> Unfortunately, Sega plans to cut some of the more erotic scenes from the Japanese version during the localization.  According to Sega, this will end up totaling about 60 seconds of footage removed.  They also claim that this will not affect the story or the game's "M" rating.

12.27.1999

     > D2 is a semi-sequel to the original Saturn game called "D".  It features the same main character, named Laura, and has evolved into an action/RPG.  The game takes place in a frozen mountainous area of Canada filled with snow, trees, and animals -- not to mention bio-monsters.  Strangely enough, D2 started out as an M2 game (a system which never made it to the shelf), then moved to Saturn and finally reached the Dreamcast.  The game was supposed to be a Japanese launch title, but it was just recently released.  From what I've seen, the delay was well worth it as Warp has made sure the game stands out in a crowd.
     > D2 features high quality CG movies, real-time cut-scenes, plus a mixture of Mansion of Hidden Souls (Sega CD, Saturn) and Tomb Raider (Saturn) gameplay.  The in-game graphics are almost as good as the CG movies -- probably thanks to the delay.  There's plenty of cinematic views while talking with other people which really adds a sense of being there.  During the action parts you can move freely in a given area (with boundaries).  When you come upon a monster, the view switches to first person while you pivot and shoot until one of you is dead.  You'll see both red and green blood throughout the game.  There's also a rifle mode where you can zoom in on a distant target and shoot it dead.  I expect that the music of the whole game will retain the atmospheric nature of the demo.  As for the sound effects, they're realistic as can be. 
     > Importing will probably work on the gameplay side, but there's quite a bit of talking in the game so the story side will be lost.  Fear not...  Sega has the rights to an American release which is expected in March 2000.  If you do import, you'll have a choice of three versions with different packages: Hope, Bliss, and Eclipse.