Tatsuya

At the time all this was sitting on my desk the latest update hadn't come in. And about the supposed release... why would you believe someone who would take hostages in the first place? Lets just wait and see if these people come back alive. (This info was sent to me by a Japanese friend of mine)

-info- Aljazeera television on Thursday aired a silent video of the three Japanese - two men and a woman - and read out a statement addressed to "the friendly people of Japan" from an Iraqi group called Saraya al-Mujahidin. The statement gave Tokyo three days to withdraw its forces from Iraq or have its citizens executed. "We are the sons of Muslim Iraqi people. We were friends and on good terms. Why did you betray us and support the US forces which have violated our soil, our sacred places and land and shed the blood of our children?" demanded the statement. "It is time to retaliate. Three of your nationals are now in our custody and you have either to withdraw, or we will burn them alive." Noriaki Imai is an aid worker who arrived in Iraq one week ago A Japanese government spokesman said Tokyo had no plans to withdraw its troops and demanded the immediate release of its citizens. Japan's NHK television identified them as two journalists and an aid worker. One of the hostages being held by Saraya al-Mujahidin is a woman. The captives were named as as Noriaki Imai, Soichiro Koriyama and Nahoko Takato. Imai, an aid worker, had left for Iraq on 1 April, NHK reported. Controversial mission Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has been one of the strongest backers of the US-led invasion of Iraq, a stance that has raised concern over Japanese troops being targeted. Japan has sent 550 troops to the southern town of Samawa on a non-combat mission. It is Tokyo's riskiest military deployment since the second world war and critics say it violates the country's pacifist constitution. No Japanese soldier has fired a shot in action or been killed in combat since 1945 and casualties could undermine support for PM Koizumi's government ahead of Upper House elections in July. --Koreans freed-- Meanwhile, seven South Koreans who were captured near Baghdad on Thursday, have been released. US ally South Korea has 600 army personnel stationed in Iraq The missionaries, all members of an evangelical South Korean Presbyterian church, were travelling in two cars from Jordan to Baghdad when they were seized on Thursday by a group of 25 to 30 armed men on a road just north of the capital. "At first we were scared and afraid of what would happen. I felt a major gap between our culture and theirs," Lim Young-sup, a church minister, told Reuters. A total of eight missionaries were travelling in the cars but one managed to escape, the others said. The remaining seven were blindfolded and taken to a house by the kidnappers, who initially accused them of being members of the CIA. --Proving innocence-- Hong Kwang-chun said the missionaries tried to tell the Iraqis they were NGO workers and meant no harm. "One of us knew some medicine and so we got our medical kit and showed them that we were doctors and nurses," he said. "Then their attitude changed completely and they became very friendly. They gave us food and something to drink." They were held for around five hours, the Koreans said, before being driven back to the outskirts of the capital escorted by their abductors. They were left with all their possessions apart from $30,000 in cash they had brought into Iraq. US-ally South Korea has 600 military engineers and medics in Iraq and plans to send 3000 more for reconstruction. The incident took place after two South Koreans were released on Tuesday after they were detained for 14 hours by Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr's militiamen. --Others captured-- Two Arabs have also been captured in Iraq, reported Israeli media on Thursday. Iraq is becoming increasingly dangerous for foreigners In footage from Iranian television that was rebroadcast on Israeli television, the men identified themselves as Nabil Razuk, 30, and Ahmad Yasin Tikati, 33. They identified themselves as aid workers. Antoine Razuk said his nephew, who has an Israeli citizenship and lives in occupied East Jerusalem, was working with the US Agency for International Development (USAID). It was unclear whether Tikati also has Israeli citizenship. The Israeli Mossad security service is overseeing the investigation into the report, reported Israeli security sources. --Briton held-- Meanwhile, a British civilian was kidnapped this week in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya, the scene of heavy fighting between al-Sadr militiamen and Italian troops, said an occupation official on Thursday. The official named the man as Gary Teeley, a British contractor. British media said Teeley, 37, was said to be a resident in the Middle East and had been working at a US airbase. A Foreign Office official in London confirmed that Teeley was missing, but would not say what he was doing in Iraq or comment on the manner of his disappearance. Separately, a Canadian man working for a US humanitarian organisation has been taken hostage in Iraq, a foreign ministry spokesman said Thursday. --more--- Japan works on hostage release. A group of kidnappers calling themselves the Mujahideen Brigades have said they will burn their civilian captives alive on Sunday unless Japan pulls its troops out of Iraq. Japan has rejected the kidnappers' demand, saying it would be "playing into the hands of the terrorists" to withdraw. The three Japanese were among 12 overseas nationals kidnapped in recent days in various incidents within Iraq, a seemingly new tactic by insurgents to try to drive a wedge in the U.S.-led coalition. Senior Vice Foreign Minister Ichiro Aisawa, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's special envoy, arrived early Saturday in the Jordanian capital of Amman. Aisawa told reporters: "Our goal is to rescue the hostages", adding that "nothing is beyond us". Hundreds of people staged a candlelight vigil outside the prime minister's office in Tokyo Friday night and demonstrators followed up with more protests Saturday calling for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney is due in Tokyo Saturday for talks with Koziumi. Japanese reacted in shock and anger at the videotape showing the three Japanese nationals held hostage at gunpoint and threatened with knives. The video was delivered to the Arab television network Al-Jazeera with a written demand: Withdraw Japanese troops from Iraq within three days, or the hostages will be burned alive. Koizumi defended the government's position, when a reporter asked the Japanese leader if "push comes to shove, you wouldn't withdraw?" "We must ensure and do all it takes so it doesn't come to that," Koizumi said. Japan has more than 500 troops on the ground in Iraq, part of a 1,000-strong contingent heading there for humanitarian missions. Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hatsuhisa Takashima told CNN that the troops were in Iraq to help the Iraqi people reconstruct their country. The sending of troops has stirred up controversy in Japan with many critics arguing that the dispatch violates the nation's pacifist constitution. Opinion polls showed most Japanese were against the Iraq war and also opposed to the deployment of troops. Despite the public's initial opposition, Takashima said most people now support the Self-Defense Forces in Iraq. "With the television showing the people of Iraq welcoming the Self-Defense Forces, it has become very popular," Takashima said. Video of the three Japanese hostages shows them being manhandled, humiliated and threatened with guns and knives -- at times, the knives pressed to their throats. The three hostages -- Noriaki Imai, 18, freelance journalist Soichiro Koriyama, 32, and aid worker Nahoko Takato, 34 -- apparently were taken captive while they were traveling overland from Amman to Baghdad. ---Also--- Tape shows apparent U.S. hostage Search on for other foreign nationals missing, kidnapped in Iraq An Australian television network broadcast footage on Saturday of armed militants in Iraq holding a man who appeared to be an American, as U.S. and coalition forces searched for foreign nationals who have been kidnapped or reported missing in recent days. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation showed a car stopping on a highway and masked, armed men getting out and asking journalists to look at a hostage, who was sitting in the back seat next to a gunman. A journalist asked the man what happened and the man, white and middle-aged, replied in a slight Southern U.S. accent that "they attacked our convoy. That's all I'm going to say." It is unclear if the man on the video is referring to an incident Friday when a fuel convoy was attacked near Baghdad International Airport. He gave his name. Then the men got into the car and drove off. The network said the video was shot on the road between Baghdad and Fallujah, where U.S. Marines have been fighting pitched battles with insurgents for control of the town. Marines have paused in their strikes on Fallujah, with coalition authorities asking for talks between Iraqi authorities and insurgents. Sporadic fighting continues, however. (Full story) The Pentagon said two U.S. soldiers and four civilian contractors -- some of them American -- are unaccounted for after a fuel convoy was attacked near Baghdad International Airport Friday. The four were from the same company. One U.S. soldier and an Iraqi driver were killed in the incident and 12 people were wounded. U.S. officials in Baghdad are working with the employer of the civilians to try to trace the normal routine, duties and whom the civilians are regularly in touch with in an attempt to piece together what could have happened to them, a State Department official said. The official said "we know that they are missing but we don't know more than that." Meanwhile, the German Foreign Ministry Saturday confirmed that two security people assigned to the German Embassy in Baghdad were missing. An Interior Ministry spokesman said he could not rule out that the two were dead. German media has reported that the men -- members of the elite GSG9 force --were part of a convoy driving from Amman, Jordan, to Baghdad. The rest of the convoy reportedly arrived safely to the embassy, a small office where a handful of diplomats are working.(Full story) A Japanese official arrived in Jordan Saturday to try to learn more about the kidnapping of three Japanese citizens in Iraq, and negotiate their release. A group calling itself the Mujahedeen Squadrons demanded Tokyo withdraw its troops from Iraq by Sunday, or it will kill the hostages. So far, Japan has refused to give into the terrorists' demands. A videotape released Thursday showing the three Japanese nationals held hostage at gunpoint and threatened with knives. (Full story) Protesters packed the streets of Tokyo for a second day on Saturday demanding the government to meet the kidnappers' demands. Two Israeli-Arab foreign aid workers also remain in captivity. Seven South Korean missionaries were released unharmed Thursday, hours after they were taken. --Other developments-- Fighting continues in several cities around Iraq. In the southern city of Kut, U.S. troops battled the banned militia loyal to militant Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The coalition said on Saturday it has control over about 70 percent of Kut. The militia has partial control of Ramadi and full control of Najaf. On Sunday, about 5 million Shiite worshipers are expected to converge on the holy city of Karbala for the festival of Arbayeen, marking 40 days after the death of Imam Hussein. Celebrations will also take place in Najaf. Sunday also marks the end of 40 days of mourning since more than 180 people were killed in Baghdad and Karbala during the Shiite festival of Ashura in March. Fugitive insurgent Abu Musab Zarqawi, believed to have ties to al Qaeda, has called for the killing of Shiites during pilgrimage -info-

I apologize for my ignorance. It will never happen again...

I want to join a game via internet. I choose a server and when I click it to join the game, a message pops up that says "You Have Invalid CD Key" How can I overcome this problem and be able to join games online. I can create a game and people can join me. But can't do it the other way around!! Yes I got Halo Copy from the internet (Kazaa) and the CD Key from the internet as well Please help me find a solution.

hmmm.... I don't like the looks of this. -data- Microsoft Japan hints at new console's size and launch date. TOKYO--Microsoft Japan's new Xbox division chief Yoshihiro Maruyama says that his company's next generation machine, casually referred to by media outlets as the Xbox Next, will not see its shadow until 2006. Maruyama's comments support statements made by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer last year, when he told the Nikkei Journal that the console will be released no sooner than 2006 in Japan. But whether the Xbox Next will be out before or after Sony's next generation machine is not decided, according to an interview with Maruyama contained in the current issue of Famitsu. "I hope that we can release the machine in the near future, but it won't be next year," commented Maruyama, who joined Microsoft last September after being hired away from Square Enix. "Considering that the PlayStation 2 is entering its fifth year and that its game lineup is in its prime, we're estimating that the successor to that console will be released after 2006. Whether we'll release the successor of the Xbox before the PS2's needs to be decided carefully. It has strong pros and cons." One of the issues surrounding the original Xbox was the fact it was was considerably larger than other game consoles in the market. Rumors have been floating the Xbox Next will be considerably smaller and possibly uses notebook PC components. While Maruyama did not comment on specifics, he confirmed that the Xbox Next will indeed be smaller than the current Xbox. "In terms of hardware, we get a lot of requests asking us to reduce the console's size. Actually, I was thinking so myself before coming to Microsoft. We promise that we'll make the new console smaller," Maruyama said. As for the Xbox's disappointing sales in Japan, Maruyama commented that one of the reasons is there is no RPG--the most popular genre in Japan--for the console that suits Japanese tastes. Admitting that it can?t get a major third-party publisher to develop an RPG due to Xbox's comparitively paltry installed base, Maruyama is hoping that Microsoft's own entry into the genre, the MMORPG True Fantasy Live Online, will provide a spike in sales. Maruyama also addressed overall differences between the Japanese and the U.S. markets. He commented on how game sales in the U.S. are more stable, particularly in the sports genre. ?In the case of America, they have sport games as the base of their retail offfering. Sports games sell steadily through out the year, with each sport having its peak sales period. Their business is about incremental sales of other genres on top of that. But Japan doesn?t have that base, so if one title gets delayed, that year?s sales can be quite severely affected,? Maruyama said. ?In a sense, the market in Japan is unique, and the users tend to drift towards games that are new or stimulating. It?s a serious issue for developers: how to come up with the next new thing, since the peak sales period for any one title is short.? -data-

What is NZ?

Capcom spokesman confirmed that Biohazard 4 / Resident Evil 4 will remain exclusive for the GameCube, contradicting an earlier rumor about the game heading to multiple platforms.

And it will be coming to both PS2 and Xbox. Nice!

Silent Hill 4: The Room... Better shots... still looks like Eric Roberts... Here ---> http://www.the-magicbox.com/Jan04/game010904c.shtml

I'm not certain if it will be titled 2004. some say it will use a new numbering system. Sammy vs. Capcom will be jointly developed by both companies. (Capcom has said they are just getting use to the hardware.) SNK Playmore has updated their game release schedule for the Japanese market: Metal Slug 5 (Neo Geo) - Feb 19, 2004 King of Fighters 2003 (Neo Geo) - Mar 11, 2004 Metal Slug Advance (GBA) - summer 2004 Samurai Spirits Zero (PS2) - TBA King of Fighters 3D (working title) (PS2) - TBA King of Fighters 2002 (PS2) - TBA Well here are the specifications on the new machines for SNK develop games. -data- Sony SYSTEM 246 HARDWARE HARDWARE DESCRIPTION - PSX2 BASED CPU : 128 Bit "Emotion Engine" · System Clock: 300 MHz · System Memory: 32 MB Direct Rambus · Memory Bus Bandwidth: 3.2 GB per second · Co-Processor: FPU (Floating Point Multiply Accumulator x 1, Floating Point Divider x 1) · Vector Units: VU0 and VU1 (Floating Point Multiply Accumulator x 9, Floating Point Divider x 1) · Floating Point Performance: 6.2 GFLOPS · 3D CG Geometric Transformation: 66 million Polygons Per Second · Compressed Image Decoder: MPEG2 Graphics : "Graphics Synthesizer" · Clock Frequency: 150MHz · DRAM Bus bandwidth: 48 GB Per Second · DRAM Bus width: 2560 bits · Pixel Configuration: RGB:Alpha:Z Buffer (24:8:32) · Maximum Polygon Rate: 75 Million Polygons Per Second Sound : "SPU2+CPU" · Number of voices: ADPCM: 48 channel on SPU2 plus definable by software · Sampling Frequency: 44.1 KHz or 48 KHz (selectable) I/O Processor · CPU Core: Current PlayStation CPU · Clock Frequency: 33.8 MHz or 37.5 MHz (selectable) · Sub Bus: 32 Bit SAMMY ATOMISWAVE HARDWARE DESCRIPTION - DREAMCAST BASED CPU : Hitachi SH-4 64-bit RISC CPU (200 MHz 360 MIPS / 1.4 GFLOPS) Graphic Engine : PowerVR 2 (PVR2DC) Sound Engine : ARM7 Yamaha AICA 45 MHZ (with internal 32-bit RISC CPU, 64 channel ADPCM) Main Ram : 32 megs Main Memory : 16 MByte Graphic Memory : 16 MByte Sound Memory : 8 MByte Media : ROM Board Simultaneous Number of Colors : Approx. 16,770,000 (24bits) Polygons : 2.5 Million polys/sec Rendering Speed : 500 M pixel/sec Additional Features : Bump Mapping, Fog, Alpha-Bending (transparency), Mip Mapping (polygon-texture auto switch), Tri-Linear Filtering, Anti-Aliasing, Environment Mapping, and Specular Effect. Known games : 12 Notes : This is a standard dreamcast type spec, so it has less power than the naomi. It is possible to connect the systems on the network using both 56K modem or broadband connection, the software can be exchanged easily by swapping the ROMs, and it supports various types of input such as joystick, light guns, and track balls via a common interface. -data- Well, Hyper 64 looks to be dead... No big deal

Yes, and 3! You need a pretty good system but it's improved over the PS2 version thanks to the new features. (The high-res visuals are amazing!)

Hmmmm... Look at this... -data- Cannes, France - May 20, 2003 In an announcement sure to make waves in the entertainment industry, ADV Films President and CEO John Ledford yesterday publicly confirmed industry rumors that the firm has acquired the rights to produce, and has already begun development of, a live-action feature-film based on the Japanese animated television series "Neon Genesis Evangelion," a multi-million dollar worldwide franchise and perhaps the most influential anime title in the history of the art form. Advertisement The project is a collaboration between ADV Films, Gainax and Weta Workshop, Ltd. The Participants ADV Films is the leading producer-distributor of Japanese animation in North America. The Japanese anime and game studio Gainax Network Systems was one of the original production studios responsible for "Neon Genesis Evangelion," and Weta Workshop, Ltd. is the New Zealand-based special effects studio that created the effects for Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Peter Jackson (writer and director of The Lord of the Rings Movies) said he loved the anime and is very interested in the project. "The three main players here represent something of a 'dream-team' for a project like this one," said Ledford. "Between the quality and significance of the Gainax title, Weta's industry-leading skill in the creation of special visual effects, and our expertise in the marketing and promotion of anime and anime-related content, this project is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." The Story "Neon Genesis Evangelion" is the story of a reluctant young hero, called upon to pilot an immense robotic weapon in battle against alien invaders. Including both a 26-episode television series and at least two animated motion pictures, "Neon Genesis Evangelion" has long been both a fan favorite and an extraordinary critical and commercial success, with the worldwide franchise producing many millions of dollars in revenue. Timetable The "Neon Genesis Evangelion" live-action motion picture is in the earliest stages of development. Ledford confirmed, however, that the timetable is an aggressive one, and that more information on the project is forthcoming. About Weta Workshop, Ltd Founded in 1987 by Richard Taylor, Tania Rodger, Peter Jackson and Jamie Selkirk, Weta is a physical and digital effects company providing creatures, special make-up effects, prosthetics, miniatures, armor, weaponry and digital effects for the film and television industry. Over the past sixteen years the company has provided effects for Jackson's "Meet the Feebles", "Braindead" (aka "Dead Alive"), "Heavenly Creatures," "The Frighteners," and "The Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy, as well as for advertisements and television shows including the popular "Hercules" and "Xena" series. At the height of production on "The Lord of the Rings," Weta Workshop employed 150 physical effects technicians and 350 digital effects technicians at Weta Digital. Weta's work on "The Lord of the Rings" has garnered worldwide praise including two Academy Awards in 2002 (for Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup), and one in 2003 (for Best Visual Effects). The British Academy has also honored Weta's work by awarding two BAFTAs in 2002 (for Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup) and two more in 2003 (for Best Visual Effects and Best Costume). About ADV Films In 1992, ADV Films began to forge the international market for Japanese animation ("anime") by combining unique titles, outstanding production values and efficient large-scale distribution. Today, ADV Films is the #1 producer- distributor of Japanese animation to the North American market, with the firm's holdings including such premier titles as "NOIR," "Sailor Moon," "Samurai X," "Hello Kitty's Paradise," "RahXephon," "Spriggan," "Robotech," "Full Metal Panic" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion." In addition, ADV Films' product line has expanded to include other forms of genre programming, including live-action science fiction programs "Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda," "Mutant X" and The Jim Henson Company's "Farscape," and classic science fiction such as the updated "Gamera" trilogy. -data-

That character looks like Eric Roberts... Here --> MB Silent Hill 4

PsOne has a 33mhz CPU.

Final fantasy NES with NESticle on my Pentium 133 The old days...