Hello all,

First off, the newsletter archive is now online. I'm not sure if its of any real use to you, but in a way it is a chronicle of this site and the Saturn...

Last week I stated that Enemy Zero would be out then, however, Sega has then chosen to delay the game a bit in order to spread out releases. The game is showing as to have shipped on last Friday, so it should be in stores now. In the US several games have now been released: Croc, Rampage World Tour, Sega Rally Touring Car Championship. Croc while graphically good (some say its better than Mario 64 graphically), lacks in the gameplay area. Frankly, the game is a crock (pun intended.) For all the hype surrounding the game, it does not live up to expectations. Midway's Rampage World Tour is yet another remake of a classic game. Basically one gets to destroy everything in sight. Think of it as a game in which you are Godzilla and get to take revenge on the people. Sega Rally Touring Car needs no introduction. Its the latest version of the great racer. Unfortunately the game still does not top the original in terms of gameplay. So, I'd rent it first if you can.

Speaking of rentals, it seems that Blockbuster stores are now clearing out their Saturn inventories. Sadly yes, the Saturn is losing more support (then again BB never really did support the Saturn.) The games are selling for $8 to $10 in most places. On the same note, Fry's electronics is also clearing out Saturn titles. Games there are $20 each, but you also get one free. In both cases most titles are at least six months old...but there are still some good deals out there.

On the site there are two new reviews, X-men vs. Street Fighter and Sonic R. Both games are excellent in case you haven't heard about them yet. Also with the reviews are a few screenshots.

Something I forgot to write about last week, the NetLink will begin testing in Finland soon. If all goes well there, its possible that the NetLink will be released in other parts of Europe. The main reason Finland was chosen was due to the relatively low telco rates there (vs. places like England and Germany.)

The only new game shipping in Japan was X-men vs. Street Fighter, and its doing extremely well. The 4meg RAM cart works with some but not all previous 1meg RAM cart games. The importer, NCSX has posted a compatibility list online. One can see it at: http://www.ncsx.com/ncs1124/4mb.htm

In Europe, Quake for the Saturn is now out. And the general consensus is that the game is an excellent port. However, due the the inherent qualities of Quake as a game, most feel that Duke 3D is simply a better game for the Saturn. This has to do with a few things, one is that the environments of Quake are all pretty much the same..which gets very dull after a while. Also, Quake was designed as a multi player game thus it again, gets boring in single player mode. In the game the computer AI has been improved as now enemies actively seek you instead of just wandering around until you are nearby. The lighting effects are present as usual and looking very good. Some textures seem a bit pixelated, but its no major issue. Great game, too bad there isn't any multi player mode...Concerning the NetLink, Best Buy stores seem to be having a sale, $49 for a NetLink with the two bundled NetLink enabled games, Virtua On and Sega Rally. Great deal! Too bad the software end is still lagging as far as NetLink and Internet play is concerned.

That's all this week, cya!