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Sega set to cut remaining Dreamcast and Saturn support
It looks like the Dreamcast's long, slow demise has taken another turn for the worse, as Sega recently announced that it'll soon stop supporting the console in Japan, with its predecessor, the Saturn, also suffering a similar fate. According to the company, the cut-off date for repairs will be September 28th of this year, after which you'll be left to fend for yourself if your console finally conks out after one too many games of Ikaruga. Given what they're selling for these days, however, simply replacing the console with another, slightly less used one is probably your best bet in any event.[Via Joystiq]
Sega planning to cut remaining Dreamcast and Saturn support
Where were you on 9/9/99? It's been almost 8 years since the Sega Dreamcast was launched in the United States, ushering in the "next" (and now previous) generation of gaming with the likes of Sonic Adventure, Power Stone and Soul "Is that intro in real-time?" Calibur. Despite a strong lineup, online gameplay (thanks, 56K modem!) and quirky memory unit minigames, the Dreamcast's momentum wasn't strong enough to halt the PS2's avalanche of hype. A few years into the system's lifetime saw Sega running out of steam and, more importantly, out of money. Those still clinging to their Dreamcasts are advised to take good care of them now, with Sega's Japanese website announcing that malfunctioning systems will no longer be accepted for repair after 28 September 2007. The hilarious machine translation of the page also points out that the Sega Saturn will suffer a similar fate, shortly before spewing forth an incomprehensible "understanding it receives, the fish you say to ask." Fish? Is that like a "fix a man's system and he plays for a day, but teach him how to fix it and he'll play for years" sort of thing? Though it's tempting to lapse into eulogy at this point, the Dreamcast will be around (and thinking) for as long as people still enjoy it. Sega might be hammering the final nail into the coffin, but the system inside is still alive and kicking... and screaming. [Via CVG]
Cool Herders converging on the DS
When Alten8 commits to a system, they don't mess around. The company is currently working on ten titles for the DS, and recently they announced that the first will be Cool Herders, a revamped version of the party game for the Sega Dreamcast. As you might have guessed, Cool Herders is all about collecting sheep, even if it means you have to steal them from your friends. It's hard out there for a shepherd ....
Dreamcast homebrew game coming to the DS
Alten8 has just announced it will publish Harmless Lion's homebrew Dreamcast game Cool Herders on the Nintendo DS. That's right, it's called Cool Herders. And yes, the sheep is wearing neo-retro sunglasses. The game was originally packed on the DC Tonic demo CD passed out at E3 2001. Later, a full commercial version of the game was released for the Dreamcast.Cool Herders is an action/party game where players must use power-ups to herd sheep and compete against their friends. It may sound simple, but the game has been remarkably well-received in its various iterations. The Nintendo DS version of the game will contain a handful of extras and support wireless multiplayer.Alten8 reportedly has ten mystery projects in production for the DS. More obscure, awkwardly-named indie Dreamcast titles? Perhaps. We'll hold our excitement until after playing Cool Herders.[Via Digg]
Crazy Taxi trailer doesn't get us too crazy
We heard that the upcoming PSP version of Crazy Taxi needed some graphical polish: and now we can see how much work it truly needs. IGN has the latest trailer, and it's riddled with Dreamcast-era visual quirks, from poor textures, to annoying pop-in. It certainly looks quite weak compared to what the PSP is easily capable of. In addition to revamping the graphics, let's hope that Sega will reconsider doing the sound in the game: the soundtrack and voice work looks to reek of cheese. Certainly, there's a lot more work to do before the game's release in June.
Ikaruga bound for Xbox Live Arcade
CVG has the scoop: Treasure's hypnotic, crushingly difficult and strikingly beautiful shoot-em-up, Ikaruga, is headed for Xbox Live Arcade. An early build of the game was spotted on the debug version of Xbox Live, which is only accessable through an Xbox 360 debug unit. Though the code wasn't functional yet, we imagine that Live co-op would make for an excellent addition to this particular version.For those who missed out on Ikaruga's previous console ports on the Dreamcast and Gamecube, know that the game is one of the genre's best -- at least if you're willing to accept the irremediable psychological damage caused by the game's never-ending sea of pulsating bullets. Let the torturous wait for further details begin!
Dream Games: Jet Grind Radio
Dream Games is a new weekly column where we explore a game we'd love to see on the PSP. Feel free to check in, and comment, every week.Jet Grind RadioDon't confuse Jet Grind Radio (aka Jet Set Radio) as simply a cel-shaded Tony Hawk. While it's true that you'll grind your way through a massive environment like in the formulaic sports game, Jet Grind Radio adds a charming universe, unique gameplay elements, and a refreshing art style in one of Sega's most memorable games on Dreamcast. Marc Ecko might have tried to recreate the fun of Sega's tagging game, but nothing comes close to what Sega has achieved in this game.Why PSP?The PSP has more than enough horsepower to run a game like Jet Grind Radio. The pick up and play gameplay of the original will translate incredibly well for handheld gamers. Certainly, the quick pace of the game will be attractive to many action-oriented PSP gamers. One of the cooler features of the Dreamcast original was the ability to use your own imported images as tags to place in the game (through the VMU). With PSP's Memory Stick compatibility, this feature is a no-brainer. The PSP's wi-fi capabilities would allow players to compete against each other.Is it possible?Hopefully, Sega's upcoming release of Crazy Taxi shows that they're interested in reviving their Dreamcast franchises on our handheld.
Is Sega cutting off Dreamcast disc production?
According to sources speaking to Dreamcast-Scene, Sega may cease production of the GD-ROM disc format this February. The GD-ROM is the Dreamcast's only official format, so this revelation would essentially be Sega pulling the life support from its final console, which has managed to retain developer interest even six years after Sega declared it dead.However, we know of a handful of Dreamcast games coming out in the next few months, so what's to become of them? If all else fails, they could release them as unlicensed CD-ROM titles. [Thanks, fyreblazer]
Sega set to cease GD-ROM production, spells end for Dreamcast games
Sega's loved-by-some ignored-by-others Dreamcast console hasn't exactly seen a flurry of game development as of late, but it looks like any hopes of a future shoot 'em up renaissance have been all but dashed, with Sega announcing that it will be ceasing production of its proprietary GD-ROM discs in February of this year. In addition to delivering Dreamcast games to loyal Sega gamers, the relatively high-capacity discs also served as the storage option of choice for Sega's Dreamcast-based NAOMI arcade platform, meaning that it too has likely also seen its last game. Of course, just because there's no new games coming out doesn't mean you can't still snag a used or refurbed Dreamcast and relive the good old days of a different type of console war.[Thanks, fyreblazer]
UFC pounding onto PSP
The first UFC game for Dreamcast really did something different with the fighting genre. It felt like a very violent game of chess and always kept you on your nerves. The license really lost steam as time went on though and eventually UFC games stopped being made all together. Now that the UFC is more popular than ever, THQ has decided to bring the octagon back to gamers. Joystiq has an article about the deal up, but let me quote the important part for PSP gamers: "The agreement will span all console and portable systems..." They didn't announce if one developer was handling all versions (which is unlikely) or if a different developer would work on each version. Judging from the huge stable of studios that work with THQ though, it's likely each platform will be a concentrated effort. For more, read the original article at Joystiq. Or you can find out why THQ bathes in money.
Relive Crazy Taxi with PSP rehash
Forget PSone, Sony should have worked out a deal with Sega to emulate Dreamcast on PSP. Instead, we're starting to see some attempts by publishers to revisit some of their Dreamcast titles using the UMD format. First, Capcom did Power Stone Collection, and now, Sega has announced Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars, built from Crazy Taxi 1 & 2.While Fare Wares offers a new *Ad Hoc* multiplayer mode, we'd gladly trade the additional content for straight-up ports; if it meant we'd be downloading the games and playing them via emulation. Is this just wishful thinking?[Via press release]
Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars revealed
Sega's really starting to ramp up their PSP support. As if After Burner and Full Auto 2 wasn't enough, they recently revealed a new version of their popular Crazy Taxi series for the PSP entitled Fare Wars. GameFront has pictures of the game, and unfortunately, they don't look too sharp. Thankfully, the game has a lot of time to shape up until its expected Summer release (in Europe).The game will feature 2 player ad-hoc multiplayer, and content from Crazy Taxi and Crazy Taxi 2. We're not sure if it'll have new content, but it will have a cool feature that allows you to record videos from the game and save it to Memory Stick, so that you can share your craziest fares.[Via IGN]See also:Power Stone Collection producer wants more Dreamcast ports
Dreamcast: the system that won't die [update 1]
Remember way back in January 2001 when Sega quit the hardware race and put their last system, the Dreamcast, out to pasture? Apparently no one told Japan, because now, six years later, they're still coming out with new games for the system over in the land of the rising sun. Sega Nerds has some details on three top-down shooters being released for the Dreamcast in the next few months: Last Hope, Trigger Heart Excelica and Karous. Casual importers should be particularly interested in the region-free Last Hope, which can be played on any Dreamcast without modification. Retro importers can pre-order all three games from Play-asia. Between these official releases for the Dreamcast, recent homebrew releases for the Genesis and Atari 2600 and the increasing prevalence of top-loading Famiclones, we may be entering a new era of support for classic consoles. As long as someone out there is willing to play, the market will find them. I know I'm personally clamoring for some new 3DO games. [Update: Fixed a link and the characterization as "top down" shooters. Thanks Brandon] [Thanks Keldon]
Radilgy now Radio Allergy, GCN shooter westbound
Which is it? Radilgy? Rajirugi? Radirgy? None of these. O~3 Entertainment has settled on 'Radio Allergy' for the North American release of Milestone's GameCube port of the throwback arcade shooter. Radio Allergy is due February 2007 for a mere $20.Radilgy made its console debut on Dreamcast this past February in Japan -- yeah, that's right, Dreamcast. A few months later additional versions wound up on PlayStation 2 and GameCube. Radio Allergy is a vertical shmup with anime flair. It's no Ikaruga, but anytime a classic-style shoot-em-up makes it out of Japan it's a blessing.
Wii Classic Controller hack fixes wire issue
Honestly, for us, one of the worst things about the Dreamcast was how the controllers had the wire coming from the bottom. Of course, one could push the wire up through the groove on the controller, but it shortened the already length-taxed cord available. We began to feel the same disappointment and fear upon seeing the Wii's Classic Controller, as well.But we are not alone! Someone else feels our pain and has taken it into their own hands to correct the issue, also providing step-by-step documentation on how they did it. They even say it takes all that of 5 minutes to do! Rock!So, who is else is going to do this to their Classic Controller?
One last Dreamcast game, over eight years later
Why go through the hassle (and lines of fire) to get your palms on a shiny next generation system when game developers are still popping out fresh hits for your Sega Dreamcast? You heard right, Sega's last flailing attempt in the console market still has a dream burning somewhere in Japan, as recent reports claim that "Warashi will be porting its arcade shooter Trigger Heart Exelica to the system." The game itself is a "side scrolling shooter" that utilizes a "three button system" (Genesis, anyone?) to take out your enemies. So if you're still hanging on to that (previously) antiquated console, and you don't mind games coming out some eight years after its release, then dust off the Shenmue and let it hold you over 'til the next big (and final -- right?) title lands on February 22, 2007.
Console launch lineup scores compared
1UP compiled a list of the best and worst games of modern console launches, including an average review score of each system's launch titles. This post updates a similar Next Gen article with just-released Wii and PS3 scores. The verdict? The Wii has the worst recent launch lineup, the PlayStation holds the all-time worst record, and the PS3 lands only two slots above the Wii.While we had fun browsing the best and worst games, we'll keep in mind that this list means little. (1UP and Next Gen even have marginally different numbers.) All of the 1UP launch scores average in the 70-80 percent range, so none clearly represents the success or failure of a console; the Dreamcast comfortably sits in third place, with Soul Calibur as the highest ranked launch title for any system.See also: Next-gen launch reviews projected[Thanks, Embassy]
Metareview: Power Stone Collection
There were way too many PSP games released in the past few days, and it seems like the big media sites are struggling just to play through all of them to give us reviews. Power Stone Collection, a port of the original Dreamcast brawlers, is now available on the PSP. How did it fare to the critics? Let's see: GameSpy (80/100) likes the frantic nature of the multiplayer matches: "With so much going on at once, you'll occasionally lose track of your character (especially during four-player matches), but you'll probably be having too much fun to notice much. If you missed it back when Sega was still making systems, now's your chance to give this well-remembered series a try.". 1UP (70/100) notes that Dreamcast fans will love this, even though the game hasn't aged too well: "While as nice as it is to see a classic arcade-style game get its due, what the world really needed wasn't a regurgitation of Power Stone 1 and 2; it needed Power Stone 3, brought up to spec with advancements in game design and all the things players have become accustomed to in other games.". Games Radar (60/100) thinks single-player is no fun: "The lack of online support severely hinders the chance you'll be seeing a lot of multiplayer action – and even if there were online support, there's nothing like sitting down in front of the TV with three friends and bashing each other's brains out. Sorry PSP, this one just isn't for you." It is unfortunate to see such mixed reviews for the game. If you've played it on Dreamcast, you know what you're getting yourself into. Even without Infrastructure support, you may want to take this game out for a spin. Who knows? Maybe we'll get other Dreamcast games this way.
Power Stone Collection producer wants more Dreamcast ports
IGN got a chance to talk to Capcom about their newly-released Power Stone Collection. According to the game's producer, Kazuhiro Tsuchiya, the game is relatively unchanged because they wanted to preserve the game's quality. Yeah. They weren't trying to be "lazy" at all. Interestingly, the PSP is compared to the Dreamcast:IGN PSP: Because of the button layout, the PSP seems the perfect fit for Dreamcast ports. Does the internal architecture of the PSP make it easy or difficult to port DC games? And is there a chance we will see some more Capcom classic Dreamcast games come to Sony's handheld system? Tsuchiya: The button layout on the PSP was definitely well suited for Power Stone and we are happy with the final results. In terms of hardware, it actually was not all that easy to transfer a Dreamcast game to the PSP. It took a lot of work to recreate the same experience because the systems are quite different. In the end though, we were able to pull it off and keep the same level of graphics and sound, so now we know it's possible. Capcom does have a lot of great games on the Dreamcast, and if user demand is high enough, we would be happy to consider moving other games to the PSP.The Dreamcast is one of my favorite systems ever. It would be awesome to see more games head from the Dreamcast to the PSP, especially considering how the Dreamcast never got to live the life of fame it so deserved.
Most relevant Dreamcast titles for today's gaming world
Racket Boy over at Retro Gaming has compiled a list of 20 Dreamcast titles aimed to help both new and familiar system owners explore the console's most unique and relevant games given today's industry landscape in a non-top-10 sort of way.He writes: "I know for a fact that most Dreamcast owners now are hardcore retro fans that happen to own a few different consoles -- both old and new. There may also be a few gamers out there wondering if they should bother adding a Dreamcast to their collection ... [Here] is a list of games that are still relevant in today's gaming market because of their unique gameplay that has not been improved upon on other consoles."Notable titles from the list include Shenmue (pictured), cel-shaded pioneer Jet Grind Radio, Virtua Tennis, Soul Calibur, and Ikaruga with several honorable mentions. How much love is your Dreamcast still getting, and which of its games still stand the test of time?[via Slashdot]
