Signed Ozzfest 2000 Dreamcast Surfaces on eBay

Another remnant from those strange days of early 2000s Dreamcast marketing has come to the fore. It's not widely discussed anymore, but Sega apparently sponsored the 2000 Ozzfest music festival, slapped Dreamcast logos all over the place and kitted out a load of trucks under the Mobile Assault Tour brand in order to raise awareness amongst the angsty youth of the day. $135 million well spent.

One of the more interesting aspects of this endeavour was roping in stars like Ozzy Osbourne to play Dreamcast games against festival goers, so they could win signed merchandise and consoles...and one of these signed systems has once again surfaced on eBay. It's not known how many of these signed Ozzy Osbourne Dreamcasts there are out in the wild, but at least one other has come up for auction in the past, as detailed by this TSSZ article from 2011. The article up for grabs here though appears to be completely unopened and unused (apart from when the Prince of Darkness graffitied it with a sharpie, obviously), and the owner claims to be the original recipient back at Ozzfest 2000.

The asking price is just shy of $1000 (£700) and is out of financial reach for many, but as a piece of Dreamcast and music history, it will probably only increase in value (unlike those autographed Fred Durst Dreamcasts that people will actually pay you to take away). Check out the auction here.

Competition: Win a Sealed Copy of Shenmue!

We've teamed up with online store Retroplayers and Shenmue super site TeamYu (or rather, they've teamed up with us...or something) to offer you - yes you - the opportunity to win a brand new and sealed copy of PAL Shenmue. This is totally unopened so if you win, the first greasy finger prints that will ever be laid on that glorious sparkling GD-Rom will be yours!

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is go to the official entry page here and enter the competition. That's it! No questions, no tests, no 'tell us your favourite Dreamcast moment' nonsense. Just go to Retroplayers and enter for a chance to win this awesome prize. And while you're at it, you could also go and check out the Retroplayers store, where (and I'm not just saying this) you'll find a ton of really well priced retro gaming deals. I'm probably going to get a Neo Geo Pocket Colour next week from them, so don't go and buy them all. Cheers.

The Dreamcast Junkyard - Now on Ubuntu Phones and Tablets

Yep, that's right. I'm one of those annoying bores who got themselves a new phone - a Meizu Pro 5 - and can't stop telling people how awesome it is. And I'm also doubly annoying because I opted for one of the very few commercially available Ubuntu phones, so I can look down my nose and sneer at all you sheeple trapped in your walled iOS and android gardens... ahem.

Keep on drinking that GoogApple duopoly Kool-Aid sheeple - I'll just sit quietly over here with my smartphone that has a completely unnecessary but super cool command line terminal.
That's right: Terminal. On a smartphone. 

Hidden Palace Releases Ecco II: Sentinels of the Universe

Well this is pretty incredible news. Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future is widely known to have been given the go ahead for the sequel treatment, and until now the only real evidence of this has been some YouTube footage of the game running on a dev kit. Thanks to Hidden Palace though, you can now download and play Ecco II: Sentinels of the Universe yourself. On a retail Dreamcast. This is not a drill. Repeat, not a drill.

The game is in no way complete, features no sound and has a debugger menu enabled by default, but here's a quick run down of the features:

• This game was cancelled around the time Sega went third party
• Possibly the last build created
• Contains no music or sound
• Has an active debugger enabled
• An anonymous contributor has made a self-boot CDI so that the game can be burned and played on a retail Dreamcast.

Thanks to drx of Hidden Palace and Nik Thorpe of Retro Gamer Magazine for the info. If you're going to steal this story for your own site at least give those guys credit if you aren't going to credit us. Go here and download the self-boot CDI right now. Right fucking now. Amazing.

A Quick Look At Looney Tunes Space Race

When it comes to cartoons, I’d choose Warner Bros’ Looney Tunes over their Disney counterparts any day of the week. The characters and the humour just appeal to me in a much broader sense than anything old Walt could conjure up. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate the talent and the genius of Walt Disney and the countless classic cartoons and world famous characters the studio has given to the world (and of course, mainstream animation in the first place); but the slightly more adult-themed humour and overtly violent nature of the Warner Bros stable strikes more of a chord with me.

Hello? Is this thing on? Reminds me of the average DreamPod recording session...

That said, I don’t consider all of the Looney Tunes to be palatable by default. For instance, I can’t stand the Sylvester and Tweety Pie stuff (although that’s more down to the latter character than the former), and Bugs Bunny’s wisecracking does my head in; but for the most part Warner’s cartoons just hit the right balance of ‘entertainment for the kids’ and ‘there’s something here for the adults too.’ For a prime example of this, see the Daffy Duck and Marvin the Martian cartoons. In more recent times though, stuff like Animaniacs, Tiny Toons and (shudder) Space Jam have also become synonymous with Warner Bros, but in 2000 the original gang got back together and hit the Dreamcast in pretty spectacular fashion with Looney Tunes Space Race.

Composer Spotlight: Philippe Vachey

When writing about video game music, one should start with beloved and favorite games. I'd previously looked at the music of Sonic Adventure, so for my first 'composer spotlight' article, why not look at my second favorite game on the system?

Toy Commander is a fun romp through a child's house and imagination. How do the tunes stack up? Developed by No Cliché, Toy Commander's music was composed by Philippe Vachey.

Compared to other composers and bands I've seen, Vachey's discography is fairly short; however it does include the famous survival horror title Alone in the Dark. Other games he's scored are Little Big Adventure and its sequel, a Cthulhu game, and Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals. With a few exceptions, most of Vachey's work has been for adventure games.

Probably not a Dreamcast keyboard

DCJAM 2016: Dreamcast Homebrew Game Jam Starts September 2016

Are you a homebrew developer? Got an idea for a new Dreamcast game? Then this could be for you. Starting in September 2016 and running until January 2017, DCJAM 2016 is aiming to kick start (excuse the pun) the creative juices flowing through the dreamcast homebrew scene in an attempt to get more bedroom coders putting their ideas into action to create a whole new Dreamcast game jam spread across a period of several months. For those who aren't familiar, a game jam is generally a brainstorming and programming session where coders and designers can collaborate to create new and original software for whatever format the game jam is aimed at...and as you've already read, DCJAM 2016 is aimed squarely at those who may want to have a go at putting a game out on Sega's final system.

"Although there have been games released by independent developers on a commercial scale, there hasn't really been that large of a homebrew presence as there was before 2010. In the hopes of getting people interested, I thought that it would be wise to start a Dreamcast Game Jam. The Dreamcast is a great system to develop for, and it's relatively cheap to purchase.

The competition will run from September 09, 2016 to January 9th, 2017. Voting will last between the 9th and the 16th of January 2017. After the games are voted on, a compilation disk(s) will be created so that we have a nice collection of homebrew to play with."

- DCJAM 2016

We've seen some stunning homebrew titles hit the Dreamcast over the years and the community's appetite for new software is as voracious as ever; so if you think you're up to the challenge, why not get involved in this exciting jam session?

Check out the rules and join the jam by visiting the DCJAM 2016 site here.

The Haunting D2 Music Box

D2 is a game that famously never received a PAL release, and the Japanese and NTSC-U versions are highly sought after and represent one of the late developer Kenji Eno's finest moments. While it's true Warp also went on to develop another Dreamcast game in Real Sound: Winds of Regret, the Japanese outfit never really revisited the Dreamcast - much to the disappointment of many.

Now, while randomly wandering the annals of YouTube the other day though, I stumbled upon a fascinating video from fellow 'tuber FatalistDC that shows off a rather brilliant yet lesser-known piece of Dreamcast merchandise: a wind up music box that plays the haunting theme tune from D2:

We've looked at myriad examples of Dreamcast-related merchandise in the last couple of years, but I'd never seen (or heard of) this music box prior to a few days ago. To this end, I contacted FatalistDC and asked about the history of the item and he was able to supply the following:

"I got it years ago, searching Yahoo Japan Auctions for items related to D, D2 and Enemy Zero. I found this music box and some D2 mangas too. I quickly bid on them using Shopping Mall Japan. I don't have more info about the item itself or why a D2 music box was released or if there are any more very rare items of D2 memorabilia."

- Fatalist DC

Thanks to FatalistDC for allowing me to share his video here - check out his YouTube channel for Dreamcast centric videos. He did also point me to this article from Gamesniped that details a pretty spectacular Enemy Zero collector's edition, but alas had no more info on the D2 music box. Do you know any more about it or have any similarly lesser known Dreamcast-related collectables? Let us know in the comments or in the Facebook group!

Sega Katana & Dreamcast Marketing Videos Discovered

Sega recently hit the headlines when an internal video was discovered that showed what it was like to be a tester during the 1990s. This is Sega Test wasn't really intended for public consumption, but it gave us a rare glimpse of the inner workings of the company when it was still a force to be reckoned with. Another video has now been discovered, and while it's not really in the same vein as the one detailed above, it does give us a very early taste of what was to come from the Dreamcast.

As described by Assembler Games forum member Coolmod, this Katana footage was discovered when he was given a bunch of VHS tapes. Upon viewing the tapes to digitise them, they yielded some pretty amazing tech demos and marketing material from the dawn of the Dreamcast era.

The most interesting footage comes from the tape labelled 'Sega Katana Demo TRT: 3:25 4/24/98':

This now-digitised footage shows some concepts for what looks like a Scud Race-esque racing game engine, and several other tech demos which could possibly have gone on to be the inspiration for titles such as Virtual On and Sea Man. Another video detailed at the forum here also shows a collection of adverts and news spots from US television. Why these were archived as 'internal' is a bit of a mystery as these news shows were clearly broadcast, but these discoveries show there's still more to be found when it comes to the Dreamcast.

Thanks to Coolmod for allowing us to share this video.

A Quick Look at Dolphin Blue

Just like our previous article exploring the history of the Sega Driving Simulator, this began as a sub-section of the upcoming part 4 in our 'Expanding the Dreamcast Collection' series regarding the next in the line of arcade systems to share similar hardware to the Dreamcast; the Atomiswave system. People often ask me…wait - who am kidding…let me start again. In my imagination, people often ask me to name the 'exclusive killer app' for each of the systems in the Dreamcast family and I usually struggle, but with Atomiswave, an answer is easy to produce; not only is this the best Atomiswave game, but this could well very be the single best exclusive across the entire Dreamcast family of arcade hardware. Read on to find out more.

I’m a big fan of Metal Slug but like many of you out there, I found the series got a wee bit stale after the third game. Not to say that subsequent games were bad or anything, just that…well, I couldn’t shake the feeling of déjà vu, and have always preferred the purity of the original game without all the zombies, mummies, aliens and transformation nonsense. Dolphin Blue fills the void left in the wake of the Metal Slug series’ change in direction, and then some.

Even before merging with Sega, Sammy had a close relationship with Sega.
Atomiswave and the Guilty Gear series are heavily associated with both companies. 

The game was one of the last Sammy developed before the merger with Sega in 2004. Despite this, it feels incredibly Sega-like for lack of a better term; blue skies, upbeat catchy tunes, cute spunky characters with plenty of 'tude and even an appearance from Sega’s very own Ecco the Dolphin…Ok, well that last part I may have just pulled out of my arse, but many of the gameplay mechanics do revolve around a certain bad ass cetacean chum.

A Different Type of Football: NFL on Dreamcast

With the Euros just around the corner (for our American readers, that refers to a soccer competition, not piles of European cash...although both definitions have some validity), and with our finger on the pulse of the public as always at the Junkyard, what better time to look at one of the worlds most beloved sporting activities than now?

Actually though, the Dreamcast's 'round ball' football output is particularly laughable. I mean, there are only so many articles you can read which basically state they're all crap, with the familiar "oh why couldn't we be blessed with a PES or FIFA?" thread running through them. Instead, allow me to take you on a tour of the very best examples of a sport played in one country, whose very name makes no sense to those raised passing a ball around a muddy field at school lunchtime. Allow me to present, on the eve of the European Soccer Championships 2016...The Dreamcast Junkyard's ultimate guide to American hand egg, American carry-the-rugby-ball American football!

The England defence was no match for the Italian striker...

Unlike many of my compatriots, I do follow the noble sport of American football (henceforth to be referred to as 'football'), and when I'm not following my beloved New York Yankee Men or the fearsome Denver Buffalo Bill Packer Patriots, there's nothing I like more than to indulge in a bit of rugby-for-cowards in digital form (last joke, honestly). And my word - doesn't the Dreamcast have a solid line up of games representing the sport? A total of 8 titles replicate NFL on Sega's little-machine-that-could and whilst the quality varies, US gamers could at least take solace that none of them was quite as poor as 90 Minutes and it's butchering of our beloved Association Football code...right?

DreamPod - Episode 33: Elysian Shadows

[iTunes][Stitcher][Buzzsprout][UK Podcast Directory][YouTube]

Music in this episode comes from Elemental Gimmick Gear. You can find Elysian Shadows on YouTube here, and the 'anti-Falco' jpeg image discussed can be found here. As ever, thanks to all of our Patreon backers for supporting the podcast - our campaign page can be found here. Be sure to follow Elysian Shadows on Twitter, Facebook and the official Elysian Shadows website. 

If you like what you've heard on this episode, it would mean the world to us if you could leave us an iTunes review of any denomination! Thanks.

Six of the Best: eBay Round-Up W/E 5th June 2016

There's been a lot of negative news swirling around the Dreamcast community this week, what with certain projects imploding and certain Kickstarters being cancelled...so allow us to change the topic slightly. Starting this week, we'll be presenting a round up of some of the more interesting items we've spotted on eBay, and giving links in one handy list. Obviously these items aren't linked to us directly, but the 'have you seen this on eBay?' posts in the DCJY Facebook group do get people talking and so we thought it might make a good bi-weekly feature here at the 'Yard.

Please note that the eBay site used will be relevant to the member of the team writing the round-up, so UK-based members will be using the UK site, US-based the US site and so on. Without further ado, let's take a look at some of the most interesting Dreamcast-related items spotted this week...

Xenocider Kickstarter Cancelled

Well, this sucks monstrous amounts of putrid ass. News has reached us that Retro Sumus' awesome-looking Sin & Punishment/Space Harrier clone has been cancelled with six days to go on the Kickstarter project. Pretty much everyone here at the Junkyard backed the game in some form or another so this is a bitter pill to swallow, but we're sure this isn't the end for Xenocider. A similar fate befell Leona's Tricky Adventures and after a round of alternative crowd funding, and we all know how that story ended (read our massive review of the final game here). Here's the rather somber update from Kickstarter:

"Hey guys. This won't take many of you by surprise, but we think it's safe to assume we won't be reaching the funding goal in the remaining 6 days...

We are cancelling the campaign today. We will keep working on Xenocider, on alternative ways of making it happen, because we love our project and are deeply proud of what we were (and still are) intending to create.

Those of you who were fans or followers of Retro Sumus already know we like keeping you guys informed of what we're up to. We have no plans of changing that. This is only a good bye for now. We will be back, and we will be better.

Above all, thank you. We deeply appreciate every single one of your pledges, comments, messages, tweets and suggestions. The Dreamcast scene is still amazing, and exciting, and we are proud to be a part of it. And we would like to thank every backer, journalist and developer who gave us a hand. You all know who you are :)

Thank you so much for your support."

- Carlos Oliveros, Retro Sumus

On a personal level this really disappoints me because I know first hand how passionate Carlos, Chui and the rest of the Retro Sumus team are having spoken with them many times, and I even agreed to appear in the Kickstarter video such was my faith in the quality of this game. However, all is not lost and we do hope Retro Sumus bounce back with an alternative way of getting Xenocider off the ground (no pun intended) and into Dreamcast consoles around the world. Furthermore, I think the world needs to be able to shoot me in the face for all the bollocks I come out with on this blog!

Don't worry if you donated to make this a nightmarish reality - all donations will be refunded when I can remember my PayPal password!

Initial source: Sega Nerds

Dreamcast 2 'Project Dream' Shuts Down

You may recall that in late 2015 the internet was on fire with rumours of the possibility of a Dreamcast 2 being looked at by Sega. Various outlets reported on the story but we chose to distance ourselves from Project Dream as it became known, as there wasn't a lot of factual evidence to back up claims of meetings with Sega and the proposals being considered.

That said, a sizable change.org petition was submitted to Sega, and several videos showing concept designs of both the console and the proposed UI were shared online...but when it came to the crunch nothing concrete really materialised. It looks as though our fears have now been confirmed though, and as much as we'd like to see a new system from Sega or Project Dream, this particular dream appears to be over. The Project Dream website has been taken down, while the popular Project Dream Facebook group has been deleted and users are now met with the following message:

"The project has been taken offline. This is due to a schism within the team caused by inefficient and amateurish conduct resulting in members being removed and others leaving the team. In light of such unprofessional behavior and an embarrassing lack of progress, seasoned members of the gaming industry have chosen to distance themselves from the project. I too am stepping away from Project Dream. Please note the Twitter account @Project_DreamDC is no longer associated with this group."

 - Project Dream Facebook Group

Whether or not this really does mean the end for Project Dream remains to be seen, but I have been contacted by a source close to the team who told me that the claims of a 'schism' are indeed true, and that various members resorted to in-fighting and conflicts of direction. This in turn lead to a rift between the core members of Project Dream, a rift which has resulted in the events described herein.

We'll keep an eye on Project Dream and let you know if anything changes going forward. For now though, it looks like the dream of a new system from Sega will remain just that.

Update: after we published this story, we received a flurry of messages and tweets stating that Project Dream would recover and would forge ahead regardless of the setbacks detailed above. However, it appears that this is no longer the case and any ambiguity has been settled by Project Dream on Twitter with the following announcements:

Video Maestro Wanted!

Here at the Junkyard we pride ourselves on our outstanding written content, our mind-blowingly good podcast and our industry-leading social media streams. Hey - if we don't make those self-aggrandising claims, who else will? Anyway, you may (or may not) have noticed that we have a YouTube channel as well. It was started by Aaron 'The Gagaman' Foster, but has recently found itself being updated less often since Aaron started his own YouTube venture Lucky Hit (go there and subscribe while we're on the subject). Due to this, we're looking for somebody to come on board here at the universe's ultimate Dreamcast destination and take control of the channel, creating new video reviews and opinion pieces on Sega and Dreamcast-related topics and news.

The channel has over 2,500 subscribers already and we're keen to grow that number...but quality video content that we can also post here on the main blog is the main priority. We're big fans of Alex from Nintendo Life and his humorous video reviews, so we're looking for someone who can be on camera and record/narrate game footage in a similar fashion. This role will include free reign to produce whatever you like - as long as it's related to Sega and/or the Dreamcast in some way, naturally. If this sounds like something you'd like to do and you want to join the DCJY team as a video maestro, please send us an email explaining who you are, what you can bring to the team and a link to one of your existing videos...and we'll be in touch.

You can check out the DCJY YouTube channel here, and you can find contact details here.

Broken Dreams: The 10 Worst Dreamcast Games

I realise I touched on this subject in my recent retrospective look at the Kalisto/Konami car crash Nightmare Creatures II, but I thought it about time that we temporarily suspended the blinkered praising of our beloved Dreamcast and investigated the pungent underbelly of the system's library more thoroughly. As Dreamcast fans, I suppose it is all too easy to look back at the console from an artificially rose-tinted perspective; and while there's nothing wrong with that it doesn't help those gamers who may be new to the system or those who perhaps didn't get the exposure to online game reviews or print magazines in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

You see, we can easily recall the monumental highs of Shenmue, Soul Calibur, Crazy Taxi and the other genre-defining software titles that make up the star-studded top tier of the software lineup; however just like every other console, the Dreamcast has a number of sub-par titles. Games that are just plain bad for any number of reasons. Games that should really be avoided unless you're one of those 'full set' collector types (you know who you are). To this end, we thought it was about time that we looked to the other end of the spectrum and brought you a run down of the most insipid and downright reprehensible games ever to 'grace' a Dreamcast. And by 'grace,' I mean be deposited onto the console through the weeping anus of a particularly unpleasant and malodorous giant.

Yep - LJN returned from the grave for one last troll on the Dreamcast

I understand that there are other terrible games that may not be on this list, but I'm not listing titles that I can't play due to either a language barrier or a lack of functionality due to internet services being discontinued. No - I'm looking at games that were deemed fully functional by testers, but were unleashed on the games buying public in states not fit for human consumption. Horrific frame rates, terrible controls, broken game engines...these are all criteria that have helped to get the following titles onto this most unholy of lists. Now, please get comfortable and allow us to take you on a rather unsettling journey as we reveal the very worst games the Dreamcast has to offer...

ElysianVMU - A Brand New VMU Emulator From Elysian Shadows

Elysian Shadows burst on to the Dreamcast radar in 2014 with little more than a dream and a Kickstarter pitch for a revolutionary new role playing game. The project was funded in less than a week and since then lead developer Falco Girgis and his team have been working away behind the scenes to bring what is perhaps the single most ambitious independent title yet to Sega's system. Featuring graphical techniques not yet seen on the Dreamcast, and an adventure that promises to engage players for hours upon hours, Elysian Shadows is easily one of the most exciting upcoming prospects for many Dreamcast gamers.

The game is also launching on PC and Mac however, and due to the game's reliance on the humble VMU for certain aspects of the adventure, Falco took it upon himself to develop a brand new and totally bespoke VMU emulator for Elysian Shadows; thus allowing computer-based players to get the full experience. Not only that, the emulator - titled ElysianVMU - will allow gamers to take the myriad mini-games away from their computer and play them on Android and iOS devices. To this end, I'm extremely excited to allow Falco Girgis himself to explain in his own words what this new VMU emulator is all about and what it means for the Dreamcast indie dev community going forward. Falco, over to you...

Dreamkey's Hidden Video

This probably won't mean much to you if you're not familiar with the European internet browsers for Dreamcast, but allow me to explain. Dreamkey was the PAL equivalent to SegaNet and Dream Passport and represented the default method of connection to online portal Dreamarena back in the day. Now we've established that, I'll continue. I was randomly browsing YouTube t'other day when I happened across a rather strange video. Upon closer inspection, the video appeared to have been uploaded by regular Junkyard commenter and MSR aficionado RJAY63 and was actually posted in 2011...but until now I'd never seen anything about this.

Apparently, by inserting the Dreamkey 1.0 internet browser disc into your Dreamcast, going to the address box and simply typing 'about:' you can view a secret video crediting the creators of Dreamkey. The video isn't really all that special - it's basically the European 'Shave' advert with credits laid over the top and the Robbie Williams song removed, but it's an interesting discovery nonetheless. I watched intently hoping it might credit the actors in the video, thus solving the riddle of who Player One / The Barber actually is (you can read out that little quest here); but alas it does not. Enough preamble though - here's the hidden video (click 'continue reading' if on the main page):

Windows CE is Best OS and Dreamcast is Best PC?

A few days ago, the Junkyard posted a couple photos of Dreamcast consoles, highlighting the fact that Japanese systems had 'Designed for Windows CE' when PAL and US had 'Compatible with Windows CE.' Before I was (more) knowledgeable in matters Dreamcast, I assumed that particular OS was already playing a part in the system's operation

At least it's not Vista

However, simple logic shows that this is not the case, and the console operates from Sega's own software. Each game ran only the bits and bobs of the operating system that it needed. For the most part, games used the proprietary software developed by Sega.

Sonic Adventure Dreamcast Homepage Restored

Sonic Adventure is a pretty divisive game, but most will agree that it really was a great showcase for the Dreamcast when it was a console in its infancy. It had great visuals and some fantastic set pieces - who can forget the killer whale sequence in the first stage? These days the vast majority deride the game for its bugs and somewhat aimless later levels...but that's a subject for another day. The reason I bring Sonic Adventure up is that news has reached me via Liam Ashcroft of SEGAbits, that somebody has gone to the trouble of purchasing the original Sonic Adventure Dreamcast homepage and restored the site in its entirety. Just for the hell of it.

DreamPod - Episode 32

[iTunes][Stitcher][Buzzsprout][UK Podcast Directory][YouTube]

Musical interludes in this episode are supplied by Metropolis Street Racer and the UK and US Dreamcast advertising campaigns. The Xenocider Kickstarter can be found here, and the Alice Dreams article can be found here. If you'd like to read the Eurogamer article from ex-DC-UK editor Keith Stuart, go here. Our Patreon is here (feel free to pledge $1 where you can!), and if you can find it in your heart to leave us an iTunes review we'd very much appreciate it!

Alice Dreams Tournament Release Date Slips, Online Leaderboards & New Play Mode Revealed

May 22nd saw the release of a new update from the team working on the hotly anticipated Dreamcast Bomberman clone Alice Dreams Tournament. This update brings news both good and not so good; with the latter being that the game will no longer make its intended June shipping date. Reasons cited for this delay include the implementation of VMU functionality, the production of the 'making of' video, and other small bug fixes:

"It is important to be honest and tell you that we will not be ready in June. We still have promises to realize or terminate: the additional VMU interactions, the 'making of' and other small fixes."

 - Alice Dreams Website

While this is disappointing, it is commendable that Alice Dreams are being totally honest and transparent. While no firm release date has been given, I did reach out via Facebook to state that I'd really like to have the game playable at The Dreamcast Junkyard's stand at this years Play Expo Manchester in October, and they assured me it would be ready by then...so that's something at least.

Southampton Game Fest 2016 Show Report

Sunday 22nd May saw the second annual Southampton Game Fest, a celebration of all things gaming held in aid of Southampton Hospital Charity. Held at the maritime city's Grand Harbour Hotel and in the shadow of the world's largest cruise liner (no, really - the thing was docked literally across the road from the hotel's main entrance), Game Fest brought a taste of gaming and geek culture to the historic home of the RMS Titanic.

Harmony of the Seas. This picture doesn't convey the sheer size of the vessel.

The Dreamcast Junkyard was there in collaboration with RetroCollect and brought a decidedly old-skool theme to proceedings, decking out the entrance to the event with a number of retro systems. Megadrives, Neo-Geos, Nintendo 64s, PlayStation 2s, Saturns and - of course - Dreamcasts were all laid out for the general public to experience. The event was a total success and raised hundreds of pounds for the charitable cause it was held to support; and there were plenty of non-retro attractions too. A FIFA 16 tournament, a Bomberman tournament held by Games You Loved (from which I was eliminated in the semi final by a 10 year old!), a cosplay masquerade, traders selling all kinds of gaming paraphernalia and a whole host of indie developers showing off their new projects were just some of the things punters could take advantage of.

Fur Fighters' Hidden Artwork

OK, so this isn't really the type of thing you'd call Nathan Drake in for but I only discovered it by accident. My laptop just happened to be on a desk next to my big carry case of Dreamcast games the other day so I decided to mindlessly pop a few of the GDs into the optical drive to see if there was anything interesting in the way of bonus content on them.

I was aware that some games (such as Shenmue and Shenmue 2) do have folders of images and other bonuses on them, but I didn't know about Fur Fighters. If you're unfamiliar with the name, Fur Fighters is a third person shooter from Bizarre Creations and is a rather excellent little game...and if you put the disc in your computer, you'll find a folder on there that's full of exclusive artwork.

Power Stone Reborn - Lastfight Review

I’m going to be a really cheeky boy here and stretch the definition of Dreamcast game ever so slightly to encompass modern games inspired by classic Dreamcast titles. Yep, I’m taking the piss a bit now, you’re not wrong...but hear me out!

Ask anyone to name some of the Dreamcast’s most defining games and the words 'power' and 'stone' are bound to get a mention. Whereas Street Fighter III, Soul Calibur and Marvel vs Capcom 2 were all fantastic Dreamcast fighting games in their own right, their respective series didn’t really have the same strong exclusive tie with Sega’s white disk churning box of magic as the Power Stone games can boast. Years later, Capcom did make the rather inappropriate choice of porting the games to the PSP (of all systems...idiots), but we’ve not heard anything of the 3D party brawler since.

Unfortunately, it seems to have faded away into the mists of time, and with Capcom in their current financial predicament, I don’t think any of us would be wise to expect a new entry anytime soon. To make matters worse, despite being two of the greatest multiplayer brawlers of all time, few companies have ever tried to replicate or take inspiration from them, not with success at least (I’m looking at you Sonic Battle *shudder*). Until now, that is...

A Quick Look At Nightmare Creatures II

Every console library has its fair share of stinkers, and the Dreamcast is no different. For every Shenmue or Soul Calibur, there's an equal and opposite Spirit of Speed 1937 or Urban Chaos. As demonstrated by this continued, ill-advised usage of Newton's third law as a literary device, for every experience that propels you toward the very zenith of gameplay, graphics and sound design coming together in a crescendo of mind-bending brilliance; there's a nadir waiting to bring you back down to Earth with a city-crushing bump. Ladies and gentlemen allow me to present Nightmare Creatures II, a game so fist-clenchingly bad that it's almost comical.

As Dreamcast fans we spend an inordinate amount of time remembering the good aspects of the console and lamenting at its untimely demise. Just like when you sit and reminisce about how much fun you had during your school days, it's all too easy to filter out the bad stuff. So you selectively forget all the times you got bad marks in an exam, had to walk home in the rain, got detention for something you didn't do, or had a fight with your best mate; but recall all the laughs, sunny field trips and just how comparatively easy life was back then as a care-free school kid. The same is true with Dreamcast fandom - we all remember the Shenmues, Power Stones, Soul Caliburs et al...and we quickly forget that the Dreamcast played host to a hell of a lot of shit too.

You know you're in for a treat when the pre-rendered loading screens
are full of pixellation.

One of the main culprits here were the sloppy PlayStation ports that made no attempt to harness the extra power of Sega's newer hardware, and were simply put out in an attempt to boost sales figures. Don't get me wrong - there are a ton of exemplary PlayStation to Dreamcast ports that really enhance the base game: Soul Reaver is one such game that immediately springs to mind. But there were far more that were just simple, bare bones ports that really offered no real advantages over the original versions. Ducati World, any of the Disney movie tie ins, Star Wars Jedi Power Battles, Evil Dead...the list goes on; and sitting right at the top of that fetid, putrid pile is Nightmare Creatures II.

New FPS Gets Update, Confirmed As Dreamcast Exclusive

A few weeks ago we showed you some screens of a new, as-yet-unnamed Dreamcast game that is widely believed to be a Payday-style first person shooter. Details are scarce at the moment, but now lead developer PH3NOM has shared new footage of the engine in motion...and it looks stunning. The video titled 'Dreamcast Engine May 2016' shows how the developers have adapted the game to run in a new engine and how they are overcoming some of the limitations imposed by the Quake III renderer. The game is clearly still at a very early stage, but if this comes together we could be looking at one spectacular first person shooter. Even more intriguing is that PH3NOM has told The Dreamcast Junkyard that this will be a Dreamcast exclusive title! Here's the video:

As with all of the Dreamcast's upcoming homebrew and indie projects, we'll be following this one closely so keep an eye out for more information as we get it. Thanks to PH3NOM for allowing me to share this video here.

We're On Patreon!

Yes, yes. I know it's only one step up from standing outside the local supermarket dressed in little else than a heavily soiled pair of trousers and a 1997 Manchester United shirt covered in dubious stains, and asking shoppers if they can "spare some change," but we're now on Patreon.

To be honest, I've seen some fucking terrible personal blogs asking for money from readers, and those only update once a month! We've got a podcast, a YouTube channel, update at least three times a week...and we've got a cease and desist from Sega! Who else can claim to bring you such entertainment for nowt? Anyway, this Patreon is only really designed to help us pay for the DreamPod hosting so it's not set at an astronomical sum; and I promise I won't blow it all on a Maserati and cocaine before riding a race horse off the top floor of a skyscraper in a drug-fuelled haze, believing I (and Pegasus - that's the horse) can fly.

In all seriousness though, if you want to donate or pledge or whatever it's called then please feel free. If not, that's totally cool - there's no obligation whatsoever. Once we get a few pledgers though, I'll put a little link on the right so I can name-check and personally thank everyone who does. We've been doing this for over a decade now, and while nothing will change as we head into year 11 and beyond, it'd be really cool if we could somehow get a little help moving the Junkyard forward.

Here's the link: The Dreamcast Junkyard Patreon

New Xenocider Demo Adds Space Harrier Stage

So the Xenocider Kickstarter campaign is well under way and plenty of us Dreamcast owners have pledged to make this game a reality. If you haven't, I urge you to take a look at our previous posts on Retro Sumus' ambitious Space Harrier clone before heading over to the project page and lending your financial support. As we've already discussed, the Xenocider Kickstarter campaign allows prospective backers the unique opportunity to download a playable demo; but now Retro Sumus has gone one step further by updating the build to include a bonus 'Fantasy Land' stage that accurately mimics the first mission from Sega's famous arcade shooter.

This extra mode differs from the regular demo stage in that you can fly around the screen indefinitely and you don't have the ability to move a targeting reticule - you simply fire forward just as in the original Space Harrier. You can also run along the ground (watch out for trees!) and there are a couple of new enemies, explosions and sound effects that draw inspiration from Yu Suzuki's retro masterpiece. It's a really cool addition to the (already great) demo and hints at some of the bonus stages we can potentially expect in the final game. 

The original Space Harrier did make an appearance on the Dreamcast in various guises, but we missed out on a home port of Planet Harriers even though it was rumoured. Happily though, Xenocider looks like it could be the game to fill that void, and if you actually needed yet another reason to check out this project then surely this is it.

Grab the new Space Harrier demo by heading to the Xenocider Kickstarter update page and clicking on the 'playable demo' download link. You can then select the new stage from the main menu.