Hi all,

Again I apologize for last week's update being so late. I've been extremely busy with exams and papers and haven't had the time to deal with network problems, etc. There hasn't been a whole lot of Sega news this week, but more is sure to come as the Spring release schedule picks up. The release of titles at the end of this month marks the beginning of a heavier schedule with about 14 Dreamcast games set for release this March.

Two titles are coming up this week for the Dreamcast. First off is Capcom's Power Stone. The game received an average of a 8.5/10 rating in Famitsu. Konami's Pop 'n' Music received a 30/40 review from the magazine. There are images along with info on Power Stone in the snapshots area if you haven't checked them out yet.

Dreamcast pricing has also dropped quite a bit in recent weeks. In the US, the average inflation in cost of Dreamcast items has been as low as 88%, but currently ranges between 95% and 150% depending on what importer you contact. Those in Europe will have to wait a bit longer for the price drops to effect them. Retailer Computer Exchange has yet to drop prices and inflation levels remain near 200%. Another British importer, Games Terminal (www.gamesterminal.com) has prices that are close to CEX, and even a bit lower if you are a member (free). A Japanese Dreamcast for members costs £286, while the Asian model sells for £240. There are some minor savings to be had in Europe for now, but prices will most likely drop soon. When they do, I'll of course let you know.

With all the talk of Dreamcast pricing and import prices, I will soon put a currency convertor on the site. Right now I am debating the best area to link to the convertor page. That is, should I have it in the New Release area, News, or something else. It can also go into the links area, but the convertor is not completely off site, so I don't really want it there. E-mail me and let me know what you think would be best.

In the past week, several Naomi games made their debut in Japan. First off is Capcom's Strider 2. The game isn't really second in the series, as the original Strider 2 appeared on the Genesis several years ago. Regardless of that, the game looks pretty good, but there isn't really any detailed info on the game that I know of other than the game uses 3D graphics but will have 2D gameplay. It looks quite impressive, and the 3D graphics work quite effectively while still maintaining the '2D' play. No word on a release date or DC port, but a DC port is extremely probable.

Tecmo's fighter Dead or Alive 2 is on its way to a Naomi based system as well. The game is very much like the excellent Model 2 original in terms of gameplay, but takes advantage of the improved power of the Naomi board. Most of the characters from the original DoA will return. The game will also have new play modes including a 3 v. 3 battle mode similar to the team battle mode in VF3TB.

Sega recently announced three Naomi games for release in the near future. First is a puzzle game called Puzzle Kurutto Stone which appears to be very similar to Columns in gameplay. Boat Race will be also coming, its title pretty self explanatory. Remember the old game called Space Taxi for the C64? Well, something very similar will be coming to a Naomi based system. Essentially, in Crazy Taxi the goal of the game is to get the passengers to the destination within a given amount of time. You'll face the regular rigors of driving including obstacles, traffic, etc.

At next month's Tokyo Toy Show, about 30 Dreamcast titles will be shown along with 8 Saturn games. Along with Shenmue, there are now persisting rumors that Sonic Team _may_ announce the sequel to the famed Saturn game, Nights. At this time, Sega will neither confirm or deny these reports.

That's all for this week, again, let me know where on the site you'd like to see the currency convertor!

-Greg