The Dreamroom is Coming!

What: The Dreamroom is a small party at my apartment celebrating the 10th anniversary of the SEGA Dreamcast. Two consoles will be running, drawing from a library of 70+ games, and a variety of peripherals will be used. Expect to see old classics as well as rarely streamed/YouTubed games including Segagaga, Cool Cool Toon, What's Shenmue? and that strange Yukawa digging game.

When: United States (EST): Wednesday, September 9th, 2009. 6pm - 11pm
England (GMT): Wednesday, September 9th, 2009. 12am - 5am
Also, as a sneak peek I may start the feed a few hours early.

Where: At my apartment, invite only.
HOWEVER, the world can watch the event live on Justin.tv/Dreamroom as well as embedded the main page of this site on 9-9. Hope to see you there!

Watch live video from dreamroom on Justin.tv

Those Nomad Clones Love Their Delays

I think I'll just sit back and just wait until the RetroGen and GenMobile are actually released. On Monday I declared that the RetroGen had been stripped of its "pre-order" status, but our friends at Innex have now pushed the release date to September 4th, 2009. The smaller GenMobile has also been pushed to an early September release.

Tumbleweeds pass through deserted
"OMG NOMAD RETURNS!" message board threads

Strange that two Genesis handhelds from two different companies are postponed at the same time. Maybe they're being built in the same warehouse and Innex and Hyperkin are the same company which in turn is actually SEGA, secretly operating as a hardware manufacturer once again! Or maybe not. Once they are released, I'll let you know.

RetroGen Released & My Dreamcast Collection Expands

After a number of small delays, the RetroGen has (supposedly) stripped itself of "pre-order" status and is available! While I have yet to order one, I plan to by December and will post an exhaustive review here at the NJY. If you have ordered one, tried one or have an opinion then leave a comment below!

In other news, my Dreamcast collection has expanded. I thought I'd do a followup to my collection post from two months back. It's pretty amazing how quickly one can build their collection! I remember reading that James Rolfe (the Angry Video Game Nerd) went from a modest NES collection to nearly the whole library in just a few years! While I'm not aiming for a complete Dreamcast library, there are roughly 40 more titles that I have my eyes on. Hell, I might even get one dating sim to say I have one.


Not to shabby for two months of moderate collecting! The Racketboy forums were a great resource for finding Segagaga, the Gameshark, Aerowings, Air Force Delta, Tomb Raider, memory card, fight controller and my third Dreamcast. All made up two bundles which, when combined, was a cool $60. The other games were ebay finds and VideoGamesNewYork purchases. In all the other titles probably cost a little under $100. $160 total, $80 a month. I'm secure with telling you all that.

I've also bought a narrow shelf for my games.


That is nearly all of my Dreamcast games, minus a handful of titles still at my parents house. There are about double the amount of PS2 and XBOX titles, loose discs are in the blue portfolio below and the cases are, once again, at my parents house. Above are a few of my Sonic toys and empty shelves reserved for Saturn, SEGA CD and Genesis games. Pay no attention to the Complete Faces of Death DVD in the corner. It was $5.

While I'm in the show-and-tell mood, let's take a look at the new television, an HDTV to be exact! 42" Panasonic with the 360 displayed in HDMI, the Dreamcast in VGA converted to HDMI and the is PS2 unplugged as its on its deathbed. This setup is just what I needed to carry out my "Dreamcast Labs" videos (coming Winter 2009).


In the guest room is our old TV, a 20" Sony WEGA with the XBOX via component, the Japanese Dreamcast via s-video and the good ol' VCR.


Thats the collection for now. Expect an huge SEGA collection post in the future, to be found on SEGA Memories.

Oy "Vay"! - SEGA CD RPG on the iPhone

How could I have missed this one?! Damn that Dreamcast and its obtrusive 10th anniversary (Forgive me, almighty Dreamcast!).

Well, the Dreamcast can't really be blamed, as this game hit the iPhone well before I owned one and began the Nomad Junkyard. Released to the Apple App Store on July 17th, 2008, Vay is an adaptation of the 1994 Sega CD game. I say adaptation as the game isn't a direct port. Menus use the iPhone interface, and battles feature updated sprites. Despite some updates, character and world graphics are retained as well are the animated cutscenes (oooh!).

Maps feature the original Sega CD graphics

While battles feature updated graphics

The developer, SoMoGa, lists the following features:

• User selectable difficulty makes this title great for both beginners and RPG veterans
• Compelling and engrossing story
• Nearly ten minutes of animated cutscenes
• Auto-save feature allows you to play in small increments
• Over 100 enemies and a dozen challenging bosses
• Over 90 expansive areas to explore

Sounds fun! I definitely will download this once I've completed Zenonia. Buy Vay from the App Store for $4.99.

Source: TouchArcade

Dreamcast Anniversary Events Roundup

With the 10th anniversary of our beloved little white box approaching, SEGA fan sites across the interwebs are planning various events to celebrate 9-9-09. A variety of happenings are occurring, including polls, videos, articles, steaming webcams and real live parties! Let's see whats going on, shall we?

The Nomad Junkyard presents: Dreamroom

Dreamroom is a Dreamcast party that I'm holding at my house. While not open to the public, I will be streaming the event live via Justin.tv! The broadcast start time is still TBA, but I can confirm that there will be two to three Dreamcasts running on separate monitors and games will be drawn from my collection of 80+ games. Expect to see old classics as well as rarities like Cool Cool Toon, Segagaga and Tokyo Busguide. Drinks, friends and (most importantly) good games! Hope to see you there virtually!

The Dreamcast User Top 100 Poll


Gagaman(n) of the Dreamcast Junkyard describes it best:
Open for one month, this poll gives you the choice of over 380 games released on the console (yes, even the really rubbish ones). You can pick as many or as few as you like, and if you change your mind you can edit your choices as many times as you like, too. When the poll is over all the votes will be counted and a special Top 100 article will be made. Just for the fun of it we'll list the bottom 20 as well, and if people demand it we'll release a list of the entire top 380-something.
Check out the poll

ihaveadreamcast.com's 10th Anniversary Party


Panta decribes the event:
It is almost here! 10 years of Dreamcast gaming! We have heard lots of rumblings of gaming marathons and Dreamcast celebrations across the internet. We have finally gotten our acts together and think we are ready to start talking 09.09.09. I HAVE A DREAMCAST should be streaming a lot during 09.09.09. But will we not be gaming all of the time, we'll have a number of activities streaming throughout the day. We'll have a schedule soon. However, our big event will take place in the evening. The entire I Have a Dreamcast crew will be at The Go Bar! in Athens, Ga. It will be a party like no other! There will be performances by the Dreamcast bands, we'll have at least 4 gaming stations set up (one or two will be projected on the walls of the club), we'll have cake, special t-shirts made for the event, and copies of the Dreamcast EP. The event will be FREE and open to the public. We are doing our best to get all fans of the Dreamcast in the Athens/Atlanta region to attend and, hell if you live within 500 miles of Athens, Ga you owe it to yourself to be here! After all, it only happens once a year!
Here's hoping the event is taped or streamed, sounds fun! Check out more info here

Stay tuned for updates on all these events on their respective websites. Only 21 days to go!

Happy 20th Anniversary Genesis!

The SEGA Nomad's game library turns 20 years old today! Well, actually the Genesis turns 20 today. I'll forgo the full history lesson, as I hope SEGA fans know what the Genesis is, but here's a short background as to what today is all about (with a little help from Wikipedia).

The Mega Drive was released in Japan on October 29, 1988. Sega announced a North American release date for the system (under the name of Sega Genesis) on January 9, 1989. Sega initially attempted to partner with Atari Corporation for distribution of the console in the US, but the two could not agree to terms and Sega decided to do it themselves. Sega was not able to meet the initial release date and US sales began on August 14, 1989 in New York City and Los Angeles. The Genesis was released in the rest of North America later that year.


Of course, what followed was SEGA's most successful console. Sonic the Hedgehog debuted and mopped the floor with Mario, many classic commercials and marketing campaigns occurred, dozens of classics were released and two add-ons were spawned.

So take a moment today to play your old console or an emulation of a Genesis classic. Genesis STILL does what Nintendon't!

9 Reasons Why You Should Still Be Playing Your Dreamcast

We're almost there kids, the big ten is less than a month away! I figured it's time I dusted off the 10th Anniversary banner for another Dreamcast related article. This time I'm going to give 9 reasons why you should still be playing your Dreamcast. Enough jibber-jabber, let's kick off the list!

1 VGA Support
The Dreamcast was ahead of its time in many aspects, including video output. Even in 1998, SEGA was thinking towards the future by making the console capable of 480p progressive scan via VGA output. In other words, the Dreamcast looks damn good on an HDTV. Compare what the Dreamcast can do to other consoles of its generation; Nintendo dropped Gamecube DVI support in 2004 and the best the Playstation 2 and XBOX can do is component video (correct me if I'm wrong with the XBOX).

That is one sharp startup menu!

2 Ports Look Better
While the Dreamcast saw its share of games ported from other consoles, often the Dreamcast version became the best version available. Playstation and Nintendo 64 ports look sharper, run smoother, and occasionally feature updated graphics and exclusive content. Standout ports of great games like Rayman 2 and Shadowman are excellent additions to any Dreamcast library. Even average ports like Star Wars Episode 1 Racer, Jedi Power Battles and Tomb Raider: Chronicles are worth playing on the Dreamcast.

One of the Dreamcast's best platformers would be a port of a N64 game! Who knew?

3 Exclusive Games
Speaking of ports, over the years the Dreamcast has lost many of its once exclusive games to newer consoles like the Gamecube, PS2 and XBOX Live Arcade. Despite a few losses, some argue that the Dreamcast versions are still the best; the Dreamcast versions of Wacky Races, Rayman 2, Soul Caliber and Dead or Alive 2 definitely beat their PS2 versions. Games that remain exclusive to the Dreamcast include the epically awesome Shenmue, the genre defying Jet Set Radio, the excellent Power Stone series, the obscure Cool Cool Toon and the bizarre Seaman (English language version).

Nine years later and this STILL can only be played on the Dreamcast.

4 Unique Gameplay
Utilizing both conventional and bizzare accessories, the Dreamcast offers unique gameplay experiences found nowhere else. Have a conversation with Seaman, explore a 1980's era Yokosuka, enjoy a number of online games (via some simple mod methods) and play a near-perfect arcade game of Samba de Amigo. Sorry Wii owners, but the height sensing maracas make the game.

5 An Active Online Community
If you haven't noticed already, the Dreamcast has an active and very friendly online community. Blogs such as this one, I Have A Dreamcast and the Dreamcast Junkyard provide news and articles pertaining to the console and allow for friendly chit-chat, while larger discussions can be held in forums such as the one at Planet Dreamcast. With the upcoming 10th anniversary, expect some big things to come from these sites.

6 Homebrew and Emulation
As the majority of Dreamcasts manufactured are able to read burned CD-ROMs, an active homebrew and emulation community exists. Sites such as DCEmu and DC Evolution provide news and downloads for those who enjoy older emulated games as well as homebrew creations. What are you waiting for? Get burning!

7 New Games
Beyond homebrew releases, the past few years have brought some very impressive independent releases available to buy from the same websites that sell official Dreamcast releases. Notable independent releases include Wind & Water Puzzle Battles, DUX and Last Hope. Compare that to what the Gamecube and XBOX have released over the past year (aka nothing).



8 It Looks Great on a Shelf
Something has to be said about the Dreamcast's aesthetic design, it's a truly lovely object. The wave shape of the top edges, the five small squares on either side of the disc lid, the triangular orange power light and the colorful buttons bring a sort of playful character to the system. Despite being playful, the Dreamcast is also subtle in its design, making it perfectly suited for a highly visible spot on an entertainment shelf. Compared to the PS2, XBOX and Gamecube, the Dreamcast does not give off the look of a toy or a VCR. Combine the Dreamcast with a 360, a white Saturn and an Orta exclusive XBOX and you have a cream colored candy coated console collection.


9 The Future
If the past year is any indication, the Dreamcast has a lot in store for the future. More independent games are coming, homebrew efforts continue to thrive, the community is growing and despite owning and playing the console since 1999, I still have new Dreamcast games to discover.

SEGA Dreamcast. It's still thinking.

Attack of the Nomad Clones

"Begun, the Clone Wars have."
-Yoda

Back in June I evaluated the RetroGen, a portable Sega Genesis from INNEX. For those who have been following the release date, you'll note that July 25th has come and went and we have yet to see the release of the RetroGen. Was it canceled, or was it delayed? An answer came from the online retailer GamesBoro, who sent the following to pre-order customers:

Unfortunately due to events beyond my control the new systems listed above will be delayed until 08/14. I was informed by Innex today that this will be the absolute latest that they arrive so it is possible that they show up before then. If this is the case they will be shipped the same day they arrive on location to your homes/offices. I know this is sad news, as I do not want to be the one who has to tell anyone this, let alone new customers. I hope you will not think less of the company as we truely have no way of getting the systems faster. Our rep at Innex has stated that the Gamesboro order will be handled first, before anyone else. Again I apologize, and I hope you stay with us and see this through.

So while there has been a delay, thankfully it isn't for long. GamesBoro also supplied the RetroGen's sell sheet, which you can have a look at below.


Interestingly, the product looks to have lost the ability to utilize a memory stick. Unless that technology is planned to be implemented into a Genesis-like cartridge.

If one portable Genesis wasn't enough, another company known as Hyperkin has ALSO developed an officially sanctioned portable Genesis! Called the GenMobile, this Nomad clone had a screen .4" smaller than the RetroGen but includes 20 built-in games. A fair trade off if you ask me. While the button layout looks to be more vertical than I would think would be comfortable, I can't give them shit for it without trying it out myself. Bonus points to the GenMobile for (hopefully) having the Genesis logo slapped above the screen.


Which one do you prefer? Has the Nomad been beat?

The Ultimate Game Gear Suit

In the grand tradition of pillaging content from another blog for your own, I thought I'd share an image from a post by マーティン aka Martin of The Dreamcast Junkyard. During his visit to the Manchester Videogame Expo, Martin photographed this sweet piece of art. It's the ultimate Game Gear suit! While the gun is probably unnecessary, it does add to the badassery of the ensemble.


The SEGA buttons and Tails patch are great and all, but the true functionality of the suit lies in the special cartridge pocket on the right arm and the extra batteries in the left pocket pouch (insert Game Gear battery draining joke here). While our model looks to be all action, note the safety strap attached to her wrist. That red-green-blue logo tells us that Game Gear is no Majesco model, that's a true SEGA model. No way is she going to drop that baby!