Dreamcast Shooter Sturmwind Heading To Nintendo Switch

Another day, another Dreamcast-related shooter pops up on the Nintendo Switch eShop. This time, coming absolutely out of nowhere, it's Duranik's much-loved Sturmwind. Sturmwind hit the Dreamcast way back in 2013 after initially starting life as a project for the Atari Jaguar CD titled Native - indeed, there are fleeting references to Atari's maligned system hidden throughout Sturmwind.

Following the likes of Ikaruga, Zero Gunner 2 and Gunbird 2, Sturmwind EX for Nintendo Switch looks to be something of a 'remaster,' with improved screen resolution and totally redrawn graphical assets. The Nintendo Switch version will run at 1080p (docked) and at 60fps, while the upcoming Xbox One version will be full 4K, according to Duranik.

Though Sturmwind was originally released back in 2013, it was given a re-release in 2016 on Dreamcast and time has been kind - it's still as much of a blast to play now in 2019 as it was back when it first came out. This new Switch port has been handled by Duranik and is published by b-alive GmbH - the same outfit which published the recently released Steam version, as well as such gaming behemoths as Equimagic: Gala Show of Horses and Farm World. Hmmm.

Sturmwind EX features ripped directly from the Nintendo website (although I've removed the multiple typos and added some punctuation):

In Sturmwind EX you can play mission mode with all 16 levels, saving your progress with every finished level, or play arcade mode with 6 levels and no continues. Other features include:

• 2 different game modes: mission mode and arcade mode
• 16 Levels
• 3 difficulty levels
• Different weapons selectable
• Upgradeable weapons, drones and different weapon-/drone-formations
• Additional super weapons like super beam and smart bombs
• More than 20 large boss enemies
• Hundreds of different enemies
• Achievements, Highscore and Level statistics
• Customizable user interface

We've covered Sturmwind here at The Dreamcast Junkyard multiple times, and even interviewed Johannes Graf, the man behind Duranik a few years ago, so it's pretty safe to assume we're pretty big fans of the indie shooter.

Sturmwind EX releases on Nintendo Switch on Friday 8 November 2019 and is priced at £11.69. No word on a physical release yet, but we'll be sure to give it the same Dreamcast/Switch comparison treatment as we did with Ikaruga, Gunbird 2 and Zero Gunner 2.

Related articles:

• Developer Interview: Duranik
• Feature: Why Sturmwind Is Still Incredible
• News: Sturmwind Re-release Imminent

Bleemcasting: An Interview With Bleemcast! Developer Randy Linden

As the amount of online articles and Tweets around the recent anniversary of the North American 9.9.99 release date illustrates, the Dreamcast is still very fondly remembered. While the scene continues to grow at a steady rate in terms of bootleg and independent game development, there are still a fascinating number of Dreamcast areas that remain either untouched or that haven't had their rich historical veins fully exposed. One of those areas that myself and others in Dreamcast fandom are fascinated by is the story of bleemcast!.

A bit of a throw forward, I have another article in the works about ‘Why I Dreamcast’ even though it’s fast approaching 2020; and a large part of that is a deeply personal and nostalgia-fuelled longing and sense of clinging to a certain place in time. The Dreamcast, as much as I love it, and despite my role here at The Dreamcast Junkyard is a console I am wilfully ignorant on compared to the other staff members. The main reason for this is that I had only owned the console for a mere 8 months when I packed up and left home for the bright lights of university. The console, therefore, existed for me during a stage of enforced self poverty. New (well, pre-owned) games I still managed to justify occasionally, but instant noodles and supermarket value bread were prioritised over games magazines; and the internet was something I went to the library to check for roughly 1 hour a week when hungover and between lectures (and even then was mainly to email friends who had gone to other universities...and nearly almost always simply to tell them how hungover I was). Anyway, what I am trying to paint a picture of is that my finger during the 2000-2004 era was hardly on the pulse of information about anything...let alone Dreamcast.

• Related article: Official bleemcast! Press Release Discovered 

So for me, I didn’t learn about bleemcast! until way after the events of the Dreamcast had long transpired, and it was years later still that I actually discovered this had been an actual retail product, and wasn’t like my copy of DreamSnes that had been created and uploaded from some shed somewhere. This was instead a full-fledged and commercially available product release promoting legal emulation that allowed you to load PlayStation game discs on the Dreamcast, adding a load of graphical improvements along the way.

What all this leads up to then, is that I tracked down Randy Linden, a member of the original PC bleem! and Dreamcast bleemcast! team. I fired off some questions and Randy was kind enough to answer. Hopefully you will enjoy reading them as much I did, and will give an interesting insight into the development of one of the most notorious releases on the Dreamcast...

Dreamcast classic ChuChu Rocket! is getting a sequel

meow meow meow meow meow meow

Iconic Sega Dreamcast game ChuChu Rocket! (ranked 20th on our 2016 Top 200 games poll) is getting a sequel we learned today, via a stealth announcement from Sega.

We say stealth announcement - there had been murmurings of speculation, however, we will forgive you for missing it, as the new game - which is titled ChuChu Rocket Universe,  is only heading to Apple Arcade. Which I will admit I had never even heard of before this mornings news. So when I say forgive you, I mean forgive me obviously. Anway!

SEGA Talk Podcast: SEGA Dreamcast – 20 Year Anniversary (1999-2019)

In celebration of the SEGA Dreamcast turning 20 years old in America on September 9th, SEGAbits is talking about the console itself on this milestone episode of SEGA Talk! What went on behind the scenes during the development of the hardware? What were the best launch games? How early did SEGA plan to discontinue the Dreamcast? Find out all that and more on this episode!

Support SEGA Talk on Patreon! Get early access, tell us what games to cover, and have your SEGA memories played at the end and more! 

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Play Music – RSS – Download]

 If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next podcast or want to ask a question for us to answer on the next episode you can add  them as a comment below or send theme directly to our email. Make sure you use subject line ‘SEGA Talk’ and as always, thanks for listening!

Arcade Racing Legends - New racing title smashes through Kickstarter goal

The last few years in the Dreamcast indie scene have been an odd time. Long gone are the days where every new title announced seemed to be a German Shmup; the French are here now, and with JoshProd they've redefined the very nature of the scene. 3 waves of successful releases, has seen all manner of titles come our way - from classics like Flashback and Fade to Black, to ports of Visco Neo Geo titles like Breakers and Captain Tomaday, forgotten adventure gems like the Escapee and some more modern ports, like the recent (and excellent) Finding Teddy. It can't be stated enough just how much life JoshProd have brought to the scene - so it was unsurprising that when they announced a Kickstarter for a new 3D racing title to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the console, a lot of people (us included) got rather excited. Arcade Racing Legends is that new title, and with their initial goal already exceeded, we thought it was about time we took a look at what could very well be a new high point in the Dreamcast's Indie library.

Now technically, it's Pixelheart who are the guys behind this project. The Kickstarter is under that name, also the name of the website where you can purchase the previously released titles. It seems to be the same team as JoshProd, for the most part, though. Pixelheart have informed us that the development team includes Jerome Lignier and Jo the code master, both having more than 20 years experience in the games industry. Regardless of name changes, the Marseille-based group went live on June 27th with a professional looking pitch and talk of honouring and paying homage to the great legacy of Sega's racing lineage. Offering a range of pledge levels, from copies of the game right the way up to track and car branding, and with plenty of nifty little rewards in between, from die cast cars and card sets to fancy looking Polo shirts and racing caps, there was plenty to tempt the scene. The initial goal of €25,000 was met with more than half the time remaining, and (at time of writing) they're roaring on towards a series of stretch goals which include a full Pit Stop story mode, split screen play and ultimately, a potentially very interesting online mode.

The stated ambition of the developers is to create a game that will contain several nods to great Sega franchises - and this seems evident in the early beta the team released, as well as numerous mentions of classic cars from numerous titles. Sega Rally's Lancia Delta, Out Run and Daytona USA inspired cars and a rather lovely looking Crazy Taxi inspired number. Arcade racing is certainly the order of the day here as the name suggests, with the arcade mode offering exclusive vehicles as well the usual array of boosts and power ups that you'd expect -  although Pixelheart have promised both an Arcade and Simulation mode, and tentative promises of a story mode (if the required goals are met) are very interesting indeed.

The car selection certainly looks promising!

The early beta showcased the games 3D engine, which is an optimised version of the one used in 4x4 Jam (a game I really rather liked - click here for that review) and showed tracks used in an earlier iOS title. This did cause a minor stir in the community, with a belief that this was in fact just a port, but further clarification from the development team of why they used these assets, and progress on the title being shown regularly, has put any fears at ease. In a similar way, some concerns raised about using real-world licenses without permission have been tackled by explaining that they will be removed in the final game - so no need to worry about Sega's legal team coming knocking any time soon (they're rather polite to be honest, we know from experience). 6 tracks are currently promised, covering the range of standard racing environments, and there's a 2 player 'dual' mode which will feature, regardless of whether the stretch goal of split screen racing is reached. There's also the promise of a variety of musical styles to accompany the game.

Of course, as previously stated, there are some really rather juicy stretch goals on offer - and the one that grabs the attention the most has to be the potential for a full Online mode. Whilst it's obviously too early to speculate on what this would look like, the prospect of the thriving online DC community getting a brand new title to play is exciting. No doubt i'd get my arse handed to me by our resident racing expert (and real life race driver) James Harvey though. Again. There are also plenty of opportunities for high-level backers to support in game-branding, from track side banners to fully branded cars. Some of these have already been snapped up, and are looking rather lovely.

Having now played a newer build of the game, which includes early work on the Crazy Taxi inspired model, I have to say that I'm rather excited by this project. Sure, it's still early days, but the graphics are solid, the handling is getting there, and the tracks look interesting. Some of the vehicles to be added look really interesting (follow the team on Twitter as they announce latest car sponsorship's and some really nice designs) and some of their planned content has the potential to deliver a compellingly deep side to the arcade thrills. There's work to be done of course, and to be a truly great racing title on the Dreamcast (and there's no lack of competition here) there's going to have to be some tightening of the controls and handling on the different tracks, and some general polishing up, but so far it's looking very promising indeed

The Kickstarter is still live at time of writing, so there's still plenty of time to back the project and get yourself some sweet tier rewards too. Now, if anyone wants to pay for a DCJY branded car in the game, I can officially send you a signed, potentially risqué picture of Tom Charnock as a reward...

What do you think - are you supporting this latest Kickstarter project for the Dreamcast? Excited by another excursion to the 3rd dimension in the Indie lineup? Feel free to comment and don't forget to follow us over on our Facebook page and Twitter account (@TheDCJunkyard)

The Arcade Racing Legends Kickstarter page can be found here.

How Sonic Adventure Blue My Mind: Reliving the Hype

As we approach the 20th anniversary of the Dreamcast’s North American launch – 9.9.99 – I’ve been thinking a lot about my earliest impressions of Sega's final console and the reasons why I saved up my meager allowance to bring one home that day.

Sonic Adventure was undeniably the catalyst.

It was the game that jumpstarted my interest in Sega’s swansong console and in video gaming as a serious hobby. Over the subsequent decades, my sharp criticisms of the game have grown starkly at odds with my enduring fondness for it; yet neither sentiment has undermined, nor ceded ground to the other. 20 years onward, I continue to appreciate Sonic Adventure for a multitude of reasons but more for how it sparked my passion for the medium – and all the incredible experiences that would follow – than for the game it ultimately was. I’ve come to terms with the idea that, in a weird way, perhaps I'm nostalgic for a game that never truly existed.

Spoilers ahead for Sonic Adventure and Sonic 3 & Knuckles...and my childhood, for that matter.

Thanks to this magazine, I've been living the dream(cast) for the last 20 years. – EGM, Issue 112

In the beginning, 13-year old me was casually perusing the Electronics Boutique video game shop at a local mall. My mom was off shopping for shoes, or books, or circular saws, or whatever it is moms buy and I just wanted to kill some time. I wasn’t at all serious about video games; I still went outside back then. The nine-year-old Sega Genesis was the newest console I owned, and I had fallen completely out of the loop on what was happening around the then-modern gaming scene. Gazing at the rows of unfamiliar game boxes and jewel cases lining the store walls, I was bewildered. It’s like I had suddenly warped into gaming’s cynical, dreary future:

• Tenchu: Stealth Assassins? Turok 2? Apocalypse starring Bruce Willis? Looks like all the games are trying to out-badass each other these days. How edgy.
• Spyro the Dragon? Guess anthropomorphic dudes with ‘tude games will never die, huh? Oh, but this one breathes fire? Radical.
• Glover? Jeez, brand tie-ins must really be out of control if the Hamburger Helper mascot has his own game now.

I was largely detached from the newfangled games of that era and honestly, it didn’t seem like I was missing out on much. But then I finally noticed something a bit more…let's say, familiar?

It was the November 1998 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly. As I peered closer, I noticed the cover image looked vaguely like Sonic the Hedgehog. Hold on, it was Sonic the Hedgehog…except...was it? I recognized the blue spines and iconic red shoes – check and check – but this Sonic was staring at me with creepy green eyes and pointed coolly with his massive cartoon hands, inviting me to open this magazine to find out just what he’d been up to in the years since we last destroyed the Death Egg and returned the Master Emerald to Angel Island.

And so I did...

Beautiful. Glorious. Bullshots. – Also EGM, Issue 112

Turning right to the cover story, I was bombarded with a spread of gorgeous screenshots. Yep, it was Sonic the friggin’ Hedgehog alright, along with his furry pals Tails, Knuckles, and...other critters. The gang was all here and apparently they were poised for a triumphant return. And boy did their new game look amazing. To my untrained eye, these screens looked like some high-grade, expert Pixar-level stuff. I was already sold. I knew then and there I’d be buying this Sonic Adventures game and whatever platform it would…wait, Dream…Cast? Uh, Dreamcast? That sounds like some Engrish shit. Is Sega serious? 

The Sega None of the Above seems like an odd choice for a console name – but then again – so did the Dreamcast back then. – EGM, Issue 112, once again

But then the hype got real.

Retro Fighters 'Next Gen Dreamcast Controller' Kickstarter Update

Image from the Retro Fighters Kickstarter update

Retro Fighters have just posted an update on their progress on the Next Gen Dreamcast Controller they are working on (via Kickstarter). While brief, the post does state the analogue stick 'feels great' and that there is a video of it in action is on the way, (we'll link to it once it's up).

In the questions section of the update, they confirm the pad will work with the microphone attachment, which added with the rumble and VMU support, makes the pad as fully featured as possible.

We are always fans of new work Dreamcast related, so I reached out to the Retro Fighters crew and they agreed to answer a few additional questions for us folk here at The Dreamcast Junkyard.

DCJY - Hi guys, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for us, having previously worked on different systems, what made you choose the Dreamcast this time for your project?

Retro Fighters - We chose the Dreamcast because it holds a special place in our retro gaming collection. We at Retro Fighters are avid retro gamers and the Dreamcast has many gems in its library of games. Secondly, we saw that there wasn’t many companies making products for Dreamcast (especially controllers), we felt that there was a need for a new controller for the Dreamcast gaming community.

What has been the biggest challenge so far?

The biggest challenge with the Dreamcast controllers has been engineering the ergonomics while maintaining functionality. Everything from the controller shape and analog stick size was put into consideration to make sure we deliver nothing but the best playing experience for the Dreamcast. We started the initial ideas & designs for the Dreamcast controller about 2 years ago, so you can see that we are taking our time on getting everything right for you guys!

How have you found working with the Dreamcast community compared to the fan bases of the other products you have done so far?

Honestly we really haven’t noticed much of a difference between the two different communities. They both have a loyal following, we have gotten a lot of positive feedback, support and comments. We feel that the N64 community has been great with their response on the Brawler64. Both N64 and Dreamcast gamers have been very positive about what we are trying to do for the gaming community, we are trying to make fun and innovative products (that we also want to use) for all gamers.

What are the teams personal experiences with the Dreamcast?

One of the owners personal experience: “The very first game I played on Dreamcast was Sonic Adventure back in 99, the graphics and gameplay were impressive and fun, even the VMUs were innovative, being able to be used for other things besides saving files. Some favorite titles: Sonic Adventure, Power Stone, RE: Code Veronica, Shenmue, Soul Calibur, to name a few!” Another team member expresses her love for the Hello Kitty Edition and hopes that we might consider a future transparent pink color.

The Retro Fighters Brawler64 for Nintendo 64

A big thanks to the team at Retro Fighters for taking the time to answer these questions for us. If you are interested in checking out their previous work for the N64 and the PC and NES, then head over to their site here. Find the Kickstarter here.

If you own any of their products then let us know what you think in the comments, and also let us know your thoughts on their upcoming Dreamcast pad.

Rare Dreamcast-powered SEGA Fish Life preserved and released by Musée Bolo

SEGA Fish Life is a bonafide oddity of the early 2000s SEGA pantheon, and one that we've covered a couple of times in the past here at the Junkyard. It's also one of the rarest, most expensive, and most bizarre variations of the Dreamcast hardware. And by 'variations,' I mean: it's a virtual aquarium which runs on Dreamcast hardware that was intended to be placed in hotel lobbies, restaurants etc.; but which was only sold in small quantities and is barely known about outside of its native Japan.

How the SEGA Fish Life was marketed to businesses (Source)

The whole unit consists of a base (which contains the derivative Dreamcast hardware), along with a touch screen and a microphone. When used in conjunction, those with a passing interest in the serene aquatic panorama playing out on the screen could interact with the various fish by either tapping on them to reveal an info panel, or by speaking into a microphone embedded in the screen.

The unit in its final form with the screen (Source)

Both the software and the hardware that run SEGA Fish Life are amongst the rarest in the whole of the Dreamcast story. But now, thanks to the hard work and dedication of volunteers at the Swiss computer and games museum Musée Bolo, you can experience it yourself for (possibly) the first time.

Tranquility is the name of the game

Before we get the to the meat and potatoes (or should that be cod and chips?) of the SEGA Fish Life unit itself, it's probably worth me reiterating just how big of a deal this whole story is for both the Dreamcast and wider games preservation communities. The various SEGA Fish Life software iterations have never been dumped online, and are considered something of a Holy Grail for fans of esoteric, Japanese oddities - me included. The Dreamcast-derived hardware on which the software runs is even harder to come by, which makes the following story even more incredible...

The Dreamcast sealed games niche

The story of the Dreamcast’s demise has been told countless times, and countless times have fansites and journalists alike, explored the many great and innovate features that have seen the Sega Dreamcast ascension to the cult status that it now holds. However something that I know myself, and others, are fascinated by is the sealed games market that the DC scene seems to support.

Among the many great things about the Dreamcast, the cases, or more specifically the PAL cases, are quite frankly an abhorrent crime against design and manufacturing standards.

Some Cool Dreamcast Pin Badges From Dreamcast Collectiv

I recently received a package in the mail. Not an uncommon experience for most of you reading this - getting mail (or 'post' as we call it here in the UK) is an everyday phenomenon. Sometimes our mail is a demand for an unpaid bill, the thinly-veiled threat of bailiffs being sent round to our humble abode to confiscate our collection of 1920s beer bottle caps contained therein. Said hypothetical bottle caps will be sold at an equally hypothetical auction, and the funds 'acquired' subsequently forwarded on the creditor. This scenario is purely hypothetical. It was actually my collection of Ford Mondeo sump plugs that they took...but I digress.

A recent mail drop into my heavily guarded compound contained some rather lovely items: a trio of Dreamcast-related pin badges created by Dreamcast Collectiv to mark the 20th anniversary of our beloved console. Point your eyes at them:

One is a rather lovely smiling VMU, one is an Arcade Stick, and the other a lozenge emblazoned with '20th Anniversary,' which of course, is 2019 if you live anywhere that isn't Japan. Or any country that doesn't follow the Gregorian calendar. They are really rather nice, and are so well produced you'd be forgiven for thinking they were actually made by Sega.

I must thank the gentleman who sent them to me, at no cost and completely out of the blue. A man named Rene whom I salute and thank. Rene, if you're reading this, check your letterbox (erm...mail thing on a stick?) for a reciprocating gesture of goodwill and love of the Dreamcast in due course.

You can check out the Dreamcast Collectiv (and find out when their next awesome live event will be) by following them on Twitter here, or by looking at all their other social links here. Cheers Rene :)

The Dreamcast Cocktail

For a limited time (Oct 15 to Nov 14, 2018), there was a Dreamcast inspired cocktail available from Japanese Karaoke Bar chain JOYSOUND.

Classy

It was only available on the secret "back menu" - items that were unlisted and not advertised in store. You could only order one if you were "in the know" and hence forth impress all your Japanese salarymen and careerwomen buddies. It would set you back a princely 680 Yen.

And just what goes into a Dreamcast cocktail, you might ask? Let me impress you with my elite on screen character recognition software and google translate skills:

(....drum roll....)

Dreamcast: Year One Smashes Kickstarter Target

Hello. It's me, Tom. Been a while hasn't it? Enough about me though (sort of) - there's a new book all about the Dreamcast coming very soon! Full disclosure: I was actually interviewed for this book, so I do have a special interest; however it's still nice to see yet another physical tome dedicated to Sega's final console assume a physical - albeit not yet final - form. Yes, Andrew Dickinson's Dreamcast: Year One recently hit its Kickstarter goal of £6,000 and will now join the recent, similarly Kickstarted PS Vita: Year One as part of 2 Old 4 Gaming's stable of niche publications.

As stated, I was interviewed for Dreamcast: Year One and Andrew sent me a list of probing questions about my affinity with the console, my favourite games, and where I think the future of the system and its faithful community lie. To be honest, most of the stuff I wax lyrical about can probably be found in the archives of this very blog, such has my life been completely ingrained and documented here over the past decade and a half. That said, it was an honour to take part, and due to the success of the Kickstarter, the book looks set to be sent out to backers in October 2019.

Naturally, it's not all about me (weak McFly reference - check), as several other much more important people are also interviewed, with editor of DC-UK magazine Caspar Field,  editor of Official UK Dreamcast Magazine Ed Lomas, and former SEGA America chief Bernie Stolar amongst that number. There are also a bunch of mini reviews and deep dives on certain Dreamcast games. As the name suggests, it will primarily focus on the first year of the Dreamcast's meagre lifespan, and have a very distinct UK flavour which will make this book pretty unique in comparison to the mainly Japan and US focused stuff we're used to. There's a glut of original artwork by artist Erik Pavik that accompanies the words too. Overall it looks to be a very nice addition to the 2 Old 4 Gaming library.

The previous release from 2 Old 4 Gaming was the aforementioned PS Vita: Year One, and again - full disclosure - I was a backer and recipient of that book. As something of a PS Vita fanboy, I was very impressed with the accuracy and quality of the information contained between the covers of that particular text, so I have high hopes for Dreamcast: Year One.

You can find out more about Andrew Dickinson's Dreamcast: Year One by visiting the Kickstarter page here, and the upcoming PS Vita: Year One and PS Vita: Year Two books from 2 Old 4 Gaming here.

It's worth noting that there is also the other Dreamcast Kickstarter book coming in 2019 from Darren Wall (you can read about that one here), but we think there's enough of a difference in approach to both of these projects that they can easily live side by side on anyone's bookshelf, coffee table or stall at an overpriced games convention.

Finally, some more full disclosure. You may have noted a recent drop off in terms of articles from myself here at The Dreamcast Junkyard. That's because I was totally fed up with the internet, gaming, the way everyone screams at each other on social media these days and, well, life in general. So I checked out of the internet and took a well-deserved hiatus.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, and continue to do so. To this end, I doubt very much that I'll be back to updating this place as regularly as I used to, but I'll be checking in with the odd update every now and then to help the other writers keep it all ticking over. I won't be going back on social media though. Oh no. That dumpster fire can burn itself to the ground, and through to the very core of the planet.

The uncertain future of Space Channel 5

In the aftermath of the recent Leaving Neverland documentary, every man and his dog has been quick to distance themselves from any association with Michael Jackson. His songs have been removed from radio playlists around the world and even the first episode of season 3 of The Simpsons, which features the pop star, has been stricken from video streaming services. In light of all this however, there is perhaps one casualty that has yet to be covered (or uncovered) by the mainstream media.

BREAKING NEWS: Five new Dreamcast games incoming!

In addition to the announcement that the Kickstarter-funded FX Unit Yuki would be finally making its way to Dreamcast next month, JoshProd and RushOnGame.com have revealed their next batch of Dreamcast indie titles heading our way:

• Armed Seven - a mech-based side-scrolling shooter by Astro Port (2015)
• Finding Teddy - a pixel art point and click adventure by Storybird (2013)
• Magic Pockets - a platform game by the Bitmap Brothers (1991)
• Captain Tomaday - a Neo Geo vertical-scrolling "cute-em-up" by Visco (1999)
• FX Unit Yuki: The Henshin Engine - an old school action platformer (2018)

What a lovely mix of titles. Pre-orders opened today and the games are expected to ship between March 15 and April 30. All of the previous JoshProd titles are also up for grabs, so if you missed any, now is your chance. The promotion will be available on RushOnGame.com until midnight, May 15 2019 and the games are also available from the PixelHeart.eu store.

Retro Fighters Kickerstarter controller

Everyone and their dog has an opinion on if the Dreamcast pad is any good or not, however today saw a potential actual contender arrive for the much aged original Sega Dreamcast design. So if you do happen to either not be a fan, or just fancy a change after all these years, then more options are emerging in this field.

Retro Fighters, the LA team that has previously successfully Kickstarted and delivered pad designs for the NES and the N64, today launched and then achieved the £10,000 goal they had set for delivery of the project for a new DC pad, that will fully support VMU and rumble too.

NEWS FLASH! FX Unit Yuki set for March 2019 release

The first new game for Dreamcast in 2019 has been announced. FX Unit Yuki: The Henshin Engine, a love letter to the PC Engine, has been ported to Dreamcast and is set for a March 15th release date. Check out the announcement video below.

The Dreamcast Games of 2018

Welp! It’s February already and we haven’t even done a year in review for 2018 yet. Shame on us.

If you recall, 2017 was an unprecedented bumper year for Dreamcast games. There was a total of 27 physical releases last -  er.. the year before - including nine brand new titles, various re-releases and packaging variations. Along with the physical releases, we also got out hands on the previously unpublished game Millennium Racer: Y2K Fighters during 2017 as well. It was going to be hard for 2018 to top this lot.

Just what did the year that heralds the 20th anniversary of our little white box have in store for us? Let's take a stroll back down memory lane through the Dreamcast releases of 2018.

Every Dreamcast release of 2018