So I'm in full wedding planning mode, which means I've had to put any game buying aside for the time being. Fortunately I'm so backlogged from the holiday season that this shouldn't be a problem. I've still got at least five games I really want to play, including a few that will take me a long time to complete (like FFX).

• Just when you were about to give up...according to GameSpot, Microsoft is still in negotiations with both SquareSoft and Enix to develop future Xbox titles.
• A new preview of Deus Ex: The Conspiracy is up at PS2.IGN tonight. They freely admit that they haven't had much time to play the game, but that hasn't stopped them from posting their initial impressions, complete with screenshots and gameplay movies.
• GameSpot has an updated preview of Final Fantasy XI online. There's nothing too exciting here, but it does contain all the latest info on the massively multiplayer title.
• In other Square news, the Disney RPG Kingdom Hearts is near-complete, and there are new shots from the game up at Core Magazine.
• It looks like Tekken Force Assault will be a hidden mode in the PS2 version of Tekken 4. TFA is a revamp of the original Tekken Force which was included in Tekken 3.
• In other fighting game news, PS2.IGN has posted the Japanese commercials for Virtua Fighter 4 for PS2.
• Pocket.IGN has posted screenshots from several upcoming GBA games tonight. There are some shots from the remarkably accurate Worms World Party port, as well as the first shots from Chessmaster GBA (including a shot of...Lassie?) and Atari Anniversary Advance. For the record, all three of these look great.
• Looking forward to Maximo: Ghosts to Glory? You'll be able to rent the game at Blockbuster stores starting this Friday, a full month before it is officially released.

Console Game of the Evening: Zaxxon 3D for the Sega Master System. This was one of the few games to use Sega's 3D SMS add-on, and while it didn't really need to be 3D, it was a pretty good update of Sega's classic Zaxxon series.

Much like my console guide before it, my Xbox review keeps growing. Which is pretty odd, considering that it really only covers the system and Halo, with a small portion devoted to everything else Xbox. Still, I hope in some way it serves as the definitive look at the system (even if it is in my particular patois).

• The big console news tonight is that Acclaim has revealed Turok Evolution at last, and confirmed that the game will be released for PS2, Xbox and GameCube this September. Previews can be found at IGN and GameSpot, the later of which contains a movie of the Xbox version of the game.
• There's more console FPS news tonight, as PS2.IGN has a hands-on preview of TimeSplitters 2 online.
• Good news for fans of the Ape Escape (hey, there were some you know), as Sony has announced plans to release a full sequel to the game for PS2.
• As far as I'm concerned the title of "weirdest SegaCD game" has already been handed out several times over, but nonetheless The GIA has posted a look back at one of their favorite oddball SegaCD titles, the enthusiastically named Panic!
• Reviews: Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land for PS2 at The GIA(3), Driven for GBA (6.5) and Harvest Moon 3 for GBC (7.0) at Pocket.IGN and Rez for PS2 at GameSpot (7.9).

Console Game of the Evening: Arkanoid for NES. This game (and its sequels and arcade counterparts) is one of the rare times when a classic concept can be not only remade successfully, but actually improved upon. I still love Breakout, but this is just as good a game.

Okay, I've decided that I really like ICO, warts and all (and believe me, there are warts). As I'm sure I'll point out in my eventual ShackReview of the game, it's the very definition of "not for everyone." But for those willing to give it a shot, it's a joy indeed.

• Cube.IGN is reporting on a Bloomberg story about Japanese developers warming up to the GameCube. So is there any chance that Square will make games for the GameCube? Probably not, but nonetheless it is still possible.
• Also at Cube.IGN is an updated preview of Metroid Prime, complete with high-res screenshots, and a hands-on preview of Vexx, Acclaim's upcoming platform title.
• Over at Pocket.IGN they have posted some new screenshots from the upcoming handheld port of Broken Sword, along with a Q&A with the director of the project at Revolution.
• Nothing too detailed here yet, but GameSpot has three new shots from the upcoming Xbox title The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
• This had been sort of assumed already, but now it's official: Sega will ship the PS2 version of Virtua Fighter 4 in North America in mid-March.
• Core Magazine has posted some new images of the GamePark 32 handheld system, which has only been released officially in Korea, but is now available via import shops in Japan. The 32-bit handheld looks a little like the Game Boy Advance, and plays games as well as MP3 files, and sports a USB port (presumably to get MP3s onto the device).
• There's a movie in the works, so I guess this should have been expected...Encore Software has announced that they have acquired the rights to create games based on Marvel Comics' Daredevil series.

Console Game of the Evening: Moonwalker for Sega Genesis. I don't care what anyone says about Michael Jackson...I thought this game was awesome. Yeah, it's just a side-scroller...but it's a really fun one, even if the plot makes no sense (for the record, neither did the movie it's based on).

I'm still not sure what game I think I'm leaning towards Grand Theft Auto III for now, but I could switch to either Shenmue II or ICO at any minute. So many games to choose from! If I'm still game-less by Friday, I'm going to jump head-first into Final Fantasy X. And then everything will be simple for awhile.

• As noted in a news item at Cube.IGN, Minoru Arakawa, president of Nintendo of America for the last 22 years, has retired. Since this story originally ran last night, a second one has been posted which confirms that the guy is taking a much-earned vacation, and has no immediate plans for the future (so don't expect him to wind up at Sega or anything).
• In other 'Cube news, Nintendo has said that more than 70 GameCube games will be out by the end of the year, and they expect to sell "a minimum of four million" consoles sold worldwide by March.
• More sales figure chest-beating can be found at GameSpot, where Microsoft's Ed Fries talks about the success of the Xbox. The same news item also re-confirms Microsoft's plans to launch their online network this summer.
• Capcom has announced Capcom vs. SNK Pro for the PSOne, which is based on Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro, which is already available for the Dreamcast.
• New movies from Sonic Advance are up at GameSpot, while Cube.IGN has some new Sonic Adventure 2 Battle movies online.
• All right! Akira on PS2! Or, maybe not...
• So why was a whole shipment of PS2 HDD units recalled in Japan? Who knows, but it couldn't have been too serious, since they're taking orders again (which will ship in February).
• Reviews: Computer and Video Games has posted their review of Halo (9 - but beware of the free registration), PS2.IGN has their review of Rez online (8.5), GameSpot has a new review of The Simpsons Road Rage (5.9), DC.IGN reviews the PAL version of Headhunter (9.0),

Console Game of the Evening: Out of this World for SNES, 3DO, Genesis, PC and Mac. It may not look like much now, but when it came out, this game rocked. I remember being totally blown away by the unique visual style it used. The gameplay's still the same, but jaded gamers may scoff at its old-school graphics.

So I finished Halo yesterday, and am currently in that weird mode between games...do I go back to Grand Theft Auto 3 or Tony Hawk 3 immediately? Or should I finally pick up ICO? What about Kessen II or Shenmue II, both of which have been sorely ignored while I dove head first into Halo instead. And then there's this weird urge I have to forget all about those newfangled systems and just go and play Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. Any advice is much appreciated. Oh, and before anyone yells at me: yes, I'm getting Final Fantasy X - it's in the mail.

• Tonight's special word is delayed. Yes, more games have been delayed...from Nintendo comes word that Star Fox Adventures and Eternal Darkness have both suffered setbacks and will now be released in April at the earliest. From Rockstar comes word that State of Emergency has been pushed back into February, and Eidos has announced that Deus Ex has been pushed back to February as well. And how's this for a consolation prize...Konami Europe has delayed the release of Metal Gear Solid 2, but they have added a second bonus disc with extra material to make it worth the wait.
• Good news for those who really want to try out Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance but don't want to buy a PS2...According to GameSpot, Snowblind Studios is porting the game to other consoles. No plans for a PC port though (oh well).
• GameSpot has some new shots and a new movie with footage from Final Fantasy XI online this evening (yes, it's different from the trailer released last week). The trailer's also available at IGN, split into bite-sized pieces.
• Apparently RCA is going to be marketing televisions designed to enhance Xbox games through a special component video cable. Will it really make that much of a difference? I don't know...if anyone wants to send me a review unit, I'll let you know. ;)
• Argonaut has unveiled Orchid, a cell-shaded action game for the Xbox. Am I the only one who thinks this looks a little like Out of this World?
• Core Magazine has translated a Q&A with Hiroyuki Takahashi, the president of Camelot Software, best known as the developers of the GBA RPG Golden Sun.
• File this one under "no shockers here"...Playstation 2 Era is reporting that Grand Theft Auto IV is in the works, and may be released for PS2 by year's end (thanks Nick W.). They credit an unnamed source at Rockstar for the tip.

Console Game of the Evening: Virtual On for the Sega Saturn. Use the twin sticks, and this is one of the coolest games ever made (it ain't bad without 'em either). Incidentally, this is another useless NetLink game I own.

27 screenshots from Virtua Tennis are up at NextGame.it. This PC port of the Sega Dreamcast game should come out sometime this year.

As I casually mentioned the other night (along with other things), I bought an Xbox over the holiday. I'm writing up a "second opinion" Xbox diary...not because I think Richard has bad taste or anything, but simply because it started as a Shackreview of Halo and ballooned into a general review of the system. I plan on renting a few games this weekend to put some non-Halo stuff in the article...look for it sometime next week.

• So after conflicting stories about Square's PlayOnline network, it looks like you will have to pay to play Final Fantasy XI and TetraMaster online. Chat and e-mail will be free, however.
• CoreMagazine has translated a Q&A with Sonic Team's Yuji Naka from Weekly Famitsu, where he comments on whether or not we'll ever see sequels to NiGHTS and Burning Rangers. It sounds like they may happen at some point, and he even talks about the planned NiGHTS sequel that never was.
• No real shockers here: the GBA and PS2 were the bestsellers of the holiday season (the fact that they were easily obtainable obviously was a factor here).
• Anyone remember Link: Faces of Evil for the CD-I? I certainly didn't. This article's quite old, but it was linked from The GIA, and I was surprised to see that it doesn't require an insider membership to read (I'd tried to read it before, and it did).
• Here are a few interesting rumors...according to PS2.IGN, SNK is re-opening their US offices with the plans of creating multiplatform titles, Capcom is working on Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (knowing Capcom, that's pretty likely), and that oddball Mosquito game Ka may be released in the US (this comes over, but not Vib Ribbon? Where's the logic in that?).
• Also at PS2.IGN is a hands-on preview of Maximo: Ghosts to Glory, which has been getting nothing but praise from every place that gets their hands on a copy.
• Eidos has announced that Commandos 2 and Blood Omen 2 will both be released for the Xbox in March.
• The GIA has posted 48 screenshots from the mini-games in Arc the Lad III, one of four complete games in Working Designs' amazing Arc the Lad collection that should be out in the not-too-distant-future.
• GameSpot has a preview of Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter online, taking a look at the sequel to the original Starfighter for the PS2.
• Reviews: Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth is reviewed at GameSpot (7.1) and Blood Wake at Xbox.IGN (8.4), while The GIA has their staff favorites for 2001 list online.

Console Game of the Evening: Daytona USA for the Sega Saturn and Sega Dreamcast. Great arcade-style racing. I've even got the NetLink version for the Saturn.

I had quite a vacation...I went to San Francisco (it rained the whole time but was still fun), I got an Xbox and Halo (bundle free's the way to be) and I even got engaged on New Year's Eve. Hope all of you enjoyed the holidays as much as I did!

• PS2.IGN has posted what they call "one big ass trailer movie" from Blood Omen 2 as well as a whole lot of screenshots from Gran Turismo Concept.
• New shots from the finished version of Virtua Fighter 4 for the PS2 are up at Core Magazine tonight. On a related note, Core has another story up about a recent public showing of the game in Japan.
• Still more from Core Magazine tonight, as they have posted details on the storyline in Soul Calibur 2.
• GameSpot has new shots and movies from Resident Evil and Star Fox Adventures for the GameCube, as well as an early look at Shayde: Monsters vs. Humans, an upcoming online FPS for the Xbox.
• New details from Final Fantasy XI are up at The GIA, along with lots of new shots from the PS2 RPG Xenosaga, and their look back at the original Metroid.
• Remember the PowerGlove for the NES? Well guess what? It's baaack (actually, the game demos are kinda cool).
• Release dates are out for the Xbox releases for the first quarter of 2002 (good news for Tony Hawk fans - THPS3 will be out soon), and a list of Q1 GameCube titles has been released as well.
• Apparently Sony's considering buying an ISP to expand the PS2's Internet reach. Let's hope they have better luck than Sega...
• A Giants: Citizen Kabuto for PS2 review is up at GameSpot (8.3).

Console Game of the Evening: Castlevania: Circle of the Moon for the GameBoy Advance. It took me a loooong time to get into this game, but playing it on the airplane back from San Francisco (where the light is just perfect) I got totally sucked in. Now if only it weren't so dark...

There really isn't any console news tonight, but I figured I should post one of these since it'll be my last one until the new year. Tomorrow I'm off to see LOTR, and I'm flying out next week to see my sister in California. So in case I don't get a chance to say it before I go, happy holidays to everyone!

• Yahoo Japan, Softbank and Sony have announced a partnership to bring the PS2 online via broadband.
• Is Rare working on games for other platforms? Their Christmas card seems to suggest that they might have Xbox and PS2 projects in the pipeline. Or they could just be screwing with our heads (which is pretty likely).
• PS2.IGN and Xbox.IGN have each posted their predictions for 2002 articles. Nothing too exciting to be found here, but speculation is always fun.
• I'm all out of news! Here's a great look at one of the weirdest games ever made.

Console Game of the Evening: Strider for the Sega Genesis. This game rocks. Anyone play the recently-released PSOne sequel/remake? It sort of came and went.

After last night's Neo Geo confession, I received a few letters pointing me towards some emulators. I appreciate the thought, but I'm not a big fan of emulators beyond admiration for the technical prowess involved in their creation. When I do eventually get a Neo Geo (and rest assured it will happen someday), I'll want to play those games the way they were meant to be played. Just like I can't imagine playing Mario 64 without the N64 gamepad or NiGHTS without the Saturn's analog controller, those games were made to be played with those awesome enormous joysticks.

• With the releases of Sonic Advance and Super Mario Advance 2 so close to each other, Mario and Sonic are appearing on Japanese television together.
• Pocket.IGN's hands-on look at the GBATV adapter is now open to the public (has been for a few days, but I missed it).
• Good news for PS2 owners, EA has announced two more games that will feature their real-time DTS surround sound technology.
• Don't be too surprised: the next Dragon Quest/Warrior game is going to take two to three years to complete. Compared to Dragon Warrior VII, that's downright speedy. That means by the time it's out, we'll be playing Final Fantasy XIII.
• The full interview with Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii referenced above can be found (translated into English) at Video-Senki. Note that he says VIII will be, "like nothing you've seen before." That's a pretty dramatic difference from VII, which is everything we've seen before, but really, really long.
• Here's November's NPD software sales charts...Metal Gear Solid 2 is #1, followed by Grand Theft Auto III in second, with Luigi's Mansion and Halo at #3 and #4 respectively.
• Nintendo has announced ten new GameCube and GBA developers. Among the notables are NovaLogic, Big Ape and Cyberlore Studios.
• GameSpot has a new preview of State of Emergency online tonight.
• Reviews: GameSpot has new reviews of Shadow Hearts (7.9) and The Legend of Alon D'ar f(3.5 - yikes!) for the PS2 and Driven for the GBA (7.1), and The GIA has a new review up of Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth (2 out of 5).

Console Game of the Evening: Gangster Town for the Sega Master System. A solid, fun light shooter, and one of the few for the SMS that were two player capable.

Computer and Video Games has a 13mb (not exactly huge) demo for Sega's multiplayer RPG Phantasy Star Online. Originally released on the Dreamcast, this game is now making its way to the PC though no date has been set yet for the full version. What is Phantasy Star Online all about?

Phantasy Star Online lets players gang up to adventure through the sci-fi world of Ragol smacking dragons, powering up floating briefcases, chatting to each other and generally being very cool indeed. PC RPG fanatics be warned – its role-playing, Jim, but not as you know it.

More about the game can be found on Sega.com (Dreamcast info page though)

For those that are interested, my Shenmue II import guide will run here on Shacknews tomorrow. The guide has directions for running the PAL game on an NTSC Dreamcast (it's really very easy, actually) but more importantly, it has clear directions for hacking your American Shenmue save file to work with the import sequel.

• PS2.IGN has a preview of State of Emergency online this evening. SoA is the next major title from Rockstar Games, and it seems a lot like Grand Theft Auto III meets Dynasty Warriors 2 (if that makes any sense).
• Thinking of importing Q, that cool DVD/GameCube hybrid? Well good news - it's been modded to play US games (thanks PlanetGameCube).
• Bungie has posted their own directions for playing Halo online using the two available tunneling utilities (GameSpy and Xbox Gateway).
• Konami has announced a collection of classic arcade games for the Game Boy Advance. It should be pointed out that Konami had nothing to do with the original Frogger, and in fact didn't even have the rights to it until very recently.
• The amazing Arc the Lad collection won't be out over here until early next year, but Japanese gamers can look forward to two new Arc games in the future, one for the WonderSwan and one for the PS2.
• Look out Square, Sega's getting into the CGI movie business (although not nearly as huge as Square's blunder).

Console Game of the Evening: Bionic Commando for the NES. This game came out during the age of great side scrollers, and it's not quite as good as Mario or Metroid, but damn if it isn't fun (hard as heck, too).

So Nintendo's talking again about their stellar GameCube and GBA sales this holiday season. With all this chest-beating going on, it's easy to forget that every platform is doing spectacularly (well, except the Dreamcast, but that's only because the reserves are quickly disappearing). Let's face it, there won't be a clear winner this year. Next year is going to be the real test, as second generation GC and Xbox titles (with the later hopefully being online) compete with third generation PS2 games.

• Oh boy, they're at it again...someone want to tell these politicians that kids can't just walk into a store and buy a $50 game without their parents knowing about it? Where do you think they get the money from? Yeesh.
• Is this the first shot from Final Fantasy XII? I hope so...I can't wait for Final Fantasy XI to come out and be forgotten already so the series can move on (thanks Ghost in my Shell).
• GameSpot has posted a preview of Grandia Xtreme, the unfortunately titled RPG from developers Enix and Game Arts.
• GameGizmo is now taking pre-orders for the Game Boy Advance TV adapter (thanks geedeck). This is that hardware hack that was revealed a little while ago, and unless it's changed since then it requires you to remove the back of your system in order to work.
• Reviews: GameSpot has separate video and text reviews of Final Fantasy X (9.3), Xbox.IGN has their review of Nightcaster online (7.3), and The GIA has a review of Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland (4 out of 5), the latest in this series of agrarian RPGs.

Console Game of the Evening: Fighters Megamix one of the best fighting games ever made, this takes characters from Virtua Fighter, Fighting Vipers and a few other random Sega games and throws them all together for a really fun experience. There's something great about seeing Jacky from VF2 get his ass wooped by the car from Daytona USA.

With MGS2 behind me, I'm slowly progressing through Grand Theft Auto III, although I'm planning on putting it aside this weekend to jump into Shenmue II. GTA3 is really the perfect game to play between other games. It's so free-form that weeks can go by and I'll still be able to remember exactly where I was when I left off. At this rate it'll be a year before I actually finish it, but who cares? I'm having a blast nonetheless.

• Speaking of GTA3, it looks like the game's officially been banned in Australia. Take Two has said that they're going to modify it to pass the country's ratings board, but can anyone imagine a less-violent version of the game?
• This story at GameSpot suggests that Microsoft is planning a slow rollout of their Xbox online network, and will launch with puzzle games and little else (hopefully it'll at least be Bejeweled). More important than that is the news that Unreal Championship is undergoing a massive rehaul and may not be released until late next year.
• Jack's probably sick of looking at the thing by now, but nonetheless here's a look at a GameCube debug unit. Check out the funky hard drive. In other GC news, Panasonic's Q DVD/GameCube unit has shipped in Japan and is retailing for around $300.
• This was pretty much known already, but Agent Under Fire is headed to both the GameCube and Xbox.
• Xbox.IGN has posted some new movies from the Xbox port of Silent Hill 2. The game looks exactly the same as its PS2 counterpart, which certainly isn't a bad thing considering how good it looks already.
• Good news for Microsoft, I suppose: Yamaha is using the Xbox to demonstrate their home theater systems in Japan.
• More on the continuing saga of Square...Square Pictures, their movie studio that was built to make The Spirits Within is being sold.

Console Game of the Evening: Fighting Vipers for the Sega Saturn. It's got cheezy music, some of the biggest hair seen since the 80's (which never actually ended in Japan, apparently) and it still manages to be a really fun fighting game. Go fig.

Looks like Jason was unable to do console news last night. Instead of letting you wait until tonight though, here's some news that I saw. Of course I'm no match for the console king Jason, but hey something is better than nothing :)

The big news is that Sony finally announced some online gaming plans. At this time they are only working on a plan in Japan along with NTT but they are looking for partners in Europe in the U.S.

There are some first details and screenshots of a new Tasmanian Devil game on Gamespot. "Taz Wanted" is a 3D action platform game appearing on the PS2, Xbox and PC.

Also on Gamespot is the news that James Pond - Codename Robocod will be brought back on the GBA. This game originally appeared on the Sega Genesis and SNES and this new Game Boy Advance version will have enhanced graphics and should be out by late 2002.

PS2.IGN has a preview of the new Test Drive game with new screenshots from this street racing game.

More Max Payne console reviews. PS2.IGN gave it a 8.1 while Xbox.IGN gave the Xbox port a 8.9.

I had so much fun with last week's Bad Licensed Games list, that I decided to make this week Good Licensed Games Week, spotlighting those rare, great games that are based on licensed properties (they do exist!). Strap yourselves in boys, she's a big one tonight...

• Let's start things off with another Sony rumor, shall we? According to CoreMagazine, Sony is considering releasing a new PS2 bundle for 39,800 yen ($321) that includes the HDD and ethernet add-ons. No shockers there, although they'll have to drop that price if they seriously want to compete with Microsoft.
• New shots from SWAT: Global Strike Team are up at Xbox.IGN tonight.
  
• After their recent problems, Square is making some high projections for their PlayOnline service. Speaking of their financial woes, here's a look at the latest figures on Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Yikes!
• GameSpot has posted separate text and video previews of Maximo: Ghosts to Glory, as well as a preview of Magical Vacation the upcoming GameBoy Advance RPG from the ridiculously titled developer Brownie Brown.
• Short but sweet: Shining Soul, the GBA revival of Sega's RPG franchise will be out in Japan on March 28th, 2002.
• A nice batch of new shots from Star Wars: Obi-Wan (note that they dropped the "Episode 1" from the title) can be found at Team Xbox.
• Well, the TRSTS numbers are in, and Luigi's Mansion outsold everything else during the week of November 18 - 24th, but these figures do not reflect Nintendo's own reports on the GameCube console sales (that doesn't mean Nintendo's lying, but that these don't back them up).
• Some random goodies at CoreMagazine: they have new shots up from King of Fighters EX, a look at Q, the Japan-only GameCube DVD hybrid, and here's a look at the GameCube port of Phantasy Star Online.
• GameSpot has discovered that Shiny is looking to hire employees to work on an unannounced future GameCube project. My guess is that this is something totally separate from their Matrix game, as Microsoft's footing the bill for that one.
• Tonight's reviews roundup: Pocket.IGN has a review of Super Bust-A-Move (8.8), GameSpot has a review of Azurik: Rise of Perathia (5.0), PS2.IGN reviews Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (9.4), Xbox.IGN reviews Kabuki Warriors (2.0 - yikes!), and Cube.IGN has a review of Pikmin (9.1).

Console Game of the Evening (Kicking off Good Licensed Games Week): GoldenEye for the N64. That this is one of only a few decent console FPS titles ever made is amazing, but when you throw in the license it's a rare gem indeed. It doesn't hold up as well as some other titles, but it's still a solid, fun game.

Tonight kicks off Bad Licensed Games Week here at LNC. There are some really, really, really, really bad licensed games, the slightest mention of which can make me laugh out loud. Enjoy!

• To kick things off tonight, here's a new trailer from the PS2 port of Deus Ex.
  
• Cube.IGN has conducted an interview with Charles Bellfield of Sega of America. It's a good interview, as Charles talks about Sega's new role as a third party developer, and he says that Sega will continue to market game-specific hardware, such as the Samba de Amigo maracas.
• There's still no plans to drop the price in the US anytime soon (really, there aren't!), but nonetheless, the PS2 price will be lowered in Japan to the bargain-price of $240. Of course, this doesn't include the memory card that originally shipped with the system at $300, so if you factor that extra purchase, the price is around $270.
• In a remarkably forward-thinking move, Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi (AKA the Mean Old Man of Nintendo) has created a $150 million fund to help startup GameCube and GBA developers. What's next? Square on a Nintendo platform? (Probably not)
• Yet another preview of Final Fantasy X is up at PS2.IGN tonight.
• Speaking of Square, in the wake of the Final Fantasy movie disaster, Hisashi Suzuki, the company's president has stepped down.
• New shots and a movie from the upcoming GameCube Resident Evil remake can be found at GameSpot.
• The Superman Homepage has some general information on the upcoming Superman game that's in the works at Infogrames. After Batman: Vengeance (which was good, but didn't quite live up to its potential), I have high hopes for this one.
• Here's a rundown of tonight's reviews: GameSpot has posted their review of Amped for the Xbox (6.7), PS2.IGN has a review of Frequency (9.0), Team Xbox has a review of Dark Summit online (3.8 out of 5) and Pocket.IGN has posted a review of Gradius Galaxies for the GBA (7.5).

Console Game of the Evening (kicking off Bad Licensed Games Week): Superman 64 for the Nintendo 64. How bad was this game? It features "Kryptonite fog", some of the least responsive controls I've ever seen, and best of all a completely baffling multiplayer mode with UFOs. UFOs!

I wasn't expecting to, but I found enough console stories of note today to justify a special holiday-weekend version of LNC. Enjoy!

• Video-Senki recently posted a follow-up to their story about Tecmo suing that company that released a nude patch for Dead or Alive 2. It turns out that the hack in question is just a save-game modification, and the nude artwork was there all along.
• According to this story at ZDNet, Nintendo expects retailers to completely sell out of their initial supply of GameCubes by this weekend.
• The first shots of Max Payne on the Playstation 2 are up at PS2.IGN.
• Also at PS2.IGN is a preview of Maximo: Ghosts to Glory, which is based on their impressions of a playable build of the game. Everyone keeps telling me that this is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and they seem to agree.
• The first one's not out in the US yet, but Miyamoto is already hinting that a sequel to Pikmin is on the way.
• The GIA has posted a hands-on preview of Rez, Sega's nutty game that mixes the shooter and rhythm genres with vector graphics thrown in for fun. There are also lots of screenshots.
• New shots from the arcade version of Soul Calibur 2 are up at Core Magazine.
• In a noble, if somewhat odd move, Namco has announced plans to market peripherals to allow the handicapped to play PS2 games.
• Here are a few reviews for you: Cube.IGN has a review of Crazy Taxi for the GameCube (6.9), IGN Gear reviews the Xbox DVD Playback Kit, and Core Magazine has a roundup of recent scores from major Japanese publications.

Console Game of the Evening: Since sTeve's been talking about football games...Tecmo Bowl for the NES. I can't stand sports, but even I got into this game.

I apologize for the lack of LNC last night...I got home a bit too late and had to get up a bit too early. Because of the holiday weekend there probably won't be another LNC until Monday, but don't be too surprised if I do some single-story console news posts between now and then.

• GameSpot's massive article The Final Hours of Metal Gear Solid 2 goes live tomorrow, but in the meantime they have posted yet another preview, which contains a confirmation that the Metal Gear franchise will continue after MGS2. This isn't surprising at all, actually...Kojima has said as much before, but what is news is that he may not be intimately involved with any future Metal Gear titles.
• SquareSoft has launched their official Final Fantasy XI site. The page is entirely in Japanese, but it does contain some new images from the game.
• Thanks to The GIA for that last story, and in addition to that they are also reporting that Final Fantasy X will now officially be released on December 26th in the US, just a day after Christmas (and about a month earlier than expected).
• While there seems to be a definite shortage of Xbox consoles, Nintendo has managed to keep a good supply of GameCubes in stores around the country, and they have now actually increased the total number they expect to ship this year to 1.3 million units.
• New shots from the Xbox port of Max Payne can be found at Xbox.IGN tonight.
• If you haven't seen every possible aspect of Super Smash Bros. Melee yet, more movies and screens are up at Cube.IGN, some, but not all of which can only be viewed by paid subscribers.
• The GIA has posted new information from Kingdom Hearts, SquareSoft's oddball Disney RPG.
• According to GameSpot, the PS2 port of Tekken 4 will be released in Japan in March 2002.
• For those interested, Team Xbox has posted details on a hidden Easter Egg in the Xbox console.
• Some reviews: Pocket.IGN has a review of Wario Land 4 (9.0), The GIA has reviews of Super Monkey Ball (4 out of 5), Metal Gear Solid 2 (5 out of 5) and Golden Sun (4 out of 5), Team Xbox has a review of Fuzion Frenzy (3.9 out of 5) and GameSpot has posted a review of Crazy Taxi for the GameCube (4.9 out of 10...yikes!).
• And finally, just a heads-up:the English-language Dreamcast version of Shenmue II is shipping in Europe. Import away.

Console Game of the Evening: Alex Kidd in Miracle World for the Sega Master System. Okay, so this wasn't exactly the best Super Mario Bros. competitor, but it was a decent game for those of us who were Sega kids. Who knows, maybe Sega will revisit this franchise again someday.

If you don't feel like spending $200 or $300 on a new console, Sega today announced the Dreamcast will be selling for a mere $49.95. As noted in the CNET story, that's similar to the price of a game on the PS2/Xbox/Gamecube.