While the arcade scene is nowhere near as exciting as it used to be, the ASI arcade show gave me some hope - as well as some expected disappointment.

　　No ShowsI can go on and on about games that we should be seeing by now (like a new Tekken), but I'll stick to games previously shown at the Japanese arcade shows that didn't make it here.

　　I was notified before the show that Street Fighter III: Third Strike would not be at the show. Why? Who knows. The word is that a playable version was planned for the show, but was nixed as well as Strider 2. Dead or Alive 2 was also not playable, but that's not much of a surprise considering how under wraps Tecmo keeps games until release. It would also have been neat if someone displayed Treasure's Gunbeat, but that could be asking for too much.

　　Noteworthy GamesThrill DriveKonamiThis is what I would describe at an attempt at survival racing horror (a new genre!). It's your basic race your car through highways and streets with one twist. The music is very disturbing (kind of like the Psycho riff) and makes you feel extremely nervous as you weave in and out of traffic. If you crash, a person's tortured face appears on the screen with the words Fatal Accident accompanied by a high pitched scream. Gimmicky, but it works.

　　Assassination game (title TK)KonamiFor some reason, they didn't have this game on the floor, but they took you to it if you asked them. There are two screens in this game, one is the large monitor you aim at and the other is in the scope of your gun simulating the close up view of the action. Very, very cool.

　　Guitar FreaksKonamiThe rock version of Beatmania is just as fun and just as hard to fully master. There were also the other members of the Konami music game family like Dance, Dance Revolution, Beatmania Hip Hop mix and Pop n Music on the show floor.

　　NBA Play by PlayKonamiJust like the home versions of In the Zone with slightly better graphics. This is really disappointing since I loved the Run and Gun games and their sprite graphic glory. Even the announcing isn't as cool anymore.

　　Evil NightKonamiA very bad take on House of Dead with snail like pacing and grainy graphics. Three player action is about the only saving grace with two handguns and a shotgun at your disposal.

　　Ocean HunterSegaThe game was displayed on some washed out big screen monitors which didn't do justice to the beauty of this title. I managed to beat it (not too hard when it's free) and found it to be quite a lengthy adventure. It'll still need more extras for a home version though. Check it out if it's at an arcade near you.

　　Zombie RevengeSegaFinal Fight meets Resident Evil with a House of the Dead backdrop (how's that for a description?). Seriously, the game looks great and gives you a good idea how much RE: Code Veronica is going to rock. For my taste revenge could use more playability tweaking, but it's still enjoyable.

　　Dynamite BaseballSegaI'm a big fan of Japanese baseball so it was a real kick to see some of my favorite players portrayed so realistically. If they can manage to get the US ballplayers likenesses down, this game could do very well.

　　Airline PilotsSegaAn airline flight simulator doesn't sound so hot, but Airline Pilots looked pretty cool. There are three monitors for the complete cockpit view which is powered by three Naomi boards (one for each screen). A home conversion is out the window so make sure you track this one down so you can tell your kids about it one day.

　　Magical Truck AdventureSegaThe wheel cartin' two player fest seemed to confuse most attendees. I thought it was neat although short lived fun. I can't see how this could ever become a worthwhile be a DC port.

　　Hydro ThunderMidwayHeaded for the Dreamcast, this title will surely be one to keep an eye on. The multiplayer is great fun with plenty of shortcuts and secrets to discover. Should be in arcades soon.

　　Road BurnersMidwayA motorcycle racer that looks like it's ready for a N64 port. Pretty uninspired graphics and surprising flimsy play.

　　Revenge from MarsMidwayThe pseudo holographic pinball game was pretty cool and was a big hit with the heavy set mustachioed arcade operators.

　　Fatal Fury: Wild AmbitionSNKThe warriors of destiny make their way into 3D. Just like the Samurai Shodown cast, they get butchered in the process. The Hyper Neo Geo 64 is already dated looking like an N65 w/ Ram pack which can't quite compete with other titles. There was a shooter, Beast Buster and a Rally racer for the Hyper 64, but they were also quite forgettable. Metal Slug X was pretty cool though. Speaking of Metal Slug, if you like that style of play and the look, track down Shock Troopers which is another SNK title which is more in the Ikari Warriors vein.

　　PowerstoneCapcomA bit anticlimactic for those of us who have been playing the import DC version these past few weeks. As I stated earlier, there were no other titles present which made the Capcom booth a huge disappointment.

　　GP500NamcoAside from this somewhat dated looking motorcycle racer, they only had Soul Calibur, Point Blank 2 and Angler King. Very small showing. Perhaps the situation will improve once they get new hardware like a PS2 version of the arcade board like the PS to system 11 board which has worked so well in the past.

　　Best of ShowCrazy TaxiSegaHands down the game I played the most at the show. Great concept and execution as you take on the role of a cabbie who has to pick up patrons and get them to their destination regardless of the law. The action is scene from a three quarter perspective which gives you a great view of your usually irate passengers cursing you. Your cabbie also speaks and retorts with a satisfying "shut up!" among others. Lots of fun and real locales like KFC, Pizza hut and Tower Records add to the realism.

　　NBA Showtime: NBA on NBCMidwayBeing a fan of Jam and Hangtime, I was totally hooked into Showtime. The graphics are top notch and the play is as good as it ever was. The faces are so detailed that the lack of expression on them seems odd. Nothing a little emotion synthesis can't fix.