Late Night Consoling

August 13, 2003 8:00 PM

So has everyone here made their Soul Calibur II decision yet? The game is just two weeks away, and over the weekend I cast my lot behind the GameCube version. It wasn't an easy decision, but in the end I decided that I would tough it out with the GameCube's controller, and if it's really a problem, well....see the first story here, and you'll see the new alternative. I'm really, really looking forward to getting my hands on this game...just playing it for five minutes at E3 was enough to get me totally hooked, so I can't wait to dive head first into it (and invite some friends over for some multiplayer action).

	Official North American Soul Calibur II Stick Announced It's a little close to the wire, but nonetheless Nuby has announced an official North American arcade stick for Soul Calibur II. The stick is a big one, and is officially called the "Universal Soul Calibur II Arcade Stick" because of its compatibility with all three platforms right out of the box. It will retail for $39.99 and be available at the end of the month.
	Donkey de Amigo? According to IGN, the new Donkey Kong game from Namco that was announced recently isn't a platform game like Donkey Kong 64 and Donkey Kong Country, but is instead a rhythm game along the same lines as Samba de Amigo, and is tentatively titled Donkey Konga, as players will have to play conga drums along with the big ape.
	Sega Going After Treamcast This took a lot longer than I would have thought...gamesindustry.biz is reporting that Sega has obtained one of the Treamcast portable Dreamcast systems that are being sold in Hong Kong and are taking steps to make it as difficult as humanly possible to obtain one outside of Asia. To refresh your memory, here are some images of the thing on Lik-Sang, where of course you can't actually buy one.
	Xbox Persona Canceled As noted in this news item at GamePro.com, the planned Xbox Live-enabled version of Megami Tensei (AKA Persona outside of Japan) has been canceled. This is due to Atlus' decision to focus primarily on online gaming for PCs instead of consoles, but it also makes one less Xbox Live title for Japan.
	Nintendo Gets Some Warm Fuzzies Nintendo announced today that as part of a partnership with the Starlight Children's Foundation, they will be opening up new Fun Centers in hospitals across Nintendo's home state of Washington. The centers will all feature a GameCube and games along with a DVD player, and will no doubt help kids in their recovery process.
	Misc. Media/Previews GameSpot has new shots from ESPN NHL Hockey (PS2, Xbox), Tennis Masters Series 2003 (Xbox), Hunter: The Reckoning Wayward (PS2), Fable (Xbox) and Dino Crisis 3 (Xbox), along with a new movie from Hunter: The Reckoning Redeemer (Xbox) and new impressions of Tak and the Power of Juju (GC, PS2), Dragon Ball Z: Budokai (GC) and Grabbed by the Ghoulies (Xbox). Over at IGN they have a hands-on look at Dragon Drive (GC), new impressions from Spy Hunter 2 (GC, PS2, Xbox), new media from WWE Raw 2 (Xbox), a new developer's diary for NHL 2004 (GC, PS2, Xbox), a new preview of Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition, media from Super Duper Sumos and new shots from Backyard Hockey (all three for GBA). Elsewhere online, Games Are Fun has new shots from Rise to Honor (PS2), GameSpy has a new preview of Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try this at Home (PS2, Xbox), Computer and Video Games has new shots from BC (Xbox), HomeLAN has a new preview of Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy (GC, PS2), and Surreal Software has opened their new home page, and to celebrate they have new shots from The Suffering (GC, PS2, Xbox) and new shots and concept art from The Lords of the Rings: Treason at Isengard (PS2, Xbox).

Console Game of the Evening: Snail Maze for the Sega Master System. "This game, although not spectacular by any means, was BUILT IN to the original Sega Master System! It was the first true easter egg I ever saw :) Boot the SMS Hold Up and press 1 + 2 on Controller One without a game." (submitted by celerity).

jason bergman

Filed Under