Showing posts with label YouTube. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YouTube. Show all posts

DCJY welcomes Dreamcast Enjoyer

Here at The Dreamcast Junkyard we love to champion creators in the scene who continue to keep the dream alive, so for episode 120 of our podcast, the DreamPod, we are joined by Dreamcast Enjoyer!

For the last year, Dreamcast Enjoyer (aka Dominic) has been creating excellent, upbeat YouTube videos about Dreamcast games and games from other systems, with a particular focus on nostalgia and good vibes, as well as an appreciation for creativity and potential in even the jankiest titles. His videos are super positive and relaxing, so if you weren't aware of Dreamcast Enjoyer before, we recommend you go subscribe to his channel!

In the episode, myself (Lewis) and Andrew chat to Dominic about his Dreamcast origin story, his time on YouTube so far, his love for Blue Stinger, obscure Japanese exclusives, and more, in this hour long episode.

You can listen to this episode of the DreamPod and all of our previous episodes on Buzzsprout, along with all great podcatchers. Huge thanks to Dominic for joining us on this episode, we had a great chat!

P.S. Dreamcast Enjoyer revealed to us on the episode that he has The Dreamcast Junkyard as his internet browser home page, so Dom, I hope this post was a nice surprise!

Modern Vintage Gamer checks out the Dreamcast BBA

The current trend of Dreamcast games being brought back online shows no sign of slowing down (in some cases, totally new online games are being developed for the console); and if you have a DreamPi and a selection of online-enabled titles then you have no reason not to get fully involved. Just go to Dreamcast Live and follow the instructions and you'll be fragging, slam dunking, and racing with single analogue-sticked cramp in no time flat.

But what of the previous, more contemporary methods of connecting a Dreamcast to the world wide web? Those 33k and 56k modems may be a little dormant these days, but the Dreamcast Broadband Adapter is still quite operational with a modicum of effort, and YouTuber Modern Vintage Gamer (MVG) has done a deep dive into BBA game compatibility and web browsing functionality in 2022:

I've been a fan of MVG for some years now, his dulcet tones effortlessly deciphering even the most complicated of topics when it comes to many aspects of gaming and game development. In short, the man is a something of a genius (this is not a paid post, I should add). 

So yeah, even though MVG in no way needs a boost from this inconsequential little blog to help his astronomical viewing figures, I thought it might be nice to share his video here in case you somehow missed it. Also, if you dive into the comments over on YouTube, you'll spot some familiar names from Dreamcast-Talk and the wider Dreamcast community. Lovely stuff.

GO SEGA Stories: Dreamcast

Throughout 2020, Sega has been celebrating 60 years of existence with the appropriately titled GO SEGA campaign. As part of this celebratory year, YouTuber DrScottnik has created a series of 'Stories' videos, each one asking fans of respective Sega systems to recount some of their favourite memories. In his latest video, DrScottnik featured the Dreamcast, and several members of the Junkyard team were asked to recount some of their favourite memories which have been edited together with those of other members of the Dreamcast community. Check out the video below!

Thanks for asking us to take part Scott! For the other videos in the series, check out DrScottnik on YouTube or give him a follow on Twitter.

DCHDMI: Full Speed Gameplay Footage

It became apparent after I uploaded the review of citrus3000psi and chriz2600's internal Dreamcast mod - the DCHDMI - that the footage included in the video was actually throttled to 25fps due to the introductory part of the video (the bit with my hands). Naturally, this caused quite the drama in the comments section on YouTube. And so, as a result of the ensuing cold sweats, night terrors and feeling like a total twunt; I decided to rectify said issues by recording a load of gameplay direct from the DCHDMI, eschewing an intro, and slapping the results on YouTube.
So here, for your enjoyment, is 18 minutes of pure gameplay. Recorded in 1080p mode (which is 960p windowed...which is itself 480p doubled by the FPGA on the board) at full speed 60 frames per second where applicable. I haven't altered anything, just recorded some gameplay from a range of titles. Here you go:


The full list of games in the video is:
  • Ferrari F355 Challenge
  • Sonic Adventure
  • Shutokou Battle 2
  • Dead or Alive 2
  • Sturmwind
  • Daytona USA 2001
  • Virtua Striker 2
  • Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves
  • Le Mans 24hrs
  • Quake III: Arena
  • V-Rally 2: Expert Edition
  • Virtua Tennis
  • Crazy Taxi
  • Marvel Vs Capcom 2
  • Metropolis Street Racer
  • Sega Rally 2
  • Soul Calibur
I apologise for how shit I am in some of the footage but I'm sure you can see that the DCHDMI is pumping out some seriously sharp images. I'm anticipating that people will still complain in the comments section (on YouTube) about something...but hey. What can you do?
Read our full written review here, and find the DCHDMI modification for sale at citrus3000psi's dedicated web store here. It costs $150 and will be available from mid November 2018.

Will you be getting involved in the DCHDMI? If you'd like a closer look we'll be showing it off at Play Expo Blackpool at the end of October. Let us know in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter. If you want to leave a negative comment on YouTube,  please feel free to join the other 367,000,000 people doing that daily. Cheers!

A Statistical Analysis Of Dreamcast Launch Sales

Our good friend Vince19 has been at it again, this time analysing the launch window sales of the Dreamcast in the United States, and drawing comparisons to a host of other retro, contemporary and current gen systems. We recently featured Vince19 's other statistics-based videos here at the Junkyard ( heck out a statistical analysis of overall US games sales and a statistical analysis of Dreamcast game prices), and they're both well worth a watch if bias-free and purely factual analysis are something you're a fan of. Plus, Vince19's soothing mid-Atlantic accent is strangely soothing. Check out the latest video below, and see how the Dreamcast stacks up against the competition in terms of units shifted in the first few days of release:


Remember to give Vince19 a follow on Twitter to stay abreast of his uploads, and you can find his YouTube channel here.

A Statistical Analysis Of Dreamcast Game Prices

Recently, we featured a video here at the 'Yard from a YouTuber known as Vince19 in which the various sales figures for Dreamcast games were investigated in great detail. It's a facinating study into the variables that affected certain titles' ability to make consumers part with their cash and we would recommend that anyone with even a passing interest in statistics take a look at it.

Now though, Vince19 has returned with a follow-up video in which he attempts to decode one of the most sensitive topics in the retrogaming sphere - the continued rise in the price of games. The reason why it's relevant to us, is that Vince19 uses the Dreamcast as the test bed for his research, studying the relationship between used prices and original sales figures, and all manner of statistical data to interpret just why certain Dreamcast games can command some pretty astronomical price tags. Furthermore, the roles of review scores, YouTube and eBay are all brought into the equation.


As with the previous video, this is all based on the US market and so whether the findings can also be transposed onto the PAL or Japanese market is debateable, but it's certainly an interesting and wholly empirical look at a topic many of us will no doubt have an opinion on.

Feel free to follow Vince19 on Twitter here and find his YouTube channel here. What are your thoughts? And does the continued rise in the price of retro software concern you? Let us know in the comments or get involved in our Facebook group or on Twitter.

The Hazuki Wall: A Statistical Analysis Of US Dreamcast Sales Figures

Statistics. We all love a good statistic. So does YouTuber Vince19, and so he set about creating a video that goes deep into the statistics behind the sales of Dreamcast games in the United States. As Vince19 reiterates several times throughout the video, this is not one of those explorations of the highs and lows and ultimate cancellation of the Dreamcast. It is a pretty in-depth analysis of sales figures and variables and means and medians...and a whole host of other mathematical terms I have no real understanding of. You have been warned.


That said, I'm sure that if you watch the entire video you'll get a good understanding of the variables that lead to some games selling more than others, and the general downward trend in US sales as time went on from the initial release of the Dreamcast on 9.9.99 to the final game being released in the form of NHL 2K2. Whether a game was featured on the cover of a US magazine or in a TV commercial is also looked at with meticulous detail, and the findings are rather surprising.
One of the most interesting theories put forward in the video is that of the 'Hazuki Wall,' a visual representation in sales figures of big-name Dreamcast games that were released around the same time as the PlayStation 2 was launched in the US. Shenmue, Jet Grind Radio, NBA 2K1 and Tony Hawk 2 were all released in the same window and plotted on a sales/date chart show us the 'Hazuki Wall,' Sega's last line of defence against the coming onslaught from Sony's leviathan:
It really is a fascinating look at the numbers behind the demise of the Dreamcast and I would implore you to set aside 40 minutes and give the entire video a viewing. Our thanks go to Vince19 for putting this video together and also name checking The Dreamcast Junkyard in the video as a source.

What do you think about this hypothesis and the Hazuki Wall? Let us know in the comments or join the discussion in our Facebook group or on Twitter.

Sonic Mania Is Here...Anyone For Sonic Adventure?

Sonic Mania has finally landed on consoles and the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive - hurrah! We think now is a great time to celebrate this with the first YouTube upload from our new video maestro James Jarvis, and what better game than Sonic Adventure? James is a bit of a veteran when it comes to creating videos focusing on the Dreamcast, having been producing similar content for his own channel ItsMuchMore since 2013; and now we're thrilled that he's come on board at the Junkyard to continue the great work that Aaron 'The Gagaman' Foster started all those years ago! We'll be sharing all of the latest videos from our YouTube channel here anyway, but be sure to head over there to subscribe, like, share, comment and all that other stuff the cool kids are doing these days! Please enjoy this cool lets play along with James' commentary...

Akura HDMI Cable + XRGB Framemeister - Plus Q&A Live Stream

The title says it all really. I recently purchased the Akura HDMI cable for Dreamcast and have been fiddling around with mixed results. By far the best quality I've been able to get out of it so far has been by pairing it with the XRGB Mini. 

Here's a quick capture uploaded to YouTube, be sure to set it to 1080p and judge for yourself.

Akura HDMI cable + Framemeister XRGB Mini

We'll be holding a live Q&A at 9am this Saturday (17th June) on our Facebook page. The format of the Q&A will be a live stream of the Japanese version of Shenmue running on original DC hardware. I fancy myself as a bit of a videophile when it comes to the DC, so be sure to tune in and ask any questions related to upscaling, capturing footage, cables, CRTs or anything else that takes your fancy. No holds barred!

For comparison's sake, here's the same footage captured using the Toro VGA cable with the XRGB Mini:

Toro VGA cable + Framemeister XRGB Mini

Remember folks: Saturday 17th June, 10am BST (that's 6pm in Japan where I live, just so you know). On The Dreamcast Junkyard's Facebook page. See you there!

The Games That Never Were: Episode 9

It's been a while, but the latest instalment of Pcwzrd's excellent The Games That Never Were has dropped. Episode 9 continues the popular YouTube series in which unreleased Dreamcast games are examined and the reasons for their cancellation are explored and speculated on. Episode 9 is just as cool as the previous videos in the series, and as ever Pcwzrd goes into great depth describing numerous titles that were promised, but were either never started; or were in full production at the time of  cancellation and have never been leaked.
A lot of the Dreamcast's most promising announced games did actually see the light of day, but only on the PC and episode 9 of The Games That Never Were is heavy on these. Arcatera: The Dark Brotherhood, Independence War 2, Black & White, Dark Eyes and Max Payne are all given a going over and hint at the ease with which Sega intended PC games to be ported to the Dreamcast hardware. Maybe if the Dreamcast had sold the units it deserved and it hadn't dies so prematruely, then we'd have gotten all of these games and more. Here's the video:


If you'd like to see more of Pcwzrd's videos, you can find his YouTube channel here, and he's also the administrator over at Dreamcast Live - the number one source for getting your Dreamcast back online for multiplayer action. His Twitter is here and his Patreon is here. Oh, and you can find all of the previous episodes of The Games That Never Were by clicking here.

Adam Koralik Reviews Akura Dreamcast HDMI Box

We've reported on the Akura from Beharbros a couple of times in the recent past (here and here), but now you don't have to settle for reading my words with your eyes - you can look at Adam Koralik show you just how awesome the Akura while he tells you with his voice! Yes, in his latest video Adam goes into great detail about the different video output signals the Dreamcast kicks out, and also tells us a little bit about his love for the Turkish version of Nutella. Oh, and there's a demonstration of the Akura in action. Here's the video:


Thanks go to Adam for letting me share his video here. Hopefully this will give those people who were considering purchasing the Akura a more practical idea of how it performs, and the features included. Be sure to check out the huge back catalogue of games related content on Adam's YouTube channel here, and you can find more on the Akura at Beharbros website here.

DreamPod - Episode 41: Featuring IMPLANTgames.com


IMPLANTgames is run by Kris Genthe and has an amazing amount of content documenting Sega games from across the whole range of platforms. His YouTube channel is full of interesting and insigtful videos documenting little known and obscure topics...and that's why we here at the Junkyard love his stuff. Please feel free to check out his website here and also his podcast here. You can also find Kris on Twitter. If you like what you've heard on this episode of the DreamPod, please feel free to subscribe and leave a review on iTunes.

The Games That Never Were: Episode 8

We've dutifully shared Pcwzrd's fantastic The Games That Never Were series here at the 'Yard ever since it first hit YouTube, and the reason for this is twofold. First, the videos are a fantastic insight into the Dreamcast titles we were promised back in the day, but for whatever reason we never got the opportunity to sample. Second, Pcwzrd works his ass off on this series and we feel they deserve more views. And while we're on the subject of videos that deserve your eyes to be cast over them, go and watch Dreamcast Hub's latest video review of Puzzle Fighter 2X here.

Back to the matter at hand though. The Games That Never Were is a series focused solely on the multitude of games that were promised for Sega's final console but were never released for public consumption. As Pcwzrd explains in the intro, there were a staggering number of projects in the works when the plug was pulled on the Dreamcast and many of these were either switched to other platforms or simply cancelled and lost to the fiery mists of development hell, never to be seen again.
Hellgate. Image credit: Unseen64
I make no secret of my obsession with cancelled games, and I'm forever scouring awesome sites like Unseen64; and my favourite part of reading old magazines is undoubtedly searching for the slightest mention of an unreleased Dreamcast game, no matter how vague the reference. With this in mind, you can probably see where my love for this series stems from!

DreamPod - Episode 38: Platforming Special Featuring DreamcastGuy

[iTunes][Stitcher][Buzzsprout][UK Podcast Directory][YouTube]


If you'd like to know more about DreamcastGuy's channel, please head over to YouTube and check out his content (or just click here!), or give him a follow on Twitter here. As stated, if there's anything we got wrong or any games we neglected to mention, don't hesitate to contact Mike via email and/or on his personal mobile phone - preferably at around 3am.
I knew I'd seen Sonic's fangs!
Music in this episode is from Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2 and Super Magnetic Neo. As ever, if you like what you've heard, please feel free to leave us an iTunes review or a thumbs up on our YouTube version - it all helps! Lastly, a huge thanks to all of our lovely Patreon supporters, we love every single one of you.

Video Maestro Wanted!

Here at the Junkyard we pride ourselves on our outstanding written content, our mind-blowingly good podcast and our industry-leading social media streams. Hey - if we don't make those self-aggrandising claims, who else will? Anyway, you may (or may not) have noticed that we have a YouTube channel as well. It was started by Aaron 'The Gagaman' Foster, but has recently found itself being updated less often since Aaron started his own YouTube venture Lucky Hit (go there and subscribe while we're on the subject). Due to this, we're looking for somebody to come on board here at the universe's ultimate Dreamcast destination and take control of the channel, creating new video reviews and opinion pieces on Sega and Dreamcast-related topics and news.
The channel has over 2,500 subscribers already and we're keen to grow that number...but quality video content that we can also post here on the main blog is the main priority. We're big fans of Alex from Nintendo Life and his humorous video reviews, so we're looking for someone who can be on camera and record/narrate game footage in a similar fashion. This role will include free reign to produce whatever you like - as long as it's related to Sega and/or the Dreamcast in some way, naturally. If this sounds like something you'd like to do and you want to join the DCJY team as a video maestro, please send us an email explaining who you are, what you can bring to the team and a link to one of your existing videos...and we'll be in touch.

You can check out the DCJY YouTube channel here, and you can find contact details here.

The Games That Never Were: Episode 7

Episode 7 of Pcwzrd's The Games That Never Were has arrived, and as is the norm I'm happy to share it here at the Junkyard. The series - as the name suggests - is an insightful look back at a selection of titles that were announced for the Dreamcast but for various reasons never made it out of the door. Episode 7 looks at another batch of promising games we never got the chance to play in their intended guises (I say that because many people - including myself - have played one of the games discussed in this new episode), and explores possible reasons for their disappearance.

The video is embedded below, but if you'd rather read my drivel instead that's cool. Games covered include the ambitious space-based RPG Jump Runner from Glass Ghost Games, Worms Pinball from Team 17, Armada II: Exodus from Metro 3D, Treasure's Gun Beat and Sega's cancelled homage to Star Fox, Geist Force. This is short and sweet because an intro to a video doesn't really need to be any longer, and I need to go and tidy up my disgusting tip of a flat. Enjoy!


Thanks once again to Pcwzrd for putting this together. The previous episodes can be viewed by visiting Dreamcastic Channel on YouTube or by following the links below.
Previous Episodes:
The Games That Never Were: Episode 1
The Games That Never Were: Episode 2
The Games That Never Were: Episode 3
The Games That Never Were: Episode 4
The Games That Never Were: Episode 5
The Games That Never Were: Episode 6

The Games That Never Were: Episode 6

Episode 6 of Pcwzrd's The Games That Never Were has dropped, and naturally we thought it was only right to share it here at the Junkyard. Episodes 1-5 have been featured here, so why break the habit of a lifetime? This time around, Pcwzrd takes a look at cancelled Dreamcast games from a number of genres and these include speedboat racer Thunderboats, an adventure game based on the cartoon series Roswell Conspiracies, arcade racer Midnight GT, real time strategy game Star Trek: New Worlds, and also offers further information on the Dreamcast version of Renegade Racers from our old pals at Promethean Designs. Enough from me though - here's the excellent video:


Remember to subscribe to Dreamcastic Channel and if you can, support Pcwzrd's Patreon here.

Previous Episodes:
The Games That Never Were: Episode 1
The Games That Never Were: Episode 2
The Games That Never Were: Episode 3
The Games That Never Were: Episode 4
The Games That Never Were: Episode 5

MSR Alpha Gameplay Footage

A few posts ago we looked at the newly-discovered alpha version of Bizarre Creations' exemplary Dreamcast driving sim Metropolis Street Racer. James, the owner of the GD kindly sent me some gameplay footage of this November 1999 alpha which he recorded from his TV, and so I set about creating a little video showing some of the more interesting aspects.
Below you will find the fruits of our combined efforts, and the video highlights some interesting things from this early version of MSR that are missing from the final build. For instance, the 'lens flare' effect from the vehicle brake lights and the real-world shop front textures. Other things such as the audio placeholders, the real-life recordings of actual radio stations (complete with traffic updates for the M4 and British Telecom adverts) and a very early recording of Live Your Life as sung by Richard Jaques in what sounds like a broom cupboard. Anyway, enjoy the video.

16ths: The Dreamcast Start-Up Theme

Hey! I started doing YouTube videos just this past year, and one of the series I do is about short pieces in video game music. The Dreamcast's boot tune is one such piece. Even though some older systems had musical start-ups, most of the others weren't as good - certainly, they probably didn't have the same caliber of composer. Anyway, prologue aside, here's the video:

Take The Bullet Revealed

Take The Bullet is one of the more infamous cancelled games for the Dreamcast. Developed by Red Lemon Studios, it was an ambitious first person shooter in which you could also use the light gun to shoot onscreen enemies. This kind of thing had been done before (Resident Evil Survivor on the PlayStation is one such example), but nothing on the scale of Take The Bullet had been attempted.
The game was to feature a full on single player campaign, alongside a 4-player multiplayer split screen mode that also added bots into the mix. The solo game involved the player assuming the role of ex-marine and bodyguard Jack Travis, and it was up to you to protect Presidential candidate Kincaide through a varied series of missions (although evidence suggests they may have been mainly escort missions, Travis being a bodyguard and all).

I recently got to play a very early build of this mysterious game, and while I was unable to try it out with the light gun, I was able to capture footage from the first two missions.
While it is clearly very rough around the edges and has very little in the way of sound effects, voice acting or music, this early version of Take The Bullet was spread across several discs - one of which was the split-screen multiplayer death match (interestingly labelled as 'E3 Demo'). I managed to play this death match against an AI bot in single player but I recently had some pretty severe computer issues (basically a failed hard drive in my MacBook) and as such I lost all that footage.