| One More Time... |
MSX |
SNK
announced overnight that Metal Slug X for the Playstation would ship on
January 25. This is possibly the fifth schedule confirmation for the game, after being
delayed numerous times in the past. Pricing stands at Y5800 and the Playstation version
should play a faithful rendition of the Neo Geo original.
For those out of the loop, Metal Slug is the ultra detailed side
scrolling shooter where you take control of a soldier boy and plow through enemy rank and
file with heavy artillery and a cavalcade of war machines known as Slugs. Some are metal,
some breathe, all are deadly. |
On the Neo Geo console, Metal Slug X was essentially a remix and re-issue of Metal Slug 2.
Some level bosses were swapped around, new tunes were injected, and a number of new
enemies and weapons were added to the overall mix. |
| Third
Millenium Collection |
Fourth |
Square
appear to be on track with the next batch of Millenium Collection games to ship on
November 30. Two versions of Xenogears (Ellie and Fei editions), Chrono Cross, and
Parasite Eve.
| Millenium
Collection |
Special
package inclusions |
| Chrono Cross |
Daily desktop calendar, mini
figurine |
| Parasite Eve 2 |
Aya Brea embodied perfume
bottle |
| Xenogears Elehayym |
Elehayym figure, mini Chuchu
figure |
| Xenogears Wong Fei |
Bartolomei figure, mini Wong
figure |
|
|
Square has not announced any Millenium Collections after the
third batch of releases. Here are some suggestions if they do decide to exhaust their
possibilities: Tobal No. 2, Chronotrigger (USA and JAPAN), a special Final Fantasy
compilation package with all three PS volumes... |
| Capcom's
January 2001 Plans |
Giga |
| Onimusha
leads the pack with feudal samurai action on January 25 for the PS2. Travel back to olden
Japan and battle in 3-D against samurai rivals for the destiny of the nation. Capcom will
also handle the Japanese localized versions of Ultimate Fighting Championship
for the Dreamcast and Playstation to ship on January 25. Finally, Gigawing 2
was announced for the Dreamcast to ship on January 18, 2001. |
Boasting polygonal sheen and dimension, the sequel to Gigawing brings
back the reflect shot system where enemy fire and scattershot bounces off your ship with
the press of a button. |
| Week's
Outlook |
Next Week |
Three
new Dreamcast imports are expected on Wednesday with Aero Dancing: Tsubasa's First
Fight, Bio-Hazard 3, and Mercurius Pretty. Yes,
we are aware that Resident Evil 3 will be released in the USA at a low price point. NCS is
not allowed any cancellations of pre-orders that we originally submitted about 3 months
ago. It would cause too much trouble in our overseas vendor agreements. C'est la vie. A
new issue of Dreamcast Magazine is also expected.
Playstation fans can look forward to a new version of The Blockbuster,
an Arkanoid clone in the Simple 1500 series. Playstation 2 gets Snowboard Heaven from
Capcom on Thursday and should give SSX a run. |
Neo Geo Pocket fans can look forward to Big Bang Pro Wrestling,
Inifinity Cure, and Nigeronpa next Monday. This roster should
close out the NGP releases for this year but 2001 should bring in KOF R3,
Ikari Warriors Return, Digital Primate, and a remake of Magician
Lord. News to follow... |
| Farewell
Neo Geo Freak |
Dearth |
The
December 2000 issue of Neo Geo Freak will mark the final issue of the magazine. The
publisher cites a pervasively low circulation and no growth in numbers sold to vendors. A
ruinous situation for any publication struggling to survive in a business fueled by
advertisements. No critical eyeball reach, no adverts and no substantial revenue. The
magazine lasted longer than we expected but once SNK started stumbling this year, it's
fate was sealed.
Neo Geo news should still be readily available however from SNK, distribution
houses, and our Japanese friends who still comprise a hardcore Neo Geo fan base. Fare thee
well, Freak. It's been a fulfilling run. |
Niche publications can survive. High Times may be considered a niche
periodical that appeals to a segment of the general population. It's as healthy as a weed.
Neo Geo Freak didn't have the numbers to justify continuation..Business, after all, is
about making money to fuel the operations and profit. |
| Mail
Server Woes |
QT |
| Our mail
machine was knocked out for most of Saturday and many customers reported e-mail that
bounced back at them. Much of this mail should have been spooled for us but if you do not
receive a reply to your query by tomorrow morning, please resend your message. Apologies
for the downtime. If you have sent a message to NCS recently, please allow roughly 12-24
hours for the company to respond to your e-mail. Thanks. |
Downtime is fairly rare but any breakdown of servers casts a pall since e-mail volumes are
hefty this time of year and generally disrupts operations. We've had three outages this
year. |
