!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Zine Scene - O t a k u B o y  O n l i n e - Zine Scene
        The best news from the best vid-gaming sites

  -- Dec. 1, 1998   Vol. 1 No. 28  Train kept-a rollin' --
  written by OtakuBoy - "Oh, Dreamcast. You're so DREAMY!"
        Now on superriffic, magical ICQ! # 21176515

         Resouces obtained through Gaming Central!
          http://www.startpath.com/gamingcentral/
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   OtakuBoy loves you. OtakuBoy cares. That's why OtakuBoy 
unleashes his virtual scrubbing bubbles onto all the 
online console video game sites -- even on sites you've
never heard of before -- to scour out the best features,
reviews, previews, and news. Then OtakuBoy tells you where
to go get them.
   OtakuBoy loves you. Now, love OtakuBoy back.

=OtakuBoy Speaketh =========================================

   As every gamer worth his salt lick would suspect, 
Dreamcast stuff keeps burning up the Web. When will it end?
Perhaps never. All hail the beginning of the Dreamcast era!
(Sony and Nintendo fans can skip the next section; it's
sure to sicken.) :-D

-----------

Dreamcast & Saturn (DC & SAT)

   Lots of sites run "First Impressions." GameFan turns
on the console, plays the games, and pipes up with their
feelings -- wo wo wo feelings -- about the machine.
National Console Support uses their keen importing minds
and importing-weathered hands to probe the machine and
packaging to give you an idea of how Dreamcast presents
itself. (Eveyone's been talking about how small the machine
is. My oh, my. It actually sounded bigger as hype! Good
job, marketing.) Gamespot weighs in with their wee-bit-
skimpier impressions. No doubt a bigger review will
follow soon.

   Sit back in your chair and surf on to Sega Otaku. I
simply can not believe all the good info available there.
The best Japan coverage to date. Period. First, check out
the series, "Dreamcast Lands." A three-part pictorial/
feature chronicling the day Dreamcast landed. Then, they
pull together another feature about Sega Dreamcast ad 
overload. If you think we have too many advertising on our
streets, check this out. Sega Otaku also looks as "Dream
Passport," the online service. Too bad they can't actually
hook in. Finally, the guys take a look at what you'll get
when you sign up for a Dreamcast e-mail address.

   Reuters filed a report over the weekend about Dreamcast
Launch Day. Dry for gaming-news. But, of course, this is
a REAL NEWS OrGaNiZaTiOn. ;) From Nikkei in Japan, another
news article, but this one gives some interesting perspec-
tive from retailers on the street. And then another Reuters
story announcing that Sega sold 150,000 Dreamcasts the 
first weekend. Shades of Sony-success, maybe? (They sold
100,000 PSX the first U.S. weekend.)

   Oh, jeez! "Biohazard Code Veronica" has been delayed.
Those nutty Capcom people. Apparently they want to wait
until more Dreamcasts actually get in gamer-hands. Details
at Gaming-Age. FGN Online has a release date for the
Dreamcast steering wheel. 

   New "Grandia 2" screens! Ah, boy oh boy, does this game
look nice. Game-Online grabs some new pics of "Shenmue."
(Hey, remember! Shenmue is/was "Project Berkeley.") But
if you're more into moving thingies, then you really need
to check out the movie over on Gaming-Age. Also on Gaming-
Age, news of a new title. Very little detail, but a "famous"
manga artist, Chen Wen, will do the character sketches. The
art on-site is amazing. (Wow, the memory of those pics make
me a-sweat.) And the name of the game is: "Chen Wen's
Romance of Three Kingdoms"


Nintendo (N64, GameBoy)

   Down-With-Zelda folks, you can come up for a breather.
Finally, a break in the Zelda stuff. Breathe deeply,
though. Thar be more Zelda-stuffs below.

   IGN64 has a list of what should be released in '99. 
"Should," the word to take note of. 

   Er... um... Well, here's more Zelda news. Hold your
breath if you don't want to hear this. 

   Inhale!

   64 Source updates their site with a report from Japan,
news that N64 now outsells PSX 7:1, and a rumor about some
Gold carts falling apart. (Quick breath.) 64 Source also
has pics of the update to "Zelda DX" for Color GameBoy. Oh,
and here's another review of Zelda, this time detailing 
much of gameplay. Console Domain.

   EXHALE!

   Well, you can stand this one. It's ok. Here's a news
story on FGNOnline (Sixth story down) about a new "pro-
gramming method" that Miyamoto is keen on. 64 Source 
previews "Pokemon Stadium." Now you gotta catch 'em all,
N64 players. GameInformer says they received a new,
updated copy of "Castlevania 64," and there have been a few
character changes. Details at the site. I've also included
the link to their updated preview. Woo hoo! Ca-rack that
whip. IGN64 looks at "Ogre Battle 3," a preview of the
Japanese version. Also on IGN64, a review of "Nightmare
Creatures." Eh, here's a couple of words they use about the
gameplay : "Stiff." And "Digital." Uh oh.

   New site to O.O. - Game Boy (oh boy!). Really cool site
if you want GameBoy info (o boy info!). And in today's 
issue, a big, huge, humongous list of releases to come. 
Also on Game Boy (oh boy!), news of a Pokemon trivia/
contest on KFC's Web site. I've included the link directly
to the trivia questions and contest form. (How many
Pokemon's does it take to get to center of a Chicken Pot
Pie. Answer: The World May Never Know.)


PlayStation (PSX) 

   Take this with a grain of salt. (I just have a bad fee-
ling.) Game Informer has a release date for the Japanese
version of "Final Fantasy 8." Cool, huh? You can finally
get it for your PlayStation.

   But, oh, maybe you can't. There's a new sheriff in town
and he ain't letting no modded machines work anymore. De-
tails at Gaming-Age. FGNOnline has news (the 11th story
down) that "Super Dimension Fortress Macross" is on the
way. I've included the link, but that's about all the
story says -- it's coming. 

   IGNPSX (and a few other sites) have caught wind of a 
"Tempest style shooter?" It's called "IS Internal Section."
Check out IGNPSX for the info. Also at IGNPSX, a preview
of "Ridge Race 4," and then, over on Game-Online in jolly
old England, news of how the PocketStation may work with
RR4. (MAY?!? Ok, I guess it's more of a rumor.) And 
GameInformer takes a preview-ish look at "WCW/NWO THUNDER!"

   IGNPSX reviews "Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus." Oh, quit yer
complainin'! ;) I know I ran another review last week, but
trust me. This one reviews the game without comparing it 
(much) to the first Abe. GameFan reviews "Bust-A-Groove,"
Gaming-Age reviews "N2O" (that's nitrous oxide, for you
chemistry folks), and PSX-finally, IGNPSX has pics of
the upcoming "Metal Gear Solid" action figures. Cool.


Multi-format

   What? Could it be? No. I can't believe it. No, I won't
believe it. Crack 1/2 off, down the street?! OH BOY!

   Just kidding, of course. But just as exciting is news
of a "Strider 2?" Surf over to Gaming-Age. Videogames.com
runs a "Designer Diary" about "Gex 3." This week's episode:
The differences between Gex 2 and 3. 

   Watch yourself jiggle. See yourself wiggle. Cool and
fruity. Intensor, brand videogame chair. Check out the
review at Videogamers.com. (That's VIDEOGAMERS.com.)

Cheers, folks.

             See a cool story? Send it to me!
                   Otakuboy@bigfoot.com

============================================================

Dreamcast links:

-- Dreamcast First Impressions - Feature
-- http://www.gamefan.com/hotinfo/11_98/11_30e.htm
-- http://www.ncsx.com/ncs113098/ncs1130m.htm
-- http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_11/30_vg_dclook/index.html

-- Sega Otaku - with pics from Japan
-- http://www.sega-otaku.com/news/nov98/112798e.html
-- http://www.sega-otaku.com/news/nov98/112798f.html
-- http://www.sega-otaku.com/news/nov98/112798f.html

-- Such a thing as Dreamcast Ad Overload? - Feature
-- http://www.sega-otaku.com/news/nov98/112798h.html

-- Dream Passport First Impressions - Feature
-- http://www.sega-otaku.com/news/nov98/113098c.html
-- http://www.sega-otaku.com/news/nov98/113098d.html

-- And about the Dreamcast e-mail address
-- http://www.sega-otaku.com/news/nov98/113098j.html

-- Report from Japan -- Reuters/Tokyo - Japan News
-- http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/981127/fa.html

-- From Nikkei, on-the-scene sales - Japan News
-- http://www.nikkei.co.jp/enews/TNKS/back/846High-Tech.html#gen145

-- 150,000 out da door already! - Japan News
-- http://nt.excite.com/news/r/981130/15/tech-sega

-- Biohazard Code Veronica DELAYED - News
-- http://www.gaming-age.com/news2/november98/113098e.htm

-- When's the sterring wheel comin'? - News (6th Story Down)
-- http://www.fgnonline.com/web/fgn_archives.html?publish_date=1998-12-01

-- More new Sonic Adventure pics - Preview
-- http://www.segadreamcast.net/news/news_981130_sonicpics.htm

-- New Grandia 2 screens -- WOW! - Preview
-- http://www.gaming-age.com/news2/november98/113098f.htm

-- Shenmue pics (Project Berkeley) AND a MOVIE! - Preview
-- http://www.game-online.com/cfdocs/site/news/newstemp.cfm?newsid=1194
-- http://www.gaming-age.com/news2/november98/113098b.htm (movie 2.2 megs)

-- Chen Wen's Romance of Three Kingdoms - Mini-Preview
-- http://www.gaming-age.com/news2/november98/113098g.htm


Nintendo 64 Links:

-- Soooo... what's comin' out in '99? - Feature
-- http://ign64.ign.com/news/5911.html

-- A report from Ground Floor Japan - Japan News
-- http://www.64source.com/news/113098.html#2

-- N64 outselling PSX 7:1? Come on... - News
-- http://www.64source.com/news/113098.html#3

-- What's this? FOOL'S GOLD?! - News/Rumor?
-- http://www.64source.com/news/113098.html#9

-- The new dungeon in Zelda DX (GameBoy) - Preview Pics
-- http://www.64source.com/news/113098.html#12

-- Another review of Zelda, but worth it for the great detail about gameplay. - Review
-- http://www.consoledomain.com/n64/reviews/The_Legend_of_Zelda_Ocarina_of_Time.html

-- A new programming method? (6th story down) - News/Rumor
-- http://www.fgnonline.com/web/fgn_archives.html?publish_date=1998-11-30

-- Pokemon Stadium with 64GB PAK - Preview
-- http://www.64source.com/previews/pokesta.html

-- Castlevania 64 gets another Play! - Preview
-- http://www.gameinformer.com/news/nov98/112598e.html
-- http://www.gameinformer.com/pviews/feb98/c64/c64.html

-- Ogre Battle 3 Preview (Japanese Version) - Preview
-- http://ign64.ign.com/previews/1923.html

-- Nightmare Creatures "Stiff and Digital" - Review
-- http://ign64.ign.com/reviews/4018.html

-- A big list o' releases for GameBoy! - Feature
-- http://www.scott.net/~gtaylor/gbob/releases.html

-- Take the KFC/Pokemon Quiz. - Contest
-- http://www.kfc.com/Promos/Pokemon/trivia.htm


PlayStation links:

-- A FF8 Japanese release date (lead into MOD) - News
-- http://www.gameinformer.com/news/dec98/120198a.html

-- Goodbye, MOD-ed PSXs? - News
-- http://www.gaming-age.com/news2/november98/112898a.htm

-- Super Dimension Fortress Macross (11th Story) - News 
-- http://www.fgnonline.com/web/fgn_archives.html?publish_date=1998-11-30

-- Oooh, a Tempest style shooter "Is Internal Section." - News
-- http://psx.ign.com/news/5908.html

-- Ridge Racer 4 - Preview
-- http://psx.ign.com/previews/10354.html

-- What could PocketStation do for Ridge Racer 4? - Preview
-- http://www.game-online.com/cfdocs/site/news/newstemp.cfm?newsid=1191

-- WCW/NWO THUNDER! - Preview
-- http://www.gameinformer.com/pviews/nov98/thunder/thunder.html

-- Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus! - Review
-- http://psx.ign.com/reviews/10403.html

-- Just Bust-a-Groove! - Review
-- http://www.gamefan.com/gmx/standardRE.asp?game=823

-- N20 - Review
-- http://www.gaming-age.com/ga2/reviews/psx/n2o.shtml

-- Metal Gear Action Figgies - News
-- http://psx.ign.com/news/5907.html


Multi-format links:

-- OooOOOOOOooh. Strider 2 - News
-- http://www.gaming-age.com/news2/november98/113098m.htm

-- What goes on behind the scenes with Gex? - Feature
-- http://www.videogames.com/features/universal/gex3_dd/index.html

-- The INTENSOR, watch yourself jiggle, see yourself wiggle - Review
-- http://www.videogamers.com/reviews/peripherals/intensor/

-----------------------------------------------------------
And, hey, when you wanna go out and surf on your own, stop
on by Gaming Central. They're linked to every gaming site
in the world! They kick TOCK! (As in But-TOCK!)

-- http://www.startpath.com/gamingcentral/
------------------------------------------------------------

   Thus ends another ish of OtakuBoy Online. The place for
   the squeeky clean zine scene... and those zines better
   get to writin' better features.

   Zine Scene - O t a k u B o y  O n l i n e - Zine Scene
  -- Dec. 1, 1998   Vol. 1 No. 28  Train kept-a rollin' --
  written by OtakuBoy - "Oh, Dreamcast. You're so DREAMY!"
        Now on superriffic, magical ICQ! # 21176515

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!