Blue/Orange Ring of Life

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!

13 comments:

fatherkrishna said...

I'm glad that the guys in Gamestation were so quick to change your 360. When mine experienced that particular affliction, Microsoft voluntarily extended my warranty to three years, (even though it had officially run out) free of charge.

Whilst the twenty quid might have seemed like a good option, I reckon you were sold something that you might not have needed...

Franco said...

I've had my DC since 9/9/99 and it works like a charm.

Xbox360's on the other hand have a half life of 6-12 months. Which leaves me to believe that present day games are literally insane. Why buy something you know is going to break?

Do what I do, play your retro stuff or just get into PC gaming until the next generation of home consoles come out. Its that simple!

Franco said...

Gamers*

Barry the Nomad said...

Speaking of used game stores, quick question for you guys: is a used disc-only "Last Blade 2" worth it for $7.99? Or should I hold out for a case and manual?

Caleb said...

Aww. Too bad about your Xbox TL.

This is why I haven't gotten a new console yet...

Caleb said...

Used price is $20 new price is $30 on Last Blade 2 according to Price Charts.

It all depends on the condition of the disk and how much you really want a copy with manual.

It's a Japanese Game so you *might* be able to get it cheap from a Japanese Ebay store.

fatherkrishna said...

I'd grab it for that price, then you can always grab a better copy some time in the future if you feel like it!

Barry the Nomad said...

Good points, thanks guys! I think I'll nab it this evening.
I have an upcoming Nomad Junkyard post associated with the mall I found the game at.

As for the 360, I forgot to drop a WTF. They're packin too many gizmos into the machines of today. Give me a good ol' Dreamcast over a that light-indicating nonsense.

Tom Charnock said...

Barry - Last Blade 2 looks pretty decent from my perspective. Never heard of it before, but it looks like a sold 2D fighter to me. That said, what I know about 2D fighters could be written on the back of a micro chip. From the year 2416.

Tom Charnock said...

*solid

NebachadnezzaR said...

Last Blade 2 is a good game, I would grab it for that price. In the meantime, while you wait for a good deal with a complete copy, you can always read a digital version of the manual online and print some covers for your regular cd case.

Animated AF said...

Last Blade 2 is brilliant. A very sub-duded 2D fighter, with a beautiful soundtrack and great characters. The American version is censored, rather oddly replacing the blood with what looks like milk, and has other stuff removed much like Project Justice. Still worth it though.

All these horror stories about the 360 put me right off one, I ended up with a PS3 in the end: they both seem to have more or less the same games anyway. That and I bought the model that can run my PS2 games, so that's something. Personally I've gotten the most enjoyment out of the Wii out of the current systems, but whatever, I needed Street Fighter IV.

segadreamcast said...

My first Dreamcast did break, kept restarting... tried to fix it but it wouldn't. Got a new one last year and it's playing fine. I had an Xbox 360 that had rrod, i just got fed up with it and got a ps3. I take good care of my consoles, i have no idea why them two broke.