- A new Arc the Lad Collection Review is added, the game was recently released by Working Designs (finally!), and the review is written by Dark Wizard.

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- Atlus announced a new interactive DVD-ROM called GrowLanser Legend of the Legacy, an interactive adventure game based on the stories in GrowLanser I, II and III, the disc also contain character illustration database and other original elements. GrowLanser Legend of the Legacy is scheduled for release in Japan on June 5 for 6800 yen, it corresponds to PlayStation 2 and DVD players.

- Sony will release a new PlayStation 2 puzzle game Otostaz in Japan on May 30, for 5800 yen.

- Sony announced that they will release Gran Turismo Concept Geneva for PlayStation 2 in Japan on July 25, for 3200 yen.

- Konami will release the PS2 RPG GetBackers: The Stolen City of Infinite in Japan on June 27, for 6800 yen. In this game you play as Ban and Ginji, the "GetBackers" who help the customers to get back things that have been stolen or lost. This game features a fighting game alike battle system, you can use the 4 buttons on the joypad to attack the enemies; pull back the direction button to guard and use the L1 button to switch between the two main characters. It is possible to execute special attacks by using specific combination of buttons. It is also possible to launch combo attacks when the Action Gauge is full.

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- Hudson will release the PSone action game Pinobee: Quest of Heart in Japan on July 18, for 3800 yen.

H A N D H E L D

- Hudson has released new details on their new GameBoy Advance action game Pinobee and Phoebee, the sequel to Adventure of Pinobee. This time you can play as both Pinobee and his younger sister Phoebee. Pinobee is a robot bee who is created to protect the forest kingdom; Phoebee is the younger sister created by Grandpa, her small body is suitable for stages with complex geographical features. Pinobee and Phoebee is scheduled for release in Japan on July 18, for 4800 yen.

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- Tecmo of Japan has announced the development of Monster Farm Advance 2 for GameBoy Advance.

- Konami announced a GameBoy Advance port of their arcade RPG game Monster Gate, scheduled to release in Japan on July 4, for 4800 yen. In this game you can choose to play as a soldier, sorcerer, gambler or a devilman. Your mission is to search the dungeons and castles to find all the proof of clearness to reseal the monster gate, and regain peace to the world. You can also collect Maker Cards in the dungeons, which can be used to recovery physical strength or improve your attack and defensive power during battles. (Source: Game Watch)

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A R C A D E   /   M U L T I

- Here are the Japanese Most Wanted Console Games:

1. Final Fantasy XI Online (PS2, Square)
2. Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time (PS2, Enix)
3. Super Mario Sunshine (GC, Nintendo)
4. The Legend of Zelda (GC, Nintendo)
5. Biohazard Zero (GC, Capcom)

- Here are the Japanese Reader Top 10 Favorite Games:

1. Final Fantasy X (PS2, Square)
2. Sakura Taisen 3: Hometown Paris is Burning (DC, Sega)
3. Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille zur Macht (PS2, Namco)
4. Animal Forest + (GC, Nintendo)
5. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2, Konami)
6. Sakura Taisen 4: Maidens fall in Love (DC, Sega)
7. Onimusha 2 (PS2, Capcom)
8. Street (SS, Chun Soft)
9. Final Fantasy VII (PS, Square)
10. Shin Sangoku Musou 2 (PS2, Koei)

- Namco announced the present vice-president Shirou Takagi will assume the role of the president and representative directory of Namco on May 1. The company has already announced the development of two or more network titles for PlayStation 2 in February, and the development is proceeded steadily. Namco also expressed interested in development network titles for XBox, when the user base reached a constant number.

- Namco announced that they will be releasing a total of 34 titles by the end of the 2002 fiscal year (March 2003). Namco also mentioned they will begin to focus on developing game titles for: (1) Oversea market, (2) Network, and (3) Kids.

G A M E C U B E

- Namco announced a GameCube version sequel of Mr. Driller, entitled Mr. Driller Ace, the game is scheduled for release sometimes this fall, it will have link-up support to the GameBoy Advance version.

- Eidos Interactive announced that they are bringing TimeSplitters 2 to GameCube and XBox, the game is being developed by Free Radical Design.

- In response to the recent XBox price cut in Europe, Nintendo announced a price cut for GameCube in Europe, the retail price of the system is reduced from 249 Euros ($220 US) to 199 Euros ($175 US). GameCube will launch in Europe on May 3.

X B O X

- Takuyo has postponed the release date of their XBox action game Megides Fight in Japan from April 25 to July 4.

- Tecmo announced that the Dead or Alive 3 Booster Disc will be included in the June issue of the Official XBox Magazine, the disc will feature new CG intro found in the Japanese and European version of DOA3, as well as new costumes for all characters, players can add the new costumes to their saved data. Also included in the Booster Disc is a playable demo of Dead or Alive 3, for those who do not own the game.

- Seamus Blackley, the XBox co-creator and technical directory has left Microsoft and started a new venture. Seamus has perform a number of presentations to demonstrate the XBox prior the launch last November.