say---- Are you playing the same game???? Wow you must have a Playstation 2 already because I work with SGI machines all day and Blue Stinger ( I thought ) has some of the best graphics I've ever seen. The way the Eliot runs is fine...why do you harp on that fact so much. I almost did not buy the game because of your review... but I did and ...darn I'm really glad I did. I think your being wwwwaaaay to critical on this one. Graphics in this game are top notch, Animation is better than anything on a console. And the smoothness of the models in the game make eliot look real... Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Game Conformer Magazine
If they're not trying to lodge a cleaning kit elbow deep into your unsuspecting sphincter, they're trying to go up in ya with a 'Fun Club' Membership. The 'membership' comes replete with a paper card that gives you 10% off of their questionably priced used games (no discount for new games, or any systems or accessories-new or used), and a 6-issue subscription to...Game Informer! Gee...all that for $9.95 (there is also a one-year membership for $19.95 w/12 issues)! Yes folks, 'tis a sick little incestual relationship. They're all family, and FuncoLand is the head of the house-hold. In fact, one of the original GI crew(I won't mention any names) began as an employee of the first (or one of the first couple) FuncoLand storefront (they started as mail-order) in Eden Prairie, MN. I'm not sure about now, but their offices were located at the FuncoLand HQ in Eden Prairie as recently as 1997-98. So, as you can see, they have plenty of support and circulation...it's built in! They've already been around at least 5 or 6 years...maybe more. The reason people think they're a small start-up mag is that, until recently, they haven't had much by way of a newsstand showing. Prior to this year, they have only been seen, for the most part, at FuncoLand, and some Walden Soft stores (when they used to be in the back of the book store). I guess they are looking to expand. As long as their are FuncoLand stores around to punish your wallets (I just love it when I go into a store, and can occassionally find a used game priced anywhere from $.05 to $5.00 more than its new counterpart), there will be Game Informer. As for the mag, it's a bit spotty. One month I'm actually impressed, the next it reads like a Sony fanzine, and the following month may read more like a high school newspaper. Some of the guys have real talent and/or potential, and there's no denying that they are true gamers (with skills!); no wannabes here. I just hope that they can achieve fiscal independance, as their long-standing close ties with a retail chain may have hurt their objectivity. I do fully recommend the GI website...nice updates, and they seem to be more at ease, with a more entertaining writing style than most prose in their print mag. They also have an excellent links sections, with some cool links to obscure and Japanese sites. Good guys, bad idea (from a journalistic view-point, good for business I guess). Check out their guest appearance on Issue #1 of the video magazine FUSE. They review a few games, and offer an interesting debate on the merits of MGS and Tenchu, and compare their respective gameplay head to head. You may still be able to find it at Software etc., EB, EBX or any VG store...it costs something like 7 or 8 bucks with tax, and has a preview of Sonic Adventure, as well as a trip to the now infamous Sonic Adventure unveiling. This is a great opportunity for those people with no import stores near them, or who have only seen SA in grainy movies off the web, in small little windows on a 15 inch monitor. Hey Fernando! I got a question fer ya too, dag-nab-it! There were some rumors going around during the dark days of the first impressions of the DC controller (you know, before anyone actually bothered to play with it, and hold it in their hands.....oooooooo that sounds kinda bad....you know what I meant though, right?...RIGHT?). They spoke of an adaptor that would allow the Saturn controllers to be used on the DC. I have since heard nothing on the subject. Given the word that PS2 will allow for use of PSX pads and mem cards, and reports of tricky controls for MvsC, do you think Sega will deliver, or must we rely on third parties. Any word on a Sega-made fighting pad? There are quite a few Capcom games on the way! ps. Everybody get over to NCS and tell them you want custom clear cases for your DC...Hey...it's better than the vibrant Caulk/Winter white it comes in. It wouldn't be fashionable to play it after Memorial Day! Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Saturn to DC peripheral device was just a rumor, Sega never
officially mentioned it - it's safe to say that it's not going to
happen. Fighting game fans have to go with the Dreamcast arcade stick
right now, it offers a perfect Capcom three over three button layout and
a solid joystick. Super Speed Racing
Fernando Mosquera
Replies: My initial impressions still stand. Monday, March 29, 1999 More Mag Thoughts
You requested that I would review a couple of other mags, so I will but I cannot make a full list. I have neither the time (too busy playing video games) or the money (bad job) to review them all. Anyways I've had a subscription to most of the magazines in the review. Ok, Gamers Rebublic: Good magazine. Fairly new too. They have a "Take it all on" attitude. They cover: Sega, Nintendo, Sony, PC, Anime, Manga, even movies. They are muy comico too. I recall a picture of two editors in a all-out godzilla VMS brawl... hahahaha!! 4 1/2 out of 5 GameFan: I admit that I have never purchased a copy of this mag, but when I am in the grocery store I will occassionally leaf through a copy. Sony bias? Possibly. I was estatic when EGM said that Sega, only Sega would get Mega Man X4 (Sony are 2-D haters y'know) but GF said that it would be for PS instead. Also like LameP...er, GamePro they do the "cartoon editor" thing. Nothing wrong with that, but you gotta be wary. Loser... honorable mention (see below) Game Informer: Ever seen the covers for this mag? It isn't that it's not orignal cover art, it just doesn't let you know what game it is. For example, Tomb Raider was the cover story, but Lara wasn't on the cover, it was some other busty babe with red hair on the cover, although I could care less since, well Tomb Raider kinda sucks. Also this doesn't pretain to sega but on the back of a PSX game "Wild Arms" they quoted the game as: "By far one of the best action RPGs of the year."-Game Informer. Guess what Game Informer, but Wild Arms is not a Action RPG, it's a, get this, a Turn based RPG. Obviously not hardcore gamers. Fernando Mosquera
Replies: I don't know, I think you're being a bit too harsh on the Informer
guys - they're a small magazine and slight errors aside, they cover the
Dreamcast fairly well for a magazine so thin. That said, I don't know if
they have the distribution or advertising backing to last beyond a year
or two... Import DC's vs. Domestic DC's
Sorry for asking a question that probably has been answered before, but will import DC's be able to play USA games? I played Marvel vs. Capcom in the arcade and loved every minute of it. And since I heard the DC port is arcade perfect, I don't want to wait until September to buy a USA DC that can play domestic games while my import collects dust. Thanks for your time. Fernando Mosquera
Replies: And just so you don't e-mail me again saying you can't find the
answer, here it is: most likely not, almost all consoles come with
territorial lock out. You still can't rule out a grey market solution to
the territorial lock out - I can't think of a single home console that
has territorial lock out that hasn't been defeated.
Dr. Dreamcast Send Funky E-mail
(Print this because a) itfs funny, b) it contains facts that are important that people should know and, c) I am so sick of people whining about the PSX1, 2, and Sony! This is a sega site right!?) SegaNet is the best sega site Ifve been able to find and when I have a free minute I usually check in once a day. Today I Checked in and the only thing that looked like it may be entertain was the mailbag, and it was there that I saw it. Another review of Marvel.vs.Capcom. Actually Ifve been seeing this a lot lately: people who have no idea what theyfre talking about making wild guesses to fill in the holes in their information. Allow me to set the record straight: Marvel.vs.Capcom has NO (long) loading screens. PERIOD. The opening screen with all of the Japanese text is a WARNING screen. NOT a loading screen. As is the screen that pops up when you turn gFLASHh on in the options screen. Shame on you stupid F**ks for blemishing Capcomfs good name with stupid claims like that. gStupidh? eHey man I canft speak Japanese itfs not my fault, I mean the Dreamcast was sitting there doing nothingcf you say? Silence Fool! Havenft you learned your lesson yet?!? A: If it was really loading wouldnft it be making those loading sounds that the Dreamcast usually does and not sitting there silently? B: Do you really think that itfs going to take longer to load the title screen than it does to load the data for a match? And do you really think the Dreamcast loads the special effects, sounds, (and in the case of your stupid guess,) the flashes before you even select the game mode?? The answers to all of these questions is a big fat NO, and thatfs why you are a fool. But wait! Donft kill yourself yet!!! eBut Ifm a stupid fool, and you exposed me in front of all my friends! Snif..f Donft worry son therefs still hope! Why? Because you are part of the gaming Elite! Yes, those of you who have the vision to import the Japanese versions of games even though you canft read Japanese are truly the Creme of the crop. People who import RPGfs and play through them just by randomly bumping around and pressing buttons are part of a new kind of Gamer. Shame on all those fools who didnft import metal gear because they ewanted to understand the storyfCarry on son, Carry on! Maybe another reason that people couldnft figure out what the warning screens were all about was because they donft know about the Pika-chu affect. A while ago the popular kids show pocket monster had a scene where the co-star (this little yellow hamster thing who always says epikachuf) did this Blanca electric flash thing. The flashing screen was at a perfect rate as to stimulate a little gland in the kidfs heads thereby causing them to explode. Well not really but that would have been cool. What did happen was almost as good, kids fainted, puked, freaked out, had big spasm attacks, and some werenft affected at all. Flashing lights at certain frequencies can trigger epilepsy attacks in some people but what made this event special is that so many children were affected, I donft have an exact number but hospitals were overrun after the show by concerned mothers and their twitching children. He heh. Whatfs even better is that some science and Phyc. Teachers got hold of the tapes and subjected their classes to the same show, with the same effects! Hahahaha, oh it just gets better and better. Anyway now Ifd like to make a sincere request to anyone who has that tape, please, oh please send me a copy. I want to make somec erc scientific tests, um, to benefit people with problems with epilepsy. Yeah, thatfs the ticket! Send me a mail at drdreamcast@hotmail.com and Ifll translate an instruction booklet of your choice! P.S.(donft need to print this) Nice update today (25th), I always wondered what the CD covers to my games would look like on the Internet. If therefs nothing to post, donft post anything. No one will think less of the site for not having huge updates everyday, but they will think less if you post fluff to create the appearance of content. Fernando Mosquera
Replies: English-playable JP Games?
Fernando Mosquera
Replies: April? Er, not much; Get Bass is the only thing that pops into my
head and even that is sort of iffy at best. You wouldn't happen to be a
fan of digital horse racing, would you? Blue Stinger's Voices Not So Bad...
Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Side note: yes, I was very tempted to make a joke about how Canadians
speak... Edge
Ive just got the April edition of Edge magazine, I thought you might be interested in the Dreamcast news in it, which I havent yet seen mention of on your site. Please ignore if you already know all this. Intriguingly, there is an anouncement of a Playstation emulator for the Dreamcast. You simply boot the emulator GD-Rom, wait for Windows CE to load, then swap in the Playstation CD. If this is true, I dont need to tell you how significant it would be in the short term. As an emulator, it could play playstation games with much improved visuals, converting Sony-freaks to Sega in seconds. (Compare the enhanced Gran Turismo shots on the www.bleem.com website). However, although Edge reported it straight, I smell a hoax. It is supposed to be created by the unknown Japanese codeshop Spurisoft, and is called Spuri OS. Ahem. It is also supposed to be stable, reliable and 100% compatible. No emulator has yet achieved 100% compatibility. Also, neither Sega nor Sony were willing to comment. Also, there are a LOT of hoax emulators out there. (about 10x as many as real ones) Make up your own minds, but its a good rumour! There are some shots of Blue Stinger, including a character relieving himself, but I dont think theres anything new here. A forthcoming Sega game, Undercover 2025AD, is previewed, which might be good. There is a lot of Naomi coverage, including 3 pages on Crazy Taxi. Producer Oguchi-san reckons that In terms of realism, light and shadow are more important than number of polygons, ie the current emphasis on polygon counts is misleading, and more use of light-sourcing will better deliver the visual realism people want. Oh, and the Dreamcast version is almost inevitable, and will be significantly enhanced for the home. Project Velocity is also covered, a game that Edge reckons well see on PC, DC and PSX2 ! A hoverboard racing game, it boasts the usual awesome visuals, fluid character animation as the rider goes from standing, lying down or luge positions. 15 tracks plus a track editor, 16 player online competition is planned. An Autumn release is planned. In the review section, Power Stone leads with 9/10, a jewel in Dreamcasts crown. The PC version of Wild Metal Country is reviewed (7/10), the Dreamcast release date in unknown. CRIs technical tools are covered, MPEG sofdec for Dreamcast, (320x240x30fps @ 50% CPU), and ADX, which can read 8 separate tracks from a disc at once, allowing awesome live mixing effects. Sonic Adventure apparently uses both of these technologies. Ok, well I hope some of this is of use to you. If you want scans of the screenshots for Crazy Taxi, Project Velocity, PC Wild Metal Country, UnderCover 2025, email me in the next 2 days (while Ive got my scanner to hand). Despite the inevitable PSX 2 coverage, there is a lot of positive Sega stuff in this issue, and Im starting to come round to the view that any Sony graphical advantages will be irrelevant, compared to the difference made by the quality of individual games, ie Sega and Sony will compete on a basically level playing field. Keep up the great site, and feel free to email me at tomwestmacott@hotmail.com for the screenshot scans. Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Random Q's
Seagnet so far is the best site for Seag news, so keep up yhe good work. I am eagerly awaiting the release of Dreamcast in the United States, and many of my friends have the import Dreamcast. I decided to wait for the U.S. release. I just have a couple of questions. 1. Have good do you think Dreamcast will take off there in the U.s. considering that the prices are $200/with the modem, and $150/without the mode?, by far making Dreamcast the first next-generation system to come out to $200 and under. 2. Seeing how Playstation 2 is supposed to have DVD capability, I was wondering how good of quality can it be because I know that the DVD aspect of the system could be used for games. My question is for the movies because i can go out and buy an $400 Sony DVD player now, so whats the catch because I don't want to have to buy both if they are equal? 3. Lastly I was curious of how the controller of dreamcast will fair on the fighting games because I cannot see Marvel vs. capcom being very effective with that controller. I know that dreamcast has that Arcade stick coming out, but it doesn't look very good because even Saturn's arcade stick was good becauseit had the "L" nad "R", and turbo confirurations on it, plus the original Saturn controller was perfect for fighting games, especially CAPCOM ones. So whats the deal? Thanks for you time in reading this e-mail, and keep up the good work!! Fernando Mosquera
Replies: 2. Well, more than likely the DVD player will come with a ton more
features, a remote, and other movie playing stuff. It's also important
to note that Sony has not confirmed if the PSX2 will play DVD movies out
of the box, to play DVD movies as they were meant to be played you need
an MPEG-2 decoder; it's not clear if the PSX 2 will offer an MPEG-2
decoder out of the box or as an add-on. Or they could go strictly
software (inferior) DVD movie playing.
3. Read Patrick's review of Marvel vs. Capcom for the full DC
controller scoop! Friday, March 26, 1999 Kyoto Joypolis Event
Glad the post office did not break the demo disc, but Buggy Heat is still like wanking with a cheese grater, some pleasure but mostly painful. Maybe if the car could turn at all.... The Marvel Capcom ad was just something I picked up at the store, it has no connection to the demo or DC Mag. It is pretty tough to get drugs in here as many pop musicians from abroad get busted at the airport so I don't think the woman was smoking anything. It was super hot that day... Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Cheese grater, I'll cheese grater you, cheese grater you something
awful! You just can't hang with CRI's vision of what a Buggy/Off-road
game should play like, once you get into their vibe it's fun racing to
be had. At least for me.
Welp, enjoy your weekend and have fun shaking Yukawa's hand!
Fernando "No, I'm not bitter cause I'm not in Japan" Mosquera
I still think...
But don't you agree that getting Square to jump on the bandwagon would give Sega an enormous boost? Indeed it would. I even e-mailed Sega and told them to get in gear to get them stubborn square people to come on over. I heard that Square was going to develop because of the easy transfer from PC to DC, y'know port the Final Fantasy game to PC then to DC. Oh well, the next Phantasy Star game (if there is going to be one) will kick any Final Fantasy game's ass. Oh yeah. Fernando Mosquera
Replies: GD-ROM Q
Fernando Mosquera
Replies: DC Q's
1) ok you know how sega has a president ? good I was wondering did the same president that made saturn make the DC or did a new president take over and make DC ???? See I heard that sonys old president took over the DC project and made it but thats just what I heard can you please clear this up for me ? 2) Since microsoft plays a pretty big role in the DC I was wondering theres a cool game called Motocross Madness for the PC and since MS made it I was wondering if it will be on DC ??? 3) I played the japanese version of Sonic Adventure for the DC and the game rocked just two things 1) Whenever I did that spin attack it was harder then hell to aim it/him/sonic and 2) When I was battling this water thing/chaos the cameras sucked WILL THEY FIX IT FOR USA ?? and the last final question 4) will the game incoming feature 4 player and internet play ??? Thanks alot for reading hopefully youll post these questions and answer them Thanks again : ) Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Assuming you mean USA, Sega's current Prez is Bernard Stolar; the guy
at the top when the Saturn launched was Tom Kalinske.
2. Nothing confirmed just yet!
3. My favorite move with Sonic is to do the jump spindash, press jump
button twice to automatically aim the attack.
4. It's doubtful that Incoming will even see a USA release, let alone
new features. The game is just plain old! DC Q's
1. I heard awhile back, that Sega Rally 2 here in the USA was going to have up to 40 tracks. Have u heard any more about this? I know the japaneese version has 18, which is pretty good, but the more them merrier. And why didn't Bernie Stolar not mention it on the launch titles release list? I'm sure not gonna spend my money on Super Speed Racing, lol. 2. What is Yuji Naka up to? Are they doing any other games, now that Sonic is done? 3. About the Dreamcast launch. Do u think Sega will include a pack in game, like Sonic or VF3? I know we all want them too, but i was wondering what ur gut feeling is. 4. About online gameplay on Dreamcast, here in the U.S., has it been determined whether it will be just having to get online and play or if we will have to pay for each call, like on netlink? If its the latter, why does it have to be that way? Pretty lame if u ask me. 5. Do u think VF3 will sell good here in the U.S.? I think its pretty good, but i prefer flashier games like Soul Caliber and Dead or Alive 2. I mean, they add some spice to their female fighters. Pai and Sarah are boring compared to the women in the other games. What do u think? Does this aspect matter to u when choosing between two games that are otherwise pretty equal? 6. Finally, do u think there is any possibility of Sega releasing the Dreamcast here in the U.S. before September? thanks Fernando and everyone at Seganet for taking the time to answer my questions. U guys are the best. Take care Fernando Mosquera
Replies: 1. I've heard the 40 track thing but I'm not sure if it's true or not
- anything could end up happening, but since Sega isn't really talking
about USA games' details I can't confirm/deny anything. As for why
Bernie didn't mention Rally 2 at launch, well, I guess because it's not
in the launch plans right now. I assume Sega thinks a CART game would
sell better in the states than Rally would. Whatever ends up happening
I'm sure the game will show up for '99 is up.
2. Rumor says that Naka continued on working on tuning Sonic
Adventure right through the Japanese release. The result is said to be a
highly improved Sonic game come USA launch. Other than that he's in
planning/early development of his next DC project, whatever that is.
3. Pack in games are dead, sorry.
4. It's almost 100% that Sega will work something out with
SegaSoft/HEAT to get Internet gaming going. Direct dial will be a
secondary option if at all.
6. The Dreamcast will not come out early. Bad Things
Anyway, i'd like to know what you think about these software sales and what you think we can expect 3rd parties to think if thir games sell 100,000 at most/10% of installed base. I think Psycic Force on PS sold millions and on DC it sells under 50k, Taito must be dissapointed, even more than Capcom. I just ordered a DC yesterday, but I am pretty sure that PS2 will do better, at least in Japan. With just Square and Enix, you can sell millions and millions of consoles, it's that simple. Not that I care - a few great games for a few years is all I need to keep me loyal. I do have higher hopes for the US and European launches though, they can't fail to do worse than the SS - launched at $400 with no games and no marketing and no shops selling it and with a direct competitor soon after. At half the price, 3 times as many games - mostly triple A, plus proper promotion, and being the most powerful for 6 months should be enough to generate big sales. Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Soul Calibur
I have some questions though about this sure-hit title: 1. Did Namco use Windows CE or did they use Sega's API for
this? That's it for now. Keep up the good work and whenever you get any more movies (of any DC games), post it right away so I could download 'em right away! =) Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Yep, SC is looking great, I'm actually surprised that Namco is taking
this much care - it's a good sign for future Dreamcast games from them.
I'm glad you enjoyed the movies, you know I post them as I get them/make
them!
1. Er, no idea, but if I had to guess I'd say they went the custom
route.
2. July in Japan is as specific as Namco is willing to go.
3. Doubtful, no DC fighter has been able to successfully overcome lag
for Internet play.
4. Nothing announced just yet; probably not.
5. It's a safe bet that the game will rumble. Stupid Commentaries
Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Oh man, I never even noticed that, guess I'm always busy smashing
buttons when I'm playing Power Stone to pay attention to the announcer.
It's not surprising though, I mean, it is Capcom after all. And no,
don't expect new announcer voices for the USA release.
Perhaps it's time to use some of the codes on Rally 2? Don't worry, I
did it too!
Despite the negative BS reviews, I'm still somewhat looking forward
to it, if only for some decent mindless monster blasting fun.
Thursday, March 25, 1999 Steep Slope Stupidity
It's PsyberX with more rants! I guess now I'm a mailbag regular with my many letters of confusion and rants (love those rants). Well, on to my question. After reading a letter in the mailbag that talked about Tricky Sliders(SSS sequel) I checked out the hyper link that sent to an article about it. Sure that doesn't sound like mailbag material but here is an excerpt from Game Info. page that should piss you off (a little). The quote is as follows:(about Tricky Sliders) "However, since this new title is a Playstation product, the graphics should be much cleaner and more detailed." WTF was that supposed to mean?! Why does every one have a damn Sega bias? That was subtle but any Sega fan could tell where that was leading. Is the Playstation that much superior? I thought it was just a matter of a couple less MHz and 2d friendly coding that made the PSX better (if it is better) than the Saturn. The PSX design sure doesn't show it. It is the flimsiest system I've ever seen! It over heats, the lens gets screwed easy and on the old models they screwed up during FMV's(couldn't show them properly). I've read this in mags and seen it happen to friends. Thank God the Dreamcast is out! Finally a system that can kill the PSX! People still say that "Dreamcast will die PSX will win" Give it up! PSX is 4+ years old! A system has to die sometime. When something better is for sale the inferior product is trashed, namely the PSX. That's like comparing a hatchback to a Hummer or Namco to Sega or Nec to Microsoft! Also after reading that the PSX is the Namco system 11 (if that's true, probably is :) ) with a new shell I finally made a conclusion! Sony doesn't make ANYTHING (games or systems)!! I've never seen a PSX game MADE by Sony, only by 3rd party developers! That in itself shows the superiority of Sega and also Nintendo. At least they make there own games and systems! Maybe the PSX2 will start a new trend and Sony will actually start making games! If we're lucky they might even actually develop the PSX2 all by themselves. If not it should just be called the "Namco/PSX2" If the 3rd party was killed off then PSX would die because it would have no games! Sega (especially Sega) and Nintendo wouldn't worry because they actually make games and a lot of them! Well, I think I'm done ranting. So what is your take on this? Your thoughts, feelings word, elaboration's Fernando Mosquera
Replies: I still think...
But don't you agree that getting Square to jump on the bandwagon would give Sega an enormous boost? Indeed it would. I even e-mailed Sega and told them to get in gear to get them stubborn square people to come on over. I heard that Square was going to develop because of the easy transfer from PC to DC, y'know port the Final Fantasy game to PC then to DC. Oh well, the next Phantasy Star game (if there is going to be one) will kick any Final Fantasy game's ass. Oh yeah. Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Dreamcast launch titles???Oh my!!!
Fernando Mosquera
Replies: The right magazine for Sega Fans
In a sea of magazines it is hard to choose but I have decided to help the consumer, and show him/her to the right choice. I will focus on the Ziff-Davis mags and some other. Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM): Oh yeah. This one is the bomb. This mag has been in the buisness the longest, the first gaming mag in the buisiness, and it's also the best mag in the buisiness, bar none.Although they have began to fizzle out on the DC coverage,they have always been good to Sega. When there is a multiplatform games such as TombRaider and Mega Man X4, they rate both versions equally and un-biased. Oh, and their review crew rules: Crispin Boyer, John Davison, Dean Hager, Dan Hsu, John Ricciardi, Shawn Smith, and the Immortal Sushi-X. Rating: 5 out of 5 Expert Gamer: Well, since it's a strategy mag, this technically doesn't count but, well, theygot rid of their Saturn Codes! Oh well they are posting Dreamcast codes now. Rating: 4 out of 5 Official Playstation Magazine: Oh boy. What has happened to thesepeople? Obviouslyhired off the street by Sony for the salary of a cheese doodle and a donut. Don't listen tothese guys, even if you are a Sony Freak. The review crew is a bunch of goofballs too. 0.12455564 out of 5 GamePro: Lately reffered to as LamePro, GamePro has been in the industry just as longas EGM. I admit when I was a wee lad inelementary school I had a four-yearsubscription, but that was okay. About 1990-1995 GamPro was a decent magazine, but now? Yikes! Basically Sony Biased, and they don't review multiplatform games un-biased (Mega Man X4, again). Plus you can't trust a review crew with names like "Scarry Larry" and "Air Hendrix." Geeez And the winner is: Electronic Gaming Monthly Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Hey, what are you doing playing Virtua Fighter? I said now damn it!
Random Thoughts, or, "Sorry for the Big Words" ;)
I have to say that I'm really optimistic about the DC's success, PSX2's "power" notwithstanding. Although one aspect that I'm worried about (a point which nobody seems to have mentioned), is that Sega seems to be pushing DC's towards large retail chains like Sears and Wal-Mart. I was talking to one of the guys at a local "Ma 'n' Pop" video game store about the DC, and he said that Sega is letting only the big chains buy DC's at cost, leaving the smaller places to fend for themselves (i.e., buying units at retail and losing money on each sale). While this may not seem like such a big deal, I think it kinda alienates the smaller stores. And since these companies (like Sega themselves) are in the bidness (that's right, bidness) for the money, do you think they'll want to have to deal with that? Hopefully Sega will wise up before 9/9/99, and let the little guys have a piece of the action. Even though it'll really suck for Sega to make more money, acquire a larger user base, and gain a better reputation among game retailers ( ;) ), I think it might be worth their while. SA First Impression: I stopped by the local Babbages today and I got a chance to play Sonic Adventure. I only got to play it for five minutes or so, but I think I got a good basic feeling for the game. The game looks great, although a higher frame rate would have been nice (yeah, yeah. Bitch, bitch, bitch...), and the camera got so bad at times that I almost started to lose my cool. The control seemed pretty smooth, but kinda pissed me off when I was trying to follow a straight path, and the camera angle changed (damn that camera), causing me - well, Sonic anyway - to move in a different direction. I hope they tweak it a little before it hits U.S. shores. Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Seriously, that's a real stinker of a deal Sega is pulling on good
ole' Mama and Papa and frankly I'm not to sure what Sega hopes to gain
by doing this. If the Dreamcast is to succeed it needs support from all
game retailers, not just a select group that Sega selects (ahem, Saturn,
ahem). M Vs C impressions
Just writing you to give yo umy own firts impressions of Marvle Vs Capcom. Well it is excellent! First off loading only occurs right when you start the game and it's still so fast there is no not a "Low loading" screen.. in fact you will never see those words in this game... The onyl thing it has to load is the option of "Flash" which is the color Morph that occurs with you do a 2-1 Cross Over attack and the bright flahs of hits or when a chartacter dies. I really do not knwo why they have this option, however I am sure there are those that have eye handicaps, I remember playing this game in one of those dark arcades and getting sick to my stomach after playing it for more than 20 min. Let's get to the comparision of the Arcade Vs Dreamcast. Well the Arcade has loader music... it seems just a bit muffed in it's music.. you can see they was done on purpose cause the Options has a music test and when you play Character Theme's they are muffed a bit mroe than the VS, Select Screen, WIn and other songs... Voices in the Dreamcast version are the clearest I have heard half the time I couldn't hear what they were saying in the arcade but it is VERY clear. The Annouces voice almost also seems lowered (I guess it was too high for Arcade players) The game runs faster in places the arcade doesn't just as how fast it jumps from the Opening to the CPU - CPU preview fight. However it can not speed up getting to the fight like you could on the arcade.. you actually have see who your versing ^_^ Music also takes a sec to load and if you go too fast in the game some msuic will run over where others are cued to occur. But these are just minor flaws not even worth caring about. The difficulty has defintely been toned down, the arcades are real quater cruchers and takes a bit ot beat them however I completed a Level 8 difficutly with Morrigan and C. Commando with the first few hours I recieved it. However the only reaosn it took that long is cause it takes a little bit to learn the DC control pad.. You don't have to have the Arcade pad it plays ok once you get the control down and if you are a bgeinner select "Easy" on the select Screen and just tapping buttons twice pull off the speical moves and pushing too punches or kicks pulls off Super Combos. So far all hidden characters are able to access the best way is to just go to "Training" and enter all the codes and they will be selectable in all modes til you turn off the power (no they can not be saved, however scores and options can be saved to the VMS) I have weather to see of the Onslaught Code that works on Japanese Arcades works (note this is a Japanese Arcade port) ^_^ The Survial Mode is Traditional... it just goes on and on and well you get the picture.. not like MSHvsSF I do not have 4 Controllers so "Cross Fever" mode does nto lite up but it is bascially gonna be a 4-Player mode where each character is seperately controled by a different player. The Verses is traditional with Handicap Stars and a Level Select (Onyl 9 levels, but beats the onces in X vs SF and MSH vs SF. >From this I can not find anymroe secrets, you can NOT do quick continue like holding L & R and go back to the match without going to the select screen, you can not speed up the ending credits more than just a bit mroe.. (I thought it was cute on the arcade with you could have them going HIGH speed) One thing added was Poses and more vocal shouts.. I my favorite being Morrigan's new "S&M Pose" where she gets in a leather outfit and hangs Litith from the ceiling and looks like they are gonna get it on. Other characters have more too In all you can't get any closer to the arcades than this game... the only flaws was learning the controller and for all those Kombo Kings say bye bey and get reayd from old school cause the lay out of the pad makes it difficult to pull of high string combos but Morrigan's Eternal Slumber and Ryu's Instant Death are still easy to pull off, however an option in the button config. makes it where press LK + LP or whatever button you assign to it will start off a aerel rave for you btu only the first 2 or 3 hits the rest you gotta do... Here is my rating for the game Grahpics 10/10 Sound 8/10 Control 7/10 Overall 9/10 Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Wednesday, March 24, 1999 DC Impressions
I'm sending this e-mail from my uni (just though I'd say) Anyway, this past Saturday I went to a games shop called Hi-tech world because I heard that they had a playable Dreamcast on display. And they did!!! I couldn't believe it, a Dreamcast in Australia WOW. Well, the only game they had was Sega Rally 2, but it was incredible. My favourite track was the last one (the reflections of the building lights on the rear window of the car was amazing). But, I have to say, the Desert stage looked pretty bland and dull. There was NO slowdown that I could notice at all. I have to say that the controller is not the best part of the system. The analog stick is too high up, the analog and digital pads should swap places. I put my name down so that the shop would call me when they had exact details on the release date and price of the Dreamcast. Anyway, I'll let you get through the other mail. Fernando Mosquera
Replies: The DC release in Oz should be interesting for several reasons,
mainly to see how well Sega does the PAL games and how well Ozisoft
promotes the system.
Welp, glad you enjoyed your first DC try, be sure to write in with a
report once the system launches! Death to all things Playstation with Smart moves from Sega!
Not to say that these are not big titles or won't be great games but in a RPG world laced with the likes of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy games I must admit that nothing short of say Shining Force, Phantasy Star or if you really want to dig deep the Sword of Vermilion has got roots going deep enough to merit a Dreamcast reserectionary sequel. Bottom line, all bases have got to be covered to ensure a strong victory. Also Sega should not frustrate consumers overpricing accessory items as Nintendo is famous for with it's assorted ridiculously priced rumble/memory packs etc. Sega has got to focus on how much better their games are in comparison to the same genre on a competing system i.e. Playstation. Let us hope that Sega takes some of this advice and that at least some of these things happen by default. Thanks Again, Jay P.S. Love Sega Net Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Lots of thoughts there, pretty much all dead on. The DC is seriously
lacking RPGs right now and I don't think Shen Mue and Climax Landers is
nearly enough to make up for the deficiency, especially in Japan. E.G.G.
is coming in May from Hudson, but that's hardly a showcase title -
Grandia 2 could be pretty hot, but it's still a long ways off. Something
better pop up from Sega this summer or fall.
Sonic Team, Sonic Team, what are you guys up to? No one knows yet,
but I'm sure whatever it is it's going to rock. I'd like to see them try
a new series though, those guys get bored doing sequels after sequels;
it's always amazing to see what Yuji Naka and friends have left in their
brains. Ah, there's not enough saliva in my mouth for all the drooling
I'm going to be doing... Shen Mue
Just thought I'd throw an idea in about the "Is Shenmue an marketable title?" debate from Monday's letters. Had anyone heard of a "Tekken" when it first came out? I hadn't. With the right marketing, it could catch on. (A sub-title wouldn't hurt though.) Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Country Codes
Surely at the end of the day, it would be LESS trouble for a company to exclude such code in their releases and by including them it merely encourages modification chips which has the counter effect of giving growth to piracy. And is not every hardware company's aim to reduce modification of their machines? Publishers could continue to release games as they would normally in their respective zones, but creating universal compatibility would at least give gamers the choice to buy US or Japanese or PAL without the hassle of chipping their machines and putting the grey market into the hands of marketeers rather where it should be: the developers. If you feel the same about this issue, join me in mailing the head of Sega US, Bernie Stolar (Bernard.Stolar@sega.com) in a world wide petition and tell him that this is what YOU, the gamer, wants in the Dreamcast to make it the top machine it deserves to be. Start the revolution and unite with me! Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Tuesday, March 23, 1999 SFA3 Saturn
Fernando Mosquera
Replies: HOTD 2
First off, the graphics, the graphics are certainly up to par with the arcade boxes out there(at least I think so). As you know the blood is green, but the green blood gives almost the same effect as red blood, though I must complain there is a lack of blood in both version of the game. Something I must mention is that whenever a zombie attacks you, the bite marks or slash marks are yellow??? It certainly is mind boggling to see yellow blood coming out of you after a zombie bites you. I must say that the character designs are not that good, there is only a small variety of zombies but no matter, they just rot in a pool of blood after you shoot them anyway. The human characters, namely the people you rescue looks a bit on the weird side, for example one of the females look like her head has been bite off, but it is actually her hair!!! Some of the guys also look like that. Also from what I can see, there is no pop up, probably because the game setting is quite small, unlike Sonic. The sound is quite good, although I didn't really concentrate on listening. Believe me, when you start playing, there no time for you to enjoy the music. However, the music sometimes spoil the mood, the music seems to be a rock type of music, I would prefer something that would give you a creepy mood, so that you can scare yourself to death when playing at night. The gameplay is fairly difficult, probably because I'm not used to playing shooters. Those who play often should not have much problems. The game is really fast paced, causing you to miss some objects but really keeps your adrenline pumping. The Bosses are killers, I especially hate the fish guy and Strength. I haven't reached Magician yet, but I tried fighting him on the Boss Mode, and he is definitely tougher than HoTD1. There's a last Boss that looks like a crystalline Magician but I haven't been able to take a good look at it. Speaking of modes, there are several in the game. Arcade Mode - Same as the good old arcade box. Original Mode - Don't be fooled, this is NOT the mode for HoTD1. It is still HoTD2 but you can use special items in this mode like life+2 or even special weapons like lightning guns. Special items can be collected along the way in both Arcade and Original Modes(I think) Training Mode - Trains you for the upcoming battle. Try in your leisure time, they are not very useful. Boss Modes - Allows you to fight all Bosses. Something like a time attack game. Option Mode - If you need explanation for this, look for the nearest wall and ram your head into it. The gun that comes with the gunset is quite solid, not as fragile as I thought it was. You need to calibrate it before using, also to fine tune to your own style of playing. The only downside is that the barrel is too big, those used to playing HoTD1 or 2 with one hand holding the barrel and using index finger to reload will definitely find it awkward. Be warned, after just one day, I find the gun's trigger getting less sensitive. Those who like using turbo firing with two fingers watch out. I developed the problem after doing that. I would definitely prefer Sega just replicating the arcade gun, that is THE most comfortable gun I have ever held. I just wish they had included a turbo button with the gun. >:) Overall, I would give it about 80%. I should be getting Blue Stinger tomorrow, I'll try it out and you guys how good is it. Fernando Mosquera
Replies: DC JP to USA
I'm just wondering, is SOA planning on releasing every Dreamcast game that comes out in Japan to North America. I really hope they bring King of Fighters and other SNK titles for DC here. I don't want to have to dish out the extra cash for imports like I did with Saturn. What other SNK games are coming for DC? Fatal Fury? Samurai Showdown? They better come overseas! Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Vital key to success
Just thought I would drop in my weekly e-mail and give you something to think about. Think, way back in '97. What game basically put Sony on top? Why non other than Final Fantasy VII. And why did they develop that wonderful game for Sony. Storage space. But does Sega have anything to pursuade Squaresoft to make games for them? Nope. Thats a sad deal indeed. I remember reading in EGM that they would possibly develop FFIX and FFX for Dreamcast. I was jumping with joy. But they lied. LIARS! Why make me so exicited for nothing!? Why can't Square finally make games for a good system? (i.e. SNES then, Dreamcast now) Tell me Fernando, is there any chance in hell that Square will make games for DC? I mean wasn't the decision to develop for Sony kinda a last minute decision? Grrrrrr. Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Storage space... and money! The only way Sega is going to get Square
on their boat is to offer them a ton of money and incentives for jumping
ships. I mean, Square is doing pretty good with Sony so it's going to
take a lot of the green stuff to get them to start developing elsewhere.
I think Sega thinks Square is a lost cause (it probably is) and has
moved onto other things. TGS
Fernando Mosquera
Replies: No idea how far in development SFZ3 is for Saturn, but the Dreamcast
one is all but complete. I would guess the Saturn one is pretty far
along as well - the game never had priority and we'll be lucky if it
ends up as good as the PSX version of SFZ3. PSX-2 Versus DreamCast
I have read the letter that discussed the PSX-2 as being fake. I agree and I disagree with that. I no doubt believe that Sony has falsified its specs to a degree. I also believe that there is no way that the system could possibly do even half of its reported specs. The Nintendo 64 had troubles in development trying to create a faster processor. They were having issues with heat dissipation. The speed at which the PSX-2 is said to run at, plus the added features it is to perform and calculate, would cause the processor to emit high levels of heat. I fear that if Sony did in fact create this device, it would suffer similar issues as the first generation PSX-1. This is because there is no way that Sony can work out ALL the bugs in this short amount of time. The demos that we have seen were probably made on a computer, running software that they hope they will be able to use for development. This entirely shows just what kind of company Sony really is. The statement that Sony and Sega are only out for money is a no-brainer but the ethics by which they get their money differs drastically. Sony is the type of company who will enter a market with a good looking product and after its success they will rely totally on their name and reputation alone. This means that from now on, any product with the name Sony will sell based solely on the fact that it IS from Sony. Sega has always tried to make a quality product. As with any company, they have made some mistakes. It is those mistakes that have hardened Sega. In fact, I admire them as a company because they refuse to give up. This time around, Sega has put forth a huge effort to create a product that will last. This is not to say, of course, that if the PSX-2 comes out that I wont buy it. What I will do is wait and see if the product has any problems, such as over heating as did occur with PSX-1. Another issue is marketing. Sony is a master of marketing. With the PSX-1, they designed it with no internal memory for storage. You had to actually purchase the memory separately. Then, when the fact that the Sony PSX-1 overheated, they created a product that cools it. Now, let us look at the Saturn. It HAD internal storage with it. The Saturn never had a heating problem; in fact there never needed to be a product that fixed anything. So, when I purchased my Saturn, that was it! I no longer needed to buy anything else for my Saturn for it to function properly. The only possible exception was that you could buy a cartridge that held MORE memory storage for game data, but was not a real necessity for the system to function. 3rd party support is what is needed to succeed in the video game industry. The Saturn had faltered, not because it was a weak system, but because it didnt have the 3rd party support. This is partly due to Sony and partly due to Sega. Sony is a giant company with its fingers in all different markets (I am surprised we havent seen a Sony grocery store;)). With all this capitol Sony can afford to do just about anything, including paying extra money to developers for exclusive titles. This was the success of the PSX-1. Sega helped Sony by not helping its 3rd party developers. For instance, Sega had developed texture libraries and awesome 3D engines, which they did NOT share with the 3rd party developers. So, basically if you were developing a game for the Saturn, you were pretty much on your own. Also, the PSX-1 had one processor and one motherboard and therefore was easy to program on. The Saturn had 2 main processors and 2 main motherboards and was more difficult to program on. All this ensured the PSX-1s success. This time around, Sega has learned from these mistakes. Sega now gives full 24-hour support for its developers. Sega has also teamed up with perhaps the most powerful company of all time, Microsoft. This is the hand that Sega will win with. Sony has professed that PSX-2 will use Linux. There arent a high number of programmers who know how to program on Linux versus the amount of people who know how to program Microsoft Windows and DirectX. The Dreamcast has been in development for almost 2 years or so (I could be wrong). This has given Sega enough time to develop and create a solid product. The systems ability to grow and expand as time moves on was not a new idea for Sega. The Saturn had similar potential, but never had a chance to really use it. I hope that Sega will not forget what kind of learning curve the Dreamcast has and will implement it sooner than it did with the Saturn. Please do not regard this letter as a Sony hate-fest, but as a factual comparison between 2 companies and 2 products. Thank you for reading. Fernando Mosquera
Replies: On the specs: Well duh! It's a no-brainer, companies always throw out
initial specs that will never be reached in a game environment (remember
Nintendo's SGI in a $200 box bs? Sega's 10 million polys?). It's all a
matter of looking past the corporate hype and looking at the actual
components to be used in the device and seeing how things stack up.
Since all of the PSX2 uses propriety components that have yet to be
mass-produced it is anyone's guess as to what the hell the machine can
do. The best estimates would come from PSX 2 dev kits that developers
have, but since we know those things are so rare (only the very top US
and JP developers have them) we have no accurate performance gauge for
Sony's machine. I'll look at the neat demos and cool pictures, but I'll
wait until I see a real game running on the thing to start going loco
over it.
Other points: well put (though the cooling device was made by third
parties and not Sony), nothing for me to add here.
Thanks for the well-written e-mail, enjoy the games!
Lamepro Is Still the Worst k
After reading the letter written Gameguy481@aol.com about GamePro turning away some of its bias and focusing on the "fun" aspects of Sonic Adventure I was angry at this idiot for purchasing an issue of GamePro. A couple weeks ago I read a GamePro issue in a bookstore (I am ashamed that I even picked this horrid magazine up). In this issue an editor reviewed Virtua Fighter 3tb. The game scored well (5.0) in everything but the FunFactor rating which got a 4.0 or 4.5 (I don't remember too well). This didn't anger me that much but then I read the text accompaning the FunFactor rating which stated (to the best of my ability to remember) that the game WAS FLASHY AND LACKED DEPTH. THAT PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY SEEN THE FUTURE OF FIGHTING GAMES AND IT WAS IN GAMES WITH LOTS OF DEPTH LIKE TEKKEN 3 AND BLOODY ROAR. (this was all paraphrased) I immediatly thought WTF! VIRTUA FIGHTER FLASHY AND LACKING DEPTH?! The Virtua Fighter games are some of the deepest fighting games I know of. Tekken 3 has both flash and depth, but Bloody Roar is as flashy as fighters get. This whole incident reminded me why I quit my subscription to the magazine years ago (like when they praised the PSX version of Mega Man X4 and slammed the Saturn version). Also LamePro contradicts themselves by giving an import version of a game a lower score then the nearly identical USA version (talking about FF7 here). So to sum this letter up LamePro is as bad as always, and EGM, IMO, has been very fair with its coverage on the DC so far (lots of pics, some detailed game descriptions). Hell, its because of EGM and this site that I want to get a DreamCast this September. Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Yo Quiero Junon!
First of all though before I ask, you're probably sick and tired of reading it, then again maybe you're not, but I believe that SegaNet is the best Sega Site out there, I'm not saying this because I want to get in your mailbag (which I do want to be in!!), but because I feel that way. I've been to other Sega Sites, Including the Official Sega of America web site and none compares to this. SegaNet is far more superior than Sega-Otaku if that makes you feel better, I'm tired of going to their site and reading all the bashing they throw on your site, BTW, did you kick one of their Staff Member's ass and took his woman or something? They seem to have this grudge against you and SegaNet for some odd reason, ha, they're either very jealous or must be very envious of SegaNet. Welp, my question is this. Being that your site is so HUGE, have you ever thought about leaving IGN and going on your own? You probably have support for IGN, so maybe that's why you're still with them, but it seems little by little SegaNet is being pushed away from IGN. I mean everytime I go to IGN site (FGN Online, Next-Generation for example) that contains Sega Related news, they seems to "recommend" other Sega Sites like Sega-Otaku or Sega-Zone, but they never add SegaNet, and what's sad is that you usually get the Info for these sites and update first before these guys do. Yet sites like FGN Online pushes us to Sega-Otaku. It might be just me, but it seems a bit fishy. Have ANY Idea what I am saying? Also I need to know this, and please don't forward them this e-mail, but where the Hell did you find these freaks?? I mean the people who Run the UK: Resistance and the Media.Seganet.com sites. I am not complaining, I love them! They really add a lot of humor into the world of Sega or just Videogames in General. And I am glad that my favorite Sega site has allowed such humor to continue. Being that I am a huge Sega Fan, I was struck down by the PSX2's 75 Million DC Killing Polygons, it was like being stabbed in the heart with a twinky, a very rock hard stail twinky. But one day, I wanted to see if I can find some MP3s of Sega Rally 2 just to soothe me pain. That's when I jumped into your Media Site, not only did I get what I wanted (MP3s), they are very crisp, clear and in stereo! But the treat didn't just end there, someone that goes by the name of "Junon" has helped to relieve the pain I was feeling by the Everlasting PSX2 Week of Info, which the DC was being overshadowed by... Yes, the PSX2 overview, Drunken Style! I tell you now, I have never laughed so fucken hard in my life (this was awhile back). The whole thing was very logical and yet funny. Ever since that day I knew you guys at SegaNet weren't just a bunch of stiff asses like many other sites like Sega-Otaku or other Sega Sites, you guys have HUMOR! I needed a good laugh that night and I got more that I expected. I am also thankful for the UK: Resistance for helping me get a few wanks too! Well, me needs to be going now, but I just want to say that you guys are the best, the DC News is Great! The MP3S, Desktop Art, and Videos are all Great! The Humor of your Staff Members is just too fucken awesome and overall this place is like home, I always stop by for a few good laughs, and to get informed or to try out the latest and greatest music. Also to Laine, Junon, Indigonight, Bathory, Fernando, Sabin, Gary and to anyone else that made me laugh a few good times, "I love you all!" And Junon, Marry me baby!! PS: Think you can let us all know why there is a grudge between SegaNet and Sega-Otaku? I mean, 2 Sega Sites, aren't you supposed to be working together to HELP Sega? And get more girls to work for your site, they makes things more, attractive. :-) Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Thanks for the kind words about the site, I'll pass them on to the
rest of the crew! As for the whole Sega-Otaku thing, well, it's a long
ass story that I'm not in the mood to retell. I just ignore them now, I
guess you can do the same if you don't like them.
I hear you about IGN, it's just a strange relationship I have with
them. Anyhow, expect big change in the coming months... and I mean BIG
changes. Lips are sealed for now though!
Yep, those Media and UK:R folks are ultra-freaky and we love 'em for
that! UK:R has been around for quite sometime (actually longer than
SegaNet) and I always admired their bizarre humor - I loved them so much
I asked them to join! The Media Page tale is a bit more complex (perhaps
you should ask Laine for the entire scoop), but here it is, dishing out
crazy rants and MP3s like nobody's business. Funny thing is that it is
run by a bunch of Spics, just like SegaNet!
Well, that's enough of this reply, thanks for the nice little
love-fest though! Lack of Quality
I entered the wonderful treasure hunt Saturday when I should have been in Tokyo trying to pick up the game babes, but then again I didn't see any that I really liked this year. I logged in about 12:30 and there were over 500 people listed as entered already. Thankfully the game cuts off the phone line, so each entry is about 20 yen in phone charges because you have to call twice. At 12:45 or so when I called in my answer, the number of entrants was over 600. All this in just 45 minutes. Sadly enough I can not get the Red DP disc unless I buy another DC. Later Toby, and did you go to the TGS? Lots of info at seganet Fernando Mosquera
Replies: Ah, that was good 'ole Patrick, doing the mailbag here on SegaNet for
the first time - give the man a break will you, he has been really busy
lately!
Goodluck on your Yukawa Treasure Hunting, I'm sure you won't win a
damn Yen!
No Red disk for Toby? Boo-hoo! It's probably the same as the others
save for a different start up or something. Doesn't matter because the
Dream Passport 2.0 is coming out soon and will hopefully fix the
problems from the first few versions.
Nope, I didn't go to the TGS but Pat gave some Japanese dude "favors"
in return for all the information.
PS. Finally |
