Winning Sims
The Sims took the Game of the Year award at the ceremony hosted in the US last week by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. Soul Calibur (Sega Dreamcast) was Console Game of the Year, Age Of Empires II: Age Of Kings was Computer Game of the Year, and EverQuest was Online Game of the Year. Asheron's Call won the prize for the best adventure/role playing game, while Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 Professional took the simulation category. The winners in the console section included Crazy Taxi (Sega Dreamcast) and Final Fantasy VIII (Sony PlayStation). Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the Final Fantasy series, was inducted into the Academy's hall of fame.
PS2 in view
Sony plans to launch the PlayStation 2 in the US on October 26, a month later than the rumoured date. However, the pricewill be $299, the same as the original PSX in 1995. There will be a million machines for sale at the launch, and they will be different from the Japanese version in having an expansion bay that will take a hard drive.
DC-PSX
Sega Dreamcast owners could soon be able to play PlayStation games, because Bleem! is planning to release its PlayStation emulator for the Dreamcast console. Meanwhile, Sega of America says that Shenmue, the 3D cinematic game intended to be the standard bearer for the Dreamcast, will finally ship on November 14. However, it's a year late, and therefore will have to compete with Sony PlayStation 2 games launched the month before.
New Lara
Yorkshire-born model Lucy Clarkson has taken over from Lara Weller as the human face of Lara Croft, just in time to face a possible challenger. Joanna Dark, from Rare's forthcoming Nintendo 64 game Perfect Dark, is about to burst on to the scene. Indeed, Joanna appeared at last week's E3 games trade exhibition in Los Angeles, in the person of Michelle Merkin, a model in a black jumpsuit. However, Merkin is outnumbered: Lara is also being played by movie star Angelina Jolie in the forthcoming Paramount film of Tomb Raider, and could also call on Nathalie Cook (1996), Rhona Mitra (1997), and Nell McAndrew (1998).
Mew news
If you think you might be anywhere near the Bluewater shopping mall in Kent on May 27, it's time to plan evasive action. Nintendo is planning to release the "secret" 151st Pokémon monster there for master trainers to download at www.pokemon-stadium.co.uk. You have been warned.
