Dreamcast Love On The Eve Of The Wii...

Well it’s about time I put ‘pen to paper’ (so to speak), and make sure I don’t find myself sacked off from the Dreamcast Junkyard team for lack of effort, in the wake of the Gagaman(n)’s recent Herculean posting odyssey...

Much has happened since my last epistle. Man Utd. saw off Man City in an embarrassing 1-0 Derby defeat at the City Of Manchester Stadium, which I had the misfortune to watch in an Australian Bar in Barcelona. It was full of Reds and there was a bigger cheer when City missed their penalty, than when United scored theirs.

Man Utd of course went on to win the Premiership, whilst City managed to clock up their first record in many years... fewest goals scored at home in one season. DOH!
This has ultimately lead to the sacking of Stuart ‘Psycho’ Pearce, whilst Fergie and his boys strolled triumphantly around Old Trafford last Sunday. BAH!
I have solved one Man United mystery that had always puzzled me though… Apparently the letters "A.I.G" on the United shirt stand for "Almost In Greece…" :)

But I digress… It’s at dark times like this, that one seeks solace in the little box of wonders that is the Dreamcast. I’ve been feeling super-love for my Dreamcast recently, since I committed to buying a Wii. (I’m getting it tomorrow, May 16th , for my almost top secret 40th birthday….But DOn’t tell anyone, I DOn’t want a fuss.)

It’s as if I need to prove my love for my DC, as if I’ve been caught by my significant other, with a pert young super-model on my arm. I need the Dreamcast to know it’ll always be ‘the one’, even if there’s another in my life…

So here’s a quick round up of some of the games I’ve been playing over the last few months, in a sort of "micro-review medley" type thing…

Last Hope: This fiendishly difficult side scrolling 'Shump' (I’ve become a bit of a shump fan of late…) comes to us courtesy of Germany’s NG:Dev team and is a 2007 release. That fact in itself, is one which fills me with a rosy glow, knowing that there are still brand new Dreamcast releases coming out. Then my rosy glow dissipates into icy water flushing through my bowels, as I remember that the announcement of the cessation of GD Roms, that could put pay to Dreamcast development forever…

Still the game is fantastic. Originally and (very costly) developed for the Neo Geo, the game was ported to the Dreamcast and released this January. The graphics are fabulous and the gameplay somewhat hypnotic. As your ship glides smoothly into the oncoming landscape, you must blast away at alien foes whilst, attempting to fly through power-ups and avoid the oncoming mines and missiles pitted against you. I’ve only managed to get as far as the first boss, but I’ve enjoyed it so far. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the game is its musical score, (available as a limited edition CD release bundled with a special game pack). The music is like ambient-trancey Kraftwerk and builds as your ship progresses through the game. Quite beautiful really. Oh and its region free. Games TM Magazine reviewed it recently and gave it an 80% score and I’ll agree… 8/10 Why not buy it here?

In total contrast to this frenetic kill-fest is Virtua Athlete 2K. This decathlon based sorts sim is a more serious update of Sega Sport’s ‘Athlete Kings’ which appeared on the Saturn. The gameplay involves a lot of speedy button mashing and split second timing as you power your athlete through a variety of track and field events. This is not a game to be played on your own, but is an ideal party game for up to four players. It must be good, as it has even enticed the two biggest Gingers to pick up and play. The ideal game for non-gamers and a great laugh after a couple of drinks! For the fun factor alone, 9/10. For a more considered review look here…

Moving on to Silent Scope, the best Light Gun game that never was… This arcade port was made for the Light Gun, but due to the legacy of the Columbine shootings, it was only released to be compatible with the standard controller. A shame, because this really is a great shooter! As the name suggests, the scope is the key, allowing you to ‘nail far away targets with pinpoint accuracy’ (according to the back of the box…)

You play as a former special operative in the British Anti-Terrorism force (very adept at killing innocent Brazilians no doubt…) currently residing in Chicago. Your foes include the quite wankily titled: Cobra The Iron Man, Hornet The Sniper, Tom & Jerry ( the genetically spliced mutated Killing Machine), Scorpion The Butcher and… Wait for it… Monica The Armoured Secretary… No shit! Un-fucking-believable!
What tosspot came up with these characters? I don’t bloody know… This game is excellent arcade style shooting fun, but I’m only going to give it 7/10 because it screams out to be played with a gun… So there! Wanna know more? Look here…

Head Hunter: The moment I started to play this game I knew it would become a lifelong favourite, up there with the likes of Shenmue 1 & 2 and Resident Evil: Code Veronica… Graphically lush and with fabulous gameplay, this game is something of a futuristic bounty hunter odyssey, set in a bleak, corporate, fascist America. (A little like today's USA then...)

Spanning two discs and with a brilliant storyline (interspersed with fake video news bulletins and product commercials), this game has been likened to Metal Gear Solid due to it’s stealth missions. However, it’s fusion of motorbike riding and assassination had me thinking of the Vice City franchise and the untapped potential of the Dreamcast…

The character you play is Jack Wade, a cross between Dirty Harry and Snake Plisken. He’s quite literally “cool as fuck”! Having lost his memory it’s your job to train him up again using the L.E.I.L.A virtual training facility, gain experience in riding your bike and regain your bounty hunter license and then go out an kick motherfuckin' ass in the criminal underworld…

It’s an utterly fabulous game, but can be a little frustrating when it comes to bike riding, as the streets are cluttered with other vehicles which you inevitably hit… this then causes your experience points to drop, which is a killer when its taken you so long to build them up… I’m not the first one to notice this, have a look here… Overall Score? It would have got a 10/10 but due to the bike crashy thing, it only gets a 9/10. Still very definitely recommended…

Resident Evil: Code Veronica- This is an excellent game, but one with which I definitely have a love-hate relationship with, that has oft been chronicled on my other blogs. Like Marmite or Shenmue, you’ll either love it or hate it. At times I felt both emotions about the game… I played right through the whole thing and then left it unfinished with about 40 minutes to an hour (if that) of gameplay to go. I ended up watching its conclusion on Youtube, I just couldn’t be arsed any more. ( I also bought RE:CV Survivors Guide and Light Gun for the PS2, enabling me to whizz through the stages of the game AND shoot Zombies in House Of the Dead Style… Which is nice...

You see the problem with this horror survival classic, is that failure to pick up items at the start of the game, can impact on your ability to succeed, way into the second disc (even with a walkthrough). Still fabulously plotted, stunning graphics and some great gameplay make this one of my all time Dreamcast favourites… 8/10! Intrigued? Look here… and here… (and I know the video is from the PS2 port, but it shows the graphic spleandour of the original and goes very nicely with the music!)

As well as these games I’ve also been playing some classic Dreamcast lovelies, oft discussed on this hallowed forum… Soul Calibur, Powerstone, Crazy Taxi, SWWS (Euro Edition) and Jet Set Radio. This is because I’ve sneaked a Dreamcast into the traditionally console free ‘little living room’, where we have a 60HZ TV, and I’m currently enjoying the improved graphics and smoother frame rates (or whatever it is that a 60HZ TV does for your DC). It’s made me think of investing in a new scart lead or even a VGA adaptor…

Finally to offset a disastrously poor purchase of three Japanese games from Play Asia, (I’m no Gagaman(n) when it comes to making wise choices…), I was delighted to receive my own copy of Half Life from the wonderful Gary from Dreamcasting@btinternet.com This legendary piece of un-published vapour ware was first brought to the DCJY’s attention by the great Tomleecee a while back. To own my own copy however is a sublime experience. The quality of the packaging is just amazing, coming in a PAL Dreamcast case, with glossy front and back cover, printed disc and even a glossy covered manual, replete with cheats! I cannot recommend Gary’s work highly enough! Check him out and BUY STUFF… Like a Dr. Feelgood of Dreamcasting, he can get you what you need… Have a look here

Well that’s me for now! I’m off to enjoy my last evening of being 39 and anticipating a new Wii flavoured chapter of my gaming life….

Goodnight dear children… wherever you are…

Wii slowly becoming Dreamcast 2?

The Wii hasn't exactly proved itself to be Nintendo's Dreamcast just yet. Yeah, it's daring to be different and unlike the Dreamcast is actually selling, but to date it hasn't had a whole lot of games, whereas the Dreamcast had dozens of Dreamcast games almost from the get go. Hell, it wasn't around long enough to have a drought! Coming back to what I was saying a few weeks back, the Wii should hopefully become a peek of Nintendo's creative career, but only if Nintendo 9and the third parties) gets their arses into gear and DO SOMETHING. Mario, Metroid and Zelda is all great and everything, but what we need to see is new IPs and new ideas being thrown out left right and center if it even wants to come close to the Dreamcast's legacy of AWESOME.

Sega had ever since being successful with the Mega Drive had been down a rocky road with consoles. The Mega Drives add-ons were a mistake and the Saturn rushed out of the door with not enough 3D power to compete and clearly unfinished hardware that was difficult to program for. They finally got it right with the Dreamcast. If the world was a better place, there was no chance it cold of possibly lost, because it did almost everything right. Plus, it was Sega at their creative peek. Within just a couple years they had pumped out a huge supply of original games that made their mark. Space channel 5, Samba De Amigo, MSR, Jet Set Radio, and countless others.

Now what I would love to have before I can die happy? A NEW Dreamcast. I'm talking backwards compatible, with a download service a lot like Live Arcade, and all the Sega games in one fucking place again. I don't want to buy every single system to play your games, Sega!

For now, we have to do with sequels of Dreamcast games elsewhere, such as the 360 (Virtua Tennis 3) and the Wii.

So what games have been recently announced for us to wish there was a new Dreamcast? Oh yeah, Soul Calibur Legends, for a start. They say it's gonna be more of a adventure title, but with all the fighting elements we all know and love intact, but how will it play? At least vaguely like the Dreamcast installment did with the fishing controller, I bet. Only more responsive, of course.Finally playing Soul Calibur with waggle will be a feature on the back of the box!

But what else? Ready 2 Rumble, that's what! Ok, I'll say this now, but I'm not a big fan of R2R. Sure, the graphics and characters were great but the game play was really, really simple. Far too simple for my tastes, and I was raised in the arcades (technically speaking, not literally, although that would of been pretty sweet). Still, seeing these characters being brought back from the (un)dead (console) should be fun, especially if it manages to expand on Wii Boxing, which was hardly accurate, but hella fun.

As you should all know by now, the Wii is also getting a new NiGHTS game. While the original was a Sega Saturn game, many believe that this new installments is a revival of a idea Sega planned for the Dreamcast called Air NiGHTS, which was to include a very Wii-remote like controller, which you may of seen the concept art for before, but here it is again for comparison:

Now come on, Nintendo, make us proud. For too long we've had systems that were good, but not Dreamcast good. I've been disappointed with the gaming available ever since the DC vanished. I've just blown £180 on this thing, and want to be given my money's worth! SAMBA DE AMIGO PLEASE. Your not the closet thing to a Dreamcast 2 just yet.

(Also, your still not as good as the Dreamcast because your SEVEN YEARS TOO LATE. You'll see what I mean when I finally reveal my fishing controller mystery!)

(Oh, and make your Virtual console games cheaper.)

Fideo Friday! #1

From now on, every Friday, I'm gonna post one of the hundreds of great videos you can find related to the Dreamcast on YouTube! This week's entry comes from 'Geekgirl26' and is quite possibly the best case of Dreamcast advertising that Sega never did! You KNOW the Dreamcast is the only place you can get better graphics, and better PLOTS!

...

Oh wait..embedding has been disabled for this video. Shit. Oh well, here's a link instead.

Moving on...the EMBEDDED VIDEO for this week is this fantastic fan trailer from the stupendous benstylus (who has tons of Dreamcast game play footage on his account, by he way). The beautiful Shining Force music and slick editing makes this well worth a watch. Can't wait to see what this project is. Maybe he's gonna get Sega execs at gunpoint and force them to sign a 'MAKE THE DREAMCAST 2 HAPPEN' contract. Whatever it turns out tobe, the trailer is very nostalgic and almost tear-jerking.

My Holy Dreamcast Shrine has Evolved

It's bank holiday Monday and it's raining outside so what do you do? Coursework? NO!

Instead I muck around with my Dreamcast collection, that's what! Now almost everything is all in one neat place. My dad passed over one of his many CD cabinets to me as he didn't need it anymore, and it's just the right shade of blue not only for my room but for my Dreamcast games, which have been all sitting on top of each other with bits of cardboard in between each row to sop them from dropping when I pulled a lower one out! The slots i this thing were a little bit too deep so I stuffed some Game Boy Advance boxes down the back so the DC games would stop further out. All the imports fit in just two slots, but all those chunky British games took almost eight of them, but I had some room left for demos, emulator/home brew discs and my Neo Geo Pocket games.

Dreamcast boxes are scattered all around it, with the arcade stick shoved under it and Samba De Amigo and the keyboard sitting on the sides. There's a Jet Set Radio poster on the wall next to it, moved from another wall. Even the top of the cabinet is infested with Dreamcast characters. The Crazy Taxi, that chainsaw weirding monster from House of the Dead 2, and even a Chao and Froggy from Sonic Adventure:

Photos are fun to take, so I laid some stuff out and took some more.

Import games! They take up half the room, and don't have clumsy cases they break too easy!

So for the record, here's where my collection stands:
19 Japanese games
12 American games
59 British games
24 Demo discs
3 Promo Videos
6 Controllers (One with box, One still new in boxed, and one in black that sadly doesn't work well)
1 Saturn-styled fighting controller
2 Rumble Packs
2 Microphones (One with Alien Front and one with Seaman)
7 VMU's (one red)
2 '4-in-1' Memory Cards
2 Arcade Sticks (One with box)
2 Light Guns (One with box)
A Fishing Rod
A Keyboard (with box)
A Konami Dance Mat
A VGA Adapter (box)
Sod knows how many Dreamcast magazines (A few DC-UK's, a load of Unofficial Dreamcast mags and every single Official mag)
Dreamcast internet guide book.

Watch out for June!

Remember when I use to, you know, write here? I know, I haven't been very active here since sometime in February, but I have my reasons! I have just under 3 weeks left to churn out loads of coursework for Uni, working on stuff like this and this, but once that's all out of the way, I have lots of articles I want to write up. These include:

ROOMMANIA #203: Another quirky Japanese title that barely anyone has played will be arriving in the post soon. Think the Sims, only involving ping pong balls and a lot of smoking, so I've heard. Can't wait to give this a go!

MORE BLEEM! Yes, more Bleemcast compatible Playstation games will be tested and shown off. There's around 200 games out there that this emulator can run, and I intend to try as many of them out as possible!

and best of all...

A NEW ABILITY I JUST DISCOVERED FOR THE FISHING CONTROLLER. As in another game that works as well as Soul Calibur does. I'm not kidding, and you'll be thinking "why didn't I think of that?" when I reveal what game (or should I say, two games) it is! Much like Space Channel 5 with the dance mat, I found this by pure experimentation. You'll just have to wait and see!

Anyone new to this blog will not know that when I post, I post big fat juicy articles that take about ten hours to write and still end up full of terrible typos that make them virtually un-readable. Some ofthem even manged to get "digged", whatever that means. Here is a bunch of links to the best ones:

CONTROLLER THINGYS

VMU WONDERS

DDR FOR DREAMCAST

SAMBA DE AMIGO: INSIDE OUT

DREAMCAST MEMORABILIA

SAMBA DE BASEBALL!

Why the article above turned out to be guff!

SOUL CALIBUR + FISHING CONTROLLER

DREAM KEY STILL WORKS!

TOP 5 EMULATORS FOR DREAMCAST

COMMON THEMES IN DREAMCAST-LAND

EXISTENZ - HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH DREAMCAST!

DREAMCAST IS ART!

THE DREAMCAST REFUSES TO DIE!

DREAMCAST GAMES THAT SHOULD BE REMADE ON WII*

* That's remade, not ported, as the Digg link got wrong.

Now if you'll excuse me, all that full caps text has given me a headache. To send you off, here's a direct embed of Caleb's brilliant Soul Calibur with fishing controller video, for those who are too lazy to go to his blog. Rock on, the All-American Dreamcaster!

SoulCalibur-Fishing
Uploaded by Blandco

The Talented Mr Tom

Presenting the world's most impressive Dreamcast-flavoured desktop wallpaper:

Look! It's got (a slightly Spock-like) Ryo! It's got Ryu! It's got some dude from Phantasy Star Online! It's got Sonic! It's got that twatting cat from Chu Chu Rocket! And some Mice!

In a word: Kick Ass. Ok, two words.

My advice? put it on your laptop and then sit with your back to the window in Starbucks (or Cafe Nero - we don't do product placement here at the Junkyard) so that everyone walking past and nosing at your screen can see that you are keeping it real...keeping it Dreamcast. Just don't do it in Manchester. Laptops and street lynchings go hand in hand round these parts.

Anyhow, it was created by a rather talented chap called Tom (I'm seeing a link here, people) and displayed at his site, www.2dforever.com.

And for those people who are a bit thick (or, you know, just not familiar with the DC), here is a guide to all of the characters on the picture above:


This guy is seriously talented though - check out this SNK-esque drawing of Sonic:


Go there now and admire his other Sega and general video game related scribbles.

Ying/Bang

Well shit in my eye - it's Friday the 13th! AAARGH!

Ahem. Following on appropriately:

You know, they say (whoever the fuck 'they' are) that for every good thing that happens in life, another thing just as astonishing - but in a shit way - occurs to readdress the balance. A bit like when that Newton fellow decided that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

After the last few days' events, I'd like to find this Newton geezer and knock his fucking head off.

Some of you reading this may have been privy to one of European football's most spectacular displays of brilliance earlier this week. Yes, Manchester United's systematic destruction of Roma at the Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford. Twas a night to remember and signal of intent to all of the lesser teams daring to attempt to win the Champions League. I for one was making merry after the final whistle. As I'm also sure (blue scum) Father Krishna was :-)


So far, so good.

Imagine my horror then, when not so long after those (Spartan-esque) heroic events on the hallowed turf at Old Trafford, I discovered that while moving my beloved Dreamcast stuff from my mother's old hovel to her new...erm...hovel (I keep my stuff there because I have no space for it!), the shaven monkeys masquerading as removal men had virtually destroyed every single jewel case in my possession. Quite how, I'm still not sure - but rest assured that every single mother-humping case is in some way broken. Not a big deal you may think, but after taking so much care of the boxes for so long...and to have them all smashed to bits by fucking ignorant Neanderthals is extremely annoying.

Nay - heart rending.

Nevertheless, life goes on (whereas my old Mum's nearly didn't when she remarked "they're only games..."). As such, let me illustrate two of my newest Dreamcast purchases:

Tee Off Golf
The Dreamcast's only golf game (I believe), Tee Off is a twee little title in which massive-headed cartoon characters battle it out for golfing domination across several generic courses. It's certainly no Tiger Woods or PGA Tour Golf (Mega Drive version), but it's playable enough and has a multitude of game modes (including a rather strange virtual reality bit). Oh, and the graphics are quite pleasant - look:


Unfortunately, listening to the 'music' is akin to letting Thor smash bolts of lightening through your ear drums with his Thunder Hammer (TM).

Tech Romancer
A frankly brilliant fighting game that has you smashing the shit out of each other...whilst controlling fuck-off massive robots! Heaven! It sort of reminds me of GASP!! on the N64 (is that a good thing?), only...erm...better. The controls are pretty simple and it's really easy to pull off some epileptic-fit inducing special moves. The best thing about Tech Romancer though (no, it's not the name), is the way each battle has the feel of an episode of a Manga-style cartoon. All round brilliance, make no mistake. Not Soul Calibur by any means, and the in-game graphics are hardly stellar, but still...Tech Romancer is a highly decent game of robotic fisty-cuffs.


Hopefully, I'll be able to keep at least these two games in some sort of semi-complete state, and even retain the little plastic tabs that hold the cases together. Hopefully...


Finally, whilst perusing Google (utilising somebody else's unsecured wireless network, I might add) I found this rather nifty (read: Geekish) Dreamcast-oriented word search! Cool or what?!


Not that I can be arsed finding all the words, mind.

Adios!

The Dreamcast Will Rise!

I started this off as a reply to someone on the Planet Dreamcast Forum, but then decided it would be a good topic for debate as a post in its own right...

There are a million links to click on, but put together I think they suggest that the Dreamcast as a console is far from dead!What I didn't mention in the original post, was the love for the DC on a large amount of websites like this one, the homebrew, emu and mod scene and I don't think I emphasized how huge the retro gaming scene both in terms of popularity and as a profitable industry in its own right! At a time when next gen consoles are battling out in the market place, its significant that a selling point for the Wii is the opportunity to play twenty year old games on the Virtual Console.Have a look at this and please let me know what you think.. my guess is that opinion will pretty much be evenly divided, especially since the demise of the GD Rom and the announcement that Sega will be withdrawing technical support for the Dreamcast on September 27th of this year, still...

Here goes my post...I found this article at the excellent http://www.seganerds.com/

"Reports from RetroBlast! indicate that French based website INpactVirtuel have the latest scoop on what could possibly be the next Sega console!Dubbed the ‘Sega Hedgehog’ this console will be a portable games device built on the same technology that the ill-fated Gizmondo platform ran on. Despite the flop that the Gizmondo was- the technology it held was actually more advanced and more powerful than the PSP- just very few games managed to show this and the Gizmondo company fell through soon after they launched the device in the US. The Gizmondo's main feature was that of the Satellite Navigation built in, which was not only used for in car SatNav, but was set to be used in many games too. It’s just a pity that the device was never marketed properly, nor had the support from the gaming community. On a side note- the Gizmondo's SatNav is actually very good- I use it in my car still today.Whether the ‘Hedgehog’ will have the same SatNav technology the Gizmondo had we do not know. Reports Rumours indicate that the Hedgehog will possibly have ‘retrocompatibility’ with old Sega consoles, namely the Mastersystem, Saturn and Dreamcast. Though how that is done, it is not yet known. From the rough image we have seen the device is set to have a USB port for possibly connection to printers, scanners, PC and possibly for wireless Internet access.Of course this is all heresay right now, and to be honest I don’t believe it to be true. Especially as it is said to be available at the end of 2007. But it’s always nice to dream isn’t it? Imagine a handheld Dreamcast or Saturn?"

Wouldn't you like one of

these?

Then there's the love for Dreamcast shown here: IGN Dreamcast...

and here:Play Asia
and here:Game Set Watch
and here:Amazon
and here:Gamestation
and here:Online Consoles
and here: The BBC

Plus there is the case in point of this little reincarnation of the defunct mastersystem/gamegear: Pocket Gaming

Then there's this:Kotaku

And this:Sega Nerds

If there is one fact of which we can be certain its that Sega as a company NEVER miss an opportunity to whore out (or 'recycle for cash' to put it more delicately...) its back catalogue! So who knows? The Dreamcast, like the Game Gear before it, could one day rise from the grave...My opinion? Well lets just say I'm living in hope!!!

Wash Hands After Use

It's always nice to know that you're not the only Dreamcast fanatic drifting on the tides of the internet. Of course, the fact that we get such a high volume of visitors here, at the epicenter of Dreamcast activity in 2007 is proof that we are many. Sometimes though, a fellow appreciator of all things DC related comes to the fore with such a shining example of his or her love for the sacred white block, that we must all down tools and look upon them. And today, my brethren, today is Caleb's day.

Caleb, regular commentator on these hallowed pages and self styled Dreamcast devotee has produced an exceptional video-diary thing that explains exactly why shitting and the Dreamcast go hand in hand. Enjoy:

Makeshift Philosophizing

Word, people. Christ - it's been a while eh?! And, as I've stated many a time in the anals (or is it annals?) of time, Father Krishna and The Gagaman have done a fucking amazing job of keeping the Dreamcast Junkyard the world's - nay - the Multiverse's premier source for Dreamcast related...erm...stuff. And to them, I doff my cap in a fashion not seen since, ooh, 1876. In London. With mist and shit swirling around gas powered street lamps. But ENOUGH!

In time honoured fashion I ask the question - WHY? Why do I grace these hallowed pages today? Today of all days? Well, the answer is like a fat bloke's stomach upon taking a seat after a particular strenuous trip to the fridge for more food - multi-layered. Firstly, I would like to announce that today - Thursday - is the day before Good Friday. And if you happen to be classed as Proletariat, tomorrow signals a day off work. Huzzah!

I understand there's also some religious guff that goes with Good Friday, but I'll be damned if I know what it is. Chortle. The point I'm trying to make is that with days off comes free time - and free time generally goes hand in hand with drinking more beer...and more time to play on your Dreamcast! See - I told you there was a point!

I don't know this Bob guy, but I like him already...

More importantly, yesterday saw something of a mini milestone for me - my first Dreamcast related purchase in over 6 months!!! Buying DC games used to be something of a formality for me - every time I stepped through the wierd portal on the front of the house (more commonly known as a 'front door'), I sort of knew that I'd be returning with something with a blue swirl on it. Even if I was going for a pint, I'd be on the lookout for Dreamcast shit, and those who remember the 'Dreamcast in pub toilet' episode can testify to that.

Sad? You bet you're ass.

However, In these turbulent times, such frivolity is no longer possible. And that's why yesterday's purchase of Stunt GP for the incredible price of £3.00 is so important. Have we mentioned Stunt GP before? Not sure, but basically it's Re-Volt on steroids. With Stunts. And not set in real-life locations. And without the joypad-smashingly frustrating controls.

OK, the only thing it's got in common with Re-Volt is that it's got RC cars in it:

See - they're doing stunts by driving round the curly T! Amazing!

If only all multi-storey car parks were such fun

Two wheels = more points

Whoever took these shots is shit - they're always in 6th place

Rather than have you racing through houses and super markets like in Re-Volt, Stunt GP's locales are limited to specially built tracks that look as if they're made from bits of scalextric, replete with banked corners, slaloms, tunnels and the obligatory jumps from which you gain 'air' and perform the titular stunts. All well and good. And that's not me being sarcastic either - Stunt GP is a brilliant game, with superb (albeit slightly sparse) graphics and highly manouverable vehicles. Put simply: It's a fun little game made even better by the fact that I only paid three quid for it. The only thing I thought strange though (and the same thing goes for Re-Volt), was that if these are supposed to be radio controlled cars...where are the people controlling them? Think about that one. It's a bit like that "if a tree falls and no-one hears it...does it make a noise?" thing innit. Or maybe just for me. Moving swiftly on...

I looked in my hotmail inbox this morning and saw an email from a familiar name. It was Gary from Dreamcasting. You may remember that we featured Gary's awesome collection of DC paraphernalia quite some time ago (probably about a year ago, actually), and also the fact that he's yer man if you want to play Half Life, Propellor Arena, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (whatever that is), Flintstones etc on your Dreamcast.


Well, now he's set up an online photo album thingy where you can admire his artistic handywork when it comes to creating bespoke game boxes and manuals. And more importantly you can contact him and order the damned things. If anyone gets Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, be sure to let us know what it's all about. Cadillacs and...er...Dinosaurs, I'd imagine, but the only Cadillacs and Dinosaurs this gamer can remember is the one that was portrayed as a screenshot on the back of the Atari Jaguar console box. Very Intriguing indeed.

Email here for more information

Anyway, until December 2010 (probably), this is Tomleecee signing off.

Shmup Up the Volume!

First of all I would like to apologise to all of you folks out there, that like me, check regularly to see if there’s anything new posted on the Dreamcast Junkyard. As you may know, the ‘Yard is a three man operation, founded by Tomleecee and supported by myself (Father Krishna) and The Gagaman(n).



At this present time, Tom is currently saving the world from the Axis Of Evil. The Gagaman(n) is currently honing his computer and film making skills and preparing to take the world of multi-media by storm. (Check out his two red hot posts below…)

So what about me? What’s my excuse for not stocking the ‘Yard with new posts?
Well there are a couple of things! Firstly I’ve been collaborating with my good buddy Caleb, on a Trans-Atlantic project celebrating another one of Sega’s classic consoles- The Saturn- over at the un-originally titled Saturn Junkyard. I’ve also been contributing to a blog about the world of handheld gaming with the wonderful Gnome, originally titled Gnome’s Gaming On The Go.




Combine those two things with the mundane pursuits of work and family life and the end result is... not enough time to sustain my posting duties here at the ‘Yard. But hopefully that will change now.
I’ve been adding to my collection (which I posted on this very site last month) and substantially boosted my games repertoire. The games haul includes: Virtua Athlete 2K, Silent Scope, Plasma Sword, Unreal Tournament, Skies Of Arcadia, Deep Fighter, Championship Surfer, Fur Fighters and Wild Metal.



I’ve also very nearly completed Resident Evil: Code Veronica, so I’ve plenty to review and talk about (a situation which has not been the case for some time!)
I’ve also played bought and played brand new Dreamcast release Last Hope and a new set of Cha Cha Amigo maracas from the wonderful Play Asia, so my love for the Dreamcast is still alive and kicking!!!

Talking of games developed for the Dreamcast after its official “retirement”, the excellent Games TM Magazine has just run a full page review of said titles, and because I love you I’ve decided to transcribe the entire thing for your reading pleasure!

So, here’s to a new era of Father Krishna’s Dreamcast ramblings! OK Here goes…

No.1 “Ikaruga” Estimated Price: £50, Publisher: ESP, Year Of Production: 2002

“When Treasure’s Ikaruga was announced for Dreamcast in 2002, everyone naturally assumed it would be the last Dreamcast game. It wasn’t of course, but that didn’t stop the game from selling out almost instantly, becoming one of the most valuable titles on the system. Literally meaning “spotted dove” Ikaruga re-defined the shoot ‘em up with a puzzle mechanic that rewarded players for intelligent mastery of the black-and-white colour-coded enemies and weapons.


No.2 “Shikigami No Shiro 2” Estimated Price: £40, Publisher: MediaQuest, Year Of Production: 2004

Although it was produced on Gamecube, PS2 and Xbox, the Dreamcast version of Shikigami 2, remains highly collectible thanks to it’s low production run and limited editions. As a shooter, its fairly generic but notable for using humanoid characters, rather than the more traditional spaceships or aeroplanes. Despite being generic it is pretty enjoyable and well worth adding to any Dreamcast collection.

“Border Down” Estimated Price: £70, Publisher: G.Rev Year Of Production: 2003

So, for a game exclusive to the Dreamcast format, the unusual Border Down manages to fetch a very pretty penny- and that is something that is looking very unlikely to change any time soon. Noted for its adaptive difficulty Border Down stands out as one of only a handful of horizontal shooters to be produced in the last five years. Fast, colourful and very playable, Border Down is one of the best shooters on the Dreamcast, and essential even at the steep price.

“Radirgy” Estimated Price: £40, Publisher: Milestone, Year Of Production: 2006

Its visuals may have made it look like it was designed for mobile phones, but Radirgy (supposedly pronounced ‘Rajirugi’) is a vertical scrolling shooter that stands proud among its peers. Curiously, for only around £30 more than it’s current price, its possible to pick up Radirgy with a fully refurbished Dreamcast. Gamecube owners may also like to look out for the upcoming Radio Allergy, a port of the game, that’s due to be released in the US some time this year. (See IGN Review here! )


“Under Defeat” Estimated Price: £35, Publisher: Sega, Year Of Production: 2006

Of all the games released after Dreamcast’s demise, Under Defeat is surely the prettiest. Using full polygonal 3D environments and objects, this vertical scrolling helicopter shoot ‘em up looks incredible. Interestingly, the back of the Under Defeat case claims that the game would be the last ever for the Dreamcast., but the shooter proved profitable enough, to ensure that the developer, Milestone, and several others continued to support the console.

“Chaos Field” Estimated Price: £5, Publisher: Sega, Year Of Production: 2004

Chaos Field is an odd little shooter. Completely comprised of boss fights, you would expect to pack in all the best bits of the genre without all of the rubbish. Not so, sadly.
Although technically well made, there is something about the structure of Chaos Field that makes it feel exhausting to play. Other issues like slowdown and a general lack of originality in the mechanics make this the least attractive of Dreamcast’s more recent shooters.



“ Trizeal” Estimated Price: £35, Publisher: Triangle Service, Year Of Production: 2005

Although a strictly traditional shoot ‘em up in terms of the gameplay, Trizeal is worth checking out for other reasons. Triangle Service, a developer comprised of just three people, created the game, and its amazing to see what they have achieved with their comparatively limited resources. This is exactly what makes the current Dreamcast scene seem so appealing – it allows small developers to create games that they wouldn’t be able to on any other console.


“Puyo Puyo Fever” Estimated Price: £20, Publisher: Sega, Year Of Development: 2004

Puyo Puyo Fever was the last title that Sega ever developed for the Dreamcast system. Developed by Sonic Team, the Fever game could almost be described as a vanity project to see how many different platforms could be supported with one game. The final result was ten different versions, making for one of the wildest multiformat releases in the history of videogames. As a collectors piece, Puyo Puyo Fever is as interesting to own as it is fun to play."

Hope that was of interest! Peace Y'all! FK