Video Game Stock Market: MvC 2 Prices Plummet, People Perplexed, Pessimistic, Perturbed

Not really a plummet but rather a slight drop.

http://blog.videogamepricecharts.com/2009/04/marvel-vs-capcom-2-on-xbl-psn-lowers.html

Still this is probably a blow to anyone who dropped over $60 to get a mint copy of the game.

Will the re-release cause more people to get rid of their Dreamcast versions of the game? Will the resale price of the game bottom out?

Is this a good time to get a copy?

Should you wait it out and see if this price drop continues?

What does this mean for the rest of the used Dreamcast game stock prices?

Are we nearing a Dreamcast game price recession?

Only time will tell. So until then you should always the latest reports here at the Dreamcast Junkyard, your source for all news that deals with a certain ten year old video game console.

Eriko from Illbleed for sale! Um..

Searching for Sega related junk to buy on Ebay I stumbled across this auction and er...I don't know what to think of it, but it needs to be saved for prosperity. Judging by the image locations I guess you can blame this guy for this nonsense.

"Michael Reynold's virtual horror land Illbleed is a game for Dreamcast. In one level you turn into a wood puppet.

This is Eriko Christy, she's the character I used when I entered that level.

One day I discovered Eriko in wood puppet form about to be run over by a car.

I took her home, fed her and gave her a place to sleep.

She's enjoyed staying at my house.


She made my home her own.

We play dreamcast together, but she's not that good at it.
She also tries doing my homework sometimes. She's better at doing oral exercises than at writing though.

But lately, she's been a royal pain.

This is her trying to fix my VHS tapes.

She leaves my room a mess after having slumber parties with her human friends.
My mom has been complaining about stolen lipstick and blush.

Here she is listening to music with MY CD PLAYER.

She get's jealous when I play other horror games.

I don't even know what she's going to do to me when she finds out I put her on auction.

What you are bidding on is the Eriko Wood Puppet. She's been through a lot. When I found her she had some cracks in her ankles and arms. She's about a foot and a half tall and is pretty light.

I beg you, you must help get her off my hands. "


And all this can be yours for just $179 (or Best Offer)! Take note he almost accepted an offer for $5, but the doll caught him and got angry. Just so you know.

Marvel Vs Capcom 2 being re-released

Now that I have a copy of the Dreamcast version plus a pair of arcade controllers I really don't know what to think about this.

I am almost a little sad that one of the greatest Dreamcast games will be available to the general gaming public. It was one of those games that you really had to play on the Dreamcast to get the full experience (of course you could always try out the expensive xbox or PS2 version but I always thought the Dreamcast version was the best).

In any case I hope that this means that people will pay their respect to the Dreamcast for originally bringing this game to the console world.



Pringles!

DCJY Rummage: Visual Park for Dream Eye



Here is the review of the Dream Eye's Visual Park software. I also mentioned a homebrew photo manager that was recently released on DCemulation which you can get here.

New Dreamcast on sale for $99! And now it's sold out...

Wow.

ThinkGeek had some new in box Dreamcasts for sale. $99 each.

...and now they are all gone.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/games/ba52/

However, you can sign up to be emailed if they happen to get any more in.

Wow. These sold out very quickly. I think the the TG store is probably kicking themselves for not charging more.


(And yes, I know that you can get NIB Dreamcast's elsewhere on the web for the same price. I posted this to note how quickly these things sell out when major sites report on the sale (Kotaku, Cheapassgamer...ect)

Dreameye InsideOut Video




Well here's that Dream Eye video I promised, or should I say the first of two, as this will be followed up with a Rummage video of the Visual Park software. 'InsideOut' is the name for all the unboxing type videos I'll be doing from now on (I guess you could count these
Samba De Amigo and Wind and Water videos as 'InsideOut' videos, too).

The Dream Eye! Oooh.

Well lookie what showed up toady: The DreamEye, a digital camera for the DC which I got rather cheap in an auction (about £20). Is that not the happiest box art you have ever seen? It's right up there with Samba De Amigo's box, at least.

Here's all the hardware of the box. The camera itself almost feels like a toy one, it's very light, has barely any buttons, a tiny light and weighs almost nothing. The blue part attached to it is a battery pack (takes two AAA's) so you can use it as a portable digital camera (albeit an extremely out of date one now, as most mobile phones can take better photos than this, let alone anything else).

You get a blue microphone adapter for the controller (just like the one you get with Seaman, Planet Ring etc) and a microphone head set, so you don't have to talk at the controller, which is nice. There's also a stand you can screw the camera into, which is quite heavy and sturdy.


Finally this is the software you get with it: Visual Park. The disc is in a CD case like any other Japanese Dreamcast game, only with no manual inside it as the manual is rather big, the same size as the box. Using the software is pretty easy even without being able to read the Japanese as there are plenty of visual clues to what is what.

The disc has an excellent photo editor that lets you do all sorts of daft things, and a video creator where you can record a (terribly compressed) 25 second clip and save it to your VMU or e-mail it to someone. You could also chat online with this thing, which is pretty amazing on a console considering it's age. Once again Sega was far too ahead of its time for its own good, and sadly this wasn't used for any other games like the Eye Toy was when that came out years later.

I'm working on videos of both the DreamEye and Visual park at the moment, but for now here'sa video I uploaded a little while ago in case you missed it.


VG Chartz rates the top 10 Dreamcast Games.

http://news.vgchartz.com/news.php?id=3396&a=2

You will notice that they included both the American Dreamcast and European Dreamcast controller in the graphic for this article. Classy. It's the little touches that really do it you know.

The list itself is not really that surprising.

However, I was pleased to see that Resident Evil Code Veronica was at the top.

As the very first Dreamcast game I ever played and beat RE CV holds a special place in my heart of hearts. Actually utilizing the Dreamcast VMU for something other than memory was fun (it displayed your current health). I felt that this was the best control-wise of all the classic Resident Evil games.

With all the remakes of this game (That actually added very little to the game) and the more recognizable titles in the Dreamcast lineup it's good to see this title get some respect.

I actually bought the limited edition of this game but I have not tried to play it yet. The CD art and cool red cover are marvelous looking.

Stop - Shower Time!

Went round to see the old dear over Easter. She hadn't bought me any Easter eggs, which I'm sure you'll agree is bloody outrageous. Anyhow, upon entering her bathroom to throw up in disgust, imagine the surprise when I saw her shower curtain:


Dreamcast swirls inhabiting my mum's bathroom. Who'd have thought it?

Ignoring claims that I should 'get out more,' I've gone and got myself on Xbox Live. It's pretty good ain't it? Except for the chavs infesting Project Gotham 3, that is. Feel free to add me to your list - Tomleecee1982.

FIN.

Caleb, you're starting a craze!



Kicked out of school for trying to run a Dreamcast on one their projectors, only to take over a Lan club with them instead, pulling everyone away from their Call of Duty to play some House of the Dead and Capcom Vs SNK. Wouldn't it be nice if public Dreamcast gaming became something of a global phenomenon? :P

Giana Returns Trailer



The team working on an unofficial homebrew sequel of the famous Commodore 64 game Great Giana Sisters have released a trailer showing of the new version of the game, with completely re-drawn sprites and a re-done engine since the version supplied on the DCEvolution disc 'The Sandman'. Kudos on the choice of music: Machinae Supremacy are brillaint, go download some free songs by them if you get the time.

Ebayneezer Scrooge

What a freakin' amazing few weeks its been here at the Central Administration of Dreamcast-related Intelligence (that's CD-i, to the uninitiated. If anyone else has used this name in the past, then I assure you it is purely coincidental), aka: The Dreamcast Junkyard. Not only do we get to see the awesome Dream Tablet and SD Card Reader, but Caleb preaches to the unwashed masses by showcasing Powerstone 2, through VGA...on a 65,000 ft projection screen. On the moon. Truly brilliant. Unfortunately, I cannot boast about such activities. Infact - and even whilst writing this I shed an acidic, cheek-rotting tear - my love for the Dreamcast is now very often hidden from friends for the fear of scorn that I have received in the past. Like someone who has a sexual preference for eating freshly delivered shit directly from another man's arsehole, I keep my passion locked away in the deep caverns of my Hollow-like heart and only allow it to ejaculate forth when I point my web browser at a certain site:

EBAY!

So to cut a long (and incredibly dull, convoluted) story short - let me elaborate in the voice of Robert Downey Jr's character from Tropic Thunder: "I got new shit, motherfucker!" Not that you're a motherfucker, dear and sacred reader...erm...(door slams)

Before I continue however, I must stress that devouring excrement from the business end of another dude is certainly not something I partake in. On a regular basis.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

I know what you're thinking. I also know that this can barely be described as a 'game,' but when I saw it for 99p, I had to have it. Based on the hideously drawn-out real life game show of the same name, WWTBAM features that slimy gimp Chris Tarrant barking questions at you. Get them right and you win...well, nothing actually. Except a screen telling you that you've won a virtual 32,000 quid. Or 64,000 quid if you haven't used all your lifelines by that point. This would be great if you could download your virtual winnings straight into your heavily overdrawn Barclays account, but alas you cannot.

About as exciting as it gets

The back of the box boasts that the game features over 1000 different questions, but they soon get repeated after a few plays. What you get with WWTBAM is basically one of those DVD games you play with your remote control. The presentation and music are very faithful to the actual show (the UK version, that is) so in that respect it can't really be faulted. Likewise, there are a few multi-player variations of the main game show that make it quite good to play with housemates over a few beverages of the alcoholic variety (just avoid the methylated spirits)...and that's it really. Like The Next Tetris, it kind of ticks all the right boxes and does everything it sets out to do (i.e. recreate the show), but ultimately the thing wears thin when familiar questions start to come around again. Still, not a bad game for 99p.

Gauntlet Legends

I've never actually seen this on sale - even in those halcyon days when Dreamcast pods graced the entrance to our favourite branch of Electronics Boutique, I never recall seeing an actual copy on a shelf. I did see the reviews, however and they were mainly favourable - so when this little beaut showed up last week, I had to have it at all costs. Luckily, bidding interest died out at the £4.00 mark, so I was lucky enough to secure it for my own evil machinations (erm...playtesting it). So, does it live up to the hype generated in my corrupted mind? Well, yes and no. Gauntlet Legends is a pseudo 3D update of the classic game series Gauntlet, and the only previous Gauntlet game I've ever played is one on the NES...and rose tinted specs aside, I thought it was a load of shit. You just wondered around maze-like top-down levels killing hundreds of baddies and collecting the odd item or power-up.


Fast forward a decade or two, and Gauntlet Legends is more or less in the same vein, only with polygonal characters and a Pandemonium-style rotating camera view. You get to play as one of a number of suitable mythical character classes (knights, wizards etc) who all boast their own strengths and weaknesses and must roam various themed stages beating the shit out of the swarms of ogres and monsters that pile out through little doorways. Destroy the doorways and the stream of nasties is cut off at the source, leaving you to continue on your quest of opening treasure troves, avoiding traps and finding keys. Each of the themed worlds (valleys, castles, caves etc) is accessed through a central hub world in the form of a Wizard's grotto, and you get the chance to purchase armour and weapon upgrades aswell as various magic potions that you can unleash on your foes for even quicker and more colourful deaths.

Gauntlet Legends is a pleasant enough way to while away a few hours, but it does get a bit repetitive after a while - you just do the same thing in every level: kill monsters, collect health, kill monsters, open door...ad nauseum. Graphically, it appears to be nowt more than a sharpened up N64 game - the character models are boxy and the animation is as basic as Amstrad CPC 464 programming language...but like I said, it's entertaining guff in short sharp bursts. The most interesting feature is probably the 4-player co-operative mode, but seeing as most of my friends would baulk at the idea of playing anything that isn't a 360 or PS3, I doubt I'll ever get the chance to experience it. Sigh.

Spider-Man

Can you believe I paid £1.70 for this?! It normally sits aloof with the likes of Resident Evil 3 as a DC title that commands bids of £15 and above! Not that I'm complaining, you understand. So, Spider-Man then. In essence, it is no more than a port of the PSX title of the same name, but as a port from an inferior piece of technology it remains one of the shining examples of how porting should be handled. Initially, should you choose to look beyond the slightly shoddy FMV sequences (thaf for some reason feature shitter character models that the actual game engine), you'll discover that Spider-Man boasts some of the slickest presentation and menu screens seen on the DC. But it's the actual game that impressed me the most.


Taking the form of a 3D platformer-cum-beat 'em up, you (naturally) assume the roll of Peter Parker dressed in uber-camp lycra and must swing around the rooftops of New York twatting the shit out of henchmen (who for some reason seem to enjoy swaggering around atop skyscrapers without guardrails). Occasionally the action takes you inside said skyscrapers and involves you rescuing hostages, opening doors and acting all Spidey-like by climbing up walls, through vents and shooting ne'erdowells with your web and then roundhousing them. Nice.

I really liked the way Spidey mutters classic one-liners to himself ("my Spidey-sense is tingling!"), but the neatest thing about this particular PSX port has got to be the graphics. The character models (and Spidey in particular) are great - rather than be an angular mess with texture-mapped muscles, his arms, legs and even head are very smooth and rounded. Likewise with the enemies and even the locations themselves are clean and sharp. Lets not get too excited here - the outside sections are hardly Mirror's Edge, but it all looks and moves exactly as you'd like an interactive comic book to do so. Definitely one of the DC's finest platformers - easily up there with Soul Reaver in my humble opinion. Top stuff.

Donald Duck: Quack Attack

Another platformer in the vein of Crash Bandicoot, NebachadnezzaR covered the merits of this Disney produced romp here. I'm inclined to agree with most of his points, although I wasn't overly impressed with the graphics to be honest. Super Magnetic Neo it most certainly ain't. Still, can't complain for £1.50.

Now, Gagaman - hurry up with that 'Z' based Rummage video...the anticipation is killing me!

Oh, and Happy Easter to those who still give a toss.

Bouncing off the walls with excitement!

Just done a trade deal with someone on a message board this week, and what I'll be receiving has me rather giddy with excitement! Though I'm not sure how long it'll take to arrive. I won't go into details yet but here's a clue as to what it is..


So yes, you've probably already figured it out. Either way, expect plenty of photos and a video feature about it some time soon! Oh yeah, and I'm working another Rummage video at the moment of a game I doubt many have heard of. It begins with a Z but is not Zombie Revenge (though I should really do one for that, too).

Classic Video Game Day footage

Here is some rather crappy footage of the classic video game day that I organized for the local public library. (It's hard to run something like this and get decent footage at the same time.)

In any case there is a lot of Dreamcast (and Saturn) action in it. During the Tournament I even used the Dreamcast Atari collection.



The most popular Dreamcast titles were Marvel Vs Capcom 1 and 2. I had seven different stations set up with classic video game systems including an Atati 2600, NES, N64, Genesis, PS1, Saturn, 2 Dreamcasts, and a couple of PCs with Starcraft and Doom multiplayer set up on them.

The Dreamcast systems were by far the most popular with the general public.

DCJY Rummage: Wind and Water Puzzle Battles



Finally I've sorted this review out! I had a lot of bother with it when I ended up losing all my editing and voice work for it a couple months ago, but dedicated yesterday to finishing it off. Take note the footage was recorded back in December so my gameplay stats shown are quite old! Also note the new intro I animated for the Rummage series, and it's in widescreen (sort of)! That artwork I made a while back was for this video too.

Download the I Have a Dreamcast EP!

The I Have a Dreamcast guys have released the EP as a free download! They had a live performance of the album, and some more DC playing goodness last night. There are 8 tracks in MP3 format in the download:

The Pianosaurus - Green Hill Drone

Bicycles & Gravel - A Song for the Dreamcast

Gemini Cricket - Dreamcast Vision
Grey Milk - Venice is Dying
Bicycles & Gravel - Curious Console
The South Will Rave Again - I Fell in Love Playing Marvel vs. Capcom
I Have Read Other Books Besides The Catcher in the Rye - To Beat, From Gum
Captain #1 - Bring Sega Back


Oh, I'm so making some Dreamcast videos with these songs in them. Amazing stuff.