Hello all!

***Poll #9

One week left until voting for Poll #9 will close. Here is the topic: Has Sega done the right thing by ending their contract with 3Dfx, thus keeping hardware development in Japan?

The URL to the polling place is: http://dextremes.com/sega/poll.html

During the past week, a few games have been delayed. In Japan, Hudson's Virus has been delayed to an October release at best. While in the US, Sonic Jam has been pushed back to an August 19th release. It will be out then if the UPS strike ends by then. Last Bronx is also facing a delay for the US release; it is said that Disc 2, the training disc, is taking longer to translate than expected. At dEX, a review for Rockman X4 has been added along with a short FAQ that will help guide you through the game.

New games during the past week include Williams's long delayed Mortal Kombat Trilogy, the two first NetLink games, and the new version of the NetLink software, PlanetWeb 3.0. MKT is the same as anyone should expect...nothing special, but something for MK fans to look at. The two NetLink games, Virtual On and Sega Rally are designed for direct dial network games. Larger Internet based games will have to wait until a server solution is developed. Sega is offering the two games, and the new version of PlanetWeb at a special price of $24US. See the News area for full details. Some of the new games may not be available in your area due to shipping delays (thanks UPS).

Warp's audio only game, RealSound was recently released. The game is very unique as you must rely on what you hear and not what you see. Your mind will provide the visuals just as when reading a novel or even talking on the phone. The game does use on screen prompts though so you can't play it with your eyes closed.

Other new games in Japan include: Marvel Super Heroes from Capcom; Terra Cresta 3D, a 2D/3D shooter by Nichibutsu; and Bakuretsu Hunter R, an anime RPG game released by King Records. MSH uses Sega's 4-meg RAM cart (the HSS-0150) to supplement the Saturn's memory. The game will use the RAM cart if its there, but the cart is not required to play the game. However, the difference the extra memory makes is quite noticeable...the game does has some slow down at times even with the cart though.

Other misc. bits: A Sega UK representative stated that "Heart of Darkness is still in development...do not know who is funding it." As you may know, Heart of Darkness is a 2D platformer/adventure that has been in development for several years now, using a new animation technique. Development was supposedly canned as budget cutbacks were made.

Finally, a correction: The new Sega company formed from Adeline is actually called "No Cliche" and not "Sega Software" as stated in last week's update.

That's all this week, cya!

-Greg