The Beautiful Game

In the early days of the Dreamcast, Sega was riding high on a crest of positive publicity and the system was truly light years ahead of anything else in the console market. While Sega of America was kicking ass in the the US, the European arm of the company decided to take the crusade in a slightly different direction - to the packed stadia of the football world.

We have looked at Sega Europe's slightly misguided TV and print advertising campaign in the recent past, but one aspect of this assault on the subconscious of the 'casual' gamer was the decision to sponsor some of Europe's biggest football teams. And by 'football,' I obviously mean 'soccer.' Sega Europe sponsored four teams in total - Arsenal (England), Sampdoria (Italy), St Etienne (France) and Deportivo de la Coruña (Spain).

10th Anniversary Competition - Part One

 

***Competition now closed!***

2015 is a special year for the Junkyard, as it marks 10 years since this humble blog began life as little more than a place for the documenting of Tom's second attempt at building a decent Dreamcast collection. The first attempt went well, but ended in all of the amassed DC goodies being traded in for a PlayStation 2 some time in late 2001. Those were truly dark days. In some ways though, if it hadn't been for that little mishap, the Junkyard might never have been born so in an odd way we have a lot to thank Sony's harbinger of doom for. But enough about that.

Since then, the Junkyard has grown into the omnipotent force that it is today, bringing you occasional mirth and honest, thought-provoking prose. Oh, and we also do a podcast now, too - just in case you hadn't noticed! However, let's get down to business. We wanted to celebrate this joyous milestone of a decade's worth of inane DC-related ramblings by giving something back to the community that has helped to propel this lowly corner of the internet into the limelight on many an occasion. And we've done this by teaming up with SEGA Europe who have very kindly donated three special edition Dreamcast Collection vinyl records to us, so that we may give them away to you - our loyal readers.

DreamPod Episode 4

Sega 1999 Annual Report Surfaces On eBay

Here at the 'Yard we have a dedicated AI constantly scouring eBay for Dreamcast-related items of interest. This AI is housed in the bowels of the Junkyard's IT department, an installation so large and foreboding that it had to be constructed inside a hollowed asteroid because the local council wouldn't grant permission for such an impressive feat of architectural and technological brilliance.

Sadly, this asteroid is now hurtling away from the Earth at such a rate that the ethernet cable connecting it to my laptop is getting worryingly taught. No matter though, as it has come up with the goods once again - this time discovering an eBay UK auction for a rather interesting article of Dreamcast paraphernalia. I say 'Dreamcast,' but it's actually more 'Sega' - a copy of the Annual Report from 1999. The images shown in the listing hint at revealing financial figures and the introduction has an upbeat and forward thinking tone.

Parental Guidance

Nowadays it seems that having a PEGI 18/Mature/Adults Only sticker plastered on the front of a game box is just par for the course. Stuff like Grand Theft Auto V, The Last Of Us and even Killzone are prime examples of recent releases that have been branded too graphic, violent or emotionally unsettling for those gamers who are still too young to vote, drive a car or get hammered on pints of Carlsberg and throw up all over the tiled floor of the local kebab shop.

In the UK, the doling out of age ratings used to be handled by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) - the same organisation responsible for deciding which ratings (you know - U, PG, 15 etc) movies are awarded; but since 2012 PEGI has been calling the shots. In the US, the ESRB does the dirty work, acting like some omnipresent Ministry from the mind of George Orwell and deciding what you can and can't play, dependent on the year of your birth. We're not here to wax lyrical on whether these organisations are correct in their judgement though. No, what we want to explore this time around is the BBFC's classification of some of the Dreamcast's more adult-themed PAL titles, and some of them are a little surprising to say the least...

Hucast Games Announce Redux 2

If there's one thing the Dreamcast does well, it's shmups - and Hucast Games has produced some of the best in recent times. After the success of both Dux and Redux, a sequel was always going to be an option and Hucast have confirmed that Redux 2 is indeed in development. In a post on their blog, Hucast revealed gameplay details along with some artwork and alpha screens, which we're sure you'll agree look pretty damn nice.

James & Watch: Arm

As we've mentioned ad nauseum here at the Junkyard, we are massive advocates of the efforts of the myriad independent developers still supporting our favourite white box of joy. There have been some stunning post-mortem releases for the Dreamcast (2013's Sturmwind could easily pass as a PSN game, for example) and there are many more heading our way too. Elysian Shadows, Hypertension, SLaVE, AMEBA...they all look great and we're excited to see how they all turn out. However, here's an indie release you may not have seen before. James & Watch: Arm is a fun little title developed by Ben Lancaster and is slightly different to the other indie games mentioned here in that it eschews flashy visuals and in-depth story lines for a much more simple aesthetic - namely that of a Nintendo Game & Watch.

DreamPod Episode 3

You can also find DreamPod on iTunes and YouTube. Please feel free to give us feedback either as a review on iTunes or a comment here or on YouTube. We really value your input, so let us know your thoughts!

Ben Heck's Dreamcast Portable

I'm not really sure this series of YouTube videos needs much of an introduction to be honest. Ben Heck is a guy who creates all kinds of wonderful console mods and in this series of three, he demonstrates how he went about making a portable Dreamcast of quite stunning beauty. Enough from me...here are the videos:

Thanks to Hideki Naganuma (yes, the Hideki Naganuma of Jet Set Radio and Sega Rally 2 soundtrack fame) for tweeting the video links to me; and also thanks to @nintendbro and @Granabanana for making me aware of this awesome creation.

Supercut of Metal Gear Solid Bleemcast First Impressions.

This is HD footage taken from a VGA box to HDMI adaptor setup.

Zombie Revenge Mini Arcade Cab

Well this is quite cool - a mini arcade cabinet containing a Dreamcast and controls for two players to either play together or duke it out like the best of frenemies. This creation comes from bespoke arcade cabinet maker Paul Bratt of Paul's Custom Arcade Machines, and as mentioned contains a Dreamcast console plus the inner workings of two Dreamcast controllers complete with VMUs, a flatscreen monitor and speakers. This particular model also features an extra fan built into the back door of the unit to assist the Dreamcast's efforts to cool itself down and through the efforts of Paul, all of the controls are perfectly rewired to the illuminanted buttons on the front of the unit. 

There are some nice little finishing touches on this particular model too, such as the Dreamcast logos taken from the controllers and strategically placed around the screen and controller areas. These pictures don't really do justice to the quality of this cabinet - the unit is extremely well made and it looks like something SEGA itself had put together. Paul's Custom Arcade Machines also create cabinets to suit your individual tastes so you could theoretically have any Dreamcast game you wanted painted all over one of these. Even Exhibition of Speed...but I wouldn't recommend that. This is a great way to experience some of the DC's fine arcade conversions in a totally new and unique way, and I have to commend Paul for the work he's done here.

Want to know more? Paul can be found on Facebook here.

DreamPod Episode Two

iTunes featured DreamPod in their 'New & Noteworthy' section this week, which was very nice. We've also had some great iTunes reviews and general feedback from listeners and we're very grateful. We've still got a few minor issues to iron out with the sound quality (I personally intend to invest in a decent USB microphone as soon as I can afford one!), but as is often the case when recording over the internet, it's never going to be studio quality. In any case, here's the new episode! If you enjoy it, let us know in the comments or by leaving us an iTunes review.

The Games That Never Were: Episode 4

YouTuber and friend of the Junkyard pcwzrd13 has come up with the goods yet again by posting episode 4 of the popular series The Games That Never Were - a look at some of the titles that were tantalisingly promised for our favourite beige, whirring and wheezing box...but for whatever reason were drop-kicked into the nearest bin. And then spat on by a tramp. Probably.

This latest instalment features such agonisingly-canned games as Castlevania Resurrection, D-Jump, Galleon and, Redline Arena. Before you ask - yes, that is an Oxford comma. Whether it's usage is warranted or correct here bothers me not one iota, however. I digress.

This video is particularly interesting as we plan to discuss some of the more promising cancelled Dreamcast games in episode two of DreamPod. Stay tuned for more information on that...but first, enjoy pcwzrd13's awesome (and thought-provoking) video:

As ever, please be sure to check out Dreamcastic Channel for the previous entries in the Games That Never Were series and expand your burgeoning knowledge of the alternative universe that is hinted at every time you are on the cusp of falling asleep. Lastly, it is (with gratitude) down to the video's auteur that I'm able to experience one of the games featured. Bet you can't guess what it is...

My First Podcast and A Resolution

A couple of days ago, I had the fortune of participating in our blog's podcast. And from that experience I learned one important thing:

It's still a bit of a mystery to me!

I do not know nearly as much about the Dreamcast as I should! Despite having gotten the console near the end of its life time and playing it since then, much of the stuff discussed was stuff I was hearing for the first time. Like, the game "Under Defeat" being the last game released on the system, or the worst game on the system (From our poll, it's Spirit of Speed 1937). Or the fact that the Dreameye was a thing.

Listen to the podcast if you haven't!

Plus, I haven't played the classic Jet Set Radio/Jet Grind Radio! This is a situation I'm trying to remedy even as I type.

Another game on the "Get This" list!

Therefore, I must resolve to learn more about my Sega consoles in general, and our beloved Dreamcast in particular. What makes it popular today? Why do I still like it after all these years? What other great games haven't I experienced yet? All this and more, next time on Dreamcast Junkyard!

Also, listen to the podcast! :P

Official UK Dreamcast Magazine: Demo Editions

It's pretty much standard practice for a console to have it's own officially-licensed print magazine, and the Dreamcast was no different. The Official UK Dreamcast Magazine is well known for it's more mature tone and it very much felt like a clone of the Official PlayStation Magazine, what with the monthly DreamOn demo discs stuck to the font cover and the premium price of £5 in an era where £3 was more common for a monthly gaming publication. For this reason alone, I tended to purchase Paragon Publishing's unofficial Dreamcast Magazine and occasionally Dreamcast Monthly and DC-UK. I must also admit to having bought Mr Dreamcast on one occasion but the less said about that, the better. That's not to say I never bought ODM (as it was known) though, as I did when I was feeling particularly flush; but back in 1999 that wasn't a regular occurrence...and still isn't. But enough about my Bob Cratchit-esque lifestyle.

We have covered the various UK-based monthly Dreamcast periodicals in a previous post here at the Junkyard, but this is slightly different to that article (it has 95% less swearing). It appears that when pitching the idea of an official magazine to Sega, Dennis Publishing pulled out all the stops to win the contract and went as far as producing a full-blown demo magazine to present to the big wigs, of which around 50 issues were produced. Thanks to regular DCJY visitor and Dreamcast collector Blue Swirl, we are able to present these rather amazing images of the Official UK Dreamcast Magazine's unreleased demo issue.

Pretty sure the hippy is from Body Harvest on N64

You will note several differences between the final version and the demo, such as the different title font and graphics, and also the use of silver and the Dreamcast logo on the sides of each page. Blue Swirl offers more details on the differences between the dummy run and the final product:

I got one of the magazines on eBay and I got the other two from someone who as a hobby preserves magazines by scanning them. I said to him I was a bit of a Dreamcast nut and wondered if he would part with them, and to my surprise he was more than happy to let them go to me as I am a collector.

The magazine has approximately 140 pages but that consists of the first 70 pages printed twice, I guess they did this to give it some bulk. 

Some content is exactly the same but with a completely different layout, there are some pages that are not in the final issue and some features have different content, like the Gadgets Gizmos and Websites feature. The Fourplay feature has some different content too plus there are some fashion photos not present in the full issue, and it also has a small feature where they ask what the cast of Red Dwarf think of the Dreamcast. Another thing omitted from the full issue was the gatefold front cover. 

There isn't a staff section but there is the editors note.

Interestingly I noticed they originally went with an out of 6 for the review score system.

The 6 point scoring system can be seen here

It's interesting to see these pre-production mock ups and this gives an idea of the amount of work that must have gone into competing for the official brand license. Maybe there are some other mock ups in the hands of collectors which were created by competing publishing houses? If there are, and you have one please let us know. On this note, DC-UK was originally intended to be Future Publishing's pitch for the official license, so it would be fascinating to see if there are any officially branded demo issues.

Thanks to Blue Swirl for all of these images and information, and be sure to check out the eponymous blog, BlueSwirl.