Showing posts with label Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works. Show all posts

Book Review: Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works

Full disclosure before I delve betwixt the pages of this Dreamcast-flavoured slab of goodness: I - along with several other members of the Junkyard team - backed Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works on Kickstarter. Now that's out of the way, let's begin.
320 pages of Dreamcast loveliness
Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works is the latest book release from Read-Only Memory, the outfit responsible for such highly regarded tomes as 2014's Sega Megadrive/Genesis: Collected Works and 2016's The Bitmap Brothers: Universe. The Dreamcast-themed wad of paper we have here was originally funded on Kickstarter back in 2017, and was slated to be delivered to backers in November 2018, but for various reasons was delayed for the best part of a year. If you'd rather watch a video and listen to my horrendous voice instead of read my words, you can do so here:


Regardless, Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works has started shipping to backers across the globe (as of December 2019), and we decided it was only right and proper that we cast a critical eye over what those cool dudes Darren Wall and Simon Parkin have delivered for Dreamcast fans who love a good read/like to gawp at pictures.
The cover has a real air of quality
The version being looked at in this article is the standard backer's edition of Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works, but there are some fancier iterations, such as the Jet Set Radio, Phantasy Star Online and Shenmue themed ones; along with copies signed by Sega and Dreamcast visionaries such as Naoto Ohshima (Sonic), Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Rez) and Yu Suzuki (the kitchen sink). These were available at higher tiers than I could realistically afford to spend, but I'm sure whoever got them will be very happy with their purchases. That's not to say that the standard backer's edition is anything other than top drawer in terms of quality and content though - far from it, in fact.
Naturally, Shenmue features heavily
This standard edition comes with a solid, white hardback cover, complete with embossed lettering and a fantastic Dreamcast swirl hidden beneath a rather nice holofoil sleeve (emblazoned with a Dreamcast console, naturally). The book just oozes quality, and from the moment you peel off the shrink wrap you know you're holding a premium product. The book weighs in at 320 pages, and the hard cover and thick, glossy sheets of papyrus contained within are hallmarks of Read-Only Memory's consistently top notch offerings...

Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works Kickstarter Gets Impressive Update

We like cool stuff here at the Junkyard, and there's nothing cooler than a good book. Especially one that's all about the history of the Dreamcast. Darren Wall and Simon Parkin's Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works has been in production behind the scenes since it smashed its goal (by some margin) back in 2017, and the latest Kickstarter update reveals some fascinating new details about what will be contained betwixt those glossy, fresh-smelling pages.

The latest update for backers (of which I am one, obviously) goes into more detail about early concept images have been gleaned from Sega's archive, cleaned up and reproduced for print:

"Some of the most stunning material we received from SEGA during our research phase covered the design evolution of the Dreamcast console and controller. SEGA collaborated with Tokyo-based industrial design firm GK Dynamics (who primarily design motorbikes) to develop innovative form factors for the console. The resultant renderings from these early design stages range from the breathtaking to the outlandish to the surreal, and offer a fascinating glimpse into the ambitious thinking that was clearly in abundance at SEGA at the time.

"I was concerned however, that we might not be able to include them – the only images of this work that SEGA have in their archive are low res, compressed digital camera photos of the original artworks, not nearly fit for print. We attempted to track down the originals, but failed to locate them – my assumption is that, sadly, they has been destroyed or lost."
- Darren Wall, Editor

As well as this fascinating, unseen concept artwork the book promises oral history interviews with the likes of Yu Suzuki, Bernie Stolar and Hideki Naganuma among others; concept renders from various Sega games, and also lots of cool hardware photography of the usual standard that owners of Read Only Memory's previous books will appreciate.
I for one am really looking forward to getting my hands on Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works and it seems that the project is going from strength to strength. You can pre-order the book from ROM's website if you missed out on the original Kickstarter campaign.

Source: Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works on Kickstarter

Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works Hits Kickstarter

We all love a good book, especially if said tome features a glut of previously unseen Dreamcast-related photos, interviews and concept art. It looks like our dreams are about to come true, as journalist Simon Parkin has launched a Kickstarter campaign for just such an item of merchandise - Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works.

Working in collaboration with veteran publisher Read-Only Memory (who previously released the incredible Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works), and also Sega, this new Dreamcast-flavoured release looks set to really delve into the history of our favourite console and the finest games to grace the system.
As detailed in the press release, Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works will feature the following:

  • Production artwork, design documents and game artwork from pop hits such as Crazy Taxi and Sonic Adventure to arcane curiosities like Space Channel 5 and Segagaga.
  • Hardware manufacturing drawings, concept paintings and original photographs.
  • An in-depth, interview-led editorial piece by New Yorker writer Simon Parkin. Assembling voices from late 1990s Sega boardrooms around the globe, as well as the game developers who helped to define the platform, this revealing retrospective will chronicle the rise and fall of this lauded videogame console.
  • Directory of stand-alone developer interviews and Sega team members including: Masayoshi Kikuchi (Jet Set Radio), Yuji Naka (Sonic Adventure, Phantasy Star Online, ChuChu Rocket!), Naoto Ohshima (Sonic Adventure).

The Kickstarter project at the time of writing has already garnered nearly £60,000 of its £68,000 target (update - it has reached its funding goal with 28 days to go), and naturally we here at the Junkyard have already pledged our support. Quite how different the book will be compared to the soon-to-be-released Dreamcast book from Pix N'Love remains to be seen. However, if you'd like to back Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works on Kickstarter, then follow this link and give generously!

Thanks to Darren Wall at Read-Only Memory for the assets used here, and also to all the other Sega sites for reporting on this while I was away on holiday in Bulgaria with no access to a computer!