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Dreamzone Magazine: First 15 Issues now Digitally Preserved

 

Parles-tu français? No, me neither. Languages weren't a strength of mine at school, and despite some derisory attempts to pick up Spanish during adulthood, I remain a stereotypically monolingual Brit. Nevertheless, last year I took up the task of acquiring and scanning a whole heap of Dreamcast magazines from across the globe that had yet to be digitally preserved. A handful of those missing from the internet are in English, but the vast majority are in the Romance languages of my European neighbours, Japanese and even varieties of Chinese. 

Why on earth would I bother doing this? Well, for one, I'm hopeful that the pages of these mags might contain some information that is useful to hobbyists, journos and potentially even the more rigorous varieties of gaming historians.

Fortunately the Junkyard crew's attitudes towards our French neighbours are much more comradely than that shown in this Dreamarena chat snippet...

Secondly, it seemed a shame that masses of material was only available to those who were fortunate enough to hold private collections. And lastly, given that there is no profit to be made from it, it was unlikely that digital preservation of this sort was going to happen unless I (or other volunteers) took it up. Oh, and the biggest reason of all - I'm a big dork and get a kick out of dorky endeavours.

Ok, enough with the prelude and on to the main event. The primary purpose of this post is to announce that the first 15 issues of the French magazine Dreamzone are now available for your viewing pleasure, hosted by the virtual Aladdin's cave that is Sega Retro. That is, over 2,000 pages of retro gaming journalism, brought back to life kicking and screaming from the dark depths of the turn of the Millennium. 

Feel free to browse the scans for yourself, or, for an introduction to the magazine and a run-down of its contents, read-on.

Dreamzone: Stalwarts of the French Scene (1998-2002)

Launched by the prolific FJM Publications in December of 1998, Dreamzone was the first magazine of its ilk to appear in Europe. Understandably enthused by the Japanese launch, their early start meant that the first few issues of the mag were dominated by salivating previews and reviews of exotic Japanese imports, as well as extensive pondering over what the coming European launch may entail. Once the wait was over in late 1999 a substantial proportion of the page budget was duly turned over to a PAL-specific focus, though coverage of the many, many Japanese releases still remained a mainstay until the bitter end.

The FJM Publication team circa 2000, featuring two chaps who took up the Editor-in-Chief role for Dreamzone: Vincent Maulon (issues 7-15) and Cedric Devoyon (issues 16-29).

Dreamzone featured everything you might expect from a magazine of its genre and age: a copious letters section, interviews with game industry heads, reporting from events, boisterous editorials, competitions, game tips, reviews and previews, and of course, crass slobbering over a digital Lara Croft. What was perhaps a little more odd was their persistent coverage of the Neo Geo Pocket - seemingly adopted as an unofficial companion for the Dreamcast, perhaps in spite of the console war rivals over at Nintendo. Looking at it through the lens of 2024, the haphazard reporting on movies and websites that filled the back end of the mag seems rather twee too, but may well have added some value for readers at a time when internet access was limited.

"I'm not BOY". Vive la Neo Geo Pocket!

Despite lacking the GD-ROM giveaway of its official competitor, Dreamzone still packed a lot of bang for it's buck (or Franc to be more precise), coming in at 132 pages per issue on average. And, from what can be established through some rudimentary internet sleuthing, the mag appears to be fondly remembered by many a French millennial - more so than its other national competitor, Game Dream, which was bizarrely ran by the same publishing house. Whether Dreamzone ever actually made it to the shores of distant Francophone territories mentioned in the small print of its cover (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Quebec) is a question for another day... 

Retro Fighters unveil a 6-Button Wireless Fight Controller for the SEGA Dreamcast


When Retro Fighters' "next gen" Dreamcast controller went to Kickstarter, I recall some of my Junkyard colleagues presuming that it was designed specifically for fighting games. This was due to the company's name, along with the fact the controller's official name was "StrikerDC". It and its later wireless counterpart were, in fact, controllers designed for play with all manner of Dreamcast games, just with a more ergonomic form factor similar to that of modern controllers.

Well, Retro Fighters have unveiled today (9.9.99!) that they are actually now finally bringing us their very own take on a Dreamcast fight pad, with the upcoming "D6 Dreamcast" 6-Button Wireless Controller. Obviously the layout and shape of the controller is very reminiscent of the the beloved SEGA Saturn controller, but in a Dreamcast context, seasoned fans will notice a lot of similarities to the excellent ASCII Pad FT, an officially licensed Dreamcast controller designed especially for fighters.

Of course, like Retro Fighters' other wireless Dreamcast controller, there are no VMU slots on this controller, and connectivity to the Dreamcast's trusty memory card will instead be delivered via a VMU dongle that plugs into the Dreamcast's controller ports. This dongle also doubles up as the method with which the controller connects to the console.


Available in both white and black, the controller boasts the following features (from their website):
  • Compatible with Dreamcast, PC, and Nintendo Switch
  • Low latency 2.4 GHz wireless technology
  • A precise and responsive D-pad
  • Equipped with integrated Kailh micro switches for both the D-pad and face buttons
  • Offers multiple modes: left stick, right stick, and d-pad configurations
  • Two customisable modes for C/Z buttons: choose between L/R shoulder buttons or specific “C” and “Z” buttons
  • Compatible with original VMUs, 4X, and the upcoming 8BITMODS VMU Pro

The controller is currently up for pre-order for the price of $49.99 (about £38) with an expected release of 2025.

What do you think of the D6 Dreamcast wireless controller? Are you excited to finally get a wireless fight pad for the Dreamcast? Let us know in the comments below of via one of our social media pages.