Update : January 17th, 2002

Soul Calibur 2 Mania!

Namco made a press release this week concerning the upcoming Soul Calibur 2 fighting game. They revealed interesting information. All 3 versions will have its own exclusive character. Gamecube will have Link from Zelda, PlayStation 2 will have Heihachi from Tekken and Xbox will have Spawn from huh...Spawn. Speaking of Spawn, a new character designed by Todd McFarlane will make its first appearance, his name is Necrid. Soul Calibur 2 is scheduled for release in Japan on March 27th for all 3 consoles at the price of 6800 yen. The US version should arrive in August. Here are some pictures :






Update : January 14th, 2002

Noir DVD info

ADV Films has increased the number of DVDs to 7 for the upcoming anime series Noir. It was planned to be released in 6 DVDs at first.

Final Fantasy Origins

Squaresoft announced they will release Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II for the PS One in North America. The 2 games will be combined on one disc named as Final Fantasy Origins. Both titles will feature audio and visual enhancements, including a new CG opening and ending. Final Fantasy Origins is scheduled for release in North America in April 2003.

Out Run 2 and Virtua Cop 3
coming for Xbox

Sega AM2 has confirmed that Outrun 2 will use the Chihiro arcade board (Xbox compatible) and will be released in arcades this spring. Virtua Cop 3 is also nearing completion and should begin testing in Japanese arcades in spring also.

Good christmas sales for PS2
but disappointing in Japan

Sony announced they have sold a total of 8.5 million units of PlayStation 2 worldwide during November and December 2002. The total numbers represents an increase of 24% compared from last year. This is very good considering 2001 was a very good year for consoles sales. On a side note, Japan had weak holiday sales, with only 920 000 consoles sold in that period, a 27% decrease from 2001.



Update : January 9th, 2002

Nintendo announces Gameboy Advance SP

Shipping in Japan on February 14th (and in America on March 23rd), the Gameboy Advance SP features a compact new design and finally includes, a built-in front light for easier viewing when playing games. It will now be possible to play in the dark. Battery life stands at 10 hours with the internal lithium-ion rechargeable battery or 18 hours if a player decides not to use the light. Three colors are expected at the beginning : Silver, Black and Purple.






Update : December 30th, 2002

Teaser poster of Final Fantasy XII

Squaresoft released a publicity of Final Fantasy 12 in the latest Dorigama Magazine. 2003 will probably the biggest Final Fantasy year ever. Let's not forget, there are 3 other Final Fantasy games coming this year : Final Fantasy X-2 (PS2), Final Fantasy Chronicles (Gamecube) and Final Fantasy Tactics (GameBoy Advance).

Sonic Team with the PS2

Sega's Sonic Team announced that they are currently developing a brand new title for the PlayStation 2, the game will be released sometimes in 2003. More info will be posted when available. Yuji Naka also mentioned that Sonic Adventure 3 will appear at this year's E3. The game is supposed to be multi-platforms.

Dino Crisis 3 info

Capcom has released new details concerning their Xbox action adventure game Dino Crisis 3. This time, the game takes place in the future, inside a space ship, in the year 2548. The main character's name is Patrick and he is a member of the special force S.O.A.R. His mission consist of investigating an abandoned spaceship, which was drifting in space for the last 300 years. Inside the spaceship, you guessed it, you must defeat the dinosaurs before they hunt you down. Dino Crisis 3 is currently 40% completed and is scheduled for a spring 2003 release in Japan.

Sega Classics for PS2

Continuing their restructuration plan, Sega is trying to find new ways to put the company back in the profitability. Recently, they announced that remakes of classic Sega titles, will making their way on the PS2 in 2003. One game got our attention, probably Sega's biggest RPG, and it's Phantasy Star. The game will have new graphics, music and sound. Other games like Fantasy Zone, Space Harrier and Golden Axe will also have new versions with improved graphics. Here are some pics for Phantasy Star (the remake) :






Update : December 17th, 2002

New AstroBoy anime series

Tezuka Pictures will debut the third TETSUWAN ATOM TV series in Japan on January 1st, 2003. "Astro Boy Tetsuwan Atom Premium Version" will be broadcast in Japan with English dialogue and Japanese subtitles. The premier episode will air on January 1st to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the original series TV which debuted on January 1st, 1963. Thereafter, the regular broadcast will begin on April 7th, same date of the birthday of Astroboy. The series is also scheduled for American television in 2003.



Update : December 13th, 2002

Ghost in the Shell the Movie... Part 2

To make it clear, this is not the new TV series of Ghost in the Shell (Stand Alone Complex). It is an actual sequel to the first Ghost in the Shell Movie. Named temporarily "Innocence Ghost in the Shell", the sequel will still be directed by the great Mamoru Oshii. The film is a co-production between Production I.G. and Ghibli Studio and the movie is expected to come out in Spring 2004.

New Evangelion!!!

It appears that Gainax confirmed to NewType Magazine (Japan) that they are planning to begin work on a new Evangelion anime series. More details should be available in the coming weeks.

RahXephon's coming in march

ADV Films has revealed that the first American DVD volume of RahXephon will be available on March 25th in a DVD only version for $29.98 US and in a special edition that includes a collector's DVD box and a T-shirt for $44.95 US.

Animal Crossing Sequel

Nintendo confirmed that they are working on a sequel of Animal Forest (Animal Crossing in America) for the GameCube. The game is scheduled to be released in 2003.



Update : December 9th, 2002

Rockman EXE back in action

To celebrate Capcom's mascot 15th anniversary, Capcom has just released Rockman Exe 3 for the GameBoy Advance. Click here to see the Japanese TV commercial, it's very well done.

New websites for 2 upcoming anime series

Pioneer has opened its official American homepage for Ai Yori Aoshi. Pioneer is apparently putting some effort to keep the series intact for the American release. Click here for the link.

ADV Films has opened its official American homepage for the highly anticipated US release of Noir.
Click here for the link.

Trigun to begin on American TV

It appears that the Cartoon Network has acquired the broadcast rights for Trigun. This comes as some surprise considering that in May 2001, Chad Kime, a Pioneer representative, stated that Trigun was unlikely to air on TV due to its "excessive use of guns".



Update : November 27th, 2002

Square and Enix to become one!

Squaresoft and Enix announced on Tuesday that they will be merging into a new company called Square-Enix in Japan on April 1st, 2003. Both Square and Enix are Japan's top RPG makers, with the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest franchises. In the merger, Square represents 0.81 and Enix is 1.0, therefore Square will become the dissolution company while Enix will take charge of the new company : Square-Enix. The new chairman will be Yasuhiro Fukushima (actual chairman of Enix), the president will be Wada Youichi (Squaresoft's president) and the vice-president will be Keiji Honda (Enix's president). Both companies will hold a Square-Enix management and development strategy conference on November 29th in Japan.

Namco has high hopes for Tales of Destiny 2

Namco announced today their sales expectations concerning the upcoming PlayStation 2 game, Tales of Destiny 2. The target is set at 1 million units just for Japan. The game is scheduled to be released in Japan on November 28th, for 6800 yen (~$56 US).



Update : November 20th, 2002

Rumor concerning Treasure

According to a certain reliable website, Treasure, makers of the recent Ikaruga shooting game for the Dreamcast, is working on a new sequel to their classic Sega Saturn action game Guardian Heroes. We'll update when more info will be available.

Nintendo to bring Gameboy to your TV

Nintendo announced a new GameCube peripheral, the GameBoy Player. It should be in japanese stores in March 2003, for 5000 yen. This new add-on enable players to play over 1400 GB, GBC and GBA games on the GameCube with a TV screen. The adapter attaches under the GameCube and you can also use your GameBoy Advance to operate the game, if attached to the system using the GameCube-GBA Cable. Four player battles are supported if you attach 4 GameBoy Advance systems to the GameCube. The Nintendo GameCube-GameBoy Player will be available in 4 different colors to match the color of your GameCube. The North American version is scheduled for May 2003.





Update : November 15th, 2002

Capcom's future projects

First is Shinji Mikami's latest creation P.N.03. Shinji Mikami is the creator of Resident Evil and Devil May Cry. The game introduces Vanessa Z. Schneider, a mercenary who's goal is of eliminating killer robots. The story also mention that she wants to avenge the death of her parents. Here's 3 pictures that looks promising.



Capcom also revealed Biohazard 4 (Resident Evil 4). The game will center around Leon S. Kennedy (Biohazard 2). Not much info was given about the game but here's a great preview clip.
Click here for the download (~9.5 megs).

Both games are developped for the Nintendo Gamecube at the moment.



Update : November 14th, 2002

Capcom to reveal Onimusha 3

Capcom is planning to reveal Onimusha 3 for the PlayStation 2 in Japan early next year. No word yet on if the game will appear on other platform or remain exclusive to the PS2.

Guilty Gear XX coming soon

Sammy will release the popular 2D fighting game Guilty Gear XX for the PS2 in Japan on December 12th, for 6800 yen. The game will also be released in North America next year under the name of Guilty Gear X 2.

Gamecube PSO to get bugs fixed

Sega announced that they will release a revised version of Phantasy Star Online Episode 1 & 2 for the GameCube in December. The new version will fix a number of problems and bugs such as incompatibility with certain broadband adapters and rare items cheating. Customers can mail back their copy of the game for an exchange with the new updated version.




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