The Dreamcast Games Of 2017

2017 has been something of a bumper year for Dreamcast releases, what with JoshProd, Orion, Retroguru, Alice Dreams and Senile Team all putting out new software on the system. The range and diversity of these titles has been pretty incredible too - especially when you consider that the Dreamcast was officially disowned by Sega well over a decade ago. 2018 promises even more new additions to the ever-growing library, with Intrepid Izzy, Xenocider, Saber Rider, SLaVE and a bunch of other games we have been sworn to secrecy over all due to hit our favourite little white box.

As we near the year's end, I thought it would be fun to have a little look back over the games that were released for the Dreamcast throughout 2017, and give a bit of kudos to those developers and publishers who continue to support the console with new software. The vast majority of the titles that have come to the Dreamcast in a physical case during 2017 have invariably come with high quality bespoke artwork, authentic packaging and - in some cases - unique extras or inventive aesthetic design. And while it's easy to look at some of the releases and pour scorn on them for being fairly basic in terms of visuals or gameplay, the majority of them have been crafted as labours of love, and not with financial gain in mind. For that, all of the creators should be applauded.

It's worth noting that this list only includes games that have been released for the first time this year, so even though games like Ghost Blade, Alice's Mom's Rescue and Sturmwind were given re-releases, they don't count (although I'll make a note of them at the foot of this article). Furthermore, 2017 marks the first time since Karous in 2007 that official third party support has been bequeathed to the Dreamcast, as even though they were published by JoshProd, Visco's games do qualify as official releases owing to the fact that Visco is listed as a third party T-code publisher (thanks to Scott Marley for that nugget of information). Anyway, let's get down to business and look at - in no particular order - the Dreamcast releases of 2017. Man, it still feels weird typing that sentence...

Dreamcast Shmup Ghost Blade Heading To Steam, PS4, Xbox One & Wii U

Hucast's Ghost Blade hit the Dreamcast in 2015 and was met with some fairly mixed reviews. Personally, I quite enjoyed the simplistic shooting action; while others derided the lack of options and fairly easy difficulty level. Until now, the only way to play Ghost Blade has been on Sega's final system but now the game is heading to current gen consoles with a new lick of HD paint. Here's the teaser trailer:

Slated for digital release on February 28th on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Steam and Wii U, Ghost Blade HD promises new visuals, online leader boards and two player modes. Apart from the new visuals and artwork though, the only other new feature I can see is the addition of trophies and achievements. That said, if you never played the original Dreamcast version the $9.99 price tag might be enough to convince you to give Ghost Blade a whirl.

Did you play the original Ghost Blade? Does a new version with HD graphics and new features interest you? Let us know in the comments!

Be sure to keep an eye on Hucast's dedicated Ghost Blade website for updates.

DreamPod - Episode 16

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Make sure you check out Fruit'Y, Saber Rider, Volgarr the Viking, Alice Dreams Tournament, Ghost Blade and the DreamConn after listening to this awesome episode! If you like what you hear, please consider giving us a review on iTunes.

Review: Ghost Blade - Standard Review

Release date: September 27, 2015

Developer:  Hucast

Genre: Shmup (Vertical scrolling)

Current retail: £30 (Play-Asia.com)

In the second installment of our special two-part Ghost Blade review, the Junkyard takes a look at the game from the perspective of a genre enthusiast. The Novice Review can be found here.

Ok, let’s get this out of the way up top. I am not a shmup wizard. I like the shmup genre and, since the early 1990s, I have played a lot of them. However, while I consider myself relatively in-scene, I am not TASBot and I cannot one-credit Radiant Silvergun or Ikaruga. I like shmups because they were a core genre of my childhood and today, despite the golden era of arcade shooters being over, I still get a small buzz every time I begin a run. I think, simply put, they help me feel young again.

Good, that now said, let’s move into the detail of the review.

Ghost Blade is an easy game. If you are a gamer with even modest shmup skills, then you will have little difficulty beating the game on standard. Within a couple of day's play, I had familiarised myself with the selection of bullet patterns on offer, run the three ships in the hanger and despite being frustrated at times - we will get to that later - reached the end boss almost anti-climatically. The thing is though - none of that bothers me in the slightest and, if I’m being honest, the never ending cycle of debate about whether a shmup is ‘hard enough’ or ‘bullet hell enough’ is just boring to me now.

Review: Ghost Blade - Novice Review

Release date: September 27, 2015

Developer:  Hucast

Genre: Shmup (Vertical scrolling)

Current retail: £30 (Play-Asia.com)

This is first installment of our two-part review of Hucast's Ghost Blade, from the perspective of a casual shmup player. Part two, which is by a seasoned shmup player and appropriately titled the 'Standard Review' on account of Ghost Blade's two difficulty levels, can be found here.

It's finally here! Hucast's long-awaited vertical shmup has finally shipped, and represents another chapter in the Dreamcast's long and distinguished career as a console that just will not die. Here, in 2015 is a brand new game, complete with a manual and a DVD-style case that would not look out of place nestled amongst the other hi-def indie gems in any current gen system's library. But let's not jump the gun (ghost?). You may have noticed that this review is subtitled 'Novice Review.' That isn't because I'm only reviewing the novice mode found within Ghost Blade (more on that later); it's because I am a self-confessed layman when it comes to shmups. Sure, I've played pretty much all of the shooters on the Dreamcast and have sampled the delights of many a Taito and Irem shmup of yesteryear...but I'm not what you would call an 'expert' on the genre. In truth - I enjoy, but generally suck ass at shmups and so I will be offering my thoughts on this latest Dreamcast release as a complete neutral. I'll be explaining what Ghost Blade does well, what it does badly, how it sounds and how it plays for someone with a moderate level of experience with this type of title.

The genre is incredibly deep and has a massive following online and as such I don't want to pretend to be more knowledgeable than I am; furthermore I don't want to insult the intelligence or experience of those gamers who have poured hours and hours into other shooters, memorising bullet patterns and tactics in order to clinch an elusive high score. What I will do is give my opinion on Ghost Blade and Ghost Blade alone. An honest layman's opinion, if you will.

Fear not though, as another member of the team with slightly more experience than I will be laying down his thoughts for your delectation in part two of our review - imaginatively titled the 'Standard Review' in the coming days. See what we did there? Before you answer that particular rhetorical question, remember that high quality comedy was never guaranteed when you clicked on whichever Google/Twitter/Facebook/Pornhub link brought you to this review. What I mean to say is, if you have a Neo Geo MVS cartridge for a heart and/or brain you may want to wait for that review...but for the time being let's get this show on the road.

Ghost Blade Release Trailer Hits

Hucast Games' long-awaited vertical shmup Ghost Blade launches on 27th September, and we can't wait to find out how it measures up to previous shooters in the studio's back catalogue. The game was playable at the recent Gamescom event in Germany and we heard some good things. 

According to the Hucast website, features include:

• Beautiful, detailed High-res Graphics
• 5 Stage with HUGE Boss Enemies
• 3 Player ships with different gun types
• Instant Respawn
• Auto-bomb enabled novice mode for beginners
• Arcade Gameplay and Addictive Scoring System
• Incredible Soundtrack composed by Rafael Dyll
• 2-player mode for addictive fun

It will also be compatible with the VGA box and arcade stick.

The wait is almost over, but in the meantime Hucast has released a trailer showing off some of the features you can expect once Ghost Blade hits a Dreamcast near you. Enjoy:

Be sure to visit the official Ghost Blade site for more info!

Developer Interview: Hucast Games' René Hellwig

Based in Germany, Hucast is quite possibly the most prolific publisher and developer of indie Dreamcast games on the planet right now. Since Sega officially abandoned the system, no other outfit has published more games and done more to keep the dream alive for those wishing to purchase new titles for their favourite white box. In our latest developer interview, we caught up with René Hellwig to discuss the latest announcements from Hucast, the appeal of the Dreamcast, and Hucast's stance on the porting of Atari Jaguar games...

DCJY: We’re pretty sure that most people reading this will know who Hucast are, but for those who maybe aren’t familiar, could you give us a bit of an insight into the history of Hucast and what you're all about?

René Hellwig: Hucast started in 2008 right after Last Hope was released for Sega Dreamcast by Redspotgames. I started this because I felt the need to make a modern shmup which was impossible to realize with the Neo Geo. The result was DUX.

Speaking of DUX, Hucast’s shmups are very well known - which shooters of yesteryear did you enjoy playing and where do you draw your inspiration from when designing a new game?

I love R-Type Delta and DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu. But a lot of retro shmups inspired me for my games. For Ghost Blade, I was also inspired by Halo 4 for the look of the game. I'm not sure if anybody would notice this but I chose a very modern sci-fi look. However, in the end I always make my own graphical style, and I hope Ghost Blade looks as unique as DUX looked in back 2009.

Ghost Blade is released in September 2015

DreamPod Episode 4

Hucast Games Announce Redux 2

If there's one thing the Dreamcast does well, it's shmups - and Hucast Games has produced some of the best in recent times. After the success of both Dux and Redux, a sequel was always going to be an option and Hucast have confirmed that Redux 2 is indeed in development. In a post on their blog, Hucast revealed gameplay details along with some artwork and alpha screens, which we're sure you'll agree look pretty damn nice.

Redux: Dark Matters is finally out on Dreamcast!

As covered over at RetroCollect and previewed here at the 'Yard by the Gagaman a few months back, HUCAST's remix of space shooter DUX is now out and available to buy. I personally haven't played either DUX or the subsequent DUX 1.5...but helpfully I'm not blind, so I can use my eyeballs to see that these games look pretty damn good. The last side scrolling shooter I played was Trevor McFur in the Crescent Galaxy on the Atari Jaguar (just this morning, in fact folks!), and I must say that Redux: Dark Matters looks several magnitudes better than that ever will. But then, you knew that already!

Here's a snazzy Youtube trailer:

And here's a link if you fancy buying a copy.

Redux: Dark Matters due for release December 3rd!

Redux: Dark Matters, the kickstarted sequel to DUX, finally has an official release date! The game will be released on Decmeber the 3rd, and is up for pre-order as a regular edition for 32.95 Euros or as a bundle with DUX 1.5 (released earlier this year) for 39.95 Euros. Because the kickstarter limited edition comes bundled with DUX 1.5, I have had to wait till Redux is released to also get that game, so I will be getting both games at the same time!

The Ghost Blade teaser trailer!

Wow, the Dreamcast indie game scene is on fire lately! We now have gameplay footage from an early alpha build of Hucast's The Ghost Blade. The video features stage 4 including it's boss, and apparently more videos are on the way soon. Graphics are very nice indeed, though that sea animation looks a bit funky, but that's being worked on apparently. Also there is now both regular and special editions of the game to preorder at hucast.com, with the regular edition at 32 Euros and the special edition, limited to 1000 copies, which adds a soundtrack CD and different cover art is 50 Euros. They also still have the collector's edition with the soundtrack and super play DVD for the hardcore collectors.

Dux 1.5 is shipping! Unless you pledged to the ReDux kickstarter..

Hucast Games revealed today that Dux 1.5 begins shipping out tomorrow, earlier than planned, so if you pre-ordered this expect your copy in the mail soon! If you pledged enough for Redux: Dark Matters on kickstarter to get that game with this one, apparently Hucast will not be shipping Dux 1.5 until Redux is out, as they are in a bundle box set I assume. A bit of a weird snag there; anyone that pledged any amount on the kickstarter gets discounts on the hucast store on everything so in theory I could buy it now at a discount, but I already technically bought it with Redux, but I guess I can wait for them both to arrive together, although a release date for ReDux is yet to be confirmed.

Dux 1.5 Trailer: Release date April 22nd

Looks like our first Dreamcast game of 2013 to ready to escape into the wild, though in this case it's not an entirely new game. Much like Last Hope: Pink Bullets, Dux 1.5 is a revision of, well...Dux, which came out back in 2009, and has made changes to make the game more balanced with adjustments to various gameplay elements, bug fixes and enemy patterns, instant re-spawn instead or re-loading from a check point, a new soundtrack and 'custom controls' which I assume means you can customize anything to any button.

The good news is if you already own the original Dux you can get your hands on this new edition. I;m not entirely sure how you go about claiming one but this is mentioned on hucast.com so if you log in from there and contact them they will let you know I would imagine. Also if you pledged to the Redux kickstarter you can get a discount on anything from their store, and if you pledged enough for Redux you will get Dux 1.5 as well.

The game has been revealed to be on it's way at the end of this month, the 22nd of April, although there is still no release date for Redux as of yet. As for wherever kickstarter pledgers will get this on street date or will have to wait till Redux is out, I'm just asked Hucast about that on Twitter..

Either way when this pops through the mail I will bring you a video including side by side comparisons with the 2009 release. I was pretty darn awful at Dux, so hopefully the changes will help go towards me getting further in it! :P

The Ghost Blade Announced! Neo XYX Trailer!

Hucast, while busy on the kickstarted Redux: Dark Matters, has ended up announcing another Dreamcast shooter! The Ghost Blade is a TATE style vertical shooter, so if they time it' release right we might get two at the same time, the other being Neo XYX from NG: Dev Team!

They have a deluxe special edition up for pre-order right now, which contains the game, an artbook, a soundtrack CD and a superplay DVD! It's quite pricey at 80 Euro, but a cheaper regular edition to due to be put up for pre-order soon. If you do want this one though they only have just over 100 copies left so be quick!

Going back to Neo XYX, NG:Dev Team has released a trailer of the game. I get a proper Toaplan feel from it, in particular games like Truxton, which is a-ok by me! This game is due out in June, and is up for pre-order on both limited and regular editions.

At this rate we are going to get hopefully SIX Dreamcast games this year: Sturmwind (eventually), NEO XYX, Redux: Dark Matters, DUX 1.5 and Pier Solar! Phew!

2012 Dreamcast game #3: Dux sequel Redux!

With Gunlord and Sturmwind due to released at some point this year, who would have thought we would get an announcement for a THIRD release for the Dreamcast in 2012? Sure enough, here comes a sequel to the 2009 shooter Dux. It looks to be pretty similar to the previous game but with much more fire power. What's really unusual is how this one is going about being released: with a kickstarter project.

For the project they need $25,000 pledged in a month to fund both the Dreamcast release, as well as releases for iOS, Playstation Network, Xbox Live Arcade and Stream, and finally a 4 disc soundtrack. Pledging $55 will get you the soundtrack, $65 would get you the Dreamcast game and $100 would get you both. Only 1000 copies of the Dreamcast game will be made, and this is the only way to grab one!

What's more, the game will be bundled with another game...an update to the original DUX! So if you never bought the original this is not a bad deal if the new version is as much of an improvement as Pink Bullets was to Last Hope!

It's certainly a first for the Dreamcast scene to have a game funded by the fans in such a way. Could this be how future Dreamcast projects come to fruition? Either way the Dreamcast even in 2012 STILL refuses to die, thanks to these slightly batty but brilliant developers who love the console so much.

Update: The $25,000 target has been met in just 5 days! You can still pledge for a copy of the Dreamcast version for another 25 days so if you're planning to grab it make sure you do before them days are over! Congrats to the Redux team for hitting their target and well done Dreamcast fan base for supporting this so well! :)

Advantages of DUX delays

Taken from the DUX blog:

"Given DUX is receiving many delays since its first release date announced at april 2008, I'd like to explain a bit how these delays have been occurred and how its all for the good of the game.

Originally DUX has been intended just to be side-project with only 5 stages and simple scoring system. During the development our quality bar to meet has been increased from time to time, so upgrading and expanding is what we're using the delays for. Now the game is a full-scale project with 6 instead 5 stages. Additionally, most stages are longer and featuring way more enemy types then before. The game also now features a more advanced scoring system, given the bullet soaking ability of your pod. The difficulty settings are more balanced as well, to make the game a fair but still challenging experience. All in all the game has a lot of advantages from its extra time given, which is of course a good thing for players.

To give an exact release date is currently hardly possible, because this depends on very hard to estimate factors. From now on I'll report how thing going with the release of this game once a week, so more on this in the next week."

I am actually pretty excited about this one chaps...

The Year of the DUX

Happy Chinese New Year! To celebrate... DUX is nearly ready! (Have we heard this before??) This is from the Dux blog, linked to in an email I just received...

It's Almost Done 27.01.09 Given DUX is almost done, it only takes about a month to release this game. Currently end of February is aimed, but perhaps early March becomes more realizable as issues may happen. So gameplaywise the game is already on spot and all important features are implentent - from now it's just about the last bits, and publishing this game. By this opportunity I'd like to thank all purchasers who are patience about their pre-order, and aren't abused by the many delays. The additional development time that the game receives makes it a way better game then it should have been orginally. Taking pre-orders early also assures the quality of the product, as its an active investment to the games development budget. Additionaly, there's going to be a (very) small bonus for all DUX pre-orders on HUCAST.net Btw, the soundtrack of the game is going to be published early February instead of January.

Lame Dux

So December has rolled around and 'quel surprise' so has another announcement from Hucast, namely that the 'new' scrolling shooter for the Dreamcast, Dux, has had it's release date put back again. (It was originally supposed to be issued in July...)

This latest delay announcement came with the following message:

"Another Delay

18.12.08

As the trailer shows DUX has almost reached its final state. So the game itself is pretty much finished but it takes more time to get the game run flawlessly on the Dreamcast - that's the main reason why this game has yet to be released. Currently it's not easy to give an exact release date so you can expect the game early next year.

We hope everyone who has a pre-order for the game is not discouraged by the many delays and understands that we want to make and release an flawless product."

Well I'm afraid I am very "discouraged" by the latest delay. Developers Hucast were quick to take my pre-order money when I was expecting a new Dreamcast game back in July. I don't understand the complication. Of course I wouldn't want a flawed game, but contrast the development process with that of the very slick Redspot Games who delivered us 'Last Hope' and 'Wind And Water Puzzles'.

Personally, I now couldn't give a flying fuck whether or not Dux comes out. I've written off the cash I assigned as a down payment, and any enjoyment I might have had from the game has been forever tainted by the bullshit and bollocks spewed forth from the turds at Hucast.

Sorry if this seems unfair/unreasonable, but it's how I feel. Bah! Humbug!!!