A wonderful image for Dreamcast fans

Dreamcast fans shed a tear, the legend has returned. Only platfrom mentioned thus far is PC, but a console port is not out of the question yet. More details and a trailer (no footage, just the logo) can be seen at SEGAbits.


 Update: Unrelated to the PSO2 announcement, but cool nonetheless is the official Japanese website for the Dreamcast rereleases. Very retro! Almost reminds me of the old Dreamcast Direct web pages. Check out the site here!

Dreamcast Collection - Sonic Adventure Trailer


Sonic Adventure is out today for the XBOX Live Arcade, check out the snazzy trailer SEGA put together! Bonus points for including the swirl logo. PlayStation users will have to wait a week for the game to hit PSN. While the delay is a shame for Sony fans, perhaps it was SEGA's choice to make them wait a week as a repercussion for supporting the PS2. I'm joking, I'm joking!


I've downloaded the game and played a good 15 minutes of Sonic's story and I have to say that I'm quite impressed! The game plays just as the Dreamcast version did, so yes there are the occasional glitches. Then again, just as an old car has its problems (you have to jiggle the keys to turn on the ignition!), if you're are accostomed to the flaws as one who played the Dreamcast game for years would be, you'll know how to avoid them. Basically what I'm trying to say is, if you played the game last week on the Dreamcast and enjoyed it, you'll enjoy it here.

There are also a number of cool features such as online leaderboards, a solid 60 fps framerate, achievements and the promise of DLC which is to include missions from the Gamecube's Sonic Adventure: DX as well as 360 avatar awards and items for use in the PS3's Home. Its also possible that the DLC will include the Game Gear games found in DX.

Obviously try it before you buy, but as a fan of the game I say pick it up! It has a helluva lot more content than most XBLA titles.

Dreamcast News Roundup

9/9 is a magnet for Dreamcast news. Within one week there are more stories of interest to Dreamcast fans than there is in a typical month! As such, I've rounded up some stories and news tips rather than stagger them over a series of posts (hence the term "roundup"). Let's get a long lil' doggies!


First up is a ALERT for those who subscribed to GOAT Store Publishings newsletter in an attempt to recieve their super special coupon, which is said to be all five of their indie titles for $50 (that's $36 savings!). Due to a glitch in their system on 9/9, many requests for their newsletter were lost. If you did not receive an email notification after signing up, you are not signed up. If you aren't subscribed, head on over to this link and do so. They've extended the coupon application time to Friday due to the glitch.


Next up is are two cool interviews with indie developers Senile Team and NG:Dev.Team courtesty of SEGAbits and brought to my attention by forum member cube_b3. These are the teams that brought us Rush Rush Rally Racing and the upcoming Fast Striker. Give the Senile Team interview a read here and also check out the NG:Dev.Team interview here!


This third piece of news is all about the rereleases of Dreamcast classics! Tomorrow Sonic Adventure will hit XBLA and PSN for $10, making it the first of the many promised Dreamcast releases from SEGA. The game will feature achievements/tropies and is said to feature DLC, though this feature has only been seen in very early leaks and could be cut for all I know. Check out the video above  and make sure to download the demo tomorrow if you can. Always try before you buy.


Another Dreamcast game being resurrected, this time on the iPod Touch and iPhone, is the awesome Chu Chu Rocket. Impressions of the game have been very positive, such as those found in this preview from Touch Arcade. Highlights from the preview include:

Multiplayer is 1-4 players, and you can either join up in teams of two or play free for all style. The goal here is to get as many mice to your own rocket as possible, while using arrows to direct cats into players rockets in order to prevent them from gaining any mice. This mode can be played over WiFi, 3G, or Bluetooth, and if you can't find any friends to play with you can add bots to the game and play against the AI. There are 25 levels to battle on, and the game will be the first from Sega to utilize Apple's new Game Center social network.

...

ChuChu Rocket! was a total blast when I had a chance to play it today, and it makes me sad that I never tried out this title almost a decade ago. It seems like a perfect fit for the iPhone, with all of the original levels reworked to be touch screen friendly. Gamers have been begging Sega to bring ChuChu Rocket! out on a current platform for years, and finally they will get their wish on the iPhone and iPad. Both versions will be exactly the same except for the iPad version which will contain a same-device 4 player multiplayer mode. Expect to see ChuChu Rocket! sometime in late October.

So there you have it for the Dreamcast news roundup! It seems every aspect of the undead console is thriving: the fan community, the developers and the games of old. All hail the undead console!

SegaShiro goes Soul Calibur Fishing!

When I was a guest on the SegaShiro podcast a few weeks back (if you didn't hear it, go download it now) I recommended (or should I say demanded) that the Shiro guys should try playing Soul Calibur with the Fishing controller at least once, and sure enough DJ Fob Fresh took up to the challenge and he uploaded a 20-odd minute video of his playthrough! I can't seem to find a way to embed the video here so you'll just have to head over to their site to see it. It also sounds like DarrenIndeed will be next on the site to do the same, wahaha!

Dreamroom 2010 Postgame Show

 For those who missed the action yesterday, check out all ten hours of my stream available to view for another week as well as Gagaman's stream which currently has his four hours of gameplay on loop.

Another year, another loop added to the Dreamcast's swirl. As I stepped outside this morning, after a day of Dreamcast gaming, I realized that I hadn't stepped outside the entire previous day! Still, it was all worth it and I'd gladly do it all again next year. In fact, I will do it all again next year! Until then, let's reminisce on something that happened 24 hours ago...

The fun began when the always awesome Gagaman made a wise last minute decision to begin the party early with Dreamroom 2010 UK. He even made a cool version of my logo to go with it, blue swirl and all! Gagaman played a variety of games, from Japanese oddities to SEGA Marine Fishing.

A real man's game.
After a good four hours of fun (which you can still watch) things switched over to my feed (which you can also still watch). During the ten plus hours that I played, a good number of visitors popped in including Junkyard favorites Gagaman, Stacey (who is actually the inspiration for the game 18 Wheeler!), Caleb, Tom (he stopped into Gagaman's stream), BIGMercenary, A Moomintroll and SEGAbits regulars Crackdude, Fluffy and Cube. The first portion of the day saw Sonic Adventure, a good number of demos, Rent-A-Hero, Rayman 2, a complete auto playthrough of Space Channel 5 (best ending ever), Cool Cool Toon, 18 Wheeler, Zombie Revenge, Sonic Adventure 2,  Tokyo Bus Guide, Ecco, Super Magnetic Neo (ARGH!) and Tech Romancer.

Words to live by.
A Dreamcast rug in Rent-A-Hero!
The second half saw a visit from my good IRL friend and Dreamcast fan Jason. Those on the chat were in awe that two Dreamcast fans could exist in the same city and know each other. To prove Jason's cred, I'll let you all know that he brought his own Dreamcast controller (red) with VMU, cable extender, maracas and games. We played a good number of 2 player games including Capcom vs. SNK, Last Blade 2, SEGA Rally 2, Star Wars Demolition, Rush Rush Rally Racing and an hour and a half of Samba de Amigo. Best. Game. Ever.

Tougher than it looks.
After 90 minutes of maraca shaking, I was beat and so I called it a night. The Dreamcast was shut off and yet it still retained a warmth that surly was due to the love it felt for all the fans who remembered its birthday. Okay, so it was actually hot due to ten hours of use, but I still think love played a small part.

Until 9/9/2011!

Dreamroom USA is LIVE!

Watch live video from Dreamroom on Justin.tv

LIVE from: 12am-11pm EST (US), 6pm-5am GMT (UK)

Some photos of the room:
The man of the hour
The guests of honor
Behind the scenes, very technical stuff
The VIPs

Dreamroom UK with the Gagaman starts now!

Oh hey, it's the 11th anniversary of the Dreamcast's American launch! Don't think i'm going to let Barry have all the livestreaming fun because in about an hour or so (so UK time 1pm) I'm going to be doing some livestreaming of direct-feed Dreamcast games on Gagatelly below!

 
gagaman on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Click on the link and you also be able to chat to me while I'm playing. Games I'm going to be having a crack at include Rush Rush Rally Racing,  hanagumi taisen Columns 2, Gigawing 2, Mars Matrix, Sega Marine Fishing and more (I may also take requests for games). I will stop streaming about 4 or 5pm, just in time for when Barry's much more well prepared livestream will be kicking off!

EDIT: Kicking off a bit early, why not?

Elusive 'My Wife And Kids' Dreamcast Image!


Well here's that picture I alluded to at the end of the last post. I found it here. Obviously they weren't that keen on saving their progress as you'll note there are no VMUs in the controllers.
It kind of ' gladdens' and 'saddens' me at the same time, to see the Dreamcsat showcased as THE cutting edge console in turn of the millenium films and TV shows. How short that particular meteoric blaze of glory was...

Here's a very poor youtube video to illustrate the point further.

Haarlem Globe-trotter

This is actually a REAL shop in Haarlem!!

Hey Up M'Dears!

'Tis I, your pimpernel-like, least prolific, and yet curiously most admired team member, Father Krishna!

"Who?" I hear you ask, -well a quick glance at the old side-bar should reveal my DCJY credentials, whilst a dip into the DCJY archives should reveal why I don't post here very often. The last time my DC received a play session, was a blast through Shenmue last October, to see if it still stood the test of time (it does!). This was inspired by my purchase of Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing which I dearly love, and play on the Xbox and DS.

However, as usual, I digress. I recently returned from the Astral Plane where I reside with those ethereal beings the 'Ascended Masters', in order to take a short visit to the wonderful cities of Amsterdam and Haarlem, in that most tolerant and easy going of territories, the Netherlands!

Apart from getting thoroughly off my twat on pipe fulls of (absolutely legal) Haarlem Haze and Ice-olator Resin, I also stumbled upon this little shop which proudly displayed an image of the Hallowed Hedgehog, with the 'crap and unimaginative/post modern and ironic' shop name: Game Shop.


Once inside, there was a great selection of all things aSega including cartridges for the Game Gear, Master System and Megadrive, games for the 32X and Mega CD and this tidy little collection of Dreamcast and Saturn games. The games were an exorbitant 15+ Euros, and were not particularly rare or exciting. Thus nothing got bought for my Dreamcast or Saturn collections.


What I did buy was this rather lovely little nugget for the Gameboy Advance - Sonic Pinball Party.


Chock full of Sega goodness, this basic pinball sim features both the Saturn's 'NiGHTS' and the Dreamcast's favourite primate, 'Samba'. In fact in 2003, (in contrast to the glut of ports heading from the Dreamcast to the Xbox, Gamecube and PS2), Sonic Pinball and Jet Set Radio for the Gameboy Advance were among the only original games using Dreamcast IP game characters that were still being produced!

It's always good to stumble across a tiny independent gameshop that still sells Dreamcast merchandise, even better when said discovery comes after a particularly potent strain of bubble hash on a beautiful day in the coolest country in Europe.

(On a 'Tomleecee DC spotting' related note, the Kyle family in My Wife And Kids are always playing the Dreamcast, I just don't know how how to capture the image and print it here!)

Take care peeps!
FK :)

New Dreamcast game from NG:DEV TEAM - 'FAST STRIKER!


...and guess what? It's another shmup! From the creators of Last Hope, Dux and Last Hope Pink Bullets it's Fast Striker, which has just appeared out of what seems like no where (unless I've just not been paying enough attention lately) is now up for pre-order in both a standard and limited edition.

Like Last Hope this game was first developed for the Neo-Geo MVS and has been ported over for us that are not Richie Rich. Unlike their previous two games this one is a vertical shooter which I personally get along much better with as bullets falling down from above just feels more natural to me for some reason. I'm getting a sort of Mars Matrix vibe from this, and it even features that freaky pig mascot thing that was in the Pink Bullets manual in game! It also boasts over 40 CGI cut scenes, three game modes and six levels (you know what that means!).

You can pre-order the game directly from NG: DEV TEAM over here right now, and I'm betting just like the last games they won't be around for long!

Dreamcast: Drug Lord's Console of Choice

Howdy, fellow Dreamcasters! Seeing as it's been several months since I checked in with a post here at the DCJY, I thought now was as good a time as any to share some DC news with you. Well, it's not 'news,' per say, but it involves everyone's favourite white block of fun. Speaking of white blocks of fun (that's, erm, the DC in case you were wondering), I don't actually have mine at the moment because I let a friend borrow it...and now he's fucked off on holiday without telling me. On the plus side, he managed to do something I never could - get off the first disc on Code Veronica. Damned mutant thing making me look like a fool. Gah...!

Anyway, I digress. This past week has been a pretty dull one in the life of Tomleecee, so I've found myself sampling the delights of many a movie, book or DVD boxset. Watched the entire first series of Dexter in 2 sittings (what an awesome show, by the way) and as I couldn't really afford to spend £30-odd buying the second and third series, I instead chose to purchase another, cheaper boxset to follow it - namely Series 1 of The Shield. Had previously heard of it, but never actually bothered watching an episode. Mainly because it's on Channel 5 and as a rule I don't tend to watch anything on Channel 5. Apart from the Gadget Show. Erm. So yeah, bought The Shield series 1 for £6 from CEX. And it's ace. But what's this got to do with the Dreamcast?

Well, at the end of the pilot episode, double-hard mega cop Vic Mackey and his team of double-hard mega cops bust into a drug dealer's gaff (through the window, naturally), interrupting a nice family game of Crazy Taxi...on a Dreamcast!

Want evidence? Here you go, your honour:



It makes me feel warm and fuzzy knowing that even the most hardened drug dealers can enjoy a nice relaxing DC session with their favourite hoe or bitch.

DC-spottage doesn't stop there though my friends! Oh no! I also had the misfortune to watch a rather low-budget movie called The Truth About Average Guys. And when I say 'watch,' I mean 'view for 20 minutes and then turn off in disgust...but only after spotting another DREAMCAST REFERENCE!'

Here you go:


Yep, the 'hilarious' comedy scene involves two guys tricking their friend into thinking he's playing on an Xbox 360 with them by giving him a disconnected old DC controller. Honestly, I nearly died laughing.

So there you go. Not one but TWO Dreamcast spots in the space of week. In-fucking-credible! Now, I'm off to bust through my mate's window with guns drawn in order to get my Dreamcast back...

InsideOut: Rush Rush Rally Racing DX


Hey Dreamcast fans! As it was Gagaman's InsideOut video of the standard version of Rush Rush Rally Racing the made me want to own the game, I thought it was only fitting that I made an InsideOut video of the DX version. This one is the alternate nighttime cover, which I bought from Play-Asia. Check out the video and let me know what you think!

I also tried to infuse my Crazy Taxi narrator impression. Enjoy!

Gamers Republic Scans c/o BIGMercenary


Dreamcast superfan and DCJY reader BIGMercenary was kind enough to scan some awesome articles from the magazine Gamers Republic. Do yourself a favor and check out his flickr photo stream which includes articles on classics like Shenmue and Power Stone 2 to oddities like Pen Pen TriIcelon and cult favorites like Evolution. I can't speak for him, but I'm sure this gallery will grow in time, so keep the address saved to your favorites!

Thanks BIGMercenary!

The Dreamroom Returns - Streaming Live on 9/9!


I'm happy to announce that the Dreamroom will return for the Dreamcast's 11th birthday! The official date and times are as follows:

September 9th, 2010 
12am-11pm EST (US), 6pm-5am GMT (UK) 

Last year was a blast, and I'm sure this year will be just as fun. For those who missed last year's Dreamroom, essentially it will be eleven hours of Dreamcast gaming streamed live online with live chat. The first half will be me going solo playing Dreamcast games. During the second half the IRL party kicks off with whoever I invited showing up for multiplayer games and the occasional visit to Seaman.

Games will be played from my library, and requests are welcomed! Expect to see some of the best, worst and delightfully oddest Dreamcast games. Of course a Dreamcast birthday party isn't a birthday party without the guests, so I hope to see everyone (virtually) there!

Paper Dreamcast Goodies


During a recent trip to visit the parents, I uncovered a few Dreamcast goodies in the remnants of my old bedroom (now the combination workout/storage room). The first of these goodies is a very cool flyer advertising the Dreamcast's US launch. As you see above, the cover is very minimalistic and follows that dark edgy aesthetic that was so popular in the late 90's.


The flyer opens to a cool render of the console, with the design and features detailed on the second page.


It opens once again to show screens from the two biggest launch titles: Sonic Adventure and NFL 2K. I loved this campaign.


The other side detailed the other launch titles as well as titles that released later in the fall, complete with screens. Overall, it's a very stylish and well designed promo item. Hey, it made me want to buy a Dreamcast!

 Next up is a postcard advertising Phantasy Star Online. I found this at a sandwhich shop located next to my dorms in Chicago. They were given out via a little rack filled with cards advertising anything from vodkas to video games.


I had also found a Seaman postcard but forgot where I put it. However, it looked like this:


Finally we have a full-scale replica of Granda II! Okay, it's not that exciting, but it's sorta cool. These were put on display pre-release at stores like GameStop to advertise upcoming games. I received this along with a massive Sonic Shuffle box when I politely asked the store employee if I could have them.

Left: The imposter, Right: The real thing

So there you have it! Paper Dreamcast goodies. Until next time, keep dreaming!

Join The SEGA Network Scrap Heap


Inspired by a discussion at The Saturn Junkyard, I've created a shared Flickr photo group called "The SEGA Network Scrap Heap"! The SGNW Scrap Heap is a shared album open to all readers and writers from the Sega Network blogs. The purpose of the Scrap Heap is to collect photos of our SEGA collections to create, well, a scrap heap of SEGA consoles, games, books and collectibles.

The only rules are that you may only upload photos of items you own, no fuzzy Google image searches, and that the items must pertain to SEGA. Feel free to show off your shelf of PS2 games, as long as there are SEGA games to be seen. No worries if a pesky Squaresoft or Nintendo game sneaks into the frame.

Check out the album here and start uploading!

GOAT Store Relaunch Announced!


For those who have no clue why a goat is smiling at them, that's the logo for The GOAT Store. The GOAT Store is an American online retailer of retro systems, games and accessories as well as a publisher and retailer of independent Dreamcast games (no worries international fans, they also ship to other countries). You may have heard of some of their releases, including their most notable: Cool Herders. GOAT Store also published the cool Feet of Fury, which plays like DDR with a battle mode, and includes a second game entitled Typing of Fury. As an indy game, it really is quite impressive!


Sounds pretty cool, eh? Well, luckily for Dreamcast fans, the GOAT Store has announced that they will be relauncing their website on 9-9-10! A recent press release has stated that the store will focus on the history of the Dreamcast releases that have come so far, as well as the people behind them. Anything that keeps the Dreamcast indy scene alive gets a thumbs up from me! Make sure to check them out on the Dreamcast's eleventh birthday and check out their press release for more information.