Official sega dreamcast 0 jun 1999

Sega

Official

bit

GRAPHICS

TO RIVAL REALITY

>k 1

MODEM

FOR INTENSE ONLINE GAMING

im

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MORE THAN ANY OTHER SYSTEM EVER!

9 9.99 .

SEGA DREAMCAST GOES

INSIDE! DREAMCAST

NEWS PREVIEWS FEATURES REVIEWS

AND MORE!

NEW! JUNE 1999. ISSUE 0

Dreamcast 90210? Oh God,

no...

WELCOME... ....To

ful

the Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine- dedicated to the most power-

and exciting videogames console

modem

graphics engine and a

in

the world.

Armed with

a i28bit

that will allow you to surf the internet, play

massively multiplayer games and even e-mail your buddies- Sega

Dreamcast

It

is in

every way a next generation entertainment platform.

deserves a next generation magazine.

ahead of the game. Dedicated

Like the system, we're

work

you the

to bringing

complete world of Dreamcast every issue, our promise to you

is

that

we

will

tirelessly for the biggest exclusives- never flinching from asking the

We promise to furnish you with only the very best demos on our exclusive GD-ROM so that you can tough questions and never ever taking the PR

play before you pay and

in

We

game

will

never review a

arrives in the office-

we won't

through- from the start

But we're

official,

our reviews

menu

we aim

until it's

score

to the

it

to set a

until

standard.

it

we've played the whole thing

so we can't say what we want, right? Wrong. This maga-

Sega because

give you, the reader, the best value every issue. full

new

completely finished. And when

end sequence.

zine carries the official license from

with a disc

line.

of free

demos and

It

that's the best

way

to

means we can provide you

uninhibited access to Sega's legendary

and world-class development studios.

It

gives us the back-stage pass- and

that's better for you. But the door only swings

one way. Sega has absolute-

We We answer only to you.

are editorially independent-

ly

no say

in

the content of this magazine.

beholden to no-one.

So once again- welcome. Enjoy this sneak preview and ing forward to Septmeber,

join with us in look-

when the world's most powerful console

hits the

stores- coincidentally enough, just in time for Issue One. Looks

Christmas

is

coming

Simon Cox Editor In Chief

early...

like

i

DREAMCAST GD-ROM

WELCOME

SPIN

TOTH DISC! At

glance,

first

look like any

DCM’s

disc

may

your collection, but

in

much, much more. Simply pop

it’s

the disc into your Dreamcast, power up,

and

you’ll

no longer just read

about the hottest forthcoming

games

our pages - you can actu-

in

play

ally

months)

them weeks (and often in

advance of their

/

will

EMERALD COAST

around half-naked

Enemy smashing,

your idea of

isn’t

ring grabbing, a big

guy named Robotnik...

fun,

why not at least take control of someone who makes it their life’s work?

fat

controls diagram (see side panel) before

Hedgehog,

jumping

game on

star of this

it’s all

there,

but trust us, you’ll want to refer to the

month’s featured

the DC-ROM.

^

in spines-first.

year hiatus, and thanks to the modern

Once you’ve mastered the ^ demo, jet on over to our website at www.dreamcastmagazine.com and

miracle called the ‘demo,’ you can sam-

see

in

action after a nearly two-

also provide exclusive video inter-

ple the

est outing

the world of Dreamcast, video walk-

- which, consequently, we’ve

throughs and strategies for the

reviewed

toughest games, downloadable

IN

Yep, we’re talking about Sonic the

views with important figures from

VMU

OUT

painting yourself blue and running

He’s back

arrival

Every month, our disc

in stores.

f

first

level

in

from his

\

best time stacks up

against your fellow - obviously

lat-

Sonic Adventure

in full this

how your

much

slower - readers.

PGJ4

Happy spinning, and

ditch Tails

one

time for us, eh?

issue

(Supertest P24).

games, special saves, and cast

iron pick-up lines.

web browser

Plus, our special

makes

it

easy to go online with your

Dreamcast and check out the multitude of Internet-exclusive news, reports, contests,

goodies

we have

and other special

to offer at our

www.dreamcastmagazine.com website.

“Run, Sonic, run!” Playing hard to

Maintaining top speed through the

When

get with a killer whale

stage

is crucial, so no waiting around for that freakazoid fox.

Adventure's Emerald Coast

business

HANMGTROUBLE?

-

but

it

is

risky

sure looks great.

dolphins attack! Sonic

wouldn’t be right without them.

HOW TO... BLAST THROUGH STAGE ONE In

and our help they can

to. well, help, obviously. If

can't get the

still

do

line staff droids will

damn

S all

you

thing working,

replacement immediately with our compliments and probably

some phony

let-

ter from the editor.

er’s

intended to work

CD-ROM er-

in

your comput-

drive or a regular

it’s

CD

play-

only for Dreamcast, and

that’s the

way we’d

like to

keep

month’s

shave precious seconds

off

bypass

center.

for

them, as

has already done the legwork for

*

of these top-secret paths

is

D-Pad: Switches to a first-person view-

perform Sonic’s spin dash at

ramp

you’ll find after exiting the tunnel,

located mid-way through Emerald

hold hard right as you reach

Coast. Run along the steeply curved

Keep holding

rock wall (alongside the waterfall) and

beach below, and

make

sure to stay as far up as possible.

past an entire section of the stage.

You’ll

need to enter the small cave

in

you’ll

moment you

hit

the acceleration pads that lead into the

“corkscrew cavern” about a hundred

Publisher:

its

roundings

and

top.

you land on the have blown

Sega of America

look around at his sur-

A:

Jump

in

the air to perform a

(Tap again while

dash attack) B: Spin

Dash

X: Spin

Dash

Y:

Not Used

Contact: 1-800-555-7342

the level.

Another not-so-conventional shortcut involves leaping the

right until

at its will

CONTROLS Analog Stick: Walk and run

point, enabling Sonic to

Finally,

the base of the incredibly steep

you. first

KH M

the corkscrew and send you

your total

straight through the tunnel’s

DCM

propel you ahead

2

will

won’t have to poke around

end, where a series of springboards

9 - 555-4357

just encountered. Getting the

timing just right

will

time once uncovered. Fortunately, you

The

You should also note that the disc isn't

yards after the shortcut you

demo stage on GD-ROM contains a

onic Adventure’s this

handful of hidden shortcuts that

Online:

www.sega.com

R: Rotate L:

camera

Rotate camera

right left

:

s EGA RA LL AND

GET

Mittal laTT

N

othing’s

more

relaxing after a congested,

on the highway than

stressful drive

DRIVE

IN

firing

!

VMUDOWNLOADS

Stratos boasts the best acceleration of the two,

up

while the Celica

is

an all-around good handler.

your Dreamcast and getting behind the wheel of another car - one that, unlike your own, can be

Whichever you choose, you won’t be caught short of horsepower - these cars tear up the gravel with

rammed

into

Batmobile-like ease.

injury or

irksome lawsuits.

that

DCM

Rally

traffic

without

It’s

risk of bodily

with this goal

in

this

month’s DC-ROM.

starting up the

demo,

you’ll

Lancia

demo course, speed on over to DCM’s website www.dreamcast magazine.com and upload your

best time for comparison against those of your

skills

up to snuff

in

pals to

How

our

To section, which starts on page 30.

friends

light-

f

V

\

[

\

tell

your

"VMU Downloads" main menu of the GD-

highlight "Super Chao," hit the

"A" button, and he’ll be downloaded and in no time flat. For ^ more information on Sonic’s

ready to race l^rUOtO'

Back up through

cute comrades, be sure to read

our Sonic Adventure Supertest

Hand brake Change view

review, which starts on page 24.

R: Accelerator L:

him

select the

option from the

items

menus Y:

instill in

where you got him, eh?

first

ROM. Now

X:

f

with

animal

To get our extra-special Chao onto your

D-Pad: Digital

B:

dynamo

dashing good looks. Just don’t

VMU,

Analog steering

menu

sized

ening fast speed, not to mention

GO»

The

Stick:

A: Select

e’ve bred this pint-

only the best and most skilled of Sonic’s

Toyota Celica.

W

"

fel-

low readers. You’ll find more pointers on getting your racing

Stratos and

CONTROLS

SONIC

and turn of

twist

the at

be presented

with two cars: the

Analog

Once you’ve mastered every

mind

has slapped a playable track from Sega

2 onto

Upon

opposing

Publisher:

Brake

Sega of America

Contact: 1-800-555-7342 Online:

Ready, set, go! Keep the pedal to

Practicing proper cornering tech-

the metal and you’ll have no

nique

problem leaving your competi-

nudging other cars never hurts, eh?

tion in the dust.

is

www.seg a.com

Hurtling full-throttle into pud-

essential to winning, but

dles will

off the track

muddy your

car

-

PROFILE

just

don’t let this cool effect distract

In

you from the track ahead.

the

this

DCM

month

hot seat is

Bernie

Stolar, president

and

chief operating officer

of

EXCLUSI V DREAMCAST

T starts

the

on page

gills

o compliment DCM’s extensive

Game Show coverage which issue’s GD-ROM is packed to

Tokyo

6, this

with exclusive video footage from every single

Dreamcast game displayed at the three-day Japanese event - many of which you’ll see previewed in these pages in

the coming months.

each of the more than 25 games

PREVIEW minute So,

if

clip

you’re

is

represented by a two-

and accompanied by our running commentary. in

the

mood

for a

sneak peak at the games of

option on the DC-ROM’s main

2000, go for the “Watch

It!”

menu and

some popcorn.

grab yourself

Viewing pointers: Hitting the “A” button

will

video, and hitting “B” kicks you back out to the selection

From Sega’s Shenmue to From Software’s Frame Gride,

Sega of America.

menu. Pressing “Y”

trol that lets to

special

will

pause the

game

moments.

-

extra-

r IIqSMHI v v '

bring up a VCR-style con-

move frame-by-frame though those

•.

jmSSt

,

i

Frame Gride Watch

it

on the disc now!

3

_

OfficialS'Sega.

Dreamcast Magazine

Magazine Editor In Chief

SIMONCOX

CONTENTS

Art Director GREGOR Yf/4/V

Senior Editor

RANDY NELSON Reviews Editor

FRANCESCAff£>T5 Jason Brookes Editorial Contributor

Aaron Lauer J.C.

Photography

024 SON

01 6 SEGA' S

Marketing Manager

Standish

SHENMUE ADVENTURE

OFFICIAL SEGA DREAMCAST MAGA2INE Imagine Media, Inc. 1 50 North Hill Drive, Brisbane CA 94005

EDITORIAL

4684 fax: 415. 468. 4686 email: scox@imaginemedia.com

voice: 415. 468.

voice: 415. 468.

4684 x123

fax: 415. 468.

4686

email: cpovio@imaginemedia.com

you have questions about a subscription, please contact: Customer Service 800. 678. 3643 email: subscribe@imaginemedia.com with "Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine" as the subject If

ADVERTISING DOUG LORI

FAUST publisher

HOVLAND

AND OVER AND THERE'S WE BRING YOU THE FULL STORY ON THE GAME THAT COULD CHANGE THE WAY YOU IT'S

ADVERTISING

regional advertising

manager

TAKEN FOUR YEARS

20 MILLION DOLLARS

STILL

A WAY TO

PLAY FOREVER

GO

-

YET.

SONIC SPINS BACK INTO ACTION!

WE

RATE THE

GAME THAT YOU CAN'T

AFFORD TO MISS

DOWN ON

-

PLUS!

THE LOW-

THE LEVELS, THE SECRETS,

THE CONTROLS, AND HOW TO BREED YOUR OWN A-LIFE 'CHAO' THING!

CHRIS POVIO regional advertising manager

PRODUCTION RICHARD LESOVOY production

director

JOSE URRUTIA production coordinator

IMAGINE MEDIA.

INC.

KATE BAILEY subscription director

BRUCE ELDRIDGE newsstand director THEA SELBY newsstand manager JENNIFER CARSON

direct marketing specialist

CHRISTOPHER BOILY newsstand mktg. analyst

020 FEATURE imagine IMAGINE MEDIA,

INC.,

150 North Hill Dr.. Brisbane, CA 94005 (415)468-4684 www.imaginemedia.com

CHRIS ANDERSON CEO TOM VALENTINO vice president/CFO HOLLY KLINGEL

vice president/circulation

CHARLES SCHUG

general counsel

IMAGINE ENTERTAINMENT DIVISION: JONATHAN SIMPSON-BINT president MATT FIRME vice president/editorial director J.C.

STANDISH

vice president/marketing

DREAMCAST 101 EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO DREAMCAST BUT WERE

KNOW ABOUT

AFRAID TO ASK. WELL, ALMOST...

DIRECT

006

TOKYO GAME SHOW

REPORT, PLUS!

NAMCO'S

DREAMCAST GAME!

FIRST

ZONE

010

RPG NEWS FEATURING CLIMAX LANDERS AND GRANDIA

2

CRAZY TAXI GAMES TO

Oil SEGA'S LATEST

COIN-OP TAKES DRIVING

012

WORLD

THE NEXT LEVEL

DREAMCAST REPORTAGE FROM JAPAN AND EUROPE,

PLUS!

IMPORT NEWS

SHINYONATHENISHIGAKI STINGER CREATOR CONFESSES DCM

0 4 1

BLUE

SOON: SHENMUE

0 6 1

THE GAME THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING

020 ALL

YOU NEED TO KNOW

-

SONIC RETURNS

HOW TO

030 WE

-

BUT

IS IT

-

REVEALED

DREAMCAST 101 THING TO OWNING

IT'S

THE NEXT BEST

ONE!

SONIC ADVENTURE YOU HOPED FOR? READ OUR REVIEW

024

028

COUCH

ALL

ALL

IN-DEPTH

NATION GET ONLINE WITH DREAMCAST

IN FIVE

SHOW YOU HOW TO

BEAT

MINUTES FLAT

SEGA RALLY THE CLOCK, AND THE BENDS

TO. ..BEAT

BLUE STINGER CREATOR, SHINYA NISHIGAKI, TALKS SHOP AND (COUGH!) SMOKES A LOT ON PAGE 14

o

LIFTOFF! Airport Limousine

FOR DREAMCAST AT TOKYO GAME

Bus

M

s well as giving the world

SHOW

its first

taste of Shenmue, the Tokyo

Game Show

played host to around

other forthcoming Dreamcast

fifty

games - demonstrating plenty of thirdparty commitment for the system.

Sega knows that for Dreamcast to succeed, it needs to cover a number of popular genres

-

namely

driving, fight-

and RPGs and they were

ing, sports

all

well provided for (and a few decidedly

odd Japanese ones besides

-

see side

panel).

As the surging tide of Japanese gaming press flooded into the cavernous Makuhari Messe convention center,

DCM

used

its

long-legged

advantage to break early for the Sega booth, arriving seconds before Gaijin

the hordes and securing a stint on

Shenmue- Sega genius designer Yu Sega’s booth

Suzuki's epic action adventure.

We

are

Shenmue tion,

so

and

much

is is

happy to report that only months from comple-

to say about

Shenmue,

preview to what To get the

full

scoop, turn

and then come back here for the low-down

to

page

16,

of those

in

center of attention, with top titles

3tb, and

it

Sega's own Virtua Fighter

drew a great deal of

est from the press

-

as much-

which ran along side

__

if

inter-

may

it.

Capcom's

title

not look like a technical,

sprites lit

up the Sega booth. tions

MENI/VTIGHTS Namco weighed

its

with

its

superb

arcade conversion of fighting game,

Soul Calibur, to make good on the

Tecmo’s Dead or Alive 2 gave

Shenmue

a run for

its

money

in

the

the

left of

the ‘huh?’ department).

promise

it

made

to support

Sega as

long ago as last September. The char-

‘wow’ department (located just to It

acter models are a generation ahead

and detailed cartoon anima-

make

it

the best example yet of

when

playable code

Calibur,

will

be

available.

Sega took care of those who their fights a

Giant

Gram

little

like

less improvised with

wrestling which

was good

laugh.The only real disappoint-

ment was SNK's King of Fighters Match 1999 -which was still funny- but in

a ‘laughing at

it,

not with

it’

sort of

way. The crappy resolution of the

kind.

As in

saying

for a

erm... 'marvel', but the oversized

that

Shenmue, Soul

consisting mostly of journalists. Yikes!

not

more, than the 2D Marvel vs Capcom,

on the other hot Dreamcast titles

-

in

we have dedicated our lead we saw at the show.

fact, that

was once again the

and The House of the Dead 2 pulling the crowds

visually amazing. There's

for that other

chise- Biohazard -

of Code: Veronica

Capcom

all

was

that

fran-

what shown

a couple of min-

utes of video. They were great minutes, featuring giant spiders

usual assortment of

humans

their expiration dates, but

and the well past

no-ones

sprites,

coupled with severely dated-

looking animation

make

it

an excel-

lent candidate for next issue's Disc

Inferno.

Flying the flag for sports

Let's

Make A

were

Professional Baseball

Team and Soccer Team games from

looks amazing.

NEWSCAST** SNK announced that its handheld

6

Neo Geo Pocket

Color system will be coming to the States this

month

HOTi/MESAKE

Sega, which play well enough and

Software's Frame Gride, which

mix management strategy with

showed potential. This arena-based robot combat game was running

arcade style action.

Shenmue: at the

Coin-op conversion Get Bass was least three

modem

against

unknown opponents from

people stopped and

one combat

everything a fish-

here fishes, so

right.

It

all

resented-

person action.

first

even

one available

mated characters and

smelled fishy

phere than the

(although that

ly

sushi lunch packs).

DCM comman-

quiet

Sunday evening.

“

real star of the

undoubtedly Tecmo's Dead or Alive 2 -

remedy to Maken

X,

incredibly

and

own

is

Calibur.

version to match the coin-op pixel-

wherever

it

a

the 30 year huge turnout

rears its metallic

head

in

Japan. Which explains the crush sur-

rounding

Gundam Side Story.

in

for-pixel. For

to

page

more on

this

title,

turn

8.

With just four months to go before the

US

launch, the Tokyo

with third-person stomping-around,

Game Show proved that Dreamcast is just now beginning to reveal its

Bandai has captured well the

potential as the greatest

Blending first-person mech combat

feel of

marching about the landscape

200 tons of steel.

The same goes

for

in

From

ished, but already lookir like a complete disaster

home

wide Anime

illicits

title

even

The version

Sega's Dreamcast-based arcade board, Naomi, so expect the

circuit too),

average arcade

currently running on

(and pretty popular on the world-

Gundam

Air Force Delta: Doh! Konami debut with a very

Virtua Fighter 3tb-

significantly better than

Namco's Soul the movie

the country

Ramen...”

complex character models. The detail of the in-game models is just breathtaking - way ahead of Sega's

the most popular giant

to defeat the evil genius

could just play Get Bass

which looked absolutely stunning.

Shown on a giant screen at Tecmo's booth, the game boasts the most

low start for Konami.

it

was

knock-off of

HEAVYMETAL

I

my brain turns to

terms of visuals)and the

pretty average

Namco's arcade hit Ace Combat. A competent, but shal-

can just reach that fishing controller,

Octopus! Or

until

perfect

a

I

I

Dr.

show, however

looking forward to

some Top Gun dog-

If

maybe can use

HELLOBOYS! The

Air Force Delta,

fights, only to find

old

comes good with this incredible arcade conversion

a particular-

(at least in

in

Soul Calibur: Namco

atmos-

less

moon on

deered Konami's

robot/mech franchise

Dead or Alive 2: Shown on video only- it’s the most impressive looking Dreamcast title yet

neatly

as well as gun games

for-

the form of the complete and

ing plodding controls, poorly ani-

could have been the

Still

(in

Regrettably, the only

which seems

about

accounted

was Maken X from Atlus- a textbook example of how not to do it, featur-

reel

and you could turn it,

and driving games

only one genre remained underrepa

it's

tell,

had the

it

flying

superb The House of The Dead 2)

ing controller

should be. No-one

but

particularly engaging-

With fighting, wrestling, sports,

new controller, which we can report its

hard to

wit..

and personal.

and Sega provided

little

Fully

of action

pitching you

the booth

and two picked up the controller and made fishing faces) it,

is

-

one of the other demo stations on - which made the one-on-

also pulling the crowds (well, at

stared at

built in

show,

taking visuals and plenty

online via the Dreamcast's 33.6Kb

GETF/SA/yWID’/r

games

machine ever made. Sega’s promise

Capcom has

a strong

plete Marvel vs

show with the com-

footage of Biohazard Code: Veronica.

US launch

no word on a release date beyond ‘1999’

is

right

on

target.

King of Fighters Dream

Match 1999: A nightmare!

Capcom and more video

of at least ten top-tier titles for the

Still

'COLDiMITSUSHI ' priced at $80

and can be linked

to the

Dreamcast via a cable

Core Design announced Fighting Force 2 for Dreamcast

7

/

BACKTOTHE FUTURE t’s

obvious that

/ someone at UKbased Criterion Studios has fond memories of

Back to the Future

BOUNCINGE4CJT

its first

game,

2 TAKES FIGHTING GAMES VIRTUAL PIN-UPS - TO THE NEXT LEVEL

DEAD OR ALIVE -

AND

2, as

Dreamcast Velocity:

Trickstyle,

borrows

heavily from the film to

create an experience

H

ard at work on Sega’s Dreamcast-driven Naomi arcade hardware, the talented staff at Tecmo - more specifically, the keenly-named ‘Team Ninja’ - are lending their fighting game know-how to a fabulous looking sequel to 32bit fighting favorite Dead or Alive. Boasting the

that’s

two parts Top

Skater and one part

most exquisitely detailed characters yet seen in a fighting title (which, consequently, have been animated entirely by hand - yes, even their bouncy bits). Dead or Alive 2 also makes strides in

3D

re-defining the ly vast.

Many

fighting arena itself. Rather than simple walted-in affairs, the stages are utter-

include whole annexes into which the melee spills over, whether by throwing your

opponent through windows or off waterfalls. Like Virtua Fighter 3tb, DOA2 also features tagteam play, but, unlike Sega’s fighter, your partners are always visible on the sidelines and can leap into battle mid-match without so much as a stutter.

Wipeout.

It’s

the

year 2066, and the world’s population

has taken

up anti-gravity

means combat the boredom brought racing as a

to

on by global “Gnnnr! Gnnnr! Gnnnrrr!” “What It’s

did you say?” Hulk Hogan’s stunt-

Ranger clones

pick-up line on Kasumi. Guess

what happens

peace. Nine char-

Spice Girls

acters are selectable,

wannabes versus Power

double, Bass, tests his latest

©TECMO, LTD.

in

and racing takes place in four locales - London, New York, Cairo, Tokyo -

a battle

for the future of fashion.

1^96.1999

next...

Let’s

hope they both

lose,

eh?

each holding a myriad of shortcuts to uncover.

Tricks are central to the

package, and

CU

1 1

iNGHiiis

this in

ugely popular

in

arcades, Namco’s third

3D

weapons-based fighter is officially - and exclusively - bound for Dreamcast release.

Namco

unveiled a fully-playable version of

Calibur at Tokyo

attack, training, spectator,

team

play.

Namco

is

chances are good that

company

for

it

Dreamcast

may be in

in

the

title’s

first

of

fouris

and PC players also a

success, and

many from

with

mode

the cards, with online

play between Dreamcast

and Virtua Fighter 3tb-\\ke tag-

confident of the

it’s

mind that a

player half-pipe

SOUL CALIBUR UNDERGOES A SIGNIFICANT TUNE-UP FOR DREAMCAST

distinct possibility.

the

coming months.

Game Show this

March, and the bevy of promised Dreamcast-only enhancements were already play. Vastly

in

improved character detail

and animation are the most prominent byproducts of the re-tooling, although the rock-solid

play

is

60 frames-per-second game-

certainly not to be discounted.

Also to be expected five

new

in

Racing luge-style yields

the final product are

play modes: versus, survival, time

more speed, while going Soul Calibur: Better visuals, more features than coin-op.

head-first allows for

basic combat.

STOP PRESS! Sega president and COO Bernie

Stolar has confirmed a price

and date

for

US Dreamcast

-

$199 on 9/9/99

\

:

SON'fA GUN

S

hiny has singled out

Canadian developer

BioWare to deliver a Dreamcast follow-up to darkly comedic action

its

game, MDK. predecessor,

Unlike

its

MDK2

has you controlling

three distinct characters

over the course of

NBA BASKETBALL 2000 Basketball 2000

game, Kurt Hectic Armored Coil

is

Suit intact, he

other basketball

play for

lision physics.

comes into stages where

coaches and cials,

stadiums.

individually

i-.^s

'

k/*\i

),

indi-

Add

60 frames-

brisk

Rounding out the

per-second game-

lot is

-j'-v

\

in

weapons simultaneously.

Hfl

v

Hawkins,

excels at combining

items MacGuyver- style to

MDK2

just

be looking at

the most realistic

hoops game

create exotic super-

remains

to

Shaq takes a time

date.

for

out,

presumably

from the filming of Kazam! 2, to fea-

a purely single-player affair.

game

modeled

,

wield up to four

weapons.

NBA

mind: ultra-realism. The

modeled

who can

Dr.

in

detailed facial animation, and true-to-life ball and col-

Sega also promises more than 400

offi-

and 28

vidually

who

developed by Visual Concepts, and with the same ultimate goal

title,

,

his jet-

pack-donning dog Max,

the elderly

along with the system this September. As with NFL Football 2000,

players, polygonal

and pin-point

accuracy are needed.

Joining Kurt

is

title

boasts more than four times the motion-captured moves per player of any

returns.

stealth

DRIVES FOR ULTRA-REALISM

provide an unprecedented breadth of available genres at Dreamcast’s launch, Sega has committed to

V. delivering a second sports

nine stages. Hero of the first

HOOPDREAMS M^een to

its

ture

"We’re trying to go

in

the most jaw-droppingly

realistic basketball simulation ever.

more of a story-based

action-adventure game,

more so than MDKi was," says BioWare co-

founder Greg Zeschuk.

ia -

1

In

development concurrently with the PC version,

WRIST CTION

MDK2 will

simultaneously on both

£1 #%

formats this September.

Shock timepieces, the sky

"I

premiere

think the Dreamcast

blue

s the latest addition to

Casio’s growing line of G-

DW-9000 G-Lide

some ways

sents the pinnacle of

be the best looking of the

sports watch design.

version will

in

two, since that’s the one we’re spending the

It

most

lit

repre-

stopwatch, and

it’s

easier to

never been

manage

life in-

Dreamcast games.

and tough as

MDK2 videogame child of

Answers on

a

postcard, please.

Cool Boarders from

nails,

so even

won’t be.

UEP Systems

Price:

Contact: www.casio.com

Japan

in

title

since the

i6bit days,

and early glimpses suggest

may usher

in

a

new

June, featuring

it

level of realism for the is

gener-

ated via players that possess more than 1,300 motion-captured

moves

apiece, polyg-

onal sideline crowds, and 32 painstakingly re-created stadiums - right

down

to the

3D

spectators. Sega also plans to include an

Dreamcast

$140

Manufacturer: Casio

will hit

its

this

be accompanied

football

on-the-fly play editor

or love

Timothy Leary and

H.R. Geiger?

it

will

it

first

genre. This unprecedented realism It’s

you’re sleeping with the

fishes,

a

Genesis,

When Dreamcast makes

by Sega’s

also waterproof to 200 meters

when

Madden on

immediately at the launch of a new system.

September,

between rounds with your favorite

games have become

ootball

yearly staple since the massive

way onto US shelves cal-

endar-in other words,

F

but never has one been available

display, multi-

function alarm,

Zeschuk surmises.

SEGA HITS THE FIELD WITH NFL FOOTBALL 2000 success of EA’s

features a back-

time optimizing,"

KICK

VMU

which

utilizes

the

as a personal viewing screen,

Hyper-realistic physics

and player animation are

so your opponent won’t see the plays you’re

a given, but what about

running against them.

the beer and pork rinds?

trick, trial,

and half-pipe modes plus two-player racing

9

s

TIMEtV/U TELL CLIMAX LANDERS

O

ne

titles for

COMING. TIME TO DIG OUT THOSE

IS

AGRANDIA ENTRANCE

EARS

PIXIE

Dreamcast’s other big RPG on comes courtesy of the company responsible for some of

most anticipated

of the

the horizon

both US and

Japanese gamers

is

Climax’s

latest role-playing effort,

Climax

Landers. Close to release

in

the most successful and beloved role-playing titles on the Saturn,

Japan,

GameArts. Barring the system-sell-

Landers borrows both concepts and characters from

its

ing achievement of Red Co.’s

own back-catalog some

Sakura Taisen series, GameArts’

of RPGs, while promising to offer

character-driven RPG, Grandia,

new

features

.

Responsible for a compelling reason to

Landstalker on the Genesis and Dark

Dreamcast

and

uphold

whose expert handling

cial

battle

the

an elder

in his village to

dle of his to the

is

Now

solve the

the world of Climax Landers

rid-

nothing short of a graphical show-

show

has

is

able to travel to different

The multi-talented Sword

0&

of Landers’

fame

fight large bird creatures (bottom left)

will

have a chance to time travel

and chat up some

girls

do the screenshots

off impressive lighting effects

and detailed character designs, GameArts has also announced that Grandia II will support two players.

How this feature will be implemented into gameplay is unknown, how-

through history. As a result,

Sword

ever,

(bottom right)

it

is

known

original with

One

of

my

favorite

games on

the

Saturn continues to be Panzer

expect any sequels to the game on the Dreamcast or does Team still

Andromeda own

prehistoric sites. Therefore, fully

Dragoon Saga. My question is, now with the news that Team Andromeda has parted ways with SEGA, can we

expect to be standing

check out

line

you can

in

warrior)

in

on any kind of sequels to the the develop-

ment team has disbanded. Sega retains

all

still

the rights to the series

and therefore, there’s nothing preventing them from delivering a Dreamcast Panzer Dragoon Saga II. Oh- and by the way- you’re not real are you? You’re just a for the

purposes of

made-up

letter

this prototype.

summer

similar

in

concept to those

ESP’s Evolution, Climax’s president,

Hiroshi Naito

comments

that "dun-

and Marion

(a

beginner and progressively power up."

made

That said, you’ll need as much help as

the success of

its

name

And with

for the its

most part

off

RPGs

the

action

VMU

in

possible from Sword’s party

past.

which include

more than 10 mini-games that allow players to swap monsters that they’ve

ed games

in

captured as well as participating

Grandia

has a

elfin thief

from

who made

her debut

in

Darkness. Also onboard

Shining is

mage in the

Lady (the

it

here

time for the launch.

be more action-oriented

would make sense; Climax has

Landstalker, as well as Marlin, a

more

for a

than most RPGs from the early versions of Landers which

Climax’s Genesis action-RPG

in

Japan, you

Christmas? Maybe.

geons change each time you enter

alumni as Lyle the

in

wooden female puppet).

Combat appears to

them. You enter each dungeon as a

members such esteemed RPG

release

probably won’t see

half-human, half-lion in

Incorporating randomly-generated

of the main

mature form. Slated

Ladystalker), Rao

princesses and knights the next.

many

characters returning

from the

(a

that

game simply because

artist

one moment, and speaking with

dungeons

PDS is one of our favorite Sega RPGs as well, and you can expect Sega won’t be halting produc-

female martial Japan-only

the

of a convenience store

intellectual rights to

the franchise?

tion

that the sequel

takes place four years after the periods, including 1980’s Japan and

*

itself in

polygon power, gamers can expect case. Not only

also

is

to a space-time shift that

the power to warp characters back and forth

entrenched

set to

citizens residing

on the group of three small continents,

home

firmly

with Dreamcast, GameArts

do it all again. But, this time around with the system’s incredible processing speed and is

chosen by

homeland. Apparently, much

dismay of the

system wooed gamers and

game

the hallowed halls of classic RPGs.

ability for a spe-

type of magic, Sword

massive world and clever

Grandia’ it.

of the

blade grants him his moniker Sword.

Possessing an innate

his childhood friend, Sue,

first trip into

territory looks to

At the game’s forefront stands the hero,

was

a

Following the adventures of Justin

earned a strong reputation from RPG fans and the company’s

own

Saturn and learn Japanese.

Savior on the Saturn, Climax has

full

support for

breeding and "casino-type"

Climax Landers

is

a sure bet for

release. Can’t wait.

in

activities,

US

Possibly one of the most anticipat-

and

it

II

Dreamcast’s lineup,

looks like

lot to live it

will.

up

to,

ARCADE

SEGACO//VO/NEWS

CRAZY TO ME? THERE'S NOBODY

"YOU

F

TALKIN'

reedom within a bustling

city is

the core

Japanese

chucks you

labs. Crazy Taxi

of a bright yellow open-top cab

in

in

the seat

San Francisco

and offers one objective - to pick people up the roadside and get

them

to their

chosen

lower

tip is

we found

around the at

first.

be

there’s a

city trying to

a

made by hunting streets)

Rally look like a lesson in simulating car

this.

either.

no slouch

the visual department

in

Packing Naomi technology under

its

hood

perhaps the best

is

evi-

dence yet of just how good Sega’s new console at

is

throwing polygons around the screen. Streets

unravel

humor and

and everything runs

in to

the distance with

720°- perhaps no coincidence since the creator’s previous project was the excellent skateboarding

tic lighting

sim Top Skater.

and

really scores in

its

use of

the Dreamcast version, that could

in

mean

a slightly longer wait. Here’s hoping for a

multi-player rumble between rival cab

compa-

nies...

minimum pop-up

it

realis-

and shadows -

find another

expressed a desire to implement extra features

at a silky

smooth 6ofps, but where

Atari skateboarding classic

most pessimistic Dreamcast owner would doubt its imminent transferal.

However, with the developers having already

is

(see box-out), Crazy Taxi

garish hues of Crazy Taxi also reminds

which

sole, only the

But this

out shortcuts (often narrow

at

Powerstone and House of the Deadhave jumped across to the home con-

all

ram as much as possible

Given the

speed

a racer, power-

jumps and even acceleration/braking are possible while you’re weaving in and traffic trying to keep a cool head. It’s very 70s cop show car chase. And it works a

treat.

and accruing as many time

age old

in

looks as vibrant as

of the most exaggerat-

out of the

bonuses as possible. Funnily enough, the urban slightly of

some

combos

tendency to career

But as with L.A Riders, progress can only

one-way

Sega

slides,

is

Packed with pedestrians and dense with other traffic,

and comi-

exaggerated dynamics of Crazy Taxi make

ed driving moves yet seen

at

some passengers, though their way of letting you know.

not appreciated by

ultra fast

cally

physics. Employing

desti-

nation as swiftly as possible. Reckless driving

ELSE HERE..."

terms of handling, the

In

appeal of the latest coin-op from Sega’s

game

try

that Not

all

fares are

happy with the

Some

T

on your car

echnically there are few differences

ster-

you pro-

ling service vide.

take if

it

out

they sus

pect you tried to scare

between Dreamcast and Naomi apart from an extra amount of RAM on the motherboard and the code being mounted in ROM, instead of on CD. This means that the conversion process is relatively straightforward and only

them, or otherwise reduce their

life

expectancy.

tweaks such as reducing the number of textures are required for it to run on Dreamcast.

Perhaps the most encouraging aspect though is that Naomi is cheap and is therefore facilitating slightly greater creative risks within

Sega. Apart from planned multi-screen efforts such as Airline Pilots and Ferrari 355, some be Giant Gram All Japan Pro-Wrestling 2) will even feature cross compatibility between the Dreamcast’s VMS and the coin-op - simply plug your VMS into the arcade cabinet and your favorite trained characters will become active on the big screen.

Sega says a further two or three games will

titles (the first will

utilize this cross-fertilization of

code this year.

Sega’s Crazy Taxi: You race around the city picking up fares and dropping them off at their destinations best fares are usually the most difficult to get to, but pay more. There’s a time-limit, of course, and

them down with your taxi-

at least not before they’ve paid the

bill.

it’s

in

as

best

little

if

time as possible. The

you don’t try to

Expect this one to arrive on Dreamcast before the year

is

mow

out.

DCJAPAN

GAMING NEWS FROM THE TOKYO BUREAU

lil-ililiJi-l.t-LiXilxli.li-la.t

IMAGE PROCESSING Sega’s current wave of ads in Japan are something of a departure from previous campaigns and feature Sega General Manager Yukawa Hidekazu trapped in a sinister daydream where children are not what they seem. Below is a translation of this latest media salvo- along

i

J

with our

own

interpretation of events...

..Li.t.l-tl.i.li-ljJ-

1

-U.i-i-lxLi.l-i

1

1 1 1

1 1 ! .

Translation: Hidekazu

Appearing

appears on a mountain-top-

the charming Hidekazu into a

they

friendly,

lull

Suddenly- their eyes turn

.

i .

liULiltLLUUUlJxIil-iXUiL.ltlj.ljJjXii-iluUijUlii.l.-LLLl

dressed, in a Saville

some

with

Row suit

false

sense of security. "Sega

has changed", they

children

cry.

"

black and they scream: "No! It’s

We don’t need we want PlayStation!"

a joke!

Sega-

Really?" replies Hidekazu

ZIMPORTG AMEQFTH EMONTH GET BASS It’s

Bowling

Tour.

dub: “Hello. I’m looking

to buy

some

children for a top

"You can have

my sister for

secret government project

100 Yen. She’s the one

codenamed

yellow hat."

Akira."

in

the

"No! You can’t have her! You can’t

buy any of us!

We’re...Children of the Corn!"

either your idea of heaven or officially the

least interesting sport this side of the Seniors

comes

DCM

Lawn

Whichever side you find yourself on when it Bass will have you dreaming of elecweeks to come.

to fishing. Get fish for

tric, er...

Currently only available on import, Sega’s bass fishing

sim

is

a pixel-perfect port of

its

arcade classic of the

same

name- with an added ‘consumer mode’ featuring extended multi-stage tournaments

the option to fish as the fairer sex and access to your very own tackle box.

Not convinced? Play it, and you’ll be (ahem) hooked.

With the time limit ticking down, and the ever present danger of losing a big catch, Get Bass is a lot more exciting than you might at first assume. Catch a ‘Big One!’ and you’ll realize just

how

you’ll get right

,

game can get. Lose one, and there for another go - every time.

satisfying a

back

in

Oh

no! Hidekazu has been

duped by demons!

"Children of the Corn!

I

wish

I

had a big hole

Oh in

Suddenly, the ground opens

His secretary has caught

up and swallows ladies-man

the worldly Hidekazu sleep-

Hidekazu

ing on the

the

As

if

by magic...

Luckily, his fall is

But for the ultimate thrill-ride (or what passes for the fishing community), you should buy the bun-

office.

thrills in

a

dle and get your hands on the fishing controller. It has a litgyroscope hidden inside for detecting your arm movements so that you can cast your line without using a button.

Of course, you look sort of stupid doing it, unlike real fish-

j

tle

fjgfs

ing (apparently).

*

Y5800 ($50) Developer: Sega Price:

•ir’”"’”

PublishenSega

"Are you okay?

Yes," he replies.

Online:

‘

she asks.

"

Hidekazu reflects on his nightmare.

No

Multiplayer: No Peripherals:

VMU,

Fishing Controller

"

The Children

of the Corn

are here to see you, “

Hidekazu.

Mr

broken by

an exact replica of his own

ground to jump into!"

Origin: Japan

job...

no!

"Perhaps this giant logo protect

me?" He

thinks,

emerging from the desk.

will

TWO/WO/V7WSWITHOUT7WZ.E7PAPER!

SAMEDIFFERENCE Okay- so we admit

it,

If

there are other

Dreamcast magazines worth looking at on the planet- but they’re in Japan. The

now supports

Game Show.

Japan’s

is

magazine

‘interactive’ areas

in this

covered by -yep- an eggplant.

case, we’d be sort of relieved

if it

didn’t.

a room with his only sustenance for 15 months

Sunday night. His first several meals consisted of nothing more than the Tokyo equivalent of Alpo, and it took him months to win toilet paper.

Spying an opportunity for a game, Tokyo-based publisher Hudson (better known for its hit Bomberman

picked up while at

DC Dreamcast

his,

but

in

being whatever he could win through entering competitions in magazines, airing his plight for 15 minutes every

official

with a naked cartoon Nasubi-

Nasubi (which translates as ‘eggplant’), the show locked

him

Dreamcast magazines the best two of which the Tokyo

show - complete

ahem,

We would usually be the first to bemoan the fact that Japanese games so rarely make the leap to the States,

four different

we

the

Japanese variety show Susunu Denpa Shonen (Don’t go for It, Electric Boy!). Taking an unemployed comic named

magazine market over there

you thought the Truman Show or EDTV took telefar, then wait ‘til you get a load of

vision a step too

for

our beloved system and

has created the interactive Dreamcast version of

titles)

has been around since

December

of last year.

GD-ROM

Oddly, the free is

packaged with

DCEUROPE

Softbank’s ‘Dreamcast Magazine’unofficial, but equally unrivalled in

terms of news, previews and

pages

full

mad Manga

of readers soft-porn

And before you

illustrations.

TRANS-ATLANTIC DREAMCAST NEWS

ask, no.

Not ever. Keep them to yourself.

DRIVERS W4/V7E0 METROPOLIS STREET RACER GATHERS SPEED Follow that car! Metropolis Street Racer features cars from Europe, Japan

As Cozy

Taxi (see

page

and the USA

11)

-

and some of the most amazing lighting effects ever!

demonstrates, the Next Big Thing

when

comes

it

city driving.

to racing

games

is

called him up...

BW:

If

4

that.. just hit, I

Racing around a

city

throws

an erm.. rabbit

or something.’

you’ve ever wanted

up many challenges..hang on a

DCM:

to take part

minute..’ (screeching of brakes).

big rabbit, Brian.We could

hear the

chase, complete with screaming

DCM: ‘Brian?’

BW: ‘Sorry. Now where were we?

pedestrians, empty cardboard

Challenges. The main one

boxes and (inexplicably) chickens, then Metropolis Street Racer will

maintain accuracy and a feel

take you there.

structure

real

a

in

Hollywood

car-

Racing through London, San Francisco and Tokyo, you’ll be

map

at each stage

in

one

of twenty different licensed sports cars that include the Acura NSX, Ford

Mustang and the

how

without compromising the

game

Italian Fiat

and playability of the You can use made up

itself.

most games do, but we’re doing real life, so you need to represent what’s there, and therefore the choice of which areas to model has to be really carefully considered (A hair-raising thud

ed European and japanese autos.

lowed by more screeching of

We

called Bizarre Creations

bump

BW:

and crunch fol-

‘Look-

it’s

ing to you, but

from here.’

been nice talkhave to go.

I

Thanks for the opportunity and stuff. Bye.’ (click.)

DCM:

‘Yeah, so

long.’

Metropolis Street Racer

is

due

September. Read our

out

in

full

preview of this stunning

4

Barchetta, as well as other assort-

must’ve been a pretty

(Sirens) to

‘real city’

cities, like

screeching around over two square miles of

is

‘It

game

next issue.

brakes)

producer Brian Woodhouse, and he

DCM:

explained the challenge thrown up

you there?’

by creating such an open road. He was on his cell phone doing about 7omph on the freeway when we

Sorry about

BW:

‘Brian? Are

‘Sure.

I.

I

.1

.1.1.

I

.1.1.1 .1.1. I.l.

I

.1 .1

.

1:1,11.1,1

up close

&

personal with

GAKI BLUE STINGER

PROFILE

C Stinger

and Spielberg. But also the newer generation of directors such as John

in

list.

Climax Graphics’ Blue

an

all-action, thirdperson

is

specialists in visual effects.

neck and attempts to

its

DCM met with

it.

weapon, which you keep with you throughout the game.

DCM:

collision of the

I

think the

my game have been

SPECIALEFFECTS

influenced by Dragon Quest.

specific

Is

Blue Stinger aimed

at

any

DCM: Sega initially thought that all Dreamcast titles would run at 6ofps, but

age group?

that’s not the case for Blue Stinger, is

SN: We’re particularly targeting people

who

will offer...

rent

it?

Hollywood movies during the

DCM: What do you

great experience of

think Blue Stinger's

strongest asset is?

Shinya Nishigaki

'In

terms of content,

we wanted

important thing

players to have the experience of a

Hollywood movie

we

that

I

SN: We use a refreshment rate of 3ofps.

We could have used 6ofps, but because

to

we wanted

how

see

far

we

to

we wanted

could

terms

In

players to have

the experience of a Hollywood movie

an interactive way. Players

will

Dreamcast development, what have you

designed

too.

It’s

new genre

come about?

like that

I’m a fan of

market. partner.

movies.

impossible to

movies -

to

it’s

In

Japan

used

in

Japan.

I

want

to see

are also

DCM:

it’s

make Hollywood-style

too expensive - but with

in

I

it’s

prefer to view

D2 as

for the

titles

today, including

own Sonic Adventure, Blue

Stinger offers multiple characters.

is

we use two sources

is

a

moving source of

we have

the

weapon

and we also have the regular

lights.

But for realtime lighting we

use Nephilim and the weapons.

DCM: Do you think you’re

all

It’s

of

difficult to say.

its

capabilities

not using the

How

-

really

example, we’re

bump mapping,

but

SN: You can select two characters -

hardware.

a ‘standard’ type and a ‘hard’ type,

answer that particular question.

become possible

for

films influenced

the look and feel of Blue Stinger?

SN:

I’ve

been influenced by Kurosawa

game

feelings. For

example, the combination of

Dogs - they use

different

are

always many different ways to use any

gameplay?

providing different

to copy.

DCM: Which Hollywood

we

using the lighting features. There are

does that

me

pushing

We’re not using for

possible. All the stages of movie

production have

of

‘Nephilim’ [a flying female

who

computers many things became

affect

There

filters.

game?

the Dreamcast hardware?

a

SN:

many

libraries.

kind of lighting effects are

the

After that

effects,

map’s

played the

would be a good thing I’d

One

character], light.

Blue Stinger

genre.

I

Like

Sega’s

new

can

some impressive sound

DCM: So what

light.

game

D - thought that more games

it

also very easy to

support and some good

it

you using

a

It’s

develop on Dreamcast; there’s good

for Japan.

really. Like

strongest feature?

its

important, and there’s also the

lighting effects.

in

Japan,

be competing with?

original

camera, so naturally

I

in

be

is

SN: Basically

creating a

12-years-old,

strong

DCM: Do you view Warp’s D2 as SN: Not

8mm

is

to

SN: The number of polygons display

WARPED you’ll

I

found

actually

not really a character game;

not exist before

as a

No- half action, half adventure.

DCM: How did the concept for the game SN:

When was

game

US market?

Blue Stinger falls into a genre that did

pure action from Blue Stinger then?

play with an

the

Hollywood movies

DCM: Should Dreamcast owners expect

SN:

Is

for the

in

become

the main character of an action movie.

to display lots of creatures,

to rethink things.

DCM: During your time working on

Influence from the visual effects

We wanted

we had

You’re talking a great deal about

Dreamcast graphics

terms of realtime polygons.

of content,

with an easy

game

DCM:

Hollywood.

is

use the

push the Dreamcast in

we wanted

a movie-like

interface.

SN: No, that’s not our intention.

card.

interactive way."

fully

movies. Because of that

make

capabilities of the

an

in

:

believe the most

games but who

Why’s that?

like

weekend; people who do not have a

ACTION HERO

How

because of Dragon Quest. emotional parts of

HQ to talk

Dreamcast and what the

some

weapon can you use?

games, entered the game industry

producer Shinya Nishigaki at Climax’s

about Blue Stinger,

of

SN: There are eight different types of

for

I

shoot ’em up that takes Sega’s console

by the scruff of

many types

As

features

pretty spectacular explosions.

Carpenter and Joe Dante, plus

Dreamcast’s most-wanted-

shake the best out of

two

DCM: The game

urrently rocketing from total

obscurity to high priority

software

Elliot

and

weapons and

have very different characteristics.

It’s

actually very hard to

SHENMUE Developer:

AM 2 Publisher:

Sega Origin:

Japan

Genre:

Adventure Players:

One Peripherals:

Puru Puru Pack

VMU ESRB

Rating:

Pending Online?

No Release Date:

TBA 2000

WHAT'S THE It’s Shenmue, the most ambitious (and expensive) adventure title ever created - to the tune of a

20 million dollar development budget and four years of painstaking work by Sega’s legendary AM2 division, headed by Yu Suzuki.

WHY MIGHT n

O

riginally

known

under the working title

of Project

Berkeley,

began

Shenmue

its life

long

before Sega man-

•''l

WHY MIGHT rr

Shenmue may

prove to

be too ambitious. It attempts to elude nearly every notion there is of what an adventure title

may

objectives in non-linear fashion,

ulti-

mate outcome, but Shemmue

more

tasks. Ryo Hazuki, the game’s central

a living, breathing experience than a

just didn’t

with him - he

have the canvas on which

dream

Dreamcast.

until

in

Shenmue

is

con-

nails

down

to their individual finger-

and teeth ("ick!’~ Ed), and

some 1,200 rooms and exquisitely detailed

its

locales are

- carpets have

individual weaves, cherry trees boast

thousands of

petals,

and

tiny crea-

it

influence over gameplay.

Shenmue aims keep

to

do both. From shop will

their

character, can also accrue

that will take days (and

weeks) to

fully heal,

his ability to travel

damage

fight.

be

up

in

a hospital bed while Ryo’s

recovering, or sitting on a steamer for

week to mainland

a

ing the already immersive atmos-

example, going slowly insane at the

phere. Suzuki and crew have also

Japanese equivalent of the DMV.

China. Or, for

provide the eerily

Shenmue’s

life-like

When

searching rooms or manipu-

lating objects, the

digitized

game switches

mode. The

AM2

to a

have

staff

and motion captured a

model’s hands to create this onscreen, and the effect of

them

rifling

through cassette tapes, grabbing a flashlight,

and dialing telephones

almost akin to real

is

life.

Environment and atmosphere

in its

meat of Shenmue

four primary

will

gameplay

modes: Quest, Quick Timer Event,

movement Sound

cast.

is

scripted play.

be

actors and trained martial artists to

of

course be a strong plot thread, so as

aside, the true

painstakingly motion-captured both

interact

with countless objects. There will of

first-person

Of

will

compressed, so as not to keep you laid

speak with any character, and

sometimes

thus hampering

and

course, the passage of time

tures scurry about the place, further-

is

an area that has received

equal attention. An entire symphony

Quick Timer

Quest

is

Battle,

just

and Free

about how

Battle.

it

sounds;

orchestra has been hired to record the

explore lavishly-detailed locales and

game’s soundtrack, and some of

achieve numerous goals, whether

Japan’s finest voice actors brought on

to deliver items from

from actual data on the game’s locales

to give believable personalities to over

another, or track

over the past 20 years) adds to the

a dozen central characters.

son who may hold clues to your next

ultimately

seem too foreign (and even cumbersome) for many players to enjoy or comprehend.

at will, achieve

to keep you on track toward the

game had always been

should be, and, as a result,

many

game

own schedules, so you’ll have to learn them - and act accordingly - in order to accomplish many

each,

human emotion far beyond the means of other game before it.

every area of the

keeps to key players, characters

structed from thousands of polygons

convey

abili-

time, and even fewer have attempted to give

mold with

ability to

ulti-

mate freedom by giving them the and explore almost

ty to travel to

four years ago. Suzuki has said that

Each character

captivating characters,

HANDSfAP/ Suzuki proposes to afford players

accurately portrayed the passage of

agement introduced Suzuki to its proposed Dreamcast specifications nearly

to realize his

and the

dimension: time. Few games have

the desire to create an epic adventure

Shenmue has the potential to utterly smash the its deeply immersive environments,

realism, along with (drum-roll, please)

what Suzuki - and more than one physicist - refer to as the fourth

Realistic

weather (which

is

modeled

it

be

one character to

down

a specific per-

.

Suzuki and his team traveled extensively throughout Asia to survey the locales in which Shenmue takes place. As a result, each of its hundreds of locations are breathtakingly detailed, from the placement of buildings all the way down to individual signposts. Environments, such as those above, will be rendered in real-time by Dreamcast’s powerful 3D hardware.

in

accordance with flashing on-screen prompts.

most often used

This form of play will be

able objects and entering certain rooms will

game’s more elaborate

bring your hands into view, giving you a Ryo’s-

as

eye perspective and complete control.

rafters,

mode,

you’ll also

have the

ability to

In

Quest

take part

in

various sub-games within the grander adventure, including (you’ll

- but not

need

ticket to

to earn

limited to

- part-time jobs

enough money

to afford the

mainland China) and even re-creations

of classic

AM2

own

Die Hard Arcade,

Virtua Fighter-style real-time.

has the

the

balancing on

ability to

In

this

in

mode, Ryo

punch, kick, guard, parry, and

Who? He’s the

man behind

Sega's famed

R&D

AM 2

division, the

group responsible for some of the most played arcade titles this side of Pac-Man.

Shenmue

is

his first high-profile console

and he has lived and breathed almost four years now.

project, for

it

block.

that of

result

is

an experience totally unlike

any adventure

title

that Suzuki has coined a his

before

it,

new term

Eyes Entertainment. Or,

commands and

Earth-speak,

it’s

his

if

hope

so

much so

to describe

treatment of the genre: FREE, or

Events and QuickTime Battles require directional button presses on your controller

in

sequences, and well

city streets,

take out your aggressions on the bad guys

The end

QuickTime

fight

and other timing sensitive scenarios.

Free Battle is self-explanatory - you’re able to

arcade games.

THEQUICK&THEDEkD Like Sega’s

mad dashes through

Full

Reactive

you prefer planet that, by seamlessly

Finest Hour

AM2'S sempai has conjured up some of the coin-op world's biggest games Space Harrier, Out Run, Daytona USA but his crowning achievement Virtua Fighter series,

is

one which

the re-

defined the fighting genre with each sub-

sequent installment.

Don't mention

Sword of Vermilion

Why? It

was

and

his first

stab at a console RPG,

his naivete in the field

shone

through. He subsequently dropped the pixies,

and got back

to

more

visceral pur-

suits.

What's next?

When not been burning the midnight oil on Shenmue, Suzuki has been seen tinkering with his newest arcade racer, the Naomi board powered Ferrari F355, due this winter.

Shenmue’s cinematic sequences are produced

entirely in real-time so, as Suzuki is keen to stress, there is never a discernable shift in visual quality

between gameplay and story elements

This sequence illustrates one of the

game’s first Quick Timer Events, in which Ryo and Ren escape from a gangster’s hideout.

One

hitch: they’re

handcuffed to each other.

integrating these elements,

Shenmue

will truly

of its parts - and if the finished anywhere as groundbreaking as but

become the sum product

one of

is

its

facets, those ‘killer app’ pundits will

not only have their cake, but eat

By the time you read

been

split

up

this,

it

release in 2000.

will

first

have

of which

being nearly finished and scheduled for Japanese

coming, and

’

to partaking in a

game

money

(left).

needed

travel

3KING

of dice for

much-

3JROUBLE

DCM HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE SHENMUE’S COMBAT SYSTEM FIRST HAND AT THE RECENT TOKYO GAME SHOW Sega set up two rows

of

Dreamcasts devoted to

Shenmue at the show, each demonstrating a different mode of play. Shenmue is unique in that it is divided into a number of different game styles -

depending on where you are

in the game. mode - where you and the game does the rest for chasing a street punk through

There's the Quick Timer Event just hit a button

you

-

in this case,

the maze-like streets of tle like

Hong Kong.

an interactive movie

(ulp!),

It

feels a

lit-

but requires

and is incredibly cinematic (phew!) ample opportunities for Suzuki to

fast reflexes

and

offers

show

off his meticulously created street scenes.

Mother and baby obstacles, old people carrying shopping and workmen - are all positioned to litit seems, erally trip you up. All that's missing,

are glaziers

making their way v-e-r-y

s-l-o-w-l-y

across the road with a giant sheet of glass. And, of course, a herd of sheep.

The biggest crowd gathered around the Free

mode - the cause of much consternation journalists when the game was originally

Battle for

announced - owing to its absence. For a heartstopping month there, it looked as if all the batwould be decided in the Quick Timer Event - merely requiring one or two quick button stabs to resolve. But no! Suzuki has taken much of what was seen in coin-op hit Spikeout, and has included a full Virtua Fighter style battle tles

style

system.

Wandering through a dimly lit warehouse, Ryo is accosted by packs of ruddy-faced bruisers, of the A-Team rent-a-goon variety, which can be dispatched with a flurry of kicks and sweeps, throws and well-timed knees to the groin. After kicking about 30 flabby butts, the stage is clear.

It’s a little easy - presumably to make the demo accessible to all, and Like Virtua Fighter, the brawls are as complicated as you want to make them - a lot depends on how skilled you are with the controller. Button-mashing gives way to more elegantly choreographed encounters as your martial arts repertoire grows.

It’s

it

play adventure forever.

Character interaction within Shenmue s world ranges from conversations with town-folk (top left)

Sega of America

game

vintage Suzuki.

will

itself

has

see stateside

Whether or not both chapters

be integrated for U.S. audiences remains to is for certain: Shenmue is may very well change the way we games - and experience them -

be seen, but one thing

too.

Shenmue

two chapters, the

into

release on August 5.

confirmed that the

will

N

Dreamcast is finally here.

Sega consoles dating back to

early four years in the making,

The

latest in a long line of

the early i98os-era Master System,

it

represents the

convergence of the company’s home gaming know-how and bleeding edge technology from ing:

its

four partners

in

the undertak-

NEC, Microsoft, Hitachi, and Yamaha.

Dreamcast has

its

similarities to past

consoles -

it still

uses

enough controllers (guess that "VR" craze never quite caught on) and its games still come stored on unassuming, albeit higher capacity, compact discs. But beneath its pearly white exterior lies a brave new world of earth-shaking innovations and familiar

unprecedented With

possibilities.

Visual

its

Memory

decidedly two-dimensional ply storing

games on

able to interact with

Sega has given

Unit (VMU),

memory

life

to the

card concept. Instead of sim-

a boring gray piece of plastic, you’ll it.

now be

Whether exploring dungeons from your car you just won, it’s all

RPG or tuning up that new race possible - and while on the go, no less.

favorite

EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO

ABOUT

SEGA'S POWERFUL STORY

KNOW

NEW CONSOLE BY:

RANDY NELSON

Dreamcast full

to

is

its built-in

of your couch

is

also the first internet-ready console, thanks in 56k modem. Browsing the web from the comfort one thing, but how about going head-to-head

buddy across town (or the country) in a match of Sega Rally 2 to settle that "who’s the best driver" bet once and for all? And if you lose, you can always blame your sixagainst your loudmouth

year-old

nephew

you were But

it

Urkel

who

up the controller" while

"just picked

in

the bathroom.

is

the capacity to evolve that

is

perhaps Dreamcast’s

most intriguing facet. More so than any other system before Dreamcast can accept a myriad of future expansions and

it,

DVD movies in your future? Digital television perhaps?

Or how about some extra memory to make your games look more upgrades.

real than real?

Dreamcast can, and

will,

handle

it all.

In the following pages, we’ll give you the lowdown on exactly what to expect when Sega welcomes us all to the next level this fall. So sit down with our feature and take some quality time to

get to

know your Dreamcast.

FRONT Controller Ports

A:

No cutting-edge console would be worth its without more than two controller ports, and Dreamcast as it just so happens boasts four - perfect for multi-player games. But these aren't your average sockets. They can send data in two directions, paving the path salt

such advanced peripherals as printers, digcameras, or perhaps even a Dj-style

for

Videogame consoles

are ultimately

ital

turntable.

the

and

sum

of their

component

parts,

Dreamcast’s case they’re stag-

in

TOP

geringly powerful. Here’s a break-

down

of the bleeding-edge silicon B:

under the hood of the most techno-

GD-ROM

Drive

Dreamcast’s innovative CD unit runs at 12 times

CD-ROM

the speed of normal

logically stunning -

and damn good

game system

drives and boasts

nearly twice the storage capacity of data in total. This

looking -

ever.

means

you’ll

-

1

Gigabyte

see lighten-

ing-fast (or often unnoticeable) load times,

and

won’t be swapping discs as often for longer

and larger games. Of course,

it

will still

play

all

of your favorite audio CDs too.

C: Eject

Button

When

pressed, this button makes the Dreamcast open wide for insertion of games and music CDs. Mind your fingers as the discs spin down after playing though - it’s nearly like a saw blade at 12X speed.

D:

Power Button

Pressing this magical button will cause your system to sprout wings and fly around the room frantically. Just kidding...

it

just turns the

power on.

Techno-Babble: CPU

Memory

(Central

Processing Unit): Hitachi SH-c,

26 Megabytes of total

RAM (16MB main

SuperH

tem memory,

memory, 2MB sound memory).

processor running at

What No Reset?

sys-

8MB video

RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Chip)

By now, you’ve probably noticed that Dreamcast

200 Megahertz, capable of

360

million instruc-

Disc Format

Custom 12X speed

tions per second.

Graphics Chip NEC Videologic PowerVR2DC chipset

second with the follow-

56k ITU V.90 standard,

mapping,

all

in

progress,

four action but(A, B, X,

and Y)

hit Start. Viola!

Gigabyte of information.

Modem

ing effects: perspective-

game

and

1

capable of rendering 3 million polygons per

correct texture

missing a reset but-

simply hold down

tons on your controller

Yamaha CD-ROM drive (known as "GD-ROM") which holds up to

is

ton. To reset your

BACK

upgradable through replacement.

point, bilinear, trilinear,

and anisotropic mipmap filtering, gouraud

E:

ored light sourcing,

where you attach a cord

full

modem to the phone jack on your The modem itself can be removed for replacement with a faster model in the future.

Alternatively, this is also where undisclosed future upgrades will connect, sliding in underneath the system and offering their own extenwall.

fog,

and bump mapping.

Sound Chip Yamaha Super Intelligent

Sound

Supplied Accessories Composite A/V cable, power cord, modular

Processor capable of

telephone cord, internet

generating 64 simulta-

access software, one

neous audio channels

controller.

with

3D environmental

effects.

Firstly, it’s

for connecting

Dreamcast’s

scene anti-aliasing,

hardware-based

Modem Port

This port serves dual purposes.

shading, z-buffer, col-

sion slot for accommodating the

modem.

Illllllllll F:

A/V Multi-Out Port

Here’s where your four video output options are connected: S-video, composite video, an RFU

adapter, or the exceedingly high quality

VGA

Box.

G: Serial Port Exact purposes of this smallish port have yet to be revealed, but it’s likely that Sega’s proposed Local Area Network adapter (an add-on for setting up your own multi-system, multiplayer games at home) will connect here.

Light

Gun

Memory Unit

Visual

(VMU) From: Sega Price: Packed-in with

the

Dead

2,

House of

From: Sega

$33 (¥3800) sepa-

Price:

$33 (¥3800)

Release: Out

rately

Release: Out

Now

Now

(japan)

Compatible Games:

(lapan)

All

Compatible Games: House of the

Dead 2

Dreamcast’s most unique

VMU

peripheral, the It’s

the Dreamcast Light

like

game system than

Gun, the most innovative videogame blaster in the world. Do you feel lucky?

You should, because its pinpoint accuracy

is

second

ry card,

used

a

it

more

memo-

can be

game

saving

(128 blocks worth

data

in all).

VMU’s

remarkableness are

its

diminutive LCD screen, con-

tional

being the

although

for

Central to the

to

none, and its built-in direcpad will undoubtedly open up a whole new world of possibilities for light gun shooters. The least of which

is

a smallish hand-held

trol

pad, and action buttons,

which enable you to organize data, and, tantly, play

ability to actually

move around freely inside the game world while blasting away with a "real” gun.

more impor-

mini-games that

can be downloaded from

many Dreamcast titles.

From: Sega Price:

$’5 (¥2800)

Release: Out

Now

(japan)

Compatible Games:

Keyboard

Arcade Stick you’re looking at represents the absolute peak of perfection in videogame control - it

From: Sega

looks great, works great, and

Price:

$33 (¥3800) Release: Out Now (Japan)

Surf the

least a lot

in

more

style

Dreamcast's boasts two control pads, one analog and one digital. Four action buttons grace its face, accompanied by two fully

-

analog shoulder buttons. What make Dreamcast’s pad extra-special, however, are its two extension slots. The top-most one is intended primarily for holding a VMU; the lower one, while it can hold a VMU as well, will most often be where you’ll slap in a Puru Puru Pack for force feedback effects.

or at

effectively

than you can with a controller.

Featuring

all

the keys

and doodads you’ll find on a standard computer keyboard, the Dreamcast keyboard also boasts a number of shortcut keys designed specifically to

incredibly

trollers,

WebTV browser

web

is

comfortable. Not unlike other modern con-

Compatible Software: Dream Passport,

All

What

make using

From: Sega Price:

$50 (¥5800)

Release: Out

Now

(japan)

Compatible Games: Virtua Fighter 3tb, vs.

Power Stone, Marvel

Capcom

For true arcade-style control,

there’s

no substitute

for

having an actual arcade controller

-or,

in this

case,

something incredibly close.

Modeled after Sega’s own arcade cabinets, such as the one used for Virtua Fighter 3, the Arcade Stick is as

the system’s bundled inter-

close as you’ll get to the real

net software easier to navigate by automate the typing of such common things as

thing without buying a

"www" and ".com"

weighted, metal base, and

site

for

$3,000 coin-op

features a built-in

addresses.

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also

especially heavy, with a nice

web-

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i

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'i

'i

VMU

slot.

&

9

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.

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SONKADVENTURE ith

a distinctly

Gen X

Yuji

hurtling through side-

space

scrolling

of light, Sonic has

at the

Under the direction of series creator

atti-

tude and a talent for

subtle animations of

gone on to capture

the imagination of millions around the globe, joining the ranks of Mario and

elements are the

first

intact,

completely smooth 3D polygons, each of

as a run-through of

stage, Emerald Coast, confirms:

the six playable characters

gold rings to collect, cute enemies to

know

dash, and most importantly, tear-induc-

sive looking.

videogames. With the launch of Dreamcast in Japan, his-hedgehogness has arrived outing.

As

in style for his first truly

startling a

change as

this

be for a series so firmly entrenched

ing speed-

3D

may in

side-scrolling

Right a

and

it's all in

of gaming,

full

is

some

designed

equally amazing

a long

gameplay.

levels.

way

the different characters on page and the stages are equally impres-

and flawlessly

come

Sega

ESSENTIALS

VMS:

defying tracks that house super-speed

launch pads that rocket the blue

fella

The most basic move

in

the

book, Sonic’s jump move has been enhanced to help him navigate the brave

new world

of 3D.

Jumping by pressing X, then pressing jump again at the height of Sonic’s leap allows him to

do one of two things: home

in

on the nearest enemy for a good

bashing or jump dash to cover a greater distance more quickly.

HEDASHES!

HESPINS!

Sonic’s dash move is little more than a way to get around town or stages more quickly. Pressing and holding the B or X button powers up your dash. Releasing it sets you on your way. Only

After Sonic picks up his

until you get a hold of the Super Spin dash will this move be of any real use against enemies or in specific environments.

Puru Puru Pack

ESRB:

ing

E

Origin: Japan

5800 yen

HECARRIESSWFP. first

upgrade, the super speed shoes, he’s then able to really pack a punch with his Super Spin Dash with the B or X button. With each upgrade, Sonic’s spindash will become more useful in

1

No

Peripherals: VMS,

Price:

HEJUMPS!

Yes

Players:

Online:

from a speed standpoint -the gravity-

since the Genesis. From the

visual depth of each environment to the

Team

PUBLISHER:

ele-

where Sonic runs around looking for shortcuts and secret areas (of which there are many) and - most impressive

to bursting

Sonic has indeed

game

ments. There’s the exploration parts,

point with silky-smooth animation,

a visually stunning

the

Each consists of three essential

beautiful 3D.

incredibly realistic scenery

ideology, the result

experience with

26)

away you know you’ve entered

new world

in

are rendered with crystal clarity (get to

bonk on the head, red bumpers that launch you into orbit, the super-spin

mugs

in

DEVELOPER: Sonic

Sporting bright, colorful textures and

having one of the most recognizable

recently inducted Crash Bandicoot as

the objects on

be believed.

of the quintessential "Sonic"

start. All

all

each screen, this game must be seen to

Naka, Sonic Adventure gets off to a

blazingly fast and fabulously familiar

speed

the action stages by allow-

you to power up and cross gaps in the ground by flythem in a straight line.

An

ability only accessible to

Sonic during the adventure segments of the game, you’ll need to carry things like keys from one area to another in order with the Y button to unlock new stages. This

skill

shows

Sonic’s

increased interaction with his surroundings and even lets him

large

cuddle a

ing over

this really a

bit

with his Chaos.

Is

good thing?

V 25

VJHO’SWHO

itib

tifctt.

TAILS Species: Fox Abilities: Flying

and racing different characters

through each level Goals: Finding short-cuts to outrun opponents

Best level: Emerald Coast or Sky Deck If

he were a Simpsons character, he’d be:

MilhouseVan Houten

KNUCKLES An anteater with a single

Species: Echidna. fice for expelling

waste and

Abilities: Digging,

ori-

fluid. Ick.

climbing and gliding

Goals: Find hidden locations of Emerald pieces in

(Top) Sonic gathers with Knuckles, Tails and

Amy

in

a special ending to take

down

Perfect Chaos. Bring on Super Sonic! (Right) E-102 takes a stroll around town; (cen-

each level and make a whole gem.

ter) Frog-catching in

Best level: Casinopolis

Emerald Coast; (bottom) Tikal, the Chaos Emerald guardian

Simpson’s counterpart: Nelson Muntz

S5£A AMY Species: Abilities:

number of sub-games

that range from snow-

game

Hammer

another way to get just a

The of Love.

level

moments

design

is

more out of

little

further

it

again

killer

entrances

hidden

throughout Station Square.

You’ll

it.

enhanced by certain

of blissful spectacle. From a

each of the level

when

with Amy. Even

you’ve completed a stage, you can always play blow.

Goals: Outrun Eggman’s robot through levels

equipped with her glorious

like

also a

boarding, to pinball simulations (guess who’s the ball?)

w/hammer

Double jump

a bullet train. For a change of pace, there are

along

to a “whack-a-Mole”-type

Hedgehog

need

to

complete the

whale

levels in a specific order to access

No, seriously...

chase

in

Emerald Coast to Wind Valley’s dizzying torna-

stage, giving the

game

each successive

a strictly linear structure.

Best level: Twinkle Park or Hot Shelter

do, complete with a vortex of brilliantly rendered

Simpsons counterpart: Jessica Lovejoy

leaves, Sonic Adventure wields flash

equal

BIG THE CAT Abilities:

Very few. Fishing,

if

you must know

Goals: The obligatory “fishing element” in every

Japanese game. Fish to rescue his pet frog

where you can participate

in

seeking out

new

the raising, breeding and

training of the Tamagotchi-style Chaos. Think of

gameplay

Chaos

a

new

stellar visuals

in

Sonic Adventure also takes a bold leap

direction as well. Sonic not only receives the

in gift

gab (with full voice tracks), but he’s also able to use newfound voice on the characters roaming the fic-

his

tional metropolis, Station Square. Here you’re required

to interact with other characters, read signposts

carry out minor tasks in order to progress.

E-102r

isn’t just for

stages. You’ll also be able to visit the Chao Gardens,

go hand in hand with introducing Sonic to a more powerful system in Dreamcast, the

of Best level: Hot Shelter

Simpsons counterpart: Barney Gumble

CHAOTIME But Station Square

skill.

TOBOLDLYGO While

Species: Take a big fat guess

and function with

and

In fact,

good bulk of the challenge within the game

is

it

as an

introduction to virtual pet sims, Sonic-style. (More on in

the sidebar "Chao Baby" on page XXX).

Controlling Sonic in his

3D

universe

is

surprisingly

smooth allowing you to get a good grasp on navigating both depth and direction without any problems. The layout of each level takes the pressure off the controls

by defining the actual room you have to move around.

By using elements such as water, lava or umpteen mile

a

finding

drops to surround limited areas,

you’ll

have a good

Species: Sentry Robot Abilities:

Super Multi-targeting Blast

Goals: Save as

each all

level,

many animals

as possible from

while destroying evil sentry robots

under a time limit

Best level: Red Mountain

Simpsons counterpart: Professor

DCM

Frink

Counterpart: Randy Nelson

SUPERSONIC Species: Uber

Hedgehog

Abilities: Invincibility

Goals: Destroy Perfect Chaos and

amass

maintain super powers

Simpsons counterpart: Radioactive Man

V

rings to

Emerald Coast, your starting point

in

Sonic Adventure,

is

a showcase piece with plenty of dazzling sights and breakneck speed.

FEATUREDffiEV/EW

r

CHAO Not only

will

these

little

creatures give

you hours of love and entertainment, they’ll also give you a

damn good reason to use your VMU. It can be a bit tricky- so here’s a mini-guide to parent-

hood.

? How do First,

get started?

1

you must find some e

There are two pastel-colored ones sitting

Chao Garden

in

the

Station

in

Square that can be hatched.

? How do

I

hatch

eggs?

Sonic Adventure manages to include not

Very carefully. Chaos

one... not two... but countless of

are very sensitive to

your actions, so

picking

button

it

nice and slow by first

it

up with the Y button, then holding the

down and pressing any

direction on the ana-

out the Chao.

Once you set

back on the ground,

it

idea as to where you can or can’t go. But,

log stick. You’ll begin caressing the egg, coaxing it

you also never

restricted

incredibly open,

? What should do with I

Pay close attention to how At this early stage

in

once

acts each time you

assimilate different animals with

done by freeing some

hatches?

it

life,

it.

in

Dramatic camera angles work both for and against Sonic Adventure. Thankfully,

While some gamers

of Robotnik’s animal slaves

may have

it

feels too

able

much

like

you’re being

around by the snout, rather than forcing you to use

led

any

real skill, the

speed segments

in

avoid feeling too scripted. Level designs are paced well

and bring

and include enough variety to neatly sidestep

near a

in

the face of the game’s abundant strengths,

lucky for us

US gamers

this prob-

But the camera problem also highlights another of the

lem.

game’s few (but

CAUGHT0/VCAMERA

through certain corners

your Chaos by shaking down coconuts from the trees in the garden.

annoying angles. Not just annoying, the experience can

the next,

leave you disoriented. Imagine cruising along, collecting

relieved to

some

of

its

to avoid to close associ-

ations with

?

,

say. Echidnas...).

Can you mate Chaos the

in

You can also feed

the gardens or only on

public. Set

on a steel platform -

next, you’re staring, bald-

warning), as well as tion take a

two adults next

them get started and

to if

one another

in

in

order

successful, they’ll

no idea where you are or where the hedgehog has gone Imagine

off to.

this kind of thing

happened

in

the

movies. You’re watching the T-Rex approach the

upturned jeep

produce an egg!

if

in

Jurassic Park,

in

weaknesses: bugs. Clipping

the environment (parts of the

rather

dodgy

collision detec-

of the shine off the otherwise gleaming

surface of Sonic Adventure. To be absolutely bowled

falling

through a wall is

for

no reason to an untimely death

sure to spoil the mood. Once again, you’ll be

know that

this will all be corrected for the

US

release.

Despite these problems, however, Sonic succeeds delivering a fast, furious rollercoaster ride with

in

enough

depth and beauty to dazzle even the most jaded gamer.

It’s

when suddenly the cam-

little

some

over by the beauty of a waterfall one moment, then

faced at the backside texture of a wall with absolutely

VMU?

You can mate them anywhere, but preferably not

to let

rings

significant)

scenery suddenly disappear and then re-appear without

The same cannot be said for the game’s camera.

Nicknamed "Cammy" around the office, the camera system has a bad habit of taking on a life of its own at times. Due to the speed of Sonic himself, you’ll find Cammy lagging behind or getting stuck at the most

bly take on

it’s

cameras are being

BUGGIN OUT

Chao. The Chao will

characteristics (so best

that the

corrected for the domestic release.

then nuzzle the animal, delightedly, and possi-

it’ll

saying more often than not

Sonic Adventure

can then pick one up it

you’ll find yourself

a

distaste for the speed-factor in Sonic

games, claiming that

and you

be “ooh’s,” not “aarghs” that

a pond as Big the Cat.

This can be

Garden. The animals will automatically be freed into the area

red-

set track as Sonic or you’re fishing

you can

stages then returning to a Chaos

in different

in feeling

whether your

sneakered feet are zipping along a

it it

a Chao’s

feel too

when roaming. Each

environment succeeds

willhatch.

visit.

those

“gaming moments.”

elusive

best to avoid dropping or

it’s

throwing an egg. Hatch

not the only reason to buy a Dreamcast, but

damn

it’s

a

convincing one.

era gets stuck behind a giant green fern with a tiny bee-

? What can you do with the VMU Train, train, train!

By moving a Chao

you can participate

in

in all of this?

to your

VMU,

a number of games that will

boost your Chao’s stats

.

The mini-quest

improve your Chao’s abilities so

it

in

on

it.

the

And the camera stays there

until the

scene

ends. Aargh!

While this doesn’t happen too frequently, some

seem worse

stages

will

can win

tle

off than others (cough...

cough... Emerald Coast).

Sky Deck...

Though the problem

is

FRANCESCA REYES

forgiv-

Chao Races.

0

'Brilliant level

#

-Beautiful graphics

designs

O O

"Cammy's”

fickle behavior

•Buggy areas detract from gameplay

27

DCW4

DREAM CASTO/VL/yVE

GET READY! DREAMCAST Dreamcast’s

built-in

GJ VES

YOU

modem makes

mail,

browse the world-wide web,

or,

THJE

it

be to send

best of

all,

DREAMCASTO/V1V/VE101

WORLD!.

easier than

it

ever to access the internet, whether

part

in

Nation

e-

take

site,

massively multiplayer online games. DC is

but

your monthly guide to not only DCM’s weball

things Dreamcast online.

WORLD WIDE WHAT?

mil

v

Ojack

BATTLE TIME

I

Sega’s original online service, Dricas (top

Unlike the movies, plugging the

left),

went

you don’t,

phone

also hurt.

a network of

A

phone

connect

its

modem

the first online-compatible Dreamcast game on the block - it’s also DCM’s current favorite. Few things compare to going head-tohead against three friends (or complete strangers) for some of the most thrill-packed racing available anywhere.

In only a few short minutes, you can be up and racing online too. Simply start the game, select the ‘Network Race’ option from the main menu, and enter the name you’d like to appear above your car while racing. Select ‘connect’ and you’ll be zipped off to Sega’s racing server and plopped into a chat room. (Sounds kinda painful Ed) Here you can talk to other would-be racers and set up a match. Highlight your three virtual opponents using the controller and select ‘race/ Don’t worry if you suck - you can brush up on your racing skills by following our in-depth strategy guide that starts on page isn’t just

electronics stores)

open phone

if

most

necessary.

movies, information -

some

)

fill

out

all

the

required fields, and your system will

connect to Sega’s register itself, as

toll-free if

server and

What’s that?

by magic.

Racing Wheel

easier-to-use interface. still

takes

ages though.

)

LOG ON Now

first

you’re ready to go online for the time.

IN

From Dream Passport’s

provide access to three other key areas

Sega’s server. Once you’re signed on, the browser

window

will

open and you

can start exploring the net.

A whole

world of educational information

TOUCH

Both browsers also

main menu, select the ‘connect’ option, and your system will dial into

will

then become available to you. That

and 200 fan-sites devoted to Pamela Lee’s ‘considerable talents.

of the internet: E-mail,

Your

means

first

getting around

is

newsgroups, and chat.

of via

E-mail lets you

Dream Passport software, which was

exchange private mes-

included with your

newsgroups

Sega’s

Dreamcast system. all

It

of the neces-

web

sites,

VMU

(also

known as ‘message boards’) are forums for

sages, and chat lets

you interact with hun-

watching movies, and

downloading

sages with others,

posting public mes-

sary features for

accessing

VMU,

of

search features and an

Everything

viewing pictures,

Multiplayer: Yes

web

number

providing a

TO BROWSE

Origin: japan

Peripherals:

WebTV

chased separately, but browsing process by

TWO WAYS

Publisher: Sega Online: Yes

Microsoft’s

software must be pur-

simplifies the

($50)

Developer: Sega

An alternative to

Dream Passport,

basically the

Oh, God...

has

Y5800

It’s

internet.

Pop the Dream Passport disc in and power up your machine. Select ‘Getting Started,’

relating to

videogames and some

SIGN UP

Anderson Price:

all

sorts of pictures, to an

not.

Sega Rally 2

web

On these

pages, you’ll find

cord provided with your Dreamcast to

jack, using a splitter (available at

(top right), a digital postcard service of sorts.

ONLINEG AM EOFTHEMONTH S SEGA RALLY 2

And

is.

each comprised

of ‘pages.’

live in

November 1998 and serves as a one-stop information source Japanese Dreamcast owners. In addition to daily news and some more unique features, such as Mail

for

may

and-mouse games with clumsy Feds.

everything takes ages.

Just in case It’s

It

Instead, use the modular

world maps, or

the

Web

‘sites,’

head won’t work. lot.

chat, the site offers

IN

know what

World-Wide

jack directly into the back of your

ONLINE Chum

you should

did,

already

Ztl» 571050*8

not involve

lots of

‘hackers’ playing cat-

around the

same time Walt Disney

GET WIRED! bO-080® "3*»-Xo4»o’

movies, surfing the

web does

keeping up with current events

U:a-7ftA*H

you. Unlike the

Unless you stopped

pro-

grams. Once more,

Hollywood has duped

dreds of other people in real-time.

NATION

GO!

CONNECTING TO THE OFFICIAL SEGA DREAMCAST MAGAZINE SITE

ONLINE CONTEST Simply head over to our site and upload your best Sega Rally 2 times, and we’ll compare them against those of your fellow readers. If you’re good enough, you just might be able to pull away from the pack and win the ultimate prize, a Subaru Impreza 555 of your very own. No, wait! Heck, it’s the dummy issue - for one

After a rousing online multi-player

bout of Sega Rally line

2,

make

over to DCM’s online

a bee-

home

at

www.dreamcastmagazine.com Featuring

live

events, special

online-only features, and a great

means

to interact with your fellow

Dreamcast owners, our

site is

the

month

only, the prize for the

ultimate online resource

fastest

Sega Rally 2 lap time

Dreamcast-related information.

is...

the planet Mars!

PROFILE ‘.LIVE LIVE MONTHLY CHATS WITH DREAMCAST CELEBRITIES Every month,

DCM

hosts a

live

online

Blue Stinger creator Shinya Nishigaki

be

will

live

on

event featuring the personalities

our site to answer questions, take feedback, and give

behind Dreamcast’s games and cut-

his

thoughts on Dreamcast and gaming

in

general.

ting-edge technology. This month,

BALLOTS0X HAVE YOUR SAY IN OUR MONTHLY ONLINE POLL Want

to

be heard? DCM’s website gives you a

chance to voice your opinions Last month,

we posed

‘Life:

J

in

our monthly

the question: ‘What

you most looking forward

to

poll.

game

are

on Dreamcast?’ and

What’s the point?’

a-

Your overwhelming response would put a smile on

Yu Suzuki’s face. Shenmue dominated the

BOOKMARKS

the most anticipated lineup.

FREE DOWNLOADS AND UP-TO-THE-MINUTE NEWS Now to

here’s a great idea. Dreamfiles.com allows

download ready-to-go save games

Can’t

seem

for the

to unlock that secret character

site.

Check

it

out at www.dreamfiles.com.

is

Also on our hot

list

this

month

is

Sega

on

interviews, reviews, previews, codes, it’s

a site that every

bookmark cache.

one of the

X,

web’s premiere fan-operated Dreamcast

Power

Stone? Chances are that they have and the save the

you

VMU.

in

sites.

and

Sega fan should have

Visit

them

at

As

With

daily news, in their

Saturn

title in

poll as

Dreamcast’s upcoming

for the other question...

This month, title

we want

to

know what Genesis

you think deserves

a

or

Dreamcast update.

From Phantasy Star to Guardian Heroes, there are plenty to choose from. Give us your two cents at the

DCM

site

and

we’ll post the results next issue.

DCM

www.segadreamcast.net.

29

m HOWfOBEAT

SEGA RALLY2 GO FROM DRIVING MISS DAISY TO BULLITT IN 60 MINUTES WITH DCM'S CRASH COURSE IN RALLY RACING LEARN

STEP Power

J

remember

is

Sega Rally 2 The most .

the timing of braking and accelera-

optimal cornering, you’ll need to keep as close to the

tion. For

inside of the turn as possible as

you enter

it,

on the brake, and then point your car a in

fine tune them Two fundamental changes should always be made, and gear ratio. You’ll find that a low gear ratio (two clicks down right for

will

further than the turn

keep your car from

each course, using the test run option to

We

whole-heartedly recommend sticking with

automatic shifting

until

you’ve gotten cornering

as necessary before the race.

down

however:

can yield significant increases

tires

from normal) usually yields the best results, and dirt/gravel’

whenever the

likelihood of rain

S1EPTHRE last

mode and

you’ll

want

greater than

to select ‘wet’ or ‘wet

you’ll

in

acceleration off

the curve. Check the diagram to the right to find

pick Riviera, then start the race as usual.

out exactly where the secret course entrance

hard turn before the second checkpoint, you’ll notice

Knock them both over and

Once you have, manual transmission

80%.

that there are two orange cones sitting along the left-hand side of the barrier wall.

pat.

the starting line and after tight turns.

SECRET UNI-GAME!

FIND

Enter Arcade Championship

As you approach the

is

sliding out too

CAR

step should be to experiment with the various car settings to determine

first

which ones are

little

order to slide ‘out and around.’ Pressing the accelerator while

mid-way through the turn

tap ever-so-slightly

CUSTOMIZE

STEP Your

SLIDE

slides factor heavily in mastering

crucial thing to

is

along the main track.

hear a tone to confirm access to the secret

course. Turn your car completely around and drive to along the outer wall along

VMU ONLINE Sega Rally 2 uses the VMU for a lot more than simply saving high scores

IUE Enter the following codes at the title screen.

digital

in

Use the

D-pad and action

buttons

order to enter one.

in

For

-

30 Frames per Second,

enter: UP, A,

it

DOWN, DOWN, UP

race replays on the device, so

LEFT,

UP, B,

all cars, enter:

DOWN,

UP, B, A, LEFT, B,

DOWN

For

60 Frames per Second,

DOWN, DOWN,

RIGHT, B, B,

UP, LEFT, B,

30

RIGHT,

DOWN,

DOWN

RIGHT, B, A,

If

crucial data a snap.

Online support for the

DOWN

game

includes

uploading your best times to Sega’s webIf

you enter the code

you’ll

your strategy, and

make

not,

handy menu that makes saving

LEFT,

To complete the 10-Year

Championship Mode, enter:

there’s a

and loading

enter:

UP, A,

to plan

sure you have one slapped into your

RIGHT, B, B,

controller before playing.

To unlock

enter a driver name, chat with

stores everything from unlocked

cars to season statistics to entire

correctly,

hear a tone afterwards.

site,

and a superb four-player network

competition

mode complete

capabilities for setting

up

with chat

races. Simply

E;: O ' 19 '951

hit

some

pals

the track!

=

UNLOCK EVERY CAR

TRACKS Elwood Blues. Now hang of it. You can do the shopping mall without ever leaving your car.

Skill Level:

you’re getting the

DESERT Quick Tip:

It’s

a good Skill level:

idea to adjust your tires to

accommodate

mud

for

in

Driving Miss Daisy. No, wait- this

the

pretty basic stuff.

slicks that you’ll

1

maybe

undoubtedly splash

Morgan Freeman If

is

you can win Year

you’re probably Miss Daisy - or

Keep working.

just her dog.

Skill Level: Burt

through on your way to first

Smokey and

place.

'

Quick

cop, you can be sure he’ll

Tip: Alternating

,

between asphalt and

mud, the Mountain track a good set of combat both sur-

With

You’re

tight

Speed Racer. You’re little

kid hiding in

—

ter handling car for

er

Take a load Relax.

in

And

try to ignore that 16-wheel-

the next lane.

your

run-through and

Skill Level: Mad Max. Nothing phases you. You’ve mastered the art of aggressive driving. Just remember

what you did

to the gas-tank before

you try to

up, or your season

fill

turning.

Skill Level:

Adjust the

tire

type to snow/ice and

lower your gears

David

I

|

Hasslehoffin Knight Rider. Man and slightly-effeminate -machine in perfect harmony. You lose points for not doing your own driving though, for talking to your dash, and for needing rescuing every episode by a Trans Am.

in

order to get the maxi-

mum

handling on

track.

Take your turns a

Snowy

earlier to start slid-

Skill Level:

ing earlier.

Bo and Luke

Duke. You can drive

SB

=

pretty good, but

you

stupidly welded

the doors shut and took out the windows.

What

if it

rains,

eh? What then? Fools!

a

^

Steve McQueen in You solve the murder, get the

Skill Level: Bullitt. girl,

the sideburns, and permission

to never ever smile... ever.

L=gB5BEHBBB=

may be prematurely

adjusting braking and

SNOWY

air

SHigggBBS

look terrified. Chill out.

can

off.

little

"

making

undoing. Try using a bet-

tip:

=

progress, but you

prove to be a racer’s

Quick

wiw

nearly one with the road. There’s a

turns and nighttime

first

Skill Level:

chimpanzee and

its

lighting, Riviera

ai-mfli .

later, hilari-

your trunk. You let opponents get right up on your bumper, then launch suddenly into the as they hurtle unwittingly into the ravine ahead.

RIVIERA tip:

moments

ously pick a small fish out of his pants.

,

face conditions.

Quick

—

you’re chased by a

a duck pond, and then,

in

T.J.

demands tires to

William Shatner in Hooker. Driven around by the heavily blow-dried Romano, you still need help getting out of the car- and during the race, you’re actually replaced by a stunt-double several hundred pounds lighter. With a beard.

Skill level:

in

Whenever

traffic

wind up

MOUNTAIN

Reynolds

the Bandit. Getting

faster.

over.

Dreamcast 90210? Oh God,

no...

WELCOME... ....To

the Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine- dedicated to the most power-

and exciting videogames console

ful

modem

graphics engine and a

in

the world. Armed with a i28bit

that will allow you to surf the internet, play

massively multiplayer games and even e-mail your buddies- Sega

Dreamcast

It

is in

every

way

a next generation entertainment platform.

deserves a next generation magazine.

ahead of the game. Dedicated

Like the system, we're

to bringing

complete world of Dreamcast every issue, our promise to you

work

is

that

you the

we will

tirelessly for the biggest exclusives- never flinching from asking the

We promise to furnish our exclusive GD-ROM so that you can

tough questions and never ever taking the PR

you with only the very best demos on play before you pay and

in

We

game

will never review a

arrives in the office-

we won't

through- from the start

But we're

official,

so

our reviews

menu

we

we aim

until it's

score

to the

can't say

it

to set a

until

demos and

standard.

it

we've played the whole thing

what we want,

right?

Sega because

give you, the reader, the best value every issue. full of free

new

completely finished. And when

end sequence.

zine carries the official license from

with a disc

line.

It

Wrong. This maga-

that's the best

way

to

means we can provide you

uninhibited access to Sega's legendary

and world-class development studios.

It

gives us the back-stage pass- and

that's better for you. But the door only swings

one way. Sega has absolute-

We We answer only to you.

are editorially independent-

ly

no say

in

the content of this magazine.

beholden to no-one.

So once again- welcome. Enjoy ing forward to Septmeber,

this

when

sneak preview and

join with

us

in

Christmas

is

coming

Simon Cox Editor In Chief

early...

look-

the world's most powerful console hits the

stores- coincidentally enough, just in time for Issue One. Looks

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