DreamPod - Episode 56

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Articles referenced in this episode:

• Agartha now available to download
• Retro-bit wireless controllers revealed
• New Dreamcast releases from JoshProd
• Oooga Booga and NFL 2K1 coming back online

New Sega & Dreamcast Themed Clothing Lines From Insert Coin

Insert Coin have just unveiled their latest line of games related apparel, and Sega fans will no doubt be pretty excited to see that a few different well-known Dreamcast games are represented, as well as the iconic Dreamcast swirl itself (although only in PAL blue).

Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio and Space Channel 5 are all reflected in the officially licensed designs, along with some others from the Mega Drive era and the famous swirl. The t-shirts and hoodies are available to pre-order now, and prices start at £22. No word on when they'll be shipping just yet, but they look pretty decent, don't you think?

Find out more at Insert Coin here. Will you be purchasing any of these? Let us know in the comments.

The Dreamcast Legacy - Jupiter and Mars

There is a hardy breed of gamer that has a special soft spot in their gaming hearts for a certain woe-be-gotten series, and that heart whispers the name Ecco. The games are not obscure by any means, as the majority of Sega aficionados would have at least had a taste of dolphin (eww!) during either the 16-bit golden age or the new millennium reboot on Dreamcast. Only a much smaller subset - the most diligent and committed gamers (read: sado-masochistic gamers) - persisted far enough through the sheer vertical learning curve to be rewarded with one of the most unique gaming experiences of all time. 

I think this is about as far as most people got in the original series

Unfortunately for fans of the series, the full potential of the Ecco saga has always been frustratingly unfulfilled. The original 16-bit games were supposed to be realised as a trilogy, but the third game never materialised. Ecco II: The Tides of Time sadly ends on a sombre note - much like the Empire Strikes Back - but unlike Star Wars, there is no Return of the Jedi to close out the third act.

Unlike Ryo in his cave, it seems Ecco is destined to be forever lost in the tides of time 

The amazing reboot on Dreamcast was handled by a new creative team at Appaloosa Interactive (formerly Novotrade) and did not continue the same story left open by the Mega Drive games. This does not hamper my esteem for the game, in many ways it had to start from a clean slate after a six year hiatus. Defender of the Future is my all time favourite game on Dreamcast, and it should be held in as high esteem and discussed in the same company as games like Metroid Prime for updating a classic 2D game style and successfully refashioning it into a fully realised 3D world. 

Online Multiplayer Restored To More Dreamcast Games (Updated)

Fresh from our friends over at Sega Nerds comes the news that even more Dreamcast games will soon have their online multiplayer functionality restored. NFL 2K1 and Ooga Booga are the next couple of titles that will be brought back online courtesy of modder Shuouma, hot on the heels of a multitude of other titles that were resurrected in 2017. Games such as POD 2, Monaco Grand Prix Online and Quake III: Arena have already been successfully added to the library of Dreamcast titles you can now play online with other gamers around the world, and it's probably safe to say that both Ooga Booga and NFL 2K1 will also employ the same DreamPi method as the aforementioned.

Having never played Ooga Booga online - partly because it was never released outside of the US - I'm intrigued to see how this predominantly multiplayer title compares to modern battle arena style games. NFL 2K1 I'm not so keen on, simply because I prefer the proper version of football; you know, the one where players kick a ball around with their feet? I'm sure those who like chucking an egg about will be much more enthusiastic.

Either way, it's great to see more games brought back online - who knows what's next? Massively multiplayer online Daytona USA 2001? Yes please! You can keep abreast of Shuouma's great work by following him on Twitter here; and make sure you keep up to date with the Dreamcast's burgeoning online gaming scene, and find out more about DreamPi by visiting Dreamcast Live.

Update
As of 26th January 2018, Ooga Booga is back online! We'll be getting involved with some online games soon via DreamPi, but in the meantime check out Pcwzrd13's video below:

Source: Sega Nerds

Lost Dreamcast Game Agartha Found...And Released!

Agartha is a game that has always been little more than an enigma. It has, for the best part of two decades, represented one of the most intriguing and mysterious lost games that was destined to come to the Dreamcast. Many thought Agartha was little more than vapourware, the shots shown in magazines of the late 90s and early 2000s regarded as nothing more than a glimpse at some pre-rendered scenes with no playable component. And that's how the legend of Agartha remained...until late 2017 when it was found and a video of playable sequences was posted online by veteran Dreamcast collector and bonafide gaming detective Laurent.C.

Fast forward to January 2018 and we bring you the unbelievable news that not only has Agartha been confirmed as fully playable...but you can now download it and play if for yourself in a Dreamcast! Here's our video on the demo and what you can expect from it if you download and play, along with a whistle-stop history of Agartha:

Before you get too carried away, Agartha was only ever a demo and the small fragments of the game that do exist are little more than a proof of concept. But even still, the fact that after all this time something as incredible as this even exists is staggering. Agartha represents one of the great unsolved mysteries of Dreamcast lore, a game that looked incredible for the time, and could easily have been one of the most ambitious titles on the system. Sadly, Agartha was one of the multiple casualties of the Dreamcast's incredibly short lifespan and developer No Cliché pulled the plug pretty early on.

Happily though, we can now all experience the exclusive E3 2000 demo build of Agartha and we give huge thanks to Laurent.C for his endeavours. Another long lost Dreamcast game has come to the fore, and we can't help but wonder what else will finally come to GD-Rom drives in the near future, long after the curtain fell on development.

Download the Agartha demo here, and remember to give thanks to Laurent.C for his outstanding work - he was also the guy behind the public release of the official Dreamcast Mega Drive emulator that was only intended for internal Sega use. Bravo sir, bravo.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments or joint the conversation in our Facebook group. Also, hit us up on Twitter here.

Update: There is now an ISO file available for those who are lucky enough to own a CF card modded Dreamcast (check out our recent review here). This was created by Jan, the man behind the modded Dreamcast. Download the file here and the desktop icon for DreamShell here.

A Beginner's Guide To Dreamcast A/V Cables

While we here at the Junkyard pore over the minutiae of Dreamcast collecting and the more obscure side of the console's paraphernalia, it has become increasingly apparent that the Dreamcast is attracting a whole new audience as intrigued gamers start collecting for the system. The Dreamcast has been undergoing something of a renaissance for a couple of years now, and as such we thought it was about time that we offered up some basic 'beginner's guides' to various aspects of the Dreamcast for those who aren't fully au fait with the many foibles of the hardware.

First up, we're going to look briefly at the various cables that will allow you to connect your Dreamcast to a tellybox or monitor doo-dah, and what the pros and cons are. As the name suggests, this really will be a quick reference guide, giving the bare minimum that you need to know if you're a bit clueless when it comes to cables and connections and don't know your SCART from your composite or your VGA from your RF. Hey - it's a minefield out there if you're new to the scene, but luckily old uncle Junkyard is here to guide you...like the blind leading the blind! Please remember that this is a beginner's guide and so I'm not really going to go into the science behind it all. I'll leave that to someone with far greater knowledge than I have.

OK, so the first thing to know is that there are a number of different cable variants for the Dreamcast and they all give a picture of varying quality and have differing connectors on the business end. The bit that goes into the Dreamcast's A/V port is pretty much identical though and it looks like this:

The underside of this connector does have a differing number of pins depending on the type, but physically at least, they look the same. The key thing to remember is that you shouldn't try to jab this end into your TV or monitor. If you do, at best you'll end up with a broken cable; at worst you'll end up electrocuting yourself and burning the house down. Probably. Right, on to the good stuff. There are 5 main connection types for the Dreamcast and these are they...

New Bluetooth Dreamcast Controllers From Retro-bit Revealed (Updated)

Retro-bit are yet to make an official announcement about their upcoming Dreamcast, Saturn and Megadrive peripherals, but one eagle-eyed YouTuber has beat them to the punch by the looks of it. John Riggs of RIGG'd Games recently published the following video which apparently shows some rather awesome-looking officially branded wireless peripherals, and what look like official VGA boxes for the Dreamcast. This was uploaded on the 8th of January and as of the time of writing, Retro-bit have yet to make an official announcment from their booth at CES 2018. However, if this is genuine then Retro-bit can take my money now!

As stated previously, the DreamConn exists already but if an officially licensed Bluetooth controller is available at a more affordable price then that's pretty fantastic. Here's a better shot of the packaging courtesy of RGT85's video on the topic:

Hopefully the build quality of these new accessories will live up to the hype. Will you be getting amongst these controllers and connectors? Let us know in the comments!

Update
It seems that yes, these controllers are indeed real. A reader called David who was at CES 2018 spoke to the Retro-bit staff and took some photos at the booth, and shared the news that they are looking at a late 2018 release date for the controllers, VGA boxes and other cables on show. Here are some better images, courtesy of David:

From the images, it looks as though Retro-bit will also be selling officially licensed USB controllers for PC, as well as standard wired controllers (not sure what the deal is there, as you can just get original controllers of eBay for pittance); as well as an S-video connector and (rather oddly) a power cord. Naturally, as soon as we can get our hands on any of this new hardware we'll bring you honest and unbiased reviews. If the build quality is up there with the official Sega Dreamcast HKT-7700 then we'll let you know...and likewise if they feel cheap and nasty. Thanks again to David for these images and speaking to the Retro-bit staff at the event.

2018 Dreamcast Releases Teased By JoshProd

In 2017, France-based publisher JoshProd gave the Dreamcast scene a shot in the arm with a host of new releases for the system. With titles ranging from PSP ports in the form of 4x4 Jam and bespoke Dreamcast re-masters in the form of Flashback, JoshProd really gave us something to shout about. 2018 will see this trend continue, as several games are set to be unveiled as coming to Sega's console in the next 12 months - some of which we're pretty confident most people have never even heard of, let alone sampled.

In the video below, you'll find some indicators as to the games scheduled to be making the leap to the Dreamcast this year and having played a couple of them we can confirm that 2018 is looking like another bright period for the Dreamcast. You'd better get saving - there are some pretty impressive titles coming our way from a range of genres with shmups, side scrolling adventures, beat 'em ups and 3D racers all represented...

Spot anything here you recognise? Naturally, as soon as the lineup is officially announced and solid release dates are confirmed, we'll be sure to let you know; and we'll do our best to review them as and when we are able.

What do you think? Will you be adding any of these to your collection? Let us know in the comments, in our Facebook group or on Twitter. Follow JoshProd on Facebook too.

Related articles:

• Review: Flashback
• Review: 4x4 Jam
• Review: Ganryu
• Review: Breakers

10 Great Dreamcast Games That Deserve More Attention

Popularity for the Dreamcast seems to be at fever pitch these days. Not since the launch of the console in its respective territories has demand for the system or reverence for its library been so high, and once again the internet is awash with talk of a 'Dreamcast Mini' in the wake of Retro-bit's announcement that they are working on some new hardware for Sega's back catalogue of consoles. With this in mind, it's also quite evident to gamers such as myself, those of us who were there in the trenches during the late 90s the early 2000s, that a whole new generation of gamers have discovered the Dreamcast in recent years; and intrigued by this also-ran's almost mythical status have seemingly embraced the Dreamcast to continue its legacy into a new era.

The thing is, it's also become apparent through my online interactions with a lot of younger gamers or those who didn't own a Dreamcast back when it was a contemporary system, that the same games get mentioned whenever anyone speaks of the Dreamcast's (admittedly fantastic) library. While we have looked at the dark underbelly of the console's software lineup in the past (go here for a rundown of some of the worst games on the Dreamcast), there are a whole host of other titles that were lost in the avalanche of arcade ports and big-name first party releases. So yeah, while Shenmue, Soul Calibur, Spirit of Speed 1937, Jet Set Radio, Power Stone, Crazy Taxi and the other blockbuster Dreamcast titles bathe in the warm afterglow of a resurgence in Dreamcast popularity, there are many more that rarely - if ever - get a look in.

That's about to change though, as we take the briefest of looks at some of the first and third party Dreamcast games that might not hit the heady heights of the aforementioned titles, but which are great fun and deserve a bit more attention from the discerning Dreamcast owner. This could almost be the basis for a sort of 'alternative' line up should a Dreamcast Mini ever actually become a reality.

Please bear in mind that most of these games are also on other consoles, are mostly quite common, and this is by no means an exhaustive list (it only has ten games on it). Oh, and this is just my opinion. yours may differ, and that's cool. Just hold off calling me a moron on social media until you've read through the list. Then you can call me a moron. Not that anyone actually reads anything before commenting these days...

The Dreamcast Legacy - BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle

In a new series of articles (perhaps only a short-lived series, as I only have this and one other lined up), we will be exploring modern games that owe a debt to the blazing trails left by the games and developers of the bygone Dreamcast era. In this issue, we will be looking at the upcoming Arc System Works title BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, a new 2 vs. 2 tag-team fighting game coming soon to PS4, Switch, and Steam. Apart from the obvious correlations with similar Dreamcast heavyweight titles such as Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and the Capcom vs. SNK series, this new crossover beat-'em up shares a little more Dreamcast heritage than you may initially realise.

Check Out Pokemon Go Running On A VMU

A while back we reported on guacasaurus_mex (aka Tom Napior) and his quest to port a Pokemon style game to the VMU. It all went a bit quiet as Tom worked on other more important stuff, but now he's revealed the final product running on a lowly VMU:

As he states in the video description, Tom won't be releasing the game for public consumption as he doesn't own the IP; and Nintendo would most likely release the hounds if he did. We can't say we blame him to be honest. With that in mind, we'll have to make do with the video above which shows a pretty competent little Pokemon clone, complete with a randomly generated map. Other features include over 25 Pokestops, a fully functioning Pokedex and full audio.

We had a little chat with Tom, and he told us the following:

"At this stage I've decided not to release Pokemon Go VMU publicly. When I started this project I had no idea Nintendo were so strict on this kind of thing, unlike a company like SEGA who couldn't care less when it comes to fan art. Given it's pretty clear now what their stance is on fan games, I think this is the right decision.

"It's not all a loss though, I have fully functioning map generation, character movement and collision detection code written which I can use in a number of original games I have planned. I already used the timing based mini game concept in my last game Zombie: Player vs Monster.

"I would say the game is 90% complete in it's current state. The only thing I need to do is add more Pokemon (there are about 70 in the game at this stage). Some are just impossible to draw with the limited pixels available, especially in the map grid, but to a lesser extent in the gym battles as well. I'd probably like to tinker with the sound a bit more if I ever release it as well."

- Tom Napior

For more of Tom's original VMU games, check out his Instagram account here. Also have a read of our interview with the man himself here.

The Hazuki Wall: A Statistical Analysis Of US Dreamcast Sales Figures

Statistics. We all love a good statistic. So does YouTuber Vince19, and so he set about creating a video that goes deep into the statistics behind the sales of Dreamcast games in the United States. As Vince19 reiterates several times throughout the video, this is not one of those explorations of the highs and lows and ultimate cancellation of the Dreamcast. It is a pretty in-depth analysis of sales figures and variables and means and medians...and a whole host of other mathematical terms I have no real understanding of. You have been warned.

That said, I'm sure that if you watch the entire video you'll get a good understanding of the variables that lead to some games selling more than others, and the general downward trend in US sales as time went on from the initial release of the Dreamcast on 9.9.99 to the final game being released in the form of NHL 2K2. Whether a game was featured on the cover of a US magazine or in a TV commercial is also looked at with meticulous detail, and the findings are rather surprising.

One of the most interesting theories put forward in the video is that of the 'Hazuki Wall,' a visual representation in sales figures of big-name Dreamcast games that were released around the same time as the PlayStation 2 was launched in the US. Shenmue, Jet Grind Radio, NBA 2K1 and Tony Hawk 2 were all released in the same window and plotted on a sales/date chart show us the 'Hazuki Wall,' Sega's last line of defence against the coming onslaught from Sony's leviathan:

It really is a fascinating look at the numbers behind the demise of the Dreamcast and I would implore you to set aside 40 minutes and give the entire video a viewing. Our thanks go to Vince19 for putting this video together and also name checking The Dreamcast Junkyard in the video as a source.

What do you think about this hypothesis and the Hazuki Wall? Let us know in the comments or join the discussion in our Facebook group or on Twitter.

Xeno Crisis Dreamcast Port Confirmed, Twin Stick Support Considered

We recently reported on the addition of a Dreamcast stretch goal for upcoming Mega Drive shooter Xeno Crisis. It seems that the wave of Dreamcast love shows no sign of stopping though, with a veritable tsunami of support deluging The Bitmap Bureau's latest offering on Kickstarter. The £35,000 funding goal has now been exceeded and as such a Dreamcast port is guaranteed.

For those not familiar with Xeno Crisis, the game is a retro-inspired top down shooter that casts the player in the role of a hardened marine battling hoards of hostile aliens. What really appeals to me is the overtly Aliens feel to proceedings, with more than a few nods to HR Giger's aesthetic designs and the visual style and themes of James Cameron's 1986 movie sequel plain to see. And, as a massive fan of the first three films in the Aliens franchise (seriously, the rest of the franchise can go and die in a corner), this pleases me greatly. On top of these lovely, death soaked trappings, the promise of procedurally generated stages and some pretty intense firefights make Xeno Crisis a game I'm really looking forward to.

The only real concerns I have at this stage are just how well a twin stick style shooter will control with a Dreamcast pad, but I'm sure the lads and lasses at The Bitmap Bureau have all that figured out. If I could make one tiny suggestion though, it would be for Twin Stick (as in HKT-7500 Twin Stick) compatibility for the dreamcast version. Seriously, if the Bitmap Bureau guys are reading, hit me up - you can borrow mine for the purpose of testing!

Other new features added to the game include a two player co-op mode, and the the option to back Xeno Crisis for just £15 and receive a downloadable version of the game that can be burnt to a CD in the comfort of your own home. This is quite an interesting way of doing things and something we've previously discussed here at the Junkyard. Without the mass infrastructure of an online store for the Dreamcast, game producers offering downloadable disc images looks like a decent alternative, albeit one that brings its own set of issues surrounding file sharing and the like.

Either way, I'm pretty excited about Xeno Crisis and this news just adds another reason to be cheerful as a Dreamcast fan in the modern era. Intrepid Izzy is coming soon, as is Xenocider and others. Now we can add Xeno Crisis to the list.

Have you backed Xeno Crisis? Excited as I am for this release? Let us know in the comments or join the conversation in our Facebook group or on Twitter. You can find the Kickstarter campaign here.

Update:
Following a brief conversation with The Bitmap Bureau, it looks as though our offer of supplying a Twin Stick has been graciously accepted, and the team will investigate if Twin Stick support is viable for Xeno Crisis. If this comes off, then Xeno Crisis would be only the second Dreamcast game that 'officially' supports the Twin Stick, after Virtual On. The power of social media, eh?!

New Wireless Dreamcast Accessories On The Way?

From the lovely chaps and chapettes over at Nintendo Life comes this rather interesting bit of news. It seems that Retro-bit, creators of wondrous clone systems and other gaming paraphernalia have signed some form of deal with Sega to manufacture undisclosed 'hardware' for the Mega Drive, Saturn and Dreamcast. Judging from the blurb on the Retro-bit website, these will likely turn out to be wireless controllers. This is from the Retro-bit website:

Acknowledging the continual growth of the retro-gaming market, Retro-bit, a premier publisher and manufacturer of classic gaming products, today announced a licensing agreement with SEGA of America to produce accessories for SEGA’s gaming platforms, including but not limited to the SEGA Genesis, SEGA Saturn and SEGA Dreamcast.

The first products and concepts under the agreement include several accessories that feature the same great quality as their original Sega counterparts like the original console port, but also with modern upgrades such as a USB® port for PC compatibility and Bluetooth® wireless technology. These new products are slated to debut in the Innex booth #21023 in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center during CES 2018.

Super Retro-Cade - the kind of thing Retro-bit manufactures 

The ambiguity continues at a pace of knots with the following statement from some bloke with an important sounding title:

"With retro gaming on an upswing, we are pleased to offer officially SEGA licensed accessories in their original format as well as apply the innovative classic gaming enhancements that have become the hallmark of Retro-Bit. We’re excited to unveil the first of these new products and concepts at CES, and do so alongside an exciting 2018 product catalog."

- Titi Ngoy, President and CEO at Innex Inc. the exclusive distributor of Retro-Bit

The Dreamcast does actually have a range of wireless controllers, light guns and what not, courtesy of Chris Diagolou's DreamConn technology. However, if Retro-bit can reduce costs and make an alternative that is a bit more friendly on the old wallet, then it's a win win situation for everyone. Apart from Chris. Erm. Hopefully we'll know more after CES 2018.

Source: Nintendo Life

DreamPod - Episode 55 Featuring Digital Foundry's John Linneman

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You can find all of John's videos over at the Digital Foundry YouTube channel or on Eurogamer, and you can follow him on Twitter here. If you enjoyed this episode please consider sharing it, or leaving us a review on iTunes.

FuZzCasT Home Entertainment - Dreamcast Video Returns!

Cast your mind back to the dawn of the new millennium. Like everyone else, you were probably still happy enough renting VHS video tapes, but at the same time were also covetously envious of those shiny new (and expensive) DVD players displayed prominently in the high street stores. You were keen to kickstart your foray into the digital video future, and even though Sony was promising to deliver DVD to the masses with its looming PS2 juggernaut, your blood bleeds blue and your loyalty to Sega and the Dreamcast could not be shaken. But what to do?

Ooooh, shiny.

You had heard rumours of a video card for your venerable Sega Saturn but you could never find one. Whispers from the orient described some strange voodoo witchcraft involving burning movies to CD-ROM, but after you endured the interminable age that it took to download the file over your 33.6k dial-up modem on your Windows 98 machine, the experience was underwhelming. Watching a movie on your 13" CRT monitor just didn't have the right pop-corn munching vibe. 

The Dreamcast Games Of 2017

2017 has been something of a bumper year for Dreamcast releases, what with JoshProd, Orion, Retroguru, Alice Dreams and Senile Team all putting out new software on the system. The range and diversity of these titles has been pretty incredible too - especially when you consider that the Dreamcast was officially disowned by Sega well over a decade ago. 2018 promises even more new additions to the ever-growing library, with Intrepid Izzy, Xenocider, Saber Rider, SLaVE and a bunch of other games we have been sworn to secrecy over all due to hit our favourite little white box.

As we near the year's end, I thought it would be fun to have a little look back over the games that were released for the Dreamcast throughout 2017, and give a bit of kudos to those developers and publishers who continue to support the console with new software. The vast majority of the titles that have come to the Dreamcast in a physical case during 2017 have invariably come with high quality bespoke artwork, authentic packaging and - in some cases - unique extras or inventive aesthetic design. And while it's easy to look at some of the releases and pour scorn on them for being fairly basic in terms of visuals or gameplay, the majority of them have been crafted as labours of love, and not with financial gain in mind. For that, all of the creators should be applauded.

It's worth noting that this list only includes games that have been released for the first time this year, so even though games like Ghost Blade, Alice's Mom's Rescue and Sturmwind were given re-releases, they don't count (although I'll make a note of them at the foot of this article). Furthermore, 2017 marks the first time since Karous in 2007 that official third party support has been bequeathed to the Dreamcast, as even though they were published by JoshProd, Visco's games do qualify as official releases owing to the fact that Visco is listed as a third party T-code publisher (thanks to Scott Marley for that nugget of information). Anyway, let's get down to business and look at - in no particular order - the Dreamcast releases of 2017. Man, it still feels weird typing that sentence...