Dreamcast on PS4?

Being a huge fan of Dreamcast and PlayStation (all 4 PlayStations which I still own/play), I often wonder how cool it would be to have something like Shenmue remade for the PlayStation 4. Or lesser classics like Zombie Revenge. It wouldn't be the first time Sony have released Dreamcast games when you remember the 5 game compilation that was brought out a few years back. It didn't shift massive amounts that much is true but that's because they (in my opinion)  fired up the wrong tiles.
If they had made Speed Devils, Powerstone or the obvious Shenmue, it would have sold. And sold really well.  The Sega Dreamcast was capable of so much more, and though its lifespan was pretty depressing, if you go and pick one up on eBay for something like £20, you will discover some extremely good games on Sega's little box of arcade classics.
And its with genuine sadness that we shall probably never see Shenmue 3 on the PS4. And its puzzling because from all the games forums and magazines that I'm involved in,, I know 100% fact that both Sony and Sega would make millions. And the entire trilogy on PS,4? I'm salivating just thinking about it. If  even more than Resident Evil 2 remake.
So Sony and Sega, if on the off chance you reading this, pleased do the right thing 😎

Shenmue Display

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Ultimate Dreamcast Pack

Bargainous!

These Ultimate Games Packs were popular when the Dreamcast first came out. This one a particularly decent line up; Metropolis Street Racer, Jet Set Radio and Virtua Fighter.

70 Man Battle

Yu Suzuki Interview ~ Shenmue Master

Dreamcast Advert

Spot The Dreamcast

A typical view in my games room. Admittedly these consoles are tidier looking when I haven't got them displayed for photos.

Shenmue and Skies Of Arcadia HD

Ok so we know that Jet Set Radio HD is being released by Sega this summer but the Dreamcast goodness doesn't stop there because hints of *take a breath* Shenmue and Skies Of Arcadia have been aired.

"Yes, definitely. I can tell you what’s it gonna be. It’s gonna be Shenmue and Skies of Arcadia as well. So those are the most requested games. I can’t say yes or no but we may be working on them."

Those are the words of Ben Harborne, the Associate Brand Manager of Sega during an interview with Gamereactor UK.
How exciting is this news? Well to a Dreamcast/Shenmue fanboy like myself its extremely exciting. Im almost buzzing over the fact that this could be amazing! If they pull it off it WILL be stunning and I for one can't wait to go back to Dobuita HD. And Yougame of course.
And make no mistake, this is great news for all game fans. Younger gamers who never got to play these titles on the Dreamcast can finally see why DC veterans make so much fuss over it.

Praise Be Dreamcast!

I was on the wrong end of a few drinks when I filmed this *snigger* So when I get a little overly enthusiastic, you know why. Fanboy + Alkylol = sMUtTy ObsSEsSiOn. But you do get to see a fair bit of my games collection here. Enjoy!

Sega Marine Fishing (US import)

This game is a vast improvement on Bass Fishing (which itself is a good game) because of the sheer amount of differnet fish you can catch. Even Mako sharks! (See below).


Hooking a shark

Le Mans 24 Hours

Still looking great!

Dreamcast Badges

Cool!

Found a couple of Dreamcast button badges on eBay earlier, the ones pictured above. Only £1.79p for the two as well so bonus.

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 !!

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

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

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.

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.

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.