Joy to the Swirl: A Festive Feast of Christmas(ish) Dreamcast Games

This post has been updated and expanded from a version that was originally published in 2024. Enjoy!

This time of year the barrage of shopping, crowds, attention-thieving ads, and obnoxious mall displays can take their toll. Their cacophony of superficial Christmas chaos drowns the soul. 

Approaching my wits' end, I try to slow down and reclaim the seasonal spirit in whatever small ways I can muster. First there's the traditional stuff: the Christmas markets; the Griswold family antics; the catching up with friends over pints...

Before long, it's time for the festive video games.

I'll start with playing the obvious ones: Restoring cheer to Twin Seeds City in Christmas NiGHTS. Scaling the giant snowman in Banjo Kazooie's Freezeezy Peak. Mario dropping the baby penguin off a cliff...

It'sa wholesome holiday tradition!

Inevitably, I'll boot up my Dreamcast and really kick the season into high gear. Sega's swansong console is blessed with a multitude of titles which radiate a festive aura in one sense or another. Some are decked with Christmas cheer, others are dusted with wintry snowscapes, and a few simply relish in escapist revelry. Whatever the case, I thought I'd take a stroll through the platform's jolly games in this blog post. Settle in, grab a hot beverage, and huddle up to the warmth of your Dreamcast fan…

***

Blue Stinger 

Ditching any semblance of survival horror, Blue Stinger stirs a cocktail of action/beat ‘em up, B-movie camp, and Yuletide vibrancy. And that understates how hard it goes on all counts.

 

Whether you crave gory fisticuffs or holiday cheer, Blue Stinger indulges in both and spares all nuance. Want to obliterate Dinosaur Island’s mutant folk? Its vending machines dispense a feast of gatling guns, rocket launchers, lightsabers, and stun rods (my personal favorite) for your destructive delight. Need a jolt of merriment? It’ll bury you in an avalanche of neon snowmen, chipper earworms, and bizarre Pen Pen cameos. There are no half measures in Blue Stinger and God bless it for that.

Hassy Holidays, everyone!

In all, Blue Stinger embodies holiday excess and it will charm the shit out of you if you open your heart to its violent revelry.

Anyway, I’ll move on as I've spilled plenty more ink championing Blue Stinger as a highlight of the Dreamcast’s festive offerings and its library in general. We also celebrated it on the Dreamcast Junkyard's DreamPod Episode 137 and The Sega Lounge Episode 282, two podcast episodes fully dedicated to Shinya Nishigaki and Climax Graphics’ immortal holiday classic.

Christmas moral: We can brute force our way to Christmas cheer with a little kung fu and napalm.

Beverage pairing: Hassy & vodka

Dessert pairing: Gingerbread dinosaurs

Song pairing: This song on loop for 10 hours

Cool Boarders Burrrn! (NTSC-J) / Snow Surfers (PAL) / Rippin’ Riders (NTSC-U)

UEP System's Dreamcast snowboarding game sports a different title in each region but I've always appreciated their common commitment to alliteration. The game itself, though? Eh — 

My expectations were likely overblown by the spoils of other turn-of-the-millennium snowboarding games. I've always balked at Snow Surfers' relative rigidity. It affords limited potential for exploration and improvisation which contrasts unflatteringly against the expressive freedom of SSX, Amped, and Steep Slope Sliders. 

I still revisit Cool Boarders Burrrn! each winter, hoping to somehow enjoy it more than I traditionally have. The checkpoint timers are unforgiving and tricks are restricted to a handful of dedicated launch points (a la other Cool Boarders games). Each run offers just a couple viable approaches, yet — only recently — I've felt compelled to keep retrying them to improve my best times and trick scores. There's a certain hook there.

Decades onward, and unmoored from the shadow of its contemporaries, I've found a merry little game in Snow Surfers. With some persistence, carving the slopes feels refreshingly kinetic and the chill beats, nifty set pieces, and wintery village locales are charming as hell. It only took a couple of decades but Cool Boarders Burrrn! is beginning to feel a lot like a toasty tradition in its own right.

Christmas moral: Something...patience...something, something. Also, alliteration is alright.

Beverage pairing: Jingle Juice with Mountain Dew

Dessert pairing: Christmas crumble

Song pairing: "Walking in a Winter Wonderland"

Shenmue

AM2’s classic Santa stalking simulator needs no introduction here. I’ll just say that few things feel as cozy as moseying around Dobuita's bustling streets at Christmastime with the snow crunching under Ryo's sneakers. Tailing Santa around town, It's always amusing to see him peddle local boozers to underage teenagers before imbibing at them himself. Ryo can't stay out too late, though. Ine-san will worry and he still has to wake up early for his forklift job on Christmas Day. 

On a related note, Mark's pre-shift forklift races are mandatory but don't pay jack squat. That's bullshit.

Christmas moral: Unionize.

Beverage pairing: Milk

Dessert pairing: Nothing. Ryo doesn’t eat food in Shenmue because he is a ryobot

Song pairing: “Sometimes You Have to Work on Christmas (Sometimes)” by Harvey Danger

Pen Pen TriIcelon

20 Years of The Dreamcast Junkyard: A DreamPod Special

Incredible artwork by Animated AF!

Continuing The Dreamcast Junkyard's 20th Anniversary celebrations, we've got a very special episode of the DreamPod for you! I thought it'd be a great idea to reunite some of the people who helped spark and shape the site's journey — founder Tom Charnock (of course), two of our earliest writers Aaron (aka Animated AF!) and Simon (aka Father K), and long-time contributor Mike Phelan — for a nostalgic saunter down memory lane.

I'm a bit of a sucker for hearing the origin stories of things I love (I blame interviewer Nardwuar for making me catch that bug), and I'm also a huge nerd for this website I contribute to, so when hosting this I wanted to dive into how it all began — while also dedicating time to sharing our fondest memories and reflecting on what makes the site so special to readers around the world. Enjoy!

You can listen to this episode of the DreamPod and all of our previous episodes on Buzzsprout, along with all great podcatchers.

Sega Dreamcast Visual Novel "Di Gi Charat Fantasy" has been Translated into English!

Hey kids! Do you like visual novels? …What’s a visual novel, you ask? Honestly, I don’t blame you for not knowing. When it comes to video game genres, these things are nicher than even the Sega Dreamcast itself. Well, Di Gi Charat Fantasy is a visual novel, and it's the latest English fan translation project to come our way from hacker extraordinaire —and good friend of the Junkyard— Derek Pascarella, along with a team of other talented individuals. 

Di Gi Charat Fantasy will be the the second officially released Dreamcast visual novel to receive an English fan translation patch, the first being Nakoruru: The Gift She Gave Me (also released by Derek et al) which received its updated 1.3 patch back in June.

Originally released exclusively in Japan on PC in early 2001, with a Dreamcast port following later that year, Di Gi Charat Fantasy presents an alternate storyline to Di Gi Charat, an anime and manga series I remember being fairly prevalent in the late-90s to early 2000s. The game was then ported to PlayStation 2 with some additional content as Di Gi Charat Fantasy Excellent. This PS2 port received an English fan translation back in October from Gopicolo, and serves as the basis for Derek's patch for Dreamcast.

Here's a little background on Di Gi Charat, and what you can expect from the plot of the game...

"The early anime [of Di Gi Charat] is set inside Gamers, a real retail chain in Japan that sells character goods and pop-culture media, with the main store in Akihabara. Dejiko, Puchiko, and their floating companion Gema work at Gamers, trade barbs with rival idol La Vie en Rose, and lean into running gags like Dejiko’s signature eye beam attack.

"In 'Di Gi Charat Fantasy' on Dreamcast, players will find themselves pulled from the familiar Gamers setting into Etatia, a separate fantasy world. During a spat at Gamers, Dejiko fires her eye beam, a portal opens, and the whole group is swept away. The player character wakes in a forest with Dejiko, who now has amnesia and a gentler demeanor. From there the story follows a visual novel structure with voiced scenes, character banter, and route-shaping choices as the cast explores Etatia, meets new allies and foes, and works toward restoring Dejiko’s memories and returning home."

Di Gi Charat Fantasy is a pretty standard visual novel. Lots of cutesy anime characters and text to read, with a wide variety of choices to be made that effect the direction of the narrative — with eight different character routes in total. There are also plenty of anime cutscenes in this one, so it's definitely good for existing fans of the series. Despite this, it is still accessible enough for those who haven't engaged with the franchise before.

If you fancy giving Di Gi Charat Fantasy a try, you can head over to its GitHub repository to download the patch. Instructions can be found in there on how to patch an existing GDI of the game. Another handy download that can be found in the repository is a fully completed VMU save. The game locks its "Extras" section until the player has completed all eight story routes, so this downloadable save file will give players immediate access to a cutscene gallery, a video gallery, and a music jukebox. Again, instructions can be found in the GitHub on how to transfer the save to a VMU.

Download Patch (1.0)

I always love to see Japanese Dreamcast games get translated for English-speakers, making them accessible to a whole new audience. Let us know if you'll be giving this one a go in the comments...

Inside the Machine: The Making of NBA 2K and NFL 2K for Sega Dreamcast

I sat down with two original NBA 2K and NFL 2K engineers to learn how they helped build the two iconic sports games and I ask: can 2K Sports make a return to NFL greatness?

Moore’s Law, as described by scientist Michio Kaku in his 2023 book Quantum Supremacy, speaks to the concept that “computer power doubles every eighteen months.” But perhaps with an exception — the Sega Dreamcast seemingly defied Moore’s Law when it debuted in 1999. Game titles NBA 2K and NFL 2K for the Sega Dreamcast by studio Visual Concepts looked and played like sports gaming in a new medium.

Based on Sega’s NAOMI architecture, the Dreamcast would offer a glimpse of what advanced computational processing and graphics processors are capable of today. The Dreamcast offered buttery smooth frame rates, and was one of the first machines to offer competitive online sports gaming. Even more, Sega Sports, with its slow-motion instant replay systems and its patented 2K-camera bokeh, created the illusion that the 2K Sports world was alive — and I wanted to learn more about how these games were made.

I spoke with two different tools engineers on the original NBA 2K and NFL 2K development teams to learn about the technical, translational nature to their work on what was the new Sega Dreamcast hardware. What follows is a rare, unexpected, and deeply technical look inside the original 2K Sports, exploring how Sega and Visual Concepts created the foundation of NBA 2K and NFL 2K.

Custom Tools Engineering and Maya

The first topic of conversation was custom tools engineering. What are custom tools in game development and why are they important? Visual Concept’s tools engineers built custom solutions to smooth out animations, lighting, and graphics when those assets were built in the Maya software suite and ultimately migrated to the final game engine environment. I discuss those topics first with 2K Engineer One.

DCJY: May I ask if you worked on gameplay or designed tools for the games?

2K Engineer (One): I was a tools engineer, mainly writing exporters and customizations for Maya. As far as I can recall, at the time VC did not have dedicated design staff. Design was done primarily by engineers and artists. Greg and Scott, the founders, also contributed to design.

Excellent. What kind of exporters and customizations for Maya? Anything gameplay oriented or for ratings, or for visuals? Player ratings are usually very mysterious for sports games players.

2K Engineer (One): Exporters were mainly about modeling and animation. Modeling includes level design, e.g. stadiums, lighting, and character design. Character animation started as mocap data, which always needs a lot of cleanup. For example, mocap will typically clamp rotations to +/-180 degrees; that can result in a discontinuity when the source data crosses the threshold. Things like the peak of a sinusoidal wave that crossed the limit will be snapped 360 degrees to the other side. Mathematically they are equivalent, but it’s confusing to see, and can introduce sampling errors along the discontinuities.

So I’d create Maya plugins that would automate curve clean-up, or to apply various lighting tricks, or other things to automate tedious work that artists and animators would encounter. Sometimes I might add custom user data to the elements in Maya; these would tend to be more design oriented. Ultimately it would all get exported in formats that could be consumed by the game engine.

Things like player stats were tabular, maybe done in Excel. I don’t remember specifically, but that would make sense.

Thanks for this breakdown. I think this explains a lot of things that come up in games, like clipping, and various quirky animations that need those custom solutions.

Editor’s Note:

The turn of the millennium gave way to the rise of 3D sports gaming and powerful hardware. With better hardware technology, new software was developed to take advantage of the new capabilities that the Dreamcast now offered. With new software came new programming languages, new disciplines, and the demand for cross-disciplinary skilled workers to make sense of it all.

Tools engineers and technical artists would prove to be a key for Sega Sports and Visual Concepts in maximizing the Dreamcast’s capabilities from launch.

20 Years of The Dreamcast Junkyard

I was just going to ask ChatGPT to write me a post about this and add some fuel to the ever-churning AI slop engine that now both powers the internet and pushes RAM prices to cataclysmic levels; but as I was about to click 'generate,' I was visited by a ghastly apparition. The spectre that appeared before my very eyes was a scruffy, hungover urchin uttering barely coherent gibberish about GD-Rom drive emulation, hi-tech VMUs with colour screens, countless new independently developed games, wireless Dreamcast controllers and revitalised online servers. Disgusted by its unkempt appearance, I tried to waft the unspeakable phantom's form away with a swipe of my hand. It was then that I realised that I was actually seeing my own image reflected in my monitor.

Shocked and appalled by what I had witnessed, I promptly closed ChatGPT (other shite slop generators are available) and came to my senses. The 'this' I mention in the opening sentence of this post — and alluded to by the title — is the realisation that yes, we have indeed been here for twenty years. Two decades of Dreamcast-related nonsense here at The Dreamcast Junkyard. And lo, I thought that was worth waffling on about for a bit. Well, waffling in text form. You get the idea.

Before I continue though, just for shits and gigs, I did actually ask a popular AI thing what it knew about this very blog. I know this is super cringe, and the modern day equivalent of Googling yourself or putting yourself on Hot or Not to see if your face does indeed look like a three week old jack-o'-lantern that's been left in the sun...but let's just have a bit of fun here. So, what does...er...Gemini think The Dreamcast Junkyard is? 

Here's what it projectile vomited:

That's a great question! The Dreamcast Junkyard is a well-known, independent, and passionate online collective dedicated to the Sega Dreamcast console.

Here is a breakdown of what they do:

• Online Hub for Fans: It's considered a leading source for news, reviews, retrospectives, and everything else related to Sega's final console, which was discontinued in 2001 but still enjoys a dedicated fan base.
• Content Focus: They produce a variety of content, including:
• Reviews and Articles: Deep dives into both classic Dreamcast games and new, commercially released indie/homebrew titles.
• The DreamPod Podcast: A podcast that focuses on Dreamcast culture, collecting, the community, and general retro gaming topics.
• Hardware Coverage: They often look into Dreamcast peripherals, different console variations, and preservation efforts.
• Passion Project: The site started as a personal blog in 2005 by a fan named Tom Charnock and has grown into a collaborative, not-for-profit effort run by a team of dedicated enthusiasts.

In short, it's a thriving online community that keeps the spirit and excitement for the Sega Dreamcast alive and well!

As if to demonstrate how utterly unhinged these AI models are, and to further illustrate why we absolutely do not need this bullshit, the gushing nature of this response actually makes me feel a bit embarrassed. Also, I'm aware that copying and pasting that garbage back into this blog is only going to add to the ever-decreasing circle of content scraping depravity that these LLMs engage in...but at this point the internet is so far removed from the one that existsed back in 2005 when I started this blog, that its a bit of a moot point.

You can probably tell from this opening gambit that I'm no fan of AI, and I apologise for even using it to try and be funny (I'm not). Interesting that the whole 'It's Thinking' US Dreamcast campaign leaned so hard into the whole 'Dreamcast is so advanced it knows what you're going to do' thing. But I've digressed again...so let's get back on track. It's been twenty years since my first post here at the 'Yard — a blog I started because I was insufferably bored. I'd recently got back into the Dreamcast, and I'd been engrossed by resources such as Dreamcast Scene et al and thought I might take a stab at just making a personal blog about buying all the Dreamcast games I could find now (then) that had become super cheap.

2005 was a very different time in the world of Dreamcast. The console was essentially in the bin; the Xbox and PS2 and GameCube were the stars of the show and Dreamcast games, consoles and peripherals were on sale —at least here in the UK— for literal pence. Nobody wanted or gave a shit about the Dreamcast, outside of those spaces on the internet such as the aforementioned DCS and similar hotspots of the fandom. When I first started this blog, I never intended it to be any more than a personal diary where I recounted buying up all the old games I'd previously owned, while casting an eye over the ones I'd never had the opportunity to experience the first time around. I didn't set out for anyone to read it, I had no expectations at all. It was simply a thing for me to exercise my limited creativity, try to replicate the actual games journalists I'd grown up reading in magazines, and just have a bit of fun. I never for one moment thought I'd be here, twenty years hence, writing this drivel on a blog that has — as surprised as I am to realise it — become something of a cornerstone of the very community I looked up to in the first place. For that, I am truly grateful.

But it was not, and never has been a solo endeavour (well, apart from those first few months where I simply amused myself by writing slightly unhinged posts about stuff only tangentially related to the Dreamcast). Many talented individuals have graced the pages of this blog and not only served the memory of the Dreamcast, but have gone on to be highly successful in other fields. There have been events held in person, I've somehow been invited to write for esteemed magazines and books and launched a podcast (and been a guest on other podcasts) even though I can barely string a coherent sentence together.

What I guess I'm trying to say here, is that this whole thing isn't about me. It's about you — the ones here reading this right now. You, the people with the skills and knowledge and knowhow and enduring curiosity and love for the Dreamcast. The hardware, the software, the endless possibilities when it comes to engineering new limitless solutions which keep this platform alive. The ones who buy the indie games, post online, make YouTube videos, chat about recently discovering the Dreamcast and asking which games you should buy. To you I take my hat off — you keep the dream alive. I have done nothing really, but report on what you do while simultaneously being a spectator and a commentator on what awesome people can achieve with awesome ideas and awesome hardware. I'm just a fan, as it were. 

I've not been alone in keeping The Dreamcast Junkyard going for the last couple of decades; there have been many people who have exhibited their talents on the pages of this blog, on the podcast, on the YouTube channel and on our social media accounts. I'm not going to list them all, but they know who they are. So yeah, here we are, in 2025 still keeping the fires burning and below are some nice comments from people who have either consumed the content produced by the team here over the years, produced the content themselves, or are friends we met along the way. And I might add, if you want to skip the following messages, you might want to scroll down to the bottom to see what we have planned to celebrate this milestone outside of this simple blog post.

Some nice words from real people who are definitely not AI

James Harvey (DCJY): "As someone who read the Junkyard from the very beginning, it was a surreal honor to finally meet Tom and become a part of this wonderful team. Twenty years covering the greatest console ever, and we still have new things to talk about every month!"

Laurence Goodchild (DCJY): "The fact that the Junkyard has been kicking out articles for two decades on a strictly independent and non-profit basis is a huge achievement. No grifting, no clickbait, no shilling, and a messy website that actually maintains some character in a sea of monotony. I bloody love it. Hopefully the DIY ethos and community spirit can be sustained by future generations of volunteers."

Lewis Cox (DCJY): "The Junkyard is a pillar of the Dreamcast community, and I think I speak for many fans when I say it's a pivotal stop on anyone's Dreamcast fanboy journey. I was absolutely stoked when Tom asked me to join the site in 2018. Fast-forward a few years and I’m deep into writing deep dives and recording the podcast — and loving every minute of it. I’m honoured to be one of the many people helping to keep this wonderful website alive, and grateful to Tom for allowing me to take on more of an administrative role as he roams the rain-soaked country roads of the United Kingdom on his motorbike. I can’t believe it’s been 20 years, let's make it 20 more!"

Mike Phelan (DCJY Alumni): "Longevity is a rare commodity nowadays. Fads rise and fall, what is ‘hot’ and indeed what is ‘not’ changes on a near daily basis in a world where information bounces around at light speed and ‘trending’ and ‘viral’ have become bywords for our collective inability for things to keep our interest. Against that, a little blog started 20 years ago has stood the test of time. Outlasting Sega’s own time in the home console market, one site has kept the fires burning for a machine that has proven to be a true gaming underdog. What started as one man’s Dreamcast journey has morphed into a hub of information, a community of like-minded nostalgic gamers passionate both about the past and shining a light on a niche, underground scene still brimming with life. In doing so, it differentiated itself from ‘other’ gaming sites — a very British sense of humour, never afraid to tell it how it is and a self-deprecating ability to never take itself too seriously.

"There’s been ups and downs; a podcast listened to by thousands, panels at gaming conventions, exclusive, exciting ‘breaking news’, interviews with DC legends; many have passed through the hallowed halls of the Junkyard, some continue the fight for recognition of the swirl, others now content with the occasional re-emergence and more still faded into the midsts of time. Friends have been made, enemies too I’m sure (the Wild West days of the DCJY Facebook Group certainly were interesting!) but the Junkyard perseveres.

"My own favourite memories of the Junkyard start before I even came on board. It was a site that I discovered not long after getting back into the machine (2007-ish? My memory, unlike the DCJY, has faded with the years); Tom and the early apostles of the DCJY scripture were beacons of a shared love for the little machine of dreams. I watched as it morphed into something bigger than Tom surely ever imagined. I remember recording a podcast dockside in Bristol, interrupted intermittently by the sounds of a train; representing the ‘Yard in the Vegas of the North, myself and Tom sharing a panel with Dreamcast luminaries in a moment that still feels slightly surreal. The chaos of podcast recording, the joy of reading articles ranging from ultra informative to downright anarchic, and of course the infamous Dreamcast Junkyard Ultimate Collectors Guide. I will forever be grateful to Tom for helping to get the first version of the guide out into a physical form; it started with a random email to a site I held as the epitome of the Dreamcast scene and ended with a cease and desist from SEGA.

"Today the Junkyard remains as strong as ever. The captain may have changed — now steered through treacherous waters by Lewis with a fresh crew of Dreamcast zealots (Lewis and the Dreamcastanauts? Would make a great name for a pop-punk band), it continues to present insightful commentary and news in its own way. Here's to 20 years more —and beyond— of The Dreamcast Junkyard!”

Aaron 'Animated AF!' Foster (DCJY Alumni): "Surely it's not been 20 years, right? Now I think about it, it does feel like quite a while ago since I was walking down to my nearest GameStation to nab a few more two for a fiver Dreamcast games! My memory is pretty fuzzy about how exactly I stumbled upon the Dreamcast Junkyard back then, but when I did I was enamoured to find Tom doing the same GameStation trek and documenting it, so much so that I wanted to join in! This was in a point of my life where I was really starting to find my voice online and the wonders of tech like YouTube meant I could start even showing people silly stuff like playing Virtua Tennis with a fishing controller and talking about how blowy-shitty-uppy Bangai-O was! The Dreamcast console still holds a special place in my heart and most of that is due of the wonderful community that grew from this at-the-time humble little blog! Cheers! *clink*"

James Brown (Shenmue Dojo): "The Dreamcast Junkyard has been my go to retro gaming website and podcast for as long as I can remember now, consistently keeping me connected to the wonderful world that was SEGA’s swan song console. It’s been my main source of news and allows me to keep in touch with all of the inner workings of the Dreamcast community, who are all as passionate (and just as mad) as myself. The Dreamcast has literally shaped my life, and continues to do so, with Shenmue my biggest inspiration. The Junkyard has stood by our side through thick and thin and ‘I await whilst praying’ for many more moons to come!"

Patrick Traynor (Sega Saturn, SHIRO!): "I first encountered the Junkyard back in the Spring of 2015. I just started getting back into Dreamcast collecting after a couple year break, and followed a few retro podcasts prior. Looking for Dreamcast content, I found the DreamPod and fell in love. The podcast had everything I was looking for: an early 2000s aesthetic, an amazing knowledgeable staff, great guests, and recommendations for Dreamcast titles I've missed or overlooked. 

"The podcast was so amazing, it eventually inspired me to start my own about the SEGA Saturn with a few friends, which became SEGA Saturn, SHIRO! Years later, I've gotten to collaborate with the Junkyard, and proud to call many of you involved with the Junkyard friends. Just saying thanks would not even be close to what I owe the Junkyard. Congratulations on 20 years everyone, definitely looking forward to the next 20!"

Derek Pascarella (Hacker/Fan Translator): "Wow... 20 years of The Dreamcast Junkyard! It's hard to put into words just how significant the Junkyard is, and has been, for the Dreamcast scene. For me personally, the DreamPod remains one of my biggest comfort listens. Whenever I hear that "This is a Dreamcast disc, and is for use only in a Dreamcast unit" soundbite play, a warm blanket of SEGA goodness envelopes me from head to toe. I must also say that I adore how strongly The Junkyard supports so many personas in the Dreamcast scene: indie developers, content creators, and even romhackers (like me). 

"The finger is truly on the pulse, and you can always count on The Junkyard being at the forefront of posting about new games, new devices/mods, as well as new patches and hacks. Hell, you can even find amazing retrospective posts on Dreamcast games we've all been playing for over two decades, full of details and insights that somehow manage to make those old games feel like green fields with so much to discover and enjoy. We love you, Junkyard. Thank you for two incredible decades! My life is, without a doubt, better because of Tom's little pick-ups blog that grew into the world's best one-stop-shop for Dreamcast fans.”

KC (The Sega Lounge): “It’s crazy when everyone’s celebrating these big milestone anniversaries and you’re forced to face the fact that you, yourself, are getting older. However, as much as it’s weird that The Dreamcast Junkyard is already 20, it’s also strange that it isn’t older. To me, it feels like it has always been a part of my online life, if that makes sense. The Dreamcast is still, to this day, a big part of my life, and whether I want to be informed or entertained, I know DCJY is the place to be for all my (blue) swirl needs. I can always count on the Junkyard team to stay on top of the happenings around the Dreamcast scene, share their love for a new and promising indie darling coming to SEGA’s box of dreams, or even just find a barber!

“The DreamPod is also a permanent part of my podcast listening rotation and a very enjoyable show that never fails to leave me smiling after each episode. I’ve been fortunate enough to be on the show and privileged to have some of the guys on my own podcast. A delight. 

“When the topic of relevant websites comes up in conversations with friends, DCJY is always mentioned. Frankly, it’s not just a relevant SEGA or video game resource, but also a prime example of how to keep a community alive and well. So here’s to the Junkyard’s 20th anniversary! May you keep us all dreaming for many more years.”

Freakdave (Developer): "I’d come across DCJY before, but things really took off when Luke Benstead (Kazade) and I (Freakdave) released our Tunnels demo into the wild. We ended up with a mention on the DCJY site and a nod in one of their countless Dreampod episodes. Now here we are in 2025, and I’m raising a mug of coffee in my Dreamcast Junkyard cup to wish you a very Happy 20th Anniversary!"

Ross Kilgariff (Developer): "I was contacted by Tom from The Dreamcast Junkyard 8 years ago (!) for an interview on my work-in-progress game project, at the time called "Dungeon Ross". I had no previous experience promoting my games and getting a message from "the press" was a really big deal to me. I told my family members and proudly shared the link to the article and video. The interest that DCJY showed back then gave me confidence and made me want to stick around on the platform. So thanks DCJY for 20 years of service, and here's to 20 more :)"

Dreamcast Enjoyer (YouTube): "Raising a Hassy to celebrate 20 years of the Dreamcast Junkyard — a wonderful community and still my internet homepage to this day. Thanks for keeping the dream alive, lads!"

Adam Koralik (YouTube): "20 years of talking about the Dreamcast, at least you still make me look like the young one. Next year, come to the US for a bit and you'll be old enough for me to get you a beer, that I guess by my own logic I'm not old enough for. Keep dreaming!"

Video Game Esoterica (YouTube): "DCJY is turning 20? One more year and it can legally drink High Life! But seriously...how has it been 20 years? I still remember finding the site forever ago looking up some Dreamcast info and it's been a part of my "Sega Life" since then! I love that a console that had approximately a three year lifespan can make 20 years of engaging content and still not feel old! Here's to another 20 years so we can buy DCJY a '40th birthday' balloon like I got this year!"

Daniel Ibbertson aka DJ Slope (YouTube): “The Dreamcast Junkyard has not only been one of the most valuable sources for all things Dreamcast (and beyond) but the team behind it have personally helped the channel multiple times too with their invaluable knowledge. It's always a pleasure to remember to open up a browser and binge on what the site offers and as a hardcore sega fan. I'm chuffed that the site is still going strong 20 years later.”

PC Wizard (YouTube): "A 20-year accumulation of Dreamcast-related words and phrases that come together in a wonderful tapestry of articles to celebrate the world's best video game console. It brings tears to my eyes! Or maybe that's just the onion I'm cutting as I write this... Either way, happy 20th to the greatest junkyard on the web!"

Adrian O’Neil (DCJY Superfan): “Congratulations on the 20th anniversary of the Junkyard! Genuinely the Junkyard/DreamPod is my favourite Blog site and podcast. All contributors to the Junkyard are amazing. A special thanks has to be reserved for Tom.. Here’s to another 20 years!"

Uncle Clutch (also a DCJY Superfan): "I got caught in the Dreamcast spiral back in ’99, and the Junkyard has kept it spinning in my head ever since. Nostalgia pulled me in at first, but new games, projects, and the friendly community have kept me in its orbit. Congratulations on 20 years!"

What a lovely collection of messages, I'm sure you'll agree. Brings a tear to th'eye, I tell thi.

But wait, there's more!

It would be rather remiss of us to simply post a blog about reaching such a milestone. Back when we reached our 10th anniversary in 2015 we ran a competition in collaboration with SEGA Europe where they gave us a load of Dreamcast Collection limited edition vinyl records to give away. Hands up if you remember that? But I digress (again). This year we have something equally as cool, and we'll be announcing the details in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out!

Look up to see Aaron (Animated AF!)'s amazing tribute to the Junkyard's earliest header design!

For now though, I just wanted to once again thank everyone who comes here to read our articles, listens to our podcast and who just generally has a passion for keeping the Dream alive. To the people who continue to churn out the podcasts and the articles and the social media content. Without all of you out there keeping the Dreamcast relevant, there'd be no point in any of this. So thank you.

With that, I'm off to watch some AI-generated videos of Will Smith eating a Pot Noodle through a fence. Ciao for now!

A Tribute to Retro Gamer Magazine's Nick Thorpe

Second from the left: DCJY founder Tom Charnock, furthest to the right: Nick Thorpe

Everyone here at The Dreamcast Junkyard is extremely sad to learn of the passing of Retro Gamer Magazine’s Features Editor, Nick Thorpe. Nick’s tragic passing occurred on the 1st December 2025 at the age of 38, and was sadly announced to the retro gaming world in the days that followed. We offer our condolences to Nick’s family and friends at this extremely difficult time.

Some words from The Dreamcast Junkyard founder Tom Charnock:

"I first met Nick at a gaming event of some description back in the mists of time. I knew who he was because I'd read so many of his articles in Retro Gamer over the years, and knew he was a fan of the Dreamcast — anyone with the social media handle "HKT3030'" must know his stuff, right? I had many conversations with Nick over the years, and he often commented on my articles on esoteric Dreamcast-related topics here at the Junkyard. I certainly appreciated that we shared a love of the highly obscure (and dry humour).

"The last time I saw him in person was at an open day at The Retro Collective's studio/museum in Gloucestershire where we played some arcade cabinets and discussed Amstrad CPC games at great length (for some reason!) Nick was always affable, incredibly well read, hugely respected, and a genuine joy to speak with. I think everyone who had even a brushing encounter with Nick would have only positive things to say about him; and his catalogue of features for Retro Gamer... well, the sheer quality of the research that went into his oeuvre will be hard to beat. My condolences go out to Nick's family, his colleagues and his friends. Thanks for your time in this crazy world, Nick — you will be missed."

Kev Mason recounts his memories of hosting Nick on the DreamPod:

"The impact that Nick made on us here at the Junkyard is difficult to describe in words at such a sad time, especially for someone like me, whose written word is the weakest of their communication skills. But the evening we got to spend chatting with Nick back in December 2023 for DreamPod episode 126 —where we discussed Nick's career along with the Dreamcast special edition of Retro Gamer (issue 254)— is something that myself and Lewis fondly remember, having been lucky enough to be the co-hosts for that episode.

"Nick's enthusiasm and knowledge utterly shone through during that conversation, alongside his warmth and charm, as he discussed his career and favourite games on the Dreamcast, and how he got extra pages added to that special issue of Retro Gamer on the final day of the deadline; all so it could have more Sega Dreamcast content.

Top-tier taste.

"During the chat, he told us about how he convinced his mum to buy him a Dreamcast under the guise that it could function as a family computer and could be used for homework by him and his sister due to its online capabilities. He then went on to explain how he coded his first-ever HTML website (a Sonic fan site, no less) using the on-screen keyboard and a Dreamcast controller, as he didn't yet own the Dreamcast keyboard. He would later go on to create and write for his own Dreamcast blog, Dreamcast-Lives, where he covered the later era of Dreamcast releases, before going on to write for Edge, GamesTM, and other magazines and sites during his career.

"Whilst the recording itself was shared with fans, myself and Lewis had the pleasure of a near hour-long chat after the show, where Nick shared a frankly fantastic story about Sega Rally 3 and its secret UK location test that had myself and Lewis cracking up. We also had a lengthy discussion on wrestling and the Dreamcast's various wrestling games, which was another topic he had an incredible amount of passion and enthusiasm for. This inspired some early planning discussions about needing to get him back in the future to record a full-fledged wrestling DreamPod episode."

We thank Nick for all the time and passion he shared with us, and we hope his family and friends can find comfort in knowing the impact he made on us and so many others in the wider retro gaming community.

- Signed on behalf of all the team here at The Dreamcast Junkyard.

Dream Disc 25 is Here! - Key Details and an Interview with the Organisers

Guess who’s back? Back again? Dream Disc’s back. Tell a friend. Guess who’s back, guess who’s back, guess who’s back, guess who’s back un-nuh-nuh….

Emboldened by the stonking success of their inaugural Dream Disc game jam in 2024, today (1 December 2025) Psyops Studios and Orc Face Games launch this year’s iteration of the competition ‘Dream Disc '25: Monster indie hits to grind until your eyes bleed’. Ok… I made that subtitle up. But if the outputs from the jam are anything like last time, then its sentiment will hold true.

For those new to this project, here is a basic run-down. The small but mighty development outfit Psyops Studios and the publishing maestros of Orc Face Games team up to organise a game jam (like a musical jam, but with coding) in which creatives of all hues are invited to collaborate and compete to produce games, applications, or even hardware for our beloved Dreamcast. The idea being that, with a supportive atmosphere and a clearly defined deadline to keep to, those involved will be motivated to produce new material that may otherwise have failed to materialise. Not convinced? Well, there are also the much more tangible incentives of cash prizes and a potential spot on a physical professionally produced demo disc. 

Pop in Dream Disc 24 and zone out to the trippy menu screen. You won't be disappointed.

Last year’s jam brought forth 24 software submissions, many of which were staggeringly well polished given the circumstances. The top ten made it onto a demo disc which is still available at the extremely generous price of shipping alone, but some of my personal favourites (Dream Ride and Big "Mfkin" Drill) didn’t make it past the crooked esteemed judging panel, and so I would still highly recommend checking out the full range of entries which we covered on the blog and the pod. 

Dream Disc '24 winner: Sky Pirates of Etalmar

Get the gist? Alright, on to the important points about this year’s game jam: 

• It begins today (1 December) and runs all the way through until the end of February 2026, after which the public can review entries, and the judges begin the arduous task of whittling down the winners.  
• Everyone is welcome, from beginners to old hands. Think you fancy producing something for the Dreamcast? Then check out the jam’s itch.io page, read the rules over on the Orc Face website and drop into the Orc Face discord server to meet up with others. 
• The jam has a super wide remit. Aside from software and hardware for the DC, applications that run on other platforms which are directly related to Dreamcast development or gaming are welcome. However, all submissions must be based on original content or content you have the rights to use, which rules out most mods and fangames.
• Lacking in time or creative thoughts (I feel you), but want to support the jam? Consider throwing a few quid into the prize pool – every penny counts!

Here at the Junkyard we are delighted to be sponsoring the Dream Disc jam once again. In practice that means one or two of us from the editorial collective will offer up our meticulous and fair-minded judging services, and that we will endeavour to give the game jam entries the coverage they deserve. OK, maybe they deserve better, but we will try our best…

Alright enough rambling from me. Here are a few words from the keystones of the whole shebang, Cypress from Psyops Studios and Ross from Orc Face Games.

DCJY: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us. We know you’re busy, so we’ll keep this sweet and to the point. Its great to see the Dream Disc game jam return for a second round. Presumably the inaugural competition must have been good fun if you are back for more?!

Cypress: For me, it was the most fun I’ve had with a jam, so it’s a no brainer to attempt to host it every year for my own interest. That being said, when we were originally coming up with the idea for Dream Disc, we envisioned it as a yearly jam, but understood that the deciding factor would be whether or not the year one event actually went successfully. Back then there was a point where we were worried we wouldn’t even get 10 submissions to fill up the disc!

Ross: Indeed! There were way more submissions than we anticipated last time and this year it’s looking to be nearly double that again! Orc Face Games’ contribution will be the same as last time: to compile and manufacture the physical CD-ROM with the top 10 submissions and provide it free of charge (at the cost of shipping) to anyone who wants one. Our belief is that the indie Dreamcast scene will become more interesting and vibrant with organised jams like this, and hopefully it will encourage more developers to consider making full releases for the platform. That’s where we’d be happy to provide publishing services.

The jam is being organised by Psyops Studios and Orc Face Games. Practically speaking does that mean Cypress and Ross, or is there a broader network of people involved?

Cypress: At least on the Psyops side, it’s just me (Cypress) handling it. The rest of the Psyops team is going full steam ahead on our next game, with Haikuno handling his libGumball UI library for our game, Nupi working on game and engine code for our Dream Disc submission, and Chao-Etta working on her VMU games.

Ross: Although the jam belongs to the community, it does fall to Cypress and myself to handle the organisation side of things. Generally the work is split between us with me handling the rules, the submission format, the promotional assets and the physical disc production side, and with Cypress handling the promotion and outreach side - getting more people involved in the jam, looking for judges, setting up the itch.io page and nudging me to get things done in between my very busy schedule.

The timeframe for the jam seems to have been extended quite significantly this time around, running over a 3 month period. What was the reasoning behind that choice?

Ross: Last year there were at least three people who said they would be unable to participate because they were travelling or seeing family over the holidays. Running the jam over the winter break is a great idea for many people as they have enough time to dig in and get some work done, but it was a shame to exclude those with other commitments. We hope extending the time will give more people a chance to contribute.

Are there any other changes to the format or approach? Anything you’re hoping to achieve that differs from the inaugural jam?

Ross: It was a struggle to get all the games working correctly on the compilation disc last time - so much so that it ended up taking me maybe two weeks of full-time work days including the time to build and optimise the menu and get the disc in the right format for pressing. I even had to modify the code for some submissions to fix bugs and get them to play nice on the final disc. This time around we’ve learned our lesson and are giving very strict submission format requirements. While this does mean a little more work for participants, the end result will be quicker to put together with fewer bugs. If this goes well, it will be our standard format for future years too.

The roster of entries last year was pretty special. Do you think enough time has passed for devs to cook up new projects?

Cypress: At least for Psyops team, the amount of steep competition has only driven us to work even harder on this year’s entry. I hope other developers feel the same heat, and bring some fire this time around. 

Ross: Even though the jam hasn’t formally started yet at the time of writing, we already have nearly double the submissions compared to last year. It looks like developers are really inspired to build something awesome for the Dreamcast and that’s everything we wanted for this project.

What’s the reception been like so far to the physical disc for Dream Disc ‘24?

Ross: Incredible! The quantity of orders of the physical CD-ROM has eclipsed our previous releases and this has pushed me to streamline our approach to picking, packing, labelling and shipping. It also boosted sales of our existing published Dreamcast titles, The Storied Sword and Chew Chew Mimic, plus an increase in preorders for our first in-house title HarleQuest! There are still a few copies of Dream Disc ‘24 left but we’re quickly running out. We don’t intend to manufacture another run, so if you haven’t got yours yet, I’d suggest ordering soon!

Cypress: It’s been big enough that it’s the first time I’ve heard people randomly talking about Psyops studios in the wild, as well as bringing up Orc Face Games too. Not only that, but seeing people online talk about it and introduce it to others - it feels surreal.

Producing a physical disc is quite the endeavour - are the time and resources available to manage that while keeping other projects on track?

Ross: For Dream Disc ‘24, the answer is no. Our other projects at Orc Face Games definitely took a hit as we had to divert time, money and energy into overcoming unforeseen problems. I felt a sense of guilt as HarleQuest! is already running quite behind our planned schedule from 2023, but at the same time I saw Dream Disc as a good investment for the company’s future and for the health of the scene.

It’s a tough balance trying to build a company with a strong presence in the indie Dreamcast world while also staying focused on the quality of our own releases. At the end of the day there isn’t a lot of money to pay people and so everything has to be done on a shoestring budget, with as much work as possible landing on a very small number of people (2 or 3 at a time maximum). The good news is that with all the lessons learned and processes in place, Dream Disc ‘25 will be much easier to put together and won’t have the same impact on our other work.

We’ve heard whispers that Murph’s big screen debut is in the works with Spielberg directing it… can you confirm or deny these rumours?

Cypress: Really? I’m going to have to grill my team and find out who the leaker is.

* * *

Thanks go out to Cypress and Ross for gracing us with a fresh edition of the Dream Disc game jam. As and when any other jam-related news drops we'll have it covered here on the blog. Of course, we're always interested to hear the views of our readers too. You've made it this far, so why not leave us a comment below?

Silence Your Sega Dreamcast's Old Grinding GD-ROM Drive with a Fancy New Brass Gear

Right you lot, it’s time to get your five-quid soldering iron out, dust off that 30-year-old tin of flux, and bodge a good old-fashioned down-and-dirty modification to your Dreamcast. I’m not talking about the mainstream mods for the casuals out there like the Noctua fan, PicoPSU, or GDEMU. No, I’m talking about something you truly may not have heard of before. Something more nuanced. Something for the purist Dreamcast owners among you.

Errrrr, eeuurrrrrr, euurrreeerrrrrr… that glorious operatic groaning you hear when your GD-ROM drive is trying to load the inside of Ryo Hazuki’s gaff or desperately rendering the next corridor in Soldier of Fortune. It’s a wonderful sound. Deep. Rich. Textured. Central to the nostalgia of that white dreamy box.

However, I’ve recently discovered you can swap one of the plastic gears in the disc-drive mechanism for a fancy new one made of brass — British balls-of-brass. And the result is honestly astounding. That rattly, grumbling rumble transforms into a sleek, nimble, almost printer-esque hum.

I stumbled across this gem in an old Reddit post by user PacmaniaX_01, who detailed how they’d searched high and low to find the perfect replacement brass gear. The part you need is a ‘14-tooth brass pinion, 1.48 mm’ and you can grab a pack of five down your local AliExpress for three quid fifty including postage. So I ordered some from the Far East and patiently waited 13 weeks for delivery.

All you need is a fresh pack of nice British brass balls (gears)

I’ve written a step-by-step guide below but in essence you need to remove the motor from the disc drive, take off the old plastic gear, heat up the new brass gear, place the motor shaft in the hole on the gear and give it a few firm hits with a small hammer to get the gear on the motor shaft. Then, pop it back in and presto! It is so quiet and sexy sounding, it’s like a brand new console.

Phwoaarrrrrr!

Bear in mind that getting the gear onto the motor is quite tricky. If you’re not so handy, some total legend on eBay is selling the replacement motors with the brass gear already fitted making this mod plug and play (sort of).

One thing to note as well is when I first booted the console up after applying the mod, for a second I thought the console was broken. The fan starts to whir, the disc spins up, but there was no horrid disc drive grinding noises?! My brain didn't quite know how to compute this... It was like one third of a symphonic orchestra called in sick and the remaining two thirds were left to play. It was unsettling. The Dreamcast suddenly feels… modern? Mature? Dare I say… polite?

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Remove the top shell of the console
2. Push the laser module all the way back on the rails (makes the following steps easier)
3. Unclip the wires from the black clips on the side of the drive
4. Lift the top GD-ROM drive out and flip it over (I use the top of the Dreamcast’s shell as a stand as it's the perfect height)
5. Unscrew the motor (one single screw)
6. Desolder the motor wires and remove the motor (make a note of which one is positive and which is negative)
7. Slide the plastic gear off the motor shaft
8. Heat the brass gear (I used a chef’s blowtorch, a lighter should work too) while holding it with tweezers
9. Place the hot gear on a hard surface, align the motor shaft, and give it a few firm, controlled taps with a small hammer
10. LEAVE THE BRASS GEAR A FEW MINUTES TO COOL. Do not re-install gear when it's hot as it will melt the adjacent plastic gears - big sad if this happens! F*CK, THAT’S HOT! Don’t touch it either.
11. Re-solder the motor wires and screw the motor back in
12. Optional: apply a light layer of silicone grease to all the gears
13. Reassemble the drive and console.

What You Gain

• Reduced motor strain
• Slightly quicker seek times (No, it can't run Crysis)
• Almost no mechanical chatter
• Lower chance of disc-read errors
• A GD-ROM drive that feels 20 years younger

As a bonus, my Dreamcast had never reliably booted my PAL copy of Rez on the first try… until now. After this mod it boots instantly. Coincidence? Maybe. More on that here.

Final Thoughts

This mod isn’t glamorous. It won’t blow up YouTube, and it won’t get you a million likes on  TikTok. It’s a tiny hunk of metal that quietly brings the Dreamcast one step closer to modern times and keeps those old drives alive for years to come.

Just be warned: Your Dreamcast may never growl at you again... and you might actually miss it.