Nogo Geo
Japanese games company SNK has stopped distributing its Neo Geo handheld console in Europe and the USA, where Nintendo's 100 million-selling Game Boy has a monopoly market share. The Neo Geo wasn't a bad machine and had a brighter colour screen. However, it didn't have strong enough games support - and, of course, it didn't have any Pokémon games. The rationalisation follows SNK's takeover by Aruze (pronounced Aruzay), which makes Pachinko pinball machines, earlier this year.
Pokémon PC
Nintendo doesn't produce software for personal computers, but that doesn't mean PC owners are guaranteed a Pikachu-free life. Next month Mattel Interactive, the toy company, is due to launch Project Studio in two versions, Pokémon Red and Blue. Each has 81 of the 151 assorted critters, but these aren't Game Boy-style games. They are far more creative. They enable users to produce a wide range of Pokémon goodies such as greetings cards, banners, calendars, stationery, masks, badges and even paper aeroplanes . . . though you can't print your own rare trading cards. Project Studio is expected to ship on July 7 at £19.99.
The next Pokémon titles from Nintendo will be the Tetris-like Pokémon Attack for the Game Boy (August), Pokémon Snap for the Nintendo 64 (September), and Pokémon Pinball for the Game Boy (October).
Rare dated
Nintendo 64 owners can finally make a date with the lovely Joanna Dark. Rare's long-delayed 18-rated Perfect Dark, modestly billed as "the best video game ever - yes ever", is now due to appear in the UK on June 30.
The cartridge will cost £49.99, with the expansion pack adding another £19.99, unless you got one with Donkey Kong.
Perfect Dark sold 250,000 copies in its first week on sale in the US. PC owners also have something to look forward to, because Hasbro Interactive expects Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix 3 to be released on July 28. New features include wet weather effects, collision damage, and support for "force feedback" steering wheels. Codemasters is also motoring on the follow-up to its hugely successful TOCA driving games for the Sony PlayStation.
The company hopes to launch the third game in the series, TOCA World Touring Cars, on August 25.
