The GHZ -- Sonic Team Fall Festival

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-- Day 1: September 22 -- On the intro page, you'll find live webcams of both Sonic Team Japan and Sonic Team USA offices. The photos are refreshed every 30 seconds, so if you've got the patience to sit there, you just might get a glimpse of a couple you-know-who's in their natural habitat. At the time I checked it out, it was just 5:00 A.M. on the Japan side...obviously, there was nobody there, but here's a freaky story. In one shot, there was a large Tails doll lying on a sofa. A couple shots later, he was sitting up. Either some one got started bright and early that day, or the janitor was having some fun with the webcam. Either way, I was significantly weirded out. I think its eyes might even have gone SCHLUUURRRPYYY (GHZ inside joke). It was noon over in the USA side, and I actually saw some guy reading some papers! Ooh, I bet they were juicy Sonic Adventure 2 design docs! Or maybe some porn mags he was enjoying on his lunch break. Either way, I wish I'd have seen them... Go here to witness the Team Cam in action, and see what's going down at Sonic Team's offices on either side of the Pacific.

But we're more hardcore than that. Only seeing a still scene twice a minute isn't enough for us. We must know what's going on every waking second. Sonic Team's figured for that, and has provided us with an honest-to-Sonic, streaming, live video from the Japanese side. It's been pretty quiet at the times I checked, but they've got a TV playing ChuChu Rocket! (blaring quite loudly, I imagine) just to let us know the camera is indeed on. And eeevery once in a while you'll see a silhouette casually strolling through the background. So if you've got the time and patience, sit yourself down and observe for your opportunity to catch a glimpse of the rare, elusive Sonic Team members! It's a thrill like no other, believe me. Have your camera ready.

The goods thenceforth split into two divisions: the Japanese side and the English side. The stuff's the same on both, with just a couple of extra things in the SushiLand district. The first item on each is the updated Phantasy Star Online page. The front page has some nice character art, and the other pages have new info (mostly on the character creation system) as well as some new screenshots. The biggest news for those of us who speak the Queen's English as our native tongue is that a full English version of the aforementioned PSO page is now up and awaiting our perusal. Yeah, that's right! You'd better let us in on your little games. We whupped y'all sixty years ago, and darnit, we'll do it again if you make us! ...okay, maybe it's more like: Oh please please please let us play, too! Please, it's just not fair! Either we, we got ours.

Hey...you guys feel like we're in a Mentos commercial?

Our main man in blue is the next item in the buffet. Every day until the end of the Fall Fest (October 1), two brand, butt-spanking new screenshots of Sonic Adventure 2 will be posted! Now there's something to get out of bed for! The first pair, "Sky Surfing," show off what's either going to turn out to be a really awesome cutscene or a really really awesome mini-game. To see the latest peeps featuring our hedgehog hero, frequent here.

The third act is an upbeat performance by Amigo and the Samba kids: it's the full-blown unveiling of Samba de Amigo Ver.2000, which is the arcade original with a few enhancements to make the Samba experience even more drunken fun (and unavoidably embarrassing). So what's new in Samba land for the new millennium? More songs, for starters. Although the final tracklist hasn't been revealed at this time, there will definitely be some new boogies to rock & rattle to, in addition to the complete original selection. Samba 2K also sports the Love-Love Mode pulled straight from the DC version, as well as a new character to represent this. This sweet señorita's name is still a mystery, but she's probably a romantic interest (if you will) for Amigo. Aye chihuahua! I guess Linda is just the "working" relationship. And what about poor, neglected Rio? It's a catfight of cosmic proportions on the next episode of "As the Maraca Turns."

Those are just the superficial enhancements, but Samba 2K sports some completely new gameplay aspects that'll make you use your maraca-shaking skills in new ways. Not only do you shake the maracas in accord with the indicators on screen, but now you're also swinging in distinct patterns, criss-crossing, and looking more idiotic than ever. To give us an idea of just how this works, Sonic Team's given us a complete demo of an entire stage in a tiny, auto-playing MPEG movie right smack on the Samba front page. (Incidentally, the low-res demo also features the new character struttin' her stuff alongside our crack-smoking pal Amigo.)

But the monkey madness doesn't end there! Watch time fly with the spiffy, completely useless Samba game clock. Featuring two images which can be viewed in their entirety or chopped up into puzzles for hours of panel-sliding goodness, this fine cyber time piece is something no Samba collector should be without. Download yours today! (Screenshots originally posted to Sonic HQ by Rlan.)

Now serving at the GHZ wet bar: 'Samba de Amigo', Drano mixed with tequila

Just because they're mean and there is no justice in the world, the English page ends there. Our fun is over. But those lucky bastard Japanese kids get their cake and eat it, too. ChuChu Rocket! has a place among the festivities in the Japanese side. The Chu² Shockwave game is back, with ten all-new puzzles ripe for the picking. Complete all ten, and you're given a password which can be used to claim your prize: one of the three PSO T-shirts displayed below. We US Rocketeers can't get the T-shirts, but we can still take the ten new puzzles for a whirl. Roketto wa sugoi!

But Sega doesn't want us to just look at the goods...they want us to BUY them. They want our money. And for this very purpose Dreamcast Direct was invented. Along with the Sonic Team Fall Festival, D-Direct has cut the ribbon on PSO reservations. Pre-order now, and you'll receive a demo version of the game, where you'll get the opportunity to playtest the online mode with actual Sega staff and offer your two cents on how the game is shaping up. The full version is apparently planned to go on sale December 21 for ¥6,800...

And let us not forget the monkeys! Think how they'd cry! Also through D-Direct comes this splurp of spiffy Samba swag for early adopters to the DC version of Samba de Amigo Ver.2000 (on sale December 14 for ¥5,800). A mousepad sporting Amigo's maniacal mug, and a clock featuring Amigo alongside his new saru sweetie. (Now if it had a maraca alarm, that would be worth the trip to Japan for.)

The Samba 2K developer column kicks off with comments from Nakamura, director of the game. See him speak.

Last thing on the list: the complete schedule of events, which can be viewed right here. It's all in Japanese, but this page will be updated as each major event happens. (Sure wish I had this kind of gung-ho enthusiasm about my schoolwork...) The Japanese side is wrapped up with a special chat area and a temporary BBS for discussion of the Aki Matsuri festivities.

-- Green Gibbon!

Compiled and arranged by Jared "Green Gibbon!" Matte. Hosting provided by Emulation Zone and Emulation World.