Inside Sega’s Pre-E3 2000 Party

Ulala, Ice-T, and more–Sega’s Pre-E3 Party was covered; here are the details from Core Magazine:

We arrived about thirty minutes early, but lines were already around the block to get into Sega’s private bash tonight. Last year’s was somewhat formal, with the angst driven Bernie Stolar paying homage to Sega celebrities including Yu Suzuki, and CRI president Okawa-san. This year however, with newly appointed president Peter Moore at the reigns, Sega put together undoubtedly the most impressive display to date.

Once you worked your way into the club, the techno driven beat pumped at near glass shattering levels. Scantly clad go-go dancers twirled in the corners while most huddled together in a sea of humanity. For more than an hour, we talked with our industry peers and treated ourselves to some Coronas. Meanwhile, Sega began running a 2 minute promo video which included footage from a number of upcoming Dreamcast games including; Spawn, NBA 2K1, Soul Reaver 2, Sonic Shuffle, and more. Albeit short, the footage seemed to keep the crowd entranced as we waited endlessly for something to happen.

Just then, a team of bouncers entered the small club, and sectioned off a small area. For more than twenty minutes there was a constant push and pull from the crowd against the bouncers until finally, Peter Moore took to the stage. Right off the bat, Moore was on the offensive. For a company and a system which most people believe are running scared, Sega came out like a bull. Moore immediately began talking about Sony’s press conference, which took place up the block nearly six hours earlier. Thereby, he attacked Sony for their plan to market the PlayStation2 as an entertainment station, rather than a game console. At one point, Moore jokingly began a sentence by saying; ‘They say the piece of shi….Station2,’ which brought the crowd to a near deafening roar. Little did we know, this was just the start.

Thereafter, Moore invited special guest Ice-T to come out, and partake in the first every showing of Sega’s online game service, SegaNet. Thereby Ice-T and associated team-mate challenged two Sega reps in San Francisco to a game of NBA2K1. The entire match was simulcast via video screens, and NBA2K1 appeared to perform almost flawlessly. There was one brief second of slowdown, however, this was just prior to the end of the demonstration. Needless to say, we were impressed. But the night continued.

Moore confirmed plans to reduce the price of the Dreamcast to merely $149.99 beginning June 4th. In order to receive the price reduction, consumers must purchase a Dreamcast and then log online before August 31st, and Sega will send you a $50 check.

Lastly, Moore brought the plastic clad chick from Space Channel 5 to the stage to unveil one of the nights biggest treats, Filter. The band took to the stage with fierce energy, leaves most completely stunned. Some wanting to run for ear plugs, but most too enthralled to do anything by rush the stage. The band played an extended set, blasting through their catalog of tunes, and egging the crowd on.