The Dreamcast Junkyard

Night(mare)s Into Dreams

2009-07-13T19:50:00.007Z

This how sad/pathetic/gay my subconscious is: last night I dreamt that I went into a charity shop and found a massive stack of mint condition Dreamcast games hidden in a corner. There were copies of Rez and Resident Evil 3 (?) as well as bizarre games in PAL boxes that I'm certain don't actually exist. I bought a shit-load of them and then got into a faded red bubble car, drove to a factory and then got locked in said factory by an old lady who wanted to see my security pass. That I'd conveniently misplaced earlier in the dream. But I digress. What I actually meant to tell you is that I've got a new game! Well, new-ish. I actually got it a few weeks ago - at roughly the same time that Imperial Star Destroyer towed the McLaren joypad across the galaxy and dropped it off in orbit over Sub-Saharan Africa.

Lock up your daughters, it's Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000! Yeehaw!

Motorbikes! With big spiky tires and blokes called 'Chad' or 'Cory' riding them! RADI-FUCKING-CAL! Yes, Supercross 2000 is one of ill-fated Acclaim's final games and it's based on the real-life sport of rich Americans riding pimped-up scooters over mounds of mud, shit and human entrails. Other titles that have tried to emulate this intriguing past-time include Motocross Madness on the PC and Excitebike on the good old '64...but the similarities between those two games and Supercross 2000 begin and end with the subject matter.

You see, dear and appreciated reader, where Motocross Madness and Excitebike are the shining beacons at the very pinnacle of the motocross genre, Supercross 2000 surely represents the decimated basecamp that has been over-run by a shape-shifting alien that not even a beardy Kurt Russell can stop. A game of truly bargain-basecamp proportions (snigger!).

Now, lets not get too ahead of ourselves comrades: in time honoured fashion, I'll gladly slice open the bowel of this particular cadaver and spread the contents across your grandma's finest tablecloth in an attempt to sift through the shite and half-digested kebab and give you low-down on the features of the game:

Music by The Offspring (surely the most DC-featured band of all time?)
Clothing by No Fear
16 Tracks (8 indoor, 8 outdoor)
8 Riders
125 and 250cc modes
Erm...

So, there's a fair bit to JMSC2000 then. Lots of options, a decent number of tracks, a track editor, rider creator, suitable soundtrack...surely it's a recipe for greatness? Yes. A great steaming turd, that is. Why? Well, just like in Roadsters it seems like the developers had a whole host of great ideas and had this brilliant game planned and then they forgot to code it properly. It looks like a PS1 game. The animation of the riders isn't actually in the game code (I'd imagine). The frame rate is worse than one of those Disney cartoons from 1903 (or whenever). Basically, it stinks like a dead sheep that's been used (for several summer months) as a sexual plaything by Sloth from Goonies. In fact, going back to the Atari Jaguar, Supercross 2000 kind of reminds me of this:

Now compare it to this:

There are some definite similarities if you ask me, and even though the Supercross 2000 video is of the N64 version, the DC one is identical in every way.

Not a great game, then - but still a damn sight better than that reverse bowel movement more commonly known as Ducati World. If you want two-wheeled action on your DC, your best bet is Suzuki Alstare/Redline Racer...and even the bike sections from Head Hunter are better. Still, imagine if Sega had released a port of Manx TT or a Hang On reboot. Now that's a dream worth having...

You have probably already heard this. Dux + Wind and Water bundle sale

2009-07-08T13:13:00.003Z

Yeah. Late news again.

But still there might be one or two of you out there who has not heard about this.

Redspot games is doing a bundle on the new shooter Dux and the new puzzle game Wind and Water. €37.95 or $51.55.

http://www.redspotgames.com/shop/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=9

Pretty nice. Not a huge savings or anything but some people might be interested just for the convenience factor. They claim it's the cheapest bundle price on the Internet and I personally cannot prove them wrong.

So yeah if you were on the fence about buying these games then this might be the time to grab some copies.

Pulled from Sega Nerds.

(Also the Wind and Water has a neat little tribute to the Dreamcast on their site!)

Biggest DC Collection on Ebay ever: SOLD.

2009-07-04T15:11:00.002Z

Remember a few months back when I mentioned this insane Ebay Buy It Now consisting of over 500 mostly sealed Japanese Dreamcast games? Turns out I kept it on watch for a laugh to see if anyone would dare to buy it for it's 7,500 Euro asking price (no best offer option either). Well, I just noticed it 'ended' which it's said a few times from not selling over the 30 days each time it's been listed, but this time it says "sold".

Holy shite, who is this Dreamcast collecting nutter who just splashed out on this gigantic assortment of GD-Roms? Are they going to be played? Left to continue gathering dust in their sealed state? Used as bricks for a Dreamcast house utopia? Whoever just bought this: please get in contact with us and let us know please, so we can bow down to your superior/rich/insane self!

GameDeals Episode 4 - The Game-Files

2009-07-03T13:06:00.002Z

I got to admit, this is one of my least-favourite ScrewAttack shows, but this one episode is just awesome. Maybe because it parodies one of the greatest tv shows of all time, or maybe just because it's all about the Dreamcast! You decide...

Anyway, enjoy.

Goodbye Space Michael..

2009-06-26T11:33:00.006Z

Here's the mission where he appeared in full (from the English PS2 version). take note Micheal phoned up Sega personally because he wanted to be be in the game. That's just how awesome he was!

As you may remember from my 'Common Themes in Dreamcast land' Article, MJ was also playable in Midway's Ready 2 Rumble 2! Here's the first part of a complete play-though of the game with the king of pop!

R.I.P, MJ. I also have an article about his contributions to Sega over at Sega Memories.

Ay up, it's that bloody Shenmue again!

2009-06-24T20:14:00.005Z

It would seem that truth is stranger than fiction, and indeed, a good deal funnier too! You might remember that, a little while ago, in the comments section of our esteemed epistle, many chuckles were to be had at the idea of an alternative Shenmue universe. One in which our own Ryo Hazuki was a cloth cap and clogs wearing, twelve pints a night drinking, lard butty munching, whippet breeding tinker, such as you'd find in areas of Manchester, such as Gorton, Wythenshawe and Beswick.

Well if you let out a guffaw or two at the thought of this, then imagine no longer... For I have just been sent, by a shady underworld figure known only as Brrythnmd, an email of a video, of this most startling and revelatory delving into the mind of AM2 genius and Shenmue creator, Yu Suzuki... The British Shenmue!!!!

InsideOut Video of Dux

2009-06-22T12:51:00.002Z

Dux arrived in the post last Friday, so here's a video of what you get with the regular edition and a quick spot of gameplay, which is conveniently cut to not show how many times I blew up on my first go. I also also set it to an option that turns the background off without realizing that's what it meant by 'Perfect' so er...yeah.

Jenson Buffoons

2009-06-21T21:16:00.006Z

How do. I've been at Silverstone this weekend watching loud cars drive about for a 'Grand Pree' or something. Wasn't overly exciting, but I didn't have to pay for the experience (hehe!) so I'm not complaining. I did, however, spend a lot of the time baulking at the price of the food on sale at the event - one fuckwit had the cheek to try and charge me £7.50 for a cheeseburger that looked like it'd just been sat on by a certain Dr Banner, post anger-inducing incident. You'll be happy to hear that no exchange of currency took place, although a swift flash of the V sign did. On the bright side though, I happened to spot a bit of (slightly) DC related guff:

That's right folks, there was an 8-player Ferrari F355 Challenge trailer round the back of the Stowe corner grandstands...and people where actually queuing up for a go! If only the blinkered cretins had the sense to spend £20 on a Dreamcast and another couple of quid on a copy of F355, rather than £30 on a ridiculous Jenson Button baseball cap (that was no doubt made in Taiwan by a 6-year-old for about 14 pence), THEY'D NEVER HAVE TO QUEUE AGAIN!

Unless, of course, they were queuing for something other than a go on an F355 arcade machine...erm...

Back to the scene

2009-06-20T12:23:00.006Z

My Dreamcast hates me. And the worst part is, she's (yes, you all know I call me Dreamcast a "she") right! I've been neglecting her, only playing with my many other consoles (except for the N64, that one's sitting quietly in a dark corner). Maybe that's why the laser slowly began to fade away... But now it's back! I really have no idea what's going on, maybe it just needed to rest for a bit, but, anyway, what matters is that I've been playing the hell out of that thing lately, with 3 particular games, 2 I already had, neglected in the shelf, and a new one. Let's break it down:

Le Mans 24 Hours

Amazing game. The only reason I didn't play it much when I got it was because at the time I was more into arcade stuff. Now that I'm seriously in the simulator business this game is a godsend in the Dreamcast's library. The gameplay's just...right, you know? The cars respond to every move you make, with fully analog control that lets you turn or accelerate exactly how much you want, depending on the pressure you apply to the analog pad or the triggers, and it just feels good, driving those hi-powered machines in a variety of different tracks. The graphics are pretty damn awesome, and, of course, it gives you the option to race the whole Le Mans challenge, in 24 hours real-time!

Radilgy/Radirgy/What-the-fuck-you-want-to-call-it

Personally I like to call it Radilgy, as in Radio Allergy. Because that's what the game is all about, your character having a radio-wave allergy, and her father's being kidnapped, and you taking control of a flying robot shooting wave after wave of enemies... Pretty generic shmup storyline, you see. As I stated sometime ago in a comment to a Martin's post, I had it, though, as what happened to Le Mans, at the time I got it just for collection's sake, not exactly to play it. Well, now things are different. In the past months I've became a huge shmup fan, so I inevitably had to play this. Here's what I think.

The graphics are awesome, pure cell-shaded, bright colours, delicious animations goodness! The gameplay is tight, the controls respond well and the game's not impossibly difficult (although it's far from easy). There's the regular shot, a special move identical to the bombs in other games but which is used primarily to render you invulnerable for a period of time and a close-range sword attack, powerful but dangerous to perform since you're right next to the enemies, making it difficult to dodge incoming fire.

I only have two major gripes with the game. First, you can't use the analog pad. This is just stupid. If the damn thing is the closest you have to an arcade stick, why the fuck shouldn't they allow you to use it? The d-pad's fine, but it just isn't the same... Second, the main shot is weak as fuck. Even when you power it all up certain enemy ships take about half a minute to blow up, which leaves you felling like you have a peashooter on your hands.

Other than that, great shmup, specially considering the rather weak competition when it comes to the Dreamcast (face it, it wasn't a particularly great machine for shmup fans...).

Wind & Water: Puzzle Battles

Finally! I thought I would never get my hands on this game! (now I only have to get that Dux...) Played just a little bit yesterday, not enough to pass judgement, but I can already tell you two things. First, the gameplay is rather unique, so be prepared to suck at it at first. The game features a nice tutorial, explaining everything in detail, but still, don't expect to master it right away. Second, this game was made with love. Seriously. The attention to detail, to make this game appealing to the player and has solid, complete and polished as a game can be is really astonishing. Also, the soundtrack's great.

Now, I've only really saw the tip of the iceberg, but I can already tell I'm going to love it. By the way, Gagaman and Father K, would you be so kind as to send me your custom character's codes? I'd love to play as both of you :P

(Gman's rummage vid)

Dux is shipping out!

2009-06-17T21:04:00.003Z

If you put in a pre-order for the latest indie Dreamcast shooter DUX, it's should be winging it's way to you from today, and according to the DC-Scene forums some people in Germany already have it. If you're one of those few and can type English, post in the comments with your impressions!

HUCAST put out some rather tasty preview photos of the final pressed boxes, both the regular and special edition, in their pretty DVD cases that can sit along side your other late Dreamcast shmups like Under Defeat and karous, if you were lucky enough to get your hands on those of course. Personally I have both editions ordered (the L.E with Play-Asia, so hopefully they don't let me down!) and they'll be sitting rather nidely besides Cosmic Smash and Segagaga, and also Last Hope Pink Bullets when it makes it way into the post.

Supermassive Black Pad

2009-06-15T20:09:00.002Z

Look here, you contemptible buffoons (no offence intended). Back in the day, I was one of the three people in the UK who owned an Atari Jaguar. I'm sure there were many more in the US, but my predictions are based on hope, rather than fact. This is irrelevant though, since whilst my European contemporaries were kicking ass on Streets of Rage 3 or indulging in the superlative brilliance of Super Mario World, I was trying to convince myself that I'd embraced the future by enduring the 'delights' of...erm...Club Drive, Trevor McFur in the Crescent Galaxy and Cybermorph (pictured, yesterday). Cough.

I'd like to say they were fond memories, but I'd be lying through my gargantuan ass. That's because the Jag was the very zenith of bilge. The reason I dredge this subject up like the decomposing carcass of a sheep that wandered too close to a canal edge, is that the Atari Jaguar will always be remembered for two things: A slew of sub-16 bit 'games,' and that fucking ma-husive joypad. For those that never sampled it's charms, here's a pic:

This is what a 64-bit Interactive Mulitmedia System joypad looks like

Yes, beloved reader, its the same shape and size as the crust from a loaf of thick-sliced Warburton's - and it features a bizarre telephonic pad in the middle that allows for 'quick & easy' access to camera angle changes and weapon selections (via an overlay that came with most games). To be blunt, it's the biggest joypad the Universe has ever known, has it's own postal code, and if you've got hands even slightly smaller than popular Bible baddy Goliath - you're pretty much fucked when it comes to using it. However - there is a new pretender to the Jaguar pad's throne. Ladies & Gentlemen, allow me to introduce the McLaren Dreamcast Pad!

Yep, it's a DC pad branded by the Formula 1 team McLaren. Yes - a pad. Not, bizarrely, a steering wheel, but 10/10 for effort guys. What you can't tell from the above picture though is the sheer scale of the thing. It's bigger than E. Honda's packed lunch - and in order to truly appreciate the colossal proportions of it, here's a comparison shot with the regular DC, PS2 and 360 pads:

Look at the 360 pad...scale is not exagerrated.

So, we've established that it's big. Really big...but how does it stand up to the official pad? Surprisingly well actually. Unlike most third-party pads, the McLaren one is very sturdy (not a great shock given it's size) and the analogue triggers are very responsive in driving games (again, not a great shock considering who made the thing). The one component of third-party pads that usually strikes fear into the heart is the analogue stick, but again the McLaren's is very robust and super-accurate. Strange, considering that it is actually a 'stick' protruding from the pad as opposed to the 'ball' that the official controller has.

Look here, Squire:

It's a stick and not a ball. How rude.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the McLaren pad though is the 'double rumble' one that's emblazoned on the box. Upon closer inspection (and finding that the rumble pack offers the same amount of feedback as when it's used with a regular pad), it appears that this 'double rumble' feature is only activated when the pad is used with 'compatible software.' Quite what this compatible software is though, I have no idea. And what the fuck is double rumble anyway? I'm assuming that there are extra vibration motors built into the pad (that'd explain the size), but I can't confirm this theory as I don't have a screwdriver that fits into the holes on the underside of the goddamned thing. Bah. I do have an assortment of hammers, bricks and crude cutting instruments but I tend to just use them when I need to smash open a coconut and devour the soft flesh contained within. Mmmm. Flesh...

But I digress. The McLaren pad is a worthy addition to the 'Yard even if it does require a flatbed lorry to transport, and is possibly the best 3rd party DC pad I've ever used. Smoke that, Madcatz.

Incidentally, I'm working at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone at the weekend. Might take my pad and get Lewis Hamilton to sign it. On second thoughts, he may not appreciate someone shoving a massive Dreamcast pad under his nose whilst foaming at the mouth and screaming.

Good news Everyone! Two Indy Projects Are Still in Development!

2009-06-11T23:07:00.003Z

First off Dynamite Dreams is still in development!

Still fighting to be on the Dreamcast!

I checked their website about a month ago and there was no activity at all so I lost hope.

But it appears they are still gonna make the game! Nice!

ALSO

Elysian Shadows is still being worked on and still is slated to be on the Dreamcast!

There seemed to be a pretty big shake up in the team but it looks like this game could actually see the light of a dreamcast's laser one day.

Wonderful news. Two Dreamcast projects that I thought might be dead are ALIVE.

Truly the undead console is king (or queen according to Gagaman(n)).

ALL HAIL THE UNDEAD CONSOLE!

Pulled from DC EMU UK and DCEmulation.org.

Treamcast!

2009-06-07T21:47:00.013Z

Sorry for not posting much of anything for such a long time guys, been quite busy as of late (see here if you're curious). Either way this post has been a long time waiting to be written as I actually got this a while back. I don't know if you remember me posting about anticipating something rather special in the post? Well this is what I sent off to a member of the Dreamcast Scene forums from Portugal..

...and here's what I got in return.

Yes, the guy who I did the trade with even went/goes by the name of Treamcaster online yet was looking to collect Dreamcast magazines and I just so happened to have a whole bunch of them from subscribing to it back in the day that were taking up a whole lot of room, so we did this rather neat trade! He even got on a webcam and showed me it working, which was awfully nice of him! I promised a Inside Out video of it and I still intend to do one when I've got time, but for now here's some photos.

For those not in the know the Treamcast is a Hong Kong unofficial system (but made with official parts inside, so it's not a clone like all those NES and mega Drive ones you see) that is quite a bit smaller than the Dreamcast, is chipped to play any region of game but best of all has a fold out 5" screen and a headphone socket. It even even comes bundled with a car adaptor so you could take it about on the go if you really wanted.

This is as far as i know the last of 3 models of this system made. The first was white and apparently didn't have that great of a screen, then it was released with a widescreen, which to be honest looked a little silly as it stuck out on the sides, and finally there was this black model with a better screen. It even has the normal TV connections so you can hook it up just like a normal Dreamcast too. Here it is running good ol' Marvel vs Capcom 2.

It's a fantastic piece of kit and while I seriously doubt Sega approved of it's existence (many a regular Dreamcast's must of been gutted to produce these) I'm sure it's probably quite the collectors piece too. There's something pretty neat about sitting sitting in bed with headphones on playing a bit of DC goodness in the middle of the night.

UPDATE: Because barry asked for it. I have no sunglasses, so feel free to photoshop some in. Stick them in a Miami beach setting while you're at it. UPDATE 2: Barry, you are brilliant.

Last Hope: Pink Bullets.

2009-06-03T18:57:00.007Z

If you loved "Last Hope" but felt it was lacking in pink bullets then you are in luck...

http://www.lasthope.ngdevteam.com/

The team that first created Last Hope for the Dreamcast is going to release a self-published reprint very soon (in July maybe?).

The Pink Bullets edition is not just a remake but they are tweaking the game a bit.

Yes, the bullets will be pink.

Also
- Six credits and instant respawn during one credit
- Higher player ship speed from beginning
- Players ship does permanently equip the Rotary Protection Unit
- Five difficulty settings
- Overall less hard difficulty
- Altered stage color theme for higher Visibility

I noticed the Overall less hard difficulty part right away. That should quell some of the complainers that felt that the original game was just too hard.

So is this a big deal? Well for people who missed out on the first release YES. For people who already have the game? Ehh...maybe not. It's essentially the same game.

Will this effect the value of the original game? I really can't say at this time. Gamers are quite fickle when it comes to stuff like this. Sometimes the original release is made MORE valuable by a re-release. Sometimes the original will lose value. Sometimes people will just consider the two items separate entities and their values will not effect each other at all.

Personally I never had the chance to get the original release. I am preordering.

You can preorder at Hucast, Play Asia and the NG:Dev Team website.

Any questions?

Go here.

PS:

Sorry TL for bumping your post. I felt this was somewhat big news.

Blue/Orange Ring of Life

2009-06-03T07:54:00.005Z

So, it finally happened to me. That thing that I've heard and read so much about finally came around and bit me on the ass. I'm talking about the dreaded 'red ring of death.' Just like whispering the name of the Scottish play before a theatre performance, muttering those four words prior to switching on your Xbox 360 will only result in a bizarre grinding noise and a crimson halo emanating from your console's faceplate. But this is a Dreamcast site, so why do we care? Well, I just wanted to bring it up because in the four years I've had my (second-, and maybe even third-hand) Dreamcast, it hasn't died. Granted, there was the whole speaker wire/controller board incident but it still battles on nearly 10 years after the last units rolled off the production line.

All hail the Undead Console!

Incidentally, even though they are responsible for one of the greatest crimes to retro-gaming in the modern age, I'd like to give Kudos to the guys at Gamestation who effortlessly swapped my 360 for another one...and also sold me an extended 2 year warranty for twenty fucking quid.

Next up: Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000 and an exclusive review of the McClaren Dreamcast pad. I realise how exciting this news is, but for the love of God CONTAIN YOURSELVES!

Roads? We don't need Roads(ters)

2009-06-01T17:44:00.011Z

As I was driving my noisy, smoke belching, coal-powered, big-ass truck around the tranquil idylls of Southern England and flicking my fingers at church-going Women's Institute members t'other day, I spotted this:

It's an orange spiral that looks vaguely like an orange Dreamcast swirl! From America! Or Japan! Vaguely! OK, I realise that this is barrel scraping of the worst kind possible, but relax - I also bring news of Ebay-age, M'lud!

And before you groan and go back to your copy of Readers Wives and that mug of luke-warm tea you've got balanced on the arm of your battered couch/bed - I'm not doing a マーティン and trying to flog my (ill-gotten?) gains through the DCJY. No - I personally don't think this is the kind of place I'd get away with advertising a nearly-new PVC gimp suit and matching powder-coated dildo (although, email me if you're interested. Only light stainage). Ahem.

No, dear reader. I've been buying...

...this:

Roadsters

I remember Roadsters fondly from my pathetic pre-Dreamcast days. I used to have it on the N64 and to be fair it was a pretty solid game. It had cracking hi-res (for the N64) visuals, tight controls and was just a fun little game all round. So, forgive me for thinking the Dreamcast version would be just as good - if not better. Y'know, what with it being released much later and on a vastly superior console and all. Wrong. It's fucking hideous.

The first thing veterans of the N64 version will notice is that the visuals have hardly improved at all. Whilst the Nintendo version appeared to squeeze the very core of the N64's graphical heart until every last drop of rice pudding was drained from it (yes, N64s have rice pudding inside them. Strange, but true), the DC version looks like something running on a Speak & Spell. Spell 'crap.' C.R.A.P.

Cardboard cut-out trees. Check.
Over sized sized track-side objects. Check.
Bizarre scenery fade-in. Check.
Static crowds. Check.
Static vehicle drivers. Check.
Badly pixelated 'real time' reflections. Check.
Random bouts of slowdown. Check

These are just some of the problems Roadsters suffers from in the graphics department. I could go on, but if I do you'll still be reading me moan on about visual shortcomings until the coming of the next ice-age. So I'll moan about some other stuff instead. The sound. Where is it?! I don't know if it's just my SCART lead or my TV, or a combination of the two (Roadsters isn't VGA compatible, surprisingly), but the sound kept fading in and out seemingly at random so I spent most of my playtime sat there in silence. Shoddy programming. Check.

Next - the controls. Roadsters has the worst control model I have ever experienced in a game. On any console. Ever. Tap the analogue stick and your car will go careening into the nearest wall and then either just stop dead or be bounced along at super-sonic speeds. This effect appears to be random, for some wooden fences will grab you like some unnatural spectral magnet, whilst others seem to have been greased up with lube that sends you off up the track at the speed of light. The best bit though, is when you don't touch the analogue stick and your car still flies off at an angle and hits a wall! Oh how I laughed. Then switched the console off.

Roadsters is clearly a game that could've done with a few more months in development because even an imbecile like me can see that it's not a finished product. What the hell where the playtesters thinking when they gave this the thumbs up? Where they all pissed or something? What's even more annoying about this whole debacle is that there are some truly interesting ideas in Roadsters. For example, the developers decided that the straight road racing seen in the N64 version wasn't enough for Dreamcast gamers, so they added in a whole host of natural disasters to make the races more interesting. So, on one course, a volcano erupts turning the sky black and spraying magma onto the road, whilst on another an Earthquake hits and shakes the whole track violently and on the Docklands track a jumbo jet crashes, devastating certain parts of the circuit. All great ideas that where sadly tacked on to a virtually unplayable mess of a game.

I was really looking forward to playing Roadsters (no, really) simply because of my experience with the N64 incarnation but this DC port has left me feeling massively underwhelmed. Quite how Player 1 and Titus managed to completely destroy the experience of racing convertables around exotic racetracks is a mystery even Inspector Clouseau would have trouble solving.

So rather than waste your time playing through this piece of utter shite, here are some suggestions of other things you could do with Roadsters:

Microwave it

Toast it

BBQ it (well, it has been sunny recently)

Eat it

And finally, shit it out.

Oh well. Just got to wait for Jeremy McGrath Motocross to turn up now...

Ho hum.

The search for Arcade Boy.

2009-05-30T15:36:00.005Z

"I found myself on a hunt to track down somebody I played at Street Fighter Alpha 3, 10 years ago, half way up a mountain range in India!" (Lee Bradley)

So the story goes, a British man was in India on his way to Tibet when he found a makeshift "arcade" in the Himalayan hill station of Darjeeling.

"When I say “arcade,” what I really mean is a collection of old televisions wired up to PlayStations, arranged across a battered formica tabletop. Covering the entire back wall was a massive cabinet stuffed to bursting with pirated PSOne games, complete with poorly photocopied boxart. For just a few rupees the young boy that ran the arcade would grab the game of your choice, pop it into a PlayStation and keep you topped up with cups of Darjeeling’s finest. After days of travelling, catching snippets of sleep on noisy, dusty trains, this was exactly what we needed." (Lee Bradley)

The best part of this story? If Lee Bradley finds the kid who ran the arcade someone is going to give him the best gift anyone can give. A Sega Dreamcast and games.

"As a result of that post a mysterious benefactor contacted the editors at Bitmob and offered to send a Dreamcast and a box of games to the arcade." (Lee Bradley)

I hope they find that guy so they can provide some awesome arcade gaming to travelers. Who wouldn't want to play some Marvel Vs Capcom 2 after traveling through the Himalayas?

Full Story

http://www.bitmob.com/index.php/mobfeed/The-Search-for-Arcade-Boy.html

Radilgy / Rajiruji / Radirgy

2009-05-27T09:17:00.004Z

Radilgy or Radirgy, shortened from Radio Allergy, the proposed North American release (Rajiruji in Japanese ラジルジ) is a vertical shooter released late into the Dreamcast's official life; February 16 2006.

In addition to the game, which could only be bought through SEGA Direct in Japan in 2006 (how I ordered mine) is a phone card for use in Japan. This was quite frequent with releases in Japan through SEGA Direct, but seems more fitting in this game as you essentially play a girl (or boy) that has to rescue her father from terrorists so she (or he) can get the medicine for their radio allergy. Mental I know, but this is Japan!

So, how does it fair with the other Dreamcast shooters? (what shooters I hear you ask??). Well, it's pretty solid, but it's no Ikaruga - but what is. The styling of the game is pretty unique; cell shaded graphics (think Jet Set Radio) over VGA really make the Dreamcast seem like it was released in 2006. If you're a collector, or just into shooters; I would heavily recommend this game. There's a really fun soundtrack to the game as well - which is a refreshing change as many shooters decide to go down the 'dark and dismal' route.

There's a variety of button commands, including shoot, bomb and a like of sword attack. This adds hugely to the strategy of the game. The casing of the game shows off some of the attention to detail given within the game. It's hard to think a title of this quality was released so late in the [official] life of our beloved Dreamcast.

So sure that this would be a great title; I bought two. Yes, that's right, I have a sealed copy up for sale on eBay and you can bid on it here. I'll leave you with a little gameplay video. Enjoy!

Tickets Please!

2009-05-21T10:00:00.005Z

Right. Listen up you 'orrible lot. Things have been getting out of hand around here the last few weeks. Too much frivolity if you ask me. Frivolity and fun. And that's the problem with the youth of today. If it's not playing Dreamcasts, it's raping OAPs and smashing up bus shelters whilst under the influence of cheap cider. To address this problem and restore the equilibrium, today we're going to have an educational session.

Ever heard of Isambard Kingdom Brunel? Yep, it's a ridiculous name, but I'm guessing most of you enlightened DCJY followers have read many, many volumes on Brunel's genius - but for those who haven't, here's the science bit.

But why, pray tell, am I bringing Mr Brunel to your attention? Well, it's because he has something to do with my latest Dreamcast-related purchase. Sort of. You see, Brunel built railways. Not personally of course - he employed yokels and vagabonds to do it for him (and paid them in broken dreams and dysentery, or so I'm told); and with my latest acquisition - you too can indulge in a bit of railway building 'action':

Railway Tycoon 2 has arrived at platform 758!

Exciting, I know! It's a game...that lets you build railways! Across fields! So you can transport textiles and passengers to different towns! Not only that, but the back of the box states:

All new 3D game engine!
Addictive and deep gameplay spanning from 1804 to 2000 and beyond!
60 Engine designs!
Realistic stock market enabling take-overs, mergers, stocks, bonds and bankruptcy!

A REALISTIC STOCK MARKET! STOCKS! MERGERS! Take 2 Interactive - with this number of insanely exciting features you are spoiling us!

So, Railway Tycoon 2 then. It's a bit like the bastard lovechild of Sim City and Command & Conquer. With trains. You start the main game in the early 1800s and have to build rail connections between various little towns. As the game goes on, you'll be given more arduous tasks such as transporting goods (like milk, eggs and flour - now there's a recipe for disaster and/or pancakes) and building bigger and better stations. As the years 'fly' by (not in real time, you understand) you'll be able to buy more advanced diesel and eventually electric engines. The game also promises to yield 'futuristic' flying trains with machine guns, lasers and matter displacement cannons on them, but in all honesty you'll either go bankrupt before you reach the 1930s (something that happens with alarming regularity in Railroad Tycoon 2) or just lose interest altogether, turn the Dreamcast off and go for a shit/piss/pint (delete as applicable).

Should really think about reducing their carbon footprint

As far as I'm aware, there are only two real time strategy games on the PAL Dreamcast - this and Conflict Zone, and even though I've been a tad critical of Railroad Tycoon's subject matter (c'mon, trains are hardly exciting), it's probably the better of the two. Graphically it's pretty accomplished - especially when played in VGA mode. The landscapes roll impressively and the building and train models are superbly detailed - you can zoom in and out and rotate the view to your heart's content and it never stutters or slows down. The sound is a little less impressive, but you'd never expect to have SUM 41 or Nine Inch Nails blasting out whilst your steam locomotive struggles to get up a hill.

If only the DLR ran this smoothly

If you're the kind of person who shuns human contact in favour of the scale model representation of South West Trains' rail network in your attic, and you also happen to own a Dreamcast - then get a bit of Railroad Tycoon on the go. You won't be disappointed.

"New" Dreamcasts Not Really New? Who Knew!

2009-05-20T19:36:00.016Z

Well it turns out that there seems to be a few bad apples thrown in the bunch.

Not really New...

It seems like some of the "new" Dreamcasts being sold at Think Geek were not really new at all. (Probably returned items)

Ever vigilant wraggster from DCEmu alerted me to this in his most recent article after he read all about it in Gizmondo.

Gizmondo ran the article about the matter after they read one from the Consumerist.

The Consumerist ran the article derived from a Rumors article written at Destructoid by Nick Chester.

So lets run down the list.

Destructoid originates story.

Consumerist grabs story.

Gizmondo gets story via Consumerist.

DCEmu reads story on Gizmondo.

I read the story from DCEmu.

I knew a guy in college who was an extra in a movie starring Kevin Bacon! Yeah!

I hope this doesn't lead to people thinking that we aren't really on top of all the Dreamcast rumors flying around. I mean we were kinda in the top ten of the people who first reported this (At least we were when I first started typing this out).

All kidding aside the Think Geek Monkeys replied to the Gizmondo article with the following comment.

"Hello from ThinkGeekland!

We emailed Destructoid's editors [where this post originated] late last night but haven't seen the posted amended, so here's our Official Apology, in blog comment form.

First, a little backstory: We came upon an amazing cache of new-in-box Dreamcasts not too long ago. We had a bunch of units shipped to us to inspect them, and indeed, though the boxes were a little worse for the wear on the outside, the consoles had nary a scratch and even the wire twists that bundled the cables had never been undone. It was like magic--magic that had been hiding in a warehouse, unknown, for years.

So we asked our source from whence these beautiful Dreamcasts came, and they didn't know--could've been a liquidator, or a Circuit City that had closed shop. (Hear that? It's the sound of a plot thickening.)

But we'd seen them with our own eyes and figured it was best to share our discovery with the world. Hundreds were snatched up quickly and squees were heard 'round the internets.

So far we've had 2 instances of not-so-new-in-box Dreamcasts. The individual who received the one reported here contacted us via email (which never appeared in our inbox, for some reason) and Twitter (through which we've taken care of the situation) has already been issued a return shipping label. We're more than happy to refund him for the Dreamcast as well as shipping.

We're very sorry about the whole thing--we never meant to ship used Dreamcasts. We know our customers are smarty pants and could tell if they'd been duped with a stale Dreamcast; we'd never get away with taking advantage of you guys, so why would we try?

And now we have 3 options: 1. Stop sharing the gift of new Dreamcasts; 2. Have them all shipped to us and inspect each one individually and then ship back to the warehouse; and 3. Continue spreading the (mostly) untainted Dreamcast love and working with the very few customers who get lemons.

We hope you'll understand why we're continuing to offer them on our site (when we get our grubby little paws on more, of course). And again, we apologize to the 2 customers who ended up with what appears to be returned merchandise.

--The ThinkGeek Monkeys"

This was their response to the original Destructoid article.

Personally I did order a Dreamcast from them (Though I would have had seconds thoughts if I knew that Monkeys were processing my order...damn dirty primates.). It was in a beat up box that smelled faintly of bananas but it was NEW.

If I had gotten a used Dreamcast I would have known and I would have been a bit upset. But really folks. It's a console that's ten years old. You are always rolling the dice when you order stuff online. Still it looks like Think Geek is gonna back up their reputation and work with the people who got screwed over on this deal. It also looks like the number of people that did get screwed over might be very small.

-All Hail the Undead Console!

P.S. - In the article about ThinkGeek's response blogger Nick Chester used the word "Debacle" to describe the situation. It's my personal opinion it was more of a Kerfuffle or perhaps a Snafu.

Shenmue PAL vs NTSC-J

2009-05-18T06:33:00.007Z

Where are the sailors? 船員はどこですか？ Whether you ask this pertinent question in English or Japanese, one thing is true... you're talking about Shenmue (hopefully). This game is without doubt one of the best games ever made. Hailed throughout the gaming world, Shenmue is an RPG with a difference. If you haven't played it, go and buy it.

The differences between the Japanese and PAL versions are quite subtle. Obviously, the PAL version also includes some interesting voice acting - but aside from that, the games are near identical.

Not so when it comes to package presentation...

The Japanese version of the game clearly has a larger focus on the excellent artwork and less about brand recognition and an 11+ rating. Online functions are advertised on the PAL pack as this was a big pushing point in Europe.

The backs are largely different too. Similar use of graphics - I prefer the PAL version this time. A nice little blurb in each language, followed up with all of the other info. One thing I think the Japanese versions always win on though, is the column on the right - showing number of players, game type, accessories etc...

Jewel case vs. the PAL format... looks like there's 3 CDs in the NTSC-J version??

Why yes! We not only get the game but also a "Shenmue Jukebox" CD for our aural pleasures, with the following tunes:

What a treat! Typical of a Japanese release - extras that the fans will love are thrown in. As so often is the case - probably in a cost-cutting measure or just because the West "doesn't get it" (SEGA Europe or SEGA Japan deciding?? Take your pick), we were left short without this great little extra.

Here's one of the songs:

Upcoming Homebrew: HyperTension

2009-05-17T20:10:00.003Z

Want even more homebrew FPS goodness on your Dreamcast? Well I've just been informed about this project by TDGMods called Hypertension. It's based on and the Monolith series Blood, and is being developed with an engine called EDGE, which is based on the Doom source code. Here's the video preview:

The game is unfinished so all the bugs haven't been ironed out yet but either way it looks interesting. The game has some RPG elements including an inventory so you can combine items to make weapons. Looks like theres some good fun to be had setting enemies alight with a lighter and spray can, reminds me of Dynamite Cop/Die Hard Arcade!

Kiss Psycho Circus - Videogame Torture

2009-05-14T19:23:00.004Z

I've played some great games on a variety of systems so far this year - Resident Evil 5, Gears Of War 2, Left 4 Dead, God Of War, Resident Evil (remake), House Of the Dead Overkill, Tekken: Dark Resurrection, and so on... But in every gamers life comes the need to reconnect with his Dreamcast, and most recently I decided to do this via the unholy game mentioned above.

Thus, I've played/endured a Dreamcast game called Kiss Psycho Circus: the Nightmare Child. And what a fucking nightmare it was...

If you look at the sidebar of the Dreamcast Junkyard, you'll see a section devoted to Tomleecee's Dreamcast reviews. In there, is a review of Kiss Psycho Circus, which says: "This game is appalling. Rubbish graphics, rubbish design, just plain rubbish." I should have heeded the words of our leader, instead I chose to recklessly ignore them.

I'd played it a little way back in the day, and my hazy memory recalled it as being a little bit different to anything I'd seen before. It was, in fact, the first the first FPS I'd ever played. But some sort of software or hardware glitch had cut my playing experience short. Six or so years later, I decided to give it a go for the second time...

So what is this monstrosity all about then? Ostensibly a first person shooter/mythical quest type thing, the game has very tenuous links to the rock legends Kiss. In fact it's got more to do with a comic: "KISS: Psycho Circus chronicles the adventures of an unusual traveling circus. The macabre stories focus on exploring the deepest, darkest corners of the human soul." (according to Image Comics.)

So what's it got to do with the band then? (initially the main selling point for me - who doesn't like spandex and stage make up???)

Well, fuck all really! You might find a jukebox or stereo which will play a Kiss song. As the player, you go around collecting pieces of Kiss costumes... Ace Frehley's platform boots, Gene Simmon's shoulder pads or Peter Criss's cod-piece. There are rumours on the internet that if you put the GD rom in your PC that you'll get a Kiss pinball game - not true. There are also rumours that if you put the GD rom in a CD player, it'll play a few classic Kiss tunes -also not true. You do, however get a very snotty sounding English lady telling you take the disc out of your CD player, as it's only compatable with the Dreamcast (!) which is quite surreal...

The game ends up being a very tedious run through of a middle of the road, dated, FPS. Some of the game's monsters are pretty well designed, some of the landscapes boldly coloured in psychedelic hues, which make it alright to look at for a while, and graphically lies at a kind of cross between Half Life and the more trippy boss levels in NiGHTS. Having said that, why when some publishers were able to come up with graphics as good as Soul Calibur, Sonic Adventure, Code Veronica or Headhunter, did so many Dreamcast software publishers settle for knocking out games which look average, like Death Crimson OX, or this one?

The game gives you nothing for your dogged completion of levels. No 'easter eggs', interesting cut scenes, hidden mini games or unlockables. If you die you get put back a long way, meaning the necessity of replaying of elements of the game over, and over, and over again. The story is literally one of the most convoluted pieces of bullshit ever, one that I can't be bothered to relate. The cutscenes that are in the game are minimal, there's nothing to collect and the boss battles are never really going to inspire. After literally hours of playing through seventeen, long, long levels, the game just fizzled out with one of the most boring and simple boss fights ever. Nothing memorable at all.

I was hoping for a Dreamcast revelation, a repeat of the joy I found when I played 'SOTB: Gut's Rage' last year, or completing Headhunter earlier this year. But the only joy I had from completing this game is knowing that I beat it, completed it and I'll never have to play this particular piece of crapola again!

A Shenmue promo pen - 1998

2009-05-13T13:39:00.007Z

On my first trip to Japan in 2006, I went to a local little shop somewhere in Osaka that sold all sorts of computer games related stuff.

Somewhere way down there!!

I ended up buying a whole manner of things, which I am sure to talk about. One of which was a Shenmue Pen (shown below in a glorious photo I took). I've kept in the box the entire time, so I can't comment on how the little blighter writes... but I bet that if you tried to write with it, the little thing would only scribe "Do you know where I can find the sailors?" or "Umm...".

It's just a standard ball-point pen, but it's from the Japanese promotion of the game and as such is quite a rare item. I've never seen one before (a Shenmue pen, not just a pen). I know there's a lot of promotional material for games these days, but it's rare to see something from 1998 lurking around. The shop owner said he'd picked it up sometime in 1999, so it's original location is unknown to me.

I've decided to sell this little gem, so if you fancy a chance of owning it, go and get yourself a piece of gaming history.

EDIT: The original post lacked content somewhat, which was kindly pointed out by a reader and fellow blogger - have a read in the comments section. I respect the DCJY is a place for premium Dreamcast content and admit not meeting that requirement in my original post. My intentions the entire time were to allow an avid DC fan the chance to own this piece of history... I didn't want it going to some loser that'd mark it up.

There's a particular comment below that really got my back up, but we can take that offline, Ross.

Dreamcast History: System Shock 2.

2009-05-12T20:36:00.003Z

Half.com has an interesting system for looking up video games they have for sale. They list EVERYTHING including Dreamcast games like Half Life that were never released.

As a point of interest to me they listed something else too.

System Shock 2!!!!

Shodan on the Dreamcast!?!?!??!?!

Oh...what could have been...

This falls under the category of "I had no friggen' idea this existed." How awesome would this had been? As it is now I have to hook up a different PC to make my PC copy of this game to work (video card conflict). How great would it be to hook up the old Dreamcast mouse and keyboard and kill some Many???

Alas this never happened. Vatical Entertainment canceled the port.

One has wonder though...

...is there a playable copy of this game floating around somewhere in the ether of the Internet?

If there is please let me know.