In addition to game controllers, the Dreamcast can also be attached to the Dreamcast Keyboard, which allows you to surf the Internet on your television like a WebTV when the included Dreamcast Web Browser disc is running. Tres cool.

Great games
Over 19 games were announced for Dreamcast's North American launch last month, and we managed to get a hold of eight of them. I'll describe them here for you.

Sonic Adventure
The furry little blue dude with the bad haircut, Sonic The Hedgehog, is back. Dr. Robotnik has threatened to take over the world by collecting all of the seven power crystals, and it's up to you to find them. OK, so the plot is corny (and believe me, so is the anime-style dialogue), but the graphics and the game action is pure bliss. Check out Figure C for a look at Sonic in action. This one's definitely a keeper.

FIGURE C

Sonic the Hedgehog is back to take on Dr. Robotink.

Trick Style
Welcome to the far future. The world has gone completely to hell, but at least you've got your hover board, shown in Figure D. You can race anywhere in fluid 3D through futuristic Manhattan, London, or Tokyo and perform all kinds of skateboard tricks with a variety of tripped-out hover-boarders, including an Elvis impersonator. Conceptually, this is really cool and is a lot of fun play.

FIGURE D


Take a ride on your hover board into the distant future. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Soul Calibur
Clearly, this is the best kung-fu/martial arts game that I've ever seen. If you look at Figure E, you can see that this one's similar to Virtua Fighter and Tekken. You've got your choice of a myriad of different characters to choose from, and while you really kick butt in this game, it's not bloody. I like it, and it's especially good in two-player mode for releasing marital tension.

FIGURE E


This is the best martial arts game! Roll over picture for a larger image.

Ready 2 Rumble Boxing
This is a larger-than life boxing game where you get to fight in the ring with your choice of caricatured boxers, including a guy that looks and talks a lot like Chris Rock and has a huge afro. Best of all, the game includes in-game announcements by Michael Buffer, the "LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!" dude. This is way better than Rock-em Sock-em' Robots for sure!

Marvel vs. Capcom
In this classic-style 2D fighter game, you can pit Spider-Man, Captain America, and the Incredible Hulk against the cast of Street Fighter. It's fun, but my reflexes aren't fast enough to play it.

Airforce Delta
This game lets you choose from over 30 different aircraft (including the F-4 Phantom, the MiG-21, the Israeli Kfir, and the F-14 Tomcat) and pilot your way through over 20 missions with detailed briefings and strategic objectives. The graphics, illustrated in Figure F, are incredibly realistic, especially the level of detail used when drawing the planes, which have working ailerons and movable rudders. The music is straight out of "Top Gun" and you get a real sense of speed when zooming over the ground. Awesome.

FIGURE F


The realistic graphics in Airforce Delta are impressive. Roll over picture for a larger image.