11/18/01 - Shenmue II Bits, NHL 2K2, And Bleem! Out Of Business?
- by Celeryface
Hey Dreamcast fans, Celeryface here to answer your questions and concerns about our site, the Dreamcast community, and whatever else you need to know about our favorite little white box, in the latest edition of the PlanetDreamcast Mailbag.
The last batch of Dreamcast games have been released. The last games scheduled to be released on the Dreamcast are Conflict Zone and NHL 2K2, so many gamers have been wondering where they should turn for new Sega gaming. Sega will be making games for the Gamecube, XBOX, PlayStation 2, and Gameboy Advance. So whatever next-gen system you choose, Sega will have games for it.
This week we answer some of your questions and concerns about Shenmue II, NHL 2K2, Bleemcast, and more. Now on with the mailbag, your letter might be in there!
From: Barry Cochrane
Subject: NHL2K2?!?
Is SEGA still planning on releasing NHL2K2 for the DC? Or are they going to cancel it or move it to the PS2? Hockey games are one of my favorite sports games and I have been holding off so I can get the one from SEGA and Visual Concepts. I think I'm one of the very few who thought NHL2K was a really good game, and I'm really looking forward to the new one. Do you have any insight or "inside" info on the game?
Thanks,
Barry Cochrane
Great web site, I really trust and agree with most of your reviews. I can tell that you all are gamers.
Yes, NHL 2K2 is still on the way for the Dreamcast. Currently our GameSpy Store has a December 31 release date for NHL 2K2, so the game should be available in stores just after Christmas. Currently Sega hasn't given out much info about the game, but we do know that the animation will be beefed up along with the franchise mode and commentary. As expected with all sports games, there will also be updated stats and team rosters. Thanks for the letter Barry. :)
From: Sneakyninja1
Subject: shenmue 2
Must...get up...Must breath...Help...the pain....shenmue 2...gone...I
raise up off the floor, my head throbbing, the blood starting to
circulate through my veins again I realize that at this moment it is
officially over, it's the end of the DC. What hope i had is tarnished
with the foul taste of black and green polycarbonate plastic resin. I
did my part sega, i purchased 67 DC games and even a back up DC and now
i feel like I am tossed to the curb along with my DC's. Thanks alot sega
at least you could have gone out with some style and released a U.S.
Shenmue 2. The game is done and ready to play on the DC, the money has
been spent to develop it, so burn some disks and ship them. I may seem
bitter and as of today and i am...a little bit. I cant deny the fact
that I have had more fun with the DC that any other system. It has been
good but now I have to decide on where to go next. PS2, Gamecube, Xbox,
hmm what to do now ? I have a choice to make and after reading the
plethora of articles about the new consoles and segas plans on these
systems, I have to say that Billy and the Xbox publishers will probably
receive my money in the next few years. With the impressive specs of the
Xbox and its high speed online connection and now the news of Shenmue 2
as an exclusive Xbox title i'm leaning in that direction, but PS2 has
some very solid titles coming out too ( MG2 and DMC anyone ? ). I can't
count out Gamecube either, its 100 bucks less than the compatition and
the graphics look sweet. So now what ? well i guess the choice is
simple...i will have too own them all.
Sneakyninja1
I am, or should I say was, in the same situation that you are in. When Sega decided to release Shenmue II as an XBOX exclusive for the US, I had to decide very quickly on what to get as my next system. As many of you know, Sega will be releasing games for all next-gen consoles. So which ever system you choose to buy, you will have Sega games to play on them. But out of all the systems, the XBOX will probably see the most Sega titles. Already we have 4 Sega games scheduled for the XBOX - Shenmue II, Jet Set Radio Future, Gunvalkyrie, and Panzeer Dragoon. However, the Gamecube has Super Monkeyball and PSO, and the PlayStation 2 has Virtua Fighter 4.
So it all comes down to what games you want, and what you want to play them on. I personally could not decide, so I bought all of the next-gen consoles. :P
From: Linda Davila
Subject: Dreamcast is done?
that sucks, dreamcast isn't gonna make any more Dreamcast games they were getting good...
is broadband coming out for dreamcast, like all the other systems?
Yes, I agree. It stinks that there won't be any Dreamcast games released after March 2002 (officially). But this is a business, and if Sega continued to support the Dreamcast then we wouldn't have Sega anymore to make great games for us. Sega's 3rd-party venture allows them to concentrate on games, and keeping out of the hardware business where they haven't been that successful. The Dreamcast is a fine piece of hardware, but because of lack of marketing and the mistrust from the general public (because of the Saturn failing), the Dreamcast didn't get to live long enough to reach its full potential.
The broadband adapter was released back in the Spring, but only through Sega's online store. From the start, the BBA was in short supply and was only supported by a handful of games. So the broadband adapter is out, but it will cost you some phat ca$h to get yourself one from an online auction. ;)
From: Mike Frohman
Subject: Sega this holiday Season
Y'know, I was going to buy a Sega title this holiday, as much to support my favorite company as much as anything else. But after the cancellation of Shenmue 2, I'm not sure about that- suddenly a bunch of older PS One games are looking a whole lot more interesting for my gaming dollar.
Just my 2 cents on the situation.
We totally understand why you are upset about the Shenmue 2 Dreamcast cancellation. We too were in shock about the annoucement. However, that doesn't mean that you can't get an english version of Shenmue II in December. Shenmue II will be released in Europe next month and will be in english. The game is made for PAL Dreamcasts but will have a 60hz option and will support VGA adapters. So you will be able to play it on your US Dreamcasts, but will need an import bootdisk.
So, just search around your import stores and you will be able to grab yourself a copy of an english Shenmue II next month.
From: Eric
Subject: Bleemcast??
Hi I am a Faithful Sega supporter but that's not why I'm writing. I would like to know what BleemCast is and where can i buy it...and what's the price on it...that's all
From Eric
Bleemcast is a special disk that allows you to play certain PlayStation games on your Dreamcast. Bleemcast takes advantage of the Dreamcast hardware and upgrades the graphics and framerate of the supported PlayStation games. There are three Bleemcast releases available right now that allows you to play Tekken 3, Gran Turismo 2, and Metal Gear Solid on your Dreamcast. Each disk supports only one game and requires you to have the original PlayStation game. To run Bleemcast all you have to do is put in the Bleemcast disk, turn on your Dreamcast and then Bleemcast will prompt you to put in your PlayStation game.
Recently Bleem put a small announcement on their website stating that they are closing their doors. So we will probably won't be seeing any new Bleemcast releases. We will keep you informed when we hear more from Bleem.
That concludes another great edition of the PlanetDreamcast Mailbag. Stay tuned as we will be back with more answers to your letters. Be sure to keep sending them. As always, you can send your letters to this address. Maybe you will see your letter in the next edition of the PlanetDreamcast Mailbag. Have fun! :)
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