There was an incredible amount of things happening in the video game industry this week. Being the week before Thanksgiving, all the major video game companies prepared for the coming onslaught, and those that didn't have titles ready for the busiest shopping day of the year finalized release dates (Turok 2 and South Park for the N64, especially).

　　So let's jump into the bounty of news that has been delivered our way this week:

　　Lauren Fielder spoke with David Dienstbier, Turok 2's lead designer, to get the inside word on the finishing touches Iguana put on the game and how they made it better than the original. Additionally, we've got a first look at the game's multiplayer mode.

　　Dairantou Smash Brothers is Nintendo's first jab at the fighting game genre. In it, you choose from your favorite Nintendo characters and duke it out until someone's knocked to the ground. Mario, Pikachu, Samus, Link, Fox McCloud, Kirby, Donkey Kong, and others are selectable characters.

　　Possibly the biggest story this week is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and its fast-approaching release date (Monday). We've got an early look at the game in two stories: a first-impressions piece and a 12-hour Zelda diary. We're also hot on the trail of stores selling the game before the release date. Check back with us over the weekend to see if we've gotten word of stores selling it early.

　　Shigeru Miyamoto let some info slip on Nintendo's next system. According to him, the team that worked on 1080 Snowboarding was planning a sequel but instead is now focusing attention towards new technology - meaning Nintendo's next system.

　　The Dreamcast launches next week, and it still seems that the console will be in short supply in Japan. Based on the Famitsu review of the early games, maybe that's a good thing. On tap for the Dreamcast this week was that Sega Enterprises/CSK chairman Isao Okawa came to the US and talked about the company's future, and Sonic Team released electronic versions of the new Sonic Adventure commercials.

　　Blue Planet Software is bringing a version of Tetris to the Dreamcast in December (in Japan, of course). The game includes a four-player mode and a 3D-styled polygon look. With Tetris hitting every major system in 1999, it could be a revolution for the classic puzzler.

　　Game Boy Color came to the US this week and is now available nationwide. The two launch games in the US are Tetris DX and Game & Watch Gallery 2.

　　Hasbro's Pokemon toys are scheduled to begin hitting stores at the end of this month. They include an assortment of plastic figures and super balls. All the details are inside our look at Hasbro's Poke-toy lineup.

　　Something new we began this week is a weekly Japanese Release Date Calendar. If you follow import titles, you'll want to take a look at which titles will be heading your way in the next month or two for the PlayStation, N64, and Dreamcast.

　　In this week before the Christmas rush really begins, companies scrambled to finalize release date schedules for the big holiday titles. Here's a rundown of the release dates that were finalized this week, both for the US and Japan.

　　Finally this week, we had two minor, yet still important, stories. We've heard that Twisted Metal, the mega-popular car-combat game for the PlayStation, may be making a jump from small screen to silver screen soon. Also, Square has begun planning Chrono Trigger 2 - the only question is, for which system? Inside the Square story you'll also find information on Final Fantasy IX.

　　That's it for this week. Next week is a shortened week because of Thanksgiving, but we'll be around at the beginning of the week, tracking the release of Zelda 64, so stick around for updates on where you can find the game. In Japan, the Dreamcast release also comes at the end of next week. Can't wait for that! So we'll be back next week with the latest news in the video game industry.