DreamingOn (Updated 18/01) - BlueStinger

[Welrain]

As advertised in the #Taster issue this is the full "Special" issue with free video tape attached. Brilliantly I have the video! Sadly I have no way to watch it! bums! Well initial disappointment aside this promises to be an interesting issue first issue of ODM (Content List - http://www.scotgamer.net/dreamcast/?page_id=303

*UPDATE* Youtube to the rescue:



Immediately the Editor in Chief makes the statement that this is a magazine about games not a games magazine and will not be treating you like a "myopic computer geek". A beginners guide on how to misunderstand and alienate your audience in one go? We shall see.

The high and low lights:

Dreamcast Has Landed - an expanded article from the #Taster, includes more detail about the hardware itself and the games. Apparently there are over 500 developers working on games but only 100 games in development..hmmm.

Head scratching moment number one - an advert for Sonic the Hedgehog the Movie...target audience FAIL!.

Talent - Ten people reveal how they play a part in our gaming life. It's an advertisement in disguise.

Previews - over 55 games in development. Lots of familiar names but what is perhaps most interesting to see games that never made it to market for the Dreamcast in the UK. These were Midnight GT, Test Drive 6, King Of Fighters '99, Supreme Snowboarding, D2, Castlevania: Resurrection, Croc 2, Heroes of Might and Magic III, Max Payne and Take The Bullet. While most of these would see a release on other formats both Castlevania: Resurrection and Take the Bullet were cancelled outright.

http://www.scotgamer.net/dreamcast/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ODMSpec2.gif

http://www.scotgamer.net/dreamcast/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ODMSpec1.gif

Old Skool - It's the boys from Grange Hill and they are playing Dreamcast. It's the cast I remember (Zammo, Bronson etc) and it's quite fun.

Reviews - A fundamental misunderstanding of how to review a game occurs here. If you don't score it at the end (but will in a later issue) then it's a preview imho. This is the result:

Sega Rally (8) - "Top-speed arcade action in your own home"

Sonic Adventure (9) - "A masterpiece...with a few minor flaws"

Blue Stinger (7) - "Head-Scratching satisfying action adventure, and good-looking too"

Incoming (6) - "Looks stunning but it's short-lived entertainment"

Millennium Soldier: Expendable (7) - "Plainly simple, plainly enjoyable, great two-player"

Not Scored - Speed Devils, Trickstyle, Power Stone, Monaco Grand Prix, Virtua Fighter 3tb.

No Ordinary Rally - pictures of cars, what I assume was fashion and a miserable looking model. Awful. Just say No!*

The Future of Gaming - a look at the Dreamcast, the Sony Playstation 2 and Nintendo's mysterious Project Dolphin. Interestingly the conclusion recognises online gaming, portable gaming and convergence as the future of gaming. Lastly a prediction of the future, we should have photorealistic environments, games on par with major film releases and gaming in the home will be part of daily life...eerie-ish.

* I struggled hard to get this in so please take a moment and appreciate my work. If you don't get it then

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCLs0jv_Efk

[Welrain]

The dice have been rolled and up first it's:

Millennium Soldier Expendable



"You're the Millennium Soldier on a countdown to destruction, wreaking revenge on an alien invasion. The guns are huge, the explosions enormous and the action reaches the skies as gigantic forces collide in the 3d blaster

DON'T STOP RUNNING, DON'T STOP SHOOTING, DON'T START THINKING"




Developer : Rage Software

Publisher : Infogrames

Release Date: 14th October 1999

ODM Review : # Special : 6

[Welrain]

Anyone care to join me?

[MikeRox]

I will! I'll get my DC rigged up tomorrow. I never properly got into this one, but it was meant to be fun, and Rage weren't IMO a bad developer at all.

Btw, lyris might be able to help with the video, I'm sure we converted the VHS recordings onto a DVD disc a while ago.

[tokyochojin]

Expendable must be one of only a few PAL Dreamcast games I haven't played. Just watching that video, with the bright colours and solid graphics, took me back to when I first popped in Power Stone and so on in my new Sega console.

The graphics on DC have a kind of charm that in my opinion hasn't been replicated since. Keep up the good work mate.

[moonwhistle]

I'm suprised by all the comments that the DC offered nothing new or revolutionary. I thought that finally having consistently arcade perfect ports rather than the ropey old crap offered on other consoles and 60Hz support in PAL land was pretty revolutionary. It was for me anyway.

Millenium Soldier looks like a fun shooter but even at the time the gameplay was awful. I think the collision detection was was really bad also.

Not it wasn't

If you say so champ.

[Skull Commander]

If you say so champ.

That actually made me lol!

[Welrain]

Found the ODM video on youtube!

[noobish hat]

This guy sounds like some kind of children's presenter.

[Team Andromeda]

If you say so.

Try No.

I don't like doing lists, but if you're going to say that the likes of Exhumed, Galactic Attack, Daruis Gaiden , Virutal Cop, Virtual Cop II, Mass Destruction, WWS 97 & 98, WLS 98, Duke Nukem 3D, Quake, Panzer Dragoon Zwei, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Keio II, Virutal On, Athlete Kings, Winter Heat, Virtua Fighter II, Shining Force Holy Ark, Shinning Force III, Sega Rally, Burning Rangers, Enemy 0, Steep Slope Sliders, Resident Evil, X-Men COT, Sonic Jam, NiGHTS, DragonForce, Fighters Megamix , Last Bronx, Deep Fear, Dark Savior,Marvel Super Heroes, Guardian Heroes, Tomb Raider, Legend of Thor ,Gun Griffion ECT

As horrible Pal games, I doubt there's any point in trying to have a sensible debate.

[noobish hat]

Don't forget Saturn Bomberman

[Team Andromeda]

Don't forget Saturn Bomberman

Yep another classic to add to the horrible Pal collection list.

[Lyris]

Found the ODM video on youtube!

The opening to that video is the campest console promo I've ever heard. I thought it was Julian Clary for a second!

Is this the video where they talk about it having "60 mega-hertz" mode?

[Lyris]

That promo is so misleading, it's unbelievable. The inter-cutting of Power Stone makes it look like you could play that online, no wonder they got into trouble over this. And the VM - "take your game with you" - eh, not really.

[MikeRox]

Aaah the VMU, I more loved the controller having a screen. See, for things like tactics in sports games (so no one could see your formation etc.), it was an awesome idea. Sadly that was never utilised.

Wow, the DC launched with a hell of a lot of racing games lol, infact, it launched with more racing games, than I think the PS3/360 see in a year I guess that's a big reason I miss the DC. I loved them.