By now, you may have already seen all the latest stuff from just about every other game site on the net, which would probably make my 'news' dead last. What the heck...I'll give this a go anyway...

I didn't get to hit every booth, so I might not know a things here and there. But I can say that it was a lot of fun-and there was a lot to do, but not enough time.

At the SNK-Playmore booth, there was a solid lineup of games to be released soon. There were plenty of demos of SVC Chaos and even the AES version of Samurai Shodown Zero (or V). The PS2 version of SVC offers slightly cleaner graphics and improves on the transparencies as well. I did have one complaint: the damage ratio needs fixing. Someone can land a four weak punches and I'll sometimes be dizzy. What the.....? Aside from that, this will be good for those who can't drop $300+ for the AES cart.

Also available for play was the PS2 version of KOF2001. Like the most of the other ported versions of KOF, this game has a more of a clean look. The backgrounds have been overhauled and the character sprites don't look so blocky. Otherwise, it plays the same. There's nice little intro movie as well.

Oh yeah-about KOF 3D, there weren't any actual screens (at least not any that I could make out), but there was a nice CG intro with an interesting cast. And KOF 2003? I didn't see that one. Sorry.

Capcom's line-up conisited of a good selection of titles. The main attraction of their booth was Onimusha 3, which takes place in the modern world and has a starring character based on Jean Reno. Another big hit was Biohazard-Outbreak, which was noted for its multiplayer network feature..

What got my attention was Gacha Force for the GameCube. It's a battle game like Virtua On only it features toys! There are over 100 to collect and you can combine toys to get a super-hybrid fighter. It hits import shelves late November and Stateside sometime in the first quarter 2004.

Onimusha Buraiden looked intersting as well. This game is more fighting-oriented and even supports up to four fighters! Don't think it's online, though. Like that other fighter, you can shift planes. It's a grand battle royale with heroes and even some enemies from the first two games.

Are there any Tekki/Steel Battalion fans out there? If so, you'll be happy to hear that there is a sequel on the way that also supports multiplayer online battles (yes, Xbox live)

After playing Hyper SF2 for a few rounds, I understand what makes each character version different. The power 'balance' as well as the tricks used in their respecive games is makes them true to their respective game version. For example, If you use SFII Ryu, You can dizzy your opponent by doing a jump-in roundhouse and two short kicks-just like in the original game.

I even tried Maximo vs. the Army of Zin. This games offers a bit more technique as well as more interaction. Did I mention that the enemies are meaner? Though I know that a good number of people didn't care for the first game, but I found it to be interesting. AoZ introduces a combo system and even more attack options. You can even save yourself by hanging onto a ledge with your sword.

2003 has brought us a lot of great games and shows that it will get better in the years come.