| insert credit

Review: Wario World	June 30, 2003 11:57 PM PST	shepard saltzman / tim rogers

Shepard Saltzman, friend to Eric-Jon, submitted this review. Add tim's unreview, and you've this writing resultant. Wario World is Treasure's biggest budget title ever, but that doesn't show through in the final product. Greed, perhaps?

News: Sentimental Grafitti DC	June 30, 2003 11:35 PM PST	NEC Interchannel / SM

Seems like NEC is getting around to porting an old PC sim to the DC as well! Sentimental Graffiti is planned for an August release, according to the Chadran shop. Too bad that cover image doesn't seem to function... Thanks to Namae no Nai Heya for the news.

Play-Asia: New arrivals	June 30, 2003 11:21 PM PST	Play-Asia.com / BS

I was not aware that KOF 2001 for PS2 had been given so specific a date, but preorders are open for the game, and mention an August 28th release. Not bad. Some other nice additions: Tengai Makyo II for gamecube, Konohana 2; your best bet for a good-yet-cheap (19.90) AVG on the PS2, and of course the mighty Ys I&II Eternal Story with it's August 1st release date. Time to save up!!

News: GN Soft website	June 30, 2003 11:04 PM PST	GoodNavigate / SM

To follow up on the story from two days ago, GN Software (Good Navigate) has recently opened their webpage. These guys are the developers of Renai Chu, and have a new page to reflect this.

News: Hudson renewal	June 30, 2003 10:59 PM PST	Hudson / BS

Hudson has renewed their homepage, much to my delight. It's much more accessible and game centric now. This is a good sign. Another sign, perhaps neither bad nor good, but a sign certainly - is that the English investor's portion has regained a prominent place on the site. Not sure what it means, but I know that Hudson is making decent money again, and I'm glad of that. Checking the Japanese page will yield info on super star soldier, Lode Runner and the other remakes, as well as several other interesting bits. Go give it a check-out.

Site News: Changing server	June 29, 2003 11:59 PM PST	insert credit / BS

Changing servers today, so no updates till late on the 30th. Just to be on the safe side. See yall tomorrow!

Review/Feature: FFDOGII	June 28, 2003 11:59 PM PST	insert credit / tim rogers

Hell. Here's your damned FFDOG II. The critically acclaimed series where tim and doug spout utter nonsense about the Final Fantasy series from start to finish, playing it for 12 hours straight. The victim for this installment is of course the Final Fantasy Origins version of FFII. Read the review, then watch the movies. Then cry.

News: New Cave shooter	June 28, 2003 11:46 PM PST	Cave / BS

Famitsu reports of a new campaign from Cave. Pick up the postcards you see to the left at any arcade in Japan, and enter a drawing to win the arcade board from Cave's new shooter - ESP Galuda. Ten entries will get a large poster, and 100 will get a clock-pocketwatch-thing. If one of our agents in Japan doesn't win, I'll be very disappointed. You guys hear me?? Thanks to Piyo for correcting my mistake - not only are you first to play it - you get to keep it!-

Play-Asia: Preorders, new imports	June 28, 2003 11:35 PM PST	Play-Asia.com / BS

21 new import titles in at Play-Asia.com today, plenty of sims and such. And new preorders up as well - Summon Night 3 and Metal Slug PSOne book.

Off-topic: Nice collection	June 28, 2003 11:04 PM PST	Shou / BS

This Shou fellow has quite a collection of import titles for obscure-ish systems. There are scans and short bits of info here for many games you may never have seen discussed before, be it regarding Towns Marty, arcade board, CD32 or PC-FX, he's got something to say. 2193 games in the growing database. Thanks to a link on Namakoteam via Paleface for the introduction.

Feature: An insert credit dream	June 28, 2003 11:49 AM PST	insert credit / Eric-Jon Rossel Waugh

The insert credit fortress headed by Peter Moore, collapsing babylonian civilizations, and Fred Flinstone dressed as Iori Yagami. I don't understand it either. Perhaps it's not meant to be understood.

News: Okamoto leaves Capcom	June 27, 2003 11:56 PM PST	Capcom / BS

Legendary Capcom producer Yoshiki Okamoto (Street Fighter, for one) has left his company, blaming poor decisions by Capcom execs, and his disapproval with the direction the company was going. So he has left to forge his own company; Game Republic. Very likely one to watch! News from Gamefront with translation work by Rockman Pocket.

News: Psyvariar 2	June 27, 2003 11:16 PM PST	Taito / BS

Many are reporting that recent Japanese mags have news of Psyvariar 2's coming to the arcades in august. Gamefront mentions that the game will indeed revive the buzz system for the sequel.

News: Dragon Chronicle	June 27, 2003 11:30 PM PST	Namco / BS

There's a new arcade multiplayer shooter coming from Namco - Dragon Chronicle (official page) is the name, and it seems a spiritual successor to the Dragon Spirit series. More info on this when I'm not sleepy. Take a look at some screens and cabinet images till then, and know that the location test begins on the third in various locations. Thanks to Rid Hershel for the news.

News: Sega/Sammy discussion	June 27, 2003 11:16 PM PST	Lycos News / SM

At a scheduled Sega shareholder meeting, Sega's merger discussions with Sammy and Namco were discussed. It was felt that these discussions were having a bad effect on the morale of company employees. There was a demand for more fortitude ("shikkari shite hoshii" to youbou shite). President Saitou replied that the merger plans were meant to maximize the company. In response to the poor performance of America oriented sports games, he said that American-oriented games will be worked on by on location subsidiaries.

News: Further Border Down DC info	June 27, 2003 11:16 PM PST	G.rev / BS

The only thing different about the limited edition is that it contains the soundtrack CD, nothing more. The CD can also be purchased at 2500 yen separately on the day of release. The info is here, and sega-direct preorders open on the 3rd of July.

News: Renai Chu to hit the DC

June 27, 2003 11:11 PM PST

Saga Planets / SM

Renai Chu is coming to the DC sometime in the nebulous future. It's a windows 18+ H ACG from 2001 (original game page here). There are no real details at the moment, aside from the initial announcement. More info as it comes.

News: New Shikigami II chara revealed	June 27, 2003 11:03 PM PST	Alfa System / SM

A hidden character for Shikigami no Shiro II has been revealed: Mini-Fumiko. She looks much younger (about 10 or so, w/o glasses). It seems like if you go from Fumiko on the selection screen and input to the right, the younger version will appear. I guess she has two different modes which are identical in the younger mode, but their effect is slightly different. Thanks to Namae no Nai Heya.

News: Intellivision OS	June 26, 2003 11:50 PM PST	IntyOS / BS

Wow. A French programmer has constructed an OS for the Intellivision!! The Intellivision has only 895 KHz of processing power, and 240 bytes + 80 words of RAM, so it's rather impressive. Plus, that image to the left is of four programs running simultaneously on the OS. Damned impressive if you ask me. You can test the thing in a java window here. It's loadable to an Intellevision Intellicart, but these are no longer made - but enough mails to the original manufacturer might very well change that. Thanks to games.slashdot.org for the link.

News: Lynx coding contest	June 26, 2003 11:45 PM PST	Atari Times / BS

The Atari Times is holding a coding contest for the lynx! First prize is $250, second is $150 - entries are limited to games, and must be submitted by September 15, 6 PM M.S.T. For an example of some interesting business being done with the Lynx of late, check out the Lynx Reloaded demo, which has some 3D-ish capabilities. Thanks to Pie from the forums for the links.

News: More Border Down info	June 26, 2003 11:38 PM PST	Namae / SM

Namae no Nai Heya reports that Border Down will have an extra remix mode/practice mode and soundtrack CD (that last bit is only in the limited, I believe). The original news was taken from Arcadia magazine.

News: Gackt and Parappa	June 26, 2003 11:32 PM PST	Dengeki Online / SM

Seems like Gackt and Parappa are teaming up for a cell phone CM site with all sorts of content. Alas, this isn't the ultra cool Gackt from Malice Mizer, but the newer popular version that my girlfriend thinks is kinda cute. On 7/1, Gackt will appear on scouting out Parappa for the next two commercials. At the same time, there will corresponding games and melodies will be made available for the cell phones. Scott had better follow up and find that site when it goes live - he's toast otherwise. And as a side note - if (Malice Mizer's) Mana were a real woman, I'd marry him. Or...her.

News: R-type Final US	June 26, 2003 11:23 PM PST	Fresh Games / BS

According to a recent report at Gamers.com, Fresh Games will be bringing R-Type Final to the US (this being Eidos' localization label). Not sure when this will be, but news will surface eventually. Thanks to a credible source for informing me that they'll not be handling a port in europe. Which is not to say that someone won't be picking it up...

News: Soukyugurentai Arcade Hits	June 26, 2003 11:19 PM PST	Hamster / BS

The classic 2D/3D shooter Soukyugurentai has just gotten a re-release on the PSX, with a new ship, voice acted cut-scenes and movies!! Hamster is the party responsible for this - take a look. I wouldn't be shocked if a certain fine import retailer picked this up soon. Thanks to Gen's MMCafe post for the link.

News: Lineage MMORPG	June 26, 2003 11:15 PM PST	Lineage / SM

Popular Korean software maker NC soft will begin testing their new MMORG on 7/2. The new Lineage series covers 3 years and is planned to run over 6 episodes. On 7/2 the first episode, Light and Shadow (hikari to Kage) with new player classes will be made public. Thanks to 4gamer.net for the news.

News: SvC Chaos system updates	June 26, 2003 11:05 PM PST	Playmore / BS

Not earth shattering, but news nonetheless - the English system page has been opened for SvC Chaos, and there's a bit more info on the Japanese page. Though none of the info is new, there are now official screenshots on the Japanese page, and 'taunt' is engrish-ified as 'razzle' on the other. So...there it is.

E3: Metal Slug Advance	June 25, 2003 5:35 PM PST	insert credit / EJRW

A bit more E3 business - Eric-Jon has written up a short piece about Metal Slug Advance, which was apparantly available in video form at the show. I wish I'd seen it!

News: Border Down for DC!	June 25, 2003 5:20 PM PST	G.rev / BS

G.rev's 3D horizontal Naomi-based shooter is coming to the DC after all!! The game is scheduled for a September 25th release in normal and limited versions. According to Gamefront, the extra contents include a soundtrack CD, but this is unconfirmed. I played the game in Japan recently, and it's not bad at all, very fluid, with a nice weapons system. The game has already been picked up for preorders right here from Play-Asia.com. One last hurrah for DC shooters!! Check the official site and Sega's arcade section for images et al.

News: GP32 update	June 25, 2003 5:12 PM PST	various / BS

Tailzone is working on another new project! Looks like we'll be in for some GP32 Lode Runner relatively soon. In other news, Woogal has opened a page to show off his 15-day GBAX competition entry, a pacman clone with changeable skins, level editor and mod player. Radium is being released by Revival Studios now, an offshoot of Karma Studios. Last bit, a patch for Mill has been released. Check it out at GP32 News.

Download: Close To promo	June 25, 2003 4:51 PM PST	Kid / VD

Kid has released a new promotional video of their 7/24 galget title Omoi no kakera Close To. Get it here along with the opening. Character design is by gotoP, the lowermost of our external links.

Download: Star Soldier video	June 25, 2003 4:46 PM PST	Hudson / BS

IGN has released a video of gameplay from Hudson's upcoming Cube re-release/3D update of the classic Star Soldier. Already looks a hell of a lot smoother than the N64 version. But a replay it is not. Thanks to Triggerzone for the link.

News: Shinobi the best release	June 25, 2003 4:39 PM PST	Overworks / VD

Vince just discovered this charming image. Shinobi is being re-released as a PS2 best series game for 3,000 yen. It will come with a demo movie of the upcoming game Kunoichi, as well as Shinobi super-replays. The striking fellow on the cover is "Kumonofu", the games director. They say "package under development" so many times on the site, along with "so don't worry" that I wonder about the...finality of that design.

News: SvC Chaos location tests expand	June 25, 2003 4:32 PM PST	SNK / BS

Location tests for SvC Chaos now include Yokohama and keikyuu Kawasaki. So we may see more impressions coming in...

Update: Metal Slug 3 movies	June 24, 2003 11:59 PM PST	insert credit / brandon sheffield

Movies and images are up for Metal Slug 3, as well as an additional footnote. If you watch nothing else, check out this small movie demonstrating my innovative method of gameplay. That is to say - killing myself when there's not an enemy in sight.

Impressions: KOF 2002	June 24, 2003 11:51 PM PST	insert credit / eric-jon rossel waugh

KOF 2002 has taken the formula of '98 and stripped it of character. It's technically very solid...but it has no soul.

News: Article Seezak becomes TreeBuds	June 24, 2003 11:47 PM PST	TreeBuds / BS

With very little explanation, it seems as though Article Seezak has become TreeBuds. The new site has much better design, so perhaps it's a good thing. And with the name change comes the subtle announcement of a new game, unfortunately titled 'Advanture of Nard.' The advanture I can understand, but...nard...

News: XS in LA	June 24, 2003 11:42 PM PST	GP32 Extreme / VD

Searching through Gamasutra's job section, Vince came across this here: XS Games is a publisher of videogames on all platforms including PS1,PS2,PC,GBA. The work required is for valuline games with production windows of 3-6 months.Looking for a character artist/designer for immediate work. To create sketches and/or models of kid characters 11-14 yrs.'Real' kids with 'character'.They're for action/sports games. Own outfits. Style,humor,attitude.Want a series of 15-20 characters.Need sketches and/or relevant images.Send email as Word,JPG,BMP attachment. Sounds like XS to me. The good ol' boys from Ohio have come to the big city! And now you can help them with their latest atrocity!

News: GP32 Extreme hacked	June 24, 2003 11:36 PM PST	GP32 Extreme / BS

GP32 Extreme has been hacked. Why anyone would do that to them, I've no idea.

News: Rock 'n Roll Racing	June 24, 2003 11:34 PM PST	Blizzard / BS

Blizzard has put up a playable demo (shockwave) of their new game Rock 'n Roll Racing. I'm wondering how it can be an exclusive when it's a port of an existing title. Hmmm. Thanks to Jason of the S:NGP board for the link.

News: Nintendo Fusion tour	June 24, 2003 11:26 PM PST	Nintendo / BS

This is odd (perhaps even OMG EDGY). Nintendo has teamed up with the derivative packaged-rebellion corset-wearing hot chick fronted band Evanescence for a tour. They're calling this match-made-in-the-marketing-office the Fusion Tour - it promises to be a fusion of video gaming (two words, it seems), music and lifestyle. Check the tour dates if you want to get your lifestyle on. Seems more like a Nokia move. Thanks to Danny Dormer for the tip-off.

News: Attack of the killer logo	June 24, 2003 11:22 PM PST	Falcom / BS

Ys VI gets a logo and a subtitle! Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim appears to be the full title at this point. The classiness of the logo reminds me of the 'fire' drink that one can purchase in japan. God stuff.

Review: Metal Slug 3	June 23, 2003 11:57 PM PST	insert credit / brandon sheffield

Metal Slug 3 for the PS2 is the best port of the year. The year may not be over yet, but...I'd be surprised if I found one I liked better. I say let them try. Fantastic game, fantastic port.

Site News: E3 page	June 23, 2003 11:48 PM PST	insert credit / BS

Now that our E3 coverage is basically complete, a page has been constructed which contains everything we've written regarding the event. Check it out here.

News: Urinal gaming	June 23, 2003 11:29 PM PST	MIT / BS

Some fellows at MIT have developed a game designed to be played with urine! Every male's dream come true, according to Freud. Words of wisdom from Juan: Wait till they make a VERSUS mode and people start assigning top tiers. And calling each other cheap. Thanks to Gamegirladvance for the news.

News: Capcom All-Stars delayed	June 23, 2003 11:17 PM PST	Capcom / BS

Thanks to the professor's post in his own BBS, we learn that the long-disputed Capcom All-Stars fighter has been postponed from the ambiguous 'fall' to the even less encouraging 'undetermined'. See for yourself at the official page.

Play-Asia: Discounts	June 23, 2003 11:13 PM PST	Play-Asia.com / BS

Couple of deals at Play-Asia.com today - first is Xi Go for PS2, having been reduced to 14.99 on clearance. Next is the PS2 Action Replay, which is discounted to 9.99 with every PS2 game order! In other news, Viewtiful Joe (GC) and Dino Crisis 3 (XB) are shipping early today - all preorders out within the next 24 hours!

News: GP32 update	June 23, 2003 11:06 PM PST	Various / BS

Metellius has updated his page to reflect his work on a 1943 clone...go check that out. Thanks to GP32 News for the link. And the 15 day coding contest is ending on the 27th - perhaps I should have mentioned it before today?

Review: Castlevania - Aria of Sorrow	June 22, 2003 11:59 PM PST	insert credit / eric-jon rossel waugh

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, when reviewed by Eric-Jon...it becomes something of a platform for musical discussion. That fellow just can't seem to do anything normally. But I don't complain.

News: Hi-Saturn Navi	June 22, 2003 11:46 PM PST	nfg.2y.net./games/ / BS

Lawrence has put up something interesting at nfg.2y.net./games/ - a writeup of the very hard to find Hi-Saturn Navi. Check out the features and functions, as well as some fine images. Here's a little bonus for you, regarding how well the GPS navigation works in that thing (excerpt from an email): It was consistently 5 feet off the road and refused to display the 3D map 'cause we weren't 'on the road'. Also CD maps are out of fashion what with DVDs being so popular, so all your map data discs are kinda aged. "There's no road here... And we should be able to make a left through this department store."

News: Wonderwitch contenders announced	June 22, 2003 11:24 PM PST	Bandai / BS

The Wonderswan coding competition is nearing completion! The final few have been selected, and final judgment is planned for July 19th. Nice to see that Es-Loss made it in there. And as a side note, Super Robot Taisen Compact 3 is now on the official page - same date and price (7.17 and 4,800). Still not much to look at though.

News: B3 released	June 22, 2003 11:19 PM PST	Tailzone / BS

Tailzone released the first beta of his GP32 Arkanoid clone. Go get it.

News: Play More	June 22, 2003 11:17 PM PST	Xbox / BS

Check out the new site for Xbox live - it's quite fun to play with. The dizzy rat is enough to warrant a visit.

Site News: downtime	June 21, 2003 11:59 PM PST	insert credit / BS

We were down for almost an hour today, not sure why exactly. But my apologies - we'll be moving to a new server in a matter of course, so don't be surprised to see a bit of lag or downtime in the very near future. Things should be pretty smooth after that, however.

News: Atari 800 PC	June 21, 2003 11:55 PM PST	Mini-itx / BS

Andy Hutson turned his Atari 800 computer into a full windows, DVD playing webserving system. You can too, if you just follow his simple guide like a monkey. Check out the other bizarre PC creations on the site as well, it's strangely obsessive business.

Comment: Data East truly dead?	June 21, 2003 11:52 PM PST	Data East / BS

Data East has been rather inactive since '99, when they released the last of their visual novels for the Dreamcast. And since Ghostlop never came out, things looked bleak. But Magical Drop was recently released as a Superlite in Japan, which leads one to think they might be alive. Yet - their website's id ran out this month. Perhaps they are truly gone? Something to discuss.

Review: Made in Wario	June 21, 2003 2:33 PM PST	insert credit / Gabriel Leung

If you want a straight review of Made in Wario, (Wario Ware in the US) you can find that. If you want something else, you can find that too. Just depends on what you want to see.

News: Munekyuun Heartful Bout	June 20, 2003 11:45 PM PST	Panorama / GL

Doujin group Panorama have put up a very playable beta of their gals fighter Munekyuun Heartful Bout, now featuring three characters! Check out some screenshots here, and the download here.

News: Overray	June 20, 2003 11:29 PM PST	Freams / GL

Freams has put up a new version of their horizontally scrolling stg Overray. Check here for the direct link. Not bad at all.

News: GPUN PC doujin soft	June 20, 2003 11:25 PM PST	GPUN / BS

I know a lot of folks gloss over the GP32 bits, so here's a separate post. GPUN has updated their site with two downloadable PC versions of their Snow White shooter and Apple Strikers action puzzler. Snow White is average, as nice graphics and art...but Apple Strikers is tops. Give both a shot by clicking the tags on the left of the page on which (PC) is written.

News: GP32 update	June 20, 2003 11:18 PM PST	Various / BS

Tailzone has put up a new version of B3; his arkenoid clone. There are now 20 playable stages. And good old GPUN has uploaded new demo versions of both Snow White (stg) and Apple Strikers (apzl)!! Better graphics, smoother gameplay...worth a go, I'd say. Just click the two images on the left that say (GP32) for the downloads. Thanks to GP32 Notebook for the last link.

News: Lik-Sang loses case	June 20, 2003 11:12 PM PST	Nintendo / BS

Nintendo has successfully sued the import retailer Lik-Sang for 5 million HK dollars, or 650,000 US. This is because of their previous sale of GBA flash linkers - read the UK Register for a decent write-up of the full story.

Download: Border Down videos	June 20, 2003 11:04 PM PST	Sega / BS

Two movies up for the Naomi arcade shooter Border Down. Check them out here and here. Thanks to Christian for sending the links.

News: Entdepot hiring	June 19, 2003 11:59 PM PST	The Entertainment Depot / BS

Entdepot is looking for reviewers! They pay in games, which is not a bad gig. The style is much more traditional than what you read here, but we've long been friends with the webmaster, so do check it out and see if it moves you. It's a straight site, but a good straight.

Off-topic: Megumi breast shirt	June 19, 2003 11:45 PM PST	Atakara Magazine / BS

Now you can have breasts just like Megumi's! Wear the popular star's bosoms on your chest as though they were your own with this two T-shirt set! Only 7,800 yen~! Perfect for subtly telling your otaku pals that they need to lose some weight. Eh? Thanks to Sensenic's MMCafe BBS post for the link.

News: Yankee Spirit registration	June 19, 2003 11:31 PM PST	Mighty Florist / BS

Mighty Florist - a new forum poster, has shared some information regarding how to register for the Yankee Spirit demo we mentioned yesterday. He seems to recommend my SNK World registration guide for some of the process, so there's the link again.

News: SNK latest	June 19, 2003 11:24 PM PST	Illusion / BS

The system page is up for SvC Chaos. Nothing in there that we didn't already know, but now it's in writing that you must cancel throws with the same button combination your opponent used (AB or CD), taunting raises the power gauge, hit AB to recover, and pressing start provokes the enemy by raising their power gauge. There should be an english language version of the system page soon enough, so keep your eyes peeled. Just another small note: over at Noise they found that debugger they were looking for. So the job is taken, sadly. And also, if you believe their news hist(o)ry, these fellows are from the not-too-distant future. Or, to paraphrase Dom, maybe 2004 is Japanese for 2003.

News: Sacnoth status?	June 19, 2003 11:18 PM PST	Gamespot / BS

Contrary to a recent Magicbox report, Gamespot has quoted a Famitsu article which states that Nautilus will be developing the title in their stead. Nautilus being Aruze's in-house team. So...where's Sacnoth? Some of us are suspecting that they've either been absorbed into Nautilus, or have become that company. But it's still curious, since Nautilus is mentioned as a developer of pachinko/pachislot games primarily, and I don't think we've seen anything like this come from Sacnoth or Nautilus yet. Time may or may not tell. Here's the official Shadowhearts webpage, with Nautilus named clearly as developer.

Download: Sexy Beach 2	June 19, 2003 11:15 PM PST	Illusion / BS

Just a quick reminder that the Sexy Beach 2 movie demo is up at Illusion's download page. Direct link is here. Just in case there are any new viewers about, Illusion videos are NEVER work safe!!

News: MxS Patch, Manga	June 19, 2003 11:13 PM PST	Abogado Powers / BS

Abopa has put up a patch for MxS, their latest work. You can grab it in the download section. They've also put up a bizarre 4 panel comic, which seems to be all the rage these days.

News: Famicompo	June 18, 2003 11:56 PM PST	Famicompo / BS

To honor the Famicom's 20th anniversary, folks from all over the world have gathered together to participate in a Famicom music competition. All participants have composed a song in NSF (nintendo sound format), either an original or cover. The entries are in - it's time to vote! You can download these either in nsf format or .mp3. Just bear in mind that the .nsf can be downloaded in a 400k zip. The MP3s are all obviously much larger than this. There's some really great music in here, and it seems as though you may vote for as many as you want. Thanks to A_Lee_N for submitting this great piece of news.

Download: Sprint, Yankee Spirit demo	June 18, 2003 11:39 PM PST	Impress Watch / BS

Square-Enix has finally released a demo of their first online title, Sprint, Yankee Spirit. Download the demo from Impress Watch's new page on the game. Here's a direct link for those of you who swing that way. Thanks to Rid Hershel for the link. Scooter MMORPG...these guys are either getting desperate or nutty.

News: IGS' Demonfront	June 18, 2003 11:22 PM PST	NFG games / BS

Someone has finally gotten some solid info out regarding IGS' Metal Slug clone Demon Front. Check out the impressions and images over at NFG games. The rest of the site (and his whole network for that matter) is worth checking out as well, lots of wacky stuff there. Thanks to Gen's MMCafe post for the link.

News: Gamecube cracked	June 18, 2003 11:12 PM PST	GCdev / BS

Thanks to a Slashdot article I just learned that the Gamecube has been cracked for amateur development, and demos have been successfully run on the system already! The method for booting exploits a back door programmed into PSO for server maintenance, thereby allowing you to use the broadband adapter as a gateway. Sneaky fellows, these coders. Costis, a familiar face, got the big win on this one. Check GCdev for the files, and more!

News: Karnaaj contest	June 18, 2003 11:07 PM PST	Jaleco / BS

There's a contest going on as we speak for the GBA racer Karnaaj Rally. The prize is a GBA or the Hardcore Pinball software, so you've far more to gain than lose from this. Thanks to Jason's S:NGP board post for the news.

News: DBZ on GP32	June 18, 2003 11:03 PM PST	braindead2 / BS

The over-the-top series has finally poked it's spiky head into the GP32 amateur community. GP32 News reports that French(?) coder braindead2 is working on the game - not sure if this is a port of an existing game, or a ground-up start from scratch, but I'm sure someone will tell me within minutes of this post. Check his site for more. While you're in GP32 mode, check out Metellius' page. Seems he's got a new platformer in the works, as well as a special version of ASR. Haven't loaded it up yet, but grabbed the info from GP32 News once more.

News: Perfect Cherry Blossom	June 17, 2003 11:59 PM PST	Team Shanghai Alice / GL

Gabriel just informed me that Team Shanghai Alice has updated their truly excellent traditional shooter Perfect Cherry Blossom. You can find the new version right here, along with their other major title, Embodiment of Scarlet Devil.

News: Space Invaders anniversary	June 17, 2003 11:33 PM PST	Taito / BS

Here's something to get Way Too Excited about. The 25th anniversary of Space Invaders is coming. This is significant, as the title was the first widespread proper arcade console - in addition to being a brilliant game (and the first vertical shooter!). In commemoration of the event, a PS2 compilation is being released. Games included: the original Space Invaders, some color variants, Space Invaders 2, Space Invaders 2-player vs game, and Space Invaders 3D. This is, to the best of my knowledge, the first time that those last two have come to console. In addition to the games, there's going to be a 'secret files' section, which contains a profile of the project head, Space Invaders design docs, et cetera. The last option on the disc is a complete Taito arcade history, up to the point of the disc's release. Not bad at all. Ever watchful, Play-Asia.com has picked it up for pre-orders - an even 22$ for the game shipped. The game is planned for a July 31st release at 1480 yen. Thanks to Triggerzone for the link.

Download: Chris OTG combo	June 17, 2003 11:17 PM PST	Rockman Pocket / BS

The Neo Geo Pocket combo genius Rockman Pocket has come up with something pretty nice - a video which exploits the Chris OTG bug in KOF R-2. That is to say, Chris can be thrown from a knock-down in a narrow window, if certain moves are performed on him. A very detailed FAQ on how to do this can be found right here. And of course if you like that, don't hesitate to check out his other videos, they're all quite impressive (Gals Fighters especially). I do so love the dutch.

News: Sexy Beach 2 movie DL	June 17, 2003 11:09 PM PST	Illusion Soft / BS

Illusion has put up the demo movie for their latest work, Sexy Beach 2 (it's a commercial game this time, in case you'd forgotten). However it's in the pass download section, so you'll need to login. But if you don't mind the wait, the demo will be made public on the 20th, which is actually just a couple of days from now for you and I. So check the guest download section late on the 19th (in the US), and you may be in business.

Feature: meeting the madman	June 17, 2003 2:30 AM PST	insert credit / brandon sheffield

I went to Japan to perform a location test of Henry Moriarty of the Madman's Cafe. Our battles were frequent and furious. First pics and videos inside! OMG! Also - this is one of only three or four main features that I will be posting regarding my time in Japan. Since there won't be many, I've crammed a lot of that business in here as well.

News: Famicom Madness	June 16, 2003 10:03 PM PST	Mr. Freetime / BS

This guy here (nickname Mr. Freetime) has 2967 copies of Jaleco's Moero!! Pro Baseball for the Famicom - 2800 red, 167 black. It cost him 174,288 yen to amass these, and if you were to purchase them all at retail price, the bill would come to 16,318,500 yen before tax. If stacked, it reaches 50m 43cm 9mm high, and weighs 207kg 690g. It seems as though his dream is to carry out a pro-domino competition around the Jaleco head office using the carts. here's what he did do with them. Every time he got a new significant number of carts, he built an object out of them. At 600 he built a number graph of monthly cart acquisition. Now that's post modernism for you. The coffin is particularly impressive ("if I die..."). 2,000 is a recreation of Korakuen Stadium. Great stuff. Thanks to Apples' post on the Monkey Board for the link.

Play-Asia: KOF 2002 ships early	June 16, 2003 9:59 PM PST	Play-Asia.com / BS

KOF 2002 has shipped early at Play-Asia.com!! Pre-orders went out yesterday, so if you want the game, now's the time to pick it up. Looks like an anti-piracy pre-emptive strike to me, after the Ikaruga ISO fiasco. Metal Slug 3 also ships in a matter of days - I'll have my full reviews of both posted as soon as humanly possible.

News: Icon new game	June 16, 2003 9:54 PM PST	Team Icon / BS

There's a new game in development from Team Icon!! They're the ones developing Queen of Fighters for GP32. Not sure if this is going to be GP32 or PC work, but I do know this: it's set to be freeware, and it looks absolutely gorgeous. Click the pic for a larger version. Seems to be in GP32 resolution so...maybe... Thanks to GP32 Notebook for the news.

News: Fahselei! lyric discussion	June 16, 2003 9:50 PM PST	Yodaa / BS

For those interested in the NGPC, here's some work being done to understand the lyrics from the cryptic Fahselei! opening.

News: Teen Titans	June 16, 2003 9:45 PM PST	Cartoon Network / BS

Cartoon Network has put up a flash fighting game based on their upcoming DC comics cartoon show. It's actually pretty cool, and characters will be continually released over time. Got to love the themesong...sounds like Shonen Knife to me.

Download: Wonderwitch 2003 entries	June 15, 2003 10:01 PM PST	Bandai / BS

The entries for the Wonderwitch amateur Wonderswan development contest have all been uploaded. Go take a look...as usual, the quality has jumped by leaps from the previous year. I suspect that this may be the final contest, so enjoy these while they're here.

News: SNK Neo Geo USA HQ	June 15, 2003 9:55 PM PST	SNK Neo Geo USA / E-JRW / BS

Eric-Jon stumbled upon something interesting today: "I looked up www.snkneogeousaconsumer.com on a couple of whois databases. Seems it's been registered (by Ben Herman) since late last month. It wasn't, last I checked." Looking at that information, it seems safe to say that the site has been registered since May 21st, and their HQ is indeed in Wall, NJ - not Freehold (as discussed here). These seem to be the first two of the several major steps toward establishing the consumer side in the US. Those PS2 releases draw ever nearer. Now that's obsessive coverage - fine work, Eric.

News: GP32 updates	June 15, 2003 9:39 PM PST	GP32 News / BS

There's a GPArt contest up, please do check it out. It involves making an image using the GPArt software on the GP32...prizes include signed work from our ole pal Pékélé of GP32 News, and the deadline is June 25th. So get to it! Just an aside - a GP32 News poster put up some old info about Raphael, but the start screen he displays is markedly different from the one I played. Curious, and something to log in your brains. IcemanGP, the fellow working on a ground-up (with sprite rips) amateur port of KOF 2000 has put up a project where you can download his wip demos et al. Not bad stuff.

News: Summon Night GBA	June 15, 2003 9:25 PM PST	Flight Plan / BS

My personal favorite strategy RPG makers Flight Plan released Summon Night Craft Sword Monogatari for the GBA in April, unbeknownst to me. This might have something to do with the fact that until may, they'd not updated their site for an entire year. If I know Flight Plan - if I know Summon Night, especially considering that this game is two-player linkable...this should be a game worth checking out. Plus the battles are real time action this time round, rather than the classic tactics style. Just two days ago there was a new extras section added to the official website which contains a 4 panel comic. Unfortunately it seems as though I'll be cold in the grave before a Flight Plan game makes it to the states. Pity, that.

E3: Bioware interview	June 14, 2003 4:59 PM PST	insert credit / eric-jon rossel waugh

The final chapter in the E3 saga! finally! A few members of the team had a squished interview with Bioware on day 2. Here's how it went.

News: BugWave	June 14, 2003 4:51 PM PST	Shockwave / BS

Here's a nice little game from Shockwave in Japan. You must guide a little bug towards the fruits in a puzzle style tile rotating game. Not bad! Thanks to Rainman from the Monkey Board for the link.

News: SvC Chaos dialogue	June 14, 2003 4:49 PM PST	Gamefaqs / BS

Well...I've been avoiding this for soon to be obvious reasons, but a fellow on the gamefaqs board has posted some engrish translations of the SvC Chaos dialogue. But yeah. They're too funny to pass over.

News: Jaguar dev cart	June 14, 2003 4:46 PM PST	B&C Computer Visions / BS

I was quite quickly corrected regarding my mention of the Jaguar cart. There is indeed a bypass cart which allows betas and amateur efforts to be played on the jag home system for a reasonable price. Check out B&C Computer Visions' Jaguar section and CTRL+F for bypass. It's $40, but only words for CDs, no computer connectivity. Still, a good solution for playing most of the homebrew stuff that's coming out these days. Thanks to Highlandcattle for mentioning this in our forums.

E3: Turtles	June 14, 2003 2:01 AM PST	insert credit / eric-jon rossel waugh

E3 will never die! Or so it would seem. Eric-Jon has sent in his impressions of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games from Konami. Far more on the home console versions than the GBA offering, but both are a bit on the negative side. Read on to see why.

News: Jaguar news blitz	June 13, 2003 11:23 PM PST	various / BS

Obviously I've not been paying attention, as more than a few things have been going on in the Jaguar community, and I've either not seen them or not mentioned them. Time to change that right...now. The Jagfest is attaching itself to various events across the globe again this year, check it out to see if one is nearby. The scrapped game Black Ice, White Noise has been released in beta form for a mere $10 by Ambient Distortions, check out the section here. Unfortunately, you still need some type of Jaguar key cart, be it Battlesphere or what have you. For those who don't know, the jaguar has not been fully cracked, and a hacking cart is still necessary in order to play homebrews or betas. Somebody really needs to mass produce these carts for under $100. In amateur dev news, my old employer James Garvin of OMC Games is still working on his Native and Dark Guardian titles, however slow-as-molasses. A new project I'd not seen before is up from Force Design. It's a game called Mad Bodies - there are screenshots and a video for you to download if so inclined. Not bad at all. Looks like he might also be gunning for an update of Gorf. Curious!

News: New NUON player released!	June 13, 2003 11:15 PM PST	Nuon Dome / BS

Here's something unusual... new DVD player was released with the old NUON DVD system technology embedded. No word yet as to whether or not it will be able to run games, but it certainly does not have the controller ports for it. Check Nuon Dome for more.

News: Musical printer	June 13, 2003 11:12 PM PST	Paul Slocum / BS

Paul Slocum's latest dot-matrix printer experiment has been previewed here. This one prints images while making music...quite nice. He should have a full report of what it can do later, but for now look at the images, and download the great MP3. You can expect me to get some impromptu sounds out of this guy at the Classic Gaming Expo, which we will be attending in full force.

News: Falcom update	June 13, 2003 10:55 PM PST	Falcom / BS

Falcom has released some new wallpapers for Arcturus, which is just about to release. Bear in mind that I ripped that page from the javascript - it won't look good unless you keep the window small. In other news, there are some new images of Legend of Heroes VI, which is looking a hell of a lot better than it did before. Now it's about on par with the Ys VI stuff we've been seeing. There's also a bit of info, but I can't be bothered to translate something that large today. My apologies.

News: GP32 stuff	June 13, 2003 10:48 PM PST	various / BS

Topnysoft released an image of their upcoming racing game's start screen recently. This can be found in their games section. Fagemul has a new version of his duck-hunt style homebrew, with some great graphics and sound. Download it here. Thanks to GP32 News for those bits of info. Last thing today, Tailzone has released more images of his new game B3 (Break the Brick Block). Looking much nicer graphically than his previous effort, but more contained as well. Check out all of his work right here. As an aside, it looks as though Windship's website is under construction. Could be some new info coming regarding Princess Break.

Impressions: New Power Instinct: Matrimelee	June 12, 2003 11:45 PM PST	insert credit / brandon sheffield

My New Power Instinct impressions are the last of the arcade bits before I get into the true meat; the writeup of my visit with Henry Moriarty of the Madman's Cafe. Herein you can see our epic battle to discover who...would marry some...person. If I understand the story correctly. Update! I've fixed the broken movie of the horrid dog character Pochi. And also the following very unfortunate error: NPI and RotD do not share characters, but character sprite designs. OH! And it's by Noise, not Brezza. Edge site of the month, ladies and gentlemen!

News: Sega's happymeal games	June 12, 2003 11:37 PM PST	Sega / BS

Looks like Sega is planning to release six dedicated handheld games in happymeals starting June 27th. This news is slightly old, but I missed it until today. You can see images of these in the following charity Ebay auction. Just in case you don't want to consume their awful 'food', know that happymeal toys can usually be purchased separately for under $2. Go that route, I say.

Play-Asia: Alice ships	June 12, 2003 11:33 PM PST	Play-Asia.com / BS

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was released for the PS2 today, a 4-player board game the likes of which will make Culdcept fans quake with fear. From the disturbing art to the odd premise...I just don't know. Check out the official site here and get it from Play-Asia.com if you've the fortitude.

News: Meltyblood patch released	June 12, 2003 11:12 PM PST	Watanabe Seisakujo / BS

New patch up for Typemoon/WS' latest doujin fighter Meltyblood. It's a beta, do watch yourselves! Thanks to mmcafe for the news.

News: SNK fact&rumor	June 12, 2003 11:02 PM PST	various / BS / E-JRW

Fact: SNK has released some new wallpapers. Rumor: KOF EX II is being canned? Reports are in that Acclaim may not be working on the US release of the title any longer. Personally, I think it's going to come out with an SNK label on it. Though Ben Herman hadn't heard of the game, Marvelous Entertainment (publisher of the game in Japan) is mentioned in the links section of SNK World. That says something. Fact: SNK one0time 2nd party Sacnoth is still around. They seem to now be under the umbrella of Aruze, as the magicbox just reported them as working on the new Shadow Hearts game. Note: Since Sun Amusement's site became www.snkneogeo.co.jp (which used to be the Playmore site), Playmore is now using the www.snkplaymore.jp domain. So it seems as though they're carefully differentiating between the arcade and consumer divisions, even more so than in the US. Something to keep in the back of your mind.

News: SNK World open!	June 12, 2003 11:45 AM PST	SNK World / brandon sheffield

SNK World is open, ladies and gents. Go register now!! Just in case you can't read Japanese, I've made a handy registration guide. Don't say I never did anything for you. Minigames, chatrooms, illustration competitions and more await. Go to it.

Impressions: Shikigami II	June 11, 2003 11:37 PM PST	insert credit / brandon sheffield

Continuing on with the arcade impressions, Shikigami II is the next title up for discussion. It's a fine example of the way to make a sequel within your limits, while simultaneously forging new paths. Movies and shooty goodness within.

Impressions: Road to the Sword	June 11, 2003 11:33 PM PST	insert credit / brandon sheffield

Road to the Sword is IGS' newest 2D beat-em-up. I didn't get enough playtime out of it to give you the deep reading you deserve. But the system is explained, movies shared and a good time had by all. Check it out right here.

News: Edge website of the month	June 11, 2003 11:30 PM PST	Edge / insert credit

Check out the latest issue of Edge Magazine in Europe, and you'll notice a nod in our direction. The most complimentary nod imaginable. Check out the scan (provided graciously by Pie) for the words. Thanks Edge, the feeling is mutual.

Off-Topic: IC in the movies	June 11, 2003 11:21 PM PST	insert credit / jaimie nakae

As the title says, one of our own has participated in a current theatrical release. Go see the awful cannibal hillbilly horror movie Wrong Turn, and you'll see fabrication work from our own Jaimie Nakae, as well as her body-cast mutilated in horrible ways. Stay for the credits and give an ole insert credit cheer. Though I've no idea what that would sound like. I (brandon) saw this movie with chris woodard today. It was indeed terrible. Three of the fifteen folks in the theatre walked out. But it was a hilarious sort of terrible and I don't regret my experience.

Not News: PS3 Logo Revealed

June 11, 2003 6:07 PM PST

Dutch Gaming Society Online / TR

Update: Right. This news is not real. Alex Vo let me know that this thing was PSM2 UK's April's Fool joke. This is what I get for trusting Tim Rogers, ladies and gentlemen. Take a look below and laugh at our foolishness.

To me it looks more Japanese, more sleek, more hardware. It's the new PS3 logo! Here's what Tim had to say though, in his inimitable crankery:

What the hell is up with the fruity colors? Is Sony willing to take such a bold move that might cost them their grip on the confident, "adult" gamers of the world? First they plan to make a portable system, which only children care for, and now they make a logo that looks like something out of a cartoon? What's next? A cel-shaded Jak III? It's corporate suicide! They've been brainwashed by Microsoft!

I . . . kind of like it.

Impressions: Azumanga Puzzle Daioh	June 10, 2003 11:47 PM PST	insert credit / brandon sheffield

When I was in Japan, I didn't just mess around. I messed around in some arcades. I've got five arcade impressions for you. These will all go up in the next say...18 hours. This is the second. The first is right down below. Azumanga Puzzle Daioh is the next step in the Puzzle Bobble line. And it's got the greatest two-player mode I could imagine ever being in this game. I played it with Henry Moriarty. Check out the impressions to find out not only what happened, but also why if the game were on a console, you'd be buying it right now. Videos and images abound. I traded in my overuse of the comma for an overuse of the hyphen for this one. Crazy!

Impressions: Ketsui	June 10, 2003 11:39 PM PST	insert credit / brandon sheffield

Ketsui is a good shooter, but not a great shooter. I expect great things from the makers of Dodonpachi. Read on to see just why and how these expectations were not filled. Image and video included.

News: SvC Chaos new vids	June 10, 2003 11:34 PM PST	SNK-Capcom / BS

Trieu has posted some videos of SvC Chaos featuring some different characters. Hugo, Kyo, Vega and Terry make the rounds in terms of guys we've yet to see. The other match is Ryu vs Iori.

News: Rad Brad, Modern Warrior	June 10, 2003 11:31 PM PST	Sci Fi Wire / BS

The Sci Fi Wire reports that Jack Black has signed with New Line to make a film about Rad Brad, the greatest videogame player in the world. Rad Brad must save the world from an evil organization which has created a superhuman robot of some kind. Could be something - not sure about that Dude Where's my Car? screenwriter though. Check the full story here. Thanks to Digital Press for the link.

News: Dreamcast servers truly dead	June 10, 2003 11:23 PM PST	Sega / BS

It is indeed the end for all dreamcast servers in the US aside from PSO and PSO ver.2. It's the end of an era, I suppose. View the short goodbye message from Sega.

E3: Game Epic	June 10, 2003 1:46 AM PST	insert credit / tim rogers

Our games coverage was late, to be sure. But in ultimate insert credit style, it's length and precision over speed. Tim's E3: a frightening journey covers just under 70 games and accessories from the show, countless stories of our trials and tribulations, subtle psychoanalysis of staff and non-staff alike, and video of the alarming proceedings. 11 pages of epic game journalism you can't be without.

News: Video Senki revived!	June 9, 2003 11:47 PM PST	Video-Fenky / BS

The games/Japanese strangeness site Video Senki was loved by all - but the webmaster suddenly retired from the free internet scene for quite a long time. Well he's finally returned, much to the elation of the majority of the ic staff. Check his new site Video-Fenky and prepare to be amused.

News: Dodonpachi Soundtrack	June 9, 2003 11:35 PM PST	Cave / BS

Cave has announced the sale of a Dodonpachi 3 and Ketsui 'coupling CD', in which the soundtracks of both games are showcased. There will be 13 tracks from the Ketsui OST, 13 from the DDD OST and three arranged tracks on the Ketsui side. The price is 2,310 yen, only a little more than a new CD in the US. Check here for how to order come June 11 - release day.

Play-Asia: Preorders, cheap stuff abound	June 9, 2003 11:19 PM PST	Play-Asia.com / BS

Lots of Play-Asia.com happenings while I was away. Seems our importy pals have implemented a full preview list for all upcoming titles for all consoles. Of course you've already got your Metal Slug 3 and KOF 2002 preorders right? They've also got a rather ridiculous overstock games sale, covering imports for everything from the Mega CD to the PS2, to the N64. Where else can you get the rhythm game TamTam Paradise with controller for under $20? Lastly, two new NGPC budget titles; Ogre Battle and Neo Dragons Wild.

Download: Arcturus music	June 9, 2003 11:15 PM PST	Falcom / BS

Falcom has upped an astounding 17 song samples to their download section for the Japanese release of the Korean PC RPG Arcturus. This is a good way to decide for yourself whether or not that special package (with the 3 CD O/AST) is worth pre-ordering!

News: Noise moves to Tokyo, cards end	June 9, 2003 11:12 PM PST	Noise Factory / BS

> Noise Factory, in addition to renewing their homepage on the same day as SNK Neo Geo, has announced that their Chiba branch is moving to Tokyo. Further, their greeting card service ended today, to the great sadness of all. To see what they looked like, check my original post for some cards I sent. Edit: Well hell - looks like the old cards are taken down too. At least you can still play around with the service using my guide.

News: SvC Chaos data update	June 9, 2003 11:01 PM PST	various / BS

There's more hard SvC data (well as hard as can be given the subjectivity of the sources) over at the MMCafe - go have yourself a look. According to the report, the game may be running on a new Neo Geo hardware. When I finally get that damned promised Playmore interview, I'll let you know for sure.

Feature: SvC Chaos Location test	June 8, 2003 11:49 PM PST	insert credit / Chris Kohler

This is what you've all been waiting for. Our good pal Chris Kohler and his stalwart associate Matt Delgiudice have journeyed to Osaka for the location test of SNK vs Capcom for the MVS. Hard data has already been presented elsewhere, so Chris has taken the more impressionistic route. Videos and images abound in the feature, even though they were repeatedly told to cease and desist. Good reading for your Monday morning.

E3: SNK interview transcription	June 8, 2003 11:23 PM PST	insert credit / Eric-Jon Rössel Waugh / brandon sheffield

Poor overworked Eric-Jon has taken it upon himself to transcribe the entirety of the SNK Neo Geo USA interview that we conducted over E3. Previously available only in MP3 form, this should be helpful to those of you on narrowband, or who just couldn't sit through the thing. It's a word-for-word transcription, as much as is humanly possible. Read it again, for the first time.

News: Nintendo cracks down on imports	June 8, 2003 11:15 PM PST	Ferrago / BS

UK games site Ferrago has released a story stating that Nintendo of Europe plans to crack down on those stores that import US and Japanese titles to the UK and surrounding territories. Not only this, but said retailers will never be able to carry Nintendo products again. Seems like a decidedly un-wise move which will only serve to further alienate the fans from the already beleaguered console. Read the full story right here.

News: NEC update	June 8, 2003 11:00 PM PST	NEC IC / BS

Lots of NEC happenings while I was away! Two more PC dating sims are being ported - Aikagi is coming to DC and PS2 in August, and Snow (depicted to the left) will hit the DC only this fall. Both will have new scenarios, full voice, et al. The SRPG Black Matrix II is getting a PS2 Best re-release on the 24th of July, budget priced at 2,900 yen. And the Yaoi dating game Heaven has gotten quite a few updates as well, though not as much as there is on the original PC page.

Features: TVGame / Akihabarology	June 8, 2003 3:41 AM PST	insert credit / brandon sheffield / tim rogers

This is an experiment. Two thematically related but formally disparate works released on the same day. I've written up a guide to buying games in Japan's largest game districts, and Tim has composed something which gives you a very visceral feel for one of these; Akihabara. I tell you what it's like there...Tim tells you how it feels there. One can be read without the other, but they are symbiotic in many more ways than intended. Read on for TVGame and Akihabarology. It's Sunday - you have time. And! Tim's feature has been updated with the missing jpg, plus the video in which he 'gets' Penny Arcade.

Site News: IRC Channel	June 7, 2003 3:59 AM PST	insert credit / BS

Just a reminder of the existence of the insert credit IRC Channel. The main catalyst for my posting this is...that pic to the left. Thanks to Pie for that atrocity.

News: SvC Chaos info	June 7, 2003 3:57 AM PST	Various / BS

Our SvC Chaos report is not yet done - expect it monday-ish. For now, take a look at a collection of game data done by Henry Moriarty over at the MMCafe. This should all be relatively accurate. While you're at it, check out the latest attempt to cash in on Playmore IPs. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2003 is the game, basically a KOF 2001 rehash/manipulation. Bear in mind that this comes from the never-reliable videojuegosamazing, so apply several grains of salt to the mix.

News: GPUN dating sim, online puzzler

June 7, 2003 3:52 AM PST

Global Play Union / BS

Several nice new things from the Korean amateur developers at GPUN. They've updated their frontpage with new images of Snow White for GP32 for one thing. But they've also expanded a bit. It seems that Snow White (shooter) and Apple Strikers (puzzle) will both make appearances as PC titles as well. Apple Strikers is slated for online play, which could be interesting if implemented well. Lastly, there's a bit more imagery to go with Ghost in the Cat (their poor translation, not mine), their long-planned dating sim. Really not sure if this one is for PC or GP32 though. Thanks to GP32 Notebook for the news.

News: Tailzone's new GP32 project.	June 7, 2003 3:43 AM PST	Tailzone / BS

Japanese coder Tailzone has released his first game for the GP32, Mr. Monar already - but his next project looks to be...Arkanoid? Something very like it, certainly.

News: Fist of the North Star Typing	June 7, 2003 3:37 AM PST	SSI Tristar / BS

The fourth installment of the Fist of the North Star typing series has arrived! Gekiuchi Three is the title (there's a Gekuichi Zeroin the series - making this the fourth), and it's selling for 5,200 yen. The full series has sold upwards of 600,000 copies, so a commemorative figurine is being given out with the first hundred copies sold of any game in the series. Check the campaign page for the full details. It started yesterday though, so...it may already be too late. Thanks to Flareon's forum post for the link.

News: AnimePlay Website Open	June 6, 2003 2:04 PM PST	Anime News Service / VD

More website opening action going on today. Hirameki just opened the official website for their bi-monthly DVD based magazine, AnimePlay. The website currently lacks subscription info, but the first issue is set to arrive on store shelves on June 17th.

News: Tengai Makyou Website Open

June 6, 2003 11:28 AM PST

Impress Watch / VD

The fine folks at Hudson are finally getting around to releasing their latest efforts on the Tengai Makyou series. With this in mind, they have just opened their Tengai Makyou Official Website, complete with Flash intro, a bit of information, and a LOT of closed sections that will see openings in (hopefully) the near future.

Tengai Makyou II: Manjimaru will enjoy GC and PS2 releases on 9/25 and 10/2 this year, while Tengai Makyou III: Namida (originally for the ill-fated PC-FX system) is slated for some time 2004.

Interesting Fact: The Tengai Makyou series consists of seven games (5 RPGs and 2 fighting), the first of which was Tengai Makyou: Ziria, released as a PC-Engine CD on June 30, 1989.

Download: Tokimeki Memorial 2 Typing Demo

June 6, 2003 11:28 AM PST

Impress Watch / VD

Konami just released a demo of Tokimeki Memorial 2 Typing for both Windows 9x and Mac OS platforms. Make sure you have the means of entering Japanese characters so you can make these 50 and 60 meg (respectively) downloads worth your while.

Interesting Fact: Nearly 5% of Insert Credit readers use Macs.

News: The Sims - Mafia Justice	June 6, 2003 11:28 AM PST	Silicon Valley / VD

Welcome to The Sims Online, where you can create for yourself a Sim and a home, establish relationships with other Sims...and try not to be ruined by the mob. Even in what was supposed to be non-violent suburbia, a dark underbelly of competing criminal factions has arisen, requiring Sims everywhere to be on keep on their toes. It looks like Will Wright got more than he bargained for...

Site News: The return	June 5, 2003 11:59 PM PST	insert credit / brandon sheffield

Well - I'm back from Japan. I didn't manage to upload any of those features I promised, but they're coming...I'll begin the onslaught tomorrow. Lots of interesting stuff coming your way. I'll be resuming control of the news, with big thanks to everyone who helped to make up for my absence. If updates are strange, let's blame the jetlag I haven't got. I'll get back into the swing of things in a few days...I hope. Oh and I promise to catch up on my email as well.

News: Spheres of Chaos	June 5, 2003 11:55 PM PST	Iain McLeod / BS

Here's a nice piece of amateur work from Iain McLeod, creater of Streamer, the pirate net broadcasting program. Spheres of Chaos is an asteroids clone, or perhaps a llamasoft-esque homage. The demo is downloadable from the site, the full version costing US $8. Worth checking out, much better than the jumbled screen to the left would indicate. Thanks to Othernews for the link.

Off-Topic: Dog robs gas station	June 5, 2003 11:49 PM PST	Aftenposten / BS

A dog was recently apprehended for robbing a gas station in Norway, the land of brilliant music and record suicide rates. It's a fun read (in english) from Aftenposten, Norway's news to the world. Check it out for the photos, at least. Thanks to Comic-Kaze for the link.

News: Dragon Drive developed by Treasure	June 5, 2003 11:45 PM PST	Nintendo Dream / BS

According to Gamers.com, Nintendo Dream magazine released some info regarding Dragon Drive for the GC, specifically that it is in development by Treasure. Our frothing anticipation for this game increases. I just hope that this is...true. I'll bet anybody five whole dollars that the game will out-panzer-dragoon that Orta game.

News: Playmore latest	June 5, 2003 11:43 PM PST	SNK / BS

New bits from Playmore, only one of which is important, really. They've sued another bootlegger, this time DAX TECHNOLOGY, LLC - a company 'near San Francisco'. They're charged with bootlegging some of the newer titles. Since they've won every one of these cases so far, I'm surprised to see that people are still going ahead with the bootlegging. View the abbreviated english release here, and the full legal .pdf here. The second bit of news is that SvC Chaos location testing begins today, so reports may begin to surface. Our pal Chris Kohler will be writing up impressions and things for this here website, so stay ye tuned. Last item is that the english page for the SvC Chaos character list has been updated. Now, I don't know if these are the official names for the US version, but if so, this would be the first time the characters have used their real names in the west. I'm referring to Gouki, Vega, Balrog and M. Bison of course. It would be a cool thing to see, just because. Update: the above turned out not to be true. Initially I thought I had linked to the japanese page instead, but I had not. They just hadn't updated it properly until today. Thanks to Nasr Helewa for pointing out the strangeness.

News: Wonderswan news	June 5, 2003 11:41 PM PST	Swan Channel / BS

A few minor notes here. Rockman N1 for Wonderswan now has an official home on Capcom's EXE page. Super Robot Wars Compact is now officially mentioned the homepage, though we knew it was in development already. And it looks as though the entries for this year's Wonderwitch coding contest will be made public on the 11th of this month, at which time popular voting will begin. Do your part eh? This news from Wonderwitch.com.

News: Sega's Cycraft Simulator	June 4, 2003 10:02 PM PST	EJRW

A deal between Sega Amusements Europe and Simuline Inc of Korea will result in some decidedly cool looking motion simulators being distributed to entertainment centers as of this month. The first piece of software to ship will be a kart racing simulator with other games to follow. As cool as it looks, you must admire how...optimistic the marketing copy can be: "Cycraft is the DREAM MACHINE the coin op industry has been waiting for!" Well, I'm not sure about that, but I REALLY want a chance to hop into one of these things.

News: R-Type Final Screens	June 4, 2003 3:13 AM PST	VD

The guys at Ruliweb have recently put up some more screens of the latest project at Irem, R-Type Final. Check out the dogtags that will be part of the special packaging, as well as the possibilities for ship customization.

News: SNK Neo Geo Returns	June 3, 2003 12:20 PM PST	EJRW

It seems that our earlier suspicions have been confirmed -- sort of. As of June 2nd, Playmore Corporation's main practical arm, Sun Amusement has transmogrified into SNK NeoGeo. (Note that the snkneogeo.co.jp link used to point to Playmore's site.) Sun is the division responsible for Playmore's Japanese publishing, maintainance of their arcade centers, and now -- what with their absorption of Brezza -- is Playmore's main development house. Now they're officially SNK again, to match the US, Korea, and Hong Kong branches. There's nothing like being official! You can check out the current Playmore structure here. For the logic behind this comforting return to form, see our interviews with SNK from the other week.

News: Street Fighter 15th Anniversary Goods

June 3, 2003 12:20 PM PST

You can't have an anniversary celebration without cool stuff to sell to your adoring fans!...so Capcom must be thinking in licensing the following items for sale. The item selection makes sense, considering Chun-Li's commanding lead over her fellow characters in the site poll...but almost $100 USD for those spiked bracelets? Leave it to COSPA for accurate and pricey recreations of your favorite video game and anime garb...

Thanks again to Rid Hershel for the news.

News: Cunyngas demo

June 2, 2003 12:20 PM PST

Sweden: home of Ikea, Volvos, and 2d/3d shooters. Well, not really, but developer Akatora Corp Sweden does have a demo available of their recently released shooter Cunyngas - Kings of the Spawn. At 14 MB, well worth the download. If you like, why not give them the 10 dollars for the full version? Any company that cares about making "Modern Classic Games With Unflawed GamePlay!" is OK in my book...

Edit: My e-mail was totally flooded. I'll know for the rest of my life that Legos came from Denmark. Wow do I feel sheepish...

News: To Heart 2 Website	June 2, 2003 10:48 AM PST	VD

Aquaplus finally went ahead and put up their To Heart 2 website. Not much there so far, and the game is more than half a year away, but it is nice to see all the names that are going to be working on it.

News: New Game Trailers

June 2, 2003 10:48 AM PST

For those looking to relive a classic on your modern game system, Ys 1-2 will becoming out for PS2 later this year. Until that happens, sate yourself with a look at the new trailer for the game.

If you want a console air combat game (that's NOT Ace Combat), you might want to check out Yukikaze, based on the anime series which is still being released. The new promotional video is looking much better than the early footage we saw last year.

Thanks to Rid Hershel for the heads-up.

News: El-Hazard for GBA

June 1, 2003 1:31 PM PST

Apparently the Sega Saturn game, El-Hazard, has been ported over to the Game Boy Advance. No, it's not the GBA emulating the Saturn, but an engine that runs the data files for El-Hazard on the GBA with a slight reduction in size to accomodate a 32 MB GBA rom. The author's previous project has the same game running under Windows.

For the full news story, check out the May 31st news entry at Zophar's, where you can also get the ROM.

News: Dojin Update

June 1, 2003 1:31 PM PST

A bunch of things happening in doujinshi software scene these days, and Gabriel gives us some updates:

Fate Axis, a 3d fighting game, has recently been updated...a big update from 1.02 to 1.6 OMEGA EDITION...and a big size as well: almost 300 megs.

Parity Shot is a fun and fast little shooter that recently hit version 0.91, which adds new background music and some bug fixes. (You may need a speed throttling program to run this game at proper speed.)

And finally, Studio Siesta has released a demo of their 4-player bombing/fighting/whatever the hell game Pocket Air and Pocket Kanon. A 30-some megabyte download and quite fun.

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