Chicken Run

Developers ~ Blitz Games Publishers ~ Eidos Interactive Released 24 Nov, 2000.

Chicken Run is a game based on the animated film of the same name and is suprisingly playable compared to the other film-to-game disasters. The story is simple: you must escape Tweedy Farm with all of your domesticated fowl chums by building catapults, see-saws and other comical escape devices. Its a parody of The Great Escape and hen houses look like POW barracks and are fenced in behind barbed wire. It also plays in parts similar to Metal Gear Solid where you must avoid search lights and sneak around with your feathery back to the wall.
Lookswise it can be a little blocky but not so much as to ruin the game, and in truth it only crops up in a few close up shots. Characters move well enough and it does feel like you're in a cartoon. The cut scenes of course are sublime and are straight out of the films animation drawer.
One of the coolest things about Chicken Run is the music. Again its very Great Escape with cheery brass band sections, that really do stir you onward in missions. (Well they do with me!) Voice overs are the genuine artice too.
Another neat touch are the mini games like The Bunty Eggs-Press game where you must feed a hen by tapping the blue button until its full then catch the eggs she lays before they smash on the floor. Neat!
You play three characters ~ Ginger (the main one), Rocky and Nick & Fetcher. Its all mainly gathering the bits and bobs you need to built the devices, while avoiding the Tweedy's and those pesky guard dogs. (You can lure the mutts away by lobbing sprouts around, like the knock-on-wall trick that Snake used in MGS.) When I first played this a decade ago, those dogs were genuinely frightening. It was that close up shot afer they caught you and bared those teeth that did it. Mrs Tweedy too is pretty spooky in a Wicked Witch of the West kinda way.
Im enjoying playing this again after all these years, the only downside is that while the camera can be moved with left/right d-pad dabs its not entirely helpful in allowing you to see your surroundings. I have often ended up in farmer Tweedys torchlight owing to the camera being an awkward swine. Thankfully your position (and those of your enemies) is marked on the little radar at the bottom of the screen (another nod to MGS) so its not utterly frustrating.
All in all Chicken Run is a decent game and for the price of a few pints you can't go far wrong. Wings up!

Top Ten Dreamcast Downloads

Lots of excitement around the fact that PSN and XBLA are now making Dreamcast titles available for download. It seems there might be one a month which is very cool news for veteran Dreamcast players, and those who didn't get to play them on the machine the first time around.
In anticipation of which games will make the download jump here is my TOP TEN wishlist in no particular order. Pay attention Playstation and Xbox download dudes.
N.B. You can read what I think of these games in more depth by going to the relevant review on this blog.

1. CRAZY TAXI

This fantastic game is already confirmed (it could even be available as I type) which pleases me greatly. Hopefully you can mess around with the music too as the only bad thing I have to say about Crazy Taxi was having to listen to The Offspring constantly.
This is near perfect for online shenanigans too.


On the highway to Dreamcast Heaven

2. HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2

Brilliant game and another which would be satisfying online. Rankings on leaderboards, togther with different boss challenges.

3. SILENT SCOPE

Cool game and what else would be cool would the ability to target others online. Good for a Hi-Score table also.

4. SPEED DEVILS

One of the best racers ive ever played. Think about it; you can place bets in Speed Devils and having the chance to bet (and possibly lose) your own vehicles in online races would make for more nteresting battles. And imagine downloading new tracks and vehicles like in Motorstorm. Count me in!


Imagine this in HD on a 50" screen

5. SHENMUE

Need I say more?

6. READY 2 RUMBLE 2

I want to punch out complete strangers in a different country while they are dressed as Bill Clinton. WIN!

7. ZOMBIE REVENGE

An awesome zombie shooter is essential because blasting zombies in the face is fun.

8. POWERSTONE

Either the first one or the second, im not fussed but one of them HAS to be included.

9. VIRTUA TENNIS

The best tennis game on ANY console ever. Online tournaments, new trophies, leaderboards, rankings, its all possible with tennis.

10. GUNBIRD 2

Sega GT

Developers - WOW Entertainment. Publishers - Sega Corporation. Released 2000

Sega GT is a driving simulator that was aimed at being a Gran Turismo beater. Or at least aimed at being on par with Playstation's car game/pornography. And in my opinion it succeeds. Granted this title drove straight past me ten years ago, and truth be told I had already had enough of 'real' driving games thanks to the Sony game but now after all these years I have picked up a copy of Sega GT for my collection and must say, I love it.
All the car makes are here, including Peugot, Suzuki, Subaru,Fiat and Honda, and they look the buisness too. Graphically this a very fine example of what the Dreamcast was capable of. (In fact I get the feeling this game wasn't running at full pelt and Sega's console was capable of so much more.) Still, everything looks lush from road shadows to whispy, moving clouds in the blue sky.
Of course before you can partake in any of the serious races you must first acquire a license. There is the B Class, A Class and SA Class to obtain in all and each will let you in to their relevant races. There are time trials to full blown championships to get stuck in to.
One particularly cool aspect of Sega GT is the corporate sponsorship of the championships (featuring, among others, McDonalds!) Win the tournament title and you'll earn more than just moolah and a fancy car; you'll bag a sponsor who rewards you further with great performances. The money is all well and good but the Golden Arches still hasn't gotten me my very own Big Mac vending machine.
When not racing for money (and burgers) you can pay a visit to your garage and upgrade your cars by fine tuning everything from fly wheels to pistons. Fans of the other driving simuluator will know what I mean here.
The only downside to Sega GT is during the early Club stages, the races are slow and as you can only afford a basic, un-souped up car you are forced to grind around the circuit feeling like you are steering an iron on wheels. But the game is only reflecting reality so no blame can really be applied to Sega GT.
Another great thing about this game is the music. Different races have different music styles so for example the dusty, desert circuit 'Deep Rock Road' has gentle country music in the background whilst 'Sky Peak Hill' has jazz. Its all a merciful release from having the likes of Ash belt out the same tedious track ad infinitum like they did on Gran Turismo.
Best news of all? It can be taken for a spin for the same price as a pint of beer so racing fans should have no excuses for not picking this up.

Jager Rating: 10 Jagerbombs !!

WWF Attitude

Developers - Iguana Entertainment. Publishers - Acclaim Sports. Release Nov 10, 1999.

As I have stated in my Royal Rumble review, I am not the biggest wrestling fan, but this is one WWF game I did go out and buy back in the day. It boasted so much depth of play for a sports title and had such bold looks that I couldn't resist. (That and I was wanting a break from action games for a bit.)
If you are a wresting fan then WWF Attitude cannot fail to excite. It has all the standard Exhibition and career modes and then a whole lot more. King Of The Ring events, Pay Per View events, you can even create your very own unique sweaty extravaganzas and design everything from lighting placements to event logos. Now thats depth!
New features included blood letting and the ability to play to the crowds and from the little I have watched of wresting, the chance to get those audiences hollering for you is a big part of the show. Also each wrestler entered the ring with their own unique entrances, that is the ones they use in real life. So far so good then.
I spent Saturday morning with this game and came away with the impression that while Iguana Entertainment has no doubt made a fine looking game with all the bells and whistles (or should that be bandanas and lycra?) it also has its share of downward pointing thumbs.
First off are the arenas themselves. Now while they look the buisness and have the official logos and fighters entrances, they 'feel' very small and not arena like at all. For instance you can hear single shouts of support for one wrestler, making it feel more like its being held in a pub than stadium. Commentary is dire too compared to the accomplished television style commentary we have got used to by the likes of Madden. At certain times one of the presenters giggles for no apparant reason which made me feel like I was being watched by a madman.
Each fighter has their own taunts too but personally with lines such as The Undertakers, 'children shouldn't play with demons,' I would feel more threatened by a tag team consisting of lambs and butterflies. And don't get me started on Kane, who for some inexplicable reason sounds like a toaster.
On the other hand the wrestling itself is done well and the slabs of muscle and lycra move about the ring as you would expect. No problems there. Also the moves (don't ask me to name any) seem to be cool enough and all in order. Saying that I did seem to get by simply sticking to using a kick and punch combo which tells me something is not quite right for a 'sport' that prides itself on wild, stylish manouvres.
So there you go, about as fair and unbiased review by a non wrestling fan as you're likely to get. And my gripes are only with the sounds, which aren't up to the games decent looks and scraps. Most fans of WWF will love this, especially with the depth of play and chance to set up their very own events. (If only we had a rugby game that did this.)
More good news is this sells for peanuts on auction sites and can be got for the price of a Sunday newspaper.

8 Jagerbombs.

Ducati World

Developers: Attention To Detail. Publishers: Acclaim. Released: March 9th, 2001.

Ducati World is a racing game of the two wheeled kind, where the developers shunned the sports cars and jeeps for motorbikes, and not just any bikes but Ducati superbikes (and the odd vintage and touring models.) Not being a lover of cars but being a huge bike fan I got really excited when I first heard this was being made all those years ago, and because the Playstation version was released before the Dreamcast game I went straight out and picked up a copy on the day of release. (And to be honest by 2001 I had more than enough Dreamcast racers to keep me going.)
Fast forward nine years and here I sit with a Dreamcast copy of Ducati World and a happy bunnykins I am too. Other reviews have spent most of their time being on the stingy side and picking out flaws but I ignore them as usual. This is a pleasant enought racing game (especially for Ducati fans) and there is nothing about it to warrant a drubbing. Ok there are a few downsides such as aggressive opponents intent on knocking you into the scenery and there are no replay videos but these really are minor scrapes rather than a full head-over-handlebars accident.
If you want to, as Steppenwolf said it, just head out to the highway you can by hoosing Quick Race but the real meat of this game, the real rubber on its tyres (enough already! - impatient ed) then Ducati Life is the way to go. Here you must buy/sell bikes, obtain the important licences (to be able to race the big events), tune the bikes engine, brakes, etc and compete in some cool races. It really is a petrolheads daydream come to life and if you have ever played the career mode in Gran Turismo then this is it once again but with fewer wheels.
There are three licences to go get and tests for these go from the incredible easy starting and stopping to having complete laps in under a minute while never making a mistake. They are all fairly enjoyable however the tests can be unforgiving at times and frustration levels can go way past the healthy level.
Looks wise its no Katherine Jenkins but in the same breath its no Susan Boyle either. Some of the bikes look pretty good and the bails look painful enough.
Get to know the circuits well enough and it pays off by being able to weave around the corners, leaving those waspish opponents in the dust. Very satisfying. And there are over 40 Ducati's in the game along with helmets, leathers. Everything a budding Carl Fogarty would need.
I don't see this come up at auction sites very often and while by being no means rare, the bike fan with a Dreamcast should snap Ducati World up if they get the chance. I paid £3 for mine and thats about right.

7 Jagerbombs

Gunbird 2

Developers: Psikyo. Publishers: Capcom. Release date: Febuary 2, 2001.

Gunbird 2 is a fantastic (hows that for early praise?) 2D scrolling shooter and yet another hit for the brilliant Capcom. Basically players chose one of 7 zany characters (each with different attacks) and flew up the screen shooting everything that comes your way. And I do mean everything! Enemies constantly come in waves at you, showering the play area with hundreds of bullets and projectiles.
Not being much of a shooter fan back in the day, Gunbird went totally beneath my gaming radar and I didn't play it, but having picked up a copy (a bargain £3) for my Dreamcast collection I must say that its a brilliant title which has hardly been off the console. (And what a fool my younger gaming self was.)
It looks fabulous, even having just come off the sublime looking Devil May Cry 4, proving that the Dreamcast can still shine with todays games. Robots and weird looking space crafts sail around the screen in lush colours, making the player often yell 'cool!' at them. Or maybe just me.
There are 5 difficulty types in all ranging from BABY mode to VERY HARD, the latter being indeed very VERY Hard, blimey! The not so hard levels are a joy for first time players of these type of frantic shooting games, I was sure glad of them because the tougher modes would be enough to put me off altogether. Hey, nobody enjoys dying every 5 seconds right?
What was cool about Gunbird 2 was that for the Dreamcast it had an online rankings board so gamers could strut their virtual stuff. Too bad Dreamarena is a thing of the past but only illustrates just how far ahead of the pack Sega was at the time.

Characters:

Marion - A magician.
Alucard - Vampire, son of Dracula. Alucard is Dracula spelt backwards.
Valpiro - A military robot.
Tavla - Teen girl with a jet pack.
Hei Cobb - A guy with a turban on a flying carpet. Cool!
Aine - A one eyed Samurai.
Morrigan - The succubus from Darkstalkers makes an appearance. Doubly cool!

And like I said you pick one these dudes/dudesses, in order to take on the hilarious (but deadly) Queen Pirates. The final boss is an Eleephant God that is an obvious parody of the Satochan mascot of Sato Pharmaceuticals company.
This is arcade 2D shooting at its brilliant best and deserves a place in any gamers collection, the only downside can be the price. I got really lucky in getting it for £3 because ive seen Gunbird 2 sell for around £8 and upwards. On second thoughts for £8 its still a pretty decent price for such gaming excellence.
Quality rating: 10 Jagerbombs!

Metropolis Street Racer

Developer: Bizarre Creations. Published by Sega. Release date: 11th March, 2000.

Metropolis Street Racer was initially pegged as a launch title for the Dreamcast, however due to numerous delays it was not to be. Probably a good thing too because it gave Bizarre Creations time to fine tune everything from the tyre up. Make no mistake about it, this is a fine racing game with slick looks, cool soundtrack and a great feel to the races.
Foolishly I ignored it first time around (those adventure/fighting games again) but I picked a copy up a few weeks ago for peanuts and have gone some way to redeem myself by taking it for a spin every chance I get. And richly rewarded I am too whenever I do.
There are 3 cities to tear up (not literally) - London, Tokyo and San Francisco and each of these are recreated with delicious detail and are a joy to race on. They 'feel' like their real life counterparts. Considering the title is a decade old its quite a feat as other racing games at the time were often lazy in track design. For example if they wanted to make a British based circuit the would simply include a few red phoneboxes and miserable weather conditions or for a Dutch track a couple of windmillos would suffice but Metropolis Street Racer doesn't steep so low. Racing in Tokyo IS like racing in Japan (or how I would think it is) so big THUMBS UP to Bizarre Creations for pulling it off.
The soundtrack to this was a neat innovation of the time too. Basically it was a mix of fictional radio stations. There were 9 in all, 3 stations for each city and the only other game I remember doing this back in the day was Grand Theft Auto.
There were 5 race modes:
Hotlap: A solo sprint consisting of usually 3 laps attempting to beat a specific time.
One-on-one: A race against an opponent. (Players can give themselves or the computer opponent a head start up to 60 seconds.)
Street Race: A single race against multiple opponents.
Championship: A 4 race series against 3 opponents. Points are received based on the player's position at the end of each race.
Challenge: A race with custom rules like passing a certain number of cars within a time limit for instance.

All of them pretty spiffing too. And what is also cool is that this is STILL one of the BEST racing titles out there in Videogame Land© which can be bought for as little as £2. £2 for Metropolis Street Racer you say? Get thee off the starting grid on the double!

Urban Chaos

Developer Mucky Foot * Publishers Eidos Interactive. Released 6th October 2000.

Urban Chaos is a third person action/adventure game based in the fictitional Union City, which is for the most part free roaming allowing you to go almost anywhere. In the beginning you play rookie cop Darci Stern, a no nonsense police officer who believes in getting the job done. (Don't they all, these young kick ass lawmen? Or woman in this case.) Later in the game a partner appears called Roper, who is a bit of a mystery ex military chappie who sports a cool beard in a tramp kind of way.
Union City is being plagued by a gang going by the seriously naff name The Wilcats, who are being run by Bane, the games big baddie. You and your cop buddies are out to turn the cats into kittens by using a bit more than stern words and a rolled up newspaper. (Or is that for dogs? Cats never listen anyway.)
I first played this on the Playstation because it was released a few months earlier on Sony's console and I just couldn't wait to start arresting perps or running them over in my squad car. Police brutality? You betcha!
Having only just got a copy for my Dreamcast I was expecting some fond memories to come flooding back but alas the memories were replaced by shock as soon as I got in control of Darci. Guiding her through the training level assault course was a frustrating affair due to the joystick nub being ultra sensitive, making simple obstacles a nightmare to get over. Add the fact that the camera has a mind of its own and contol of that requires use of the D pad while STILL attempting to manoeuvre Darci and you can understand how bad it gets. I don't recall it being like this on Playstation and as that joypad didn't have a joystick nub it couldn't have been.
Its a shame too because the game itself is quite good and with better contols Id be all over it with praise. I mean when a game allows you to slide tackle pedestrians then leave them handcuffed on the road in front of oncoming traffic it gets a BIG thumbs up from yours truly. Honestly, I spent WAY too long doing this.
There is a decent list of fighting moves on offer too, ranging from straight forward kicks and punches to back roundhouse kicks and grabs. As well that awesome sliding tackle! Also bats, batons and of course firearms can be picked up. But once again the controls mess it up because targetting a hoodlum is a point and hope system and you can't aim at specific people like say in Grand Theft Auto IV. You simply walk into a gang with gun drawn and hope the target cycle lands on a gun wielding thug. Not very confident in missions then.
Looks wise its okay, the cars are a little blocky and pedestrians are almost all clones (hookers and thugs mainly) but thats how games were ten years ago so those blips can be forgiven.
I tried to enjoy Urban Chaos because it has some neat touches but I cannot recommend it because the control system is so flawed and frustrating. In all honesty if I wasn't going for a complete Dreamcast PAL collection I would have chucked this back up for sale. I still go back to it but only when I feel like abusing innocent city dwellers, which is a dubious kind of plus.
Another plus was that I only paid £1 for it which is all its worth if you still really fancy a punt on it. 4/10

Daytona USA 2001

Developed by Sega-AM2/AM4 and published by Sega, Daytona USA 2001 was released in Europe on 11th May, 2001 and is a cracking conversion of the immensly popular arcade game. Candy colours, fast cars, excited voice-overs, great racing circuits, it all adds up to what Sega does best, creating near arcade experiences for your living room. Anyone with a Dreamcast probably played this title, even if they weren't a big racing fan. I definately did! I remember getting this on launch day then crowing about it on Dreamarena like most over eager gamers did back then.
Okay i'll be the first to admit that handling of the cars took a little getting used to but as there are options to tinker with the vehicles contols to suit your preferrences then it isn't like the player is stuck with a bathtub on wheels. There are 4 cars to begin with: Hornet, Grasshopper, Falcon and Lightning. And also 6 unlockable machines: Unicorn, Red Cat, Pywackett Barchetta, Rule Of The 9th, Javelin and the Paywackett Barchetta Super. Each car has different strengths and weaknesses such as better grip for the Hornet but lacking acceleration, or speed for the Lightning at the cost of handling. Personally the Grasshopper is my most driven car because for me its a decent all rounder.
One albeit very minor grumble are the decals. I wanted to splash my ride with skulls and cheesy go-fast flames but instead am limited to changing only the bodywork colour. Like I say, its not important to the overall game but it would have been nice to see bonnets and doors adorned with crazy designs. But its certainly not a game breaker.
Tracks wise there are 5 accessable from the off: Three Seven Speedway, Dinosaur Canyon, Sea Side Street Galaxy, National Park Speedway and Desert City. These were circuits from the arcade version but Dreamcast has 3 bonus ones: Circuit Pixie, Rin Rin Rink and the figure eight shaped Mermaid Lake.
Each one has their own special features and all provide enough thrills and indeed spills to satisfy everyone. Opponents AI are 'in the zone' so getting ahead of the pack (and staying there) requires steely concentration. Mistakes WILL result in you flying off the road while the rest of the drivers leave you choking in bitter dust.
Daytona USA 2001 is a fantastic racer and surely up there with the Gran Turismos of that era. And it can be picked up for anything between £4 to £8. It can go for more but I think those are more than fair prices. Fabulous Dreamcast title. 9/10

Fur Fighters

Developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Acclaim, Fur Fighters was set loose on the world on September 23rd, 2000. In an effort to step outside your usual 3rd person adventure/shooter, here you took control of a band of 'cutesy' animals packing a LOT of heat who are out to kick General Viggo's furry rump.
It is one of those games which had a 'feel' all of its own and the humour was special too. For example some levels are a comical twist of film titles with places like 'New Quack City' aping the name of the Ice T movie 'New Jack City.' And Viggo's pet Fifi who has a dog's body but the head of a nasty looking bald man. It was touches like these that made it quickly stand out from the usual adventures.
The story is simple; General Viggo has kidnapped the Fur Fighters' babies and hidden them all over the world so the Fighters (there are 6 in all) must search for them, solving puzzles and beating Viggo's henchmen as they go. And to get through this huge game world you will need the different skills that each furry hero posess. For instance reaching those high objects requires Bungalow the kangaroos super jump ability whilst getting to the watery depths, Rico the penguin will step in. (Full character names and abilities below.)
Fur Fighters was made in a time when human voiceovers in games were not widely used (if ever) so instead of hearing the animals speak through an actor, all players hear is a kind of garbled, mumbling voice with subtitles at the bottom in plain english. There are mixed feelings about this but personally I think it gives it much more character and helps extend its unique 'flavour'.
Controls initially take a bit of getting used to because instead of using the Dreamcast controllers left joystick to move, players use the four buttons. (Y to go forward, A to go back, X left and B to move right.) I must admit it took me a while to get the hang of it but once you do it becomes second nature. Indeed I think this was the best control method as the joystick would have made it too fiddly. Too sensitive for accurate movement. And with the shoulder buttons taking care of jumping and shooting it all feels pretty comfortable.
When all is said and done Fur Fighters is a cool title which should appeal to those gamers looking for an adventure of a different style. I picked a copy up for as little as £5 (including postage) and thats a steal for what you get. I'll be honest, I didn't bother with this when it was released because I stupidly took one look at the cover, decided it was a 'kids game' and left it on Electronic Boutique's shelf. Silly boy! A Dreamcast collection is all the more colourful with the Fur Fighters on its side, so grab a copy while they're still selling for the price of a tin of Yum Yums pet food.

List of Fur Fighters:

Roofus - A dog with the speciality of digging holes.
Chang - A firefox who can fit into tiny spaces.
Juliette - A cat, the only female character who can climb walls.
Bungalow - Kangaroo who deals with those high jumps.
Rico - Penguin (sort of) who is able to swim underwater.
Tweek - A little dragon who can glide from great heights.

Hydro Thunder

Hydro Thunder was a Sega Dreamcast launch title (September 9th, 1999) developed and published by the fantastic Midway and is a pretty fabulous game in itself. Its a racing game where you pilot a futuristic speedboat through a number of really cool and brilliantly detailed waterways, racing rivals as you go. And believe me, for a title that was released just over ten years ago it STILL packs a great arcade clout.
Shamefully this was another launcher that I missed first time around on the Dreamcast carousel (blame Shenmue) but having recently added it to my collection I have rarely given the disc a chance to stop spinning. Its that good. Every track has its own distinctive features and keep pulling you back for another stab at beating a previous time or better position.
It all looks great and you hardly notice you're playing a decade old game. The boats look good and handle really well. And they even have brilliant names, 'Damn The Torpedo' and 'Mis Behave' spring to mind. The only niggle I could find was when the boats went over ramps or high drops it was impossible to land on dry land due to an invisible wall obviously designed to keep the player on their watery track. Now when racing on good old H20 you don't want to land on the shore, but when flying through the air and obviously heading toward land, it does spoil the experience somewhat to find your boat suddenly bouncing off thin air and returning to the circuit.
Still its nothing drastic and when the rest of the game is so good im not going to knock it for, when it boils down to it, having a rather helpful 'glitch'.
There are 13 circuits in all:
EASY - Thunder Park, Lost Island and Artic Circle (complete with killer whales!)
MEDIUM - Greek Isles, Lake Powell and The Far East
HARD - Ships Graveyard, Venice Canals and New York Disaster

There are 4 tougher BONUS races too but I don't want to spoil the fun by revealing them all. Suffice to say earning them is well worth it. As ive said the detail in each track is pure eye candy, from skull rocks and smoking volcanoes in Lost Island through to the eerie underground section of Lake Powell, it all makes for a thrilling race ro the finish line.
Controls are as easy as an easy pie as they often are in Dreamcast racers and all in all Hydro Thunder is a peach of a game. Plus it goes for around £1 to £3, making it a very tasty peach indeed. Excellent stuff!

**** Check my video out ****

Formula One World Grand Prix

Formula One World Grand Prix was developed and published by Video System and released in Europe on 30th November, 1999. A time when this gamer was fully immersed in all things F1 so this was like a chilled Jagermeister served by Dame Helen Mirren wearing nothing but high heels, but I digress.
To get straight to the point this is one of the best F1 games ive played (ive zipped around a fair few circuits too) and only the lacklustre commentary lets it down. Yes its the legendary Murray Walker, and yes all Formula 1 fans love him (probably) but you get the feeling he was only in the studio for one afternoon for this one. In the main all he tells you is the position you are in. But there is a funny part where dear old Murray tells you, 'try driving on the track!' Should you veer off it and the tone he uses is soaked in total distain for your clumsiness. Absolute class!
The game itself looks great, in fact I gave it a spin last night and was still impressed by it. The rain as soon as you hit Silverstone is pretty neat and proves a real challenge to stay on track provoking lots of outbursts from Walker. Cars all look fine in official livery and sponsor logos and there are 5 camera views to choose (cockpit view all the way for me.)
There are four modes in all: Single Race lets you drive any car on any track, Championship which is the full 1998 season, Time Trial pits you against the clock and Match Race is the multiplayers choice. One cool thing about playing the full season is the weather being the exact conditions they were on the actual race day all those years ago, so if it rained at Silverstone (as per usual) then you'll get the wet stuff in the game too. Neat.
If doing the full 72 laps on the Nurbergring isn't your truck of bananas then you can do 30, 12, 6 or 3 laps but be warned! Opting for anything less than 30 laps robs you of getting into the spirit of the game with all the pit stop strategies (you'll need those to win) and cursing like a rum drunk sailor as one of your cars wheels suddenly gives out.
Obviously the drivers on offer are the '98 breed so its Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen and Johnny Herbert you'll be seeing and not Lewis Hamilton and his chums. But this for me is a good thing as there were more characters in the drivers paddock back then.
The game should please petrolheads too as you are able to tinker with every part of the cars set up. Glad of this too because in default the car can be quite skitty if you're not used to playing F1 games.
All in all its a wonderful title and as I stated above, its one of the best F1 titles ive played. And best news is you can get a copy on auction sites for the same price as a Sunday newspaper. Better fun too. This ones a podium winner.

Dreamarena

One of the cool things about the Dreamcast was it was one of the first consoles to go online, opening the way for plenty of fantastic multiplayer battles with games like Phantasy Star Online and Quake III. But not only this but gamers were able to access the internet in general and was many peoples first dip of their toes into super highway waters.

The Dreamarena Hub

I remember being very impressed at seeing the Sky News logo appear on my television screen thanks to Sega's little wonder. Ah the joys of experiencing things for the first time! No matter how small it looks today it was always HUGE back then.
My screen name on Dreamarena was Frann but you could create other usernames which led to what was probably the first wave of 'Cyber Transvestites'. You know, those strange types who seem to get a kick out of being the opposite sex on places like Playstation Home. Well Dreamarena had its share of those.
What was cool about it was the different 'lounges' you could join to chat in. And by and large it was a friendly community where people discussed new titles and films, like internet forums we have now. But there was more too with Sega (and other games developers/publishers) hosting competions and give-aways of rare collectables, not to mention up-to-the-minute news regarding anything Sega.
It really was a cool place to hang out and its where I learned internet speak and the first time I had ever heard of LOL (Laughs Out Loud.) There were some good people on it. I wonder if they still go gaga over the Dreamcast?

My Dreamcast Collection

Drum roll. Pipe up the hornpipes and trumpets!



62 games and counting. (Some out of shot.) Im not rushing through this Dreamcast collection by grabbing big bundles of titles at once. I could do it that way as a lot of the games are only £3 a pop if you don't include the Shenmues and Skies Of Arcadias but I want to enjoy building it up slowly, sticking to 2 - 4 games per week and just ambling along taking my sweet time. And by doing it this way I give myself the chance to actually PLAY them one by one, soaking in all their lovliness instead of just swiping all and sticking them on a shelf never to be touched again. Ive never understood collectors who do that. Im collecting to PLAY, not watch dust gather.



Above is one of my Dreamcast consoles flanked by the awesome Shenmue & Shenmue II. I have 3 consoles in all, 2 working and hooked up ready for action and the one I have in the picture on show. I like to have a few hanging around in case one dies on me but knock wood they're all in great shape.
I even have lights around this shelf to illuminate the World's Greatest Console (in my opinion) and good thing too. It deserves its place in the spotlight.

Full PAL Dreamcast List

The X marks the ones I have -

1. 102 Dalmatians: Puppies To The Rescue
2. 18 Wheeler American Pro Tucker X
3. 4 Wheel Thunder X
4. 90 Minutes: Sega Championship Football X
5. Aero Wings
6.Aero Wings 2: Air Strike
7. Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
8. Army Men: Sarge's Heroes
9. Aqua GT
10. Bangai-O
11. Blue Stinger
12. Buggy Heat
13. Bust A Move 4
14. Buzz Lightyear of Star Command
15. Caesars Palace 2000
16. Cannon Spike
17. Capcom vs SNK: Millennium Fight 2000
18. Carrier
19. Championship Surfer
20. Charge 'N' Blast X
21. Chicken Run X
22. Chu Chu Rocket! X
23. Coaster Works
24. Confidential Mission
25. Conflict Zone
26. Crazy Taxi X
27. Crazy Taxi 2
28. Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX
29. Daytona USA 2001 X
30. Dead or Alive 2
31. Deadly Skies
32. Deep Fighter
33. Dino Crisis
34. Disney's Dinosaur
35. Donald Duck: Quack Attack
36. Dragon Riders: Chronicles of Pern
37. Dragons Blood
38. Ducati World X
39. Dynamite Cop
40. Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
41. ECW Anarchy Rulz
42. ECW Hardcore Revolution
43. European Super League
44. Evil Dead: Hail to the King X
45. Evil Twin Cyprien's Chronicles
46. Evolution: The World of Sacred Devices
47. Evolution 2: Far off Promise
48. Exhibition of Speed
49. F1 Racing Championship
50. F1 World Grand Prix X
51. F1 World Grand Prix 2
52. F355 Challenge: Passione Rossa X
53. Fighting Force 2 X
54. Fighting Vipers 2
55. Floigan Brothers: episode one X
56. Freestyle Scooter X
57. Fur Fighters X
58. Gauntlet Legends
59. Giant Killers
60. Giga Wing
61. Grand Theft Auto 2
62. Grandia II
63. Grinch, The
64. Gunbird 2 X
65. Headhunter
66. Heavy Metal Geomatrix
67. Hidden and Dangerous X
68. House of the Dead 2, The X
69. Hydro Thunder X
70. Incoming
71. International Track and Field
72. Iron Aces
73. Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000
74. Jet Set Radio X
75. Jimmy White 2: Cueball
76. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
77. Kao the Kangaroo
78. Kiss Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child X
79. Le Mans 24 Hours
80. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
81. Looney Tunes: Space Racing
82. Magforce Racing
83. Maken
84. Marvel vs Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes X
85. Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
86. MDK 2
87. Metropolis Street Racer X
88. Midway's Greatest Hits - Volume 1 -
89. Millennium Soldier: Expendable
90. MoHo
91. Mortal Kombat Gold
92. Mr Driller
93. MTV Sports Skateboarding
94. NBA 2K X
95. NBA 2K2
96. NBA Hoopz
97. NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC
98. Next Tetris, The
99. NFL Blitz 2000
100. NFL Quarterback Club 2000
101. NHL 2K
102. Nightmare Creatures 2
103. Nomad Soul, The
104. Outtrigger
105. Pen Pen Triicelon
106. Phantasy Star Online
107. Phantasy Star Online Version 2
108. Planet Ring (*1)
109. Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein
110. POD 2: Multiplayer Online
111. Power Stone X
112. Power Stone 2
113. Pro Pinball Trilogy X
114. Project Justice: Rival Schools 2
115. Psychic Force 2012
116. Quake III Arena X
117. Racing Simulator: Monaco Grand Prix
118. Racing Simulator 2: Monaco Grand Prix Online
119. Railroad Tycoon II
120. Rayman 2: The Great Escape
121. Ready 2 Rumble Boxing X
122. Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 X
123. Record of Lodoss War
124. Red Dog: Superior Firepower
125. Resident Evil 2 X
126. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
127. Resident Evil Code: Veronica X
128. Re-Volt
129. Rez
130. Roadsters
131. Samba De Amigo
132. San Francisco Rush 2049
133. Sega Bass Fishing X
134. Sega Extreme Sports X
135. Sega GT
136. Sega Rally 2 X
137. Sega Swirl
138. Sega Worldwide Soccer 2000
139. Sega Worldwide Soccer 2000: Euro Edition
140. Shadowman X
141. Shenmue X
142. Shenmue 2 X
143. Silent Scope X
144. Silver
145. Skies of Arcadia
146. Slave Zero
147. Sno Cross: Championship Racing
148. Snow Surfers X
149. Soldier of Fortune
150. Sonic Adventure X
151. Sonic Adventure 2
152. Sonic Shuffle
153. Soul Calibur X
154. Soul Fighter X
155.South Park: Chef's Luv Shack
156. South Park Rally
157. Space Channel 5
158. Spawn in the Demon's Hand
159. Spec Ops 2: Omega Squad
160. Speed Devils X
161. Speed Devils Online
162. Spiderman X
163. Spirit of Speed 1937
164. Starlancer
165. Star Wars: Demolition
166. Star Wars: Episode 1 Jedi Power Battles
167. Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer
168. Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike
169. Street Fighter 3: Double Impact
170. Street Fighter Alpha 3
171. Stunt GP
172. Stupid Invaders
173. Super Magnetic Neo
174. Super Runabout: The Golden State
175. Surf Rocket Racers
176. Suzuki Alstare Extreme Racing X
177. Sword of the Berserk: Gut's Rage
178. Sydney 2000 X
179. Taxi - Le Jeu (France Only)
180. Tech Romancer
181. Tee off X
182. Time Stalkers
183. Tokyo Highway Challenge
184. Tokyo Highway Challenge 2
185. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six
186. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Rouge Spear X
187. Tomb Raider Chronicles
188. Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation X
189. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
190. Tony Hawk's Skateboarding
191. Toy Commander
192. Toy Racer X
193. Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue!
194. Trickstyle X
195. UEFA Dream Soccer
196. UEFA Striker
197. Ultimate Fighting Championship
198. Unreal Tournament
199. Urban Chaos X
200. Vanishing Point
201. Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense
202. Virtua Athlete 2K
203. Virtua Fighters 3 Team Battle
204. Virtua Striker 2 (ver 2000.1)
205. Virtua Tennis X
206. Virtua Tennis 2
207. V-Rally 2 Expert Edition
208. Wacky Racers
209. Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour X
210. Wetrix+
211. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? X
212. Wild Metal
213. Worms Armageddon
214. Worms World Party
215. WWF Attitude X
216. WWF Royal Rumble X
217. Zombie Revenge X

Sydney 2000

Developed by Attention To Detail and published by Eidos Interactive, Sydney 2000 was released in that year to coincide with the olympic games that were happening in Australia at the time. Players could compete in 12 events; 100m Sprint, 110m Hurdle, Javelin, Hammer, Triple Jump, High Jump, Skeet Shooting, Weight Lifting, 100m Freestyle Swimming, 10m Platform Diving, Chase Cycling and Kayak K1 Slalom.
Missed it ten years ago but having just played it after getting my paws on a copy I must say that for me its a fun little title. And what with the inclusion of events like diving and skeet shooting the action isn't all on the running track which I found pretty refreshing. Looks wise its not at all shabby, and eventhough some of the characters can be a tad blocky at times it doesn't detract from an otherwise good looking game. All events have television style commentary and replays to watch your world record beater over and over and quite honestly Sydney 2000 is THE best olympic games title ive played. (And ive played a few!)
Controls are the standard button mashing but with diving, weight lifting and skeet shooting there is a need for precision and timing. For example in diving the player selects which dive to perform from a list and must press the correct coloured button during the dive to pull it off with any success. Its a simple but effective way to do it and is very satisfying when one nails it perfectly. On the whole the contols work well and even the hammer, an event which some olypic games titles make frustrating, is made with little fuss.
A downside to Sydney 2000 is the Kayak K1 Slalom. The water looks like running cement and trying to manouver the kayak through all the gates is like attempting to look at your own forehead without a mirror. I found it all but impossible.
Still its only one event out of twelve and thankfully all others are great fun to play.
There is an Arcade mode as well as the Olympic mode so if a quick bash at the 100m Sprint is your thing without having the fuss of qualifying in the full game then you are free to do so. And its just as rewarding whatever mode you opt for.
Best news of all however is that this game can be picked up for beans on the auction sites which means an absolute bargain even without the kayak.

WWF Royal Rumble

WWF Royal Rumble was released on April 26th 2001 by developers Sega & Yuke's and publishers THQ & again Yuke's. The game is based on the yearly WWF event of the same name, Royal Rumble. Not being remotely interested in wrestling (either to watch or in videogames) I skipped getting a copy of this when it was first released but have acquired a copy for my ongoing Dreamcast collection.
Looks wise its all pretty passable, although how accurate the onscreen wrestlers look compared to their real life counterparts is something im unable to judge because I wouldn't recognise one of these lycra wearing loons if one body slammed me into the nearest Jagermeister display. However saying that I found the fighters and surrounding sights all solid and as I would expect from a snazzed up, highly polished wrestling title.
Royal Rumble has two modes; Exhibition and Royal Rumble mode. In Exhibition mode, the player chooses a main wrestler and a partner and wrestles a series of singles matches. You can get help from your partner but in the heat of battle its not always so easy, especially when it forgets to tell you which button is the call for HELP button. Or I missed it.
Royal Rumble on the other hand involves one multi-wrestler match where you must eliminate a certain number of opponents from the match within a timed limit. The game apparantly features 22 steroid pumped superstars, but the Royal Rumble match has 30 which stupidly has some wrestlers appearing twice in the match. Indeed it was this that drew the most criticsm to the title, along with the fact it only has a miserly two modes which makes for a shallow depth of play.
Admittedly im no fan of WWF and this lack of excitement is no doubt coming through in this review BUT! Do not let this put you off because this title is far from dire. In fact it can be be damn fine fun in short bursts even for non fans like myself and seeing as it can be picked up for between £1 to £3 on auction sites (or car boots if you're lucky) then its well worth a punt. Or a piledrive. Decent enough game.

Shenmue

Developers Sega AM2 - Published by Sega. Europe release date December 1st 2000.

Shenmue is one is THE greatest videogames ever to have appeared on any console. Full Stop. And only a decrepid, hungover, vengeful baboon would say different. Written by legendary Yu Suzuki (creator of such arcade classics as OutRun and Hang On) and costing a staggering £70m to make (in 1999/2000 remember) how could it not be? You might as well get used to it, my fanboy nerdy love for Shenmue is going to be dripping from this piece like grease from Tom's hot dogs.
The adventure takes place in Yokosuka, Japan over 3 discs and begins in the peaceful suburb of Yamanose when hero of the game Ryo Hazuki returns home to find the sinister but splendidly silk robed Lan Di in confrontation with his father, Iwao. Lan Di is searching for a mysterious Dragon Mirror and is convinced Hazuki senior has it hidden. When Ryo enters the dojo, Lan Di 'subdues' him with some fine martial arts, then tells the father Ryo will die if he does not give up the mirror. Naturally dad reveals the location and when Lan Di's thugs retrieve it from under a cherry blossom tree near the dojo, Lan Di mentions a man called Sunming Zhao, much to Iwao Hazuki's suprise and fear. Lan Di tells it was Iwao who murdered Zhao and the two engage in a final battle where Lan Di kills Hazuki-san in front of the wounded son then disappears leaving Ryo out cold.
And so begins a truly brilliant game with Ryo, revenge in his lungs, in furious pursuit of his fathers killer.
Yu Suzuki coined the phrase FREE (Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment) for Shenmue pertaining to its open world, go anywhere feel. Combine that with a progression through day and night with a sleep system (Ryo had to go to beddie byes) and real time variable weather effects and Sega AM2 had a truly innovative, groundbreaking title on their hands.
There were four districts in all. Yamanose and Sakuragaoka being suburbs/villages complete with gossiping neighbours and a little grocery store (Abe's Candy). Third location Dobuita was larger boasting better shops and market stalls, a red light district with bars and nightclubs, and the super cool You Arcade where you could actually enter and play arcade classics Hang On and Space Harrier. (It also had other games like darts and a quick time event punching game not to mention a jukebox but the former were a nod to Yu Suzuki's past glories.)
The fourth and largest district was Yoksuka Harbour where much of the action unfolds. And this is also where you as Ryo will land a full time job driving a fork lift truck and delivering crates to the many warehouses. Everyone in the districts you can talk to and question about unfolding events. Even simply walking around taking in the sights and sounds is satisfying because there exists in Shenmue a unique charm that ive not felt in other videogames. It nails the atmosphere dead on. Ive never been to Dobuita and yet I feel as if I have and its this ability to make everything so familiar which makes Shenmue stand alone.
It is a staggering title and eventhough it did have its critics, the majority of players were gobsmacked and revelled in the adventure. Little things like collecting toy capsules featuring famous game/anime characters or having the ability to open every drawer in Ryo's home piled on the realism while huge martial art brawls against multiple opponents in the streets, warehouses and harbours gave it a big movie type flavour. The massive fight at the end which is made up of Ryo and Chen Gui Zhang versus 50 (yes FIFTY) Mad Angels gang members is astonishing.
Fighting is done in two ways; some battles involve basic X button to punch and B to kick controls while others are QTE (Quick Time Event) affairs, requiring the player to press a button matching the one which flashes on screen for a few seconds. These need quick responses to be successful in battle. Controls are easy enough, and this goes for all tasks.
The various different characters in Shenmue flesh it out even further and each has a fair bit to say for themselves. A few stand out characters are Tom, a hot dog van owner with a reggae accent. (You genuinely feel sad when he leaves for America.) Nozomi, who is in love with Ryo but still pootles off to Canada. Master Chen who helps in Ryo's quest. And Chai, a low ranking thug in Lan Di's Chi You Men, who looks like Gollum's lost twin. But there are a whole host of others which make up a colourful, breathing world.
However, as much praise as this Shen-Nerd can heap on it, no article about Shenmue could ever hope to describe the game as well as actually playing it. As ive previously said, it has a charm that is only felt when you are strolling through Dobuita and watching market stall holders close up for the day, or seeing drunks stagger merrily on streets. Even a Santa saunters through with a Ho Ho Ho when Christmas approaches! Make no mistake, this is a Dreamcast title which NEEDS to be played if you are a videogame fan. If you are a Dreamcast owner your collection is not complete without Shenmue. In my opinion it is simply one of THE greatest games ever to have been made.
The ONLY downside is the price these days. Since Dreamcast games have started to have a resurgence lately among gamers and collectors, Shenmue can be found reaching anything from £20 to £120 on auction sites. But this title IS worth the pounds, even at the higher end. Put it like this; I bought this on its first release a decade ago for £35. In the last four years ive bought another 3 copies for between £20 to £30, being lucky enough to have got them before prices really took off. So ive paid around £100 for Shenmue and you know what? Im happy I did. Essential game. 10/10

Chu Chu Rocket

Nobody does crazy games better than the Japanese and Chu Chu Rocket is all kinds of crazy! But good crazy, the fluffy type you can share and play with. And seeing as this was the Dreamcasts first ever online puzzle game it was most definately most fun when shared.
It was developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega in 2000 and was given away free (thats correct FREE) to players in Europe if they sent their details to DreamArena, the Dreamcasts online home hub, which was a major thumbs up to this quirky little puzzler.
Essentially all the player had to do was get the ChuChus (space mice) into rockets before the KapuKapus (space cats, obviously) could chomp down on the frightened critters. You led them with down/up/left/right arrows (configured on the joypad buttons) and played against three opponents either computer controlled or, and this was the BIG FIRST, against other humans who could be anywhere in Europe. Chalk up yet another first for Team Dreamcast.
I shall put my hand up here and admit that although I owned ChuChu Rocket back when it was released, shamefully my copy was hardly played. I was too enthralled by the fighters and shooters on offer at the time but Ive picked it up again and after hammering it last night I must say I should really have paid more attention first time around. Its such a cool game! Very addictive and looks wise it hits the spot too, all candy colours and a 'bubbly' kind of feel. As I watched the Chuchus run in terror from those pesky KapuKapus I thought to myself, 'this looks great!' Even in the day of next gen gaming.
I don't care that others think this has a 2D look, they're wrong. Simple as that. And this sells for a measly £1 on auction sites and if you were to ignore it at that price then you would be wrong too. Fabulous fun.

Spiderman

Spiderman was released on Sega Dreamcast on April 19th 2001 by developers Neversoft and Treyarch and publishers Activision. I originally played it on the Playstation and loved it, and now having recently acquired it again for the Dreamcast im re loving the Arachnid Wonder once more.
The story revolves around Spiderman being framed by Doctor Octavius (or Doc Ock) for stealing one of his 'experiments' which results in a manhunt for the web slinger by the entire NYC Police Department. And thats only for starters! Pretty much every superhero and villain makes an appearance during the game (full list below) and each has a part tied in with story. Its very nicely done and everything comes across as comic story which YOU take part in. Or thats what it felt for this Spiderman fanatic.
Controls are simple, and swinging from building to building is as fluid as...well a fluidy thing. A quick tap on the shoulder button enables you to target a specific wall part/object to web sling to. Its all very simple, however one thing I did notice was the controls for the Dreamcast version 'feel' different to that of the Playstation. The targetting was more fiddly but whether thats because I played it more on Sony's box of tricks is open for debate. They're not that different so as to spoil this cool game.
Visually its not too shabby either but there are obvious limitations due to the consoles age. One example is the mysterious green fog which seems to have swallowed the streets far below because the player is only ever able to see the top half of skyscrapers, never the hustle and bustle below. The machine would never have had the power like todays Playstation 3 to display both busy streets and towering buildings so they included the green fog to solve the problem. And Neversoft cleverly wrote it into the story which is explained nicely as you play the game. Well done devs!
Eventhough playing Spiderman today it shows its age (hey we all get old) its still a playable title due to the huge list of cool characters on offer. Plus there are a few neat extras too like collecting original comic covers and unlocking different suits for Spidey to wear.
The big downside to Spiderman on the Dreamcast is its pretty tough to get hold of a copy, and harder still to get it at a reasonable price. Ive seen it sell for upward of £15 which only a hardcore Spiderman collector could justify spending. I was fortunate to have got my copy for £4 however and thats a price more accurate for this game. Well worth a purchase at the right price. 7/10

Villains in the game -

Scorpion (not actually part of 'the plan')
Rhino
Venom (was played against Spider-Man by Spider-Man imposter)
Lizard (Not a boss in game but gives information about Mary Jane where she is held at)
Mysterio
Doctor Octopus
Carnage
Monster-Ock (Mixture of Doc Ock and Carnage symbiote)

Superheroes featured -

Spiderman (natch)
Black Cat
The Human Torch
Daredevil
The Punisher
Captain America

The villians play a bigger part due to the fact you must battle them. The heroes only appear in cut scenes.

Silent Scope

Ah Konami! Everyone loves Konami! At least they ought to if they claim to have a love for videogames. They truly are one of gamings greatest publishers/developers, and when they announced they would be porting the highly successful arcade title Silent Scope onto the Dreamcast gamers the world over exhaled a collective sigh of relief because we knew Konami would score a direct hit (to keep it in sniper-speak.)
Silent Scope arrived on November 17th, 2000, which suprised me as I thought I remembered it as one of the Dreamcasts launch titles but a quick spot of research shows me to be mistaken.
Nevertheless I do recall the excitement I felt as previews and screenshots of the game appeared in magazines (internet wasn't so popular back then), and I vividly remember wanting to get my hands on it ASAP. It looked so cool.
Okay, what type of game is it? Its another on-rails shooter, this time putting the player in the shoes of a highly trained police sniper hunting down terrorists who have kidnapped the First Family. (First Family = the President of course.) Basically you go from one scenario to another picking off targets as they pop up in front of your sniper's scope.
In the arcades you literally had a rifle peripheal but on the Dreamcast version the zoom in screen was actually WITHIN the main screen. Very clever Konami. It works well too and zeroing in on targets is simple via a squeeze on the shoulder/trigger button or the B button. Brilliant!
As you would expect Silent Scope looks fantastic and is very faithful to its arcade counterpart, even down to when the sight scope cursor turns into a heart whenever you spy a sexy cartoon lady. Top marks there too.
In the Main Story (in Arcade mode) there are a number of different stages to complete; Downtown, Stadium, Highway, Hotel, Night Vision and Big Boss. Each one getting progessively more difficult, as well as having their own unique styles. I particularly love the Stadium stage where Cobra (bad guy) is carrying the President's hapless daughter across an American football pitch as you attempt to snipe him from a helicopter. Cool as you like.
Together with the main story in Arcade mode you also have both indoor and outdoor shooting ranges which are a nice plus.
Silent Scope is a fabulous game and still highly playable today. I love spending a few hours honing my shooting 'skills' with it and it has Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to compete with nowadays. Not bad for a game which is 10 years old!
The only downside is the paltry amount of other play modes on offer; two. Ranking, where you move up the ranks and the better Training Mode where you set a scene (Farm, River & Cave) and shoot wooden targets, careful not to plug an innocent civilian target that occasionaly pop up. I say this is the better of the two extra modes because of the variety of challenges on offer; Time Attack, Perfect Shot, Pop Up Targets and Quick Shot.
So eventhough I say the few extras are a downside, there really is a fair bit to them. I guess with the current climate of downloadable content available for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, im feeling the pinch of Silent Scopes limited extras. However thats certainly no fault of either the Dreamcast or Konami's game, the fault lies at my greedy chops because as ive said Silent Scope is an excellent shooter and a Must Have title for any serious Dreamcast enthusiast/gamer.
This usually goes for around the £7 mark but more often than not you can pick it up cheaper. I paid £4 for my copy which was rather nice. Love the game. 8/10

**** Check video out ****

Charge N' Blast

Published and developed by Xicat Interactive, Charge n' Blast is an on-rails shooter that was released on June 29th, 2001, and like a few other titles its a game that I missed on my first Dreamcast outing. As is the story in many shooters, once again planet earth has been invaded by hostile aliens (this time in the guise of giant ants and lizards) who are intent on blowing us back to the Stone Age. Friendly E.T they are not! Luckily for mankind we have 3 (only 3? Gulp!) super soldiers with BIG guns to take of these scaled terrors. Enter the cool sounding Johhny Rock, the Mr T-alike Nicholas Woods and the token woman of the squad, Pamela Hewitt, who quite frankly sounds more like a librarian than a kick ass soldier.
Players begin in the city (The City Of Nest) and battle on through ever differing scenarios like beaches and such. Whereas other on-rails titles like House Of The Dead 2 were First Person shooters, Charge n' Blast is Third Person which is a nice change from only seeing a pistol's cross hairs. For me anyway. I kinda liked seeing Mr Rock slide (or charge) along the surface onto his next wave of foes.
Controls are pretty simple, you can strafe left or right, charge the gun with button X and fire with A. Initially having to recharge before each shot is frustrating but it soon becomes second nature and you're blasting those ants BIG TIME!
Looks wise it doesn't have the polish of other games on the Dreamcast but its far from horrible to look at. Personally speaking I think it looks fine and dandy.
What Charge n' Blast does have is its arcade gameplay and that One-More-Go factor. Even when my Johhny died for the tenth time at the hands of Godzilla's twin brother it never grated at my nerves once but instead had me firing up for another round.
Ignore the nay sayers and doubters who like to put this game down. If arcade shooters are your thing then Charge n' Blast will entertain you for a good while. And considering you can pick this up on auction sites for less than it does to park a car (I paid £2.60 for mine) you really shouldn't be complaining. Not at that price. Good game which im STILL playing.

Check it out here.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire

The popular quiz show featuring Chris Tarrant made a bee line for the gaming world back in 2000 (September 29th on Dreamcast) thanks to developers Hothouse Creations and publishers Eidos Interactive. The game is exactly the same as the television show and will be instantly familiar with anyone who was/is a fan.
Answer 15 questions of ever increasing difficulty, in order to move up the board to reach one million smackeroonies. To help you along are 3 lifelines; Ask The Audience, Phone A Friend and 50/50. Its all here in exact replica for budding quiz masters of the games world. Visually its all rather nice; granted there is little more to look at than the famous leather chair and moneyboard but it all looks polished like its just walked straight off the tv screen. Tarrant himself is on hand to provide the voice overs, and apart from the rather dense 'friends' you get to phone (Molly from Scotland? Who she?), its a pretty good title.
However there is a most obvious FAIL to this title. You see in reality, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire the quiz show is all about turning egg heads into REAL millionaires. On your way to the top of the board there are REAL cheques to be won for REAL coinage. On the videogame version of course, this is not the case so in the end all you have is a spin off from a hugely successful quiz show, that has all the flashing lights and authentic voices, but without those lovely spondoolicks. Basically without the money incentive it all boils down to a game of who can answer the most questions correctly, and be honest, you can play that with any old quiz book. The cash prizes gives ITV's show a genuine thrill factor, take them away and its an empty game, no matter how cool it looks.
Still, fans of the show won't be disappointed and even without the moolah this title is a great way to spend half hour to show off your general knowledge skills. And this goes for £3 on auction sites so its a worthwhile purchase if a quiz game is what you crave. I still play it for a fun blast to dust off the grey matter, it beats those Wii 'brain' games.
Just imagine if it DID hand out REAL money from the Dreamcasts luscious shell??

Shadow Man

Shadowman arrived on the Dreamcast on December 31st, 1999 by developers Iguana UK and publishers Acclaim Entertainment. The game is a third person action affair and revolves around an African American guy by the name of Michael LeRoi, a former English literature student now turned Shadow Man, a voodoo warrior.
It all starts with a mysterious figure called 'Legion' visiting Jack the Ripper underground in the sewers of London, and convincing the killer to join him and other serial killers (known simply as the 'Five') in another world, Deadside, by comitting suicide. The ultimate goal being to bring about the Apocalypse by sending a hoarde of demons to Earth (Liveside) through a quite frankly grim sounding construction called 'Asylum'.
Assisting Mike/Shadowman, or the Bald One, on his quest are Agnetta (or Mama Nettie) a powerful voodoo priestess and Jaunty, a snake with a skull head with an Irish accent who dishes out advice whenever needed.
To be quite honest for all its cool sounding voodoo touches (and it DOES have some very cool ideas) like switching worlds and dispensing powerful magic at will, Shadowman never quite grabbed my attention by the lapels, despite our shared belief that skulls and morbid designs are awesome. The game never had me spending long hours at it, not back in 1999 or now that I have purchased it again for my collection in 2010.
I find the controls about as fluid as wood which combined with a camera that has a mind of its own makes for VERY frustrating play. Lighting could be better too, as often I found myself schlepping around in semi-darkness without any obvious clue as to where to go next. It all felt dis-jointed like things had been tacked on at the last minute.
I desperately wanted to enjoy this title because as ive said, it does have neat ideas what with the whole voodoo vibe going on but each time I visit Deadside I come away disappointed. And this does deserve to be better; for example early on in the adventure Mike is sent to an abandoned church complete with fiery swirling skies, graveyard studded with rickety crosses and around 12 fierce looking rottweilers guarding everything. The atmosphere was super eerie and impressed me no end. Sadly however bits like these aren't the norm and before long you are fumbling about in uninspired scenery.
I got hold of my copy for around £4, which felt right. Anything below the £5 mark is fair but Ive also seen this priced at £19.99 which is utterly ridiculous. To want to pay twenty quid for this you would have to been struck by voodoo yourself. Or desperate to want advice from a snake-bodied Irish man.
The Bald Ones score; 5/10

Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes

Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes was released on the Dreamcast on June 23rd 2000 by master developer Capcom and publishers Virgin Interactive. And what a fantastic beat 'em up it is! Not content with pitting two plain old stereotypical brawlers against each other, the legendary Capcom decide to have icons from their gaming catalogue slug it out with well known hitters from Marvel's amazing universe. And if that were not enough they dress everything up in gorgeous candy coloured visuals to put icing on an already sumptious cake.
In the Marvel team you have Captain America, Spiderman, Hulk ,Wolverine, Gambit, War Machine (like Iron Man), Venom and the boss of the game Onslaught. While in the Capcom camp there is Ryu, Chun Li, Zangief (from the Street Fighter series), Mega Man, Morrigan (the sexy succubus from Dark Stalkers), Strider, Jin (Cyberbots) and Captain Commando from a scrolling arcade beat 'em up called erm...Captain Commando natch.
There are also around 20 helper characters who jump in and out of the game to aid (or hinder) your quest. Pretty much cameo roles. Hey even the little guys need press!
Its a 2 on 2 fighter but only one character from each team can be scrapping at a time. Think tag team in wrestling.
Shamefully I totally allowed this cracking title escape my clutches back in 2000, to be honest I hadn't heard of it back then. I must have been too busy wading through the undead in Capcom's other smash hit, Resident Evil. But hopefully I have redeemed myself by picking up a copy now and playing it to bits. Clash of Super Heroes is a brilliant fighting game with nice touches scattered throughout. Fans of both franchises should be in raptures about their favourite characters duking it out together.
To make things even tougher there is also a Turbo mode if you find the Normal mode too easy. And trust me, the Normal mode was tough enough for me.
The only downside has nothing to do with the game at all. Its the price. On auction sites you will be VERY lucky indeed to find this selling for anything below £15. I paid £17 for my copy and that was at a straight sell. When it goes to the highest bid I have seen this title go for a wallet wopping £30. Which is more than a lot of todays games go for! But even at these prices you cannot complain because the whole package amounts to a thoroughly satisfying slab of entertainment.
The only other touch that would have made Clash of Super Heroes utterly unmissable would have been the addition of Resident Evil's zombies, hunters and Tyrants to face off against. In the case of the hunters, quite literally a face off!
A superb 10/10. Bravo!

Razor Freestyle Scooter

Razor Freestyle Scooter was released on 28th August 2001 by developers Shaba Studios and publishers Crave Entertainment. Ive only recently got my hands on a copy, the title completely flying under my radar in 2001 due to being so close to the Dreamcast consoles sad end. To be honest I was expecting a shabby mess of a game with atrocious looks and handling but upon booting it up I was pleasantly suprised. Not blown out of my boots but not crushed by a mallet either.
Overall the games design is aimed to appeal to the younger gamer with cutsie, new age punk characters and fun themed skate parks, while the scooters handling like the boards in Tony Hawk's Skateboard games. I was quickly confident in pulling off impressive tricks on the plentiful ramps and half pipes, however one major gripe was the feeling of speed; there isn't any. At all. To compensate for this the areas are pretty small but the lack of speed does detract from the game.
Background to the story (as if you need a story to pull stunts on scooters) is a robot has come to earth and kidnapped your skating chums. To get them back you must perform a series of cool tricks in order to presumably impress the mad robot.
Its a fun game to while away half an hour, however be warned. As the games characters are fluffy looking mini-punks, so it must follow that the music is performed by unknown American punk bands (think Green Day only much less famous) and as a result the background sound grinds. And NOT like a smooth skateboard trick but more like a sander to the face.
Skate parks range from regular parks to rooftop areas and even scooter parks in the sky. (Wonder where they applied for that planning permission?)
To sum it up, Razor Freestyle Scooter is a fun quick blast but nothing to keep you going back for more. I picked this up for £3.99 on an auction site which is at least £3 over priced. Oh well, you can't win 'em all and its not a total shambles.
Just one question: what on earth do razors have to do with anything?

Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation

Lara Croft's latest adventure in The Last Revelation reached gamers hands in March 2000 courtesy of developers Core Design and publishers Eidos Interactive, and it was meant to end in the hot pants loving adventurers death. Cue sharp intakes of breath from the gaming world. (But we secretly knew Crofty wouldn't expire.)
The basic gist of the story was Lara had unwisely unleashed the Egyptian God Set onto the world (nice one lady) and now had to get him to his resting place pronto before the foul stuff hit the apocalyptic fan. And we are talking a major change in the worlds appearance here, think global warming with a BAD attitude.
In a first for a Tomb Raider title, Lara's air miles were cut severly short and included visits to only 2 countries, Cambodia and Egypt, where previously her globetrotting was enough to put a Rolling Stones world tour to shame. And when you take into account that the Cambodia level was only a simple introduction to the games controls before starting the adventure proper then it was Egypt which was the main focus.
I remember this arriving in the post back in 2000 and rushing to play the 'next gen' Tomb Raider. Don't forget before this game arrived we had only plundered tombs in 32 bit graphics on the Playstation, so jumping to lofty 128 bit visuals offered by the Dreamcast was quite a leap for Lara's gum booted feet. And it did look good, I for one dropped my jaw at the opening cut scene of Ms Croft on a camel crossing a desert in a sand storm.
Gamewise it was the usual solve-a-puzzle-to-open-every-door but at the time I forgave it for this irritating aspect. It was all about looks back then. Ive started playing it again and to be honest it hasn't aged well like other Dreamcast titles. The cut scenes still look great but progression is such a tedious affair of puzzle solving to open EVERY scene/door/blah that it quickly begins to get on your nerves. Yes you expect puzzles, they're a big part of the game but must they appear so often? Lara has a shotgun for Heavens sake! Surely a shotgun can deal with a locked door?
I paid around £2 for this on an auction site and that just about sums it up. Pay any more and someone will have raided your tomb.

Trick Style

Released on September 9th, 1999 by developers Criterion Games and publisher Acclaim Entertainment, Trick Style was a launch title for the Dreamcast, set in the near future where hoverboarding has become a popular extreme sport. There are 3 main stages to compete in: London, Tokyo and Manhattan Island and boarders must race through each, pulling off gravity defying stunts as they go, in order to reach the finish line as number one. The blurb on the back of the games case also promises (erroneously in my eyes) a fourth stage called the Velodrome, but this merely consists of a few sand dunes in a small arena and is more a hub/gateway to the other levels than any real stage in itself.
There are 9 boarders on offer each with their own style, unique moves and clothing/hoverboard preferences, blah, blah, blah but each is really only a token character from the country where the hail from. Extended yawn sounds.
Readers will no doubt have picked up on my disinterest on Trick Style by now and it must be said, this title had me bored to the froth of my beer and wishing each race would end sharpish, preferably in fleshy pieces all over Big Ben.
Visually characters are blocky and buildings like Tower Bridge and the aforementioned Big Ben look very bland and paper mache-like. There is nothing to *thumbs up* this game at all and one comes away with the feeling that it was only made as an attempt to cash in on the far superior Airblade on Playstation 2. I added Trick Style to my Dreamcast collection a few days ago having missed it the first time around, and was actually looking forward to booting it up. But after playing a few hours all I wanted was to boot it into pretty shards.
Controls are simple enough in theory but are ruined by being unresponsive, resulting in all too frequent smashes into walls. The grind rails admittedly look fun but getting on them is like nailing blancmange to a ceiling. Its far from the worst game Ive ever played but being only slightly better than tripe like Hugo and Fighting Force 2 is hardly a compliment.
All in all its a frustrating affair and a total let down from what could have been with better design and tracks a very tidy game. Alas it was not to be. Trick Style can be picked up for around £1 or £2 and quite frankly unless you're aiming to collect every Dreamcast title like I am, then those prices are still steep. Its a total bail man!

Resident Evil 2

No introduction needs to be made for this absolute classic game. Devolped by Capcom and joint published by Capcom and Virgin Interactive, Resident Evil 2 was released on the Dreamcast on April 28, 2000. Produced by survival horror master Shinji Mikami, it was the sequel to the groundbreaking Resident Evil on the Playstation, and it took survival horror and visuals to the next level, building on the fantastic gameplay that had been such genius in the original.
Readers will have to excuse my near fanboy ramblings that may crop up in this 'review' because Resident Evil 2 is one of my most favourite titles in the gaming world. (Not to mention one of my most played, clocking up well over 50 playthroughs and counting.)
It all kicks off on September 27, 1998, as the citizens of Raccoon City have been turned into zombies by a biological weapon known as the T-virus. Leon Kennedy turns up on his first day at work as a rookie Racoon Police Department officer to find the city in chaos, and no doubt thinking to himself, 'Hm this wasn't in the brochure!' Alongside him is the ever versatile Claire who has come in search of her brother Chris, a member of the S.T.A.R.S team who has disappeared.
A battle for survival through hoards of zombies, mutant Lickers, leprous dogs, giant spiders and the persistant (but unnervingly cool) Birkin monster ensues and it is truly a hard-to-put-down game. From deserted streets to distant moans from zombies this has a unique atmosphere, making it truly plausible that armageddon has arrived.
It is a 2 disc affair and players get to battle through as both Leon AND Claire, not only that but both characters have 2 scenarios (A & B) so there is a huge replay value here and to get to know the entire story, which is all intertwined, you must play through every scenario. Its a touch of class and as you play through one characters story, you see it affecting the others scenario. Brilliant!
When I first got this game (albeit for Playstation) I couldn't put it down for months, I was hooked immediately by its gorgeous looks and immersive story/atmosphere. Sure the controls are not 100% fluid but personally they have always been more than satisfying for me despite gripes from other critics.
Also each character has a NPC to look after: Leon has the sultry Ada Wong whilst Claire has the token child-in-need Sherrie Birkin (daughter of Dr William Birkin who evolves into Birkin Monster the games ultimate baddie.) Some non player characters can be annoying and accident prone but in Resident Evil 2 they were no problem and followed without hazard.
Everything feels right in this fabulous title and I am not alone in its praise. And added bonus for Dreamcast owners is the enhanced visuals which to this Dreamcast/Resi Evil 2 fanatic is the added cherry on top of an already outstanding trifle!
Later chapters in the series (RE4 & RE5) have discarded the classic shuffling zombies in favour of plague infected models capable of sprinting and in doing so have stripped away the zombie element which made it such a brilliant game. But they are certainly present here, from police zombies to shuffling dead girls in sport sneakers and shorts. This is Resident Evil at its very best and only a fool (or a zombie) would choose to ignore it.
On auction sites and depending on the platform, Resi Evil 2 can be bought for anything inbetween £7 to £15 (I recently payed £8 for my copy on Dreamcast) but even at the higher prices its still chump change because this is one of the best installments in the survival horror genre and certainly has tons of replay value. Go on, take a bite!! Outstanding.

4 Wheel Thunder

In 2000 Kalista Entertainment (developers) and legendary publishers Midway Games unleashed 4 Wheel Thunder onto the Dreamcast audience, and due to slick visuals and cracking playability it was a well deserved success. Unfortunately this was yet another title that slipped under my radar a decade ago because I was too immersed in other Sega diamonds, but having recently purchased a copy for my Dreamcast collection and taken it for a spin it gets a thumbs up from me too.
The tracks are pretty varied and satisfying enough to drive around. At first I had doubts on the 4x4's handling because initially it felt unresponsive but I soon realised it was me at fault and not the trucks, over-eagerness on my part at wanting to tear around like Ayrton Senna when trucks don't do that.
My only moan is directed toward actual races - they can be very unforgiving. Circuits are littered with blue and red speed boosts and the player NEEDS to pick these up because other drivers zip around at a fair old pace and rarely make mistakes, so these boosters are a must if you are to win any type of race. And at first I struggled to finish even 4th or 5th and that was WITH the pick ups!
Stick at it tho and learn the shortcuts of the courses and you''ll steadily rise to the podium finishes, just don't expect them to be handed to you.
This game sells for anything between £1 to £4 and at those prices its hard to argue with this enjoyable title. Start your engines and go for it!

Toy Racer

Released on 22nd December, 2000 by Developers No Cliche and published by Sega, Toy Racer was a low budget game and an extension of Toy Commander. It was a title similar to Micro Machines V3 on the Playstation where players raced tiny toy cars, tanks, camper vans, jeeps, etc around tracks littered with giant every day objects such as milk bottles and pencils.
It was quite a passable title with a wide range of vehicles to throw about the twisty circuits. But it is those circuits which helped let the title down in that there were only four of them. Okay one might argue that being an expansion pack (and made on a low budget) you can forgive Toy Racer's miserly offering but surely a few more different tracks were possible? Having just four spreads the replayability a little whippet..a tad thin.
However on the (big) plus side we must remember that this game was one of the first to offer online gaming due to the Dreamcast's nifty internet capability. Toy Racer was the FIRST ever title that I (and no doubt thousands of others) played online and I still remember logging onto the game hub as if it was yesterday. As it was a 4 player I waited in the hub for around 5 minutes for the other 3 to show up and when they did, when I actually saw that I was going to be racing against other gamers from all over Europe it hit me; this online gaming lark is going to be HUGE!
I think my first race consisted of a German, a French guy, an English chap and Welsh ME. It was all so new and at first we kicked our heels in the hub until someone tapped in the words LET'S RACE! and off we went, 4 gamers at the dawn of online gaming (easy tiger. Dramatic Ed) and glad to say that after a good start by Germany, the Welsh succeeded in nailing the trophy.
So while I can moan about lack of circuits, it really doesn't matter because Toy Racer was about more than racing small cars, it was on the first wave of gaming via the internet giving excited players the first taste of what was to come. And for that it will always have a special place in my heart. (there you go again. Dramatic Ed)
So not much to do if you play solo, (you can't even race AI controlled cars!) and there is only Time Attack and Practice modes but this game was a blast in the beginning of the online trend.

Soul Calibur

Developed/published by the fantastic Namco, and released in Europe on December 1st, 1999, Soul Calibur is often cited as the greatest fighting game of all time ever to grace the Dreamcast and many would argue ALL gaming consoles. It needs no introduction suffice to say it is a beat 'em up pitting the player against a host of colourful characters.
I hang my head in shame when I admit that I shunned this stunning game back in the day. I was firmly in the Tekken camp, that other popular (and in ways inferior) fighter. I can only hope that in recently buying Soul Calibur and enjoying every bruised minute, that I have gained some gaming polish to clean my tarnished joypad.
All the characters from the arcades are present from the cool Nightmare and the disturbingly sexy Ivy through to the hulking Astaroth and mad as a lizard Voldo. Every one of them is faithfully drawn and have stunningly beautiful sets in which to scrap it out.
Also available are the various modes; Mission (Story) mode, Arcade, Team Battle, Exhibition, Survival and Training all offer different choices with the chance of unlocking new characters, clothes, etc. Players are also able to earn gold to upgrade weapons and buy flashier garments. Its very involving and nothing feels like a chore to accomplish.
This delightful title is another gem that can be bought for the price of a few beers (my copy cost £2, even less than ONE beer) so what are you waiting for? If you own a Dreamcast but don't have Soul Calibur then you either despise beat 'em ups or can't recognise a bargain in a bargain shop filled with bargains! Fabulous game 10/10

The House Of The Dead 2

Lightgun survival horror, The House Of The Dead 2 was released on September 9th, 1999 by WoW Entertainment and published by Sega. Its an On-Rails shooter which incorporates a branching system that allows the player a variety of different routes which lead to the same points in the story. A story which takes place roughly 14 months after the Curien Mansion incident where all kinds of creature themed mayhem occurred. Gamers took on the role of an AMS Agent, a secret international agency (hey aren't they all?) who is sent to Venice in order to find missing agent 'G'.
Of course nothing runs smoothly and you are faced with a hoarde of gruesome beasties including zombies, chainsaw wielding tubbies and rabid owls.
End of level bosses are no less impressive and include the awesome Judgment (imp-like monster Zeal and his headless, axe-wielding protector Khual), The Hierophant, (an aquatic monstrosity which wreaks havoc on Venice's famous waterways), and a serpent-like beast stalking the sewer system known as The Tower and Strength. Your lightgun never gets much of a breather, and its good to know that re-loading is a utterly simple affair - just point off screen and click and you are ready to go.
When I first got my hands on this near its release date, I wasn't so certain that I would enjoy it because my experience with lightgun titles was limited to Operation Wolf in the arcades. But as soon as I had booted it up on the Dreamcast my doubts were instantly shattered, House Of The Dead 2 is a FABULOUS game!
From the stylish looks (nasties are beautiful looking even when going for your throat) through to the sometimes eerie, sometimes snarling sounds; everything here rocks like Eurovision trouncing metal band Lordi at a free beer festival.
I don't have a gripe to throw against this fine game. Even the fact they tried dumbing down the violence and gore by having green blood fails to raise my annoyance levels. Sega triumphed with House Of The Dead 2 make no mistake, and proved just how powerful the Dreamcast console was/is. Put it on next to current Playstation3 or Xbox 360 shooters to see what I mean. Its fantastic!
Alone without the lightgun I have seen this title go for as little as £5 which is an absolute bargain. Bundled with a lightgun it can sell for anything between £10 to £20 which quite frankly is still a must have. 10/10

Sega Bass Fishing

Sega Bass Fishing was developed by SIMS and published by Sega, and released in 1999. Now this was one of the titles that was in my Dreamcast collection just over a decade ago, and personally I loved it. Its a straight forward fishing game, pick your character, male or female (marvel at the wondrous choices *cough*), then head out onto the lake and bait those Largemouth Bass!
There was an Arcade for sheer pick up and play, or Chamionship Event where players had to fish an entire day, and the fisher with the biggest total weight of scaley critters wins the day. (And goes home with Bass on the menu for the next week).
For added realism Sega Bass Fishing came with a fishing rod controller which allowed you to cast and reel in like a regular Matt Hayes. I cannot comment how well these worked because I was never suckered into getting one. Perhaps 'suckered' is too harsh a word to use as they did look great fun and no doubt thanks to Sega's brilliance in gaming, they worked well.
Visually things were nice enough, with the fish moving underwater as you would think fish would move, then thrashing desperately on the surface as you struggled to reel them in without breaking the line. Different baits and lures behaved just like their real life counterparts which all lent towards a satisfying mess about on the water, as ratty would say.
It wasn't all plain sailing however (cringes at yet another predictable stab at watery puns). Lots of gamers, myself included, bemoaned the severe lack of fish to be able to, erm fish. And for severe see ONE species; yes thats right, players could only go for Largemouth Bass. Other fish didn't like the look of this lake it seemed because this was Bass County and trout or salmon were shunned.
Funnily enough tho, this lack of different fish never seemed to impede on the game as much as it could have. Sure it was an irritation but only ever a minor one, and once you got used to 'Bass Only' you could happily spend a few hours on the lake with its peaceful sounds and simple controls.
This can be found for between £2 to £5 nowadays and is quite a catch at those prices. So reel in a fun title today! *Exits as rotten fruit is hurled at the dire puns*

Pro Pinball Trilogy

Published by: Empire Interactive/Developed by: Cunning Developments
8th October 2001

Pro Pinball Trilogy is a fabulous pinball sim, which boasts great ball physics and lush visuals. In fact it could (almost) stand up to the beautiful Zen Pinball currently wowing gamers on Playstation 3. Like so many other titles, I totally missed this on my first Dreamcast wave ten years ago, but by the gaming Heavens I am pleased to have finally caught up with its steel ballery juggins. (Ballery? Heck thats got to be a word. Right?)
Greedy players will bemoan the fact that this simulation only has 3 different pinball tables on offer, but ignore them, they are foolish. The tables are fantastic fun to play on and give you a satisfying slab of pinball in the home, complete with cool background music/effects. Controls are easy; left/right shoulder buttons for the flippers and joystick to tilt the table. One of the great things about pinball is that it is soley about the hi-score, making you go back to it again and again in an attempt to shatter your personal best. Gaming at its purest.

The 3 tables are:

Timeshock - A futuristic themed table full of rockets and digital magic.

Big Race USA - A trip around America, pinball style.

Forgotten Journey - Here be giant snakes, lizards and a comedy 'evil' voiced guy.

They are all fun to play, my personal favourite being Forgotten Journey (killer snakes rock!) and its only the stingy minded who would fail to enjoy this. The only downside is that Pro Pinball Trilogy is fairly hard to find for sale, and when you do find it it can be pushing the £30 mark. But if you do stumble across it for a little less (I picked it up for a rather pleasing £9.99) then go for it baby! You will be glad you did. Outstanding 10/10

** Check video out **

NBA 2K

When NBA 2K was released by developers Visual Concepts (and published by Sega Sports) on November 10th 1999, this 28 year old gamer (as I was then) was already a big fan of basketball games thanks to the original Playstation. Sadly I missed this cool title first time around but after playing it last night for the first time I can safely say its a winner.
There are Exhibition, Full Season, Playoffs, Practice and Customization modes on offer, and in Customization mode you are able to create fake players and teams (go The Carmarthen Hangmen!) As a nifty extra gamers are also able to import created players and teams to other Dreamcast consoles.
Matches are stunning to look at with polished basketball courts complete with official team logos and convincing commentary by the off screen pundits. Controls are straightforward although the aiming arrows during penalties could be simpler than what they are, but shooting and passing are great and the on court players are well modelled without the chunkiness of other sports titles.
Interestingly NBA 2K is the only game from the series which doesn't allow online play but seeing as the Dreamcast Arena is now down it doesn't much matter.
I can see me spending hours on this game, and like so many Dreamcast games its still quite the looker a decade on. The only downside is the memory it takes up on a 50 block visual memory card: a whopping 48 blocks which leaves little room for any other game. (But these cards can be bought new for £3 nowadays so its all good).
All in all if you are wanting a decent hoop shooter for the price of a couple of beers then NBA 2K is a slam dunk.

Check me checking it out here.

Suzuki Alstare Extreme Racing

Suzuki Alstare Extreme Racing was deveoped by Criterion Games and published by UbiSoft on November 10th 1999. While not as accomplished as UbiSoft's other racer (Speed Devils), it was a decent enough racing game, this time focusing on motorbikes (specifically the Suzuki GSX-R750 & GSX-R600) rather than cars.
The game aped Sega Rally in that you got access to additional circuits by beating sets of races, (3 at a time), with the aim of acquiring the most points at the finish line of race three. Visually it was nice enough, although some lighting effects were shabby, but happily the pop up was gripped enough so that it was hardly noticable.
The bikes handling was slightly less satisfying, and on certain tracks felt quite jittery. Certainly not every track but enough to knock it back behind its stablemate, Speed Devils. Also the bikes physics felt decidedly bouncy, as many times I would be tearing along the beach (yes, these bikes coped with sand as if it were tarmac) when suddenly upon colliding with a rock, my ride and I (of which I was seemingly glued to) would be catapulted in the air like gravity was something which only happened to other things.
All in all Suzuki Alstare Extreme Racing was a good title but it suffered from the lack of polish that other, more competent racers possessed. I actually enjoy it for a quick way to spend ten minutes but it never gets more milage than that im afraid.

Sega Rally Championship 2

When Sega launched the Dreamcast in 1999, some corners of the gaming world scoffed at the thin choice of launch titles on offer. The games giant badly needed a great game to swat away the consoles doubters, so when Sega-AM3 (a division of Sega's games developers) released Sega Rally Championship 2 on October 14th 1999, big hopes were hoisted onto it. And true to being a creative force, Sega pulled it off in great style.
With a huge arcade following, Sega Rally Championship 2, made the jump to the Dreamcast effortlessly. It looked great and played great, scooping another victory for home videogames.
The only criticism that could be aimed at it was the fact it only offered 3 different stages (desert, forest & mountain) but this was countered with the variety of modes in the game; 10 year championship, time trials, arcade mode, quick race. Plus the chance for petrolheads to tinker with the rally car's engine, tyres, gear ratios, etc. The 10 year championship was the meat of the game, which had tons of races and good solid gameplay.
I got this title almost on launch day and can still remember being agog at the lush visuals and satisfying driving 'feel'. It was a relatively easy game to beat but it was definately a tough cookie to fully master. You had to pay attention to every twist and turn, every bump and water hazard, to reach the FINISH line in tact.
I still pick it up to this day for a blast around the tracks, and eventhough the likes of Dirt on the Playstation3 have over-taken Sega Rally Championship 2, nothing can take away its gaming pedigree.
Had it not been for this wonderful title, rally games would be a lot poorer today.