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Sega Dreamcast - Appreciation and Emulation Thread

hodgy100

Member
Yaaaay, Moero Justice Gakuen just arrived!
... in truth I don't really know anything about it other than that I adore the style and people say it's awesome. Really, really looking forward to trying it out though.

also this party mode sounds bonkers and I need to round up some people to try it out.



You absolutely need Typing of the Dead.

I know! there is no PAL version though and the others are pretty expensive :(
EDIT: I lie found a US copy pretty cheap!
 

onionfrog

Member
I just ordered the following:

-Sega Dreamcast System with 2 Games (Tokyo Xtreme Racer and Bang! Gunship Elite): $31.50.
-Extra Controller and VMU: $13.99
-Capcom Vs SNK (JPN): $7.99
-Marvel Vs Capcom 2 (JPN) $11.99

Boy, I can't wait for all of this to come in the mail!
 

oneida

Cock Strain, Lifetime Warranty
hey, Ive had a dreamcast for a while and have a fairly small library for it :( my DC "collection is as follows though:
console + 2 controllers
2 light guns
fishing controller
Keyboard
2 vmu's 1 memory card and 1 rumble pack

games:
Sonic Adventure 1 + 2
Sega Bass Fishing
HotD 2
Confidential Misson
Jet set radio

I'm wanting to pad out my collection so I'm going for a copy of shenmue 1 and 2 on ebay, what else shall I get gaf?

VF3tb is cheap 'n good
Virtua Tennis
Spaaaaaaaace Channel 5
 
I know! there is no PAL version though and the others are pretty expensive :(
EDIT: I lie found a US copy pretty cheap!

US copies are pretty cheap, around $10 or so. I just checked, and unlike lightguns, Dreamcast keyboards are apparently region free. So if you have a means to play imports on your Dreamcast, you're good to go (although some of the symbols are in different spots on PAL and US keyboards, but that shouldn't affect gameplay much.) It's one of my favorite Dreamcast titles and a certain-must play, imo.

Hm... I thought all Dreamcast accessories were region-locked, so maybe I have some hope of being able to play the copy of Samba de Amigo ver. 2000 I recently ordered with US maracas... not that any version of them are cheap or easy to find...
edit: holy shit these fucking maracas are even more expensive than I remember. Is any region's noticeably cheaper than another's?
 

koopas

Member
VF3tb is cheap 'n good
Virtua Tennis
Spaaaaaaaace Channel 5
I'll add a few of my favourites:

PenPen Triicelon (mariokart esque)
Cannon Spike (A top down shooter with capcom characters)
Toy Commander (Very fun action strategy racer game. Just get it)
 
If you are a wrestling fan I highly recommend the Giant Gram games if you want some good 3d arcade style wrestling, and for the supreme 2d experience, Fire Pro Wrestling D.. good stuff.
 

IrishNinja

Member
speaking of reindeer discs, does anyone have an extra? been needing one, maybe i should've asked gunsmithx. also, it's possible i'm burning them wrong somehow?
 
Sturmwind is FREAKIN" AWESOME! It really feels like a Genesis shooter with Dreamcast graphics. AWESOME, AWESOME, job. I would love to see what this ridiculously talented group of programmers do with newer systems.. The funny thing is, There is a level where blocks are falling from the top of the screen and they have the Atari Jaguar logo on them. (This originally started on the Jaguar).. Funny thing to see. Really catchy music too. The game rivals the thunderforce series, IMO... Yes, it's THAT good. Fairly challenging too, even on the easy difficulty. You really owe it to yourself to get this game and support these developers. One of the top games of 2013, IMO. Disgraceful that the major game sites are ignoring reviewing it. (unless I've missed it)
 

Mengy

wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
Shenmue 2 on DC would be the desired way to play because you can carry over your save. It came out on DC in Europe and Japan.


Wow, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I don't remember Shenmue II coming out at all for the DC, I thought it was an Xbox exclusive. Was it any different on the DC? Did the Xbox version have anything extra, or was it missing stuff? I only have it for the Xbox.


Last night I used the DC to make a CDI of my Tokyo Extreme Racer 2 to try out in Null-DC. After setting the z-buffer to a lower precision setting in the emulator, the game plays just fine! There are a few graphical glitches with the background lights, but nothing terrible. This emulating the DC on my PC is freaking slick. I also made an image of my Sega GT, that seems to work without any issue at all, as far as I can tell. I now have a stack of games on my desk to broadband down, with Soul Calibur on top, then Test Drive LeMans, Mr. Driller, Skies of Arcadia, and Ecco following next. Shenmue will be done at some point too I imagine, then I'll have to play it all over again of course.

Now I just need to find a way to get my VMU saves from the DC into Null-DC.. Is that even possible?
 

IrishNinja

Member
Wow, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I don't remember Shenmue II coming out at all for the DC, I thought it was an Xbox exclusive. Was it any different on the DC? Did the Xbox version have anything extra, or was it missing stuff? I only have it for the Xbox.

it came out for PAL-land, and don't be embarrassed; many of us didn't know at the time! fortunately it's not too expensive to import, and as i recall, didn't even need a boot disc for me. it's not as nice looking as the xbox version, but it's got japanese audio with english subs, which i find way better than the dub! importing your US save file takes some work though, i typically end up just using whatever's stock in 2 to be honest. no idea but how to do it with NullDC but a buddy of mine looked into it a while back, pretty sure it's doable but also not easy.
 

Vlade

Member
SIgning in!

You know what game has been on my mind lately? Record of Lodoss War. What an amazing game. Great progression and character developement and really interesting battles. I guess stuff like Shining Force NEO went after that experience again, but nothing felt quite as tense as that game.
 

Fox Mulder

Member
it came out for PAL-land, and don't be embarrassed; many of us didn't know at the time!

it was a painful dagger when the Dreamcast died and we didn't even get the amazing shenmue 2 on top of it because MS swooped in to steal the game for the xbox.

then it sold like shit and killed the franchise further, as many fans just imported it for the DC.

I actually like the corny English dub though, as I got attached to it in the original.
 
I remember seeing import copies of European Shenmue II, with discs to play import games on, for sale in EB here in the US... but yeah, Sega seems to have stopped making DC games almost entirely basically the moment the GC and Xbox came out. They released stuff up until Bomberman Online in October, but their November and December titles? We didn't get a one, not Shenmue II, not Rez, not and Headhunter, even though all three released in Europe by January '02. Missing out on Japan-only releases like Space Channel 5 Part 2, okay, but games that were in English, and during the DC's life, not releasing in the region where the DC had done best? No wonder that the DC sold so poorly in December '01, after having a pretty decent year up to that point. Sega wanted people to get a GC and Monkey Ball, I guess... or wait for VF4 on PS2 and their Xbox lineup. Seriously though, if there's enough demand for EB to be importing European games, you've got to say that Sega made a mistake by not releasing them here.
 

oneida

Cock Strain, Lifetime Warranty
Speaking of VF4, I recall reading that some Dreamcast Shenmue related release (U.S. Shenmue? Shenmue II?) had some "sneak peek Virtua Fighter 4" footage included as a bonus. Anyone know anything about this? Does it hint that there may have, at one point, been a DC VF4 in development? Maybe that was out of scope of the hardware's potential, since VF4 ran on NAOMI 2 hardware, not NAOMI which more closely resembled the Dreamcast.

Any info on this would be appreciated.

found pic:
BxijqsI.jpg
 

SegaManAU

Gold Member
Speaking of VF4, I recall reading that some Dreamcast Shenmue related release (U.S. Shenmue? Shenmue II?) had some "sneak peek Virtua Fighter 4" footage included as a bonus. Anyone know anything about this? Does it hint that there may have, at one point, been a DC VF4 in development? Maybe that was out of scope of the hardware's potential, since VF4 ran on NAOMI 2 hardware, not NAOMI which more closely resembled the Dreamcast.

Any info on this would be appreciated.

found pic:
BxijqsI.jpg

Pretty sure I read somewhere that VF4 was being made for the DC before Sega moved all development to the PS2.

-edit- apparently Yu Suzuki has said in a PS2 magazine interview that the research was done and the compromise would be too great to make the game for DC. So it was thought about, but deemed not possible.
 

fenners

Member
Speaking of VF4, I recall reading that some Dreamcast Shenmue related release (U.S. Shenmue? Shenmue II?) had some "sneak peek Virtua Fighter 4" footage included as a bonus. Anyone know anything about this? Does it hint that there may have, at one point, been a DC VF4 in development? Maybe that was out of scope of the hardware's potential, since VF4 ran on NAOMI 2 hardware, not NAOMI which more closely resembled the Dreamcast.

Any info on this would be appreciated.

VF4 Passport came with the Japanese Limited Edition release of Shenmue 2 I believe. Two discs, one of which just took you to the website, the other with a bunch of videos etc as a game history.

It's not really /that/ rare or hard to get the Shenmue 2 LE.
 
Update on the VGA, this is the VGA cable I have bought.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ED36252/

So far, so good, teamed it up with an RCA to 3.5mm adapter and plugged it into my PC speakers for sound, so that problem is sorted. Visual quality is a definite improvement over the RGB scart cable I was previously using, the image is noticeably sharper.

Howver, when I try to play Resident Evil 2, the image shifts way to the left, leaving approximately a third of the action out of view. Need to know if this is a common problem or just one present with this cable.

Also rather disappointingly Code Veronica is not supported for VGA mode, as a serious Resident Evil fan this is a reall bummer for me.
 

televator

Member
Update on the VGA, this is the VGA cable I have bought.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ED36252/

So far, so good, teamed it up with an RCA to 3.5mm adapter and plugged it into my PC speakers for sound, so that problem is sorted. Visual quality is a definite improvement over the RGB scart cable I was previously using, the image is noticeably sharper.

Howver, when I try to play Resident Evil 2, the image shifts way to the left, leaving approximately a third of the action out of view. Need to know if this is a common problem or just one present with this cable.

Also rather disappointingly Code Veronica is not supported for VGA mode, as a serious Resident Evil fan this is a reall bummer for me.

You sure you getting 480p from it? Does your display tell you the incoming resolution if you press "info" or something?

Also, I'm pretty sure there are ways to get around games that don't support VGA. It's been a while since I looked it up though, but I think one solution was to simply switch from composite to VGA once the game boots up... However your cable might make that a problem since the trick was for VGA boxes that had actual switches. I guess you might try switching out whole cables?
 
You sure you getting 480p from it? Does your display tell you the incoming resolution if you press "info" or something?

Also, I'm pretty sure there are ways to get around games that don't support VGA. It's been a while since I looked it up though, but I think one solution was to simply switch from composite to VGA once the game boots up... However your cable might make that a problem since the trick was for VGA boxes that had actual switches. I guess you might try switching out whole cables?

Yeah, it's hooked up to my HDTV and when I press the info button on the remote it confirms the DC is running in 640 x 480 through the VGA cable as it should, so I'm not sure what is up to be honest.
 
I still have my DC plugged in ready to roll but I need a suitable place to keep it, right now it's just on the floor in the corner, sort of a mess of wires along with my mac mini and ouya.

Speaking of the ouya, emulation of the Dreamcast using Reicast for android works extremely well on the ouya, it has a long way to go and performance can vary but I have sunk a good 11+ hours into Phantasy Star Online v2 being emulated despite owning it anyway, i'm super impressed with Reicast so far.
 

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Done with the Saturn backlog; moving onto Dreamcast.

Streaming Napple Tale even though idk wtf it is or how I'm supposed to play it. But I'm not about to be beaten by a game designed for little Japanese girls, that's for sure.

http://www.twitch.tv/sixfortyfive
Verdict: The parts I want to play (platforming) are too simple and the rest of the game is too much of a struggle due to the language barrier. Not worth slogging through if you aren't literate in Japanese.

Two ?s:

- I'm probably going to re-attempt Skies of Arcadia soon. I've heard that some information in the instruction manual is flat-out incorrect, so if there's a primer on gameplay mechanics out there that would be helpful in reducing any trial and error, I'd very much appreciate knowing about it.

- Are any Dreamcast versions of Phantasy Star Online worth playing without the "online" part?
 

Ramune

Member
Update on the VGA, this is the VGA cable I have bought.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ED36252/

So far, so good, teamed it up with an RCA to 3.5mm adapter and plugged it into my PC speakers for sound, so that problem is sorted. Visual quality is a definite improvement over the RGB scart cable I was previously using, the image is noticeably sharper.

Howver, when I try to play Resident Evil 2, the image shifts way to the left, leaving approximately a third of the action out of view. Need to know if this is a common problem or just one present with this cable.

Also rather disappointingly Code Veronica is not supported for VGA mode, as a serious Resident Evil fan this is a reall bummer for me.

Are you sure? Because I distinctly remember, back in the day, convincing my friend to get himself a VGA adapter during a visit to Funcoland after my success with one. He broke down and bought it, went to his house and hooked up his JP Dreamcast to his Mother's Computer Screen and was blown away by how crisp and detailed Code Veronica looked (never played, but it was at the end with Wesker, Chris and Claire?). He was also a RE fanatic at the time. Granted this was the JP version. Your telling me Capcom cheapened up with the western release?!?!?! o_O
 
Verdict: The parts I want to play (platforming) are too simple and the rest of the game is too much of a struggle due to the language barrier. Not worth slogging through if you aren't literate in Japanese.
There is a pretty good FAQ on GameFAQs if you want to know what to do in the town segments without wandering around and guessing, you know.

- Are any Dreamcast versions of Phantasy Star Online worth playing without the "online" part?
Sure, but if you've got the setup, it IS possible to hook up even DC PSO (v.1, not sure about v.2) to the same fan servers that have saved Blue Burst... though there isn't really any reason to play DC PSO over Gamecube PSO 1+2, that has everything plus a lot more and better graphics. And of course PC Blue Burst has even more. But if you really want to play the DC version, it plays okay solo, just get used to grinding so you'll have a chance against the bosses.
 

Ramune

Member
There is a pretty good FAQ on GameFAQs if you want to know what to do in the town segments without wandering around and guessing, you know.

That so? I got the game recently since I wanted Yoko Kanno to sign it during Otakon last year, but alas, it and the OSTs didn't come in the mail in time. I'll check it out so thanks for the tip! :D
 
I am planning to have a raffle near the end of the month....
Edit: Actually meant to say GIVE a new sealed Sturmwind game to those interested. I ordered one from NCS and found it later on amazon. I decided to get both, and would like to give someone else the opportunity to get a chance to play it too. I will keep one and have a contest for the other. Still, if that is okay with the Mods. :)
 

petran79

Banned
I am planning to have a raffle near the end of the month for a chance to get a brand new (sealed) STURMWIND for the Dreamcast. I do want to make sure it is okay with the mods first. Hopefully they can let me know soon. If it happens I will announce details when I get the O.K.. :)

Sturmwind is a commercial release and is also encrypted.

Treat it like any new commercial game
 

oneida

Cock Strain, Lifetime Warranty
The lack of unbearably bad english voices in the PAL DC version is the main reason it's superior...

For you, sure - but the English VO is just how these characters have sounded to me for the past fourteen years. I have the PAL release as well, but I prefer the Xbox version.
 

Yaqoub

Member
I love this thread.

I'm currently waiting on my copy of Capcom vs SNK to arrive. I already bought CvS2 on my PS3 from PSN but no good copy of CvS1 except on Dreamcast so void closed.

Gonna start my Shenmue playthrough soon. It'll be the first time I play the first one in English. I finished it back then in Japanese using a guide. Was still amazing.
 

IrishNinja

Member
I won Sturmwind on a playasia auction, woo hoo! about $10 less than what they charge for it, and sealed too. i was curious before but Classic Game Room giving it GOTY made me really wanna check it out, and the price was right! anyone know if it works with the DC stick/green goblin?

*edit: looks like i'm in luck!
 

Teknoman

Member
I am planning to have a raffle near the end of the month....
Edit: Actually meant to say GIVE a new sealed Sturmwind game to those interested. I ordered one from NCS and found it later on amazon. I decided to get both, and would like to give someone else the opportunity to get a chance to play it too. I will keep one and have a contest for the other. Still, if that is okay with the Mods. :)

Best contest. Cant get enough shoot em up or run n gun games.
 

koopas

Member
I am seriously impressed by Spawn I can't believe how much fun I'm having with that game. Helps when you have zero expectations going in I guess. I would suggest that anyone yet to play it, add that one to your collection. Still can be had on the cheap.
 

IrishNinja

Member
yeah, that one and Lodoss War both hit me outta nowhere - after so many mediocre to bad spawn games, i wasn't expecting a fun arcade take on the character...easily the best the franchise ever saw.
 

Teknoman

Member
Thrift store visit while doing stuff today: Snagged Space Channel 5, but I havent popped it in yet. Any opinions? Never had the chance to play it back in the day.
 

IrishNinja

Member
Thrift store visit while doing stuff today: Snagged Space Channel 5, but I havent popped it in yet. Any opinions? Never had the chance to play it back in the day.

bought it day 1 after the MTV hype, and dug it but i love rhythm games. was cool seeing the MJ cameo, bummed we never got 2 properly.
 
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