More Virtua Tennis Coming Soon!
This game is hot! Hot! HOT! We talked with representatives from Sega and found out that Virtual Concept's new masterwork, Virtua Tennis, had sold out at almost every location they've shipped to. Sega's initial order of 50,000 units to national retail chains on July 11th. Many stores across the nation sold out immediately, explaining the trouble everyone's been having finding the game recently.

Fear not, though, as relief is in sight. Sega has is shipping additional copies to Game Crazy as we write this. You should be able to find a copy looming in your local Game Crazy later this week. We definitely suggest that everyone pick up a copy of this game. Even after non stop play over the week, it's still tremendous fun.

Time to get Chrono Cross?
Square Electronic Arts and Game Crazy are proud to announce a special giveaway promotion for consumers who purchase Chrono Cross from a Game Crazy location. The special promotional item, which is being given away to people who buy one of the best RPGs ever made for PlayStation, is a limited edition Chrono Cross clock (while supplies last), a battery-powered analog desk clock that was previously confined to the Japanese market.

The countless requests over the years for Squaresoft paraphernalia has finally paid off and this promotion is the first attempt at meeting this overwhelming demand. Since it is a special offer, supplies are limited. At the same time, consumer reaction to this promotion will determine whether this trend will continue…. (In other words, if you want to keep getting these cool things, you better go buy this game -- if you like RPGs, you'll probably going to snag this one up anyway).

Chrono Cross is currently expected to release on August 15, 2000 so get into Game Crazy and pre-order your copy today!

Half-Life is Equipped Online
Havas, attempting to stem the tide of discord in response to public outrage over news that Half-Life for DC will ship without online play, has informed Game Crazy that Half-Life will ship with multiplayer and online capabilities. According to our representative at Havas, all of these rumors and speculations are just that.

When the story broke last week, Dreamcast gamers (myself included) flooded the Internet with woe and worry about Half-Life being stripped of its essence; the multiplayer experience. Gearbox, company behind developing Half-Life, has consistently stressed the importance of multiplayer capability to the shooter. "The Half-Life multiplayer game is very important to us, and the modem is a feature of Dreamcast we'd like to see taken advantage of, but it is still too early to discuss specifically how multiplayer games will be handled," explains Lead designer Randy Pitchford. The message from the developing team was clear that Half-Life DC would have some sort of multiplay capability.

Game Crazy's e-mails last week showed that the gamer's view is that Half-Life without multiplayer, is no Half-Life at all. Rest easy my friends, for I will be fragging you all online this September!

Is DOA2 Getting Smarter?
Dead or Alive 2, Tecmo's brilliant fighter is finally being released in Japan and has been classified as an "Intelligent Fighting Game" by the gaming press.

According to the Nihon Keizai newspaper, the source that usually hands out all those business and financial reports, the upcoming Dead or Alive 2 (which is currently set for release only in Japan) is being classified by Tecmo as an "Intelligent Fight Game." This means that the game's story line will change in accordance with the fighting method and the number of punches and kicks recorded from the player.

Details are scarce. Actually, we don't know what to make of this article at all. First off, the information implies that Tecmo will be adding quite a bit more to the game than one would expect from the initial announcements through Japan's Dreamcast Magazine. Furthermore, why is this information being revealed through a mainstream newspaper, and not a gaming magazine?

Oh well… with the game's September 28 release date just over two months away, we expect to find out soon just how big a deal this system is. A good number of the Dreamcast owners in Japan will find out as well, if Tecmo's predictions of 300,000 units sold does come true. Time to get a GameShark CDX and think about importing this puppy!

Joanna's Back…Already?
Rare, the company partly responsible for Nintendo's rampage through the console wars, has recently registered the trademark "After Dark," which could hint the title of the sequel for Perfect Dark. At this point we don't know any further details on the title but here is the description for After Dark.

After Dark: computer game software; electronic game software, video game software, video game cartridges and video game discs; calculators, cassette recorders; television game sets; program memory cartridges for television game sets; controllers for television game sets; electronic amusement apparatus adapted for use with television receivers or with video display units; program memory cartridges for electronic amusement apparatus adapted for use with television receivers or with video display units; video game machines; program memory cartridges for video game machines; video game machines adapted for use with displays; program memory cartridges for video game machines adapted for use with displays; electronic amusement apparatus adapted for use with displays; program memory cartridges for electronic amusement apparatus adapted for use with displays; hand-held video game apparatus; program memory cartridges for hand-held video game apparatus; joy sticks for the aforesaid goods; controllers for video game machines; computer programs; floppy disks; semiconductor memories; magnetic disk recording and reproducing apparatus; optical disk recording and reproducing apparatus; computers; memory cartridges on which computer programs are stored; disk drives; programming apparatus and display apparatus for use with computer amusement apparatus and pinball machines; parts and fittings for all the aforesaid goods; voice frequency transmission apparatus; sound and video records; sound and video recording and reproducing apparatus and instruments.

Until we can get further details, we don't want to make any major assumptions. Also keep in mind that Rare has registered the domain velvetdark.com. Could this mean two sequels in the very near future? We definitely hope we can see the sequel on Dolphin, or perhaps even at Spaceworld. We'll keep you posted!

Robotech Still In Development?
Mattel Interactive resurrects videogame license for the popular animated series.

During Nintendo 64's launch, the anime crowd more anxiously anticipated no title more than Robotech: Crystal Dreams. Four years later, Robotech is still absent on the 64, but thanks to an old friend from Sega, it might not be gone forever. Mattel Interactive, lead by former Sega of America President Bernie Stolar, has landed the license for Robotech videogames and will release next-generation console and PC games beginning next year.

"Acquiring this license is an incredible opportunity for us," said Mattel Interactive President Bernard Stolar. "This is a franchise that both gamers and anime fans have been anxiously awaiting for some time, and we fully intend to deliver content that's going to make their wait worthwhile, both on console and PC."

The television show was one of the most popular Japanese animation series to ever hit the United States and quickly and permanently captured the imaginations of science fiction fans everywhere. There were multiple generations of the show and all of them could lend some exciting premises to videogames. From the transforming spacecraft, to the gigantic Zentradi aliens, to the supercool land-based vehicles, Robotech has been destined to become a vidoegame ever since it debuted in 1985.

Crystal Dreams was one of the more anticipated N64 games during the system's early days, and even though early versions of the game were somewhat disappointing, many fans of the show were even more disappointed when the project was cancelled. With the continuing wave of next generation consoles, including Nintendo's Project Dolphin, Robotech may finally come to its full realization with all of the superior technology that's on the way.

Tecmo's Dead or Alive Goes Hardcore on PS2
TORRANCE, Calif., June 29, 2000 - Tecmo, Inc. has announced the game platform and release date for the most powerful and exciting entry in the Dead or Alive™ series since Dead or Alive 2™ for the Dreamcast™. DOA2: HARDCORE™, will be released fourth quarter of this year on the new PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, scheduled for its U.S. introduction this Fall. Tecmo's announcement follows months of game industry anticipation and, according to Tecmo spokesersons, "speaks volumes about our commitment to Sony's new and powerful platform."

"This is not a port version of the Japanese PlayStation 2 title or a reproduction of the Dreamcast version," said John Inada, Tecmo marketing manager. "Tecmo's premier game developer, Team Ninja, has designed DOA2: HARDCORE from the ground up, incorporating a new graphic engine and play mode, new fighting stages and costumes, and loads of secrets. New movies that complete the character story lines have also been added to the Cinema Mode. DOA2: HARDCORE sets newer and higher standards for the platform, and as the release date draws nearer, we'll be letting gamers know more about this ultimate fighting game."

New Zelda to Arrive Sooner Than Expected
Even before Majora's Mask hits the states, Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that Zelda's next incarnation will arrive 2 years ahead of schedule. Zelda fans were left distraught earlier in the year when Shigeru Miyamoto, the mastermind behind Nintendo's Mario and Legend of Zelda games, said in an interview with Famitsu that it'd likely be a minimum of four years before a Zelda game appeared on the new Nintendo console. However, Miyamoto now expects the new Legend of Zelda title to be ready within as little as two years. Citing that the two-year cut comes primarily from new developing techniques, he went on to say "Who knows what will really happen this time, but the hurdle from 2D to 3D was really high. That's why the hurdle from Super NES to Nintendo 64 was really high. The next evolution's hurdle won't be as high."

Famitsu Rates FFIX
The PlayStation-only version of Famitsu, Famitsu PS, rated Square's latest, Final Fantasy IX, in their latest issue. The 4-disc epic was given scores of 10, 9, 10, and 9, missing the perfect 40 mark by only 2. While Famitsu PS scores do not carry the industry weight that Weekly Famitsu scores do, a 38 in Famitsu PS is nothing to scoff at, and should put to rest any fears that the game's lack of advertising has created.

With pre-orders topping the one million mark, this title shows no signs of slowing down before it hits US shores this September. For you importers out there, Final Fantasy IX hits Japanese stores on July 7th.

Magic the Gathering on Dreamcast
Are you a Magic the Gathering fan? Then Dreamcast has you taken care of! Sega will be releasing a game based off the card game favorite in Japan later this year, and Famitsu.com has released the first screenshot as well as some product details. The main character in the game is a young fella from Dominia who was given the power of magic. You must guide him towards finding five concealed crystals from throughout the world. You make use of cards (along with a bit of strategy) in fights, with the cards being based on the latest version of the real life basic set. The game will be Online playable in some form, and you'll also be able to exchange cards with friends via the VMU.

It's already known that this game will be appearing in America as an Online title, although Sega of America has yet to make further comments on the matter. Expect more details on the game soon.

-Special thanks to my friend Neal Bauer of gamecrazy.com

(03/16/00)