Sorry for not posting much of anything for such a long time guys, been quite busy as of late (see here if you're curious). Either way this post has been a long time waiting to be written as I actually got this a while back. I don't know if you remember me posting about anticipating something rather special in the post? Well this is what I sent off to a member of the Dreamcast Scene forums from Portugal..
...and here's what I got in return.
Yes, the guy who I did the trade with even went/goes by the name of Treamcaster online yet was looking to collect Dreamcast magazines and I just so happened to have a whole bunch of them from subscribing to it back in the day that were taking up a whole lot of room, so we did this rather neat trade! He even got on a webcam and showed me it working, which was awfully nice of him! I promised a Inside Out video of it and I still intend to do one when I've got time, but for now here's some photos.
For those not in the know the Treamcast is a Hong Kong unofficial system (but made with official parts inside, so it's not a clone like all those NES and mega Drive ones you see) that is quite a bit smaller than the Dreamcast, is chipped to play any region of game but best of all has a fold out 5" screen and a headphone socket. It even even comes bundled with a car adaptor so you could take it about on the go if you really wanted.
This is as far as i know the last of 3 models of this system made. The first was white and apparently didn't have that great of a screen, then it was released with a widescreen, which to be honest looked a little silly as it stuck out on the sides, and finally there was this black model with a better screen. It even has the normal TV connections so you can hook it up just like a normal Dreamcast too. Here it is running good ol' Marvel vs Capcom 2.
It's a fantastic piece of kit and while I seriously doubt Sega approved of it's existence (many a regular Dreamcast's must of been gutted to produce these) I'm sure it's probably quite the collectors piece too. There's something pretty neat about sitting sitting in bed with headphones on playing a bit of DC goodness in the middle of the night.
UPDATE: Because barry asked for it. I have no sunglasses, so feel free to photoshop some in. Stick them in a Miami beach setting while you're at it. UPDATE 2: Barry, you are brilliant.
The team that first created Last Hope for the Dreamcast is going to release a self-published reprint very soon (in July maybe?).
The Pink Bullets edition is not just a remake but they are tweaking the game a bit.
Yes, the bullets will be pink.
Also - Six credits and instant respawn during one credit - Higher player ship speed from beginning - Players ship does permanently equip the Rotary Protection Unit - Five difficulty settings - Overall less hard difficulty - Altered stage color theme for higher Visibility
I noticed the Overall less hard difficulty part right away. That should quell some of the complainers that felt that the original game was just too hard.
So is this a big deal? Well for people who missed out on the first release YES. For people who already have the game? Ehh...maybe not. It's essentially the same game.
Will this effect the value of the original game? I really can't say at this time. Gamers are quite fickle when it comes to stuff like this. Sometimes the original release is made MORE valuable by a re-release. Sometimes the original will lose value. Sometimes people will just consider the two items separate entities and their values will not effect each other at all.
Personally I never had the chance to get the original release. I am preordering.
So, it finally happened to me. That thing that I've heard and read so much about finally came around and bit me on the ass. I'm talking about the dreaded 'red ring of death.' Just like whispering the name of the Scottish play before a theatre performance, muttering those four words prior to switching on your Xbox 360 will only result in a bizarre grinding noise and a crimson halo emanating from your console's faceplate. But this is a Dreamcast site, so why do we care? Well, I just wanted to bring it up because in the four years I've had my (second-, and maybe even third-hand) Dreamcast, it hasn't died. Granted, there was the whole speaker wire/controller board incident but it still battles on nearly 10 years after the last units rolled off the production line.
All hail the Undead Console!
Incidentally, even though they are responsible for one of the greatest crimes to retro-gaming in the modern age, I'd like to give Kudos to the guys at Gamestation who effortlessly swapped my 360 for another one...and also sold me an extended 2 year warranty for twenty fucking quid.
Next up: Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000 and an exclusive review of the McClaren Dreamcast pad. I realise how exciting this news is, but for the love of God CONTAIN YOURSELVES!
As I was driving my noisy, smoke belching, coal-powered, big-ass truck around the tranquil idylls of Southern England and flicking my fingers at church-going Women's Institute members t'other day, I spotted this:
It's an orange spiral that looks vaguely like an orange Dreamcast swirl! From America! Or Japan! Vaguely! OK, I realise that this is barrel scraping of the worst kind possible, but relax - I also bring news of Ebay-age, M'lud!
And before you groan and go back to your copy of Readers Wives and that mug of luke-warm tea you've got balanced on the arm of your battered couch/bed - I'm not doing a マーティン and trying to flog my (ill-gotten?) gains through the DCJY. No - I personally don't think this is the kind of place I'd get away with advertising a nearly-new PVC gimp suit and matching powder-coated dildo (although, email me if you're interested. Only light stainage). Ahem.
No, dear reader. I've been buying...
...this:
Roadsters
I remember Roadsters fondly from my pathetic pre-Dreamcast days. I used to have it on the N64 and to be fair it was a pretty solid game. It had cracking hi-res (for the N64) visuals, tight controls and was just a fun little game all round. So, forgive me for thinking the Dreamcast version would be just as good - if not better. Y'know, what with it being released much later and on a vastly superior console and all. Wrong. It's fucking hideous.
The first thing veterans of the N64 version will notice is that the visuals have hardly improved at all. Whilst the Nintendo version appeared to squeeze the very core of the N64's graphical heart until every last drop of rice pudding was drained from it (yes, N64s have rice pudding inside them. Strange, but true), the DC version looks like something running on a Speak & Spell. Spell 'crap.' C.R.A.P.
Cardboard cut-out trees. Check.
Over sized sized track-side objects. Check.
Bizarre scenery fade-in. Check.
Static crowds. Check.
Static vehicle drivers. Check.
Badly pixelated 'real time' reflections. Check.
Random bouts of slowdown. Check
These are just some of the problems Roadsters suffers from in the graphics department. I could go on, but if I do you'll still be reading me moan on about visual shortcomings until the coming of the next ice-age. So I'll moan about some other stuff instead. The sound. Where is it?! I don't know if it's just my SCART lead or my TV, or a combination of the two (Roadsters isn't VGA compatible, surprisingly), but the sound kept fading in and out seemingly at random so I spent most of my playtime sat there in silence. Shoddy programming. Check.
Next - the controls. Roadsters has the worst control model I have ever experienced in a game. On any console. Ever. Tap the analogue stick and your car will go careening into the nearest wall and then either just stop dead or be bounced along at super-sonic speeds. This effect appears to be random, for some wooden fences will grab you like some unnatural spectral magnet, whilst others seem to have been greased up with lube that sends you off up the track at the speed of light. The best bit though, is when you don't touch the analogue stick and your car still flies off at an angle and hits a wall! Oh how I laughed. Then switched the console off.
Roadsters is clearly a game that could've done with a few more months in development because even an imbecile like me can see that it's not a finished product. What the hell where the playtesters thinking when they gave this the thumbs up? Where they all pissed or something? What's even more annoying about this whole debacle is that there are some truly interesting ideas in Roadsters. For example, the developers decided that the straight road racing seen in the N64 version wasn't enough for Dreamcast gamers, so they added in a whole host of natural disasters to make the races more interesting. So, on one course, a volcano erupts turning the sky black and spraying magma onto the road, whilst on another an Earthquake hits and shakes the whole track violently and on the Docklands track a jumbo jet crashes, devastating certain parts of the circuit. All great ideas that where sadly tacked on to a virtually unplayable mess of a game.
I was really looking forward to playing Roadsters (no, really) simply because of my experience with the N64 incarnation but this DC port has left me feeling massively underwhelmed. Quite how Player 1 and Titus managed to completely destroy the experience of racing convertables around exotic racetracks is a mystery even Inspector Clouseau would have trouble solving.
So rather than waste your time playing through this piece of utter shite, here are some suggestions of other things you could do with Roadsters:
Microwave it
Toast it
BBQ it (well, it has been sunny recently)
Eat it
And finally, shit it out.
Oh well. Just got to wait for Jeremy McGrath Motocross to turn up now...
"I found myself on a hunt to track down somebody I played at Street Fighter Alpha 3, 10 years ago, half way up a mountain range in India!" (Lee Bradley)
So the story goes, a British man was in India on his way to Tibet when he found a makeshift "arcade" in the Himalayan hill station of Darjeeling.
"When I say “arcade,” what I really mean is a collection of old televisions wired up to PlayStations, arranged across a battered formica tabletop. Covering the entire back wall was a massive cabinet stuffed to bursting with pirated PSOne games, complete with poorly photocopied boxart. For just a few rupees the young boy that ran the arcade would grab the game of your choice, pop it into a PlayStation and keep you topped up with cups of Darjeeling’s finest. After days of travelling, catching snippets of sleep on noisy, dusty trains, this was exactly what we needed." (Lee Bradley)
The best part of this story? If Lee Bradley finds the kid who ran the arcade someone is going to give him the best gift anyone can give. A Sega Dreamcast and games.
"As a result of that post a mysterious benefactor contacted the editors at Bitmob and offered to send a Dreamcast and a box of games to the arcade." (Lee Bradley)
I hope they find that guy so they can provide some awesome arcade gaming to travelers. Who wouldn't want to play some Marvel Vs Capcom 2 after traveling through the Himalayas?
Radilgy or Radirgy, shortened from Radio Allergy, the proposed North American release (Rajiruji in Japanese ラジルジ) is a vertical shooter released late into the Dreamcast's official life; February 16 2006.
In addition to the game, which could only be bought through SEGA Direct in Japan in 2006 (how I ordered mine) is a phone card for use in Japan. This was quite frequent with releases in Japan through SEGA Direct, but seems more fitting in this game as you essentially play a girl (or boy) that has to rescue her father from terrorists so she (or he) can get the medicine for their radio allergy. Mental I know, but this is Japan!
So, how does it fair with the other Dreamcast shooters? (what shooters I hear you ask??). Well, it's pretty solid, but it's no Ikaruga - but what is. The styling of the game is pretty unique; cell shaded graphics (think Jet Set Radio) over VGA really make the Dreamcast seem like it was released in 2006. If you're a collector, or just into shooters; I would heavily recommend this game. There's a really fun soundtrack to the game as well - which is a refreshing change as many shooters decide to go down the 'dark and dismal' route.
There's a variety of button commands, including shoot, bomb and a like of sword attack. This adds hugely to the strategy of the game. The casing of the game shows off some of the attention to detail given within the game. It's hard to think a title of this quality was released so late in the [official] life of our beloved Dreamcast.
So sure that this would be a great title; I bought two. Yes, that's right, I have a sealed copy up for sale on eBay and you can bid on it here. I'll leave you with a little gameplay video. Enjoy!
Right. Listen up you 'orrible lot. Things have been getting out of hand around here the last few weeks. Too much frivolity if you ask me. Frivolity and fun. And that's the problem with the youth of today. If it's not playing Dreamcasts, it's raping OAPs and smashing up bus shelters whilst under the influence of cheap cider. To address this problem and restore the equilibrium, today we're going to have an educational session.
Ever heard of Isambard Kingdom Brunel? Yep, it's a ridiculous name, but I'm guessing most of you enlightened DCJY followers have read many, many volumes on Brunel's genius - but for those who haven't, here's the science bit.
But why, pray tell, am I bringing Mr Brunel to your attention? Well, it's because he has something to do with my latest Dreamcast-related purchase. Sort of. You see, Brunel built railways. Not personally of course - he employed yokels and vagabonds to do it for him (and paid them in broken dreams and dysentery, or so I'm told); and with my latest acquisition - you too can indulge in a bit of railway building 'action':
Railway Tycoon 2 has arrived at platform 758!
Exciting, I know! It's a game...that lets you build railways! Across fields! So you can transport textiles and passengers to different towns! Not only that, but the back of the box states:
All new 3D game engine!
Addictive and deep gameplay spanning from 1804 to 2000 and beyond!
60 Engine designs!
Realistic stock market enabling take-overs, mergers, stocks, bonds and bankruptcy!
A REALISTIC STOCK MARKET! STOCKS! MERGERS! Take 2 Interactive - with this number of insanely exciting features you are spoiling us!
So, Railway Tycoon 2 then. It's a bit like the bastard lovechild of Sim City and Command & Conquer. With trains. You start the main game in the early 1800s and have to build rail connections between various little towns. As the game goes on, you'll be given more arduous tasks such as transporting goods (like milk, eggs and flour - now there's a recipe for disaster and/or pancakes) and building bigger and better stations. As the years 'fly' by (not in real time, you understand) you'll be able to buy more advanced diesel and eventually electric engines. The game also promises to yield 'futuristic' flying trains with machine guns, lasers and matter displacement cannons on them, but in all honesty you'll either go bankrupt before you reach the 1930s (something that happens with alarming regularity in Railroad Tycoon 2) or just lose interest altogether, turn the Dreamcast off and go for a shit/piss/pint (delete as applicable).
Should really think about reducing their carbon footprint
As far as I'm aware, there are only two real time strategy games on the PAL Dreamcast - this and Conflict Zone, and even though I've been a tad critical of Railroad Tycoon's subject matter (c'mon, trains are hardly exciting), it's probably the better of the two. Graphically it's pretty accomplished - especially when played in VGA mode. The landscapes roll impressively and the building and train models are superbly detailed - you can zoom in and out and rotate the view to your heart's content and it never stutters or slows down. The sound is a little less impressive, but you'd never expect to have SUM 41 or Nine Inch Nails blasting out whilst your steam locomotive struggles to get up a hill.
If only the DLR ran this smoothly
If you're the kind of person who shuns human contact in favour of the scale model representation of South West Trains' rail network in your attic, and you also happen to own a Dreamcast - then get a bit of Railroad Tycoon on the go. You won't be disappointed.
I knew a guy in college who was an extra in a movie starring Kevin Bacon! Yeah!
I hope this doesn't lead to people thinking that we aren't really on top of all the Dreamcast rumors flying around. I mean we were kinda in the top ten of the people who first reported this (At least we were when I first started typing this out).
All kidding aside the Think Geek Monkeys replied to the Gizmondo article with the following comment.
"Hello from ThinkGeekland!
We emailed Destructoid's editors [where this post originated] late last night but haven't seen the posted amended, so here's our Official Apology, in blog comment form.
First, a little backstory: We came upon an amazing cache of new-in-box Dreamcasts not too long ago. We had a bunch of units shipped to us to inspect them, and indeed, though the boxes were a little worse for the wear on the outside, the consoles had nary a scratch and even the wire twists that bundled the cables had never been undone. It was like magic--magic that had been hiding in a warehouse, unknown, for years.
So we asked our source from whence these beautiful Dreamcasts came, and they didn't know--could've been a liquidator, or a Circuit City that had closed shop. (Hear that? It's the sound of a plot thickening.)
But we'd seen them with our own eyes and figured it was best to share our discovery with the world. Hundreds were snatched up quickly and squees were heard 'round the internets.
So far we've had 2 instances of not-so-new-in-box Dreamcasts. The individual who received the one reported here contacted us via email (which never appeared in our inbox, for some reason) and Twitter (through which we've taken care of the situation) has already been issued a return shipping label. We're more than happy to refund him for the Dreamcast as well as shipping.
We're very sorry about the whole thing--we never meant to ship used Dreamcasts. We know our customers are smarty pants and could tell if they'd been duped with a stale Dreamcast; we'd never get away with taking advantage of you guys, so why would we try?
And now we have 3 options: 1. Stop sharing the gift of new Dreamcasts; 2. Have them all shipped to us and inspect each one individually and then ship back to the warehouse; and 3. Continue spreading the (mostly) untainted Dreamcast love and working with the very few customers who get lemons.
We hope you'll understand why we're continuing to offer them on our site (when we get our grubby little paws on more, of course). And again, we apologize to the 2 customers who ended up with what appears to be returned merchandise.
Personally I did order a Dreamcast from them (Though I would have had seconds thoughts if I knew that Monkeys were processing my order...damn dirty primates.). It was in a beat up box that smelled faintly of bananas but it was NEW.
If I had gotten a used Dreamcast I would have known and I would have been a bit upset. But really folks. It's a console that's ten years old. You are always rolling the dice when you order stuff online. Still it looks like Think Geek is gonna back up their reputation and work with the people who got screwed over on this deal. It also looks like the number of people that did get screwed over might be very small.
-All Hail the Undead Console!
P.S. - In the article about ThinkGeek's response blogger Nick Chester used the word "Debacle" to describe the situation. It's my personal opinion it was more of a Kerfuffle or perhaps a Snafu.
Where are the sailors? 船員はどこですか？ Whether you ask this pertinent question in English or Japanese, one thing is true... you're talking about Shenmue (hopefully). This game is without doubt one of the best games ever made. Hailed throughout the gaming world, Shenmue is an RPG with a difference. If you haven't played it, go and buy it.
The differences between the Japanese and PAL versions are quite subtle. Obviously, the PAL version also includes some interesting voice acting - but aside from that, the games are near identical.
Not so when it comes to package presentation...
The Japanese version of the game clearly has a larger focus on the excellent artwork and less about brand recognition and an 11+ rating. Online functions are advertised on the PAL pack as this was a big pushing point in Europe.
The backs are largely different too. Similar use of graphics - I prefer the PAL version this time. A nice little blurb in each language, followed up with all of the other info. One thing I think the Japanese versions always win on though, is the column on the right - showing number of players, game type, accessories etc...
Jewel case vs. the PAL format... looks like there's 3 CDs in the NTSC-J version??
Why yes! We not only get the game but also a "Shenmue Jukebox" CD for our aural pleasures, with the following tunes:
What a treat! Typical of a Japanese release - extras that the fans will love are thrown in. As so often is the case - probably in a cost-cutting measure or just because the West "doesn't get it" (SEGA Europe or SEGA Japan deciding?? Take your pick), we were left short without this great little extra.
Want even more homebrew FPS goodness on your Dreamcast? Well I've just been informed about this project by TDGMods called Hypertension. It's based on and the Monolith series Blood, and is being developed with an engine called EDGE, which is based on the Doom source code. Here's the video preview:
The game is unfinished so all the bugs haven't been ironed out yet but either way it looks interesting. The game has some RPG elements including an inventory so you can combine items to make weapons. Looks like theres some good fun to be had setting enemies alight with a lighter and spray can, reminds me of Dynamite Cop/Die Hard Arcade!
I've played some great games on a variety of systems so far this year - Resident Evil 5, Gears Of War 2, Left 4 Dead, God Of War, Resident Evil (remake), House Of the Dead Overkill, Tekken: Dark Resurrection, and so on... But in every gamers life comes the need to reconnect with his Dreamcast, and most recently I decided to do this via the unholy game mentioned above.
If you look at the sidebar of the Dreamcast Junkyard, you'll see a section devoted to Tomleecee's Dreamcast reviews. In there, is a review of Kiss Psycho Circus, which says: "This game is appalling. Rubbish graphics, rubbish design, just plain rubbish." I should have heeded the words of our leader, instead I chose to recklessly ignore them.
I'd played it a little way back in the day, and my hazy memory recalled it as being a little bit different to anything I'd seen before. It was, in fact, the first the first FPS I'd ever played. But some sort of software or hardware glitch had cut my playing experience short. Six or so years later, I decided to give it a go for the second time...
So what is this monstrosity all about then? Ostensibly a first person shooter/mythical quest type thing, the game has very tenuous links to the rock legends Kiss. In fact it's got more to do with a comic: "KISS: Psycho Circus chronicles the adventures of an unusual traveling circus. The macabre stories focus on exploring the deepest, darkest corners of the human soul." (according to Image Comics.)
So what's it got to do with the band then? (initially the main selling point for me - who doesn't like spandex and stage make up???)
Well, fuck all really! You might find a jukebox or stereo which will play a Kiss song. As the player, you go around collecting pieces of Kiss costumes... Ace Frehley's platform boots, Gene Simmon's shoulder pads or Peter Criss's cod-piece. There are rumours on the internet that if you put the GD rom in your PC that you'll get a Kiss pinball game - not true. There are also rumours that if you put the GD rom in a CD player, it'll play a few classic Kiss tunes -also not true. You do, however get a very snotty sounding English lady telling you take the disc out of your CD player, as it's only compatable with the Dreamcast (!) which is quite surreal...
The game ends up being a very tedious run through of a middle of the road, dated, FPS. Some of the game's monsters are pretty well designed, some of the landscapes boldly coloured in psychedelic hues, which make it alright to look at for a while, and graphically lies at a kind of cross between Half Life and the more trippy boss levels in NiGHTS. Having said that, why when some publishers were able to come up with graphics as good as Soul Calibur, Sonic Adventure, Code Veronica or Headhunter, did so many Dreamcast software publishers settle for knocking out games which look average, like Death Crimson OX, or this one?
The game gives you nothing for your dogged completion of levels. No 'easter eggs', interesting cut scenes, hidden mini games or unlockables. If you die you get put back a long way, meaning the necessity of replaying of elements of the game over, and over, and over again. The story is literally one of the most convoluted pieces of bullshit ever, one that I can't be bothered to relate. The cutscenes that are in the game are minimal, there's nothing to collect and the boss battles are never really going to inspire. After literally hours of playing through seventeen, long, long levels, the game just fizzled out with one of the most boring and simple boss fights ever. Nothing memorable at all.
I was hoping for a Dreamcast revelation, a repeat of the joy I found when I played 'SOTB: Gut's Rage' last year, or completing Headhunter earlier this year. But the only joy I had from completing this game is knowing that I beat it, completed it and I'll never have to play this particular piece of crapola again!
On my first trip to Japan in 2006, I went to a local little shop somewhere in Osaka that sold all sorts of computer games related stuff.
Somewhere way down there!!
I ended up buying a whole manner of things, which I am sure to talk about. One of which was a Shenmue Pen (shown below in a glorious photo I took). I've kept in the box the entire time, so I can't comment on how the little blighter writes... but I bet that if you tried to write with it, the little thing would only scribe "Do you know where I can find the sailors?" or "Umm...".
It's just a standard ball-point pen, but it's from the Japanese promotion of the game and as such is quite a rare item. I've never seen one before (a Shenmue pen, not just a pen). I know there's a lot of promotional material for games these days, but it's rare to see something from 1998 lurking around. The shop owner said he'd picked it up sometime in 1999, so it's original location is unknown to me.
I've decided to sell this little gem, so if you fancy a chance of owning it, go and get yourself a piece of gaming history.
EDIT: The original post lacked content somewhat, which was kindly pointed out by a reader and fellow blogger - have a read in the comments section. I respect the DCJY is a place for premium Dreamcast content and admit not meeting that requirement in my original post. My intentions the entire time were to allow an avid DC fan the chance to own this piece of history... I didn't want it going to some loser that'd mark it up.
There's a particular comment below that really got my back up, but we can take that offline, Ross.
Half.com has an interesting system for looking up video games they have for sale. They list EVERYTHING including Dreamcast games like Half Life that were never released.
As a point of interest to me they listed something else too.
System Shock 2!!!!
Shodan on the Dreamcast!?!?!??!?!
Oh...what could have been...
This falls under the category of "I had no friggen' idea this existed." How awesome would this had been? As it is now I have to hook up a different PC to make my PC copy of this game to work (video card conflict). How great would it be to hook up the old Dreamcast mouse and keyboard and kill some Many???
Alas this never happened. Vatical Entertainment canceled the port.
One has wonder though...
...is there a playable copy of this game floating around somewhere in the ether of the Internet?
Hello Dreamcasters! I'm trying to raise a bit of money at the moment, so I thought I would alert you to some Dreamcast related goodness I am currently selling on eBay. Each game/peripheral will be coming out of my personal collection - I have a few duplicates and I want these to now go to a good home.
Check out the post on mysegacollection if you wish to see everything that's for sale (Shenmue 1,2, Last Hope, Dreameye...), or jump straight into eBay if you wish to bid on my auctions. Good luck and I hope one of our excellent readerbase here at DCJY picks up a few quality items.
More to come... such as Samba de Amigo maracas, limited edition VMUs, a Segagaga boxset and more!
Another new Rummage review! I would love to make one of these every month or so, though things don't always work out as planned. Possibly the oddest (and oddest named) game I've played yet. Robotic animal chariot racing awaits in this drab racer, a game that would be mind numbingly boring if it wasn't for the battle mode.
You could say Wind Squid of Classic Game Room's obsession with flame-throwers has rubbed off on me. Also next time I decide to doodle art for one of these, I'll make them actually fit the ratio of the video, me thinks.
I ordered one. I admit it. I REALLY wanted a Dreamcast new in box. Now in three days I will have one. Is it worth $107? Well considering that 2 new gen games would cost more than that I am just going to assume yes. Well no fast food or wasted money for the rest of the month then. I have to justify this purchase somehow.
Don't blink or you might miss them selling out of these again!
Still fighting to be on the Dreamcast!
ALL HAIL THE UNDEAD CONSOLE!
