So, here we are again, and as I'm Queen of the list, here's a round up for you of what Sega are showcasing this year. Some are new and others not so new, but here's the info for your perusal...
Worms Forts: Under Siege - Thankfully not starring Steven Segal, the latest in the Worms series contains the most destructive and manic scenes in worm history - quite literally. Worm Forts allows the player to utilise Wormy Egyptian tribes, Greco-Roman sieges, Oriental Samurai and Medieval knights, with up to 30 different weapons, improved defence strategies (hence the forts), plenty of scope for customisation and unlockable weapons, environments and fort styles. The PS2 and Xbox player will have to make do with all this stuff, but the PC player can also play online through Gamespy networks. Ace!
ESPN NHL Hockey 2005 - Not the muddy girly hockey that us Brits are forced to play at school, of course, but the macho and really painful looking ice-hockey that we have our friends across the pond to thank for. With new online leagues, a completely re-designed fighting engine and new contact moves for greater precision and evasion, multi-player mini-games, plenty of unlockable features, and, lest we forget, ice girls; the Xbox and PS2 hockey fans can expect a pleasing winner with this one.
ESPN NFL 2005 - A real treat for the Xbox and PS2 multi-player, it appears, with better handling, a VIP System enabling you to save friends' profiles (to swat up on to improve your game before your next 'match'), playable classic NFL moments, new scoring system 'The Crib', innovative franchise play allowing you to work your team like dogs, and even a 'player of the game' award, thus allowing you to be smug in front of your thwarted mates.
ESPN NBA 2005 - boasting better movement, control and graphics, new mini- and multiplayer games, a comprehensive online system and an impressive sounding 'Reactive Court Sense' feature - utilising better AI for the CPU players so that they actually react using the best possible strategy according to what moves the human controlled players make - this should be a great game. If you like basketball, of course...
Warhammer Online - Much more fun than moving the stupid little models about with your hands and doing different voices, the Games Workshop fantasy world of Warhammer goes online in 2005, allowing the gamer to explore Reikland, a 'vast urban dungeon' of a place, graphically realised in exquisite detail where players can apparently 'spend weeks or even months exploring the many winding streets, markets, palaces and sewer systems'. Nice. With well developed player.vs.player combat, a skill-based magic system, and an innovative character development process encouraging players to cultivate their characters' personalities, the PC gamer can look forward to many fun months of sewer-wading whilst deciding whether to be a 'Flagellant, Cut-throat or Anarchist'.
Sega Super Stars - Ever wanted to run about in a ball with a monkey, collecting bananas? Me too, and now we can, hurrah! With more than a dozen (tentatively speculated at 12-15) mini-games featuring Sega characters such as Sonic, Super Monkey Ball monkeys and Virtual Fighters amongst others, this new PS2 EyeToy game is mainly aimed at families with its easy-to-play child friendliness, but to hell with that, I'm gonna kick some blue hedgehog arse!
Spikeout: Battle Street - A new fighting game for the Xbox, Battle Street arises from a turf battle between Spike's gang, Team Spike, and Michael's gang, Team Inferno (it appears that Michael had the bigger vocabulary of the two). Ten years later, Spike's son, Spike Jr (thus furthering our conviction that perhaps Spike only knew one word) wages war on Michael and the gang, enabling the player to experience 16 customisable characters, a vast 3D world, and with Xbox Live, compete online against friends or in events. Spikey stuff.
Samurai Jack: The Shadow of Aku - For PS2 gaming fans of the Cartoon Network show, this sounds like a must - developed with the show's creator, animators and voice artists, and featuring 25 signature Jack combat moves with a variety of weapons, the interactive environments and adjustable difficulty level should provide enough substance for both child and adult gamer alike.
Outrun 2 - After a seventeen year absence, the arcade classic racing game returns for us to play, this time on the Xbox, with both Live and Mission modes. You get to drive one of eight different Ferraris (Enzo Ferrari, Dino 246 GTS, 365 GTS/4 Daytona, Testarossa, 360 Spider, 288 GTO, F40 and F50) through fifteen beautifully rendered tracks. 'Nuff said.
Otogi 2 - This sequel allows the Xbox player to take control of one of six undead warriors on a quest to rid Japan of folkloric demons. With beautiful aesthetics, well developed characters and a storyline heavily influenced by Eastern philosophy, the game purports to be a vast improvement on its predecessor, and an immersive play. For the less Zen gamer, there's also a 'Havoc mode', where you can just wreak bloody havoc. There we go, something for everyone.
Headhunter: Redemption - 'Gritty' action adventure game, sounding suspiciously like a cop flick mixed with the darker elements of both H G Wells' The Time Machine and Barbarella. Maintaining law and order, Jack Wade is joined by streetwise Leeza X in policing the dual worlds of 'Above' with its glittering civilisation, and the nether world of 'Below'. In what unfolds, each have to face their darkest fears to redeem their chaotic world. PS2.
Football Manager 2005 - From the makers of Championship Manager, this PC game looks every bit as good as its predecessor, with better in-depth commentary analysis, a reworked injury system, improved scouting system, enhanced player loan options, international player notifications, and a much bigger budget to reflect the demands of the beautiful (but expensive) game. Speaking as a Footie fan I'd be pleased, but speaking as a former Championship Manager widow, I can't say I'll be too eagerly awaiting the 2004 release.
NHL Eastside Hockey Manager - In a nutshell, Football Manager for Ice Hockey fans, allowing you to take complete control over not just the 30 NHL teams, but also all the major American and European teams, with a detailed transfer system and even simulated realistic hockey matches thanks to a physics based engine. I'll just have to hope that him indoors doesn't take a shine to Hockey games.
Blood Will Tell - PS2 game based on the classic manga by Osamu Tezuka, the player assumes the role of a Samurai who as a baby had his limbs, flesh, organs and humanity taken from him (so an attractive and personable guy, then) and replaced by assorted weapons and a desire for destruction and homicide. He sets out on an epic quest to rediscover his origins and humanity, taking the player through around twenty hours of immersive gameplay.
Astro Boy - Another Tezuka creation, the instantly recognisable Astro Boy, comes to the PS2. In his desire to reunite humans with their robotic counterparts, Astro takes the player through Metro City, utilising his many amazing powers such as Rocket Feet, Arm Cannon, Supersonic Hearing, X-Ray vision, 1,000,0000 horsepower strength and superb analytical skills, which, while an odd choice of skill for a super hero, wouldn't have been unhelpful in my degree finals. That'd make me a bit more friendly towards our mechanical chums. There's even scope for learning within in the game - encouraging the player to learn about the history of Astro Boy anime in collectable cards throughout the game.
Altered Beast - This action packed game will allow the PS2 gamer to morph into more than eight different powerful and violent creatures, using Graphic CG sequences, and explore 3D areas overcoming various failed genetic experiments. As the Press release says: 'Uncover clues, interact with NPCs, and follow a twisted tale of genetic experimentation to discover your true origin'. So, a bit like the harrowing 'where do babies come from?' moment when you realised that your mum and dad actually had to get it on in order to create you.
Phew. More news from Sega as it arrives...
By Keri Webster
