The Dreamcast Games of 2018

Welp! It’s February already and we haven’t even done a year in review for 2018 yet. Shame on us.

If you recall, 2017 was an unprecedented bumper year for Dreamcast games. There was a total of 27 physical releases last -  er.. the year before - including nine brand new titles, various re-releases and packaging variations. Along with the physical releases, we also got out hands on the previously unpublished game Millennium Racer: Y2K Fighters during 2017 as well. It was going to be hard for 2018 to top this lot.

Just what did the year that heralds the 20th anniversary of our little white box have in store for us? Let's take a stroll back down memory lane through the Dreamcast releases of 2018.

Every Dreamcast release of 2018

23 March 2018
    • Ghost Blade, NTSC version (exclusive to videogamesnewyork.com)

10 April 2018
    • Ghost Blade, NTSC version (play-asia.com, thebitstationgames.com)

20-31 July 2018
    • Another World HD, PAL version (rushongame.com SOLD OUT{?})
    • Bang² Busters, PAL version (rushongame.com SOLD OUT{?})
    • Battle Crust Limited Edition with OST, PAL version (rushongame.com SOLD OUT{?})
    • Battle Crust, PAL version (rushongame.com SOLD OUT{?})
    • Flashback 2: Fade to Black, PAL version (rushongame.com SOLD OUT{?})
    • The Escapee, PAL version (rushongame.com SOLD OUT{?})

All the PAL style releases of 2018.
They seem to be currently sold out on rushongame.com

22 August 2018
    • Battle Crust, NTSC version (play-asia.com, videogamesnewyork.com)

31 August 2018
    • Another World HD, NTSC version (play-asia.com, videogamesnewyork.com)

8 November 2018
    • Bang² Busters, NTSC version (play-asia.com, videogamesnewyork.com)
    • The Escapee, NTSC version (play-asia.com, videogamesnewyork.com)

29 November 2018
    • Flashback 2: Fade to Black, NTSC version (play-asia.com, videogamesnewyork.com)

30 November 2018
    • Dux Ver 1.5, NTSC version (play-asia.com, thebitstationgames.com)

The NTSC style releases of 2018, US side

The NTSC style releases of 2018, Japan side

Not a bad haul. We had five brand new titles: Another World, Bang Bang Busters, Battle Crust, Fade to Black, and The Escapee (refer to our post back in July for more information, and check out our Battle Crust review from September).

All are welcome additions to the Dreamcast catalogue, especially Another World and Fade to Black, as they join 2017’s release of Flashback to round out the trilogy*. All titles were published by JoshProd, who seems to the last publishing house left catering to the Dreamcast faithful.

Stacks up nicely!

*lowers voice* 
In addition, we had a further two re-releases: Ghost Blade and Dux Ver. 1.5 (for the upteenth time, but let’s not dwell on that too much). 
*unlowers voice*

Here it is, Dux yet again!
I didn't receive mine until 2019 and thought it was the first release for this year,
but I checked the day it was sent and it just snuck into 2018.

And let us not forget we were also gifted the previously unfinished and unpublished Dreamcast title Agartha during 2018 as well (seen here in our post from way back in January).

Not technically "published" nor finished, but a new game all the same.

So all in all, not a bad year. It was a shame that we didn’t see a game that tied into the 20th Birthday/Anniversary celebrations this time around. We did back in 2008, when Yuan Work’s published Wind and Water Puzzle Battles, which specifically celebrated the Dreamcast’s 10th Birthday.

Maybe we’ll see something this year in time for 9.9.19? 

This is how we did it back in 2008. Maybe we'll get it right this year.
Are you listening devs?

~fin~

*Yes, I know it’s not really a trilogy as Another World isn’t related to Flashback and I’m also conveniently overlooking Another World’s sequel Heart of the Alien, but whatever, you know what I mean.