A couple years back I started blogging heavily here about my experiences collecting (and playing) Dreamcast games. But over time my focus would shift back and forth from Dreamcast to other stuff. The shifting tended to dilute what I envisioned in my mind as the proper way to display my DC collecting. Which is why earlier this month I decided to launch my own site called appropriately enough "noiseredux vs. Dreamcast."
[img width=700 height=393]http://i.imgur.com/X8lCTTF.png[/img]
The main reason was that I didn't want to keep this NRvsDC thing going as a blog... I don't really like that format for such an endeavor. I like organization that can only be accomplished via an actual site rather than a blog.
You can head over to http://noiseredux.weebly.com to see what I'm talking about.
The new NRvDC site offers up my write-ups (including ones I've migrated from my blog here) on Dreamcast and Neo Geo Pocket games as I explore my own collection. It's important to note that I don't really consider these "reviews." They're generally more anecdotal. Or rambling even. Consider it just a collector's journal. It also has its own blog that I'll use for chronicling my pick-ups.
As far as my blog here - I'll most likely use it for more scattered thoughts. It's not like I'm abandoning RFGen, but this noiseredux vs. Dreamcast site is just really the way I've always envisioned the presentation.
While reading old posts on the Dreamcast Junkyard blog, I came across this great Android app called Dream Collection. It's a simple tool for keeping track of your Dreamcast collection. There's not a lot to the program, but it does just what it needs to. You simply check off the games you own, and can note if they're complete or missing parts. Of course you could just as easily use the RFGeneration app as well, though this is nice for tracking just a single collecting goal. Dream Collection only tracks US released games -- and while it includes the Web Browser releases, it does not cover demo discs. Like I said, just simple and straight forward. But if you are going for a complete set of US Dreamcast games, it's definitely worth checking out.
[img width=288 height=432]http://cdn4.staztic.com/cdn/screenshot/dreamcollection-2-0.jpg[/img] [img width=288 height=432]http://cdn4.staztic.com/cdn/screenshot/dreamcollection-2-1.jpg[/img] [img width=288 height=432]http://cdn4.staztic.com/cdn/screenshot/dreamcollection-2-2.jpg[/img]
[img width=400 height=340]http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/gadgetlab/2009/05/ba52_sega_dreamcast_console_partsjpg.jpeg[/img]
Looking back at this very blog, it appears that it was just about this time last year that I lost all interest in my Summer Gaming list and starting spending a bunch of time with my Dreamcast. In fact it was after I had beaten four of my ten games last year that this occurred. Guess how many I've beaten this year?
Let me tell you a stupid story. In the past I've often tried to be a one-console man. I can't really explain the need for this, but I'd usually try to just focus on a single console as far as collecting went. I guess my hope was to not overwhelm myself. So when I'd move from one collection to another, it usually meant selling off a bulk of what I had been collecting previously.
But recently I've come to terms with the idea that I'm not a single-console collector. I'm a video game collector. And because I love shmups, I was going to need to stop limiting my focus so much. Instead of a single console to collect shmups for, why not have a PS3, 360, Wii, PS2, Saturn and Dreamcast all hooked up and ready to go?
And at first the Dreamcast was just sitting there waiting for some new shmups -- I've just recently found a copy of Last Hope (non-Pink Bullets version sadly) for instance. But then OatBob's recent blog post got me thinking about my neglected console. And then I came across this wonderful checklist again:
[img width=700 height=905]http://i.imgur.com/H0Mcx.gif[/img]
Are you familiar with this? It's the list of all officially licensed US releases. In short, it's a pretty good reminder of just how many awesome titles, and how much variety there was released on the console in such a short span of time. It also reminds me of what an interesting period of time 9.9.99-January 2001 was for gaming.
I printed the list out and checked off the small handful of DC games I still own. And now I want more. But y'know what's nice about collecting DC stuff? For the most part it's relatively cheap.
Perhaps Dreamcast collecting is a sickness, but if there's a cure for this I don't want it.
[img width=606 height=550]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-071/bf/U-071-S-02460-A.jpg[/img]
I know I've talked on this blog more than once about how Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 was my first introduction to the Dreamcast more than a decade ago. In fact I was so enamored with that game that when my college roommate moved out (and took his Dreamcast with him) I had to get my own copy along with its prequel. Though at the time I had a PlayStation 2 rather than a Dreamcast of my own, so although I was more than familiar with the original Pro Skater, it would be quite a few years before I got to play this particular version. And just recently I decided I was due for another race to the end-credits.
[img width=575 height=465]http://i.imgur.com/JHuaJLH.jpg[/img]
There's a lot to love about Pro Skater. It's got an excellent soundtrack (I really wish an official soundtrack had been released), it's got a pick-up-and-play quality to it, and plays great. That said, it's always slightly tough to go back to the original game because it's easy to forget that manuals weren't introduced until the second game. This means that chaining combos together was actually a far more difficult affair back then. But once you get over this small snag, it's easy to see that the first game was already pretty close to perfection.
[img width=575 height=465]http://i.imgur.com/SclmdA0.jpg[/img]
The original Pro Skater is also the hardest game of the series, at least as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps it's because there are actually less goals per level, and they can often be tough ones. Take for instance the Downhill Jam. This level is probably the one I'd consider the hardest of the entire series. But of course some of that could be my own personal play style. But what was fun about my recent playthrough of the game was that I purposely forced myself to patiently complete every single goal in the Downhill Jam. That definitely made it feel like a bigger accomplishment than just coasting to the final tournament by completing goals in other levels instead.
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/7/197507_42259_front.jpg[/img]
I'm taking a bit of a different approach to collecting Dreamcast games. I'm going slow. In the past with other consoles I've felt a need to hoard. Then I end up with mountains of games I've never even tried. With Dreamcast I've decided to take my time. I have just over a dozen games so far. But I'm trying to get ones I really want to play, and then spend serious time with them.
I loved the first Gunbird on PS1 (released in America as Mobile Light Force). And I must say the second is even better. It's got everything that made the first so great -- cutesy witches, colorful bullets in mesmerizing patterns, excellent music, fantastic sprite work -- but the second game has Morrigan!
Normally when I get a new shmup I quarter-feed my way through it the first time. I figure that the goal of most shmups is to continually get better at it. Serious shmuppers are of course always after that 1CC. However I realized something; what's the point of quarter-feeding really? Why not just start at the easiest mode and work your way up? This kind of makes more sense to me. It's a slow progression, where you get better from practice but the game gets harder with each new difficulty.
[img width=580 height=435]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/screenshots/dc/gunbird2/gunbird2_b2_screen001.jpg[/img]
And I'll be glad to spend some time getting better at Gunbird 2. It's really a wonderful game that I'd highly recommend to all shoot-em-up fans who may have overlooked it.
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/6/197066_50242_front.jpg[/img]
I am an not a huge fan of 3D fighting games, but Dead Or Alive surprised me back on the the PlayStation. However, the PS2 release of DOA: Hardcore didn't really do as much for me as the original game. For some reason, it just didn't even feel like it was good enough (in appearance or gameplay) to be a PS2 game. The funny thing is, Hardcore was actually an upgraded revision of Dead Or Alive 2 for Dreamcast. And yet, I find this original version (there were apparently eleven variations of DOA2 released throughout various regions and systems) to be completely amazing.
Perhaps part of it is that I can't even believe how great this game looks running on 1999 hardware. The jump from blockiness to this is staggering from the first game to the second. I also found the controls far more responsive than in the original -- though of course the DC controller is not meant for fighters. Luckily the Agetec arcade stick exists, as I wouldn't have been able to play this game otherwise. (I should also mention I'm trying to get my hands on one of those Ascii fight pads if anyone has one they want to trade). The music is also incredible. After running through Story Mode with Kasumi, I cranked the end credits music and pondered seeking out the soundtrack.
As you can see, my new Dreamcast collection is slowly growing. I'm just around a dozen games now. But it looks like I have a rather amazing library to disover ahead of me.
Happy New Year everyone. Let's see how much my collection grew in December...
[img width=700 height=933]http://i.imgur.com/fU1zd.jpg[/img]
The lone addition to my Sega CD library was Thunder Strike which I picked up cheap locally.
[img width=700 height=933]http://i.imgur.com/015dk.jpg[/img]
Strikers was another cheap local find, but the rest of the Saturn additions were Christmas gifts. Awesome stuff!
[img width=700 height=933]http://i.imgur.com/Yc8ay.jpg[/img]
Some Dreamcast commons -- Airforce Delta and NBA 2K1 were gifts. The rest I picked up either locally or online. Psychic Force 2012 seemed like something I should play in 2012.
[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/yDWjX.jpg[/img]
Three amazing Dreamcast games under the Christmas tree! Zombie Revenge was a surprise from my wife, and it seems like a really great game.
[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/75HHW.jpg[/img]
Dreamcast imports! Shikigami No Shiro II is a favorite of mine I've owned on GameCube and PS2 in the past, but felt I needed the DC port as well. Frame Gride was a gift from a friend, and Guilty Gear was from eStarland and includes the bonus mini-CD soundtrack.
[img width=700 height=933]http://i.imgur.com/23py2.jpg[/img]
An Ascii fight pad! I've wanted one of these for so long and managed to grab it from eStarland. It's super comfortable for fighters and shmups as well.
[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/zc0RE.jpg[/img]
These two books were Christmas gifts. The Hardcore Gaming 101 book I read in just a few days, and although I had read much of it on the website prior, it felt perfect in book form and organized as it was. The Service Games book seems really great so far, though I'm less than a hundred pages in still.
[img width=700 height=933]http://i.imgur.com/CeuRz.jpg[/img]
My wife also found me this Sonic shot glass. He's chasing rings all the way round the glass.
So April turned out to be a crazy good month for adding to my collection. Let's take a look!
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/6XnVc1ol.jpg[/img]
First up was a couple of guides that I got using Barnes & Noble gift cards. I love Capcom Vs. SNK, so this was exciting.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/E3c6JpUl.jpg[/img]
A trade on Racketboy.com landed me these 3 Saturn titles. Always nice to get a fancy Working Design game.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/Dj7PjaNl.jpg[/img]
Fellow RFGen-er GrayGhost81 traded me this nice handful of Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine demo discs. By the end of April I was only now missing 2 of them.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/E518agAl.jpg[/img]
This giant lot came from a good buddy of mine. It started out as me taking just those two Saturn sports games which he had doubles of. Eventually the deal grew into what you see above, but he also surprised me with that sealed copy of Floigan Brothers which was really awesome of him!
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/PXg0H97l.jpg[/img]
Evolution I found locally for $7, and although that's pretty much the going price I like being able to buy Dreamcast games in person when I see them in such great shape.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/sD7bwsCl.jpg[/img]
Another trade through Racketboy got me these. That's a Dreamcast TopMax stick... it's not that great - especially compared to the excellent Agetec stick, but it was a great bargain so I was glad to add it to my shelves.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/ROBvvNCl.jpg[/img]
Yet another Racketboy trade got me Panzer Dragoon - a classic I've yet to play!
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/z9fpIoCl.jpg[/img]
My wife and I hit up a flea market while out furniture shopping and I came across these. Tetris Plus is in great condition and that Saturn Eclipse Pad is sealed. It was $15 for the both. But the real gem here is NBA 2K2, which is actually the hardest to find of the three 2K games on Dreamcast. I got mine for $2 which made me really happy.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/2OwxGIul.jpg[/img]
Another local game shop resulted in this awesome Saturn pick-up. That's right, an official racing wheel which is great for Daytona. The wheel was $20, which isn't spectacular, but buying one online would be a lot more once shipping is accounted for. Each of the three games were $10, which I felt pretty good about.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/2x8U0Snl.jpg[/img]
Here's one lot of games I got from my good buddy Mike. We went in together on a bigger purchase and split up what we each needed for our collections. I'm definitely really pleased with the items I got.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/iTcQeoQl.jpg[/img]
And another lot I got from the same friend - Sakura Wars 3 & 4 box sets complete my collection of the boxes. The third box is the best as it comes with a really classy and fully functional music box! The Saturn stick is a Hori V7 which is insanely comfortable and a purchase I'm very happy with.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/GVaHcDTl.jpg[/img]
And also from same friend - this is an official Dreamcast-branded DDR dance pad. This is really cool as there were no DC dance mats released in the US, so it's more common to see DC fans using a PlayStation 2 pad with a DC adapter instead.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/eeQci35l.jpg[/img]
And finally via another Racketboy trade I got a second Dreamcast - this is one of the black ones (sadly, the Sega Sports logo has been removed). This lot was really cool, and I'm especially fond of the Alien Front Online box set as well as the Double Impact release of Street Fighter III.
So yeah... pretty awesome month!
[img width=516 height=450]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-071/bf/U-071-S-01160-A.jpg[/img]
What just happened? That's pretty much how most rounds of Mars Matrix left me feeling.
The Racketboy forums have a Shmup Of The Month Club which I've participated in over the last year. It's generally a great way to expose yourself to new shmups which you may have been putting off for one reason or another. Perhaps more importantly, it's justification -- that is it gives you an excuse to buy some expensive shmup that you might have avoided otherwise. While I've been into collecting Sega stuff for a good part of the year now, certainly my Dreamcast collection has been my highest priority focus. So I was pleased as punch to have a specific reason why I should pick up a Dreamcast exclusive (outside the arcade) shmup.
[img width=640 height=480]http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/screenshots/dc/marsmatrix/marsmatrix_0319_screen018.jpg[/img] [img width=336 height=252]http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/screenshots/dc/marsmatrix/marsmatrix_012601_screen005.jpg[/img]
Mars Matrix is an odd one. Published my Capcom -- who showed the shmup community tons of support on the Dreamcast -- it is presented in a horizontal screen mode, much like the Giga Wing games. This means that it looks pretty fantastic on a widescreen monitor. I actually have a monitor that can rotate, but it's nice to have shmups that are meant to be played on a default monitor.
However the resolution isn't the oddest thing about Mars Matrix -- it's the default controls. You see the game is meant to be played with a single button. Or rather two. But only one button actually shoots and the second will switch shots. It's very confusing to me and I can honestly say that I'd have no chance playing this game if I encountered it in the arcade. Luckily the Dreamcast port offers full customization of controls, so I could set each attack to a separate button.
[img width=635 height=417]http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/screenshots/dc/marsmatrix/marsmatrix_0329_screen005.jpg[/img] [img width=640 height=480]http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/screenshots/dc/marsmatrix/marsmatrix_0319_screen010.jpg[/img]
But none of this really matters because I had immense trouble wrapping my head around the game mechanics. So much of Mars Matrix revolves around using a shield to absorb and deflect bullets. The problem is the shield needs to recharge and I just was never able to understand how to properly manage this. Ultimately my high score was about 700 Million which is pitiful compared to some of the scores posted in that thread which were in the Tens of Billions! While I can say that Mars Matrix is an impressive and interesting game, it's just not one that I'm any good at. So I can find it fun in small bursts -- and probably more fun to try to play for survival. But playing for score is pretty out of the question for me unfortunately.
[img width=309 height=317]http://images.wikia.com/mightandmagic/en/images/5/50/Dreamcast_logo.jpg[/img]
A lot of my gaming friends on the interwebs seem to totally adore the Sega Dreamcast. And to an extent, I've always understood why. I mean, it was short-lived, but it was certainly an exciting period in gaming. It was a console that embraced new things like online gameplay and strange accessories. It was also a dream machine for arcade gamers, with 2D fighters, shmups and racing games galore. But more interestingly it was home to some seriously strange experiments. Games like Seaman, Space Channel 5 and Shenmue. But something kept me away for a long time. It was nothing personal against the Dreamcast, I just didn't feel like I needed another console to collect for.
That being said, I've always kept an eye on Dreamcast news. I always found it an interesting and respectable console. And then something weird happened. I found myself with a considerable amount of retro-store game credit, and nothing in particular to spend it on. And then somebody offered to trade me a Dreamcast for an Xbox which I had saved from a yard sale, but let collect dust for several months. I knew this was it. This was time for me to finally bite the bullet and explore the Dreamcast world proper rather than just read about it.
Continue reading The Sega Swirl
Alright so this past month my wife and I moved into our first home. As you might guess this means that March was super-busy, and I really didn't have much time (or disposable income) for collecting. But I did manage to pick up some stuff actually. Let's take a look...
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/hxB7diNl.jpg[/img]
First up was a couple of found surprises. The Sonic comic my wife found while packing. I guess she got it free a few years ago when we went to a video game store on Comic Book day. The Game Gear was mine from childhood and my parents happened to find it in their basement. It works and even has Sonic 2 inside it, though the speaker no longer works. Oh well.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/5CPG2khl.jpg[/img]
I finally decided to use some Barnes & Noble gift cards I received for Christmas. These are two of the items I purchased. The PSO guide was huge for me as I've been so absorbed in that game lately. Sadly the poster wasn't included in it. The Sega Dreamcast Official Games Guide is a cool book that has tips and tricks for various games.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/udR2flFl.jpg[/img]
I also used up some eStarland credit I had been sitting on since before the move. Capcom Vs. SNK has been one of my go-to games this month, and I'm so excited to finally have Grandia II.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/DAwmwsTl.jpg[/img]
Also from eStarland credit was these two complete Neo Geo Pocket Color games. I know NGPC isn't technically Sega, but I consider it the Dreamcast's little sister seeing as how it had connectivity with the console.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i.imgur.com/3gVeAvcl.jpg[/img]
While moving I also boxed up a lot of random video game junk I didn't need and finally brought it to my local shop to trade in for credit. So I scored some common Dreamcast games along with Virtua-On which I've actually never seen in the wild before.
[img width=480 height=640]http://i.imgur.com/eYjH2ypl.jpg[/img]
...and also got this CIB Make My Video: Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch.
[img width=480 height=640]http://i.imgur.com/n75iGGvl.jpg[/img]
...plus an awesome Blue Mary figurine!
So yeah, all in all a pretty good month and not a dollar of my own money spent on any of it. And really the best addition to my collection this month was that I finally have my own dedicated game room!
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/0/198820_43003_front.jpg[/img]
So I've sort of gotten into this habit lately of updating my blog everytime I beat a game. And that sort of overlaps the fact that I've been using this blog to chronicle my budding Dreamcast collection over the past two months (over 20 games now!). And THAT overlaps the fact that as I'm collecting DC games, I'm also trying very hard to spend time playing them and attempting to actually beat games instead of just building up a huge backlog of untouched games. So as such, I bring you Street Fighter Alpha 3.
[img width=581 height=448]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/screenshots/0/198820/sfa3_screen014.jpg[/img]
Now let me first say that although I'm a huge fan of Street Fighter II, I really had limited experience with the Alpha series. I had played a bit of the first game's Game Boy Color port, as well as the third game's Game Boy Advance port. And although the GBA game is certainly impressive, it didn't really prepare me for the near-perfect arcade experiene I got out of the Dreamcast. The graphics in Alpha 3 are incredible, with bright colors popping off the screen. And the animations are fluid as hell, even at breakneck speeds.
[img width=581 height=448]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/screenshots/0/198820/sfa3_screen017.jpg[/img]
Now first off I encountered nothing but frustration. I picked my usual Street Fighter, Chun-Li only to find that none of her moves worked. It's a strange feeling to control Chun-Li and tap away at a kick button furiously to find that she does do the expected move. But after a bit of reading, it turns out this has to do with the Isms, or play-styles. Changing Chun-Li's style to X-Ism brought her move set far closer to that of Street Fighter II (except I had no projectile attack). Once I figured this out, I was able to make my way through arcade mode pretty quickly. It was a blast taking on all these unfamiliar characters, having to fight Juni and Juli at the same time, and eventually ending up in a showdown with M. Bison once again.
But perhaps the craziest thing is that I beat the game using a standard Dreamcast controller. Not by choice, I tell you. I just can't find a fightpad I can afford. Sure I have an Agetec stick, but I'm no good at fighting games with a stick -- those are purely for shmups. So in the end I guess I'm just slowly getting used to this stupid controller. Something I never thought would happen!
[img width=640 height=640]http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/3/365573_50635_front.jpg[/img]
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is one of those games that I've beaten so many times yet never feels old to me. Instead, it's what I call a comfort-game. One that I can return to when I'm tired or stressed out and just want to relax and feel better. A lot of that probably has to do with how it fit into my gaming life. When I moved out on my own at the age of 18, I'm pretty sure I had never seen a Dreamcast in real life before. But my roommate in college brought one with him. Because I went to a community college initially, we lived off-campus. This was great because it meant we could smoke cigarettes and drink beer while we played this new-fangled console, what was it? Ah, yes... the Sega Dreamcast.
I had quit gaming not too long after the PlayStation had hit big. So really I wasn't sure what to expect from a new console. What I got, was hooked. Specifically on Pro Skater 2. It was just such an amazing game -- especially to someone who had been so out of the gaming scene for a few years at that point. I couldn't believe how fluid everything felt. How life-like everything looked. How kick-ass the soundtrack was.
[img width=630 height=460]http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/screenshots/dc/tonyhawk2/tonyhawk2_b3_screen015.jpg[/img] [img width=630 height=460]http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/screenshots/dc/tonyhawk2/tonyhawk2_b3_screen078.jpg[/img]
Actually, that's a good place to start -- the soundtrack. At the time of the game's release I wasn't really a fan of most of the music present. And yet, throughout the years it's become one of my favorite game soundtracks ever. Hearing something like Lagwagon's "May 16" or Millencolin's "No Cigar" doesn't just remind me of the game; it sounds like the soundtrack to that year of my life. That year away from parents, screwing around and having no idea what I was doing. There's a strange tone of optimistic rebellion that runs throughout those songs that not only fit a game about thrashing everything in sight, but also fit what it feels like to be 18 and wide-eyed.
But of course it's not all nostalgia that makes me love this game. The bottom line is that it's an excellent game. There's so much to it, with its two-minute runs that let you pick how to tackle your goals. It's got great level-structure with secrets all around. It's got a wonderfully addictive scoring mechanic made possible by the combo-enabling manual. It's got money to build up your skater's stats or tricks RPG-style. It's even got customizable skaters and levels!
[img width=640 height=476]http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/screenshots/dc/tonyhawk2/tonyhawk2_screen003.jpg[/img] [img width=640 height=476]http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/screenshots/dc/tonyhawk2/tonyhawk2_screen010.jpg[/img]
My last play-through of Pro Skater 2 before this week was just about four months ago, though that was the PlayStation port. I can honestly say that while the PlayStation version controls a lot better in my opinion, the Dreamcast port is still my preferred version. And here's where nostalgia really comes in. Certainly the Dreamcast port looks better, but ultimately hearing that soundtrack and holding this clunky controller just brings back that rebellious optimism -- magically making a comfort game even more comforting.
Well, this update will in no way compete with OatBob's additions to his Dreamcast collection for August, but I had wanted to keep track of my growing collection each month so here goes. Besides, maybe he and I will help motivate each other to further our collections even more.
August was really my first full month getting back into seriously collecting Dreamcast stuff. And when you look at it that way, it was a pretty impressive month even if I was only mostly picking up commons (read: cheap stuff).
First up is the big batch of additions to my US licensed library:
[img width=700 height=933]http://i.imgur.com/1iQxi.jpg[/img]
Most of these were obtained via trades, with just a handful of them being purchased from a friend. This purchased lot includes Mars Matrix which was one of my top priority wants for the system. Though I think maybe Gunbird 2 makes me slightly happier, as I now have the US version whereas before I had the Japanese import which meant I couldn't actually follow any of the story.
[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/AiJxZ.jpg[/img]
Inhabitants is one of the indie games released by Goat Store, and picked it up in that same lot that included Mars Matrix. Last Hope and Cheats N Codes were via trade. Last Hope is of course the recent-ish import shmup that was also released for Neo Geo. I managed to get the original release (complete with spine card) which is less sought-after than the Pink Bullets re-release. But it was a good deal. The Cheats N Codes disc is a Gameshark release with all kinds of cheats on it, but more importantly it's an easy import-loader disc. I prefer to use a commercial import-loader rather than burning one.
[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/pvvQA.jpg[/img]
And a couple of strategy guides... I'm not usually a big collector of guides, save for fighting games for easy access to move-lists. However, I do find something appealing about collecting DC guides as they remain part of the time-capsule. These two are both exciting additions to me. Half-Life is obviously awesome as the game never officially got released. And House of the Dead 2 is probably my favorite lightgun game of all time.
[img width=700 height=933]http://i.imgur.com/jfzPF.jpg[/img]
Finally, I found this little guy at KMart for $5. How could I pass him up?
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My recent desire to get back into Dreamcast collecting (thanks OatBob) isn't just to watch piles of games stack up on my shelves. Nope, I want to actually spend time with these games. I want to delve into the library and find out first hand everything the Dreamcast did right, wrong, and just downright bizarre. So to start with, let's talk about a game it did very, very right: King of Fighters Evolution.
Evolution is actually a port of King of Fighters 99, though the Dreamcast port of KOF 98 was confusingly titled 99. All title-weirdness aside, it is an absolutely fantastic game. But before I get into all that, I should tell you a bit of my history with the KOF series to put things into context. Growing up, I was a huge fan of Street Fighter II as I'm sure most of you reading this can relate to. My first introduction to SNK's breed of fighting games came via a Neo Geo cab at a convenience store a few blocks from my house. The game was Art of Fighting, and I popped some quarters into it whenever I had a chance. Not long after I added Fatal Fury to my collection via its SNES port. I found both games to be fun -- with their bright colors and large, expressive sprites. But ultimately, neither would prove as memorable to me as Street Fighter II. And for the most part, I wouldn't touch another SNK fighter until just a couple years ago when I finally played King of Fighters 98: Ultimate Match on PS2.
King of Fighters 98 UM I actually blogged about here and basically complained about its difficulty. It seemed to me an exercise in pure frustration. But of course this had a lot to do with its gigantic roster of characters I was completely unfamiliar with. That and y'know... KOF 98 is pretty damn hard. But for some strange reason I stuck with SNK. And really, I'm glad I did. Subsequent titles I'd check out were oddly amazing (Neo Geo Battle Colessium) or just downright incredible (Garou Mark of the Wolves, King of Fighters XIII). And slowly I started to branch out from just using my staple Terry Bogard, and started to really learn some new favorite characters (Athena rules).
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So now that we're all on the same page, let's talk KOF Evolution. First off, the roster is large but not outlandish, topping off at just over 30 characters. And luckily many of the series' fan favorites are present -- including some of my favorites like Terry, Mai, Athena, Kasumi, Choi and so on. Graphically the game is stunning. 3D backgrounds mesh beautifully with the 2D sprites and the music is fantastic and bordering on the darkside. Even more interesting is the strange storyline -- something about a conspiracy and an evil organization who has infiltrated the King of Fighters tournament to capture "data" in the form of the winners' fighting styles. It's all a bit over-the-top in a really awesome way.
There are many King of Fighters games out there, so certainly it can be a daunting task to know where to start. Certainly I've yet to make my way through all of them. But I would certainly suggest this one as a good place to start. The final boss is difficult, but lacks the infamous SNK Final Boss Difficulty that many have known as a reason to break windows with controllers. And while it uses the series' usual three-character teams, it also incorporates a fourth Striker character (including a couple exclusive to the Dreamcast release) that can jump in during a match similarly to the Marvel Vs Capcom series. What's even better is that this particular title is not overly expensive, especially if you're interested in the Dreamcast port, so you've got every reason to give a try.
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