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Sega's Dreamcast system has been stirring up some news lately and the DC Zone's got the info for you. Thanks to the Official Sega Dreamcast magazine and other sources I have put together some interesting data that you should be informed about.
- Next generation consoles...are they worth the purchase anymore?
- What does the future hold for hand-held consoles?
- Capcom's premiere fighting series still has a lot of, well, fight left in it...
- Phantasy Star Online...
- Sonic 2?
As long as you either have a Dreamcast, Playstation 2, or any other upgradeable system, such as a PC, yes they most certainly are worth the purchase. Just think about this...if you have a system that uses the net, via modem, then you're all set. The future of gaming is online...no doubt about it.
I believe if you purchase a Sega Dreamcast, or Sony Playstation, or even a powerful PC, you're set for life. Sega revealed in an earlier issue of Next-Generation magaizine that Sega's future is on the net. They will simply allow their users to upgrade their consoles by way of their web site or some kind of special database. Not much else is known about this exciting issue, yet more will be revealed as time marches on.
Long ago a nice little piece of hardware called Gameboy was born. Nintendo's stardom reached high acclaim with its two wonderful systems back in the 80's. The Gameboy has been since the highest selling hand-held of all time. Its large body grew old though, and Nintendo got even smarter.
The next installment, the pocket, was selling by the thousands and soon became the widest known hand held console ever. Well, even though Nintendo was a marketing giant back then, (1989 or so) Sega came along with a hand-held themselves.
The Game Gear was born in about 1990 or so and took the hand-held title right away from Nintendo. Not only was it a slick designed console, it was also in color, something Nintendo didn't get around to this concept until about '98. The screen was also larger in height and width, and featured a larger color palette, and graphics engine. Although this is still my favorite hand-held, (you've gotta love Majors Pro Baseball! Try a season with Seatle...you won't lose too much...my current season consists of 25 wins and 3 losses) I still believe that the Neo-Geo Pocket Color is the new reigning champion.
This lovely little hand-held's specs are as follows...
- 16-bit CPU
- 160x152 146 colors display out of 4096
- Memory Back-up system
- 2 AA Batteries
- Play duration: 40 hours
- 16M of continuous access
The system has a total of 12 games, including Samurai Shodown 2, Bust a Move, Metal Slug, KOF 99, and even an excellent Sonic game. Visit SNK's web site for more info on where and how to purchase the Neo-Geo Pocket Color. Although you can probably find them at Electronics Boutique or Babbages. So check it out, and be sure to pick up the KOF 99 for your Dreamcast as well as your NGPC (Neo-Geo Pocket Color).
"HADOKEN!"..."Tiger Uppercut!"..."Yoga Flame!"..."Sonic Boom!"...Sound familier? Nothing else is as nostalgic as the sounds of the Street Fighter's array of special moves! If you loved SF, SFII, SSFII, SFA, SFAII, and SFAIII, then your gonna howl like Blanka when you hear about Sega's new installment to the long running series.
SNK vs. Capcom and Street Fighter III: W Impact really prove that 2D fighting is thankfully here to stay. I've always liked Capcom's bright and colorful 2D sprites, and with these two gems, they certainly show off their intriguing look.
SNK's line-up is supposed to consist of SNK's King of Fighters series such as Terry, Raiden, Mai, Iori, Kyo, and Benimaru. Street Fighter's line-up looks to be the basic roster of Ryu, Ken, Guile, Chun-Li, Zangief, and Blanka. Expect new and improved fighting styles from each fighting series. (ie. SNK-isms)
As for Capcom's other title, Street Fighter III: W Impact, it will combine both Street Fighter III and Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact on one disc. The game is also promised to be pixel for pixel arcade perfect. You can also expect some "home-only" features such as training mode and a new skill evaluation 'computer.'
Phantasy Star Online will be without a doubt one of Sega's biggest projects of the millenium, (excluding Shenmue) with its online capabilities as well as its single player non-internet mode. When online, with the DC's 56k (or in the future- the cable modem/ISDN) you will be able to join up with three other pals online for a party of four warriors. (just like Diablo)
If you're not into that community quake style RPG feel, then have no fear, you'll also be able to play offline with the computer's AI controlling the other three members in your party. Expect PSO to arrive in the states arround next year.
Yep that's right Sonic is back again for sure. His return is expected to be around before the year 2,001 around Christmas time. Hopefully this sequel will be more successful than some of the others such as Sonic R...but hey, this is an adventure title anyway...no worries, Sonic Team is at the wheel. :)