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Konami and Tecmo to announce Triple-A titles for Xbox; Sega waffles

The worst-kept secret in video games history is no longer a secret at all. Konami, maker of Metal Gear Solid for the PlayStation and its PlayStation 2 sequel Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, will announce a Metal Gear Solid game for the Xbox at May’s big Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). Further, Xbox Nation has learned that Japanese game company Tecmo plans to announce two new Xbox titles: Ninja Gaiden and a Dead or Alive spin-off titled Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball.

The news of a Metal Gear game for the Xbox comes after a year of rampant speculation, persistent rumors, and repeated denials on the part of Konami. Now, however, sources both internal at Konami and external have confined the existence of this title and stated its details will be revealed at E3.

At press time, it was uncertain as to which form this new Metal Gear will take, and Konami would not comment on the matter. Most likely, it will be released as a remake of Metal Gear Solid 2, updated for the Xbox and including whatever sort of additions Konami sees fit to toss in. A more intriguing possibility may emerge if Konami decides to release this title for multiple platforms; if this is the case, it seems appropriate the company would release an all new Metal Gear Solid.

With Sega adamantly denying the reports from the United Kingdom’s Official Xbox Magazine (and despite hints from the game’s creator Yu Suzuki) that a version of Virtua Fighter was Xbox-bound, Tecmo has stepped in to grab the spotlight. Company officials confirmed Tecmo will announce a version of the arcade and console hit Ninja Gaiden as well as the bizarre sports title Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball for the Xbox.

Team Ninja, the developer for both titles, refused to comment on specifics for either game, but did reveal general details about each. The much-anticipated Gaiden, according to Team Ninja, will feature “absolutely awesome, intense action scenes” and the game will be rendered completely in 3D. Ninja representatives stated repeatedly that Gaiden will feature graphics that are superior to those seen in Dead or Alive 3 and that it will hold puzzle-solving elements as well as a few items plucked directly from the classic side-scrolling Ninja Gaiden series.

Tecmo’s second Xbox offering Xtreme Beach Volleyball will be set amid the Dead or Alive universe. After winning a ton of money in Las Vegas, the game’s plot goes, the brawler Zack purchases his own island. He then invites certain, by which it is meant all the female fighters and none of the male ones, Dead or Alive heroes to compete in no-holds barred volleyball matches. Little else is known about the game, save for the fact that it will contain at least one new character, and that it may hold some type of online component.

Quite possibly, when Beach Volleyball arrives in the United States, it will do so carrying a mature rating from the ESRB. Team Ninja has stated publicly that it believes an older audience will be better able to appreciate the full contents of this game. “It’ll be an extremely arousing experience,” the developers said about Beach Volleyball. “The fans will truly get a kick out of it.”

With Microsoft holding its cards close to the vest and Sega not prepared to drop any bombshells, Tecmo and Konami’s announcements come as a breath of fresh air. It remains to be seen if this year’s E3 show will be the one that finally puts an end to the Xbox’ dearth of excellent titles, but certainly, the announcement of these games can only be construed as a step in the right direction.

Prisoner of War
“Nazis, I hate those guys…”

For those of us who enjoy sticking it to Uncle Adolf and his goose-stepping Nazi hordes, Codemasters’ Prisoner of War is perhaps heaven on Earth. The third- and first-person adventure drops players into a German prison camp and asks players to adhere to Hans’ jack boot authority while simultaneously gathering intelligence and plotting a jailbreak.

An exercise in tension and patience, Prisoner runs in real-time. As Capt. Lewis Stone. players will need to follow a regular routine of meals, inspections. and bedtimes—using any free moments to acquire items that can be trad ed for other items, talk with other prisoners, and generally avoid imprisonment or execution. Though the game, still at an early stage of development, looks incredibly blah, its premise and cerebrum-challenging play may elevate Prisoner of War to a somewhat more enviable stat us.

Data
Dev: Codemasters Pub: CM Release: Fall
According to our managing editor Greg, Prisoner of War needs more Nazi-smiting and Hitler stomach-punching.
Good Cop, Bad Cop
Mmmm…donuts
We’re assuming that neither Cagney nor Lacey will be making their Xbox debut, however

Dropping players into the shoes of Ben Kellman, a tough and cynical cop in the tradition of…well, every character Bruce Willis has ever played, Good Cop, Bad Cop is the latest project from UK-based Revolution Software. While we haven’t gotten our hands on anything playable just yet, the pedigree goes a long way; considering Revolution’s adeptness in regard to weaving stories into its games, we have a lingering feeling that this will be on the amazing tip.

The game opens as Kellman discovers that a prime suspect in a murder case he is investigating is the same man who killed his father 25 years prior. Whether Kellman seeks revenge or justice is dependent upon how one chooses to play the game; throughout GCBC the morality of the player is judged, and the gameplay and story mold themselves accordingly. Players are free to further their investigation as they wish beating up or killing suspects, wounding or permanently silencing enemies. Rather than being helplessly propelled into a corny Hollywood ending, the p layer has the freedom to lead Kellman headfirst into the moral obscurity of violent revenge; while he may succeed in his quest, “winning “ will remain a highly subjective term.

the player has the freedom to lead Kellman headfirst in to the moral obscurity of violent revenge

“We’re primarily interested in challenging the morals of the player,” Revolution ‘s Charles Cecil told www.cvg.com. ‘‘The most violent option within the game will certainly appeal to many; but GCBC will present the consequences of those actions in a dark and mature way. We believe players will soon feel uncomfortable playing [the game] because of the things they might end up doing. By testing players’ emotions on top of their reactions, we’ve come up with an extremely unique gameplay experience.”

The team over at Revolution is pouring all of its resources into Broken Sword 3 at the moment (see page 66), which means that GCBC might be slipping to a 2003 release, The possibilities (and impressive engine) have us waiting with bated breath.

Data
Dev: Revolution Pub: Revolution Release: 2003
MACE GRIFFIN Though it’s certainly too early to tell, Crave’s Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter may turn out to be one fine space combat/first-person shooter hybrid. The game features hardened bounty hunter Mace, a strange bunch of guys with television heads, and lots of space battles.
FUBAR XBN’s visit to Bungie unearthed this gem: Microsoft Japan was apparently so worried about the prospect of selling Halo to the difficult Japanese market that its first request was that it be made into a third-person game. Next: A Crash FPS and Morrowind without spoons.
SORRY, NO REFUNDS Nvidia is being asked to return some of a $200 million advance they received from Microsoft, on the grounds that the chips are cheaper to produce now than when the deal was penned some two years ago. Nvidia are saying “no” to Bill, on the grounds that he owns half of the universe, and has already signed on the dotted line.

01. Ion Storms onto Xbox
Ion Storm’s Austin studio is currently well into production on two sequels, in the form of Thief 3 and Deus Ex 2. The original Deus Ex, which was recently ported to PlayStation 2, was showered with praise on its release last year, and Thief 2—though not the blockbuster it perhaps deserved to be—perfected stealth gameplay, rewarding players for their smarts over their ability to smash things on the head. Ion’s studio director Warren Spector is no stranger to accolades, having produced the original “first-person shooter with a plot”, System Shock, on PC some eight years ago. With his new found competence on consoles, XBN expects great things from both new titles.
02. New instinct fighting?
Microsoft is finally getting around to releasing Halo in its most embattled market: Japan. In the face of an apathetic, at best (and hostile, at worst) gaming public, the marketing men are launching a country-wide Halo competition. First-person action games are virtually non-existent in the Japanese market, and anything MS can do to get one of the world’s best games on the radar should help. Whether hanging 50-foot posters from the sides of buildings with “New instinct fighting game begins here!” on them will be enough to drag people away from their PS2s long enough to care, no one really knows…
03. Soft vinyl figures
Nah man, not the life-sized/anatomically correct kind. Designer action figures are a hot item in Tokyo and Hong Kong, where breakthrough artists like Micael Lau and Eric So have become minor celebrities. A step ahead of your old He-Man figures with the weird elastic thing inside the crotch and the overstated six-pack. These jammers are centerpieces of a full-blown urban design movement. New artists are constantly appearing, and the figures show a clear stylistic development. Oh, and in the “now you’re broke” department, www.kidrobot.com is the best place on earth to find all of this vinyl goodness for your purchasing pleasure. Beware the Buy button. (Devilman from Toy2R pictured)
04. There is no spoon
After weeks of speculation about who would end up with Dave Perry’s team, lnfogrames announced that it is purchasing Shiny from Interplay for $47 million. This agreement grants lnfogrames exclusive publishing rights to Shiny’s upcoming titles based on The Matrix sequels, Reloaded and Revolutions. The game based on Reloaded is expected to ship next summer alongside the release of the film. Although Microsoft was considered to be a front runner in the Shiny bidding war. Interplay made the decision to go with the French publishing giant.
05. WWF Incumbent
Jesse Ventura’s campaign committee drew much attention in 1998 for its effective use of the Internet as a campaign tool. Now, four years later. they’re going for the interactive jugular with “campaign-themed video games”, the AP reports. The Ventura game—or collection of games—will be “entertaining, 100% political, and distributed free to voters as campaign literature,” a spokesman was quoted as saying. Joseph Turow. professor at the Annenberg School for Communications, told the AP that the use of video games is a logical next step in the integration of politics and entertainment. ‘ In a crowded media environment. breaking through is what you need to do,” he said. “If you can break through, particularly if they’re younger voters or unaffiliated voters, it’s terrific.” XBN just hopes it has ninjas.
06. Big computers, big robots
A new Japanese supercomputer has taken the title of “world ‘s fastest.” besting its closest competitor by nearly five times. The NEC Earth Simulator—which creates a “virtual planet Earth” to predict climate patterns—is as large as four tennis courts, and works at a speed of 35,600 gigaflops. In other news, the Japanese have also invented a new planet, which supposedly runs at eight times the efficiency of our current Earth, and will offer significantly less leg room.
07. Book tix, bring extra bag
The world’s single-largest assemblage of computer and video game memorabilia will be running from May 16th through September 15th at the Barbican Gallery in London. More than 250 exhibits will be on display. including an original DEC PDP-1 minicomputer running Steve Russell’s celebrated Space War!—the first computer game ever designed, and one of only 10 known working units still in existence. The exhibit will chronicle the development of the form, up to and including the current of hardware, and will be coming Stateside in 2003. The exhibition will also be accompanied by a book, titled Game On, looks at the development of video games and critically deconstruct the medium from gender, cultural, and sociological perspectives. Check out www.gameonweb.co.uk for more.
08. Very ESPNsive
The lucrative ESPN license, previously held by Konami, was recently put up for grabs. Konami had held the license for two years, using it to produce mediocre and sometimes absolutely horrendous sports games for all of the consoles. It remains unclear as to whether Konami simply chose not to renew the license or was prevented from renewing it by Disney. the company that actually owns it. XBN has just learned that the license was quickly snatched up by Sega. Nice.
09. Seamus Blackley bounces
Just weeks before E3. one of the Xbox’ founding fathers, Seamus Blackley, announced that he would be leaving Microsoft. While newsgroups were instantly set aflame with conspiracy theories, Blackley says that the resignation stemmed from a desire to start his own game development studio. “The reason I was doing all the press and talking to all the developers, and the reason we made the Xbox, is that I’m a gamer and a game developer,” Blackley told Gamespot. “It’s been really frustrating for me to be talking about other people’s games and to work with these great game developers worldwide, see what they’re doing, and not be making games—it’s been hard. [This] is something I’ve wanted to do for a while.”
10. Big country gets small pad
Despite having received numerous death threats from outspoken critics of the Xbox controller, Microsoft has remained steadfast in its support of the mammoth design. Now that’s all about to change with the release of the ‘ Controller S,’ a smaller, more streamlined version of the Xbox pad. It’s essentially the Japanese Xbox controller. and we’ve spent hundreds of glorious hours with it already. Aside from being less bulky. the new controller also has bigger, more comfortable buttons that feel more like those of the PS2 Dualshock. It’s available now for 40 bucks.
11. Xbox scratching its discs!
All over Japan! In public places, even! Microsoft’s plans for domination of the Asian gaming market went awry when it shipped faulty Xbox units during its Feb. 22 Japanese debut. MS received no less than 240 complaints from consumers who say the Xbox’ DVD drive scratched their game and movie discs. At first, MS insisted there was nothing wrong with its Japanese units, claiming that the scratches were caused by “natural friction.” Since that time, however, the company has done an about face and has confirmed that less than one percent of its total units actually did ship with defective DVD drives. We hate to state the obvious, but this is probably not the best way to woo Japan’s fickle gaming public. Xbox and Japan: Natural friction?
12. Flawed U.S. legal systems
On April 25th, a Senior U.S. District Judge ruled on the constitutionality of a St. Louis county ordinance designed to regulate minors’ access to violent or mature-themed video games in arcades and on home systems. In his ruling, the judge decided that video games are not protected forms of speech, saying that they offer “no conveyance of ideas, expression. or anything else that could possibly amount to speech. [We] found that video games have more in common with board games and sports than they do with motion pictures.”

01. Splinter Cell
Splinter Cell is the next in Ubi Soft’s Tom Clancy-inspired series of games, and it’s actually looking megahot. Fire the “sneaky cam” at a wall, and you can use it instantly to see areas out of range without putting yourself at risk—or have it emit a noise to distract enemies, who can then be comfortably dispatched. All character animation has been meticulously hand drawn. rather than motion captured, in order for your character’s many moves to be linked together seamlessly. The script is being written by a NYU film school grad who worked on Batman Vengeance and Tarzan, the graphics look crazy good, and we’re hyped.
02. Myst III: Riven
Having sold a terrifying number of copies on PC, the third of Robin and Rand Miller’s epic fantasy series is set to appear (probably magically from a leather-bound book) on Xbox at any moment. Though the first game was characterized by ridiculously obscure and obtuse puzzles, Myst II did away with the word “ridiculously’’ and was merely obscure and obtuse. For Myst III, the Millers have handed the production over to Presto Studios (it scored an early pre-rendered hit with Journeyman Project in 1996), which is known for being a little more obvious in its puzzle design. It’s still debatable how much most Xbox gamers will care either way, though.
03. Dragon’s Lair 3D
2002 is the year of the dragon; that is, the 20th anniversary of the original video disc game coin-op, Dragon’s Lair. Just in time for the celebrations (What, you weren’t already planning a party?) comes Ubi Soft’s realtime 3D update. The gameplay of the original left a lot to be desired—namely, any gameplay whatsoever—once you figured out that every button push and joystick wrench were basically just selected which prerendered scene happened next. Dragon’s Lair 3D promises lo free Don Bluth’s hilarious cartoon creations from the straightjacket of laser-disc technology. With Singe the dragon’s castle possessing a formidable 250 rooms. the game will offer 15 levels of eel-shaded platform adventure for you to romp through.
04. Mech Assault
Historically, mechs in American-produced video games have been of the rather hefty/lumbering variety. Not so with Microsoft’s latest entry; in MechAssault, the robots feel like they’ve been ripped from Robotech and dropped into the BattleTech universe. The version we played had some great environmental effects; after destroying a building. we watched as the entire structure crumbled to the ground in realtime, brick by brick. Developer Day 1 is also promising some great online options. including ATS multiplayer elements.
05. Freelancer
Freelancer takes place in what the designers refer to as “The living Universe.” A random mission engine gives each of the game’s roughly 1,200 NPCs their own stories and motivations, which essentially shape their interactions with you. Pull up to a huge space station and you’ll hear dynamically generated air traffic control discussing whatever happens to be docking or launching at that moment. In another switch from the norm, your ship will automatically pilot itself, following nav points to complete missions or performing combat maneuvers. Freelancer has a much more tactical feel; simply choose the maneuver you want your ship to perform, target your enemy with your cursor, and fire away. As you complete story missions (for which there are over two hours of cutscenes). the climate of the universe shifts, alliances are forged and shattered, and you have to react lo your changing role in the grand scheme of things.
06. Project Nomads
Amid flying machines, airplanes and zeppelins (what is it with zepellins all of a sudden?), Project Nomads from Radon Labs puts you in the suit of a wizard/engineer that can conjure up new factories and defenses (and presumably the odd toilet) to adorn the sparse floating land masses that make up his world. More next issue.
07. Sneakers
Easily the finest rodent simulator to launch concurrently with the Xbox in Japan, ‘Nezmix’ will be squeaking onto American Xboxes in October under a brand new title. Players must lead their whiskered brethren through an enormous house to find food, directing their furry friends to move teddy bears out of the way, tip over trash cans (to take out competing brown mice). and the like. The game was the first to use the Xbox’s much-ballyhooed volumetric technology (a.k.a. vertex shading), and honestly, this is the best fur we’ve ever seen in a video game. As much as we’d love to love it, however, the preset camera dictates—and thereby drastically simplifies—gameplay. Let’s see if things improve before its US release…
08. Kung Fu Chaos
This one holds a rather interesting premise: Cheesy film director Ang Woo wants to shoot his next movie, but doesn’t have the scratch to pay for it. So he enlists a bunch of wacky chop-saki wannabes, “borrows “ some famous movie sets. and rolls the cameras while the combatants fight it out to star in the film. Players can take control of such “wacky” warriors as Ninja Foo Hiya and Chiki Monkey and duke it out on six different movie sets. including those from Titanic, Jurassic Park, and Gladiator. These titanically wonky hijinks go down this Fall.
09. Ghost Recon
Ghost Recon takes all of Rainbow Six’s tense team-based tactics out of confined embassies and bunkers and into the great wide open. You lead a group of elite commandos through deadly missions across dense forests, icy tundra and desolate deserts. Trying to take cover among the flora and fauna brings a light, summery breeze of freshness to the normally stale tactical recon genre. Ubi Soft has simplified (read: Halo-fied) the controls to work with the Xbox controller, and they’ve also prepped the title as a launch game for Microsoft’s online network this Fall. (PC screen)
10. Crimson Skies
Microsoft invites you to paint the skies a most delicious shade of crimson with an all-new reworking of the PC hit Crimson Skies. Starring manly man pilot Nathan Zachary, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge is set in a 1930s-style alternate universe and features plane-based combat against pitting our hero against waves of evil sky pirates, huge zeppelins, and other airborne adversaries. While flying the unfriendly skies, players will be able to hijack certain planes. perform astounding feats of aerial acrobatics. Use the terrain to their advantage (it’s possible to blow up canyon walls and bury foes under rock), and employ exotic weapons like “honkin’ huge cruise missiles.” Expect this gem before Xmas.
11. Quantum Redshift
One look at any given screen of Quantum Redshift essentially tells the story; this is, for all intents and purposes, the Xbox’s WipEout equivalent. The pre-alpha build we played was technically very promising; like nearly all first -party games. Redshift appears to be employing all the visual bells and whistles (bump-mapping, pixel-shading, etc) of its host platform. Microsoft declares that England-based Curly Monsters includes several members of the original WipEout team, but, well, we honestly can’t think of a futuristic hovercraft racing game that hasn’t made that claim. We’re just hoping said Monsters rectify the game’s early-but-poor control before unleashing it upon the world. JunkieXL will be producing the game’s techno soundtrack, which is no substitute for WipeEout’s Chemical Brothers tunes.
12. Superman
Superman has had a rough go of it when it comes to video games. Most recently, he was featured in Superman for the Nintendo 64, considered by many to be one of the worst games ever made. With the stink of prior attempts clogging our olfactories, lnfogrames is planning a brand-new game based on the Man of Steel. This new title will feature DC’s greatest hero with all his powers intact, but it’s looking a little rough at this point: read XBN’s review next issue before buying…
Freaky Flyers
Into the wildest blue yonder…

In the history of man, there have been many freaky occurrences, most of them involving Michael Jackson. Now, Midway hopes to take freaky to freaky new levels with its madcap air-combat/race game Freaky Flyers.

Flyers, beyond its spiffy graphics and comedic quips, holds 13 decidedly off-kilter pilots, among them the huge-knockered Traci Torpedoes (and they are huge) and the all-American hero gone insane Johnny Turbine. Taking these ridiculous goons into the unfriendly skies for some dust-’em-all gameplay promises to be an experience not unlike going to the circus for all eternity.

Data
Dev: Midway Pub: Midway Release: Fall
Our recommended daily allowance of wackiness has been exceeded by 15%.
ACTIVISION’S MARVELLOUS TRIO
Blade and a horde of X-Men come to Xbox

Activision will be doing some Marvelous things for the Xbox this year. Three new games, based on characters from the Marvel Universe (Wolverine, The X-Men and Blade) are slated to be shown at E3. The games will allow players to jump into the personal of these popular characters, fight villains, uncover secrets long thought locked away and kick some serious butt in the process.

X-Men: The Next Dimension brings players into the battle arena where they face many of the X-Men’s greatest foes. But don’t expect this to be your standard “fight in the ring “ fare; players will fight their way across huge, interactive 3D environments using advanced fighting combos, aerial combat (as seen in Spider-Man) and even the landscape itself to defeat the villains. Baddies from the comics and the movies (such as Magneto and Mystique) will be around every corner.

For the bloodthirsty, Activision will be releasing Blade 2, an adaptation of the Wesley Snipes film of the same name. The evil vampire nation is back and tl1ey’re out to create a newer, deadlier breed of vampire called Reapers. Using all of Blade’s weapons, martial arts moves, and special abilities—plus the revolutionary multi-directional fighting system—this game sees Blade attempting to take the vampire nation down to its knees. Be prepared for a blood bath, then.

Wolverine’s past has always been shrouded in mystery. With X-Men: Wolverine’s Revenge, players get to experience life as the X-Man himself in a quest to find out just what exactly is going on with Dept. H, the secret organization that created him, and find out the truth about the deadly Shiva-Virus. Players enlist the help of Charles Xavier (a telepath with the ability to read minds), use Wolverine’s mutant powers, explore his mysterious past, and fight some of his most deadly enemies, including the killer creep Sabretooth.

Fun Fact: This caption, neither witty nor interesting. effectively fills magazine space.
TGS GETS A DATE Japan’s Tokyo Game Show will take place on September 20-22 this year, the first to follow the cancellation of the TGS spring event in 2001. It’s second most important and the single most interesting game show on Earth, so book your airline tickets now.
ZELDA Okay, okay, we know this is an Xbox mag, but rumor has it that Zelda: Ocarina of Time will be remastered for GameCube later this year! With extra 64DD levels and a Making Of documentary! Joy=us.
PORTAL OF EVIL his site is so evil that not even convicted felons should be reading it. It compiles the absolutely worst Web sites the world should never see. Updated frequently and always good for a belly laugh, Portal of Evil reminds us that it’s good to be bad. Terrible, even. Check out www.portalofevil.com and scare yourself stupid.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
XBN gets a date with Buffy

Ms. The Vampire Slayer will soon be making the jump to video game glory; developer The Collective Is nearing completion on the oft-mentioned, but seldom seen Buffy The Vampire Slayer for the Xbox.

A sharp, 3D, third-person action Game, Buffy takes its marching orders right from the TV show. Players, in the role of the perky Buffy, will fight in such locales as Sunnyvale High, the Bronze nightclub, and the cemetery. The game features guest appearances by the sorceress Willow, chum Xander, the cheerleader Cordelia, and vampire Spike—and voice acting is being done by the show’s stars. as well.

An early version of the game holds a wealth of fighting moves (about 50 in all) and weaponry with which Buffy can ace all vampires in her path. Clean graphics and a quirky set of in-game quips seem to portend good things, and we’re hoping Buffy’s mix of action and adventure continues apace.

Data
Dev: The Collective Pub: EA Release: 2002
In our youth, we had to wear sandpaper shoes and drink hot squid juice. Not Buffy.

Mr. Sean Reiley takes the jackboot of ridicule and launches it firmly into the groin of all that is sacred. His site revels in man’s stupidity, yet pays homage to his greatest creations (Hostess snack cake ads, Kool-Aid Man). Ogle Seanbaby’s ever-growing stable of reader babes, giggle like children as “The Brothers of the Internet” attempt to steer Seanbaby away from eternal damnation, and have an IQ-sapping epiphany poring over the site’s Stupid Pages.
Shift Magazine
www.shift.com
Please excuse our delicious pun; shift.com is “virtually one of the best Web sites on the planet.” Comprehensively researched and intelligently written articles about technology, Video games, digital music and the like, there’s enough archived goodness on this site to last you six weeks. Basically an assemblage of all things geek. Shift will bring you long-lasting happiness and intellectual stimulation without the effort. Oh. and the web news filter rocks. Totally bookmark worthy.
Shift Japan
www.shift.jp.org
Not to be confused with the Shift that you either just read about or passed up altogether, this Japanese online culture mag includes pages ranging from revolutions in design to interactive flash projects to cute/funny Japanese characters. It’s a bit scattered in places—the front page is unwieldy at first, and some of the stuff comes up as weird untranslated Japanese text (read: ?ƒ?ã,Ì,¢,.~,©,̃Cƒ??[ƒW)—but there’s loads of delectable Web goodness here to be unearthed.
Gamers.com
www.gamers.com
Shameless plug: Of all the commercial video game sites out there. Gamers.com gets our vote for “most bestest.” It’s been vastly improved since its initial days on the Web, sporting new design, a better interface, daily news/review/preview updates, and the personal video game diaries of such luminaries as George Jones and John Davidson. Gamers is also a part of Ziff Davis’ huge evil corporate media empire, so you can catch special guest previews and columns from some of your favorite XBN editors as well.
Computer and Videogames
www.computersandvideogames.com
The digital home of one of the United Kingdom’s oldest multi-platform games magazines (Emap’s CVG), this is one of the best sources for gaming news on the Web. Working closely with the mag’s diligent Japanese correspondents has given the site a deserved reputation for far-East scoops—far exceeding much of our homegrown U.S. sites. It’s still Euro-centric and, as the Xbox has only just launched there. the Xbox coverage is still ramping up. but expect it to become a major part of your life once you bookmark it.
Sea Monkeys
www.sea-monkey.com
Remember the time you were reading Spider-Man comics and saw the ad for Sea Monkeys and it seemed as if they were driving cars, playing tennis, dancing with each other and generally having a better time than you? And you sent away for the things, spending your hard-earned bucks in the hopes of living vicariously through these delightful pets. and you waited. only to get the kit and discover Sea Monkeys were near-microscopic and less fun than a spleen flensing? Now you can relive the experience. Or not.
READY YOUR STUFF COUPONS
In the “Oh my god” department, Michael Moody is selling perhaps the largest collection of video game hardware and software we’ve ever seen. You’re going to want to check out item # 1341B36302 on eBay.com right now. Oops, too late…
BEST MOVIE EVER
For the most amazing exploitation of the Halo physics engine you’ve ever seen, type this url into your browser: http://halo bungie.org/misc/warthogjumpmirrors.html. If this doesn’t make you cry with joy, check your pulse.
DOA 3 BOOBSTER DISC
Er, sorry…we mean “booster.” Tecmo’s DOA3 Booster Disc will contain all new content which didn’t make it into the original version, including a new CG intro movie, three new outfits tor every character (except Ein), and 50 new fighting moves. Steal it off of the May issue of OXM, but don’t really.
VTV
Games channel G4 wants you!
Have video games finally broken through to the mainstream? Charles Hirschhorn seems to think so. He’s betting that his recently launched cable network, G4. can lure enough gamers away from their consoles and PCs to make his all-games all-the-time programming a hit. His enthusiastic but not entirely convincing presentation to Xbox Nation was held at the swanky Clift Hotel in San Francisco, where models cluelessly run the front desk and float about like ghosts as they bring you the wrong drink yet again. The hotel is a textbook example of style over substance. and many at the presentation figured G4 was in danger of suffering the same fate. In danger, yes. but with the likes of ex-Next Generation Editor-in-chief Tom Russo directing program development, G4 stands at least a fair chance of avoiding the patronizing voice that has characterized much of the mainstream media’s past efforts to make video games a primetime prospect. But the games industry is no Hollywood, and digging up enough glamor every week to broaden the audience is going to be tough. And the biggest question of all is whether the more mainstream casual gamer, which G4 needs to get the numbers for advertisers, is interested enough to tune in at all. Time will tell.
OPENING THE XBOX
XBN reviews Dean Takahashi’s Xbox epic

The Xbox was almost a Web TV machine! Microsoft tried to buy not only Sega, but Nintendo! Grown men have shed tears over Xbox development decisions! While these may Seem like the insane ramblings of a nut in a rubber room, or nonsensical postings on a Web site, or rumors bandied about in some shopping-mall game shop, they’re actually all grist in the mill that is Dean Takahashi’s Opening the Xbox: Inside Microsoft’s Plan to Unleash an Entertainment Revolution.

It’s evident that Takahashi, a veteran video game journalist with credits at Red Herring and USA Today, truly did his homework; Opening the Xbox features more nitty-gritty details about the men behind the Xbox and the decisions leading up to its debut than you can shake a game controller at. Takahashi ‘s saga begins with erstwhile game designer Seamus Blackley (who’s since left Microsoft), hot off the big-budget bust Trespasser for the PC. After linking up with Microsoft, Blackley’s zeal for the game industry, coupled with some impressive networking, swayed enough power players to convince Bill Gates to greenlight the Xbox. The book goes on to detail every microstep the machine took from that point to its launch some two years (and over 300 pages) later.

Takahashi, a veteran video game journalist with credits at USA Today truly did his homework

Opening the Xbox paints an intriguing picture of a company eager to invade the living rooms of America, and the development of the Xbox makes for mostly compelling reading.

But for every cool nugget like the decision to go with green as the Xbox’ trademark color (“Green is the signature color of technology ever since the beginning of time,” according to Microsoft design manager Horace Luke, who only had a green marker on hand when he began his initial sketches), there’s a passage that loses its way by getting bogged down in a confusing slush of executive names, royalty rates, and parts costs. And for the casual gamer, insiderish power plays such as ditching fledgling chipmaker GigaPixel in favor of industry giant Nvidia are probably less cataclysmic than they ‘re portrayed, in particular because the outcomes of such struggles are already known.

Nonetheless, both Xbox junkies and those wanting a peek behind the scenes of a muti-million dollar hardware launch will want to take a look, if only to read about Gates’ racy backstage antics with WWF wrestler The Rock at the Xbox launch party. Okay. that last part we made up. Just read the damn book.

SPONSORED BY This issue of Xbox Nation was brought to you by the letters L, V, and U: by President George W. Bush (easily one of the finest presidents we’ve ever had named Bush, apparently): by the unbearable lightness of being; and by ToeJam and Earl III which is like butter.
FATBABIES HO!
Web site www.fatbabies.com has become a bit of a farce. Meant for yideo games “insiders” the site is now a haven for the bizarre and dull-witted. But it’s still hilarious.
GO WITH THE AIR FLOW We are not making this up. Peripheral maker Nyko has come up with a new Xbox controller with “patented air flo technology.” This technology claims to eliminate sweaty hands via a “multi-speed fan for customized ventilation.” Check out www.nyko.com for more information. or just keep reading XBN.

Anchored Interview

I had a few (unedited) words with the director at Anchor, in Tokyo, who is currently on his second Xbox project.

Jake: Okay, give me your name, nationality and just what have you been up to in the seedy Japanese gaming world?

Hiroshi Inukai: My name Is Hiroshi lnukai, born in Japan. Our previous projects have been WWF Raw for Xbox, Ultimate Fighting Championship for Dreamcast, Toy Fighter for the arcade, Pride for PlayStation 2, and our new project is making Acegamer.net, an online gaming company.

J: What ‘s the best thing about development on the Xbox?

HI: The Xbox’ DirectX base has a lot of great libraries. The machine is powerful and is the only machine with broadband network system built in.

J: What do you most dislike about the Xbox?

HI: Microsoft and Microsoft Japan don ‘t have a lot of gaming professionals. The buttons on the American controller feel like they will break easily. Its also so huge! Imagine if you were looking for girls in Shibuya and one invited you to go her 6-tatami [Ed. Note: one tatami is 1 meter by .5 meters long, the common way of determining the size of an apartment in Japan] room. If she had an Xbox, you would be surprised because it’s so huge and black and so manly. It’s not cute at all!

J: So why is the Xbox so unhip right now in Japan? What must Microsoft do to get it together?

HI: Xbox is designed for both the American home theater, and the consumer market. It’s a good design. but because Japanese houses are so small you really can’t have a home theater. The Japanese assume that they can’t put together a home theater in their small ho use or one-room apartment, so Xbox’ big selling point is “only game.” So Microsoft has to make a game Image and not a home theater image. But MS Japan doesn’t seem to understand this because they don ‘t have a lot of real game professionals. Microsoft asks. “what is game?”

Microsoft’s Xbox, perhaps unsurprisingly, just hasn’t had anything come easy in its fairly rough landing into Japan’s famously picky games market. The launch has come and gone, and the dust has settled…and Microsoft is showing dismal numbers. Hardware is already being discounted as much as 5000 yen ($40). and Microsoft is finding itself in a tough position in the land of dating sims and RPGs. The Xbox launch week sales of 123,000, have plummeted. One of Japan’s largest game magazine publishers, Enterbrain (publisher of Famitsu), reports that Xbox sold 190,092 units between launch day Feb. 22. to March 31: Microsoft had 250,000 Xbox units prepared for launch in Japan. In contrast, the PlayStation 2 sold 980,000 units in the first three days after launching in Japan in March of 2000.

And the news gets worse.

For the first week of April, the PSOne, Wonderswan, and Dreamcast all outsold the Xbox’ pitiful 2,179 units. To add insult to injury, the well-publicized “scratch” glitch—whereby games and CDs would get scratched during normal use in the Xbox—started to make waves. Microsoft denied any problem until March 7th, when it agreed to begin allowing exchanges free of charge. In the ensuing confusion, however, there was a period of several days in which some large retailers and distributors suspended sales until all was ironed out. Oddly enough, no such problem existed for the American or European launches.

For the first week of April, the PSOne, Wonderswan, and Dreamcast all outsold the Xbox’ pitiful 2,179 units.

Microsoft executives have been quick to play down the Xbox ‘ lackluster launch in Europe and, particularly, Japan. Xbox director Robbie Bach was quoted by Reuters news service as saying, “Japan is going well on the software side, and is probably a little behind where we want to be on the hardware side. But we always expected things would be tough. Microsoft has demonstrated patience and persistence there before, and I think we will do very well.”

On the bright(er) side, software ratios have actually been above what PS2 reported around the same time after launch; the Xbox is selling on average 1.6 games per unit of hardware, versus Sony’s 1:1. Interestingly enough. Halo, perhaps finally getting some deserved recognition in the East, is moving up Japan’s most wanted charts. For the week of 3/21 - 3/27, Halo was actually at number 17 on Famitsu’s Top 30 Most Wanted list, higher than Nintendo’s Metroid Prime (21) and Star Fox Adventures (25). Other Xbox games joining Halo in the Top 30 Most Wanted were Atlus’ Shin Megamitensei Nine, Sega/Hitmaker’s Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller, and Capcom’s massive 40+ button need-a-special-forklift-to-get-it-home controller Big Huge Robot Warfest, Tekki. which seems to have the local gaming populace unable to rule out an Xbox purchase sooner or later…just not necessarily right now.

Bach continues, “We’re seeing lot of strong support there. We expect our relationships there to grow. It’s not something you can jump into, and in three weeks you have great relations with everyone. It takes three months, or three years. There is still more work to do in Japan.”

Unfortunately, for some of Xbox’ most willing Japanese partners, the payoff simply hasn’t shown up yet. Smilebit’s Jet Set Radio Future and GunValkyrie have both sold dismally, with Jet Set supposedly still coming in at less than 10,000 units (nearly two months after launch). Srnilebit’s (for-now) Xbox-exclusive Panzer Dragoon Orta (see page 34) will be on show at this year’s E3, leading the second wave of top-tier Japanese games. Xbox Japan needs a major system seller, and it remains to be seen whether or not Microsoft has anything up its sleeve. Some big Japanese guns will undoubtedly be pulled out at E3. where many of the big Japanese companies will reveal their long-range plans for the coming year. Virtua Fighter 4 and Metal Gear Solid X will both certainly help, but Microsoft’s Xbox simply needs big Japanese originals to satisfy Japanese garners. Time will tell if the Xbox can hold its own in the Land of the Rising Sun and 2003 will likely be a make-or-break year for the fledgling console.

It was the evening before Xbox’ March 14 launch date here In the United Kingdom. Virgin’s flagship London Megastore sported a giant green rotating Xbox logo projected onto its facade like a laser targeting mark for some passing Death Star, while lime-green Hare Krishna types conga’d down the world-famous Oxford Street, darting Xbox’ praises and handing out leaflets promising gaming salvation.



“No love, you must look at the screen when fiddling with the bitty knobs and buttons on the controller. Yes. I know it’s heavy. Yes, my name is Jonathan Ross and I’m a B-list TV personality in the UK here and I am wearing a very ugly tie.”

And the queue! It started at the store doors and stretched, thankfully. past several fast-food outlets. Hundreds shuffled excitedly, desperate to get inside. But when the cameras from the national press started flashing, the people on line became agitated. Were they scared that their partners (or parents) would discover they hadn’t really found “this games thing going cheap in a junk shop?”

Were they just camera shy?

No. Rather, just like everyone else in the queue, they weren’t buyers but representatives of the UK gaming industry who had turned up for an Xbox launch party held in the bowels of the giant shop. And they smelled a rat when the photographers came out. When the headline “Buyers go X-static for Xbox” appeared in the multi-million copy selling Sun newspaper the next morning-complete with a picture of yours truly and his cohorts “waiting on line” for a machine we’ve had for months-it transpired that our raucous gesticulation towards the paparazzi was all in vain. Microsoft got its fake launch queue shots.

Exactly why Microsoft’s marketing muppets thought a confidence-building show of strength would be to use the UK’s most influential games people as jobbing extras may never be absolutely clear. The separate line of five or six real punters that had formed by 8 p.m. (for a special midnight selling-session) did give a clue, however. In Microsoft’s world, it seems nothing can be left to chance.

And the shame of it was that the initial UK launch was a genuine success. Some 48,000 Xboxes were sold in the first three days; big numbers for this country, especially given that it’s not Christmas (although It was, Microsoft told us, “X-mas”). What’s more, the software tie ratio (the number of games sold per console) was a whopping 2.5: 1. Many retailers reported Halo was selling to a full 85 percent of new Xbox owners.

Virgin Megastore sported a giant green rotating Xbox logo projected onto its facade like a laser targeting mark for some passing Death Star

Compare that to France and Germany. Depending on who you believe, Microsoft was rumored to have sold no more than 10,000 units to the citizens of each of our continental cousins at launch. No wonder Electronic Arts’ president John Riccitiello quickly surmised “Microsoft has had its teeth kicked in, in both Europe and Japan.”

Microsoft was quick to fight back, with the UK’s head of marketing Richard Teversham stressing, “This is not just a three-week launch, it’s a seven-to-10-year project.” And Xbox is still a great media show here, what with the quirky advertising—the highlight of which features a baby launching out of his mother’s womb and flying across the landscape, progressively aging. before dying as an old man with the tagline “Life’s short. Play More?”—pitched perfectly for us crazy Brits.

The real question, however. is what will happen when Nintendo’s GameCube arrives in May? The consensus is that the two consoles will draw on very different audiences. But at £165, GameCube could still make Xbox’s £299 price tag look like a misprint. [Ed. Just before we went to press, Microsoft announced that it was dropping the price of the Xbox in Europe to £199—a full 100 quid—in order to compensate for less-than-expected sales. See page 14 for more details.]

The lesson for now. however, is that the UK-US “Special Relationship” extends even to consoles. So return the favor, chuck your rugby-with-helmet games in the bin, and buy some British games. Project Gotham’s a good one. and you might start saving for Lionhead’s Project Ego and B.C., too.

You will need us again before this console war is over and done.

HOOK UPS
Got money? Blow it all on this stuff for your Xbox
4100 Enhanced Audio System by Altec Lansing - $199.99 www.alteclansing.com
The 4100 system from Altec Lansing features four—count ‘em, four—stylish satelites and a bowl-rumbling subwoofer compatible with any game system or audio device. It even has a wired remote for you lazy types.
G-Pak by Naki - $34.99 www.nakiusa.com
Carry your Xbox gear (games and all) in this handy, padded case—and flip down the back of the case to expose the A/V jacks.
Xbox Starter Kit by InterAct - $49.99 www.gameshark.com
Xbox essentials—a PowerPad Pro, controller extension cable, and an 8 MB memory card—are all right here.
X-Connection by Innovation - $24.99 www.innovation1.com
If you’ve gotten used to your Dual Shock pad, consider the X-Connection. This device turns any PS2 Dual Shock into an ergonomic Xbox controller.
Fox 2 Pro Flight Stick by Thrustmaster - $39.99 www.thrustmaster.com
For about the price of a game, Thrustmaster&rsquols flight stick will give you all of the in-flight options you’ll ever need, and then some. Doubles as an FPS controller.
Xbox Arcade Stick by Pelican - $19.99 www.pelicanacc.com
Not only is the thing ridiculously comfortable to handle (thanks to an ergonomic design, arcade-style layout and rubbery grips in key spots), it’s only twenty bucks.
Xbox sales chart
Top-selling Xbox titles
01
Bond: Agent Under Fire
There is no justice.
02
Halo
The saga continues…to sell well.
03
Rallisport Challenge
Not just for Brits!
04
THPS3
Are you tired of this yet?
05
ASB 2003
But WSB was just around the corner!
06
Knockout Kings 2002
People like punch.
07
Wreckless
Blowing up the charts, so to speak.
08
Blood Omen
Eidos finds that the souls still burn…
09
Max Payne
Bring the payne, bring the pleasure.
10
WWF Raw
Know your video game, jabroni.
Most Wanted
Gimme gimme gimme
Metal Gear Solid
Dear God: Please let this be an all-new game.
Halo 2
We know it’s coming, and so do you. But when?
Virtua Fighter 4
We’re curious to see just how much better it gets.
Panzer Dragoon
We orta be playing this right now. Ya dig?
GTA 4
Part four of Grand Theft “Auto” be online…sorry.
LISTBOT
Your Guide to future Xbox Games
Title Publisher Genre Release
Aggressive Inline Skating Acclaim Sports August 2002
Armada 2: Star Command Metro 3D Action July 2002
Buffy the Vampire Slayer EA Action 2002
Crash Rage Action Spring 2002
Crazy Taxi 2 Sega Action Summer 2002
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge Microsoft Action 2002
Dave Beckham Soccer Rage Sports 2002
Dead to Rights Namco Action 2002
Doom III Activision Action 2003
Gauntlet Dark Legacy Midway Action 2002
Gravity Games Bike: Street. Vert. Dirt Midway Sports Spring 2002
Gunmetal Rage Action June 2002
House of the Dead 3 Sega Zombie Killing June 2002
Kelly Slater’s Pro Surfer Activision Sports Spring 2002
Kung-Fu Chaos Microsoft Party Winter 2002
Legends of Wrestling Acclaim Sports May 2002
Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX 2 Activision Sports Spr/Sum ‘02
Mace Griffin Bounty Hunter EA Action 2002
MechAssault Microsoft Action Holiday 2002
Moto GP THQ Racing Spring 2002
MX Superfly THQ Racing Fall 2002
Prisoner of War Codemasters Prison Escape June 2002
Quantum Redshift Microsoft Action Holiday 2002
Rayman Rush XB Ubi Soft Racing May/June 2002
RedCard Soccer 20-03 Midway Sports Spring 2002
Rocky Rage Sports X-Mas 2002
Sega GT 2002 Sega Racing June 2002
Splashdown Infogrames Sports 2002
Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter LucasArts Action May 2002
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic LucasArts Action May 2003
Taz: Wanted Infogrames Action September ‘02
Turok Evolution Acclaim Action September ‘02
Terminator: Dawn of Fate Infogrames Action 2002
Test Drive Infogrames Racing 2002
ToeJam and Earl III Sega Buddy Fall 2002
Toxic Grind THQ Sports Fall 2002
Transworld Snowboarding Infogrames Sports 2002
Unreal Championship Infogrames Action Late 2002
Vexx Acclaim Action October 2002
Whacked Microsoft Action Fall 2002
World Series Baseball Sega Sports May 2002
X-Men: Next Dimension Activision Fighting August 2002

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