Feb
A Guide on 2D Shooters on Sega’s Dreamcast Game System
Posted by John as Shmups
Unlike Sony, Sega did not shy away from 2D shooter titles, so you’ll find a wide array of quality 2D fighters and frenetic 2D shooters. Best of all, Sega took chances and released a lot of exclusive, eclectic titles. Space Channel 5 and Samba De Amigo took rhythm games to a new level, and Typing of the Dead is a brilliantly educational (and hilarious) variation of the House of the Dead 2 light gun game. Sega Bass Fishing was the first game to incorporate a “fishing rod” kind of controller. Seaman was an absolutely bizarre virtual pet game packaged with a microphone. Jet Grind Radio combined skateboarding with graffiti painting using groundbreaking and cell-shaded graphics. All in all, the Dreamcast game library covered every genre with innovation and style.
It was wonderful console yet under-appreciated. September 9, 1999 saw the release of Dreamcast which that time has surpassed anything else on the market. With its compact design, easy-to-use controllers, eye-popping graphics and excellent selection of exclusive titles, it could have been a perfect package spelling runaway success. Alas, the reputation of Sega smeared as a result of failures of its previous two systems, 32X and Saturn. A majority of gamers relished to their satisfaction with having Playstation 2. Just when the hype of DVD began to take off around 1999, Sega should have changed the huge setback of Dreamcast of its inability to play DVDs. Sony, on the other hand, dominated Sega and marketed PS2 as a fusion of a game machine and DVD player. The dual purpose appealed far beyond the typical gamer market. The GD-ROM format, stored more data than a standard CD, for Dreamcast seemed like old technology and failed to impress gamers.
The Dreamcast console is lightweight and compact, with four controller ports and a pop-top lid. It was the first console to ship with online capabilities, thanks to its built-in 56K modem. The system’s sizeable controller features a digital pad and analog stick aside from the two “triggers” in the back with a wide range of movement. The controller’s rounded design and large grips made it comfortable to hold, and two slots on the top could accommodate both a rumble pack and a Virtual Memory Unit (VMU). VMUs were oversized memory cards with tiny buttons and a black-and-white LCD display that’s visible through a square opening on the face of the controller. In theory, a VMU could be used to hide information from your opponent or play stand-alone mini-games. It seemed like a brilliant idea in the 90s, but only few games really took advantage of the VMU, and the short life of its lithium batteries made it impractical as a portable game machine.
Dreamcast sets itself apart because of its strong lineup of games. Sonic Adventure finally gave the popular hedgehog his first legitimate 3D adventure and prompted a hit sequel. Some sports titles such as NFL 2K and NBA 2K featured television-quality visuals and sophisticated game play. Easy-to-play arcade-style titles like Crazy Taxi and Virtual Tennis were released on a regular basis. Sega wasn’t afraid to push the limits of gaming either, taking chances with innovative game designs and peripherals that often bordered on bizarre. Unfortunately, Sega couldn’t keep up with the Sony juggernaut, and was forced to bow out of the hardware business in 2001. It’s a shame that a quality system like the Dreamcast had such a short game lifecycle. For game collectors, the system is a dream in itself to collect for, boasting of its limited but rich library of original titles.
Console Design – Grade of A
The Dreamcast is a compact game box encased in a bright white casing and orange logo makes it attractive and distinctive. On the top of the game system you’ll find a power button, open button, and a triangular power light. Taking its cue from the Nintendo 64, four controller ports line the front of the unit.
Console durability: D
The system’s main downfall is its inferior reliability. The Dreamcast laser mechanism tends to wear out over time, making it prone to intermittent read problems. As a result, many Dreamcast fans have to secure a second (or third) system as a backup.
Controllers: B-
The Dreamcast controller is fairly large, but molds to most hands very well. The directional pads and buttons on the face of the controller feel comfortable enough but the trigger buttons have some issues. Few games utilize the wide range of these triggers, and the best use I’ve seen for them is controlling the speed of instant replays in sports games. They lack timing and precision especially in racing games. By far the most obvious design flaw is the cord, which inexplicably extends out from the bottom of the controller, towards the gamer! Sega shold know better than to design a cord which tends to get in the way! Sega may have detected this design flaw early on explaining why they included a notch in the middle of the back of the controller, allowing you to route the wire away from you. It looks pretty hokey however, and the wire does not always stay put.
Media: C
The Dreamcast disks appear to be normal CDs, they actually use a proprietary format that allows a fairly large data of up to 1 GB to be stored on them, compared to the standard 650 MB capacity of a normal CD. The large memory of their disks didn’t seem to be competitive enough to seize the new DVD format, which swayed a lot of potential clients to Sony.
Packaging: B+
Packaged in standard CD jewel and transparent cases, Dreamcast titles are compact and easy to store. While the initial white color scheme looked very attractive, Sega inexplicably dumped it in favor of a black one that mirrored the Playstation packaging.
Games: A
The Dreamcast library is outstanding especially for sports fans and those who prefer arcade-style action. Games like Hydro Thunder, Crazy Taxi, Soul Calibur, House of the Dead 2, Sonic Adventure, and Sega Bass Fishing appeal to all ages with their flashy graphics and arcade-style gameplay. Groundbreaking sports titles like NFL 2K, NBA 2K, and Virtual Tennis offered breathtaking visuals and intuitive controls. Graphics: A. The Dreamcast’s graphics were miles ahead of its competitors in 1999, and they still look terrific today. The level of detail may not be as impressive as it once was, but the smooth, fluid visuals have a timeless quality. Games like Soul Calibur, Hydro Thunder, Power Stone, Skies of Arcadia, and House of the Dead 2 still compare favorably to many current generation titles.
Audio: A
As with most CD-based systems, the Dreamcast’s audio was unlimited in terms of quality.
Collectability – A
The Dreamcast console is a lot of fun to collect for. The games are readily available, usually complete. It’s even possible to collect the entire library. The games though were dirt-cheap in the early 2000’s, they’ve recently begun to inch up in price as they’ve become more scarce and limited. The toughest part of collecting for this system is finding a reliable console as it’s a good idea to own a spare.
Sega has designed a few innovations on Dreamcast namely the analog triggers, VMUs, on-line capabilities, fishing controller (Sega Bass Fishing), voice recognition (Seaman).
The pros of Dreamcast are: games are easy to collect, games have smooth and arcade style graphics, rich game library having interesting titles and peripherals. The disadvantage of a questionable controller design and annoying placement of wire. Nevertheless, Dreamcast as Sega’s final console has marked a bittersweet chapter in the history of video games.
Nov
A Review As Sega Revealed Thunder Force VI
Posted by John as Shmups
Thunder Force was the series that embodied shoot-em-ups in the line of Sega systems. Thunder Force has come a long way since its original release for Japanese PC gamers back in 1983. This Sega release became a big hit with the 1989’s Thunder Force II on the Genesis followed up by two more 16-bit sequels over the next few years. It has been roughly 10 to 11 years ago when Working Designs produced Thunder Force V for the Playstation.
Thunder Force finally made its return which doesn’t stray from the formula created in Thunder Force V. It’s you against the Orn Empire once again. Witness an explosion of colorful and vibrant 3d graphics, 2d side-scrolling solid gameplay, hip and rocking music and insane blow up of attacks. For series players of Thunder Force 6, Thunder Force time and tech, sound test and reports are at their disposal. Since its release this month, Thunder Force 6 gained mixed reactions. Some dislike the shorter length of each stage in the game retorting they find it annoying as the interruption kills their appreciation of the cool music. Thunder Force 6 reformulated how the overweapon is used, unlike its predecessor overweapon slows your ship to one quarter of speed and switching to other weapons isn’t permitted until you use one full bar. Thunder Force 6, yes, is flawed but it’s still a fun shump game with its unlockable two more ships and time attack modes.
Watch this video for more of this review:
Oct
Soukyugurentai sega saturn shmup
Posted by John as Shmups
lvl 4 of a game some feel inspired Radiant Silvergun.
Duration : 0:3:28
Oct
SHMUP Layer Section Sega Saturn – LockOn 1
Posted by John as Shmups
Made by french Shmupers Radigo & Cormano
Duration : 0:8:23
Aug
Soukyugurentai sega saturn shmup
Posted by John as Shmups
lvl 3 of this frantic shmup
Duration : 0:3:47
Aug
Armada – Sega Dreamcast shmup/RPG hybrid
Posted by John as Shmups
This is some gameplay footage from Armada, a Dreamcast shmup/RPG hybrid made by Metro3d.
It’s early in the game, so my character is not a very high level yet. I wander to a boss who is still too powerful to defeat, then head to an enemy infested town who are much higher levels than I am, and get properly wasted.
Armada is a shmup at it’s core, but has the most RPG elements I’ve seen in a hybrid game so far. You can level up, buy items, talk to characters, form teams (4 players local plus NPCs), and go on quests.
Armada is an interesting concept, and would be great for current generation consoles with online functions.
Duration : 0:5:36
Aug
Nintega’s Top 10 2D Shooters – Answer to Screwattack’s List
Posted by John as 2d Shooter
These are my top 10 favorite home system shoot-em-ups from what I have personally played so far.
Duration : 0:10:34
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