When the Dreamcast was unleashed upon the masses, Sega seemed determined to create brand-new, never-before-seen experiences for adopters of the console. As a result, the system spawned a wealth of new franchises, with far fewer sequels to the staple titles of Sega's previous console - the Saturn - than you might expect. You could find NiGHTS in a capsule toy in Shenmue, but you couldn't actually play a game starring the genderless purple harlequin on the Dreamcast itself. Another example of this was Team Andromeda's dragon-riding rail shooter Panzer Dragoon. Akihiko Mukaiyama was quoted in an interview with Famitsu that the eventual sixth-generation return of the franchise - Panzer Dragoon Orta on the original Xbox - was originally slated for release on the Dreamcast, but the console "didn't meet [...] technical specifications". Oof.
Perhaps this is why Frogbull, the King of proving things once thought impossible possible, has been reverse-engineering the original Panzer Dragoon and porting it to Dreamcast. He's previously showcased proof-of-concepts demonstrating that Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Libertycould have run on the Dreamcast, as well as Crash Bandicoot and Final Fantasy VII on the Saturn, and that's just a small selection of his work. While those projects were primarily created as proof-of-concepts, Frogbull does hope to port Panzer Dragoon to the Dreamcast in its entirety one day.
He showed off footage of Panzer Dragoon's first level (or "episode 1", as the game calls it) running on Dreamcast via his YouTube channel on Tuesday, and it's looking great. A far cry from the original Saturn visuals, Frogbull's port looks closer graphically to the 2006 Japanese-exclusive Sega Ages 2500 PlayStation 2 version of the game. There is some quite obvious slowdown in busier sections of the level, but I'm sure this is something Frogbull will be working to improve as this project continues.
Frogbull has also made a cool video that compares his port to the original Saturn version, so check that out below.
At the moment, only the first level is ported and playable, with limited access to the version 0.1 build available through Frogbull's Patreon for those wanting to play it for themselves. This build is expected to be made publicly available at some point in the near future. Frogbull's long-term plan is to release more levels gradually, as and when he reverse-engineers them.
Are you excited for this port? Let us know in the comments below, or on our social media pages.
What a crazy time we're living in. I woke up this morning to a message telling me that we've officially entered the era of NAOMI games being ported to the Dreamcast by fans, with Cleopatra Fortune Plus being the very first.
For those unfamiliar, the NAOMI was Sega's arcade platform first introduced in 1998, built on architecture very similar to that of the Dreamcast. That technical similarity was what made the Dreamcast the first reasonably affordable home console to deliver an experience that looked and played genuinely close to the arcade. During its commercial lifespan, a number of NAOMI titles were ported to Dreamcast, including classics such as Crazy Taxi, The House of the Dead 2, Dead or Alive 2, and Power Stone. Others, such as Jambo! Safari and Virtua Golf, were announced for the console but were ultimately cancelled.
What with the constant influx of ports we're seeing now on a near-monthly basis, the logical thought from those who inhabit the Dreamcast fan community has been "could the fans just port those missing NAOMI games to Dreamcast?" They were able to do it with Atomiswave arcade titles back in 2020, so why not NAOMI? Well, the Atomiswave arcade system, which launched in 2004, was essentially a repackaged Dreamcast for the arcade, with virtually identical hardware specifications. The NAOMI, on the other hand, packed far more RAM than the Dreamcast, leading many in the homebrew community to dismiss the possibility of fan-developed NAOMI ports as "impossible".
That was until today, when a Dreamcast-Talk forum user who goes by CaptainKoffski posted that they've ported Cleopatra Fortune Plus to Dreamcast. Cleopatra Fortune Plus was the NAOMI arcade-exclusive sequel to Taito's puzzle game Cleopatra Fortune, which itself received a Japan-only port to the Dreamcast. CaptainKoffski was transparent from the off that the project had been created using what the internet has dubbed "vibe coding", the practise of using AI models to assist anywhere from a little bit to entirely with software development. In CaptainKoffski's case, they admitted "the entire port was done with AI, with minimal effort on my part."
AI is a huge topic of conversation at the moment, with a number of ethical and environmental concerns being raised surrounding its use. Just last month, Sega drew criticism from fans for revealing that AI was used in the development of the upcoming Crazy Taxi: World Tour. AI has also begun to seep into hobbyist circles, where it has received a mixed reception. What really is puzzling (excuse the pun) about this NAOMIport, though, is that despite its lack of human touch, it actually runs well, with seemingly no issues.
While we can't ignore the fact that this port's very existence is a huge breakthrough, we can only hope those who live and breathe Dreamcast development can unpick some of the information CaptainKoffski provided in their accompanying GitHub repo to find out how the heck the AI pulled this off, with the hopes it may aid future porting efforts. That said, I am aware that a very human effort to bring a major NAOMI title to the Dreamcast has been confirmed as being very close to completion, so I doubt this will be the last we see of NAOMI ports to the console in 2026.
Monkey Ball was one of a number of Sega titles that should've been released for the Dreamcast. Given the game's origins as a Sega NAOMI arcade title, it was a completely natural fit for their home console which shared the same architecture. As we all know though, the Dreamcast's commercial failure would bring its life to an untimely end in 2001 (in theory), and so the game would instead show up in an enhanced form as a launch title for Nintendo's GameCube under the name Super Monkey Ball. The GameCube was cool and all, but us diehard Sega heads knew where the game really belonged...
In 2026, Memorix101 is looking to make what should've been a reality. Using assets from the decompiled GameCube release, they have managed to get the beginner courses (and extra levels) running buttery smooth on Dreamcast, as demonstrated below in this footage from The Sega Guru. Sometimes you just have to pinch yourself, and with all these amazing ports constantly coming to Dreamcast, my arm is beginning to get pretty damn sore.
At the moment, this port isn't available publicly, so fellow dreamers will have to wait a while before they can roll pantsless primate AiAi around in pursuit of his beloved Dole bananas (other brands of banana are available). Memorix101 did provide the Junkyard with a playable version though, and I can confirm that it plays great!
In the meantime, we've gotten word that a beta of the Sonic R port that was in the works from Jnmartin84 has finally been released publicly, so go grab that!
Since 2024, there's been a continuous stream of new ports to the Sega Dreamcast. While homebrew ports to the Dreamcast have been happening for decades, it definitely seemed like the appearance of Doom 64 and Grand Theft Auto IIIon the console firmly opened the floodgates to this current wave we're enjoying. With new releases appearing so frequently, I've come to realise that I'm eventually going to run out of fresh ways to introduce each article. There's only so many ways I can say "the Dreamcast didn't actually die in 2002, here's proof!" So let's just get straight to the good stuff: there's two cult indie hits coming to the 'Cast.
I'm pretty good at unintentionally avoiding the zeitgeist. I mean, I write for a Dreamcast blog, for God's sake (so perhaps it is more intentional than I realise?) But this is why I'm still yet to play the poker-themed phenomenon that is Balatro. It's on every modern platform, so I'm not sure why I've never gotten round to giving it a try. Well, it's now also confirmed to be working on the Dreamcast too, thanks to the work of a dev known as Espouaisso.
Espouaisso has already managed to get a substantial portion of the game running at a smooth 60 FPS on real hardware, as demonstrated in this video from The Sega Guru. There is still plenty of work to be done, however, including implementing missing features and ironing out a number of graphical glitches.
Work porting Balatro to Dreamcast appears to have started around 16 days ago (at least, this is when Espouaisso first posted about it, anyway), so to see it in the working state it's in already is impressive indeed. If they continue at that same pace, Dreamcast owners may not have to wait much longer before they're able to download and play it for themselves.
Friday Night Funkin'
Screenshot: itsthedis
Friday Night Funkin' is a stylish-as-heck rhythm game heavily influenced by titles such as Dance Dance Revolution and PaRappa the Rapper, which sees players going head-to-head against a range of quirky opponents in sing-offs with the goal of impressing the main character's girlfriend. This is another one I've managed to miss (mainly because I suck at rhythm games), but I've always liked its visual style. I was not surprised whatsoever to learn that Friday Night Funkin' first debuted as a demo on Newgrounds, considering its art direction is very much reminiscent of Flash game classics like Alien Hominid, but with more of a hip-hop flare.
Due to the game being open-source, it has enjoyed a thriving modding scene over the years, and is also the reason we will soon be seeing a port come to our beloved Dreamcast. The game is currently being recreated in the Raylib engine by developer itsthedis and has already been confirmed to boot and run on real Dreamcast hardware in a playable state. The animations are noticeably blurry at the moment (as shown above), though this is something that itsthedis is working to improve.
If you'd like to try this early build for yourself, head over to the Simulant Discord. A quick search there will lead you to a working CDI image that you can run on your Dreamcast.
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Are you excited to see Balatro and Friday Night Funkin' come to the Dreamcast? Let us know in the comments below! I personally feel like the console is the perfect home for unique indie titles like these.
"Why make new games or port old ones to the Sega Dreamcast?" some contrarian Twitter user sneers. To which we reply, "why not?" Case closed, innit. Anyway, here's four games you can hopefully expect to be playing on your Dreamcast sometime soon...
A few years ago, a guy launched a Kickstarter to make a game that would be available on every gaming system ever conceived by mortal hands. People were understandably skeptical about whether that was even possible, and, unsurprisingly, the campaign didn’t succeed. However, it turns out that someone has genuinely been attempting to pull off something similar. That person is developer Walfrido Abejón, who has spent several years plugging away at his game Noah & the Poohloudies, a charming robot-themed platformer which is not only in development for our beloved Sega Dreamcast, but also the 3DO, original PlayStation, Nokia N-Gage, Nintendo 64, and the Saturn.
Walfrido has kindly sent over a prototype build of the Dreamcast version of the game, which we’ll definitely be taking a closer look at soon. In the meantime, you can check out the video below from our pal The Sega Guru, which showcases footage of all the different versions in development. Even at this stage, what’s been shown looks genuinely fantastic, and we really hope it will eventually be developed into a full release. Be sure to subscribe to Walfrido's YouTube channel to be the first to see future development vlogs.
The ports just keep on a-coming, and this one is an exciting one for those who were hoping to maybe see a bit more Sega amid the recent flood of (excellent) Nintendo 64 ports to Dreamcast. Absolute madlad Jnmartin84 is back again, and he has decompiled the PC version of Traveller's Tales Sonic-themed racer Sonic R and got it running on Mac. This game also came out on the Sega Saturn, and other than delivering a jukebox of banging tunes, it also provided an early taste of what could be for a fully 3D Sonic adventure.
But why do we care about a Mac version of Sonic R? Well, because it means the game can also now be ported to other systems, including the Dreamcast, and that is exactly what Jnmartin84 has promised. Plus, he's also teased the possibility of network play? Now that would certainly be epic to see. Watch this space!
SuperSolar
Developer Ninja Dynamics is currently working on an Afterburner-ish flight combat game for both mobile and Dreamcast, and it's looking "sleek af", as the kids would say. To get a taste of what you will eventually play on your Dreamcast, there is a version currently available for you to play in your web browser.
Check out footage below of the Dreamcast version, and follow the dev on Twitter to see new updates as they come out. It is shaping up to be an absolute stunner, though.
Here's the latest Dreamcast build of SuperSolar with a brand new water splash effect! I swear it's not a DBZ game! 😆 pic.twitter.com/WeRNmiioiX
— 🇪🇺🇵🇹 Ninja Dynamics (@ninjadynamics) April 20, 2026
OverServed
Finally, we come to OverServed, an upcoming Neo Geo multiplayer arena battler that looks to channel the chaotic fun of Bomberman. It'll support up to eight players duking it out at once, and what's more is it'll also support online play. But this is not just online play, this is cross-platform online play. That's right, we've got another game that's coming to a whole heap of platforms! We've already mentioned Neo Geo, but OverServed will also be released for —and cross-play over the net with— Saturn, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, Apple TV and Android. The game is due to be released in November this year.
But what about our beloved Dreamcast? Well, good news: a version is in the works from developer FULLSET, but it is most likely to release after the other versions. However, they have said that if 1,000 people go to the Dreamcast version's Sumthings page and add it to their “wanted” list, they’ll fast-track it to meet that same November release. Now, getting 1,000 people to sign up to Sumthings and click "wanted", may be a tall feat, but I'm sure we could get the community to at least retweet and like the heck out of this Twitter post.
I can’t wait to face off on OverServed on my yellowed, scuffed-up Dreamcast against some dude rocking a console worth a grand. Nothing like a bit of class warfare to go with my retro games. Anyway, here's some gameplay footage.
Prototyping some exploding cakes in Overserved tonight. That lava cake situation needs some fixing for sure :) Many level specific elements and tons of other stuff still to be implemented. 8-player online play across #neogeo, #saturn & all modern platforms. pic.twitter.com/O5e9jRkHqS
— FULLSET | Neo·Geo Dev (@FULLSET_Collect) March 28, 2026
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Which of these games coming to Dreamcast are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments below.
You can never have too many horror games on the Sega Dreamcast. Of course, it already boasts some exceptionally terrifying titles, from survival horror classics like the Resident Evil series to lightgun shootfests such as The House of the Dead 2, but there’s always room for more. Well, I’m happy to report that the Dreamcast’s horror library is about to get just that little bit plumper, with these two fresh news bites I have to share today. So, picture a gothic Ryo Hazuki as I say: "let’s get spooky."
I couldn't find a goth Ryo on Google Images, so here's Richmond instead.
Brand new survival horror indie title in the works from JoshProd!
Not much is known about this project yet, but the concept alone has the horror heads in the Junkyard team rocking back and forth with manic glee. A brand-new, fully fledged horror title is something the Dreamcast’s indie and homebrew scene has been missing, with Wolfenstein total conversion mod Witching Hour standing as the (sort of) lone torchbearer for a while now.
On Saturday, Philippe of JoshProd announced that development had started on a brand-new, currently unnamed "3D survival horror game" with a "dark atmosphere", which will release exclusively on the Dreamcast, and will be a "love letter to the classics". It will feature fixed camera angles, as is traditional survival horror fare.
It’s refreshing to learn that this title will be developed from the ground up specifically for the console, especially since JoshProd and their publishing arm PixelHeart have typically focused on porting existing titles over the years, to varied reception.
JoshProd hasn't shared any gameplay screenshots or artwork, just the image you see above of a very dusty Dreamcast. If yours looks like this, perhaps it's time to play it more. Maybe play this upcoming JoshProd horror game on it? We've been informed by Philippe that we'll hear more about this project in the summer, so keep your eyes peeled.
Alone in the Dark ports coming to Dreamcast — Preview build available
"The Dreamcast already has Alone in the Dark!" I hear you cry. And you’d be right. Infogrames and Darkworks' Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, the sole Dreamcast entry in the series, is a great game (and especially lovely visually), but soon, you’ll be able to play three more Alone in the Dark entries alongside it on the system. Don't worry, I'm not talking about the much-derided 2008 game (although that would be quite an impressive feat technically), but instead the very first —and highly influential— Alone in the Dark, its two sequels, as well as the short promotional game Jack in the Dark.
After over a decade in the oven, developer Corbin (aka Corbachu) of Isotope Softworks has released a Dreamcast preview build of "Dream in the Dark", which is a modern, hardware-accurate source port of the original Alone in the Dark trilogy's engine. It is a complete rewrite of the Free in the Dark engine, and features a number of bells and whistles that my simple brain doesn't quite understand, but you can read all of the technical fine print in Corbin's announcement post over on the DCEmulation forums.
This newly released preview build (which you can download here) includes the demo versions of the first and second game, along with Jack in the Dark as a bootable CDI which you can burn to a CD-R or run on an emulator. An Alone in the Dark 3 demo is missing from this build as that game is not fully implemented yet.
Speaking of development, Corbin mentioned at the end of the announcement that this release functions as an apology for "past problems shipping games", most likely referring to the previously announced —but still unreleased— Dreamcast titles SLaVE and Hypertension. The post was then signed off with "this is far from the only major announcements we have for this year"... Could 2026 finally be the year we hear more about these two titles? Well, watch this space, I guess.
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It sounds like 2026 could be be a good year for fans of the Dreamcast and survival horror. Leave an "eeeeeeek" in the comments if you can hardly contain your excitement.
Update (Friday 5th December 2025): The Star Fox 64 port for Sega Dreamcast is now available to play! Visit the project’s GitHub page to find a download as well as instructions on how to compile your own version for play on your Dreamcast.
In January, we asked the question: is 2025 the year of the Dreamcast port?
Yes. Yes it is. And undoubtedly the biggest force behind this trend is developer Jnmartin84, who has already brought extra-polished ports of both Doom 64 and Wipeout to the Sega Dreamcast. Now, as the Dreamcast community eagerly awaits the alpha release of his Mario Kart 64 port (which is apparently in its final bug-testing phase), Jnmartin has only gone and got another Nintendo 64 classic running on the system: Star Fox 64. Absolute mad lad.
I'm sure I don't need to explain what Nintendo's fifth-generation classic Star Fox 64 is — unless you're a European who entered a coma at the end of 1997, in which case, Lylat Wars is Star Fox 64. That trademark issue is no longer a thing. Oh yeah, and Sega's next console was called the Dreamcast... but it was a commercial failure, and it had issues with software piracy. But in a way that commercial failure is just one of many factors that still empower the passionate fan community to keep its legacy alive, and that piracy problem was actually what made homebrew development a lot more accessible than on other consoles of its era... Anyway, check out the footage below of Jnmartin84's impressive 48-hour Dreamcast StarFox 64 port.
UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE!!!! While I've been working on fixing the last couple of bugs in the Mario Kart 64 DC port, getting us ready for the alpha release, jnmartin has gotten STAR FOX 64 up and running on the Sega Dreamcast in just two freaking days!?!?
So yeah, it's looking like Jnmartin84 has firmly set his sights on StarFox 64. This means that once his Mario Kart 64 port finally releases publicly in the coming weeks (or likely days, at the speed he works), work will then begin on porting Star Fox 64. And just like his previous porting projects, we can expect another top-notch job.
What do you think of all these ports to the Dreamcast? Let us know in the comments below or on our socials!
Update (Friday 8th August 2025): This port is now available to play! Visit the project’s GitHub page to find a download as well as instructions on how to compile your own version for play on your Sega Dreamcast.
Mario Kart has been dominating discussions in online gaming circles lately, what with the release of Mario Kart World for Nintendo's brand-new Switch 2. Is it good? Is it bad? I couldn’t tell you — I'm still here playing Mario Kart 8 like the peasant I am. Haven't even got the expansion pass for all the courses. Times are tough, bro. Something I do have though, is the godliest console ever forged by mortal hands —the Sega Dreamcast— and it's getting a port of the Nintendo 64 classic Mario Kart 64 very soon. The wizard behind this feat is none other than Jnmartin84, who previously brought exceptional ports of both Doom 64 and Wipeout to the console.
The Dreamcast wasn’t exactly lacking in quality kart racers during its commercial run. Titles like Looney Tunes: Space Race and Wacky Races offered solid alternatives to the Italian plumber's blue-shell-'em-up. But as with everything Dreamcast in the last few years, the boundaries once imposed by the Dreamcast's commercial failings and Sega's position in the console wars are being broken down by the scene's talented homebrew community, who are making ports once thought impossible a reality. We've had Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City come to Dreamcast, and now it's Mario Kart 64's turn.
Mario Kart 64 was recently decompiled, and Jnmartin84 wasted no time in getting something running. Last weekend, Falco Girgis announced the project's existence, explaining the technical side of the project in detail, and showcasing early footage of the port running on real hardware.
FINALLY time for the big announcement everyone has been begging and waiting for... Here's a VERY EARLY direct hardware capture of Mario Kart 64... RUNNING ON THE SEGA DREAMCAST, of course!
This game was literally just BARELY decompiled the other day, with a codebase that is… pic.twitter.com/h76glP2QGu
Only four days later, Falco posted an update on the project, and the progress made in such a short time is frankly staggering. Jnmartin84 sure works fast!
So how is the Sega Dreamcast's very own native port of Mario Kart 64 coming along? Well, lets take a look at some footage I just captured directly from my DC of jnmartin's latest build!
Minor texture corruption is still present on some of the sprites here and there, plus there's… pic.twitter.com/D3ng6SP0yX
With Jnmartin84's Dreamcast ports of Doom 64 and Wipeout being regarded as the definitive way to play both games on any console, we have no doubt that his port of Mario Kart 64 is going to be nothing short of incredible as well. We look forward to seeing how he will leverage the console's power to add further enhancements to the game. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the project as it develops — in fact, I’m already taking bets on how soon a new update will drop after I hit publish on this news piece.
Are you excited to see Mario and friends race onto Sega Dreamcast? Let us know in the comments below or via our social media. And if you're a Nintendo AI bot out to get this project shut down, just remember — even in the robot world, nobody likes a snitch. Mario and Sonic competed at the Olympic Games together, so there's no reason why Mario Kart 64 can't be on the Dreamcast.
Little Jimmy the Dreamcast fan sits in the school cafeteria at lunchtime. All his buddies sitting with him at the lunch table are exchanging enthusiastic stories of their experiences playing their new favourite video game, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
‘And then I got 6 stars on my wanted level and I was on the run from the military in a golf cart!!!’
Little Jimmy nods and feigns laughter, pretending that he too can relate to all the hilarious tales of virtual carjacking and mass murder that his friends —who really shouldn’t be allowed to play the game for at least seven more years— relay at the lunch table. But Jimmy’s friends all own Sony’s newfangled PlayStation 2 console. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City didn’t release for the Sega Dreamcast. In fact, it seemed there hadn’t been any new releases for the console since his mom bought him NHL 2K2 back in February.
He holds back tears as he stabs at his mac and cheese with his fork. There, floating in the luminous yellow sauce, the macaroni noodles resemble a broken swirl.
***
Alright, alright. Dumb introductory story aside, the news that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City has been ported to the Sega Dreamcast and the fact that you can play it today of all days is no April Fools gag. In fact, if you’ve been anywhere near the Dreamcast scene in the last few months, it is highly likely that you already knew it was being worked on, with results being produced at an astonishing rate, especially considering the same talented team —led by developer skmp— only just released their port of Grand Theft Auto 3 (known as "DCA3") back on New Year’s Eve.
The reason we're able to see a port of Vice City only four months later is because the majority of the groundwork was done when porting GTA3 previously, which used reverse-engineered source code from the RE3 project as a base. We caught up with skmp to get the lowdown as to how their new Vice City port came about so fast:
"Vice City uses the same engine (RenderWare) and the codebase is very similar to GTA3. We were able to use our RenderWare backend as is - with a few fixes, as well as most of the repack tools and in general apply changes from [GTA3] to the [Vice City] codebase. The main challenge was the memory usage of animations, as Vice City has much bigger animations that barely fit on memory. We ended up using a slightly more advanced way to compress animations — using hopf coordinates for rotations and delta encoding for the data. We had to separate animation players from animation sequences as players have decompression logic and state now. [...] Apart from that, it has been smooth sailing!"
skmp also mentioned that all of these new optimisations will be backported to DCA3 as well. Moving forwards, that means that him and his team will try to "keep the two codebases in sync", so whenever a fix or an optimisation lands for one, they will make sure it is applied and released for the other.
Credit to SWAT for these screenshots
So, how do you play the best sixth-gen Grand Theft Auto game on Sega's swan song console? (In my opinion, of course. Yes, I know that one mission with the RC helicopter was really awful.) Well, like with the previous port of Grand Theft Auto 3, you'll need to compile your own version from an original PC copy of Vice City that you've purchased. Head over to the project's GitHub page to download the files you need (the “Miami” folder), and if you need some compiling instructions, you can find them here. Once you have the CDI image created, you can finally play Vice City on a Dreamcast that can play burned discs, or if it has an optical drive emulator installed, load the image onto your SD card and you'll be committing virtual felonies in no time.
Japanese cover art mock-up courtesy of Dreamcast-Talk user k-do.
Most of you will likely know that a port of Grand Theft Auto III for the Sega Dreamcast has been in the works for some months now. Indeed, those outside the niche Dreamcast scene may have even heard the news given that the project gained coverage across the broader gaming press earlier this year, attracting everything from wide-eyed amazement through to cynical befuddlement. Back then, spectating the porting work was possible because the project was out in the open, with every ounce of progress laid bare for the public to see in real time.
In recent weeks though, this dynamic was lost as those at the heart of the project shifted to working in a behind-the-scenes fashion - most likely to reduce the risk of Rockstar putting the kibosh on the project before it had a chance to bear fruit. As such, we went from hearing near-daily updates, to a radio silence that carried the potential to feed cynical thoughts: where's my freaking GTA 3 already? What are those lazy no-good schlubs doing? Maybe a port wasn't feasible all along! and so on, and so forth. Fortunately though, even with the absence of a cheerleading public, it seems that the rapid pace of development didn't slow down one iota, as today the alpha version of DCA3(top marks for this pun lads) has been released.
What does it stand for though? Can you do better than 'divine car abduction III'? Let's hear your suggestions in the comments please.
What does this mean exactly? Well, it means that, with a little jiggery pokery, you can compile a version of GTA 3 that will run on your Dreamcast. Given that it is an alpha version, bugs and occasional crashes are to be expected. Nevertheless, many testers have reported running the game for extended periods without issue, and, in my experience, the alpha version looks gorgeous and runs far better than I had expected it might. The controls map quite naturally on to the Dreamcast's regular controller (for the most part), and, perhaps most importantly, those who wish to progress with Claude through the game's infamous gangland story are be able to save progress to a VMU (although using one which is otherwise empty is recommended).
A key reason that you will need to compile your own alpha version, rather than simply download a ready-to-go .CDI or .GDI, is that players are expected to have their own legitimate version of the game. Morals and ethics aside, this is obviously an absolutely essential step to ensure the preservation of the porting project - any moves that have even the slightest whiff of piracy risk incurring the wrath of some extremely well resourced legal teams.
A sight to behold. Not the undecorated walls... GTA 3 on the Dreamcast!
Fortunately, compiling instructions are available. So, as long as you are capable of following these, have bought a copy of GTA 3 for PC (Rockstar offer a digital version with Vice City and San Andreas for a reasonable price), and have a Dreamcast that can play burned discs or has an optical drive emulator installed, then you should be good to go.
It would be wrong to drop this piece of news and not say something about the significance of the release. Really, it's hard to overstate what a monumental achievement the port is. In less than a year, an international crew of enthusiastic developers ('The Gang'), led by the mastermind skmp, have applied their skills to voluntarily deliver one of the defining games of the sixth console generation to the Dreamcast - a game that had begun development on Sega's swansong console, but instead ended up fuelling the stratospheric success of the arch-rival PlayStation 2, shifting 11 million copies for that console alone.
In the intervening years the possibility of GTA 3 running on the DC has cropped up again and again as a topic of conversation in the scene, whether that be the technical flavour of 'could it be done?' or the alternative history variant of 'what if it had been?' The latter conversation may still plod on forever more, but the former is now totally dead and buried. Evidently, with the right skills and commitment, use of the free development library KallistiOS, and access to reverse-engineered code, it has now been definitively proven that the Dreamcast is more than capable of running this game.
Image created by Brazilian Dreamcast supremo NaiSan.
Of course, what is on offer right now is only an alpha version, but given the team's track record, it seems highly likely that the project will progress on to further iterations that buff out the rough edges. For now, all that's left to do is hear a few words from 'The Gang' themselves...
Released back in 1997, Doom 64 brought a levelled up spin-off of the game-changing PC first-person shooter to the Nintendo 64. Since its release, the game has garnered a cult following, thanks in part to its atmosphere, with some even calling the game "terrifying". While Doom 64 saw some great ports to modern consoles in 2020, perhaps more interesting are the various homebrew ports, whether that be converting Doom 64's exclusive content to work with Doom source ports or even a port to the Nintendo DS.
Well, on July 16th 2024, the SEGA Dreamcast got added to that list of things Doom 64 has been ported to, and you’re probably wondering if it’s any good. Hell yes, it is. What the extremely talented Jnmartin84 has created here is equal to that of a AAA port and runs flawlessly. Plus, you can actually see what's going on in this version compared to the original! Doom 64 has definitely found itself a new forever home on the Dreamcast. To see this port in action (with commentary), definitely check out this new video from our pal (and previous guest on our podcast) Video Game Esoterica.
Now that you've watched that delightful footage, to actually play Doom 64 on your Dreamcast (or even an emulator), is a little bit more complicated. Presumably to avoid legal trouble, Jnmartin84 has released the source code for the port on GitHub, along with the tools that you'll need to build and play the game. Obviously you can follow the instructions in the ReadMe there, but it's mighty complicated, so perhaps seek out the .cdi, which I'm sure you'll find if you search around long enough. Does the legality really matter to you if the end result is a guaranteed trip to hell anyway?
Will you be playing Doom 64 for Dreamcast? How do you think it compares to the Nintendo 64 original? Let us know in the comments below, of via one of our social media channels.
