| PS2 March 2001 |
Remote
Adventure |
| Zone
of Enders and Shadow of Memories are notable names
scheduled for March on the PS2 but a number of other titles were
confirmed overnight. A-Train 2001 makes another run on March
08. The new version adds shopping malls to the design of your railway
system which affects how train traffic will flow. The masses will
generally flock to the malls and you'll have to design the system to
accommodate this concentration of people at certain locations. Extermination,
a 3-D action-adventure, also ships on March 8. Odd may be the
fitting term for Me and Satan King which recounts the adventure
of a young boy who is under the influence of Satan, in a bid to rule
the world. Genki's popular racer Shutoko Battle Zero moves from
the Sega platforms to the PS2 in it's next incarnation on March 15.
The 3-D fighting game Bloody Roar 3 is due on March 22 while Densha
de Go! 3 features new routes and rides in on March 22. Lovers, not
fighters or drivers, also get a suitable game in True Love Story 3
expected on March 29. Finally, for today's update, Tokyo Bus Guide
gets ported from the Dreamcast to the PS2 on March 29. NCS will
post the complete first quarter import schedules for the PS, PS2, and
DC by Monday and these listings will be linked through our main page. |
Pushing the envelope
of gaming usually requires diverging into new forms of interactivity.
Sony's Remote Adventure due in March puts you in amongst a population of people in a
metropolitan city. You're able to read the
thoughts of citizens around you, which appear in text bubbles above
their heads. If a person has a certain problem, your goal is to help
him or her resolve any conflicts. Your actions will affect the
person's life and the lives of others so careful
consideration must be taken before involving yourself in another
person's life and attendant troubles.
|
| New
Blood |
Shenmue 2
|
| Playstation
fans can look forward to Aero Dive and Love Para scheduled
to arrive next week while the Playstation 2 gets one new title with Go
to Find it. The DC wheel starts spinning again on January 16 when Fighting
Vipers 2 and Giga Wing 2 wind their way to the Dreamcast. |
D-Direct
editions of Fighting Vipers 2 will include a preview of Shenmue 2. It
is unclear if first productions of the game will also include the
demo...
|
| Neo
Geo KOF 2000 USA Offer Update Edited
for length at 03:14PM |
Via Consensus |
|
There was much
reaction to yesterday's tidbit on KOF 2000 USA. NCS
is considering rescinding the proposition as of today and may
not sell the
cartridge due to overwhelming negative sentiment on the offer.
|
|
Recent history concerning KOF 2000 and the legitimacy
of KOF 2000 USA
|
|
SNK began accepting pre-orders for the KOF
2000 cartridge during the late summer of last year. Initial pre-orders from customers were
strong and at the time, SNK of America was no longer a going concern.
As such, no USA version of KOF 2000 was expected and NCS made no plans
to allocate resources towards such a release. The book on Neo Geo USA had
closed.
|
|
By the time November rolled around, pre-order quantities
for KOF 2000 had been finalized and deposits were wired overseas to
guarantee allocation. NCS' pre-order numbers for new Neo Geo games are
sizable and we are expected to follow through on any quantities that
we submit, especially for high value goods such as Neo Geo stock.
Breaking such a large pre-order would breed mistrust and possible
legal action due to the value of the order.
|
|
Around this time in November, we were contacted by NGF
concerning the possibility of ordering the USA version of KOF 2000. In
turn, NCS contacted SNK through our distribution companies in an
effort to establish legitimacy and SNK steadfastly denied any USA
version at that time. Perhaps these denials were made in the interest
of protecting their own sales situation
in Japan and to maintain the status quo. There was bound to be
pre-order cannibalization of the Japanese version if
confirmation of a USA release was announced officially. Had SNK confirmed the
USA localization of the game, it would have put our Japanese suppliers with whom we had already
committed orders to, in a precarious position. NGF had called too late and we were unable to
establish any congruence or conformity with SNK, especially
against SNK's own denials. We rejected the USA offer primarily on these grounds and went forward with the Japanese
pre-order. NCS took delivery on December 20, comfortably before the
impending holidays.
|
|
Since then, SNK officers confirmed a USA version of
KOF 2000 was indeed produced in a limited production run. They would not
confirm the quantity produced, although the number appears to be
100 units. Apparently, none of the traditional retailers of Neo
Geo products in the USA were able to get confirmation of a USA
version from SNK either. Thus, no one placed pre-orders for the
USA version and only a small production was manufactured. Perhaps the point is moot. The majority of our customers are
not interested in supporting this cartridge, citing NGF history and
legacy as the main delimiting factors.
|
|
Looking towards the future, SNK will continue to publish
MVS versions of new Neo Geo software for the coin-op market. No plans are on tap for AES
productions of any of the upcoming MVS games at this point. King of
Fighters 2000 was the last planned Neo Geo AES cartridge. Even KOF
2000, easily one of the most popular and enduring Neo Geo licenses, was a task to bring to market as some fans may remember since it
was delayed for two months. NCS is willing to collaborate with
a company if it means that we will effect SNK's production of
official AES versions of cartridges. The quantities that we would
buy are central to cost effective manufacturing of any future Neo Geo AES
cartridges. At certain production levels, prices would drop back to
the normal levels that we enjoyed in previous years. Our questions to the
Neo Geo community:
|
|
Primacy |
|
If NCS commissions the complete production of the minimum
feasible quantity of a future AES cartridge from SNK, whether it be a
USA or a Japanese version, which would be the preferred
localization? It would only be cost effective to produce one
version but some tradeoffs could be made such as including two
manuals (one English, one Japanese) with each cartridge. |
| We have read the
numerous e-mails and understand the negative
consensus concerning the USA version of KOF 2000. What are the
acceptable conditions for upcoming AES cartridges that may be
produced by SNK through NGF? That is, if any. The future of the Neo Geo home
market is fully in the hands of the audience so please be brutally
honest. If there is no support from the user base under any
possible arrangements of this kind, NCS will no longer pursue this
avenue. In that case, we may examine other options with various distribution partners in Japan
and commence with other plans in requesting production of AES
cartridges from SNK. The Neo Geo market remains a remarkably
healthy niche as we recently saw with KOF 2000. We have since
sold out of our complete allocation which necessitated the
purchase of additional units in the aftermarket to meet
post-release demand. The business is there. At the end of the
day, it all boils
down to the voice of the buyers and retail demand so any
feedback
is welcome. |
|
Primacy |
| All messages sent to NCS will
be pored over, read through, and will help guide potential AES activity
over the next couple of months. Due to the volume of mail that
we receive each day, NCS may be unable to reply to each message
but all incoming mail will be read and digested. |
|
Send
mail to NCS |
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|
