At the Sega exhibit, I was able to take a walk around and chat with Sega as they showcased their premier titles for the upcoming year.

The Matrix Online

Developed by Monolith Productions, this is Sega’s first MMORPG designed exclusively for the PC. One could argue that Phantasy Star Online, which was adapted for the PC, was the first such title. But this is built from ground up. It incorporates input from Time Warner, including contributions from the Wachowski Brothers. The game will feature all the trademarks of the films; bullet time, martial arts fighting and the look and feel of the city in The Matrix. The Matrix Online will be continuing the story where the trilogy left off so fans hungering for more of Matrix lore should definitely keep a look out for it. One of the coolest (and probably simplest) things that the developers did was implementing the green Matrix-look effect when the game starts up. So before the textures load you see the world the way Neo does. This title is shipping for the holidays in 2004.

Sega Super Stars

This title uses the EyeToy developed by Sony. It incorporates many of the creative games to come out of Sega in the past few years: Super Monkey Ball, Samba de Amigo and Virtua Fighters. Only this time, you will be interacting with them using your body. They aren’t full fledged games but more party style in nature. This title is slated for release Fall 2004.

Otogi 2

Otogi 2’s predecessor was met with critical praise and the developers at From Software are hoping to enhance the original game. Raikoh is now going to be joined by five other warriors, each with their own abilities to enable players to select the best for each level. The game will be split into Story and Havoc mode. The latter will focus more on the action. While I didn’t get a chance to play the game myself, the visuals certainly look more polished than the predecessor. Otogi 2 should be hitting stores Winter 2004 on the Xbox.

Altered Beast

One of the platform titles that will be instantly recognizable to console lovers, Altered Beast will be coming to the Playstation 2 console. As customary with the franchise, you will be able to morph into eight creatures including the iconic werewolf but also a minotaur and dragon among other things. The game has been turned into 3D, although each level will culminate with a boss battle. The plot is based around the search for self. You will encounter other failed military experiments (creatures) and the game will culminate in the discovery of your own origin. This game is going to be released in the final quarter of 2004.

Astro Boy

One of the bigger announcements for Sega includes this resurrection of the popular cartoon series Astro Boy created by Osamu Tezuka. It made the crossover to North America long before the current anime-style cartoons. Astro Boy uses the Havok2 physics engine. However, the artwork bears a striking similarity to what you would expect on the television show. In addition to Astro Boy, characters like Dr. O’Shay, Atlas, Dr. Tenma and Zoran will make their appearances in the game. This title will soon be released in the summer of 2004. It will be accompanied by Astro Boy: Omega Factor, another Astro Boy title for the Game Boy Advance.

Headhunter: Redemption

Headhunter was one of the titles released in the twilight days of the Dreamcast. Headhunter: Redemption is a sequel built for the Playstation 2. It takes the story twenty years after the events in the first game. The world has been divided into two parts: Above and Below. Above is the world of the corporations with its citizens controlled by the media. The Below is the buccaneer’s den of vice and sin. Jack Wade will make his return as an upholder of the law but he is joined by a new playable sidekick called Leeza X. Headhunter: Redemption is slated for release this summer.