2/29/00

Brad Sez: Buy This Stuff in March

March looks like it could be expensive for Dreamcast and Playstation owners alike. There are at least a half-dozen must-have titles for each system this month, and, if you own both, you’re really screwed. I guess it’s time to start selling plasma again… Anyway, here’s the stuff coming out in March that you simply cannot, and should not, live without, in no particular order.

• Import Playstation2. All right, Daddy Warbucks, if you’ve got cash to burn, this is where you should burn it. This bad boy hits Japan on March 4th, and should be available for import within a week of that. It ain’t gonna be cheap, though. Depending on how many units Sony can get to market, the price could be anywhere from $500 to $1000 or more. That’s quite a variance. Basically, if Sony makes good on its promise to have one or two millions units ready for launch, then you should have no problem getting one for $500. However, if retailers’ suspicions are true, and Sony only gets 300000 to 500000 ready for launch, then the price could shoot to over a grand, and they’ll still be hard to get. National Console Support is asking $780 (plus shipping) for the PS2, but, like the rest of the world, they probably won’t know the full story until the actual launch. If you do happen to get your hands on one, Uncle Moneybags, make sure you avoid most of the launch lineup, ‘cause it sucks. Only grab Ridge Racer V, and if you must, Street Fighter EX3. Most of the good stuff got pushed, so have patience.

• Dead or Alive 2 – Dreamcast. Oh, mama, I can’t wait for this one. Tecmo’s bouncy fighter makes its way to Sega’s baby with graphics that make even Soul Calibur look bad. Add in multi-level stages, tons of extras, and a four-player tag match (a la DC Marvel Vs. Capcom), and you’ve got a winner. The future of a PS2 version in the U.S. is in doubt, and it wouldn’t really look any different anyway, so definitely pick this up as soon as you can.

• Front Mission 3 – Playstation. It’s Final Fantasy Tactics with mechs! What more do you need to know? Okay, how about amazing battle graphics, tons of customization, and a killer story that will take upwards of 80 hours to complete? Oh, yeah, and it’s from Square. Go buy it.

• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater – Nintendo64. Yet another great Playstation title makes its way to Nintendo’s glorified doorstop. The graphics are cleaned up a bit and the control is still great, but, due to the ever-bunk cartridge format, all of the original music and FMV’s have been lost. Just like Ridge Racer and Resident Evil, this game is really only necessary for those two guys on Mir that only have an N64 and have not played the PSX versions to death. It’s a great translation, though.

• Sword of the Berzerk: Guts’ Revenge – Dreamcast. The bloodiest game I have ever seen is on its way to our fair shores! And, get this: Eidos has increased the blood by 30%! Mercy! Throw in a manga-based story, plenty of cussing, and a 10-foot sword, and you’ve got a perfect recipe for gaming goodness. It’s kinda creepy, but Eidos actually seems to be on a roll lately.

• Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation – Dreamcast. Continuing Eidos’ Dreamcast lineup is this version of the latest adventures of everyone’s favorite mal-proportioned brunette, Lara Croft. With character models and level architecture improved from the PC version, as well as added lighting effects and whatnot, this should be pretty good. This is the first Tomb Raider that I didn’t buy on Playstation, so this works out nicely. Expect as good, if not better, a translation as Soul Reaver.

• Alundra 2 – Playstation2. I have a confession: I actually thought that the first Alundra was better than Zelda. I mean, it looked and played better than any Zelda game, had the same kinds of puzzles (albeit much more difficult), and it actually had a story. Therefore, I’m really looking forward to the sequel. I’m not too happy with the shift to 3D, but at least the gameplay is still 2D, for the most part. Activision is publishing this one, as opposed to Working Designs, so I’m sure the translation won’t be as good as the original. Still, a good action/RPG is a rare thing, so pick this one up.

• Armored Core: Master of Arena – Playstation. As any gamer worth his mech knows, Armored Core is the king of the big-giant-robot genre. With groovy graphics and super-fast gameplay, this game destroys stuff like Mechwarrior. The level of customization is insane, and you can carry save data over from the other two AC games. As with the other AC’s, however, this one is sure to be produced in small quantities, so if you want it, grab it as soon as it’s released.

• ChuChu Rocket – Dreamcast. Sonic Team does it again! Only Sonic Team could get away with graphics this simplistic on the Dreamcast. Basically a puzzle game, you place arrows on the playing field and try to either direct mice (ChuChu’s) to your rocket (?), or send cats to an opponent’s rocket. Yes, it sounds insane, but it’s really a blast to play. Also, this will be the first game to utilize the Dreamcast Network (it’s about friggin’ time). Throw in an MSRP of $29.99, and you really can’t go wrong. Now, if they would just use the Japanese commercials for this game over here…

• Ace Combat 3 – Playstation. The long-awaited new installment in the best flight combat series ever is almost here. As I’m sure you’ve all heard by now, Namco cut most of the story bits out, but word is that they were annoying anyway. The in-game graphics are amazing, as is the trademark perfect Namco control. There is also a huge assortment of planes on hand, many of which are original Namco designs, and they all rock. It doesn’t get much better than this.

• Syphon Filter 2 – Playstation. The first was the bastard son of Metal Gear solid and Goldeneye, but for some reason, it worked. A great mix of action and stealth, the first game sold well over a million copies, and the sequel looks to do the same. With nearly double the missions (across two discs), oodles of new weapons, and the ability to play as Lian Xing in a few stages, this one looks like a winner.

• Time Stalkers – Dreamcast. The first Dreamcast RPG from Sega, this one should do pretty well. Made by the creators of Landstalker, Ladystalker, and Dark Savior, this time-traveling adventure includes characters from all of these games, as well as some other familiar faces. The Japanese release had some continuity problems, but, supposedly, Sega of America has ironed them out. Nice graphics, nice sound, and the love-it-or-hate-it random dungeon format should make for an interesting game.

• WWF: Smackdown – Playstation. For years, Playstation owners have been plagued by nasty, nasty wrestling titles, while N64 owners got, for their otherwise useless machine, the best wrestling games ever made, in the form of WCW Revenge and WWF Wrestlemania 2000. Not fair, right? Well, my friends, the nightmare will soon be over with the release of Smackdown. With graphics that surpass its N64 brethren, and all of the backstage antics that WCW Mayhem tried to introduce (but failed miserably), this looks like the be-all, end-all of wrastlin’ games. The Rock says, "Buy it!!!"

• Resident Evil: Code Veronica – Dreamcast. This is the big one, people. If you don’t already have a Dreamcast, chances are you soon will. When RE: CV comes out, I guarantee that anyone that sees it will NEED to play it, with the only other option being a cold, meaningless existence. These are the BEST graphics Americans will see for a long time, with its only rival being the seminal Shenmue. The camera work is perfection, as are the music and sound effects. The voices keep getting better (dammit!), but Alfred Ashford should keep us knee-deep in quotes for a while. Also, this is supposedly 5 times longer than any other RE title, clocking in at 25 to 30 hours. Sweet bejeezus! This game may get pushed to mid-April, but even so, start counting down the days – games like this don’t come along very often.

• Strider Collection – Playstation (Import). If you are a true gamer, then any Strider game should be a must-own. This baby has the original arcade version in all its glory, as well as the recently released arcade game Strider 2. Strider 2 features the addition of 3D graphics, but fear not, the gameplay is pure 2D heaven. We don’t see many Playstation games worth importing these days, but if you ever import a game, this should be it. Strider Collection is rumored to come to the States eventually, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. Besides, stuff this good transcends language barriers. For the love of your respective deities, buy it!!!

• Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 – Dreamcast (Import). Now that we finally got those mod chips in, I can start recommending import Dreamcast games with a clear conscience. Since we are sure not to see this one for a long, long time in this country, MvC2 is a good choice for an import. With 52 (!) playable characters and three-character tag, this game is a must for any 2D-fighting fan. The options are in English, the taunts are in Japanese, and the gameplay is perfection. Get it. Now.

• Ascii 6-button DC Pad – Dreamcast (Import). If you play Capcom games, this is the only way to go. The stock DC pad isn’t as bad as the Dual Shock for Capcom fighters, but those shoulder buttons are still a pain. This Ascii pad has an eight-way D-pad (no analog at all) and a very nice 6-button layout across the face. And, it has built in rumble, so there’s no need for a bulky Jump Pack (why didn’t Sega do that in the first place?). At around $45, it’s pricey, but if you’ve got the cash, it’s definitely worth it.

As a side note, Rainbow Six is slated to hit March 21st - at least for now. But, as usual, I’ll believe that one when I see it. I’m sure it’ll be good, but I’m not listing it until it goes gold (for real).

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