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Okay, obviously I haven’t been covering this thing live, being the non-paid, recreational blogger that I am. I’ll leave that to Joystiq. The stuff you care about is this:

• US $499 for the 20GB model
• US $599 for the 60GB
• Controller looks just like the Dual Shock, but with motion sensing abilities (not sure if it has actual position detection a la Wii)
• US Launch date of November 17th

So, PS3 is playing catch-up with Nintendo and coming in a full $200 dollars more expensive than the cheapest version of the 360. Meanwhile, Microsoft is left in the dust with no motion sensing control. Some actual demos were shown, many being promised as playable at the show. Cool.

Microsoft and Nintendo keynotes tomorrow. I am giddy.

Check out the Joystiq link above for more details.

—if anybody wants to change my “non-paid blogger” status, contact me immediately :)

Wow. Lots of crazy SEGA news today. Next-Gen is reporting that Yuji Naka—creator of Sonic the Hedgehog—has left SEGA. Naka wll be forming his own company—labeled Prope, meaning “‘beside’ or ‘near’ future”—that will wil officially open for business on June 1st. As noted by other sites, this makes it clear that Naka has had little to do with the development of Sonic Next-Gen. Although, considering the quality of recent Sonic titles, that may not be a bad thing. I wonder if this also means the dissolution of Sonic Team. What of the ever talked-about Nights Into Dreams sequel? Will Naka have license to any SEGA characters? Who’s making the new Monkey Ball then?

SEGA is apparently donating 10 percent of Prope’s startup capital, so there doesn’t seem to be any bad blood. I can’t tell if SEGA is falling apart or just going through changes that should have happened years ago.

Update: Thanks for the link Joystiq. And welcome to Joystiq readers.

Update the second: Okay, apparently this entry has been linked to Totalfark.com. I don’t have access to that site, as it is subscription based. Anybody care to clue me in? Send me a screen capture maybe? Leave me a comment if you got here via Total Fark, I’d appreciate it. You can also hit me up via the Contact page. Thanks, Sense.

SEGA has announcced that Virtua Fighter 5 will be coming to PS3 only when it ships next spring. While this isn’t exactly surprising, it is disappointing. It also serves as further proof that SEGA dislikes money—or at least American money. Why you wouldn’t port a fighting game to a console that is flooded with action titles is beyond me. Hell, the only fighting game competetition on the 360 is DOA and the next iteration of Mortal Kombat. You’d think that Virtua Fighter would clean up on the 360. But, like I said in my recent, hastily written rant, most of SEGA’s decisions confuse me these days. Most people don’t appreciate Virtua Fighter, but I stand by my belief that it’s the best technical fighter available. Oh, well. AM2 already stated VF5 won’t be online anyway.

—from Gamespot via Evil Avatar

Well, it’s nearly here. E3 starts in a mere two days. Keynotes will soon flood the internet. Announcements will be made. Awards will be handed out. The hype for upcoming games will begin. Some will rise to the occasion upon delivery, others will be miserable piles of excrement. This is the time of year when journalists look at games in development. These games will have promise. Reporters will look at them and say that the controls need work, but that the developers have plenty of time to work that out. We all know that never happens though. When the game comes out the controls will still suck. Sigh… So, what am I looking forward to? Let’s find out:

• Halo 3
• Too Human
• Any and all things Wii related
• Super Smash Bros. Wii
• Zelda (Gamecube and DS)
• Phantasy Star Universe
• Some Japanese RPGs for 360
• Nintendo sending me a free DS Lite (Please!)

There’s probably a few more things I could put up there, but that’s the big list. You may notice my lack of excitement for the PS3. Well, I’ve learned not to get too excited about Sony when it comes to trade shows, at least not when they’re talking about upcoming hardware. I’m sure there will be some real-time offerings this year, but I’ll wait and see. For me, this year is all about the Wii. It’s the only thing that’s really exciting. There are some potentially great games coming to 360, but the Wii really has a chance to bring something entirely new to the table. We all sit with bated breath to see what Nintendo is going to do.

 Ah…who am I kidding. I just want my new Smash Bros.

—oops. Fixed a spelling mistake.

I mentioned in my last post that I lament the direction SEGA has taken of late. Understand that I love SEGA, probably more than a healthy person should. Let me share my story with you.

Continue reading “Where’s My SEGA?”

In the seemingly never ending string of press releases, SEGA announces The Club for next gen systems. The Club is a collaboration between SEGA and Bizarre Creations. The release describes an underground culture where criminals are paid to stage gun battles. Spectators place bets on the outcome of these battles. Sounds kind of like Fight Club with a gangsta twist. I wonder, will players be able to wager Microsoft Points? Console gambling with real value? Doubtful, but interesting. So far SEGA has posted no media for the game.

On a side note, I’m not really sure I like the direction that SEGA is taking these days. It seems like they’re just trying to play catch up with EA. I have trust in Bizarre, but SEGA’s direction makes me nervous. However, that is a topic for another much longer post.

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that the Oklahoma State Senate recently passed what amounts to an anti-gaming bill. Basically, the bill (HB 3004) makes it illegal to sell games that are “harmful to minors” to children. This bill, once signed by Governor Henry, will add any games under this loose defintion to the short list of government regulated media.

Here is the current list of government regulated media:

• Pornography

Like I said. It’s a short list. The point I’m getting at here is this: I live in Oklahoma. This law won’t affect me, but I personally believe it’s a bad idea. The heart of the idea is good, I just don’t think it’s a legal issue. All other media is internally regulated and that should be good enough for games—which are prohibitively expensive to most children anyway.

I sent Governor Henry a letter on the subject not long ago and was delightfully surprised that he actually responded—and quickly, too. I still think he’s going to sign the bill. He pretty much has to, as it passed through both the State House and Senate unanimously. Still, I wanted to take this time to thank Governor Henry—and specifically his Policy Specialist Leslie Tabor—for taking the time to respond at all.

—UPDATE: This is post is now linked to the resplendent Game Politics. Thanks, Dennis.

IGN has posted a short interview with Huxley developer Webzen. While it doesn’t divulge too much new information about the project, I am so thirsty for any info regarding this game that I will post anything. Anything. The juiciest bit in the interview is the statement that there will be massive 100 vs. 100 battles. That’s a lot of players in a single battle. Also, when asked about the cross-platform play between the PC and 360 versions, the developer failed to answer with a simple yes or no, saying that it goes “beyond mere connecton.” I don’t know what that means, but it’s good, I guess.

SEGA has released some new screens of Sonic for the next gen platforms. For some reason, however, this is not the subject of today’s Road to E3 ’06 press release, which is in fact about Charlotte’s Web. Go figure. Click here to check out the screens.

Update: I just noticed that Sonic isn’t wearing his SOAP shoes anymore. Does that mean no more grinding?

—via the ever vigilant Gamebrink

Nintendo announced today that the DS Lite will hit US shores on June 11th for “as low as” $129.99—hence the asterisk above. Start stockpiling those extra dollars now. If you don’t have a nice view of the world under that rock of yours, here is a list of features:

• It’s less than two-thirds the size of the original Nintendo DS and more than 20 percent lighter.
• Its two bright screens can be adjusted to four levels to adapt to different lighting conditions and to extend battery power.
• The microphone sits in the center of the unit, and the LED lights are clearly visible whether the unit is open or closed.
• The stylus is 1 centimeter longer and 1 millimeter thicker than the stylus of the original, and slides into a side storage slot.
• The Start and Select buttons were repositioned for easier access.
• A removable cover keeps the Game Boy Advance cartridge slot clear from dust and debris when it’s not in use.
• It’s awesome.

Okay, that last one was mine, but it might as well be a feature. Reggie Fils-Aime also notes, “DS Lite and New Super Mario Bros. represent a double shot of gaming excellence.” Can’t wait.