You're welcome.

SEGA puzzler Puyo Puyo 7 hits Japanese retailers tomorrow.

In future columns what I'd like to do is throw in some thoughts on my wrestling career, maybe some road stories or whatever I've got going on that's interesting, but my focus will be playing a game every month and reviewing it. Doesn't sound all that hard, right? For me it is. You see, I'm the type of gamer that plays a game and gets addicted to that game and plays absolutely nothing else but that game for months at a time. This will actually help me with my problem. I'm not lying — I have a serious problem. You want proof? Gears of War is still sitting unopened in its original packaging on a shelf in my game room (gasp!). There was a time I played Top Spin 2 for eight months straight. It got so bad, friends were planning to break into my house and steal it from my console just so I would play something else...but I'll get back to that. Like I was saying, this will give me the chance to play a variety of games and give you my feedback—but until then I think I'll just ramble.

I must've missed the Sega PC announcement for Sega Splash! Golf, as I was genuinely surprised to see that Sonic the Hedgehog was hitting the links. He's not doing a Mario Golf-like stint, simply appearing alongside other Sega trademarked characters for an online, Japanese only golf game. It looks like he'll be joined by regular sidekick Tails, Ulala from Space Channel 5, NiGHTS, Opa-Opa from Fantasy Zone and a puyo from Puyo Puyo as one of the guest stars in an otherwise uneventful cel-shaded golf game. Michael McWhertor

Last year, model Yuri Ebihara was everywhere. This year, she's still around, but less so. Still, Sega hired her to promote the new Puyo! Puyo! game for the DS. We've posted the tv spot before (it's after the jump), but not this making-of clip, which even at two minutes plus feels long. Hearts of Darkness or Burden of Dreams, this ain't. Brian Ashcraft

Puyo Puyo [Japan Sugoi]

That pink-helmeted warrior is today's nerd hero. His name is Naoto Fujimura, and he recently appeared on TV Tokyo's TV Champion 2. Vitals: Fujimura is 19 years old and actually owns an Xbox 360. No, really. His favorite game? THE iDOLM@STER. Pretty much the entire show is after the jump, complete with Aya Ueto and Yu Yamada ads. It's almost an hour and all in Japanese, but you should be able to follow. Grab a chilled beverage, settle in and cheer Fujimura on as he battles his way to the top! Brian Ashcraft

Human Mario. Contestants must jump on a trampoline, grab the giant coin and answer doozies like "Besides 'Developer System,' what does "DS" stand for?" or "What happens when you touch Stufy's sister Stapy?" or the nerd riot inducing "When choosing a file, how do you make Luigi appear in-game?"

The nerds have gotten better at jumping on the trampoline and get dished questions like "How many different types of dogs are in Nintendogs?" or "What happens when you say umeboshi twice to Dr. Kawashima?" Stage 2 includes having contestants name all 64 enemies appearing in New Super Mario Bros. from memory without repeats!

Note: "Kurokki—" does not appear in NSMB. Contestant Wada in the business suit owns this round! The loser does not advance, which is an insane Puyo Puyo giant fan battle.

Onto the Championship Stage! We get a tour of 19 year-old Naoto Fujimura's THE iDOLM@STER room. He's up against wanna-be game programmer Yoshihiro Nakajima, the ten-hour gamer! He's a gentle soul and *hearts* Pokémon Pearl. There's a quiz, and the winner gets an Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, DS and PSP. The first question involves naming Gundams in Gundam Musou, while the second one asks how to switch to the blue hard court in Wii Tennis. The third question involves the Xbox 360! And iDOLM@STER!! Can Fujimura pull it off?! The suspense is killing me!!!

And you were worried? Just look at the 10-hour gamer's reaction. But, there are two more questions, questions that don't involve the Xbox 360 or THE iDOLM@STER. But involve Nintendo stuff and Sony stuff.

And like that, it's over. Fujimura is no match for the soft hearted 10-hour gamer. But, watch out virtual idols!

Sega's popular puzzle series Puyo Puyo has been dated for the Nintendo Wii in Japan. The game, best described as Tetris crossed with Dr. Mario and Slime from Dragon Quest, has previously appeared on the PSP, the DS and PS2. The Wii version hits stores July 26th. The game will feature a versus and co-op modes in which players must work together to erase the blob lines. There's also a mode in which a player uses two Wii-motes to play. Call me old fashioned, but I'd still rather use my thumb than motion controls for a puzzle game. You? Brian Ashcraft

Puyo Puyo Dated [Game Watch]

The game looks great and all that—check our gallery below—but when Sega announces an RTS, I'm hoping for a game based on the great ChuChu versus Puyo war that's often being played out in my head. Michael McWhertor

WORLD DOMINATION AT STAKE AS SEGA ANNOUNCES UNIVERSE AT WAR: EARTH ASSAULT FOR THE PC

The Future of Earth Hangs in the Balance in the Next Epic Real-Time Strategy Game from Petroglyph, Makers of Star Wars: Empire at War

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (February 2, 2007) - SEGA of America Inc. and SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced the development of Universe at War: Earth Assault for the PC. Developed by Petroglyph, this combat-intensive real-time strategy (RTS) game enlists players in an epic struggle to prevent total alien domination of planet Earth. Universe at War: Earth Assault is scheduled to ship to retailers in North America and Europe in the Fall of 2007.

Universe at War: Earth Assault is set in the near-future when multiple factions from across the galaxy have come to Earth to wage epic warfare. Containing numerous features and customization options never-before-seen in the RTS genre, Universe at War: Earth Assault will create an exceptional strategy experience for single-player and especially multiplayer battles.

"Universe at War: Earth Assault will surpass the limits of what gamers expect to see in an RTS game," said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. "Petroglyph has a proven pedigree of critically acclaimed RTS title creation under its belt with team members that have worked on the original Command and Conquer and Command and Conquer: Red Alert. Universe at War: Earth Assault will be the culmination of years of development expertise in creating exciting and innovative RTS titles."
Universe at War: Earth Assault will employ a unique balance system called "Tactical Dynamics" that allows players to retrain and customize units in the midst of battle to better cope with enemy forces and tactical situations. Weaponry and defenses can be modified in true real-time to take advantage of constantly shifting battlefield conditions. Fully customizable tech trees will allow players to control the development of technologies that they deem key to victory.

Battles in Universe at War: Earth Assault will be large in scope and take place in malleable and deforming environments. Deadly sci-fi weapons and alien powers will allow players to destroy cities and whole territories on a global scale. Because the world of Universe at War: Earth Assault is persistent, players will be able to revisit previous battlegrounds to find them still smoldering in ruins.

Featuring innovative multiplayer modes inspired by popular massively multiplayer online games and competitive online playable titles, Universe at War: Earth Assault will give players achievements, rewards, and medals in a balanced environment to further encourage players to move forward in the game. Players from around the world will battle in persistent-style online campaigns for ultimate faction supremacy across a virtual representation of the Earth.

For more information on the game, please visit www.sega.com/universeatwar.

About SEGA of America, Inc.
SEGA of America, Inc. is the American Publishing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The SEGA of America Web Site is located at "http://www.SEGA.com" www.SEGA.com.

About SEGA Europe Ltd.
SEGA Europe Ltd. is the European Publishing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. The SEGA Europe Web Site is located at "http://www.sega-europe.com" www.sega-europe.com.

# # #

She's Japan's biggest model and trendsetter. Her name is Yuri Ebihara, affectionately dubbed "Ebi-chan" by all ("ebi" also means "shrimp" in Japanese). She's hocked McDonalds shrimp burgers, digital cameras, turned out flat performances in TV dramas and has appeared in countless women's fashion mags. Next up, Ebi-chan will be starring in ads to promote the Puyo Puyo DS game. Some gripe against her for always having the exact same expression. EVERY TIME. But, who cares? It's Ebi-chan. And there's Sega logo kissing involved. Brian Ashcraft

Ebi-chan *Hearts* Sega [Watch Impress]