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Thanks to IGN Wireless for giving hands-on impressions of the hardware and some of the leading software titles for Nokia's N-Gage 'mobile game deck' phone/handheld console, which will be released on October 7th. Games checked out include Sonic-N, which is "...a port of Sonic Advance released on the Game Boy Advance back in January 2002... [and] identical in graphics, gameplay and level structure to the GBA edition", as well as Tomb Raider, which they say has "very impressive visuals", though "navigating the environments takes some finesse", and Super Monkey Ball, of which they claim: "As well as the GBA pulled it off, the N-Gage can do it better" - the lack of brand new, non-converted launch titles does seem a little disappointing, though.

Thanks to IGN Wireless for giving hands-on impressions of the hardware and some of the leading software titles for Nokia's N-Gage 'mobile game deck' phone/handheld console, which will be released on October 7th. Games checked out include Sonic-N, which is "...a port of Sonic Advance released on the Game Boy Advance back in January 2002... [and] identical in graphics, gameplay and level structure to the GBA edition", as well as Tomb Raider, which they say has "very impressive visuals", though "navigating the environments takes some finesse", and Super Monkey Ball, of which they claim: "As well as the GBA pulled it off, the N-Gage can do it better" - the lack of brand new, non-converted launch titles does seem a little disappointing, though.

Thanks to IGN Wireless for giving hands-on impressions of the hardware and some of the leading software titles for Nokia's N-Gage 'mobile game deck' phone/handheld console, which will be released on October 7th. Games checked out include Sonic-N, which is "...a port of Sonic Advance released on the Game Boy Advance back in January 2002... [and] identical in graphics, gameplay and level structure to the GBA edition", as well as Tomb Raider, which they say has "very impressive visuals", though "navigating the environments takes some finesse", and Super Monkey Ball, of which they claim: "As well as the GBA pulled it off, the N-Gage can do it better" - the lack of brand new, non-converted launch titles does seem a little disappointing, though.

Thanks to IGN Wireless for giving hands-on impressions of the hardware and some of the leading software titles for Nokia's N-Gage 'mobile game deck' phone/handheld console, which will be released on October 7th. Games checked out include Sonic-N, which is "...a port of Sonic Advance released on the Game Boy Advance back in January 2002... [and] identical in graphics, gameplay and level structure to the GBA edition", as well as Tomb Raider, which they say has "very impressive visuals", though "navigating the environments takes some finesse", and Super Monkey Ball, of which they claim: "As well as the GBA pulled it off, the N-Gage can do it better" - the lack of brand new, non-converted launch titles does seem a little disappointing, though.

Thanks to IGN Xbox for their hands-on feature on Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden, claiming that Star Wars:Knights Of The Old Republic "...has some competition for game of the year" on Xbox. According to the effusive preview, "While the original Devil May Cry made it fun to juggle enemies with your gun and then slice them in half with your sword, Ninja Gaiden one-ups Capcom's classic with a combat system that is more free-flowing and naturalistic than any 3D action game I can remember." The game, a sequel to the classic NES title, is "...tentatively set to ship Holiday 2003."

Thanks to Smartmoney.com for their report into GameStop's second-quarter financial results, which revealed "a 31% surge in videogame software sales", although a drop from last year's hardware-discounted highs, and "better-than-expected performance in stores." According to the report, "...the company said videogame-software sales were 'very strong' for the quarter, with leading titles such as 'Enter The Matrix' from Atari Inc., 'NBA Street: Volume 2' and 'NCAA Football 2004' from Electronic Arts Inc. and 'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic' from LucasArts." Most interestingly, GameStop indicated they're expecting "...further hardware price reductions 'or similar promotional activities' during the third quarter", a move that may include the rumored $99 GameCube price drop which IGN Cube are confidently predicting for the end of September.

Thanks to IGN Cube for their article on the Universal Soul Calibur II Arcade Stick, which is being released by Nuby and Namco on August 31st, just after the launch of the ravenously-awaited Namco fighting game sequel for PS2/Xbox/GameCube. IGN explains: "The interesting detail about the arcade stick is that it works with all three consoles - no extra assembly required. All gamers need do is plug the appropriate end into the console of their choice and they'll be up and running." So you can use the same joystick to play Link, Heihachi, and Spawn, if you're insane enough to buy Soul Calibur II for all three platforms, as well as repurposing the stick for any other famous fighting games that take your fancy.

Thanks to IGN Cube for their rumor report claiming that Nintendo's new Donkey Kong title for GameCube, recently announced as being developed by Namco, is a conga drum-based rhythm title called Donkey Konga. Although unconfirmed, IGN claim: "On March 10, 2003, Nintendo registered the trademark for Donkey Konga. This, say sources, is the tentative name for the new title, which dumps its platformer roots in favor of exploring the music genre." Another point in this rumor's favor is that Namco has created the very popular Taiko no Tatsujin drumming title for PlayStation 2, complete with custom drum controller, and it's sold over 900,000 copies so far in Japan, but there's no official word from Nintendo or Namco yet.

Thanks to Planet GameCube for their report on how the newly released Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is faring in the Japanese press. This GameCube action RPG, which came out on August 7th in Japan, but is now delayed until February 2004 State-side, scored 32/40 and a Gold Award in the often strict Famitsu Weekly, and a Famitsu reviewer commented: "The one player mode feels a bit lonely as the gameplay tends to become routine. However, the game becomes more interesting in the multiplayer mode, where players can execute combination magic and work together to beat the boss. The fun factor is doubled." There's more info via hands-on impressions at IGN Cube, who seem to like the single-player campaign somewhat better.

Thanks to Planet GameCube for their report on how the newly released Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is faring in the Japanese press. This GameCube action RPG, which came out on August 7th in Japan, but is now delayed until February 2004 State-side, scored 32/40 and a Gold Award in the often strict Famitsu Weekly, and a Famitsu reviewer commented: "The one player mode feels a bit lonely as the gameplay tends to become routine. However, the game becomes more interesting in the multiplayer mode, where players can execute combination magic and work together to beat the boss. The fun factor is doubled." There's more info via hands-on impressions at IGN Cube, who seem to like the single-player campaign somewhat better.

Thanks to RPGVault for their interview with World Of Warcraft producer Mark Kern, discussing Blizzard's forthcoming massively multiplayer RPG. He particularly stresses depth of content, especially relevant since recent allegations against Star Wars Galaxies: "I think one thing that sets us apart, aside from all the little things that go into our interface, quest-driven gameplay, and instanced dungeons, is the fact that there is so much to do in the game. This is also the key to retention. We have a huge amount and variety of places to explore that are packed with special locations, encounters, story and quests." He also discusses different play styles, saying the game will offer "..outdoor content for soloing, dungeons that offer cool loot and encourage grouping to succeed, and heavy boss encounters that require large guilds to take out."

Thanks to IGN.com for their updated list of DVDs that play back incorrectly on consoles, including the Xbox and, particularly, the PlayStation 2. It seems DVD layer changes are a particular problem, but the article points out that "...with at least three different sets of DVD drivers out for the [PS2] system, there are quite a few discs that have problems running", and also raises the little-known fact that the only way to upgrade your PS2 DVD drivers "..is to pick up the Sony PlayStation 2 DVD Remote. The $20 remote includes a disc that will copy the latest (2.10) drivers to a memory card."

Thanks to IGN.com for their updated list of DVDs that play back incorrectly on consoles, including the Xbox and, particularly, the PlayStation 2. It seems DVD layer changes are a particular problem, but the article points out that "...with at least three different sets of DVD drivers out for the [PS2] system, there are quite a few discs that have problems running", and also raises the little-known fact that the only way to upgrade your PS2 DVD drivers "..is to pick up the Sony PlayStation 2 DVD Remote. The $20 remote includes a disc that will copy the latest (2.10) drivers to a memory card."

Thanks to IGN PC for their article indicating that LucasArts have cancelled Full Throttle:Hell On Wheels, the partially completed PC sequel to the classic point 'n click adventure. Simon Jeffery, president of LucasArts said: "We do not want to disappoint the many fans of Full Throttle and hope everyone can understand how committed we are to delivering the best quality gaming experience that we possibly can." The official Full Throttle sequel homepage has been removed, although its Google cache is still available.

Ian_Bailey writes "In official announcements, Nintendo has confirmed a number of new games, including a sequel to Wario Ware Inc. for the GameCube and a new Donkey Kong game developed by Namco. Furthermore, Nintendo indicated that a 'new game product' will be unveiled in Spring 2004, which could be their N5 next-gen console. Finally, after the IGN PS2 rumor reports, they have now had a look at the 10 Biggest Rumors on GameCube, including Metroid Prime 2, Too Human, and a realistic-looking Zelda."

Thanks to RPGVault for their article discussing the problems of repetitive gameplay in MMORPGs. The article defines the issue as "...the so-called "levelling treadmill" that involves repetitive play, often combat against NPCs that present little real challenge, in order to advance [the player's] characters" Representatives from NCSoft, Microsoft, and Auran offer their opinions, which range from "...levelling in and of itself is not evil" to "...levelling has to become dull or the level-up reward would lack value."

Thanks to IGN PS2 for their coverage of the first details about Sony Europe's much-hyped FPS, Killzone. As the article says, "...the game formerly known as Kin already has made waves throughout the videogame world. The super secret first-person shooter from Lost Boys (now known as Guerilla Games) has been kept under wraps via non-disclosure agreements for the past 16 months... Killzone has quickly built into one of the most talked about pieces of shadow-ware in the industry." With screenshots looking impressively moody and detailed, and C+VG quoting a Sony insider as saying "the online side of things will be doing stuff no-one's ever seen before", it'll be interesting to see if the Playstation 2 will get a platform-exclusive FPS to match the likes of Halo on Xbox, or whether hype will lead to over-lofty expectation.

Thanks to IGN PS2 for their coverage of the first details about Sony Europe's much-hyped FPS, Killzone. As the article says, "...the game formerly known as Kin already has made waves throughout the videogame world. The super secret first-person shooter from Lost Boys (now known as Guerilla Games) has been kept under wraps via non-disclosure agreements for the past 16 months... Killzone has quickly built into one of the most talked about pieces of shadow-ware in the industry." With screenshots looking impressively moody and detailed, and C+VG quoting a Sony insider as saying "the online side of things will be doing stuff no-one's ever seen before", it'll be interesting to see if the Playstation 2 will get a platform-exclusive FPS to match the likes of Halo on Xbox, or whether hype will lead to over-lofty expectation.

Thanks to IGN PS2 for their second Playstation 2 rumor round-up, including plenty of questionable whisperings (GTA4 is referenced as possibly being called 'Sin City', though this was a notable April Fool's gag), but at least one official confirmation, from Lucasarts, following some online confusion, that "There are no plans for to develop Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for the PS2. We are concentrating fully on the development of the PC version of the game." The rest of the rumor-mongering has at least one intriguing tip, the claim that LucasArts are developing "a third-person perspective action-adventure game [which] enables players to take on the role of Darth Vader."

Thanks to IGN Wireless, who, not content with vehemently defending cellphone gaming in general, have decided to step up and tell us why Nokia's N-Gage is worth a second look. As they eruditely put it, "E3 was not exactly kind to Nokia and it's [sic] new N-Gage mobile gaming platform," and they go on to compare Nokia's phone and 'mobile game deck' to another neglected system: "A lot of it depends on whether or not gamers are willing to take chance on an unproven system, or whether they'll let hype from Sony's PSP or an improved GBA prevent them from taking the plunge. Which would be a shame, because that's what happened to the Dreamcast in the face of the PS2, and now everybody sits around and talks about what a great system it really was."

Thanks to IGN PC for their hands-on preview of Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates, the unique-looking massively multiplayer puzzle RPG from Three Rings Design for Windows and Linux. According to the article, "For anyone who ever wasted hours playing Tetris or Bejeweled, this is the game that takes that style of entertainment to the next level", and the concept of playing puzzle games to win money and buy property in this "quirky persistent state world", currently in open Beta, is discussed enthusiastically - the screenshots on the official site seem about right for those puzzle game freaks looking for a little social contact and eye patches with their puzzlin'.

Thanks to IGN PS2 for their comprehensive preview of Gran Turismo 4, the latest installment of the seminal PlayStation 2 racing title from Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital. The piece talks about hands-on play experiences at E3, using the Logitech Steering Wheel, due to ship alongside the game in 2004, which "... enables 900 degrees of rotation, which means two and a half times around, exactly like a real car steering wheel turns." And while there'll be no gameplay revolutions, the piece concludes: "Polyphony is looking to find that balance between simulation and arcade perfection, and given the popularity of the series and its new online component, that magic balance will be more crucial than ever."

Thanks to IGN Wireless for their new column discussing the current state of U.S. cellphone gaming. The article starts by saying: "Post-E3, several magazines and sites have taken to dismissing the cellphone gaming scene - saying the Game Boy Advance has nothing to worry about... But we're talking apples and oranges here, fellas. The markets cannot be compared, nor should they be." It goes on to highlight titles like GameLoft's Splinter Cell and JAMDAT's Pitfall!, and further comments that: "It's pretty pointless to buy a phone that cannot play the kind of games you like, and then complain that cellphone gaming sucks."

Thanks to several readers for pointing to the release of a second trailer ('The Docks') from Half-Life 2, via Valve's Steam content delivery system, as well as via GamersHell, IGN, 3D Gamers, and the obligatory BitTorrent link, courtesy GameTab. This follows the first movie, named 'G-Man,' that was posted a couple of days back -- all of these new Bink-encoded executable movies are direct-feed parts of the large shakycam E3 movie we mentioned a few weeks back.

Thanks to IGN Xbox for their report that Grand Theft Auto:Vice City may be coming to Xbox this Christmas, but without the famed 'GTA' name. According to the piece: "As many insiders know, the Grand Theft Auto series is supposed to be PlayStation 2 console exclusive, however sources reveal that Rockstar is circumventing the agreement by stripping the Xbox version of the title Grand Theft Auto, and simply repackaging the game as Vice City." If true, this would mean that Rockstar wouldn't need to wait until after the next GTA game was released to lose Sony exclusivity, and could put out suitably renamed/rebranded GTA titles on other consoles sooner, rather than later - a fascinatingly sneaky concept.

Thanks to IGN Xbox for their full review of Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic, the ravenously-awaited Xbox RPG from BioWare, which has gone gold and ships on the 16th July (Wednesday) in the U.S. The review gives the game 9.5 out of 10, and concludes that KOTOR is "..an outstanding game because it covers every single angle in terms of audience expectations. It's got enough Star Wars to satisfy the fans and enough pure fun to draw in people who normally wouldn't get into role-playing games. You'll see this on several Game of the Year nomination lists." There's also a mini-review at Unlimitedlives.com which is similarly effusive, if a little brief.

Tim Grube writes "Gaming Horizon is running a story announcing that Nintendo of Japan has revealed a special edition GameBoy Advance SP to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Famicom/NES. A total of 1000 will be made and will not be available for sale. Instead, they will be given away as part of a lottery if you purchase certain GBA games." IGN Pocket has more information, including a good picture of the unit, which sports the original maroon and white Famicom colors.

Thanks to several readers for pointing to the press release announcing Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna, the official expansion pack to Gas Powered Games' popular PC FRPG. There's also an interview at IGN PC which offers more details on this Mad Doc co-developed expansion, promising "..a completely new series of fabulous locations.. UI enhancements, new monsters and a massive amount of new stuff throughout the game." Meanwhile, the original Dungeon Siege is still proving popular with fans and mod makers, with the Copperhead sci-fi total conversion a current favorite.

Thanks to IGN PS2 for posting their hands-on impressions of EA's newly unveiled NFL Street. This more 'street' alternative to EA's own Madden series, modeled on other EA BIG titles such as the NBA Street series, is described as "..seven-on-seven street ball showcasing the showoff skills and showboat style of the NFL elite. No helmets, no pads, but all the attitude you'd expect from the game's greats like Ray Lewis, Terrell Owens, Michael Vick, and Marshall Faulk." Could this title join Madden in outselling Sega Sports' football titles, despite Sega's attempts to catch up?

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to IGN Xbox's coverage of the newly revealed 'secret mode' in Sega's ESPN NFL Football for PS2 and Xbox - a full first-person mode. According to the article, "In first-person mode, you take the snap as the quarterback.. once the ball is thrown, you can either watch the ball sail toward your wideout from the QB's perspective, or quickly switch to control the receiver and attempt to catch the ball while looking through the point of view from players like Moss and T.O." There are also 'Bullet Time'-styled slow motion effects for receivers, as well as a threat meter that shows how close would-be tacklers are to your position. So, not content with just a name change from NFL 2K4, looks like Sega's football franchise is going all-out with new features to overwhelm EA's Madden series after last year's disappointing performance.

Thanks to IGN RPGVault for a new interview with the ArenaNet team, developers of Guild Wars. These ex-Blizzard developers, whose company was recently acquired by Korean RPG behemoth NCSoft, talk in-depth about Guild Wars, which they call "..a competitive online role-playing game, which we believe to be a new genre." According to the article, "..gameplay options will include cooperative group combat, single-player adventures and large-scale guild battles.. [with] persistent characters but a non-persistent game world", and there will be no monthly subscription fee for this intriguing PC title, which is due out later in 2004.

Thanks to IGN Cube for running an import review of Capcom's crazed 3D-graphics but 2D-gameplay action platformer, Viewtiful Joe, which has just been released (and immediately sold out) in Japan, but isn't out in the US until October. According to the article, "Viewtiful Joe is an extremely stylized quasi-2D side-brawler .. [with] polished control mechanics.. you can effortlessly slow down time, speed it up.. the game's graphic presentation, from.. cel-styled worlds.. [to] breathtaking slow-time and speed-time effects, and fluid animation that drowns every character, is just gorgeous." There's also a US demo of Viewtiful Joe on the recent official GameCube demo disc - is this title proof that 2D gameplay can still enchant the mass market?

Thanks to several readers for pointing out the IGN Pocket summary picking their 15 must-have GameBoy Advance titles for those who've bought the GameBoy Player add-on for the GameCube, and so are getting a chance to play GBA games on their TV sets for the first time. The authors have "..gone through the GameBoy Advance library, and hand-picked 15 titles in the collection that we'd consider 'can't miss' games on the handheld." Picks include obvious class acts like Advance Wars 2 and Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow, as well as less well-known titles such as Ninja Five-O and Puyo Pop.

Thanks to several readers for pointing out the IGN Pocket summary picking their 15 must-have GameBoy Advance titles for those who've bought the GameBoy Player add-on for the GameCube, and so are getting a chance to play GBA games on their TV sets for the first time. The authors have "..gone through the GameBoy Advance library, and hand-picked 15 titles in the collection that we'd consider 'can't miss' games on the handheld." Picks include obvious class acts like Advance Wars 2 and Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow, as well as less well-known titles such as Ninja Five-O and Puyo Pop.

Thanks to several readers for pointing out the IGN Pocket summary picking their 15 must-have GameBoy Advance titles for those who've bought the GameBoy Player add-on for the GameCube, and so are getting a chance to play GBA games on their TV sets for the first time. The authors have "..gone through the GameBoy Advance library, and hand-picked 15 titles in the collection that we'd consider 'can't miss' games on the handheld." Picks include obvious class acts like Advance Wars 2 and Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow, as well as less well-known titles such as Ninja Five-O and Puyo Pop.

Thanks to several readers for pointing out the IGN Pocket summary picking their 15 must-have GameBoy Advance titles for those who've bought the GameBoy Player add-on for the GameCube, and so are getting a chance to play GBA games on their TV sets for the first time. The authors have "..gone through the GameBoy Advance library, and hand-picked 15 titles in the collection that we'd consider 'can't miss' games on the handheld." Picks include obvious class acts like Advance Wars 2 and Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow, as well as less well-known titles such as Ninja Five-O and Puyo Pop.

Thanks to several readers for pointing out the IGN Pocket summary picking their 15 must-have GameBoy Advance titles for those who've bought the GameBoy Player add-on for the GameCube, and so are getting a chance to play GBA games on their TV sets for the first time. The authors have "..gone through the GameBoy Advance library, and hand-picked 15 titles in the collection that we'd consider 'can't miss' games on the handheld." Picks include obvious class acts like Advance Wars 2 and Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow, as well as less well-known titles such as Ninja Five-O and Puyo Pop.

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to the IGN Xbox preview of Bioware's Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic, the Xbox RPG that's now a couple of weeks away from release (and has a PC version shipping in October.) The article suggests that "..serious pen-and-paper role playing fans will appreciate all of the stat-heavy terminology deep within the game's menu system but run-of-the-mill Star Wars fans will still get a kick out of all of the Greedos, wookies and laser blasts going on", and according to another preview at GamePro, this title from the renowned PC RPG creators has a "..battle system [which] is perhaps KOTOR's most singular achievement - it looks like it belongs in an action RPG, but it's actually turn-based and not far removed from the Baldur's Gate fight engine."

ydkcookie writes "According to Voodoo Extreme, the PC multiplayer demo of Tron 2.0 has been released! This 160mb demo features light-cycle racing and a first-person multiplayer shooter style level." There's also a BitTorrent link available, courtesy GameTab, and also a download link at GamersHell for the demo of this Monolith-developed title we previewed a few weeks back.

Thanks to two different readers for submitting Harry Potter game-related stories. On the one hand, a recent IGN Cube interview talks with EA about Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup, an interesting sports game concept if ever there was one. According to EA, "..there's a progress from Hogwarts to working your way up a World Cup ladder. I can confirm that Viktor Krum (who appears in book 4) is in the game--which is appropriate since he's the 'Michael Jordan' of Quidditch in a sense." On the other hand, the ever rumor-spreading C+VG site are claiming that next-gen versions of Harry Potter And The Sorceror's Stone are scheduled for later in 2003, based on a leaked release schedule, since there has only a Playstation 1 console version of the first movie/book so far - this is far from confirmed, however.

Kthoris writes "Well, it looks like the team at DLA has finally decided to show us what they are made of. Starting a 10 day series of interviews with some of the project leaders, they are releasing their first major previews of what they've spent the last year doing. The first interview starts with the projects team leader/coordinator, Steel_Wind. It also looks like they will be having a house of commons chat on Neverwinter Connections IRC channel next saturday. Thanks Maximus for finally convincing these guys to show some of their stuff. I hear they also have a Full-Motion Video, Teaser trailer? Can anyone else confirm this?" Unless I was looking too quickly, I missed any shots of a floating city, but the new objects they have created are still pretty sharp, including catwalks between trees.

Kthoris writes "Well, it looks like the team at DLA has finally decided to show us what they are made of. Starting a 10 day series of interviews with some of the project leaders, they are releasing their first major previews of what they've spent the last year doing. The first interview starts with the projects team leader/coordinator, Steel_Wind. It also looks like they will be having a house of commons chat on Neverwinter Connections IRC channel next saturday. Thanks Maximus for finally convincing these guys to show some of their stuff. I hear they also have a Full-Motion Video, Teaser trailer? Can anyone else confirm this?" Unless I was looking too quickly, I missed any shots of a floating city, but the new objects they have created are still pretty sharp, including catwalks between trees.

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to IGN.com's article discussing the 10 biggest Playstation 2 rumors currently circulating. Subjects discussed include whether Final Fantasy VII-2 is really planned, if there's actually a sequel to Ico called Nico, the chances of Starcraft:Ghost ever appearing on PS2 (low, apparently?), the likelihood that UGO/Sega are working on an Astro Boy game, and, naturally, rumors about the PS3. As IGN so succintly puts it: "What's the truth worth when you have imagination?"

Thanks to several readers for pointing out that, according to a post on the official Star Wars Galaxies messageboards, the NDA has been lifted, so Beta testers are free to talk about their experiences playing this PC MMORPG, which ships on June 26th. Naturally, the official messageboards are filling up with many and varied viewpoints, and sites such as SWG Warcry, SWG Vault, and many other fan sites are posting a multitude of screenshots and opinions of this much anticipated title.

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to a Gamers.com article showcasing new screenshots and details from Super Mario Advance 4 for GameBoy Advance. This title, which is a portable revival of the classic NES title Super Mario Brothers 3 with the higher quality visuals of the SNES Super Mario All-Stars version, will also have e-Reader connectivity, and a recent IGN Pocket preview claims "players can transfer the data from e-Reader to the game... to upload brand new levels and challenges", though, logically enough, "you'll need two GBAs (or a Game Boy Player [for Gamecube] and a GBA) to take advantage of this feature."

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to an IGN Cube story summarizing the new features in the Japanese expanded re-release of sleeper Gamecube hit Animal Crossing. These include brand new features such as "..upgraded animal designs.. all-new events added.. more than 100 additional items.. visit the island without a GBA.. take photos of village life, store on SD Cards, and print using photo printers", and a number of features previously only found in the US version of the game. Gamers.com has some new screenshots of this release, which follows the pattern of titles such as Kingdom Hearts:Final Mix in exporting US-release improvements back to Japan in a 'special edition'. Although non-Japanese Animal Crossing fans may be looking hopefully for this expansion, a release outside Japan seems unlikely, and the poor Europeans still don't have the original Gamecube version.

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to an IGN.com review of the GameBoy Player for Gamecube. As the article says, "The GameBoy Player is a GameCube peripheral that plugs into the bottom of the system, and enables gamers to play any one of the thousands of GameBoy, GameBoy Color, and GameBoy Advance games released over the past 14 years." As well as being bundled with the Gamecube hardware starting June 23rd, this peripheral will be available separately on the same date, and it's particularly cool that you can control games with "either the GameCube controllers, or a GameBoy Advance system plugged in using the GameCube GameBoy Advance link cable."

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to the official Sega announcement that most of their Dreamcast game servers will be shut down starting this month. According to the site, "Effective June 2003, the only Dreamcast titles that Sega will continue to support online are Phantasy Star Online and Phantasy Star Online ver. 2. No other Dreamcast titles will be playable online after this time." This means that titles such as Alien Front Online (which pre-dated Xbox Live with a headset feature), the Sega Sports titles, Quake III, and even the classy Chu Chu Rocket will no longer be online-compatible, admittedly long after their prime. Perhaps someone could find a homebrew solution?

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to the official Sega announcement that most of their Dreamcast game servers will be shut down starting this month. According to the site, "Effective June 2003, the only Dreamcast titles that Sega will continue to support online are Phantasy Star Online and Phantasy Star Online ver. 2. No other Dreamcast titles will be playable online after this time." This means that titles such as Alien Front Online (which pre-dated Xbox Live with a headset feature), the Sega Sports titles, Quake III, and even the classy Chu Chu Rocket will no longer be online-compatible, admittedly long after their prime. Perhaps someone could find a homebrew solution?

Thanks to Shacknews for pointing to a new Gamespot hands-on preview of Buffy The Vampire Slayer:Chaos Bleeds, and another hands-on preview at IGN. This Eurocom-developed follow-up to last year's The Collective-developed (and distinctly under-rated) Buffy The Vampire Slayer title for Xbox will, this time round, be available for Gamecube, PS2, and Xbox. IGN seems to think a lot of the title ("..even if you don't give a hoot about the Buffy universe, rarely does such a capable, well-rounded game come round that also retains a firmly established TV series at its core.") and Gamespot, though more reserved, also thinks it looks promising. And, of course, Buffy fans worldwide are salivating now they know Sid the dummy is a playable character.