3/22/00

News Roundup: Late March

Crazy Uncle Brad scours the gaming sites for newsworthy bits so you don’t have to!

Story: Capcom has announced the development of a bi-monthly episodic RPG series for the Dreamcast called El Dorado Gate. Character designs are being done by Yoshitaka Amano (Final Fantasy 1-6), and the scenario is by Flagship (creators of the Resident Evil storyline). This 2-D hand-drawn RPG is said to launch this fall in Japan, and will continue until 2004! Each installment will be about 20 hours in length, and save data can be carried from one episode to the next.

Source: videogames.com

Brad Sez: This is big. Real big. It’s like Shining Force 3, only much, much longer. With the character designer of Final Fantasy and the creative minds behind Resident Evil on board, this is gonna be one hell of a ride. This could single-handedly save Dreamcast in Japan, and will keep us unwashed Americans in role-playing bliss for years. Are we worthy?

Story: John Carmack has confirmed that Quake III will be coming to Dreamcast in August, complete with full Internet support.

Source: segadreamcast.net

Brad Sez: This could be a bit of a coup for Sega if they can pull it off. That whole Sega Network thing hasn’t been too terribly exciting so far, but Quake III online deathmatch would likely quiet the critics. Now, how about DC vs. PC deathmatches?

Story: Capcom has officially canceled Resident Evil for Gameboy.

Source: videogames.com

Brad Sez: That’s too bad, ‘cuz it actually looked pretty decent. 99% of the stuff for Gameboy is complete and utter crap, so any quality title would be welcome. Oh, well, at least Dino Crisis is still in the works.

Story: Electronic Arts supposedly has six titles completed for Dreamcast, but politics are preventing their release. These are said to include Madden, Need for Speed, and Triple Play.

Source: segadojo.com

Brad Sez: Well, EA has been rumored to be working on DC stuff since the beginning, so it is possible. Still, until I see at least one screenshot, I’m gonna take this one with a rather large grain of salt.

Story: Working Designs has delayed the release of Vanguard Bandits. Again. It has moved from March 27th to April 24th.

Source: gameinformer.com

Brad Sez: Well, two things remain constant with every Working Designs release: One is the endless delays. The other is that they are always worth the wait. I’m sure Vanguard Bandits will continue this tradition.

Story: In other Working Designs news, the packaging for Lunar: Eternal Blue has been disclosed. In typical WD over-the-top style, this deluxe set will include three game CD’s, one soundtrack CD, a "making of" disc, a hardbound manual and artbook, a full-size gold-plated Lucia’s pendant, a fold-out map, and four mini character standees. As if that weren’t enough, those that pre-order Lunar 2 will receive a limited edition Ghaleon punching puppet!

Source: ign.com

Brad Sez: By Odin’s beard! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: "How do these guys stay in business?" I mean, a freakin’ Ghaleon punching puppet!?! Working Designs truly loves each and every one of us.

Story: GameArts has announced that sequels to both Gungriffon and Silpheed will be coming to Playstation2. Gungriffon was a killer mech game for Saturn, and Silpheed was a godly shooter for the SegaCD.

Source: gameinformer.com

Brad Sez: Yes, please! Gungriffon was great, and the sequel looks amazing on PS2. I never, in all of my Combos-fueled fantasies, though, would have imagined that I would live to see a sequel to Silpheed, one of the best shooters ever made. Life is good!

Story: THQ has acquired a minority interest in the Japanese developer Yuke’s, the creator of the Toukon Retsuden wrestling games. The Toukon engine is what powers WWF Smackdown, the best wrestling game ever created for Playstation.

Source: gamefan.com

Brad Sez: This deal should keep us all in wrastlin’ heaven for many moons.

Story: Indrema(?) has announced plans to release its Linux-based console in the fall of 2001. It will sport a 600 MHz processor, MP3 storage and playback capabilities, 100 Mbs Internet access, and a hard drive of indeterminate size.

Source: dailyradar.com

Brad Sez: That’s just freakin’ great. Like the next console wars weren’t gonna be confusing enough as it is. Let’s see…we now have Sega, Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, and…Indrema. And, who the hell is Indrema? Before today, I have never, eeeeever heard of these guys. Man, it looks like anyone can produce a console these days. Therefore, I am now announcing the impending release of the Braditude 2000 – the only REAL next-generation system. This bad boy is gonna have a 2GHz processor, 1024 Megs of RAM, a 72X DVD ROM, T1 modem, built-in 40-inch HDTV, and a 20Gig hard drive filled with nothing but hardcore porn! Yeah, buddy, if you want the real deal, you gotta go with the Braditude 2000. Be there.

Story: Let’s end today’s festivities on a high note: Acclaim has blamed its losses this quarter on its priority on the lagging N64 market. Acclaim does not plan to regain lost ground until the U.S. release of Playstation2.

Source: dailyradar.com

Brad Sez: I love to see Acclaim lose money. I love to see N64 lose market share. Put those things together, and you’ve got a happy Brad!

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