PlanetDreamcast | Community | Mailbag | 6/09/00

Community - Mailbag 6/09/00 - More UK, More PS2, and a little SF2 - by BenT Whew, my hands hurt. I just got finished playing 50-odd rounds of Street Fighter II Turbo with one of our biz guys, John "Vertigo" Park. There's a machine in the lobby, right next to Mortal Kombat 2 (yuck), but not many people play. The PC-based side of the staff here is very 3D-oriented... it seems that once they play Soul Calibur, they forget that 2D even exists. Our gain, I guess, since this way the SF2 machine is always free. I more or less got owned, by the way. John's Guile is the stuff of nightmares... From: Ryan Tsou Subject: FPS for dreamcast For all the FPS games soon to be coming on dreamcast ported from the great computer, I have one question: "How the hell are you going to be able to play them?" Sure, the mouse and keyboard are coming or are already out for the dreamcast but that means spending more money on more accessories after enough on the dreamcast, games, and VMU. Would the mouse and keyboard be needed to play these new games like Half-Life or Quake III? This line is a crossing between console gaming and computer gaming and I don't believe it is a great decision. With the N64 many FPS games have failed to shine such as Quake 2, a pathetic mishap with a half-baked single player and 4-player only multiplayer option. How can this problem not be repeated for the dreamcast and will these classic computer FPS's become crap games on the Dreamcast? Heh, guess there's no pleasing some people. It would be one thing if there's weren't a mouse and keyboard available, but there will be, so I don't see what the problem is. Sure, you'll have to pay a bit more to acquire the accessories, but I daresay you're still paying a lot less than you would for a decent gaming PC. As for Quake II, its single player sucked on the PC too -- it wasn't lost in the translation. ;) And finally, from what we've seen, I think most people will be very pleased with the Dreamcast ports of Quake III and Half-Life. Unless your expectations are somewhere in the stratosphere, there's very little danger of them becoming "crap games". From: Joseph M. Subject: lightgun i just bought the madcatz lightgun and house of the dead 2. when i calibrate the junk i go to "check my aim" as the screen says and when i hold the gun perfectly still the crosshair wiggles left and right a ton. and i know it's not the tv or my position or anything because my saturn lightgun is super precise. i'd like to think the gun's not broken, but what say you? does anyone else have this problem? Hmm, the Mad Catz is generally considered to be the better DC lightgun. Anyone wanna help? From: Seth Yates Subject: DC Drags in UK I am saddened to e-mail you that i feel the DC has died in the UK. I love my console, but however i feel its end is nigh. And i think everyone knows this is true. Sales have slumped and the last chances of survival are fading away. I am proud of the USA for sticking by it but that Old shitty VCR like console the PSX2 is killing it. And it isnt even out. Sega need to. 1. Create more Internet compatible games 2. MOre games!!!! like 25 should do 3. Prepherials for the DCs expansion port such as Zip drive, Harddrive etc. 4. MORE GAMES Time is running out.. history may just repeat itself. You're depressing me, son. From: Ryan Newton Subject: PS2 "Superiority" i've found that part of the reason that the general public views the playstation 2 as superior to the dreamcast when in fact that it's not is not only due to sony's extreme advertising but to the popular media's attempts to not alienate their readers by telling the truth about something that goes against popular opinion. i found this bit in an article about new gaming technology that sony's releasing: "Earlier on Thursday, struggling Japanese game console maker Sega Enterprises Ltd said it will offer broadband Internet access through its Dreamcast machine in Japan from next month in a bid to catch up with Sony". this seemed very unfair to me being that the playstation 2 is built with no internet support while the earlier released dreamcast features full internet access. i hope this made sense. Yeah, it's all about winning the media. Sony has done a masterful job of this so far, even considering the bit of anti-Sony backlash that was going around for a while. Hopefully gameplay will prevail over graphics in the end. From: Dvorak Subject: Sega Supporter and Player I have been a supporter of Sega and Player, and owner of Saturn and Dreamcast. I have gone with Sega when others have gone with sony Playstation. Two reasons why I am writting you. One, Somehow my children lost the power cord to the Sega Saturn and I have been trying to purchase one somewhere, can you help? Two, I know It is tough competing with Sony and their resources, and I have looked over the list of games that you have in progress. Some are really good, yet my children keep looking for the more popular titles. Pokemon snap, star wars jedi power battle, pokemon stadium, crash bandicoot, and basically stuff that kids and adults can relate to like with movie themes, and maybe redo some of Saturns most popular themes and titles. I would appreciate any assistance with the first issue, and with the second, I can only wait and see. Thank you, and have a nice day! First thing to try is local game shops. If you have a decent independently-owned game store in your vincity, odds are they'll have what you're looking for. You could also try contacting Sega, who may still sell them direct. From: Steve Subject: F1WGP I have to agree to disagree with both parties in regards to that last letter about F1WGP. It's a great game but that guy was somewhat right about the slowdown. When it begins to rain when a race is under way, the framerate drops so much and so quickly it actually impairs your driving ability until you get used to it or switch to a more comforting view. And as far as it being "the best F1 sim to date", you're dead wrong. Ever play the F1 games by Psygnosis on PlayStation? That's what an F1 sim should be; fuel line bursts, engine failure, gearbox trouble, Murray Walker, individual engine noise, biased car power, twitchy brakes, red flags, yada yada yada. I hope a person from the VideoSystem design team is reading this crap. We didn't say it was the "best F1 sim to date", but the "best F1 sim in ages". There's a difference. ;) Although, it probably *is* the best F1 sim on the Dreamcast at the moment, hehe. From: Razamatazz Subject: Monaco Grand Prix I've been playing the generator disc that came with my Dreamcast lately and I have taken a small liking to Monaco Grand Prix. I am considering buying it when the price drops to 15-20 bucks. Is it worth it? The way you guys make it sound is that it's so horrible it shouldn't be accepted even if it is offered to you for free. IGN DC makes it sound like it's a godsend. Enlighten me, should I buy it or not? While our reviews tend to be a bit more critical than other sites, I'm thinking we were probably off the mark on that one. I personally feel that the game is pretty good, although only worth a purchase for racing enthusiasts. In any case, that reviewer is no longer with us. ;) Want another bad one? Try this: King of Fighters Dream Match '99. I wanted to kill Frags after reading that, and I didn't even know him back then. Yet another reason why one should only review genres that they can appreciate... (And no, don't send him any more hate mail... believe me, he is already *well* aware of how us fighting fans feel! :) From: Travis Clauss Subject: I'M LOOOOOOOST!!!!! Please I have seem to lost myself in this huge information highway. Please tell me where i can get information about console game testing. I am just a very sory low life who wants to find the best freekin job. What more could you want then to get paid to play video games. Thank You Funny, Sega just posted an article about this on their website. Check it out here, it should be informative. In fact, the second part is solely about testing. Great timing. :) From: Carmen Genovese Subject: Broadband good day to yo highly devoteted workers at the planet dreamcast headcorters or wherever you are. i am also finding some dreamcast games very laggy (please excuse my punctuation i have a broken wrist). not only are some games very laggy i am also extremely annoyed that i have to purchase a internet connection with another isp ( i have a cable connection on my computer). i was kind of hopeing that you guys could find a any information what so ever about anything so one could use a cale or dsl connection. you know like maybe a little box someone could plug into the onboared 56k modem to relay information from the cable modem. i may be talking gibberish because i don't know much about how this stuff works but i would very much like it if you could help me with my cause and many others with this poblem. signed faithfully Paul Heheh, broken wrist. Good one. Anyway, a solution to your dilemma is not far off, as Sega will be releasing a "LAN Adapter" which will allow the Dreamcast to interface with cable modems. More details should be available in the not-too-distant future, and it should definitely be released before the year is out. I can't wait, either. From: Ryansuise Subject: infinite continues left,right,down,x,x,x,b,a,y,b. enter at screen that says "push start". Alright people, we appreciate it when you submit codes to us, as it makes our cheats database that much better. But please, remember to tell us what game you're talking about. The cheat doesn't do much good without that vital piece of info! :) From: Tony Brown Subject: rebate If I bought a dreamcast dec. '99, am I still eligible for the $50 rebate check? If so how do I get started? Thanks, Tony Brown Sorry, you're not. The rebate is only for new Dreamcasts purchased between June 4th and and August 31st. That's the same day my credit card expires, incidentally. Remember, if you did (or do) purchase your system between those dates, call (800) 688-8460 for info on how to get your rebate. From: Concerned Gamer Subject: Releas Date Hey! I live in CO and its the 7. so i called in and they said it wasent gonna be out till the 30th! Whats up with that?!?! Concerned gamer "It" has been out since 1986. You should be able to find it in softcover and trade editions by now. From: Elite Zero Fighter Subject: Reply to "dc drags in uk" Maybe thats why we declared independent from them! Heheh, you're funny. From: Graeme Timmins Subject: Hmm Maybe if they were to make a portable DC systelm similar to say a laptop in a sense. If they had a built in cell phone or something thats what its for. Good god man, that's crazy! But you know what? It just.. might.. work! Get on it. That's it for this week. Keep the letters coming -- suck it down right here, bitch. ... Oh, sorry 'bout that. My close proximity to a copy of Daikatana must be getting to my head. :o Oh, and that reminds me... if you like Doom at all (and you have a fast computer), check out this demo. Well, ok, technology test. But it may as well be a demo, since it's relatively bug-free. And don't be put off by the name -- Serious Sam is one awesome new FPS. It really brings back the feel from the "good old days" of single player first person shooters, with bright graphics, powerful weapons, and hordes of dumb enemies to mow down. Much coolness. Anyway, I digress. It's time to head home, play some WipeOut 64, and rest... another work-filled weekend awaits. See ya!