Recent press conference offers new information on DC

Sega let loose with a wealth of Dreamcast information at their New Challenge Conference '99. Everything from confirmation on a suspected DC price drop to Sega's own rendition of a "Greatest Hits" collection was announced.

Perhaps the biggest news of the conference was the surprise announcement of a new Sega RPG tentatively entitled Project Ares. And what's so special, you ask? Well, it seems the development team behind Ares is comprised of members from Sega's flagship RPG series, Phantasy Star. Whether or not this means the title will eventually be revealed to be the long-suspected follow-up to Phantasy Star 4 remains to be seen but regardless, the fact that we'll be seeing a new RPG from the team is news enough.

Additionally, Sega confirmed that we'll see a home port of the Naomi arcade soccer title Virtua Striker 2. They also stated that we'll see both Virtua On: Ontorio Tangram, D2 and Resident Evil: CODE Veronica by the end of this year, as well as Grandia 2 and F355 Challenge (previously unconfirmed) some time next year.

Also, in an apparent effort to boost somewhat sluggish sales, Sega announced that the rumoured price drop was indeed a reality, and as of June 24, Japanese gamers will be able to pick up a Dreamcast for a mere 19900 yen (roughly $160 US). Whether or not this means US gamers will see a similar drop remains to be seen. When asked, Sega of America officials commented that they are still locked at $199, but you have to admit, if it's cost efficient, it would be tempting...

On the software end, Sega revealed that five titles will become part of their "Masterpiece Collection" and will retail for 1990 yen ($15 US) for a limited time. These titles include Sonic Adventure, Virtua Fighter 3tb, Pen Pen TriIceCelon, Godzilla Generations, and JULY, and will be available at this price from June 24 to July 31.

The conference was also a chance for Sega to introduce gamers to the upcoming Dreamcast HEAT network previously described at this year's pre-E3 briefing. They also revealed that Interplay's Baldur's Gate would hit Japanese consoles and will be the first title to incorporate Internet play via the $165 million network project.

Unfortunately, amidst all this good news, Sega threw in a bit of delay-induced depression in the form of a pushed-back Shen Mue. That's right, folks, the first chapter of Yu Suzuki's vision has been moved from August 5 to October 28. Thankfully, Sega have decided to give the game a considerable media push in the interim in an effort to ease the pain of the delay. They will be handing out a video cassette demo of the upcoming adventure/RPG to people who purchase a DC after June 24, and will also be distributing a playable demo with game purchases.

Needless to say, it was a big day for Sega, but it remains to be seen if these attempts will be enticing enough to put a dent in the PlayStation's considerable market share in Japan. We'll keep you posted.

Courtesy of IGN.com