Post a Comment On: The Dreamcast Junkyard

[Image] May 22nd saw the release of a new update from the team working on the hotly anticipated Dreamcast Bomberman clone Alice Dreams Tournament. This update brings news both good and not so good; with the latter being that the game will no longer make its intended June shipping date. Reasons cited for this delay include the implementation of VMU functionality, the production of the 'making of' video, and other small bug fixes:

"It is important to be honest and tell you that we will not be ready in June. We still have promises to realize or terminate: the additional VMU interactions, the 'making of' and other small fixes."
 - Alice Dreams Website
While this is disappointing, it is commendable that Alice Dreams are being totally honest and transparent. While no firm release date has been given, I did reach out via Facebook to state that I'd really like to have the game playable at The Dreamcast Junkyard's stand at this years Play Expo Manchester in October, and they assured me it would be ready by then...so that's something at least.

[Image] Wonder if it'll support my Nokia 3310... The other news to come from this update is that Alice Dreams Tournament will support online leaderboards which are accessed using either a QR code or an alpha-numeric code that can be typed into the website. In a similar fashion to the leaderboards utilised by Sturmwind, once you've attained a score, you can enter this code and see how you measure up against the best Alice Dreams Tournament players from around the world. The addition of QR codes shows just how current indie developers are, integrating new technology into Dreamcast games to enhance functionality. You can check out the test leaderboard by visiting this link.
[Image] The new 'paint bomb' mode. The final piece of news to come from this update is that another new gameplay mode has been added to the game, and it comes in the form of 'paint bomb.' This mode appears to be similar to the graffiti mode in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, in which players must 'tag' as much of the on-screen play area as possible to win.

These two new developments make Alice Dreams Tournament an even more exciting prospect for those hankering for some local multiplayer action, and I for one cannot wait to trial it at some upcoming social events.

Please be sure to visit the Alice Dreams Tournament website; and check out our developer interview with lead developer Julien Desquenne here.