Let me take you by the hand...

Recently, the Dreamcast Junkyard took a trip away from the gritty northern cess-pit it calls home (Manchester, left) to a promised land where we were told the streets are paved with gold and kerbed with blocks of diamond: Lahndan Tahn (London Town). Imagine our distress when the streets infact turned out to be pretty similar in construction to those in our own city. When the initial wave of disgust faded, we took a wander around and found it to be quite a pleasant place - except for the South African gentleman who called me a 'twat,' 'wanker' and 'dickhead' for leaving a Coke bottle on a table outside his 'cafe.' A thoroughly suitable ambassador for a country that may best be described as a 'Shithole.'

The trip was meant to be a little break from the familiar sights of home, but was actually a secret Dreamcast bargain gathering mission. However, the mission was almost a complete failure due to my complete failure to spot a single games shop in our fair Capital. Sure, you wouldn't really expect to find a game shop on Carnaby St or Downing St (er...), but we even ventured down to Whitechapel on the tube. One of the only games related things I saw was this shut down Sega Casino:
Other shut down games things included the legendary Gizmondo shop:
Of course, the trip didn't consist solely of looking for Dreamcast related stuff, but I was quite amazed by fact that I actually knew some of the road layouts simply from playing MSR!!! Who said games aren't educational?!Look! Is it London or is it MSR? Look! I've gained loads of Kudos blazing up and down this street and through that arch!

As you can appreciate, my insistence on stealing a Vauxhall Astra and doing a burnout next to the Houses of Parliament didn't go down too well...

Holy Shit

Somebody I know actually PLAYING HOUSE OF THE DEAD WITH TWO GUNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As Nickelback said: "A hero will save us...!"

It Lives!!!

By the power of Limewire, the ledgendary Sega MegaDrive lives on - on the Dreamcast! I've tried downloading Dreamcast stuff through Limewire loads of times, but every time it comes down, my trusty AVG pops up to tell me it's actually a Worm or a Trojan Horse cleverly disguised as a ROM for a defunct console. What an ingenius way of trying to infect the world. Here's a few poor quality shots of a DC immitating a MegaDrive, and not a sign of MacReady anywhere...

This download actually worked though (obviously) - 450 MD Roms and the emulator. It took about 2 hrs to download, but it was definatley worth it. All the classics are on the disk that I burned with Diskjuggler - All the Sonics, Flashback, Outrun...you name it, it's here. The people that created it (Obsidian) have even included a clever joypad converter that maps the MD buttons to the obscene DC pad. Cool.
The sound emulation in some of the games is very Amstrad (ie basic bleeps instead of the true sounds from the cart), but there are a few interesting things included, such as a Beta of never released sequel to Zero Tolerance, er...Zero Tolerance 2. for the uninitiated, ZT was basically the Mega Drive's answer to DOOM, but nowhere near as good.

On the evidence of this emulator, I wonder if a Saturn emulator/boot disky thing would be feasable for the DC. Something a bit like Bleemcast! but obviously with the added bonus that you could play NiGHTS...

The Ultimate Collection

I thought that my fledgling collection of DC stuff was pretty impressive, what with keyboards, mice, guns, microphones etc. However, it appears that there are at least a few people out there who also harbour a dark secret...a Samba-De-Fucking-Amigo sized secret...


Yes, this collection belongs to Gary, the genius behind the almost retail quality resurection of Half Life. This is a pretty impressive collection (check out the Sonic figures!) and I've also noted the presence of 3 PSX games - Metal Gear Solid, Tekken 3 and GT 2...this means only one thing - Bleemcast!
Gary, the Dreamcast Junkyard salutes you and your quest to keep us all Dreamcasting!

Quakecast

I've done it! I've finally got Quake to run on my DC! Heres the proof:

I had to download a Utopia boot disc and burn it with Nero, then I downloaded the Quake executable files and put those on a CD-R. It works great and is basically just the PC version. It has all of the intro hub levels (where you choose your chapter and difficulty etc) and can be played with either a keyboard/mouse set up or the joypad (the layout is like Turok's with the analogue for looking and the A,B,X,Y buttons for strafing. D-pad changes weapons, R is fire and L is jump.

Overall, the game has a very good frame rate and is pretty sharp, but I feel it looks a bit Quake64-ish due to the slightly blurry textures. However, it's another addition to the 'Yard, and my second successful DC download after the DivX player I got a few weeks back. If you want some Quake action on your DC, follow the link to QuakeDev on the right. Alternatively, if you send me two CD-Rs and an SAE, i'll hapilly burn you a boot disk and a copy of Quake. Email via my profile.

Testing 1,2,3 etc

Yep, here's the microphone. Wierd little thing aint it. Not really in the same league at the Xbox headset. The little softie on top comes off to reveal a tiny directional mic that can be twisted into various positions via the bendy wire. The whole mic bit also comes away from the 'base' which slots into the joypad like a VM with no screen. The jack only has a single band so I presume its a mono mic (my media degree coming in useful for the first time since I graduated 3 years ago). A very interesting little device. Not sure about the green 'softie' though - whats up with a blue one Sega?!










Most Played

Seeing as my new obsession with the Dreamcast is just that - an obsession, I find myself buying DC games whenever I see them...but not really playing them! I now have 35 games for the DC, but only sit down and play about 4 or 5 of them regularly. Indeed, some of them I've never actually bothered playing since I bought them (Rainbow Six, Shenmue, Chu Chu Rocket); and others I've played once or twice and them consigned them to the bottom of the pile (Carrier, Soul Fighter, Worms etc) simply for being shite. The only ones I do actually play are MSR, Jet Set Radio and Super Runabout. As the DC is the only console I have, I suppose I should play it more, but when do you get the time?! Not a real update, just a Sunday morning musing...

And there's more...


Seems like ages since I updated this thing but there's been a few additions to the Junkyard while I've been away. First of all, a boxed copy of Planet Ring, totally unopened with the Microphone. It's a bit of a curious one this as it's the only dedicated online only game for the DC and is only really meant to be played with people over the net. I hav'nt opened it and loaded it up yet so I'm not even sure if you can 'play' it offline, and since a) my DC isnt set up for online because I've got broadband and b) only about 3 people in the entire world still use their DCs to go online, I doubt there's any point. But it's nice to have in the collection as an added bonus I suppose.

Other new items are Shenmue, totally boxed up in the cardboard sleeve and in mint condition; a copy of Rainbow Six (that came free with Shenmue as part of Gamestation's Buy One Get One Free offer); Super Runabout - my new favourite DC game (and shows that the DC probably could quite comfortably pull off a conversion of GTA 3 or Vice City); and last but not least WWF Royal Rumble. I'm by no means a fan of the 'sport' - infact I think it's ridiculous - but its a decent multiplayer game when you can convince people to play on a Dreamcast! GOD DAMNED PHILISTINES!!

More new stuff...




I went to Gamestation t'other day and guess what? 2 DC games for a fiver!!!! I could barely contain myself, but I battled through the crowd surrounding the DC section and got Ready 2 Rumble Round 2 and Red Dog (see below) for five English Pounds. I also picked up the classic online puzzler Chu Chu Rocket for a quid. 3 GAMES FOR £6! God Bless the Dreamcast and it's demise.















RED DOG VS RED DOG

VERSUS
Roll up, Roll up! Ladies and Gentleman, The Dreamcast Junkyard proudly presents A Big Red Dog versus Red Dog! One's an oversized canine, the other is a heavily armoured tank with guns and a rocket launcher. Unfortunatley the latter has extreme trouble when strafing, so my money is on Clifford...

Yep, Red Dog is here - and to be honest, it aint a bad little game. Apart from the abysmal Battle Tanx on the N64 and its little known sequel, there arent that many tank based shooters out there in Games Land. Red Dog was universally lambasted upon it's release, but from playing it for a few hours its hard to see why. The graphics are pretty decent and the Red Dog unit itself handles pretty well, apart from the ridiculous strafing controls where you have to hold down both triggers and press up or down on the analogue. There is also a pretty nifty Panzer Dragoon style lock on system where you can fire multiple missiles at targets. As close to Panzer Dragoon as you can get on the Dreamcast. Its a damn fine shoot 'em up by anyone's standard and only cost £2.50 from Gamestation.

SHHHHHHHHHHH!!

It occurred to me last night just how noisy the Dreamcast actually is. Not only does it make that beep when you turn it on (due to the VM's batteries being dead for about 4 years), the cacophony it releases during disc accessing is ridiculous. I'd not actually noticed it before, but I was playing MSR into the small hours and the way it reads the disc is LOUD. And the fan is louder than my PC's.
I'm almost certain that my Xbox was'nt this loud, and neither was my Gamecube. Come to think of it, I'd wager that the DC is the loudest console ever to be released. Perfect for the Disaster Area tour bus. Another feather in the cap, and here's a quickly knocked together table to show the decibel levels of an operating DC in relation to (the most noteable of) the last 10 years worth of hardware (look up). Note: The Jaguar, 3D0 and CDi aren't incuded because they were shite and don't deserve a place on even the most rudimentary of charts.

The Update


Here is my Collection as of January 21st 2006. It's not massive, but a good start and I expect many more items to find their way in by the end of the year. I'll do another update at the end of February as a comparison. Good job I got my overdraft increased and can exist soley on Beans on Toast. Or egg. Or Carlsberg.

I know of at least one other person who has a gargantuan collection of Dreamcast stuff, if you do, send me a pic and I'll post it. The Dreamcast Junkyard: Where having an addiction to defunct gaming is rejoiced!

Jet Set Radio


One of the greatest Dreamcast games of them all has finally arrived in the Yard - Jet Set Radio.

Kudos must go to the seller on eBay - it's in PERFECT condition and even has the little Dreamcast future releases brochure thing included (and it just happens to feature Half Life, that incidentally you can now get! - see post below).

The cartoony, cell-shaded style of the game is frankly brilliant and the overall visual quality easily matches that of Jet Set Radio Future on the Xbox. So far, this is definatley one of my favourite games on the DC, along with Hydro Thunder and MSR. Also, it only cost me about £2.00, which is a bit good. Now, point your eyes downward...

This is a screen from the Dreamcast version:









And here's a shot from the Xbox version. Not much difference
is there...? Well, I supose the 'spark' effects are a bit 'sparkier.' Cough.







And fuck knows what these two retards are supposed to be doing. If I was trying to sell a game as original and downright AWESOME as Jet Set Radio, would I recruit a fat munter like this to pose in a promo shot?!?! WOULD I BOLLOCKS. And she hasnt got roller blades on...

WELL LOOKY HERE!


As Snoop Dogg or Dr Dre may occasionally be heard to say: Check this shit out!! Want a bit of Half Life action on your Dreamcast? No? ARE YOU INSANE?!?! Or perhaps Propellor Arena is more your thang? Email Gary via dreamcasting@btinternet.com for further info and a full list of availible unreleased games. Damn you Sega for keeping these games from us!

Top Level Conspiracy Unearthed



And here's the proof! These pics are taken from the Gallery in F1 World Grand Prix 2. I seem to remember that in Fifa 2001 on the PS2, all the Sega emblems were removed from the Arsenal shirts so how or why did Sega manage to let advertising for a rival console creep into a Dreamcast game?!

The hunt is now on for more weird Dreamcast stuff...

F1 World Grand Prix 2


This game was recently listed on eBay for the ridiculous price of £27.99! Why?!?!? I wasnt stupid enough to pay that - I think it was about £1.20, but I paid the price again - our old friends at Royal Mail have done an even better demolition job on this box than they did on the Incoming one. Bastards.

But its here - and that's what counts. And if I said it was the best F1 game ever made I dont think I could be called a liar. I have noticed something strange in this game though.

In the showroom mode it is possible to view all the cars from various angles. If you look closely on some of them, they are adorned with sponsorship logos "PlayStation 2"! Is this the only game to feature advertising for a rival console? I'll wager it is, y'know. A picture will follow as soon as my PC decides to start noticing my camera is connected.

Incoming Postie


Another new thing!!

Well, not that new obviously - infact it came from eBay...and the box is a bit of a joke (it was described in the auction as 'damaged' but the heroes of the free world that are Royal Mail have done a sterling job of virtually vaporising the remains of the jewel case). In any case, it's here. Rage's (RIP) fabulous sci-fi shoot 'em up.

And that brings the total of games up to a Blue Peter totaliser-esque...er...total of 26! Yes! Only 100 more gems to go before the completion of the Ultimte collection (of PAL) DC games!