Space Channel 5 Tankōbon Guide Book

Space Channel 5 is the epitome of acquired taste when it comes to Dreamcast games. You either love the ultra-camp aesthetic of Ulala's dancerific battle against the invading Morolians, or you cringe so hard your face literally turns inside out. I fall into the latter category sadly, but I still recognise the appeal of a game that is basically a rhythm-action game with tweeness taken to the Nth degree.

As with many Dreamcast games, Space Channel 5 enjoyed a glut of merchandise - especially in Japan, and recently I was lucky enough to stumble upon the Space Channel 5 Tankōban Guide Book.

ISBN 4-575-16207-8

128-Bits Of Cake

Do you know a Dreamcast fan with an upcoming birthday? If so, I suggest you put the Tesco Value trans-fat delivery shuttle and 15p fire-hazard candles back on the shelf and give yourself a slap across the face with a 1999 Arsenal shirt that's been soaked in yak vomit. And then, once you've cleaned yourself up and reassessed your (poor) life choices, head over to Pretty Cake Machine. Why? Well, because there you will find the person responsible for this amazing Dreamcast cake:

The Dreamcast Beer Tap

OK, this is clearly just a Dreamcast controller screwed onto a regular beer tap, but kudos to the creator for recognising that the only thing that could make beer even better...is adding some Dreamcast. It's currently listed on eBay here, although the pork scratchings must be sourced elsewhere. If you decide to purchase it, make sure you raise a glass to The Dreamcast Junkyard for keeping a) the dream alive; and b) encouraging your alcoholic tendencies.

The Dreamcast...Shoe?

So you're wearing your Dreamcast jacket and t-shirt; you've got your Dreamcast baseball cap firmly on your head; and your Dreamcast satchel is neatly slung over your shoulder securely holding your Dreamcast notebook PC and assorted Sega-branded pens and writing pads. There might even be a Dream Eye in there in case you spot something worthy of recording via the power of VGA video. But there's something missing. Something is eating at the very fabric of your SH4-powered soul. Like the atmosphere in any HP Lovecraft novel, something is off...but you don't know what. Lowering your head in shame and looking down at the pavement/sidewalk/mud (yes, you are actually outdoors dressed like this), the penny drops like an anvil falling from the top of a skyscraper: your shoes are not Dreamcast-branded! You begin to cry and run home screeching like a banshee. The embarrassment. The shame.

I'm sure you're all familiar with this scenario, and this is no fantasy (star online) - it is actually based on true events. In fact, the author is the person described above. Last Tuesday, as it happens. But I digress - there is a happy ending to this tale of woe, as when I got home I happened to spot a Facebook post by our good friends over at DreamcastGaga, which allowed me to link to a Japanese website selling perhaps the most hideous amazing footwear this side of Christiano Ronaldo's neon boots:

The Dreamcast First Aid Kit

I must admit that I only came across this image while lazily searching Google. It originally comes from the legendary but long abandoned UK:Resistance, and there's no other real information about the item's origins anywhere else on the internet. But here it is - a Dreamcast-branded first aid kit:

Is this an official Sega product? If so, why on Earth did Sega think it was a good idea to brand a bunch of plasters and cotton buds with a console logo? That said, I can totally see the point of marketing materials like pens, pencils, frisbees and hats - there's always loads of throwaway console-branded stuff at gaming events...but the thought of an Xbox One or PS4 first aid kit at E3 or Gamescom? Can't see it myself.

Maybe Sega was anticipating hoards of people literally falling over themselves/each other onto the pavement (also known as a sidewalk in America, apparently) to buy a Dreamcast and thought it best to cover their arses (so to speak) by issuing these kits incase a lawsuit came along? Who knows, but if you have one of these or know anything else about it, please leave a comment!

Sega Direct Chaos Field Bonus CD

Chaos Field, for the uninitiated (including me!), is a Japan-only shooter that was released in 2004 by Milestone. The game was later released for the Gamecube, PS2, Wii and others but the Dreamcast version came first, possibly due to the game being a NAOMI conversion. While Chaos Field generally garnered average review scores, that the Dreamcast was still receiving official releases in 2004 proves how popular the system remained in it's homeland. Technically, the USA is Sega's homeland...but you get the idea.

Anyway, people who ordered Chaos Field from Sega Direct received not only the game in it's lovely jewel case, but also a special edition bonus CD containing remixed tracks from the main game. Last week I managed to bad this bonus CD in an eBay auction for a few pounds...and here it is:

The Dreamcast Rucksack

Very recently we inducted the excellent Dreamcast messenger bag into the 'Yard. No, not the new Insert Coin pretender - the original Sega Europe messenger bag that was sent around to various retail outlets in 1999 as part of the promotional activity surrounding the system's launch. There was another item of wearable luggage created to promote the Dreamcast though - the Dreamcast-branded rucksack. That description probably isn't technically correct as the 'rucksack' only has one strap that goes across the wearer's body, but it's not a satchel or messenger bag in the traditional sense, so I guess we'll have to stick to our guns with the description. Enough words though - thanks to the planet-destroying power of the BlackBerry Q5's amazing camera, here are some extraordinarily high resolution pictures:

The World's Coolest Dreamcast Kiosk

No - keep your hair on - you read that right, M'lud. A renovated Dreamcast retail kiosk in the hands of private games collector and games store owner Jason Brassard has been featured in a great YouTube video by Sega Channel. The video is posted below, and in it Brassard explains how he managed to convince the previous owner to sell the retail kiosk to him, and describes the subsequent processes required to get the unit looking as amazing as it does now. The hulking cabinet features spring-loaded game storage shelving (complete with every US game ever released crammed in), a playable system complete with CRT monitor and pads, and a curved plexiglass display window. The kiosk aside, the rest of the collection on show here is phenomenal and boasts over 10,000 games, consoles and items of memorabilia. But enough banal waffling from me - just hit play and prepare to weep hot, sticky, salty tears of pure jealousy joy:

The store featured in the video, Trade-N-Games also has a website from which they sell some fairly reasonably priced games and consoles. Be sure to check them out (although it doesn't say if they ship worldwide).

Dreamcast Notepads Finally Ship

We first mentioned the Dreamcast notepads a few months ago and several delays have come and gone since then...but - huzzah! - they've finally shipped! My notepad arrived today, along with my Sega Saturn pad and a free gift to apologise for the delay from the retailing website (in my case, the retailer was Yellow Bulldog). Quite ironic that the free gift was a PS4 card holder, but I'll let that slide. So, how does the pad measure up? Well for starters it's quite a lot smaller than I thought it would be, being roughly the same size and shape as a Dreamcast game case and is notably (heh!) smaller than the gargantuan Saturn pad...but in all honesty it appears to be a high quality item and looks about at authentic as a notepad designed to look like a defunct games console possibly ever could do.

The Dreamcast Messenger Bag

By now, you've probably seen or even bought one of those rather nice-looking Dreamcast-themed messenger bags from online retailer Insert Coin. I almost bought one myself a few months ago, but I have seen people carrying them at various gaming conventions and they tend to end up looking a bit battered after a while; not to mention dirty - white stuff always looks pretty grotty after a while, simply because the colour allows all sorts of grime to be visible, even if you are the most mindful person on Earth. If you're not familiar with the bag I refer to, here's a picture:

I resisted the urge to purchase one for the reasons previously explained, but my quest for a Dreamcast-themed bag didn't end with my reluctance to buy that particular item. No, I found something better. Much, much better:

An official Dreamcast-branded messenger bag from the launch of the PAL system! The pictures don't really convey just how nice this bag is - it's made from really sturdy material and has a nice comfortable strap. The best thing though, is that it's got loads of really cool little details on it. From the swirls on the buckle tags to the Dreamcast logo text on the zips, this really is a quality item. Inside there's a laptop section and pen holders and one of the side pockets is exactly the right size for a VMU! Not that I'll be carrying one around with me (much), but I couldn't resist seeing if one of the little blighters would fit:

It's a great piece of memorabilia that is not only extremely unusual, but very useful. This will most definitely not be stuffed in a cupboard and forgotten about - I intend to make it my primary work bag and will take great pleasure in showing it off.

Prometheus Designed

The nights have begun to draw in as we approach the arse-end of the year. The leaves are falling off the trees, everyone's getting a bit more miserable and the temperature is dropping. It's winter...and it happens around the same time every year. Every single year. But yet we always seem a bit surprised when the clocks go forward and the need to pay our electricity bill in a timely manner takes on a whole new meaning. But what if you cannot my friends? What if you cannot afford to pay your electricity bill? What then? Never ending nights of freezing temperatures and darkness?

"I think I can see a release date...oh wait - my mistake"

There is an answer: Prometheus' gift to us mere mortals. I'm not talking about Promethian Designs' oft promised theft-a-thon Picassio, either (although that would be nice). No, I'm talking about fire. Fire! To light your candles and set a roaring inferno in the fireplace, beating back the darkness and the cold like a righteous boot to the face of...a lack of photons. Um.

How to ignite such a fire though? With this wondrous instrument, naturally:

Yes - the Official Sega Dreamcast Zippo! It can be yours right now if you go here and bid on this eBay auction...which I swear is not mine*, Google. So don't go removing us from your searches again. Please. Have you lost weight, Google?

That's enough ass kissing.

*Google temporarily removed the Junkyard from search results because they accused us of being a spam site or linking to advertising sites or some such crap. I raised a case and we were reinstated in search results.

Dreamcast Notebooks For Everyone!

Thanks to Sega Nerds for alerting me to this one. It appears that online retailer Yellowbulldog have secured a truckload of cool-looking Dreamcast, Saturn, Megadrive and Playstation-themed notebooks, and are offering them for the princely sum of £5 each, with free postage. These officially licensed notebooks come complete with 96 fully lined pages of 140 gsm papyrus nestled betwixt the highly detailed console-themed covers, and will be the envy of all your classmates/workmates/people you shout at in the street while drinking from a can of value super-strength lager you found in a wheelie bin behind the supermarket. Last Tuesday. This happened. Help.

Before you get too excited, please note (comedy gold!) that the books aren't available until December 7th...but you can place a pre-order and have your desired flavour delivered after the release date. Just in time for the big old commercial, capitalist, disgust-o-thon that occurs every year without fail. Yay!

Click here for further info my fine friends.

The Dreamcast Suitcase

Thanks to a tweet by fellow Dreamcast site Dreamcast Gaga, we have been alerted to the existence of a previously unknown item of DC memorabilia. Now, we've all seen the Insert Coin shoulder bag, and the Kawaii back-pack styled in the form of a Dreamcast controller...but what about a wheeled suitcase modelled after our favourite system? It looks like it's only available to Japanese Dreamcast nuts for now, and can be purchased from the Ebten Sega Store website, but I absolutely guaran-damn-tee you would be the coolest person in the terminal if you rocked through Heathrow pulling this bad boy...

Edit: it has been brought to my attention that the case was only availible for 1 day back in March 2013...so unless you have access to a DeLorean with an aftermarket Flux Capacitor fitted, you'll just have to make do with drooling at these images!

Dreamcast Collection Vinyl Surfaces on eBay

I'd never even heard of this until...about 20 seconds ago, but it appears that in 2011 SEGA released a 12" vinyl record containing a selection of the Dreamcast's best tunes. This record was made to celebrate the launch of the Dreamcast Collection on the Xbox 360, and bizarrely only made available to those who pre-ordered from certain retailers in Australia. I've got nothing against Australia (in fact, I was considering emigrating there a few years ago), but Australia?! No US or EU release at all? Very odd if you ask me.

But fear not! One lucky record-collecting Dreamcast fan (I would presume) has decided to put their extremely rare copy (1686 of just 2000) of the Dreamcast Collection vinyl up for auction on that there eBay. Please be assured that this isn't me shamefully trying to get my own item sold/get more views - anyone who knows me knows damn well that I'll never, ever part with any of my retro gaming items. Indeed, I fully intend to have a coffin specially created that will be voluminous enough to contain all of my collected junk so I can take it to the grave with me. Don't worry, I've also booked a forklift truck to move said coffin so no 'No Win, No Fee' backache claims will be coming to bite my ghost in it's spectral ass.

Fancy bidding on this super-rare item? Or just fancy having a look? Then go here, dear reader! Please note that the starting bid is £99.99...which bit steep for six tracks from Sonic Adventure and Space Channel 5, but cest la vie and all that.

Update: It appears that the item didn't sell...but never fear, it's been re-listed. I'd advise lowering the £99 starting price to be honest. Meh.

Bag Influence

Here at the DCJY, we like to keep our collective fingers on the pulse. The pulse of DC gaming, naturally. But the pulse of fashion is no different - why, just yesterday I acquired a really nice pair of lime green bell-bottomed flairs and some red sequinned platform boots to go with them. I really turned heads when I popped out for some milk last night, oh yes.

I realise that not everyone out there in DC land can pull off this look, but have no fear - DCJY (well, eBay actually) is here to offer some solace:

Wonder if there's a second VMU slot?

In THREE wild colours! Woah!

Erm...

Yep - that's a backpack in the shape of a Dreamcast controller. A backpack. In the shape of a Dreamcast controller.

If only I had a spare £200 so I could add one to my (already rather debonair) outfit. I feel a Kickstarter coming on...

Head here to the eBay auction if you fancy getting one, or probably just Google 'Segakawaii' and I'm sure you'll find a reputable source.

Off the Cuff

Like a monstrous and garishly-lit harbinger of inevitable over-indulgence, Christmas is on the horizon. Yes, it's the time of year where we have to spend money on other people for no good reason other than that we're expected to. But what to buy? What to get for the Dreamcast lover in your life? A new game? A new pack of VMU batteries so you don't have to listen to that fucking beep every time they power up their system? A VGA cable so that they can enjoy their favourite games in hi-res on the new HDTV?

All viable suggestions. But no. What they need are these:

Dreamcast-shaped cuff-links!

And don't worry if the DC fan you're buying for is a girl (yes, they do exist...or so I'm told)...these cuff-links can (probably) be turned into trendy ear rings with only minor modification! Who'd have thunk that in 2011 we'd still be able to procure Dreamcast cuff-link and belt combos? In your FACE, Sony!

*Sigh*

Get some here.