Bleem! Update!

I managed to borrow some PlayStation games from a mate...and they work...to some extent.

Here are some shots of Tomb Raider 3, Driver 2 and Metal Gear Solid for your perusal. Apologies for the quality - as I've mentioned before, my camera only cost £40 and you really do get what you pay for when it comes to photographic equipment.

Back to Bleem! though - it even runs back up copies of PS games too, although naturally some work better than others. Tomb Raider 3, for example has the tendency to replace all the wall textures with a plain white gloss untill you get near to them and Driver 2 has a similar problem. Die Hard Trilogy is perfect until you get into the game proper and it's just a mess of polygons and odd textures - although the sound seems to be perfect.

The joypad is mapped pretty well to the Dreamcast one - X is A, Triangle is Y etc but due to there only being one trigger on the tops of the DC pad, you lose the L 2 and R 2 functions. Also, the analogue seems to work with some games but not with others.

The actual Bleem! interface is pretty non existent - when you put the disk in and it loads up, all you get is a flashing Bleem! splash screen. You then open the drive, pop your PS game in and it loads up. Simple but effective.

I do have a list of games that I am assured work perfectly with this version of Bleem! (including Colin McRae 2.0, Gran Turismo 2, Tekken 3, Ace Combat 3, Time Crisis, Ridge Racer Type 4, Quake 2 and ISS Pro Evolution 2) and I'll be trying them out at some point in the near future.

Even though there are a few graphical glitches with the games I have been able to test thus far, it is pretty cool to witness a Dreamcast displaying games for a totally different rival machine. The graphics on the whole are much shaper and pixellation is erradicated, but I don't see this as anything other than a novelty - who the hell wants to play Driver 2 when you can play Crazy Taxi 2?!

But if you'd like to download of a copy and try it out for yourself, click here

Legal Notice:
The Dreamcast Junkyard doesn't know how legal/illegal any of this shit actually is, so if you end up behind bars just because you love the Dreamcast - respect Brother (or Sister).

OMG!

Just thought some of you would be interested in this...

Yes, The Dreamcast Junkyard has managed to 'aquire' a copy of Bleem! For Dreamcast. Not just the plain old Bleemcast! for Gran Turismo 2 bullshit either...It's actually proper Bleem! as it was intended. In theory it will play any PlayStation game on my Dreamcast, but for the time being I can't actually do anything with it simply because I don't have any PSX games! I'll certainly buy something cheap this week though to test it. If it works, you'll be the first to know.

The Dreamcast Junkyard: at the cutting edge!

Subliminal Mindfuck

As quite possibly the World's Saddest Person (tm) and also the caretaker of the Dreamcast Junkyard, it's part of my job description to keep my eye out for ALL Dreamcast related things. Yesterday, I spotted something else and here I present it for your viewing pleasure.

I was on the bus reading the newspaper (Daily Mirror) when this Argos brochure fell out from betwixt the pages:
It's only advertsing cookers and fridges and stuff so I didnt take much notice of it at first but after exhausting the drivel filled pages of said tabloid, I had a quick flick through the brochure. Page 8 was as exciting as evey other kitchen appliance stuffed page, but something caught my eye...Yes, next to the BEKO and Indesit oven/stove combos (retailing for a rather excellent £279.99 and £399.99 respectively, I might add) was ANOTHER DREAMCAST SWIRL! LOOK!So that's one in the toilets at a pub; one on page 8 of the Argos sale catalogue...they're everywhere!! Could this be part of a secret subliminal advertising campaigne by Sega? Probably not, but we can all dream can't we?
If you spot any suspicious swirls whilst out and about and can be bothered taking a picture with your phone, email it to the Dreamcast Junkyard and Ill put it up. The challenge has been set, my friends...

To round off these mobile phone based escapades, I was on my way home from the Gym earlier today and I happenend to spot this:It's a PS2 box lying destitute in a pile of rubbish next to a disused railway line. How apt :-)

Deathmatch Frenzy!

Due to yesterday's one-man boycott of St Guinness Day, I spent Friday night alone, cold and hungry. There was some solace to be found in my new Dreamcast aquisitions though - namely Out Trigger and Heavy Metal Geomatrix. By about 7pm I had stopped hyper-ventilating over the thrift-tastic price I payed for them (see previous post) and was in a stable enough state to play through them.

Heavy Metal Geomatrix
I'd never actually heard of this before yesterday and the guy in the shop told me that this was a bit like Power Stone but 'not as good.' Er...'scuse me mate - Geomatrix is freaking awesome! It's not really anything like Power Stone, but rather more like a cross between Quake 3 and Spawn: In the Demon's Hand, in that it's a third person deathmatch game where you chase another character around a themed arena and use all manner of weapons to win the round. These range from projectile weapons (like impossibly large rocket launches) and punches and kicks to suspiciously familiar 'laser swords.' Lets just pray for Capcom's sake that a certain Mr Lucas doesnt get to play this. But what the hell am I saying? As if - even in the infinitesimaly small chance he did, he'd probably be too busy wiping his arse on Rembrandts to care.

Geomatrix has amazing graphics by the way, and that soundtrack...boodiful. Capcom - you've scored with this one guys. Just one gripe though - the arenas are a tad small...but thats just me being picky.

Out Trigger
No, not a game set on a stricken oil rig in the North Sea (for that see Street Piper Alpha...HA! - I JUST THOUGHT OF THAT!!!), but a game much like Geomatrix only this time done by the meastros at Sega Software R&D #2. That's AM2 to the layman...the collective genius behind Out Run, Daytona, Virtua Cop, Virtua Fighter, Virtua Racing, Hang On...and, erm Ferrari F355 Challenge.

You can play from either first or third person perspective and its actually a very accomplished true arcade take on the deathmatch game. Brightly coloured graphics, big guns and appaling voice overs...all present and correct! Top fun too...although I must raise a MAJOR gripe:

The keyboard setup cannot be changed so instead of usin the W, A, S and D keys to move (like you do in pretty much every shoot 'em up ever created), you have to use the frigging arrow keys! Disgraceful - especially when you're trying to balance the keyboard on your knee. Why Sega, eh?! Why you fuckin' wit us?! Shit, dawg...etc.
Now, In retaliation to Guinness's blatant bastardisation of a genuine Patron Saint's day, I'm off to drink a firkin of The Cream of Manchester.