Dreamcast Collectors Unite! Exploring your collections - Part 3

We put the call out for collectors willing to show off their collections, and the responses have come thick and fast. After showing off our first 5 contributors earlier in the week, we're back again for part 3 of the Dreamcast Collector's Unite! series, with 4 more fans of the Dreamcast letting us take a peek at their cherished collections.

So take a seat, grab yourself your favourite beverage (in a Dreamcast mug, of course) and come with us as we explore the collections of 4 wise men who go by the names of Adam, Brandon, James and Mike.

Adam

Hello fellow Dreamer! Tell us a little about yourself!

My name is Adam, better known on YouTube under "TechnicalCakeMix". I'm a Brit who has found himself in the United States for... reasons? I think?

You obviously have a love for the Dreamcast; when did that start?

For years I've been a fan of Cammy White, from Street Fighter - and as it turns out, she has a spin-off game of her own, called "Cannon Spike" that was exclusively on Dreamcast. While living in the homeland, I never found it for a reasonable price, and so sadly it never came to fruition - cut forward to 2014, the year I moved to the United States, and my now wife (then fiancee) gave me a huge surprise with a gift of not only my own Dreamcast console, but also a copy of Cannon Spike. From there, the rest as they say, is history.

So your current collection – can you give a brief description of what you have, what you collect (i.e. games only, games and console variants etc.) and what your 'end goal' is, if you have one?

I have around thirty games so far in my collection, which does not sound like a lot - however I've been focusing mainly on the higher $$ titles and the harder to find items before the market inevitably explodes. My eventual goal is to get as close as I can to 100% of the NA library, and also get some region exclusive oddities (some of which like Frame Gride, I already own). I've also been on the hunt for promotional merchandise, as well as oddities from the era.

Why did you start collecting for the console, and if you still are, what makes you continue?

I started because I'd always wanted to, but I got the proverbial kick in the pants with Cannon Spike and that Dreamcast.  It immediately escalated as the system she purchased (from a retail store) had issues, so we found a lot on a local listing for a console and some games - as it turned out, that console was a barely used, in box system (right down to the SEGA NET poster) from an elderly couple, and among the stack of games that came with it was both Crazy Taxi and Jet Grind Radio. Needless to say, I've been down the rabbit hole ever since.

Where do you get new additions to your collection? Are you still able to find them 'in the wild' or is it online only now?

I'm fortunate that I have a major convention near me every year (TooManyGames) that has been a great source for me. In person, I have *some* flea markets and the like around, but Dreamcast is hard to find at the best of times, and when I do it's usually a massive lot of NFL 2k1 (or web browser discs). I've done a lot online, infamously I'm an eBay fanatic when it comes to import titles, but otherwise I don't really have one true source anymore. I've also had luck at some stores, but not much.

What's the favourite part of your collection, and why?

For sentimentalises sake, easily Cannon Spike. I'd had a horrible 2014 leading up to that, and it absolutely made me a thousand percent happier.

We all love bargains, any in particular stand out for you whilst amassing your collection?

I got The Ring: Terror's Realm for $20 a while ago. Since then (no thanks to me reviewing it on my channel), it's exploded in value - do yourself a favour. Do. Not. Play. It. It's the worst game on the system by far, and yes I'm including Spirit of Speed in that statement.

We also know Retro costs sometimes – what's the most you've ever spent on a single item for the collection?

I want to say about... $80-$90? I paid the market value for Bangai-O at the time because it was in such good condition from a private collector. I got Illbleed infamously for $80 after telling someone to shove-off at a con after they refused to come down from $120 for a copy that looked like a cat threw up on it.

Any weird or particularly rare parts of the collection you want to highlight?

A game I think that deserves more attention on the system is GAROU: Mark of the Wolves - partially because it's one of the rarest titles on the platform, but also because it's by far the best fighting game that SNK ever made. I found my copy in the wild for peanuts, and I think it's something that gets overlooked far too often.

I'd also like to bring highlight to "Cheats n codes, volume 1", an otherwise mediocre waste of money that accidentally blew open the systems region lock. Simply pop in the cheat disc, select "start game without codes" and kaboom, any game from any region now plays (some even now force VGA, which is very nice). I got it at a random trade show since it was, quite literally, the only Dreamcast related thing I found that day, and accidentally got one of the most useful things I have (for all of $2!)

Is there one particular 'holy grail' that you're still after for the collection?

There's a couple, but the main thing right now, by far, is Mars Matrix. I've never seen an NTSC version in the wild, or even at a trade show, and it's absolutely caught my attention for the same reason that Illbleed did - it's super weird and obscure!

Brandon

Hello fellow Dreamer! Tell us a little about yourself!

I'm Brandon from Ohio, USA. I'm 33 and have now spent more years playing Dreamcast than not playing Dreamcast in my life. Needless to say, it is the console that got me into video games as a massive hobby. I've bought just about all the major consoles since, but Dreamcast has persisted as my favourite. From the industrial design, to brand and packaging design. Everything about it is timeless. Most importantly, the games themselves seem to have an identity that sets them apart from the more 'commercial' endeavours. Developers were making games they wanted to create (especially Sega developers). I think that's what defines Dreamcast for me. Unconstrained creativity. Unfortunately, that may have been its downfall as that didn't always appeal to the masses.

You obviously have a love for the Dreamcast; when did that start?

We had a Sega Genesis when I was kid. I enjoyed games then, but wasn't obsessed by any means. During the 32-bit era I would play PS1 and a little N64 at friends' houses. My family didn't have a console from that era. I wasn't really impressed by video games at that point. The jittery, rudimentary 3D looked bizarre to me at the time. I noticed N64's 3D was much better, but the detail and textures were still quite low-res and blurry. I have since gained an appreciation of the look of early 3D (especially with Saturn and PS1), but there wasn't anything drawing me to video games at that point. However, things changed the first time I saw a Dreamcast kiosk at Toys R Us. I was blown away. This was the first time I can remember a video game surpassing my expectations and showing me something otherworldly. It was Sonic Adventure. The first thing I noticed is the immense detail. I saw textures filtered in perfect perspective which looked incredibly detailed at the time. Polygonal complexity seemed higher than what could be perceived on an SD TV. It's as if the image was so high quality a standard television couldn't resolve every detail. The resolution was so high for the time, you never really even noticed it was an image made of pixels. Of course, I wasn't thinking this technically at the time. I simply perceived this super smooth but detailed looking image that reminded me of the image quality of a CGI movie. I'm a very visual person, so for better or for worse, I was initially drawn to the Dreamcast because of the visual aspect.

So your current collection – can you give a brief description of what you have, what you collect (i.e. games only, games and console variants etc.) and what your 'end goal' is, if you have one?

Living in the US, my collection is primarily almost all of the US games. Of course, there are several PAL exclusives that a Dreamcast owner must have, so I have a handful of those. I have quite a few Japanese exclusives too (at least all the ones that I find slightly interesting). I don't have an end goal. I could easily complete the US region. It's just not necessary since curiosity is driving force for my collection. For instance, I'm not curious about Midway's Greatest Arcade Hits Vol. 2, so I have no desire to get it. I just wanted to have every Dreamcast game worth looking at (from my perspective). I think I've about completed that goal.

Why did you start collecting for the console, and if you still are, what makes you continue?

As I became obsessed with Dreamcast through the popular games we all know and love, I began to become very curious with seeing more of what the console had to offer. I may be a little too preoccupied with graphics, but I found a strange fascination with seeing how a developer implemented a graphics engine on the Dreamcast. I was always searching for interesting graphics techniques. For example, I found Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation had bump mapping and volumetric fog. For whatever reason, that kind of stuff excites the crap out of me. I love seeing how a console from 1998 can still surprise me with its capabilities. I would find good gameplay too (and most importantly), as I slowly went from one game to the next. I'd see a video of Xtreme Sports, for instance, on Youtube. I was thinking... Am I seeing this right? This draw distance appears to be endless. At the time, the low quality video had me intrigued, but sceptical. As soon as I bought the game and saw it in action, I was amazed at what I saw. I actually got decent at the game and have a ton of fun with it. It's one of the those DC games I pickup and play quite frequently because it just resonates with me. I'd wonder why nobody was talking about certain Dreamcast games as I bought more and more. I was finding hidden gems like Red Dog. I could go on and on about the lesser talked about games, but the point is; that curiosity I had for the unknown is what inadvertently turned me into a collector.

Where do you get new additions to your collection? Are you still able to find them 'in the wild' or is it online only now?

eBay

What's the favourite part of your collection, and why?

Segagaga limited edition is really cool. I love those Sega console logo pins it comes with. I cannot wait for the day when this is translated (hopefully). My hope is that it's an incredible game that gives me yet another unforgettable Dreamcast experience.

We all love bargains, any in particular stand out for you whilst amassing your collection?

Before the rare Dreamcast games became expensive, I bought stuff like Project Justice for around $30 at a store. Since I was relatively early in collecting Dreamcast games, I was able to get everything for a reasonable price. I wasn't into Shmup's early on, so I never got Giga Wing 2 and Mars Matrix for the US region. I got the Japanese counterparts since they're much less pricey.

We also know Retro costs sometimes – what's the most you've ever spent on a single item for the collection?

My Neo Geo and arcade related stuff is where I've spent the most. In comparison, my Dreamcast stuff seems like chump change. I think I spent $150 USD on a Broadband Adapter (before DreamPi became a thing).

Any weird or particularly rare parts of the collection you want to highlight?

I recently got the Twin Sticks, because I saw the upcoming Xenocider supports it. I also wanted to finally play Virtual On in its intended form. I have to say, I think Virtual On still sucks! I just don't get it... It's like the one Sega game that everyone talks about, that I just don't seem to understand its draw. I think the Twin Sticks made it worse! I don't normally like arcade controls, anyway. There's too much arm movement involved.

Is there one particular 'holy grail' that you're still after for the collection?

I have everything I want now. I'm not into collecting for collecting sake, so I don't care about limited edition consoles and stuff like that. It was almost always about the games. Now it's just a matter of playing through the few good-looking games I haven't played a lot of yet.

James

Hello fellow Dreamer! Tell us a little about yourself!

My name is James McGhie, you can find me on Twitter @DreamcastAddict, and I’m a 40 year old gamer from Glasgow. Started gaming on a Spectrum 128k +2 and haven’t looked back!

You obviously have a love for the Dreamcast; when did that start?

My love for the Dreamcast was pretty much from day one. Being a Saturn gamer and SEGA arcade nut, I adore SEGA’s home conversions. The Saturn did a great job on some ports, but others left a little to be desired. Dreamcast was the first console that delivered true “arcade perfect” ports, and it was also the first console I bought with my own money, but also the first I imported too.

So your current collection – can you give a brief description of what you have, what you collect (i.e. games only, games and console variants etc.) and what your 'end goal' is, if you have one?

End goal, I don’t really have one. I picked up the Dreamcast again by chance, after spotting this one in the window of CEX. It was in great condition, and only £45. I sold my own collection back in 2008, but I didn’t intend to become a collector again. I literally said at the time, “I just want this for Crazy Taxi” ... and here we are approaching 30 games.

Why did you start collecting for the console, and if you still are, what makes you continue?

As I said, the Dreamcast while not in my actual possession, never went away. It’s a machine that really does have a special place in my heart. It’s got character, it delivered so much and yet the masses didn’t want it. I picked up the console in CEX fully intending to buy Crazy Taxi and Soul Calibur at most, but I intend to keep adding to the collection and would like to hit 50 games by the end of the year.

Where do you get new additions to your collection? Are you still able to find them 'in the wild' or is it online only now?

I check everywhere for potential additions; eBay, CEX, Cash Generator, etc ... I’ve occasionally checked charity shops but unlike some of the community down south, in Glasgow it seems cardigans, books, and DVD’s are more common the Dreamcast or retro gaming gems!

In all seriousness though, I find that I order from CEX and eBay the most, with CEX continually surprising me via their online orders. I’ve placed ten or so orders now, and every one has been closer to “mint” than “boxed”; hinges intact, little to no damage to the case, clean inserts, and great condition disc. Occasionally there will be a title in the window of my local store and I’ll pick it up, such as Quake 3 Arena. No single player value really, and unless I purchase a DreamPi, I won’t be going online, but it was £5 so why not add it to the collection.

What's the favourite part of your collection, and why?

I’ll split this answer into hardware and software.

Hardware - the console itself. I managed to somehow land a unit with the Yamaha GD-Rom drive, which is renowned in the Dreamcast community as being the more reliable of the two versions in the wild (the other being Samsung). For £45, in that condition with that drive, I really did win a watch.

Software - it’s got to be Marvel vs Capcom 2. My most expensive addition but one that’s thought of as one of the best, in fact if not THE best Dreamcast games available. Great game, 56 characters, all unlocked on the disc by playing - no paywall character DLC here!

We all love bargains, any in particular stand out for you whilst amassing your collection?

Absolutely. For £18 including postage my biggest bargain has to be my mint copy of Jet Set Radio. It literally looks like the factory seal was removed yesterday.

We also know Retro costs sometimes – what's the most you've ever spent on a single item for the collection?

The most expensive game in my collection is currently on its way to me, which is £48.50 for Power Stone 2. However, a close second is Marvel vs Capcom 2 at £45.00.

Any weird or particularly rare parts of the collection you want to highlight?

No, I’m a pretty standard collector, going for the mainstream titles and arcade ports. My collection will be rather bland compared to some others you’ll speak to, but I’m really happy with how mine is progressing.

Is there one particular 'holy grail' that you're still after for the collection?

I have a “hit list” in my head, which includes Shenmue 2, Sonic Adventure 2, and Daytona USA 2001. I almost picked up Daytona last week but opted for Power Stone 2 instead. 

Mike

Hello fellow Dreamer! Tell us a little about yourself!

First of all, I'd like to thank you for constantly being the one stop shop for all things Dreamcast related. I’d also like to thank you for including me in this project.

Hello my name is Mike, I’m a 40 year old father of two whose wife tolerates my gaming addiction for 13 years now. I've been gaming since I was 6 years old and my earliest console was the Atari 2600 Jr.

(you can find Mike at: Youtube - The Retrollectors, Twitter - @retrollectors, Facebook - The Retrollectors; Instagram - @retrollectors)

You obviously have a love for the Dreamcast; when did that start?

I was following the development stages of the Sega Dreamcast through its earliest stages. I'd purchase EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly) and Game Pro Magazine monthly to find out more information regarding its games. Games like Sonic Adventure, House of the Dead 2, Crazy Taxi & Shenmue were the peak of consolized graphics, and I was drawn in and instantly hooked. I purchased the console in North America a few weeks after launch and my first game was Soul Calibur.

So your current collection – can you give a brief description of what you have, what you collect (i.e. games only, games and console variants etc.) and what your 'end goal' is, if you have one?

I started collecting the North American set nearly 6 years ago and have amassed a near complete set. I'm currently sitting at 191 of 248 CIB (complete in box) and have some of the heavy hitters already in my collection. My end goal, once the games are completed, is to plan on trying to grab controller & VMU variants that were released here in North America.

Why did you start collecting for the console, and if you still are, what makes you continue?

When I started my collection 6 years ago, my brother-in-law and I wanted to start a Youtube channel. We were batting ideas back and forth of what the channel should be about. One day we watched a documentary called Nintendo Quest, where the Protagonist needed to collect the complete NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) games in 30 days. We thought to ourselves, “that's it!” Rather than a 30 day time frame, we instead decided a competition to see who could finish what first. My brother-in-law stuck with the NES, and I decided on the Sega Dreamcast. We made rules that our purchases cannot be made solely on eBay, or any other site, but instead we would attend Game Swaps/Shows and document it. As the years came and went the love for the console grew and grew, the obscurity of the console and its games makes hunting them down that much more worth it.

Where do you get new additions to your collection? Are you still able to find them 'in the wild' or is it online only now?

Of my 191 games in my collection, 85-90% of my collection has been purchased in the wild only. New additions are getting harder and harder to come by, and I'm starting to lean more to eBay. But due to shipping and prices sometimes being ridiculous, those purchases have slowed down considerably. I can still sometimes find games at Swap Meets or Game Shows here and there and dealing with vendors face to face makes collecting a far better experience.

What's the favourite part of your collection, and why?

Of my collection, my favourite part is between my Sonic Adventure Limited Edition & my Shenmue 1,2 &3 collection. Although 2 wasn’t released here in North America, I was able to grab a copy that has original artwork off of Etsy. While Shenmue 3 wasn't a Dreamcast game at all, instead a PS4 exclusive (don’t even get me started as to why that wasn’t an Xbox One release), I bought the Limited Run Shenmue 3 Collectors Edition which included a custom Dreamcast jewel case.

We all love bargains, any in particular stand out for you whilst amassing your collection?

Of all the games I’ve amassed, the best deals I’ve ever gotten were on the “rarer” games. I bought Cannon Spike 5 years ago for $55 Canadian off a greedy re-seller, who was overcharging for games. He hadn't touched the game in years, and it was buried under a pile of other overpriced Dreamcast games. Once I asked to see it (cause at that point I've never seen a copy) my eyes lit up. At that point Cannon Spike was already $150 Canadian. The re-seller immediately asked if he could buy it back off of me for a premium, because he knew he had mispriced it.

We also know Retro costs sometimes – what's the most you've ever spent on a single item for the collection?

The most I’ve ever spent on a Sega Dreamcast game out of pocket is $80 Canadian each on Illbleed, Street Fighter 3rd Strike and Skies of Arcadia. Since I buy a majority of games at swap meets and game shows I’m able to bundle games together to try and get a deal from the vendor.

Any weird or particularly rare parts of the collection you want to highlight?

In 2016 while cleaning and swapping out damaged Dreamcast CD cases, I came across a copy of NHL 2K that I bought from a store 1 hour away from my house. Only to find out that it was from a Jumbo Video (local video rental store) from my home town that had closed down in 2006.

Is there one particular 'holy grail' that you're still after for the collection?

While I’m still far from completing my collection, the few games or 'holy grails' that I need are Power Stone 2, Gunbird 2 & a complete in box copy of Samba De Amigo with mat and maracas.

We'd like to thank Mike, James, Brandon and Adam for letting us take a look at their Dreamcast collections. There's some great looking sets above, and the passion of Dreamcast collectors always amazes us!

Have a collection you'd like to share with us? Whether small or large, we want to hear from you - get in touch with us via our usual social media channels, and you could be in an upcoming 'Dreamcast Collector's Unite!' article!