Saturday, January 27, 2001

[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON JANUARY 27th 2001 ]

According to Nikkei, Nintendo is developing compatible Pokémon games for the GameCube and the Game Boy Advance for 2002.

According to the January 18 morning edition of Nihon Keizai Shinbun, Nintendo is developing compatible games for the GameCube and the Game Boy Advance. The games are currently on schedule to be released in 2002. There will be data sharing between the GameCube and the Game Boy Advance versions through the use of memory storage peripherals. By connecting the Gameboy Advance to the GameCube, data can be transmitted onto the memory card that uses Matsushita's SD-RAM memory.

The report states that Pokémon is one of many titles, scheduled for a 2002 release in Japan, that will have compatible GameCube and Game Boy Advance versions.

[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON JANUARY 27th 2001 ]

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Posted by Jepoy on 1/27/2001 07:34:00 PM | 0 comments |

Thursday, January 25, 2001

[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON JANUARY 25th 2001 ]

Further details emerge regarding the PS2 successor.

Since the official unveiling of the PlayStation 2, Sony has occasionally alluded to the development of the console's successor. During a keynote speech given around the time of the PS2 unveiling, Shinichi Okomoto, senior vice president of R&D at SCEI, said that the company has already begun research on the PlayStation 3, with hopes of making the next PlayStation 1,000 times as powerful as the PlayStation 2. Around the same time, Ken Kutaragi, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, said that he already has specific plans for developing advanced graphics chips for the next PlayStation console. Further information regarding the PlayStation 3 has been brought to light in an article in the November issue of Scientific American magazine. Although the scientific community may be familiar with some of the information in the publication, it comes as news to the gaming community.

In the article covering various aspects of digital entertainment, Ken Kutaragi speaks further on the PlayStation 3. According to Kutaragi, the PlayStation and computer entertainment division will serve as the drivers for the entire parent company. With the PlayStation 3, Sony hopes to merge content from its other divisions, such as Sony pictures and Sony music, by establishing a direct chain of distribution and by having the PlayStation 3 serve as the platform hub. Additionally, Sony's plans for the PS3 include online shopping functions, online banking, and other interactive Internet services. Naturally, some of these functions could be introduced to the mass market with the PlayStation 2, but Sony's digital convergence plans for the PS3 seem to be on a larger scale.

With the PlayStation 2 in relative infancy, specific details regarding its successor won't be revealed for some time. However, it is interesting to note Sony's interests in leveraging its other divisions by further proliferating the PlayStation brand in the mass market.

[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON JANUARY 25th 2001 ]

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Posted by Jepoy on 1/25/2001 06:58:00 PM | 0 comments |

Tuesday, January 23, 2001

[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON JANUARY 23rd 2001 ]

Square's first Final Fantasy title for the PlayStation 2 has been delayed in Japan.

Square has announced that it has delayed Final Fantasy X for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. Originally slated for release sometime in March, the game will not be released until at least July of this year. According to Square, the delay was necessary to ensure that FFX lives up to the standards of the series. The company currently hopes to sell 2.5 million copies of the game on the PlayStation 2.

[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON JANUARY 23rd 2001 ]

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Posted by Jepoy on 1/23/2001 07:28:00 PM | 0 comments |

Sunday, January 21, 2001

[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON JANUARY 21st 2001 ]

Another little rumor that has once again appeared is the one about Microsoft working on a handheld Xbox. The latest addition to the rumor is that the handheld system would be similar to Nintendo's GameBoy Advance, but feature 3D polygonal graphics.

Naturally, Microsoft is being very quiet about any entry into the handheld market, as they are 100% focused on releasing the XBOX and making it a success. If this handheld system does exist in any form, the soonest we should expect to hear about it would be in mid-2002.

[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON JANUARY 21st 2001 ]

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Posted by Jepoy on 1/21/2001 06:53:00 PM | 0 comments |

Friday, January 19, 2001

[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON JANUARY 19th 2001 ]



After the strangely wonderful experience that was Fear Effect, Eidos and Kronos have joined forces once again to tell the twisting, turning story of Deke, Hana, and Glas -- and Rain. For those who never played Fear Effect, the game successfully blended action, puzzles and storytelling via streaming technology over four massive discs. What drove Fear Effect was its shady characters and serpentine storyline, and what's sure to drive gamers to play Retro Helix is the origin of just how these vastly different characters became acquainted.

The three main characters are: Hana Tsu-Vachel, the beautiful Asian assassin, who's trained in both in love and death, but remains distant and unapproachable; Royce Glas, the master operative of counter intelligence; and Jakob "Deke" Decourt, a straight-out killer driven by cash and killing. The newest star in the lineup is Rain Qin, a close friend to Hana, with an enigma all her own.

The game begins with Hana and Rain alone, working their way out of an underground aqueduct where unpleasantness is definitely afoot. Gameplay frequently takes a break for disturbing cinematics designed to kick up the fear level - rats are chewed to pieces by minigun-packing security droids, disturbing figures set traps from afar, and Rain comes upon the aftermath of some kind of massacre, where droids prowl through the remnants of masked maintenance employees (or are they?). In between the shocks and gunplay, there are plenty of puzzles, although the progression from objective to objective is nothing too trying.

Just like in Fear Effect, Chinese myth and religion influence the game, and the brand new environments created specifically for Retro Helix portray these influences with delicacy and artistry. The game is set in several cities, each one most likely a disc of its own. The destinations include Hong Kong, Hell's Kitchen (New York City), the Walled City of Xi'an, the lost Tomb of the First Emperor of China, and the mountain-island of the immortals, Penglai Shan. The game actually includes eight unique locations, twice as many as the original.

The adventure tells how each character meets up with one another, but also ends up unraveling the story of Rain's "evil" twin sister, Mist, becoming tied into a seriously dangerous final encounter.

Using enhanced Motion FX3D technology (streaming technology), Kronos is able to load up essential aspects of the levels in the initial start-up sequence, after which each and every new level appears instantly, streaming straight off the CD and nearly eliminating the PlayStation's infamous load times altogether.

Improvements over the first game include more than 120 minutes of computer generated sequences, 800 camera angles (they have got to be very subtle to total 800!), no more load times after death sequences, a newly improved realtime inventory system, four playable characters (Rain being number four), 60-plus enemies, and lastly, hidden features and secrets that unlock with replay.

The Kronos team took more than 1 1/2 years to complete the first game, and it has had less than one year to complete a sequel. So while this game is scheduled to appear in Q4 2000, it's quite likely that it won't appear until January or even February 2001. Still, having grown to love the first, I am more than eager to get my hands on this vaunted prequel/sequel.

[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON JANUARY 19th 2001 ]

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Posted by Jepoy on 1/19/2001 07:06:00 PM | 0 comments |

Wednesday, January 10, 2001

[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON JANUARY 10th 2001 ]



When the Xbox is in town, no trade show is safe. After having conquered last year's GDC, wowing people at E3, and building momentum at the Tokyo Gameshow, Bill Gates has started 2001 with a blast by revealing the look of the console and controller during the keynote address at this year's CES -- taking place this very moment. Even WWF's The Rock is around to help add some starpower to the event. But celebrities or not, the hardware's the true star at this year's CES. Without further ado, take a look at the console and the controller that will be competing for your hearts this fall.

The signature green X makes an appearance as a jewel in the center of the console, but otherwise Microsoft has opted to keep things a sleek black, bringing back memories of the original Sega Saturn. Earlier iterations of the console sported a silver version of the X on top, but it looks as if the company has opted to go for a more monochromatic look, fitting with the current set of consoles on the market. Four controller slots, a power button, and a large eject button keep the front of the box simple, with the asymmetrical "Xbox" emblazoned CD tray cut discreetly to the left of center. The back of the box is filled with a fan, an audio/video out similar to the Dreamcast and the PlayStation 2, a power cable connection, and an Ethernet port for instant broadband access.



The console design may seem similar to a variety of past console systems, but the controller will look incredibly familiar to Dreamcast gamers, especially the button arrangement and shape of the Xbox gamepad. A list of the controller's features only deepens the resemblance:

* Eight-way D-pad, similar to the Sidewinder design
* Two analog sticks Two shoulder triggers (not pictured)
* Six pressure-sensitive analog buttons
* Dual slots for memory cards and other peripherals (not pictured) Built in rumble ability 9.5 foot cord

The cord length, rumble feature and analog buttons all point to the PlayStation 2 controller, but overall the look is striking in its resemblance to Sega's Dreamcast gamepad. For more information on the controller, make sure to check out our controller story.

Along with the hardware demonstration, today's keynote address was also an opportunity to demonstrate game demos running on the Xbox hardware, with two major titles being shown: Munch's Oddysee, and Malice. We'll have more impressions of the demonstrations later in the day.

While it had become clear that Microsoft's plan was to reveal the design of the system during 2001, no one guessed it would be quite so fast. After nine months of very little solid information, this year will be focused on key bits of information over the coming months, culminating in this year's E3. The next milestone in the Xbox's life will be this year's Gamestock, to take place in February of this year. Look for more game announcements, demos, and information about the system then

[ THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON JANUARY 10th 2001 ]

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Posted by Jepoy on 1/10/2001 06:33:00 PM | 0 comments |