Sony's Spring 2000 Lineup

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced this year's spring lineup of PlayStation games, and the list looks promising with Speed Punks, Wild Arms 2, MediEvil II, Grind Session, and Legend of Dragoon.

Speed Punks, scheduled to release on April 18, will bring even more cart-style racing to the PlayStation with six unique characters as they race through some wild tracks. The game, developed by FunCom, will feature twelve tracks, a customizable league system, multiplayer support for two or four players, and tournament and time-attack modes.

Wild Arms 2 is the sequel to the 1997 RPG hit and is expected to hit shelves on May 2. The latest in the series boasts a new graphics engine with full 3D polygon support, new characters, and a new storyline. Also new to the series are player-controlled camera views, more action-oriented gameplay, and three characters to choose from. The game's original producer, Contrail, is producing Wild Arms 2.

Spooky PlayStation gaming returns in MediEvil II as Zarok's spell book has fallen into the hands of Lord Palethorne, and the undead Sir Daniel Fortesque returns to fight off demons and villains in Victorian London. And Palethorne, knowing what power he holds in his occult ways, unleashes an evil spell that enables the dead to walk again. In the second iteration of the game, players will be able to chose from DanHand, Headless Dan, and Dan-kenstein modes along with a cast including an Egyptian princess, a mad professor, a fast-talking ghost, and a new host of creatures. MediEvil II lands in stores on May 9.

Likely because of the popularity of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Sony is now entering the skating arena with its own title called Grind Session. Developed by Shaba games, Grin Session offers ten real-life characters, including Daewon Song, Willie Santos, Jon Cardiel, Ed Templeton, Pigpen, and Carabeth Burnside. There will also be create-a-player options. The game will offer eight arenas to skate through. Look for Grind Session to hit stores on May 23. Legend of Dragoon, due out on June 13, is Sony's answer to Square's Final Fantasy series. It took over three years for Sony's internal team to develop this game, which features more than 40 minutes of high-quality FMV. According to Sony, the game boasts 80 hours of gameplay and spans four CDs.

"The spring season promises to be exceptional for PlayStation gamers, with marquis software titles scheduled for release in a variety of genres," said Ami Blaire, director, product marketing for Sony Computer Entertainment America. "There are now 25 million PlayStation owners in the United States - equating to a PlayStation in one out of every four US households - so it is important that we continue to support the platform and deliver quality software for a broad audience."