The Dream That Will By no means Die: Dreamcast Impartial Gaming in 2016

I nonetheless keep in mind the day I came upon SEGA was going to discontinue Dreamcast. It was early 2001, and the PlayStation Journal I learn (we truly learn magazines again then) reported on the demise of the Dreamcast earlier than rapidly transitioning into the PS2’s triumphs. Because of this success and the huge favoritism of PlayStation over SEGA Saturn within the earlier era, Sony had virtually single-handedly pushed SEGA out of the console enterprise, leaving them to focus solely on software program from that day on. With the Dreamcast peaking at a meager 9 million and promoting and the PS2 reaching a staggering 150 million+ models offered, the Dreamcast was destined to be little greater than a footnote within the pages of gaming historical past.

Should you had instructed me on this present day in 2001 that we might nonetheless be seeing new video games for the Dreamcast pretty repeatedly in 2016, I might have simply smiled and nodded as I slowly backed away. And but right here we’re fifteen years later and the SEGA Dreamcast has a surprisingly vibrant neighborhood of indie builders who’re nonetheless releasing video games, regardless of SEGA having had little to do with the console (apart from repairs) because the early ’00s. So when you nonetheless have a kind of snazzy white bins tucked away within the attic someplace, and even simply need to get into retro gaming for the primary time, there’s most likely one thing on the horizon value a glance.

Though we’re solely a month into 2016, the Dreamcast has already launched a console unique, Leona’s Difficult Adventures. Impressed by the Amiga puzzle recreation Gem X, Leona challenges the participant with more and more, um, tough color-based puzzles, much like the mid-’90s handheld recreation Lights Out you might keep in mind. Leona’s Difficult Adventures is out there for buy as you learn this on Steam, however the Dreamcast model comes with a full jewellery field, together with paintings. Which in fact is significantly better.

Wanting forward, the long-in-development Elysian Shadows is slated to hit the streets someday in 2016. After bursting into public consciousness in 2007 via a collection of YouTube growth movies after which via a profitable Kickstarter marketing campaign in 2014, Elysian Shadows is a role-playing recreation with customizable characters, a dynamic day/evening cycle and a flashy 2D/3D hybrid gameplay. artwork model. Set in a fantasy world much like that of the basic JRPG Remaining Fantasy VI, Elysian Shadows tells a narrative of battle between spiritual zealots bestowed magical powers by The Creator and atheists compelled to embrace futuristic expertise leaving. Whereas there isn’t any agency launch date but and the sport’s growth has had some points these days, developer GyroVorbis is claiming that the title shall be launched in 2016, and who’re we to dispute?

Alice Goals Event, due for launch this June, is a 2D Bomber Man-like recreation developed by French developer Alice Workforce. Gamers should traverse the 2D mazes with their bombs to clear paths and destroy the opposite gamers on the stage whereas trying to find power-ups to extend the variety of bombs they’ll drop or the injury carried out their bombs upon detonation. The sport options strong multiplayer with seven completely different recreation varieties starting from the usual deathmatches to extra elaborate math puzzle modes.

Hypertension: Concord of Darkness is a horror first-person shooter that was created as an growth of the Blood franchise, however morphed into its personal story over the course of growth. After some disputes with Atari over using property from Blood within the manufacturing of Hypertension, in addition to a quick cancellation of the venture due to this, growth of Concord of Darkness has moved ahead with the sport anticipated to be launched someday in 2016.

Hucast Video games plans to launch Redux 2, the sequel to their remake of the scrolling shoot-em-up DUX, someday in 2016. Pre-orders for the sport are already dwell, and there is a snazzy Collector’s Version that comes with a soundtrack CD and a DVD of extras when you’re keen to pay for that form of factor. The vanilla recreation options seven all-new levels and a two-player cooperative mode for these gamers who wish to tackle their arcade taking pictures with a buddy in tow. Should you’re a fan of R-Sort or different ship shooters of this sort, then Redux 2 is likely to be a recreation value maintaining a tally of.

Should you’re searching for one thing a bit of completely different, away from the 2D shooters and puzzle video games, then Dreamcast’s indie scene can cater to your wants with titles like SLaVE by Isotope and Jay Townsend. SLaVE makes an attempt to mix the slamming aesthetic of 80’s arcade video games with the addictive first-person gunplay of titles like Doom and Wolfenstein. If the mixture of flashy colours and punishing first-person taking pictures actually rubs you the mistaken manner, then SLaVE might very effectively be a recreation for you. Should you’re , you would possibly need to transfer rapidly; The sport is alleged to be an ultra-limited version with not more than 484 copies of the sport meant for launch.

SEGA deserted the Dreamcast after simply two years in the marketplace within the face of extraordinarily stiff competitors from the Sony PlayStation 2, however there is a neighborhood of devoted indie builders who merely refuse to maneuver on. It has a cult following that is nonetheless producing new content material fifteen years after the console’s industrial demise. For the reason that console was discontinued in 2001, over thirty impartial titles have been launched for it, together with Stormwind, Rush Rush Rally Racing, Wind and Water, and Gunlord. So subsequent time you are within the attic and spot your outdated Dreamcast between a Furby and a Spirograph, contemplate digging it up, dusting it off, and see what the 2016 outdated lady can do.