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!

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!

Purely Belter

Alright. Just been trawling eBay for Dreamcast stuff and I happened upon this little trinket:



It's advertised as a VMU Belt...which is a pretty accurate description...but look at it! It's just a VMU glued to a canvas belt! Call me cynical, but isn't this the cheapest attempt to glean cash from DC fans you've ever seen?

Saying that though, if this Frankenstein's belt had been around back in the day (1999), I probably would have bought one. Beats carrying the enormous and unwieldy bulk of the massive VMU in your pocket. Hmmm.

Fancy one? Go here.

Sturmwind Special Edition revealed, new release date!

Now how's this for a nice surprise? Redspotgames have finally revealed their special edition of their upcoming Dreamcast game Sturmwind, and it contains the following:

- Sturmwind game (obviously)
- Sturmwind Soundtrack CD (of course)
- Full colour tactical guide booklet (ooh)
- Full colour Sturmwind 3D printed model 1:72 scale (whaaa?)

Well that last one sure is a first for an indie Dreamcast release! The whole set comes in a rather snazzy looking blue box too! This can be all yours very soon for 69,95 EUR / US $96.60 / around £60.50 GBP. At that price it's not going to be for casual Dreamcast gamers but for the collectors amongst us it's a rather lovely bundle, and it will only be available for a short time in limited numbers so pre-ordering now is a must if you want it!

Oh, and the release date? We can now expect the game to arrive on the 22nd December! That's a bit later than 11/11/11, but they have been doing a lot of bug testing and the like to make sure the game is ship shape! More on this game as we find out more!

NG Dev Team releases Gunlord trailer!

NG: Dev Team have finally revealed gameplay footage of their next Neo-Geo and Dreamcast release Gunlord, and boy is it a meaty trailer! We're treated to almost 9 minutes of footage, including the story. As everyone probably expected from the screenshots, this is very much a Turrican style game, right down to the way the character walks about! Hardy a bad thing when the Dreamcast is sorely lacking in any games of this run and gun genre mind: remember the Dreamcast was never treated to any Megaman, Metal Slug or Contra games!

The game is due in December on the Neo-Geo and January the 15th for the Dreamcast in both regular, special and even a expensive collectors edition which contains both the regular and special editions in a box with some bonus goodies!. The official website for the game is now live so go check it out!

Quick drinking game: take a swig every time the narrator says "THE MASTER."

New Sturmwind Footage!


We have new footage from Redspotgames of their upcoming Dreamcast shooter Sturmwind in from a German TV show interviewing the developers. Skip to the 12 minute mark to see the gameplay footage. The game is due out later this month!

Sonic Generations Dreamcast Era Trailer



Courtesy of IGN comes the second era presented in the upcoming Sonic Generations, the Dreamcast era! Why SEGA chose IGN and not us to present this trailer, I'll never know. Sonic Adventure fans should enjoy the first look at the HD remix of Speed Highway, while Sonic Adventure 2 fans get yet another glimpse of City Escape. Seaside Hill, while not a Dreamcast stage, looks amazing. Far better than the original Sonic Heroes stage both in graphics and gameplay (no more incessant chattering from Sonic, Knuckles and Tails). To those arguing that the title "Dreamcast era" doesn't work for two Dreamcast games and one multi-platform game, remember that the same year Sonic Heroes released in Japan, many Dreamcast games were still being sold. So of the same era? Sure!

SEGAbits Celebrates the Dreamcast's 12th Birthday!


As most Junkyard readers probably know, I write for a number of SEGA blogs including SEGAbits. Thanks to SEGAbits admins George and Sharky, as well as their technical wizard Shadi and myself, we decked out the site in Dreamcast imagery and made sure that the writers contribute Dreamcast-related articles throughout the month of September. There is still a week and a half left, but you can catch up on the past three weeks of Dreamcast articles by clicking here. Check out nuckles87's multi-part "Years of the Dreamcast" series as well as editorials and special features.

Some interesting e-mails I've had recently.

Yep, it seems when people want stuff posted at the Dreamcast Junkyard in some fashion they come to me. I'm not sure why, because a lot of the time I take far too long to reply to these e-mails or post them up here. So seeing as I've had quite a few lately I may as well get them all out there..

This first one from Jack Clough is a long one about convincing Sega to not only make Shenmue III, but to make it for the Dreamcast!

Hello Gagaman. Like the majority of people who owned or own a Dreamcast, I currently own two working PAL and a new NTSC US dreamcast (which I bought as I was reminded that eventually all Dreamcasts will die and that scared me, triggered by using a UK plug with my pink Hello Kitty dreamcast resulting in it's smoky demise, annoyingly finding her original plug with step-down convertor shortly afterwards, I'm still grieving. Anyway I digress), most are obsessed with with the Shenmue series. This was the first game I had an emotionally bound with, and it plagues me that the series never got a conclusion, it left me a hollow shell. The only way I can explain this situation to anyone who isn't acquainted with Shenmue is to imagine reading the first two of Tolkein's Lord Of The Rings and then discovering that The Return Of The King will never get published.

       I understand why Shenmue 3 is unlikely to be made. The Dreamcast was an period where SEGA allowed their creativity flow, which led to exciting games however it with hindsight was damaging financially. Shenmue was a prime example of this as the ambition of the games is equalled by none, however the extraordinary costs and the poor sales means it's near impossible to for SEGA to rationally back a second sequel.

       There are also obstacles for developing on a current system. It has been a decade since the release of the sequel fans expectations would be hard to match. Remember the mixed response with Nights: Journey of Dreams on the Wii, SEGA's attempts to cater for fans of the original and a new audience essentially left the game in limbo. Gaming has changed a lot over the years and Shenmue's intrinsic style would be alien to modern gamers. However if they changed the mechanics of the game it would ultimately disappoint Shenmue's loyal fan base who've been praying for a finale and this would leave them with a bitter taste.

When SEGA pulled out of the hardware market, fans scattered across the platforms, aligning themselves with different companies. I personally went with Nintendo, my second love of games, they felt familiar. It's impossible to please all Shenmue fan boys, like with another Suzuki series Virtua Fighter which became a PlayStation 2 exclusive if you didn't own one you had to purchase one especially or, like me, do without.

You could argue they should release across multiple formats, but this leads to another issue. Shenmue was an astounding feat in technology, and no matter how hard a developer tries with a multi-format release it will not push the machines to the limit, and as a GameCube owner I know that at least one will get an inferior port.  

That was the first part, it continued on to another e-mail:

 My solution, prematurely sending email means I'll cut to the chase, is that Yu Suzuki should finally resolve this series by releasing the third Shenmue on the Dreamcast.
       This may sound odd, but as you know there is a thriving dreamcast community and independent games from companies like redspot games are intermittently released. This means there is a market there and I assume SEGA still have the original Shenmue game engine so it should be relatively easy, they wouldn't have to (and I wouldn't want them to) create a game with updated graphics and gameplay to suit the contemporary gaming audience as this would essentially be a love letter to the fans, much in the same way as SEGAGAGA (although wouldn't it be nice if SEGA aided the current translation for SGGG that could be included with Shenmue III). As most of the Dreamcast community are now adults now, and judging by the prices that these limited run of independent games go for on ebay, SEGA could charge more to cover financial costs, no amount would stop me (I've recently bought the limited edition Border Down with mousemat for just over £120 and I've only recently got into scrolling shooters, which by the way I think is one of my favorite shooters).

I think that it be nice to have the Shenmue series from beginning to end on SEGA's last console, although this could be me just being selfish as the only console I play these days is the Dreamcast, I had an XBox 360 briefly (bought one, broke, bought another then sold it after about a month when I got bored) and I've got a Wii but again I've lost interest in it.

       The reason I'm contacting you is because I need your help to get this idea out there. I personally have bugger all internet presence, I'm not on any social network site, forum or anything like that. I read your blogs and watch your videos on Dreamcast junkyard and I know you have a passion for the Dreamcast, I very much enjoyed your top 100. But not only do you have the passion, you also have a following and you know others within the community.

I apologise for the rushed nature of this second part of my email. Since your an illustrator I hope you enjoy this photo of part of my art installation on my emotional connections to three video games consoles I have owned.


I'll be honest: I had no idea how to reply to this e-mail. Either way if you're reading this Jack I hope you don't take offense to this but I don't think the likely hood of this ever happening is all that great. I'd love to see a Shenmue III like most people would, but I think it's hard enough to sell them on the idea of simply porting the first two to XBLA/PSN, let alone have them produce a new one on hardware they haven't supporting for almost a decade for £120. Blimey.

Four days ago I got this from Tris Bates:

"I didn't realize that the Phoenix mirror was a real thing in china , check out these 




If only Ryo had knew he could pick them up on eBay."

Well would you look at that. The resemblance of this one in particular is quite uncanny! Looks like we have an idea for a expensive prop for a Ryo Hazuki cosplay right here! If these are real does this mean i can also obtain a Sega Saturn with a 1986 copyright? I sure hope so.

..and finally here's one I got just yesterday from 'Lewis':

"you are my hero

thank you for the junkyard, just thank you"

Well isn't that nice? Except I think people are starting to forget that Tomleecee is the man to thank for this blogs' existence.

There are some perks to being e-mailed by fans of the blog though, I must say. I'll back to that in a future article.

Another Year Down, 364 Days Until the Dreamcast's 13th Birthday!



I've finally cleaned up the pizza plates, the beer bottles and the many wires and cables. Another Dreamroom has come and gone. Though I turned the feed off three hours ago, those who missed it can catch it NOW at our YouTube channel in 5 parts totaling nine and a half hours! We started things off with some demos and videos from the original demo disc bundled with launch consoles, the Dreamcast Generator. We then played the Japanese demo "What's Shenmue?" followed by Senior Managing Director Yukawa's goofy contest game. I had some lunch and threw on Shenmue the Movie, then returned with the awesome Skies of Arcadia and made a good amount of progress with my still in progress save file. Skies of Arcadia, someday I will complete you. Part 2 continues the Skies gameplay, and then I moved on to Jet Grind Radio. We made a bit of graffiti that memorialized the forgettable Dreamcast game "The Grinch" and tagged it about Tokyo-to.

Part 3 featured Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2, with some entry level Forest gameplay. A bit more of Shenmue the Movie played, and then I returned with Bust a Move 4 and Tech Romancer. Part 4 saw the arrival of my guests, so we cracked open some multiplayer games! But first... some VMU games played via the VMU Tool emulator. Pretty simple, but nostalgic, stuff. We then played some Power Stone, had a gripping game of Sonic Shuffle (I won!) and played a bit of Power Stone 2. In the final part 5 the goofy indie title Cool Herders was played, we headed to the islands to play Ooga Booga, we blew s*** up in Fast Striker, then finished the night off with Ready 2 Rumble and Star Wars Episode 1: Jedi Power Battles. Overall, it was a great night! Lots of fun chatter and memories. I know next year's marathon is a long ways off, but I'm already looking forward to it. Thanks to everyone who joined in to watch!

Following the marathon, I jumped into an hour long podcast with writers from SEGAbits to talk about the Dreamcast. It's a great listen, check the episode out here!

Dreamroom UK 2011 is Today!

Watch live streaming video from gagaman at livestream.com

Today is the day before the 12th anniversary of 9/9/99 and because I won't have time to livestream tomorrow just before barry's one I've decided to dedicate today for my show!

I will be starting at 1pm UK time (7:00am Eastern Standard Time) will take a couple hour break somewhere between 3 and 5pm, then return continue on into the night! That's a lot of Dreamcast gameplay

So make sure to come and visit at the video link above sometime today for the celebrations! Then tomorrow it will be Barry's turn for him to treat you to some Dreamcast gaming goodness!

EDIT: It's over! Thanks to everyone who popped in! If you missed out you can watch it in the 'Dreamroom UK 2011' folder here. It was running for roughly a total of 8 and a half hours! Here is a list of the games that were played throughout the day:

  • Mars Matrix
  • Segagaga
  • Gundam E.F.F vs Zeon DX
  • Marvel Vs Capcom 2
  • Rush 2049
  • Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
  • Alien Front Online
  • Daytona USA 2001
  • Power Stone
  • Pro Yakyu Team de Asobonet!
  • Zombie Revenge (complete play-through of arcade mode)
  • Densha Deo Go! 2
  • Sengoku Turb - Fanfan I Love me Dunce doublentendre
  • Fast Striker
  • Heavy Metal Geomatrix
  • 18 Wheeler

Celebrate the Dreamcast’s 12th Birthday With Us!


Since 2009, It has become a yearly tradition for me to throw a Dreamcast birthday party by way of Dreamcast gaming, a live stream, chit chat, drinking and pizza. This year will be no different from last year: Starting at 11am Eastern Standard Time (5pm GMT) on Friday, September 9th, I’ll be kicking off the party at twitch.tv/dreamroom. We’ll play a ton of games, chat, reminisce and celebrate the 12th anniversary of the Dreamcast’s American launch. We’ll check out the original launch titles, play some wacky imports, go on a Dobuita shopping spree and I even have a few surprises.

So mark your calendars and keep your eyes on The Dreamcast Junkyard and SEGAbits as the big day nears!