Classic Replay

The Dreamcast is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998 in Japan, September 9, 1999 in North America, and October 14, 1999 in Europe. It was the first in the sixth generation of video game consoles, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nintendo's GameCube, and Microsoft's Xbox. The Dreamcast was Sega's final home console, marking the end of the company's eighteen years in the console market.

Game: Take the Bullet Developer: Scotland based Red Lemon studios System: Sega Dreamcast Dreamcast games I never knew existed? This shooter is set in the sixties, you are a highly trained bodyguard who must protect a presidential candidate, from a well-known gang, called the Children Of Gabrielle. What's amazing is that this game has over twelve missions, over fifteen or more different weapons, with a wonderful option to play from either a first-person mode or third person view, but get this, Red Lemon  were also developing the game to work with the Dreamcast's  official lightgun. The mind boggles at such a thought, can you imagine the likes of Virtua Cop or Confidential Mission where you're fully in control of where you walk? From what I've read thus far, this would require the use of the D-Pad, freely running around in this type of game would have been amazing and most likely a first. That's exactly what the developers were hoping for here, throw the a...

It`s time to roll up your sleeves and fight for your life! Grab those nunchucks, tighten that belt and get your shuriken death stars at the ready. Meanwhile, back on earth, this article celebrates all those weird and wonderful fighting classics, powered by pixel push and 3D technology! So kick back, grab a slice of pizza and in no particular order... kick some ass! If I missed off your favourite fighter, it's probably because I never played it, but please comment and recommend all the same. I'm always looking for a good scrap. Virtua fighter 2, Arcade and Saturn, released 1994 The Sega Saturn was butchered by the Playstation, but VF2 (Both coin-op and Saturn version) were the highlight of the 90s 3D proving grounds. Virtua Fighter 2 doesn't get boring, you just improve, with the fight becoming more tactical the further you progress. Master one character and it's back to basics for the next. Virtua Fighter 2 came w...

I’m sitting here staring at a blank white Microsoft Word background. My head is swimming with random retro thoughts, however, I haven’t got a clue where I’m gonna go with this, but I'll give it a shot.  I've currently been thinking about all these new remakes i.e. The NES, Megadrive and five hundred other devices that are currently available or incoming. Initially, I was really excited by it all, but in essence, these are just more lumps of plastic that I’ve already collected. In 2016, shouldn't we be able to play all our favourite games on a single platform? For sure we have the PC and Raspberry Pie, but I’m thinking more along the lines of a SEGA console that plays all SEGA games, for example; SMS, Megadrive, Game Gear, 32X, Saturn, and Dreamcast all in one lovely lump of Japanese plastic. The same goes for Nintendo, Atari and any other console manufacturer, sick of the prospect of buying yet another lump of plastic and feeling restricted to only one genre of consol...

I'm sure gaming enthusiasts everywhere at one point or another have experienced the arcade behemoth that is Power Drift! In my humble opinion, it is still a great racing game, especially when you consider that it was released way back in 1988? I also had the Amstrad CPC version which turned out to be one of the best arcade conversions for the CPC. It looks a bit messy these days, but back then it felt just as fresh and in y' face as the arcade original. Seriously, it was like a roller coaster ride on steroids. I'm now playing the new 3DS port, which was released by Sega on their Classics Collection compilation, but I'm really struggling. Even on the lowest difficulty, I can't make it past the fifth stage, across any of the twenty-five different circuits. Thrilling and exciting this game might be, but far more difficult than I remember. Lucky for SEGA fans, we now have a 3DS port, re-written and lovingly crafted in 3D. As with 'Outrun' released last ye...

Most people associate gaming with kids' classics like Outrun, Space Harrier and Streets of Rage are games that have lived on and continue to live on through adults. Nowadays, it feels as if SEGA has tapped into this and is on a mission to re-release most of their prized possessions, such as PowerDrift, a perfect racer in which you race across all sorts of weird and wonderful structures, or the legendary Outrun, it took me years to properly master this Yu Suzuki classic, it was like no other racer in the world. But it's the imminent arrival of Turbo Outrun that has me real excited, it's not quite "Outrun" I mean you can't really compare the two, for example, the sequel is more of an atmospheric hi-octane race, that transports the player through nearly every road-like extremity. Gone are the branching paths and selectable soundtracks, but it does have better graphics and more features, including upgrading your car between stages, and more importantly, you can...

Jet Set Radio Cel-shaded, psychedelic, roller blading graffiti action. Sega at their best! Countdown: 100 - Jet Set Radio - Dreamcast Join our blog for more...

Turrican 2 is massive, one of the biggest games I've ever experienced on any computer or console. You traverse ledge after ledge, with most jumps consisting of leaps of faith.  The programming team responsible Enigma House, boasted in (AA71) "Turrican 2 contains a jaw-dropping 1500 screens! Think of it this way - if you laid out 1500 monitors on their backs on the floor, it would cover an area 9240 meters square." Each level took up nearly 60k of code, with a total of five levels, this had to include sound effects and music, I'll let you do the maths! The amazing thing was, this game fitted on a single disk. The basic idea is to explore everywhere and anything, killing all sorts of nasties and giants, collect extra lives, power-up's and extended time, and basically just try to survive in order to reach the next stage. There's an excellent feel for the game, the main protagonist looks and struts along like a proper space trooper, and effortlessly g...

Opening with cold-blooded murder, this game relentlessly pushes your emotional boundaries, as you are taken on a journey of wonder, mystery, and vengeance. Released in 1999, #Shenmue was a #Sega Dreamcast exclusive  from the same team that brought us Sega Rally and Virtua Fighter and was also produced and directed by games designer Yu Suzuki, the same chap responsible for programming the original Space Harrier, Outrun and Hang-on.  Maintaining and average 89% on Game Rankings, Shenmue received the "Excellence Prize for Interactive Art", at the 2000 Japan Media Arts Festival, and was voted "Console Game of the Year" by Game industry News. However, despite the rave reviews and seemingly obvious success, sales simply couldn't justify its staggering budget, which has been estimated to have been between $47 million - $70 million - unheard of at the time, rendering Shenmue, arguably the most highly revered 'flop' in gaming history. During the first sce...

Rumour has it Yu Suzuki wants to make Shenmue 3 and that he's already finished the story, but apparently SEGA aren't willing to take the risk! It's looking increasingly like SEGA has pulled the rug from underneat h both him and the fans. When you have a massive software company, like SEGA, shying away from such a project, and leaving fans in the balance, is confirmation that we're living in strange times. But for some unknown reason, our bond with SEGA appears to have strengthened.  For whatever reason, the HD age hasn't tempted SEGA to re-release many of their flagship games onto next generation systems. In fact, HD to SEGA has been the equivalent of what the ice age was to the dinosaurs. There's been the occasional effort, like Daytona and AfterBurner, but classics, the likes of Shenmue and Sega Rally, remain on the Sega software scrap heap. Very sad, as even the most unimaginative Sega fans could daydream for hours about a remastered Shenmue, and how aw...

ROLLING START! If you owned a Sega Saturn (chances are you didn't) it's more than likely that Daytona USA would have formed as part of your early gaming collection. Those who have played the arcade original will be forced to admit that it's without question one of the best racers in arcade history. So, therefore, a Saturn conversion with all the tracks, vehicles and a prancing pony should be perfect, right? Well, the tracks from the arcade original were faithfully converted, along with the over-the-top presentation and bizarre music (so awful it's good). Unlike most coin-op racers of the time, the player's view of the racetrack can be viewed from a multitude of different angles, including inside and not just from behind the car. Besides having to stay on the racetrack and avoid crashing into barriers, there are forty other cars to contend with, that see's you competing at three different levels ranging from beginner, advanced and expert. The Saturn versio...

Released: 09/09/99 Company: SEGA Is it any good? The Dreamcast had a ton of potential, but unfortunately a futile amount of time to establish and adapt. Many folk blame piracy for its downfall (I hate piracy), but if that was the case... how come the PS1 didn't fail? Some people believe it was down to the brand being damaged, due to the Mega-CD and piss poor management of the Saturn. I wouldn't be surprised if the real reason was because it lacked a DVD player as seen in the PS2, but seriously, who knows? It's probably a debate that will rage on forever, and never reveal an answer. Should I still get one What is for certain is that SEGA make great games, always have and always will... and these days we get to play them on a multitude of platforms. You simply must own a Dreamcast, its library of games are still very attractive, and the console is easily affordable. The Dreamcast changed gaming forever, and that's why it left such a massive cav...