E3 2001 Hands-OnAlien Front Online

Last year, Sega showed Alien Front Online in a back corner of its booth, showing off the online multiplayer, which works between the DC and arcade versions of the game. Real-time voice chat, using the same microphone that came with Seaman, was also shown. This year, limited booth space has caused Sega to scale back its AFO display even further, and they showed it off on one machine that featured the game's single-player missions.

The early single-player missions in Alien Front Online serve as training missions. On both the human and alien sides, you're trained in the movement of the vehicles and the use of their weapons. The control scheme works very well for all the vehicle types. The control stick moves and turns your tank. The shoulder buttons are used for strafing, which works similarly to Red Dog's strafing. This mechanic is quite effective, making it easy to circle opponents while still keeping them in your sights.

We spoke with Sega representatives, and they assured us that the plans to make the Dreamcast version compatible with the arcade version for online deathmatch are still on track, as is the real-time voice chat feature. Alien Front Online is currently scheduled to ship in early August.