Dreamcast Magazine Issue 15

Issue 15 of Paragon Publishing's Dreamcast Magazine was fired from a gigantic pink howitzer and onto newsstands across Blighty on the 2nd November 2000. This is one of my favourite issues simply because of the iconic Phantasy Star Online cover art, but it's also one of the most awesome-packed editions of the magazine; and there's barely any hint of a slowdown (unless you count the Half-Life review!) for the Dreamcast or Sega.

Considering the Dreamcast's cancellation was announced only 4 months later, this makes it quite a perplexing issue to look back at. The Dreamcast was only a year old (in the UK, at least) and the 'second wave' of AAA Dreamcast titles was just about to hit, and this magazine is a showcase of that.

News of the VMU MP3 player being cancelled is mentioned in brief (see above), but this doesn't sour proceedings in the slightest, guv'nor. Half-Life, Jet Set Radio, Metropolis Street Racer and Silent Scope dominate the reviews section like sweaty 128-bit ogres, while the previews section is absolutely full of new games. Outtrigger, Sonic Adventure 2, 18 Wheeler, Phantasy Star Online...if you'd only ever read issue 15 of Dreamcast Magazine there'd be enough here to convince you that the future was very, very bright for the good old Dreamcast...

Sadly, we all know the fate of our favourite system, but it's still cool to look back at magazines from the late 2000s when the Dreamcast was really entering its prime; and this is a fantastic example of how good things were in those 'pre-deathknell' days. Sniff.

Other articles provide previews of Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix 3, No Cliche's cancelled Agartha project, Planet Harriers, Quake III Arena, Ready 2 Rumble: Round 2 and Planet Ring. Elsewhere, 'Virtua Fighter X' is mentioned in brief and the Milwaukee/Jet Set Radio debacle is reported on. NAOMI 2 is given a fleeting mention alongside the JAMMA 2000 report, too. Issue 15 is a bumper extravaganza of everything that made being a Dreamcast owner in late 2000 an exciting time, so sit back and enjoy this trip down memory lane:

Be sure to watch Pcwzrd's video featuring Dream Dorobo here, and the blogs I mention during the MSR bit are Blue Swirl and MSR Blog. Check them both out!