Dreamcast Curios and Oddities - Show Us What You Got!

A selection of reader submitted photos from last time around.

A lot has changed in the 20 years that the Junkyard has been in existence, yet our obsession with exploring the obscure and weird aspects of the Dreamcast and its scene has remained constant. Sure, we reminisce about the console's big hitting titles, and cover contemporary developments that attract attention from outside our niche community, but third-party fishing rods, potato-focused marketing events, and Chinese VCDs are also firmly within our wheelhouse. 

One way our passion manifests itself is in the collecting of esoteric Dreamcast-related items - little nick-nacks like this fan that Lewis cracks out during the (now worryingly common) sweltering British summer days. Should he have saved that money instead? Maybe. But now he has the perfect accessory that is coveted by all those who lay eyes upon it. 

We know full well that thousands of such items are tucked away in private collections over the globe... But why hide what your fellow nerds would love to see? Back in 2017 we published an article highlighting readers rare and unusual items, and a sequel is long overdue. 

So, we're making a call to the Scene. By no later than Saturday 16 August please send us photos and descriptions of any Dreamcast goodies in your possession that are unusual, unique, custom, weird, odd, obscure, esoteric, rare or overlooked. We can be reached at dreamcastjunkyard [at] gmail dot com. 

Setting clear boundaries is going to be difficult, but to help, here are some examples of the types of things we're looking for:

• Promotional items (VHS tapes, CDs, posters, flyers, clothing)
• Third-party rarities (Treamcasts, controllers, memory cards)
• Obscure accessories (link cables, MIDI cables, karaoke units)
• Development stuff (dev kits, GD-ROMs, manuals)
• Autographed items (bonus points if it's Freddy D)
• Lesser-spotted indie releases (Frog Feast, Witching Hour, Geist Force)
• "Display Only" or "Not For Sale" goods
• Any unique items with a backstory

What we're not looking for:

• Photos of pristine "full sets" 
• Items that are expensive but not unusual (a PAL copy of Cannon Spike is cool, but too vanilla)

Our bar isn't set high, so don't be shy. We look forward to seeing what the community can muster and will feature submissions (with credit) in a forthcoming article.

Does it Matter if You're Black or White?

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that this post will relate to the design shift from white to black in the old US of A-NTSC land. Well, you'd be wrong, I'm not going to talk about that. It's already common knowledge and well understood, though I will just quickly mention that it's supremely handy that both designs use a standard 10.2mm CD jewel case with a clear plastic tray. These are dime-a-dozen and can easily be replaced if you want to return your collection to showroom condition.

Nope, not going to talk about these.

RPGs Across the Board; or, Grandia II - The Beginning

One of my favorite genres of video games is the RPG. I'm not overly attached to the turn-based combat (although I have come to like it over the years): I like the stories, and the bigger RPGs have great composers, like Final Fantasy, or the Mario RPGs. I had at least one RPG on most of my major systems, like the PlayStation, Gamecube, Gameboy etc...but something was amiss.

I had no RPGs for the Dreamcast! And because my current system had no affordable games available at the time, I made it a goal to get at least one good game. Fortunately, my brother had received a gift card to a local retrogaming shop. I had gotten Final Fantasy 7-9 there, so I hoped that they would have at least one good Dreamcast RPG. They had two.