Credit: fuperslizzle |
Credit: OG_JoeCain (YouTube) |
Credit: fuperslizzle |
Credit: OG_JoeCain (YouTube) |
In 2021 we reported on the public release of an all but complete build of DeeDee Planet, the quirky and endearing Dreamcast game that was intended to be a spiritual successor to ChuChu Rocket!, which was sadly shelved just before going on sale. This release was made possible by a stalwart of the Dreamcast scene, Pcwzrd, who managed to source the beta from an unnamed developer, ripped the contents, and put it out into the world. What really put the icing on the cake though was the implementation of online play in 2022, thanks to one of the gurus of Dreamcast server revivals, Shuoma, thereby enabling dozens of folks to experience the game as it was meant to be (cursing your inexplicably skillful opponents as they rain missiles down upon you from their levitating sheep).
Well, here we are in 2023, and the DeeDee train still appears to have more track to traverse just yet. Today, BANANABREAK, a prolific preservationist with a lot of work already under their belt, has kindly released another DeeDee Planet beta (available to download here). This version was allegedly acquired from an ex-Sega UK employee who worked for the team in charge of Dreamarena, the online service that was available across Europe. Could this mean that a localised version was tentatively in the works? It would be a bit of stretch to claim so, but if anyone out there would like to produce a translated version complete with cover art in the majestic PAL-blue style, then we certainly wouldn't turn our noses up!
The GD-Rom containing the latest DeeDee Planet beta to be found and digitally preserved by BANANABREAK. |
What we do know (or at least, assuming the scribblings on the GD-Rom are correct) is that this beta is around 10 weeks newer than the version that was previously available. To my uninformed eye, there are no obvious differences between the two builds. However, given that the purported reason for the game's abandonment by Sega was a problem with the game's server connection, it could well be the case that changes affecting this part of the code are in-fact there, hidden away behind the scenes.
Pcwzrd and Shuouma did run some tests with this new build. Pcwzrd had this to say about it:
“As far as we can tell, nothing changed. Nothing obvious anyway. Shuouma says the game is still sending the same corrupted stats back to the server so [Sega] didn't fix that. Shuouma thought that they may have possibly tried to implement a fix for something but it didn't work. That might have been the point at which when they just gave up and cancelled the game.”
Can any of our eagle eyed readers sniff out the differences between these builds? Are we going to see even later builds gracing the internet in years to come? As always, do let us know your thoughts in the comments.
P.S. As a little treat for anyone who is as enamored with this game as I am, I have recently scanned a promotional flyer that was produced for the game. A preview is available below, but a higher quality PDF is also to be found over at Sega Retro.
The 18th of May release date touted here sadly wasn't to be, but over 20 years on from being scrapped DeeDee Planet's developers can rest easy in the knowledge that their work wasn't in vain. |
— Mike Mika (@MikeJMika) September 22, 2021
'ello! Been a while since I wrote an article here hasn't it? Anywhoo, I have a video here that - as far as I know - has not been documented online before. Weirder, I actually found this video hidden within a released game! Check it out in all its 240p upscaled to HD glory! It's proper spoopy!
So where did I unearth this, I hear you ask? The game this trailer was found on is called Bokomu no Tatsujin, a quirky life sim created by Fujicom Co, who's only other released game on Dreamcast is the building topplin' sim Bomber Hehhe, which also has a trailer on this disc.
I plan to talk about Bokomu more in a future article, but to summarise there is a shop in this game that lets you purchase appliances for your home such as a computer, an air conditioner and - most importantly here - a television. Once you eventually pony up the cash for this TV you can view both the Bomber Hehhe and this horror game trailer on it.
Obviously the above is not a great way to watch the video so I directly extracted the TV.SFD file from Bokomu's GDI, which was thankfully at a proper 4:3 aspect ratio. This is how I actually discovered the video in the first place, rather than the technique described above, as I was digging through the files for reasons I will go in my upcoming Bokomu article. Oooh, intrigue!
Within the assets of the game there is this unused menu showing the two game trailers, where the game is listed as (roughly translated) 'Horror Short Stories', although that is likely to be a placeholder name.
I had a mooch around Fujicom's web archived website to see if there was any mention of the game but no dice. The only mentions of this games existence online is a IGN article from 5th June 2001 called 'New Dreamcast Titles revealed' which lists the game as 'If it Happens': the English text that appears at the start of the trailer, along with a list of other games that were cancelled such as 'Hamster Story' by Culture Brain, which was apparently a microphone compatible pet sim! Oo-er.
I also stumbled across this little snippet in an issue of Dorimaga magazine that is scanned and available on Sega Retro. Here is a very rough translation of what the article says:
"In this interactive adventure game, an old hotel on the outskirts of town has a new watchman. Inside, a mysterious story unfolds. It's not just a building, it's a place of drama, fear, danger, and crazy scenarios."
All this evidence seems to point at 'If it Happens..' being the actual title of the game, as kind of broken English-y as that sounds. Apparently Fujicom also had a racing game in development for the Dreamcast called 'Top of the Formula Racing' (more wonderful broken English for you) that is also documented online in name only. A shame there wasn't a trailer for that hidden on Bokomu too!
Buses are behind barriers in the final game |