2012 Dreamcast game #3: Dux sequel Redux!

With Gunlord and Sturmwind due to released at some point this year, who would have thought we would get an announcement for a THIRD release for the Dreamcast in 2012? Sure enough, here comes a sequel to the 2009 shooter Dux. It looks to be pretty similar to the previous game but with much more fire power. What's really unusual is how this one is going about being released: with a kickstarter project.

For the project they need $25,000 pledged in a month to fund both the Dreamcast release, as well as releases for iOS, Playstation Network, Xbox Live Arcade and Stream, and finally a 4 disc soundtrack. Pledging $55 will get you the soundtrack, $65 would get you the Dreamcast game and $100 would get you both. Only 1000 copies of the Dreamcast game will be made, and this is the only way to grab one!

What's more, the game will be bundled with another game...an update to the original DUX! So if you never bought the original this is not a bad deal if the new version is as much of an improvement as Pink Bullets was to Last Hope!

It's certainly a first for the Dreamcast scene to have a game funded by the fans in such a way. Could this be how future Dreamcast projects come to fruition? Either way the Dreamcast even in 2012 STILL refuses to die, thanks to these slightly batty but brilliant developers who love the console so much.

Update: The $25,000 target has been met in just 5 days! You can still pledge for a copy of the Dreamcast version for another 25 days so if you're planning to grab it make sure you do before them days are over! Congrats to the Redux team for hitting their target and well done Dreamcast fan base for supporting this so well! :)

It's a Dreamcast, yo!

Anyone following the blog should be familiar with that most interesting of hobbies that is spotting the Dreamcast, the Dreamcast logo or anything Dreamcast related anywhere, from movies to toilets and everything in between. Now, in a weird twist of fate, we actually got the artist behind a videoclip letting us know that it features a Dreamcast console, games and even a t-shirt. In case you've missed the single comment from the post below, UK hip-hop artist Nineties Boy released a song called Take Control, featuring a rather professional-looking videoclip that is basically a giant ad for SEGA and Wrestling (nice combination, I think I can see where he got his name from).

I got to admit that's not really my type of music, I don't listen to a lot of hip-hop, and when I do it's usually heavier (Mos Def), weirder (Aesop Rock) shit, but the video itself got me hooked right from the beginning when I saw a Jet Set Radio disc being popped in (being my very first game for the DC, excuse me if I get sentimental).

Props to Nineties Boy for reaching out to gamers everywhere ;)

Dreamcast Diva Ulala to Cameo in Crossover RPG

For those not following general gaming news, the story goes like this: For the past month, a project has been teased involving SEGA, Namco-Bandai, and Capcom. All that was known was that it was to be a crossover game on the 3DS. Japanese magazine Famitsu has finally spilled the beans, the game will be called Project X Zone (pronounced Project Cross Zone). Project X Zone will be a strategy RPG featuring “iconic” characters from all three publishers. According to Famitsu, the characters in the game will team up in pairs for fighting scenes. You can read the full report over at SEGAbits.

The bit that matters to Dreamcast fans is the reveal of Ulala as one of the SEGA characters making a cameo! Pai and Akira of Virtua Fighter also appear. You can check out some screens and new art in the scan above. It's unknown if the game will get an English release, but I'm going to lean towards unlikely. It's just too niche a title despite the cameos. Space Channel 5 has gotten a bit of attention this year, with the Space Channel 5 references in the 3DS game Rhythm Thief and this title. Could these cameos point towards a 3DS Space Channel 5 game? I know I'd love a Part 3!

Phantasy Star Online 2 is free-to-play!!!

Not strictly Dreamcast-related news, but who among us has never played PSO? Not many, I dare to assume. I for once have really fond memories of playing the first game, having been the second title I owned for the system (the first was Jet Set Radio), and have since played it again in a variety of versions and platforms, including PSO ver. 2 on the DC, PSO: Blue Burst on the PC, and more recently PSO Episode I and II on the Xbox.

But I digress, so...back to the recent news of PSO 2 being free-to-play! Yup, according to this Joystick article, SEGA just announced that the new game will have a free-to-download, free-to-play model. We'll have to pay for extra stuff, which I hope won't break down the gameplay and make it unfair for those who can't afford it, but at least we won't have to pay to try the game, and with some great examples of other MMORPG's making good use of this system, there's reason to hope this is for the best. Let's hope SEGA has it under control and will deliver a great experience for everyone.