Shenmue: Mad Angels Brawl, on GT Level

Speaking of Shenmue, it just got featured on the GameTrailers-produced show Level! Now, GameTrailers may be a somewhat controversial website, seen by many as catering more to the masses than the dedicated gamers, and I won't argue with that (MW3 got a 9.3/10? Seriously???), but they really redeem themselves with some rather great shows (I can't recommend Pop Fiction enough, it's kind of mythbusters with video games). Level, on the other hand, aims to celebrate and analyze those memorable moments in a game, which leave the best impression on most of the people who play them.

When it comes to Shenmue there are way too many of such moments to choose from, but I think we can all agree that the section they chose is pretty damn good. Now, I won't take your time writing a long description, both because I don't wanna spoil it for anyone who hasn't played Shenmue yet (what are you waiting for???) and the video above just does a better job at it. So, yeah, if you want to relive an awesome moment in video game history just watch the video above.

Shenmue 1 & 2 HD

Wassup, fellow dreamcasters? It's been a long, long time without posting, but today I repent for my sins as I come to you with some rather delightful news (which I really hope haven't been posted before, I searched for a bit and couldn't fin anything).

It looks like that most beloved of Dreamcast sagas is getting an HD treatment. According to this site both Shenmue 1 and 2 have been ported already and SEGA is just waiting for the right time to release them on the XBLA and PSN.

Of course, by now what we're all thinking is: "And what about Shenmue III? Now that would be news!". Well, according to the same source, the delay in releasing these HD ports is tied to SEGA taking the time to decide whether or not they will continue to work on the franchise.

Yeah, I know, it could just be the same "Shenmue III rumours" all over again, but if these HD releases really come out and sell well, who knows? Maybe it could be our way of telling SEGA that we don't just wish for a 3rd game, but are actually willing to pay them for it. Let's wait and see...

New Sturmwind screenshots. Phew!

Sega Portal has got their mitts on some new details on Sturmwind, the upcoming indie shooter from Redspotgames and Duranik, including the fact that the game box will have dual cover artwork, so if the big green octopus thingy is not your cuppa tea there is the flip side art of a pilot's helmet. Take your pick I guess!

If that's not enough they also obtained a whole slew of new screenshots, showing the newly revised hud amongst other improvements. You can check out the rest of the screens over at Sega Portal. Safe to say this game is looking rather good. I mean look at this mean fella of a boss!

Pre-rendered for sure but still massively impressive looking, especially when you see it moving. here's hoping it is fun to match! Still no solid release date yet but we'll keep you posted when we find out!

Jet Set Radio HD to Lose Deavid Soul?

Joystiq is reporting that Jet Set Radio's HD rerelease will not retain the full soundtrack. While I expected the HD version to shed a few tracks, I had thought the losses would be limited to the US and Euro additions. However, Joystiq points to even more cuts, most notably four tracks from Deavid Soul and Idol Taxi's OK House. JSR fans will immediately recognize Deavid Soul's tracks: Miller Ball Breakers, On the Bowl, Up-Set Attack and Yappie Feet.

Now I'm not saying that the game will be ruined without these tracks, it'll be a blast to have the right stick FINALLY controlling the camera and 60fps widescreen in HD will look stunning. But with a game like Jet Set Radio, where music is a major element of the game and story, the loss of five tracks is a big deal. Up-Set Attack and OK House define Shibuya-Cho, the former track serving as the introductory music for the first stage. Miller Ball Breakers and On The Bowl ARE the sound of Benten-Cho.

As the game has yet to be released, the best course of action is to hit SEGA up on Twitter and Facebook and request that they do all they can to bring Deavid Soul and Idol Taxi's songs to the HD version. In the meantime, don't sell your Dreamcast copies just yet.

New Gunlord trailer and release date of 14th June!

NG: Dev Team have released a new trailer for their upcoming run and gunner Gunlord. Once again we get tons of gameplay footage (which if you rather be surprised by some of the level and enemy elements you may wanna skip through like I did) as well as the hilarious opening cut scene. You'll see what I mean. The release date is now confirmed for June 14th. Rather looking forward to this!

In other news Redspotgames have also announced that they can get back to work on Strumwind now that they have solved the issues they had with the production. So that's two DC games for 2012 on the way still! :)

Which Version of Jet Set Radio is the BEST?

In the latest edition of my weekly article series for SEGAbits, I compared three regional versions of Jet Set Radio to find out which version was the best. Those unacquainted with the US, European and Japanese versions of Jet Set Radio may be thinking: “whats the big deal? A ton of Dreamcast titles were released in three regions.” Well, unlike most Dreamcast games, Jet Set Radio had rather notable differences between regional releases. Each version features unique graffiti tags, unique songs, different stages, different character names and voices and even different titles. Of the three, which is the best? That’s what we’ll try to decide today, by comparing five aspects of the games and choosing a winner! 

Check out my full article over at SEGAbits!

Jet Set Radio Coming This Summer!

SEGA Blog has just shared some VERY exciting news regarding the next Dreamcast rerelease. The game being released is Jet Set Radio,as if there was any doubt. They also confirmed that the game will be known as Jet Set Radio, so say goodbye to the original US title “Jet Grind Radio” (and good riddance!). Also, the game will be in beautiful widescreen, as seen in the screen shot above, and the game is coming to XBLA, PSN, and Windows PC Digital Download this summer! SEGA has also announced a contest where fans can get there art in the game and win prizes for doing so. Reminds me of when the game originally released, I recall SEGA having a similar contest. So far so good! Now SEGA just needs to confirm that there will be no music cuts. 

The next Dreamcast port to XBLA and PSN is..

Well, I'm sure you can guess. ;)

A Sneak Peek at the Dreamcast's Smithsonian Debut

For quite some time, Washington D.C.'s Smithsonian Institution has been planning an Art of Video Games exhibit. The show began with an open vote allowing gamers to choose the 80 games which will receive representation at the show. In the end, a number of Dreamcast games made the cut, including ChuChu Rocket!, Sonic Adventure and Shenmue. Now that the games are picked, the show is under construction and employees have offered up a sneak peek at what will become the kiosks. Looking forward to seeing these up and in use! Check out more photos here and learn more about the show here.

Half-Life Dreamcast Comes To the PC?

In Dreamcast news that can only be described as somewhat odd the unreleased Dreamcast version of Half-Life has been released for the PC.

It's a bit interesting, I thought the only major differences were from the High Definition pack which was already available for the PC version. However, the creators of this mod state that there are many other differences including additional graphics, NPC models and Dreamcast easter eggs in the game.

Personally I only noticed one little extra thing when I played the Dreamcast version but it did run very nicely.

More info here:

http://www.moddb.com/mods/half-life-dreamcast



If you have the Steam version of Half Life you can run the Dreamcast version as a mod.

Dream Room UK 2011 Marathon on YouTube!

If you missed my Dream Room UK 2011 livestream marathon from a few months ago, you could find it all on my livestream page, but now I have started uploading it to YouTube as well in 2 hour chunks with bits like me walking off to grab things cut out to save some time! The rest of it can be seen below!

Part 2 here. 
Part 3 here.
Part 4 here.

Metropolis Public Transport Racer

Check this out -



Who knew you could drive buses and taxis and freakin' LAWNMOWERS in MSR? I certainly didn't! To be fair, seeing as I only ever managed to get as far as Chapter 13 or thereabouts in my crappy Vauxhall Astra, I shouldn't really be so surprised...but this awesome Youtube video has made me want to jump back into MSR and give it another go.

As a side note, I heard that once you beat every chapter you get to drive around each city in a sort of 'free ride' mode, with all the barriers removed. Anyone out there know if this is true? Answers in the comments section, please.

Dreamcast Versus Xbox 360 Part 3

Hello, and Season's Greetings (vomit). You may remember my previous forays into the world of video creation, Dreamcast Versus Xbox 360 Part 1 & 2 that I uploaded to Youtube a few years back and also published here at the 'Yard. To my utter astonishment, the first one has over 20,000 views at present so there's obviously demand out there. Demand to see videos comparing Dreamcast games to games from the current generation. Granted, the mind boggles...but I've dusted off my shitty old Fujifilm (non-HD) digital camera again, recorded some new footage and slapped together another DCJY-exclusive visual comparison. This time its WRC 2 on the 360 (which is a stonking rally sim, by the way) squaring up against V Rally 2: Expert Edition. Enjoy:



The quality is lamentable, I know. And the editing isn't amazing (what do you expect from a Media graduate?!), but I'm using shitty tools. Give me a 2002 Avid suite and I'll give you Avatar 2. Sort of. Meh.

Before anyone says it, I know that WRC 2 is an awesome visual showcase (although it's no DiRT 3...), and I know that V Rally 2 looks like a tramp's gusset in true comparison...but to be fair, it doesn't look too far removed from most Gamecube and PS2/Xbox rally games. Even if all the Gamecube ones were a stain on Humanity. Damn this digressing! Anyway, it's just a bit of fun, so don't go mental.

There's more:

If I don't get the chance to say (write) it - Happy Christmas to all on the DCJY team, and to all our readers around the world. You guys and girls make it all worth it - 6 years on!

Sturmwind delayed again!

Just heard this from redspotgames website. Bum cakes. 

In spite of best planing, the release of Sturmwind has to be postponed: Our long-term CD-ROM manufacturer surprisingly had to declare bankruptcy after 19 years in business. From 40 employees only a few remained. Therefore this resulted in the situation that the scheduled delivery date for Sturmwind could not be met in the end.

The only possibility has been to relocate the production – to avoid further delays of the bankrupt facility. Nevertheless items like the spaceship models have been completely manufactured already. Our new partner is one of the largest videogame CD / DVD press plants in Europe with over 50 years of experience in medium production. In the meanwhile we already placed our production order for Sturmwind. 

The release date is set to TBA (“to be announced”) consequently.

Details are currently clarified between redspotgames, Duranik and the new facility. Also we are arranging material for another announcement with more exact information within December, which will be after Christmas however. All orders in the redspotgames online shop will remain valid.

At least they've let us know why and this is clearly something that couldn't be prevented. Just more waiting I suppose, shame that this has now become a 2012 release but we'll eventually get to play it!

Off the Cuff

Like a monstrous and garishly-lit harbinger of inevitable over-indulgence, Christmas is on the horizon. Yes, it's the time of year where we have to spend money on other people for no good reason other than that we're expected to. But what to buy? What to get for the Dreamcast lover in your life? A new game? A new pack of VMU batteries so you don't have to listen to that fucking beep every time they power up their system? A VGA cable so that they can enjoy their favourite games in hi-res on the new HDTV?

All viable suggestions. But no. What they need are these:

Dreamcast-shaped cuff-links!

And don't worry if the DC fan you're buying for is a girl (yes, they do exist...or so I'm told)...these cuff-links can (probably) be turned into trendy ear rings with only minor modification! Who'd have thunk that in 2011 we'd still be able to procure Dreamcast cuff-link and belt combos? In your FACE, Sony!

*Sigh*

Get some here.

Dreamcast Cosplayers!

What to do while waiting for the release of Strumwind? Post some photos of people dressed up as Dreamcast characters, of course! Here are the best of the best I have found on DeviantArt.

Jet Set Radio

More after the jump!

The Dreamcast Junkyard is 6 years old!

From yesterday, that is! Tomleecee started up this blog back on 7th December 2005 and even though we don't all get to update this place with article as often as we used to, it is still one of the most active Dreamcast websites on the Internet, isn't it? I hope it is anyway. Either way it's the sixth site that shows up when you search for Dreamcast so that's pretty neat.

I can't even believe it's been that long. Having been here myself as a writer since April 2006, I'm not really sure where all those years went. Oh yeah, they went into taking photos and photoshopping them like this:

Remember that time I thought I'd found Maraca compatibility in a Baseball game only for it to turn out the game was playing itself? How about that time a commenter on UK: Resistance described me as a wank muffin? Good times!

But enough about me, no one cares! It's all about the Dreamcast coverage, of which we have had oodles of! Quite handy when a supposed dead console turns out to be undead really, gave us all more to talk about, and there's STILL some fantastic indie games on their way so we're going no where! There will defiantly be unboxing videos at least for the new releases from me, and the Dreamroom livestreams will be something of a annual thing for both Barry and me if we can help it.

By the way I really hope no one minds me messing with the layout of this place a little. You may notice it's a wee bit more roomy here now!

Anyhow, happy birthday you great big pile of HTML code you!