# I just bought a dreamcast!!



## blueskies (Aug 13, 2009)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=390080544059
I just bought that dreamcast for $42. I'm hoping it plays backups, I've read a little and I guess later models don't play backups or something. I've wanted one for about 10 years now, so I'm glad I finally got one. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 :yaydc:

I'm about to read through the essentials list (didn't even know we had one for DC) and get some old school gaming on!


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## BedtimeGuy (Aug 13, 2009)

... also some people put emulators on their ds for free (owned)


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## GreatZimkogway (Aug 13, 2009)

Kind of a waste of $42...


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## emupaul (Aug 13, 2009)

blueskies said:
			
		

> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...em=390080544059
> I just bought that dreamcast for $42. I'm hoping it plays backups, I've read a little and I guess later models don't play backups or something. I've wanted one for about 10 years now, so I'm glad I finally got one.
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its so not a waste...to each there own...look at it more like a collectors item. My dreamcast is broken it wont read discs anymore and i wish It still did because there  are some rare games for that system and its nostalgic, its good to have hardware options for gaming just because its old doesn't mean its useless.


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## Hadrian (Aug 13, 2009)

A waste?  You people are weird, its a might fine console at home to some of the greatest titles of the late 90's.  Emulation of it pales in comparrison.

Get Bangai-O and see how much better it is compared to the lacklustre DS game.


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## funem (Aug 13, 2009)

shinkukage09 said:
			
		

> Kind of a waste of $42...


Hell no its not. Dreamcast is one of the most under rated consoles that there has ever been. I own a lot of consoles and the DC and its games are still top of my list...


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## GreatZimkogway (Aug 13, 2009)

funem said:
			
		

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I never said it was a bad console.  But with everything out now that can emulate it perfectly, well, to me, it just seems to be a waste of $42


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## Maktub (Aug 13, 2009)

I love my dreamcast. I wish I could turn it into a woman. The laser is kinda flakky, tho... lots of problems with hat piece of hardware. Take care of it.


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## impur1ty (Aug 13, 2009)

$42 well spent in my opinion. There are too many great exclusive games to list, but be sure to give Shenmue a try.


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## TrolleyDave (Aug 13, 2009)

Nosferadrian said:
			
		

> A waste?  You people are weird, its a might fine console at home to some of the greatest titles of the late 90's.  Emulation of it pales in comparrison.
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> Get Bangai-O and see how much better it is compared to the lacklustre DS game.
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I agree with both of you!  Mine's permanently set up and get's quite alot of use.  I'd recommend getting a memory unit that's not a VMU as well, the VMUs are a nice touch and a few games make decent use of them but they go through batteries like nobodies business.  Well under-rated system, it would have done better if so many people weren't blinded by wanting the PS2.  So many times I recommended it and all I got was "Nah, I'm waiting for the PS2 cos it's gonna be the best console ever released".  Not owning a DC means missing out on some of the best shoot em ups around.  Not tried DC emulation but if it's anything like Saturn emulation then it's nowhere near as good as the real console.


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## Hadrian (Aug 13, 2009)

shinkukage09 said:
			
		

> I never said it was a bad console.  But with everything out now that can emulate it perfectly, well, to me, it just seems to be a waste of $42


No not really, emulation is never the same.

True gamers know this.

Whatever your loss is our gain.


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## Minox (Aug 13, 2009)

shinkukage09 said:
			
		

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Emulation != Perfect

And due to that simple reason it's mostly preferred to play a game on it's original console.


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## SgtYutz (Aug 13, 2009)

Every time i hear of a dreamcast i always remember the seaman.


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## emupaul (Aug 13, 2009)

shamu


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## TrolleyDave (Aug 13, 2009)

shinkukage09 said:
			
		

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The only people who think emulation is perfect are the people who have never really had any real experience playing the real machine.  My old PC couldn't run the Saturn emulators but the one I've just got can so I gave SSF a blast earlier.  The only two games I tried on it were Fighters Megamix and Sega Rally and they both felt like shit in the emulator.  Because of the timings not being perfect the controls on Sega Rally felt terrible instead of the perfection that they are on the real machine and there were graphica glitches that don't exist on the real machine.  Don't even get me started on how bad Fighters Megamix was.  It seemed to have some kind of weird motion blur thing going that shouldn't have been there, the controls felt sluggish and timings were off.  Before you say that my machine might not be powerful enough the games were running at full speed, they just weren't running how they were meant to be.  I can give you a bunch of games on each console that don't run half as nicely on an emulator.

They might look perfect to you, but they seriously aren't.  They're good if you can't get the real machines for whatever reason but the games will never play as nicely as they do on a real machine.  But like Hadrian said, your loss is our gain.  It means that if one of my consoles dies I won't have a problem sourcing another one, heh.


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## DSAndi (Aug 13, 2009)

TrolleyDave said:
			
		

> I'd recommend getting a memory unit that's not a VMU as well, the VMUs are a nice touch and a few games make decent use of them but they go through batteries like nobodies business.



Hey didnt you know the VMU only needs batteries for the little games you could play on em, they save and display perfectly without batteries when connectet to the Dreamcast via controller. 

I still have my dreamcast too stored away thought. I think it was ahead of its time and Sega did fail to promote it right.
I mean the fist console u could go online with, surf the web. The VMU was so innovative back then. Also a lot other hardware like keyboard and mouse even i microphone.
The games so freshly new concepts not the same old stuff just looking better. 


My all time favorite Games on dreamcast are:
Phantasy star online
Jet set radio
Skys of Arcadia
Soul Calibur
Crasy Taxi


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## GreatZimkogway (Aug 13, 2009)

Actually, Trolley, I still own my original Dreamcast.  And my computer can emulate games just fine.  So...neh.  Not like I really care, though.


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## TrolleyDave (Aug 14, 2009)

shinkukage09 said:
			
		

> Actually, Trolley, I still own my original Dreamcast.  And my computer can emulate games just fine.  So...neh.  Not like I really care, though.
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> With a comment like "so...neh" I'm surprised you're old enough to have an original Dreamcast.  And there's whol world of difference between "just fine" and "perfectly".
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> QUOTE(DSAndi @ Aug 13 2009, 11:22 PM) Hey didnt you know the VMU only needs batteries for the little games you could play on em, they save and display perfectly without batteries when connectet to the Dreamcast via controller.



Yeah I know, I guess it's just me being OCD but whenever my VMU batteries run out I have to replace them or it drives me barmy! lol


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## shtonkalot (Aug 14, 2009)

Best console ever!
I love the dreamcast and I reckon you got a bargain!
Noice one buddy!


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## Depravo (Aug 14, 2009)

If you haven't played them already I suggest you DON'T play Shenmue 1+2. They're both brilliant games but the fact that the story was never finished will annoy you forever.


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## DeMoN (Aug 14, 2009)

Negative ^^, that's no reason to not play great games.  
Take Golden Sun for example.  Not that conclusive of an ending, but it finally gets a sequel 7 years later.


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## GreatZimkogway (Aug 14, 2009)

TrolleyDave said:
			
		

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I'm probably a lot older then you think I am.  As for "neh", it's more along the lines of I didn't care enough to continue arguing.


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## benjaminlibl (Aug 14, 2009)

Hah, nice! Very old school.


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 14, 2009)

get jet grind radio and the sonic games also crazy taxi.
damn i wish i never sold my DC all those years ago.... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 well time to hunt down another one.


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## asdf (Aug 14, 2009)

shinkukage09 said:
			
		

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I hate people like this. Just because you can emulate things on your computer, doesn't mean you want to. For example, I recently bought an NES off of the internet. I tell my dad, and he gets pissed at me because I can play the games on my Wii and PC.

More on topic, great deal. The Dreamcast was awesome.


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## GreatZimkogway (Aug 14, 2009)

asdf said:
			
		

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Hate me all you like, I won't lose sleep over it.  Sorry, it just seemed like a bit of a waste of money, sorry, forgot we're not allowed to have opinions.  As for the NES, well, that IS kinda a waste unless you get it real cheap.  For a collector, though, I'd wonder why you don't already have one.  I myself have a gold-plated one.


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 14, 2009)

i kind of agree with the console over emulation argument i rather play my nes games on my sharp tv nes combo 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 than on my wii.
the problem is finding cartridges and not having the $$$ to invest in a flash cart for the nes so the only exception are those hard to find ones and even then on the wii it at least feels a bit more like a nes thanks to the controllers shape.
but then again to each there own.


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## Capn_Makeveli (Aug 14, 2009)

Congrats on the great purchase. Definitely one of my favorite systems. As stated before Crazy Taxi is awesome. I also like Mortal Kombat Gold. And the VMU is pretty cool. Not very much battery life, but cool.


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## TrolleyDave (Aug 14, 2009)

wolffangalchemist said:
			
		

> i kind of agree with the console over emulation argument i rather play my nes games on my sharp tv nes combo than on my wii.
> the problem is finding cartridges and not having the $$$ to invest in a flash cart for the nes so the only exception are those hard to find ones and even then on the wii it at least feels a bit more like a nes thanks to the controllers shape.
> but then again to each there own.



Never seen a telly like that before, that's pretty fucking awesome!  I'm guessing it's a NOAC inside of it, does it run everything pretty well?


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## fluffykiwi (Aug 14, 2009)

Some great games on Dreamcast, i still dig my original one out occasionally.

I will even play Half-Life on Dreamcast before I would play Half-Life on PC nowadays.

Also some of the best Arcade conversions ever.

Alot of games did not even require a boot disk.  You simply burnt and played.

I believe that was the reason it died, as piracy was too easy.  Oh that and the fact SEGA couldn't have marketed it even if they were giving them away for nothing.


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 14, 2009)

TrolleyDave said:
			
		

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actually it has  authentic Nintendo hardware inside, only about 200 of them where ever made retail mine is one that's a bit rarer than those because it's the modle used for displays and motels the  19sc111 not the 19sv111 look here for references.
http://nes.wikia.com/wiki/Television_With_Built-In_NES


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## Bloodgod (Aug 14, 2009)

Been meaning to ask this. DC doesn't need a mod chip to play backup games right?

Did those GD-Roms contain a bunch of dummy files to fill the 1-2gigs(?). 

and  how do you burn them to CD-Rs if the disks are more than 700MB?


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## impur1ty (Aug 14, 2009)

The Dreamcast does not need a modchip. You just download the disc images and burn them to CD. GD-roms are ~1.2GB but very few games are too big to fit on a standard CD-R.

Couldn't me much easier really.


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## blueskies (Aug 15, 2009)

woo, lots of passion about this console it seems. I remember the hype surrounding this console about 10 years ago (I was in 9th grade I think) but I already had a playstation and was going along with that line of consoles. This is actually my first Sega console EVER so I'm pretty stoked. And $42 is like.. nothing in my book for a console like this, plus the VMUs...not a waste. I'm a fan of underdog situations like the whole Dreamcast saga, I'm happy to go back in time and play some older games. New games today are so run of the mill and seem to be copies of each other. I'm so sick of first person shooters...

I've already got Crazy Taxi and Shenmue 1/2 ready to go, but I'm waiting on more games because I'm still not sure if this one plays backups. I can't find any information on when the blue ones were released, I'm hoping it was early on in the lifespan. If this is a late model one, will the Utopia disc still let me load backups?

I also want Seaman (probably have to buy so I can get the mic), Skies of Arcadia, some fighter (Power Stone?), and a slew of other great titles for this system. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Also Bangai-O, Ikaruga (love shooters!), Jet Grind Radio, maybe Sonic,


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## fluffykiwi (Aug 15, 2009)

I think there were blue dreamcasts released in 2000 by Electronic Boutique.  I do not think there were any internal modifications, so they should play backups fine.

Please note the majority of Dreamcast backups play without using a bootdisk, you simply burn and play.  If the backup does not work then you should try the Utopia boot disk.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 15, 2009)

WTF? arn't scene releases all self boot?

Edit: few years back I remember you had to patch CDi/ISOs to make it self boot or something like that. If that's the case can someone link me to a tutorial.


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## TrolleyDave (Aug 15, 2009)

I wouldn't worry about it too much, 95% of all scene releases are selfboot and the other 5% you can just use the Utopia disc for.


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## blueskies (Aug 15, 2009)

One more great thing about the dreamcast.. I found an awesome torrent that has all the scene releases, and is nicely seeded. I just went through and picked the specific ones I want (well, the ones I can fit on my ever shrinking harddrive space). I'm so happy there are still sceners keeping this console alive and seeding the games.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 15, 2009)

are all dreamcast able to boot back ups or just certain versions of it? I'm thinking of grabbing a Sega Sports (black) version on craigslist. 

Anyways let me know


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## blueskies (Aug 15, 2009)

That's what I've been trying to answer.. you know with google.
Apparently late late models had some kind of protection added that made all the scene releases unplayable.. something about the disc format. But I think it was only the Hello Kitty models in Japan. The black version should be fine but you won't know until you try.

Btw, I picked up these games last night:
Bangai-O
Capcom vs SNK
Chu Chu Rocket
Crazy Taxi 2
Crazy Taxi
Gauntlet Legends
Grandia II
Illbleed
Jet Grind Radio
Legacy of Kain (one of my favorite PSX titles)
Marvel vs Capcom 2
Ooga Booga
Phantasy Star Online
Power Stone 2
Prince of Persia Arabian Nights
Samba de Amio
San Francisco Rush 2049
Sega Smash Pack vol1
Shadowman
Shenmue
Shenmue 2
Skies of Arcadia
Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure 2
Space Channel 5
Sword of the Berserk
Tomb Raider The Last Revelation

Good list? If there are any other major recommendations, tell me now please because for some reason my torrents won't reseed past ~10kbps, and I think I'm going to get banned from this site for not reseeding. They are having some 'free download golden week' next week, so I want to get the best games while I can.


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## Guild McCommunist (Aug 15, 2009)

Congrats on your purchase, not a lot of people these days appreciate "older" consoles.

That list seems good. I don't know a whole lot about Dreamcast games, but some of those games I've heard of.


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## Jaems (Aug 15, 2009)

DC is the best console for 2D Fighters annnnnnnnd no modding required to play backups or use homebrew, so WOOT WOOT.


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## chriso (Aug 15, 2009)

blueskies said:
			
		

> That's what I've been trying to answer.. you know with google.
> Apparently late late models had some kind of protection added that made all the scene releases unplayable.. something about the disc format. But I think it was only the Hello Kitty models in Japan. The black version should be fine but you won't know until you try.
> 
> Btw, I picked up these games last night:
> ...




Yea, that's a pretty good list. Dreamcast still is my favorite system of all time. Do me a favor and look for these titles for yourself, you won't regret it.

Outtrigger
Quake III Arena
Metropolis Street Racer
House of the Dead 2 (Lightgun)
Toy Commander
Unreal Tournament
MDK 2

Take care.


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## blueskies (Aug 15, 2009)

DUDE! MDK2.. I looked up a video of this game because it sounded familiar.. I remember playing a demo of this, I think on PC waaaay back in the day and loved it. Now I get to play the whole thing. THANK YOU!


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## Bloodgod (Aug 15, 2009)

Think I found my answer.
http://www.cdrom-guide.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172032
http://www.cdrom-guide.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172023
http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=631086

Second link talks about audio-data backups. WTF is it and how would I convert it to data-data backups? 

Also whats the best CD-R brand to get? I was thinking just getting TAIYO YUDEN ones or are dreamcasts picky and need a certain one>?

Edit: Just extracted MvC2 (CDi)...its 720mb. Thats not going to fit in one CD. WTF?!


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## toguro_max (Aug 15, 2009)

Congratulations on your "new" accquaintance, my friend! You are now officially on the "Awsome Console Owner" list!
I'm sure you will have a helluva good time with it.


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## TrolleyDave (Aug 16, 2009)

Some of my favourite DC games are :

RE:Code Veronica
Headhunter
South Park Rally (not a great game as such but I always find it fun!)
Daytona USA (handling is a bit off but good once you get used to it)
Bangai-O
Gigawing 2
SF3:Third Strike
Confidential Mission (Time Crisis/Virtua Cop style game)
Dynamite COP
Borderdown
Dead or Alive 2 (prefer it over the PS2 version)
Virtua Tennis 2
Silent Scope (can't capture the feel of the arcade version but still pretty fun)
Read 2 Rumble 2
Marvel Vs Capcom 2
Yu Suzuki Gameworkds (Outrun, Afterburner, Powerdrift and Hang-On!)
Record Of Lodoss War
Re-Volt
Crazy Taxi
Chu-Chu Riocket
Soul Calibur
Metropolis Street Racer
Legacy Of Kain:Soul Reaver
Crazy Taxi
Virtua Tennis 2
Virtua Fighter 3 (got lots of bad press but I enjoyed it)

Next thing you need to get is a cheap modded Saturn, specially if you're a shoot 'em up fan!


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## blueskies (Aug 16, 2009)

Was the Saturn in line with the original Playstation? Was it cartridge or disc based?

Wouldn't it be fun to go backwards through the Sega lineup, since I've never played any of them? (Dreamcast -> Saturn -> ...Genesis? -> etc)

I'll stick with Dreamcast for now, I've got about 30 games to keep me busy.


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## toguro_max (Aug 16, 2009)

Yep, Saturn was the original Playstation opponent.
It was disc based (CD), and to play backups you need a modchip.


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## -lildeemo- (Aug 16, 2009)

people saying emulating for dc is perfect and that it was a waste of money well its personal prefrence really we may be able to emulate but some of us actually want to own the physical system and own physical games and use a dc control and enjoy the experience like myself ...you may be able to emulate snes pretty much perfectly and get every rom online but i have and snes and i buy snes cartridges why you ask.... because i want to why because its my personal preference


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## blueskies (Aug 16, 2009)

For me it depends on the console. S/NES, I don't mind playing those two on my computer because I have a SNES -> USB controller, so it feels right. And both my NES and SNES are on their way out in terms of functioning correctly, so it's nice to have a reliable way to play. True, the colors might not be perfect, and timing is off a little, but it's pretty damn close. But for Dreamcast, I'd probably spend just as much as I did here to get a controller and adapter, and maybe even a new/updated PC to run the emulator. In this case, I'd much rather play the real thing, on the real console, with the real controller. I'm still burning games, so it's not a complete waste of moneis.


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## CheatingSoi (Aug 16, 2009)

You got an awesome deal. I bought my dreamcast for either 30 or 40 bucks and all it came with was the hookups and one controller. However, I bought a memory card and then traded it to my friend for a VMU because he didn't like it because it always beeped when he turned on the dreamacst and he never bothered to get new battery's. But man, that thing actually is annoying.


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## jackdanielchan (Aug 16, 2009)

TrolleyDave said:
			
		

> Some of my favourite DC games are :
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> RE:Code Veronica
> Headhunter
> ...


Bah! Sonic Adventure, 1 and 2 aren't in there! That's the whole reason to buy a DreamCast!


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## dragon574444 (Aug 16, 2009)

Man, I remember my Dreamcast. That was one awesome console. Definitely try the Sonic Adventure games, I loved them.


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## blueskies (Aug 16, 2009)

I just got Rez too. I think I'm going to cool it on downloading for a little while, because I have a lot to play through. And my Dreamcast isn't even here yet! It's somewhere between Florida and California, taking FOREVER to ship...


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## Hadrian (Aug 16, 2009)

One game hardly no one ever talks about i Cannon Spike.  Its a an fantastic shooter which features Capcom characters like Mega Man, Cammy from Streetfighter, Arthur from Ghosts N Goblins among others.  Also the levels are based on various Capcom games like Resident Evil.


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## TrolleyDave (Aug 16, 2009)

Nosferadrian said:
			
		

> One game hardly no one ever talks about i Cannon Spike.  Its a an fantastic shooter which features Capcom characters like Mega Man, Cammy from Streetfighter, Arthur from Ghosts N Goblins among others.  Also the levels are based on various Capcom games like Resident Evil.



Shit I don't think I've ever played that.  I'm gonna hunt a copy down now.


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## Hadrian (Aug 16, 2009)

There are still DC games being made commercially, these were released in the last few months:

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-x-49-en-70-3f36.html
http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-2pz-71...-j-70-31fr.html
http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-2pz-71...-j-70-31d9.html

Not played any of course though Last Hope on the Neo Geo was pretty good.

Also I'm a bit behind on homebrew games, anyone know if there ahs been anything worth playing in the past year?  Besides various Beats of Rage games.

Also check this out, some people are remaking the classic PC FPS Blood:
http://www.seganerds.com/2009/05/18/new-dr...ion-on-its-way/


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## Bloodgod (Aug 16, 2009)

Bought one. Seller told me manufactured date was feb 2000. So it should be OK for backups. I just don't get how I'm going to get a 750mb file in a 700mb disc.


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## Hadrian (Aug 16, 2009)

Bloodgod said:
			
		

> Bought one. Seller told me manufactured date was feb 2000. So it should be OK for backups. I just don't get how I'm going to get a 750mb file in a 700mb disc.


Overburn my friend.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 16, 2009)

you got a tutorial on this? II think someone should post a sticky tutorial on this subject

Edit: Bought 10 800MB disks just for Shenmue. CDi Images are 750MB. Over burn can probably get away with 700-720mb, but not 750


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## Dr Eggman (Aug 17, 2009)

Also, in my findings, Alcohol 120% is best for burning DC Games.
Most games will fit on 700MB cd's tho.

Also, if you want to check your dreamcast's compatibility for Mil-CD (homebrew, backups)




The one on the left (1)[NTSC-U] IS compatible
Also, ALL PAL models are compatible  
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





My DC is compatible. In fact, its a launch model, manufactured Sept. '99.


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## Overlord Nadrian (Aug 17, 2009)

I want a Dreamcast too! But my mum never allows me to buy anything...


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 18, 2009)

Overlord Nadrian said:
			
		

> I want a Dreamcast too! But my mum never allows me to buy anything...


i'd talk her into this one if i was you, there is no console that is quite as unique as the Dreamcast was it just gives me a feel i don't get from the others kinda like my nes games do.
that or get emancipated get a job then buy it.


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## pitoui (Aug 18, 2009)

I love my DC.

One of my favourite games is Tokyo Xtreme Racer 2. If your a car nut then this game is for you.

Pretty much all the other great games for the DC have been mentioned already.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 18, 2009)

Shenmue (NTSC) save file, how would I make it work with the PAL ver? Also .MDS/.MDF files do I use IMG brun to burn it or another prog?


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## blueskies (Aug 18, 2009)

Alcohol 120% can burn CDI, MDF/MDS, and a host of other formats. It has been recommended over discjuggler.


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## godsakes (Aug 18, 2009)

the dreamcast is a great console in many ways it's aged better than the PS2 due to the games having that retro/arcade appeal


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## Overlord Nadrian (Aug 18, 2009)

wolffangalchemist said:
			
		

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Yeah, but I just got her to let me buy a Dingoo, cause my mp3 player's (if you want to know, it's a Sansa e280) scrollwheel just broke. I'll see if I can get her as far to let me buy a Dreamcast. I've alsways wanted one, but he never allowed me...
And I can't get a job, I'm 15


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## skydoune (Aug 18, 2009)

toguro_max said:
			
		

> Yep, Saturn was the original Playstation opponent.
> It was disc based (CD), and to play backups you need a modchip.



Actually it wasn't necessary, you only needed one retail game, a piece of tape and really fast hands. However, I broke my Virtua Cop original cd this way after a few months. Bought a modchip online for like 30$, installed it myself (no soldering) and it works perfectly now. It also plays jap games, you only need to change the region in the iso with some program.

Oh and about those big dc iso files, I seem to remember seeing those but in the end they would fit on a 700mb cd-r without overburn. It might be because of the discjuggler file format and/or extra data from the boot track. But hey it's been AGES since I burned one of these, I may be wrong.


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## ninchya (Aug 18, 2009)

LOL U R AHHHSUM I love the dreamcast system its the best I have a real Copy of Marvel Vs Capcom 2 and Resident Evil Code Veronica u cant go wrong with buying a dreamcast.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 19, 2009)

skydoune said:
			
		

> Oh and about those big dc iso files, I seem to remember seeing those but in the end they would fit on a 700mb cd-r without overburn. It might be because of the discjuggler file format and/or extra data from the boot track. But hey it's been AGES since I burned one of these, I may be wrong.



this might be true. I just did some autodummying on cue/bin files that were 200-300MB. Set autodummy to 74mins. Came up to 650mb, then I applied selfboot it ballooned to 760mb.

Guess I'll find out when my CD-Rs come in tomorrow. 

Stupid DC is still stuck in transit somewhere (weird me and TC both bought from the same ebay seller). I'm going to pick up a second DC unit friday from a local seller. Sega sports unit manufacture date aug 2000, comes with 3 controllers 3 vmus and misc games all for $45

Good reading
http://dreamlover.tecbox.com/

Edit: Tooled around with autodummying settings. If you set it to 69min 30sec then apply self boot. You'll get 697mb.


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## blueskies (Aug 19, 2009)

I'm still waiting for mine too. It's somewhere between Florida and California.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 19, 2009)

IF you look at your paypal shipping email notification. You can see seller picked "media mail 2-9days." Thats gonna take awhile to get to us (I'm from cali to). Which is also BS cause on his listing it says "US Postal Service First Class Mail." Whatever though cause the guy replaced and added another VMU for me for the same price I paid for.

But the weird thing is the email said seller is from Savannah, GA 31410. But the item shipped from JACKSONVILLE, FL 32099. lol Hoping I'm not getting boned.


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## blueskies (Aug 19, 2009)

Me too. Sucks that he changed the shipping on us, I hadn't even noticed that. It seems like he may be some kind of dealer or distributor or something. Maybe the business is in GA, but his warehouse is in FL, or he's selling them for someone. Or it went GA -> FL sorting facility-> out. IDK, I just want to play all these games I've gotten the last few days!!


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## Bloodgod (Aug 19, 2009)

we should be OK. Seller has sold a bunch of DC bundles and buyers have given him positive feedback. Long ship date for anything is just lame


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## blueskies (Aug 19, 2009)

Man.. he has PS2 slim bundles for $70... I'm really tempted to get one of those too!


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 19, 2009)

i found 2 locally one used with a VMU for $65 and one new unopened in the box for $99.
i might splurge on the new one if i got the extra cash and order a VMU off ebay for cheap.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 20, 2009)

Pissing me off. Non of the Self boot CDi are loading in DC emulator Chankast .25. Utopia disk won't even load





What am I doing wrong? I'd like to have this fixed b4 my DC gets here.

Edit: Images ran fine on NullDC. But I was running them directly from CDi file. I want to run off the cd I just burnt. Bleh. I really need that DC ASAP

Edit 2: I burned Blue Stinger (758MB) on a 700MB just fine. Still don't know if it'll boot though.


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 20, 2009)

well i know legend of Dragoon's 4th cd (psx game) the iso file is 715mb and burned fine when i burned it some days ago.
i think a dummy files only make a file say it's that big but in actually isn't.. maybe in a since the iso takes up a bit more space than when it's written to a a cd-r.
so long as it burns with out some error popping up while burning it should be fine, slow shipping is a pain this is why i decide to pay a bit more money for mine locally when my pay check comes 1st of September(though i under stand some people don't have a local option)already paid for part of it so he would hold it in the back for me (cuz some one got the used one)just in case someone happened to come in and want to buy it(better safe than sorry).


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## blueskies (Aug 20, 2009)

'Dummying' an iso mean putting blank data (zeroes) at the beginning of a small image to push the actual data to the outside of the disc, where it can be read faster and more easily. If the data is on the center of the disc, you could experience slow loading and skipping since the data can't be read as quickly.

BTW, mine's in Richmond, CA. Don't know where that is, but at least it's across the country.


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## antonkan (Aug 20, 2009)

Well, Dreamcast is in the previous generation of video game consoles, much like PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. So, here are my questions:[*]Can someone give me a link to buy Dreamcast VMU?[*]Does the Dreamcast will allow burned CDs via .iso file?[*]Does the Dreamcast games region free?[*]Does the Dreamcast can be emulated on Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3?Anyway, the last true Dreamcast game is Puyo Puyo Fever in Japan, in 2004.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 20, 2009)

@blueskies that's up here in northern Cali. You'll prolly get it SAT.

Meeting the local seller tomorrow. Just hoping everything goes fine and no BS is to be had.


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 20, 2009)

antonkan said:
			
		

> Well, Dreamcast is in the previous generation of video game consoles, much like PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. So, here are my questions:[*]Can someone give me a link to buy Dreamcast VMU?[*]Does the Dreamcast will allow burned CDs via .iso file?[*]Does the Dreamcast games region free?[*]Does the Dreamcast can be emulated on Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3?Anyway, the last true Dreamcast game is Puyo Puyo Fever in Japan, in 2004.


answer 1: ebay  has some dreamcast VMU's http://cgi.ebay.com/SEGA-DREAMCAST-BLUE-VI...id=p3286.c0.m14 a ibt under $10 with shipping not half bad IMO.
answer 2: yes there are scene releases for the dreamcast that can either be booted with the Utopia boot disc or they are self booting and don't need it (it's a rule of thumb that most if not all DC images in .cdi format are selfbooting) the dreamcast needs no modification to boot these disc at all.
answer 3: no not by it's self you need a chip to allow region free(doesn't make cd-r's work just allows other region games to boot.) or you can get a DC game shark or Action replay i hear they can boot imports as well.
answer 4: no, no, and no and there most likely never wii be, all though there are pc emulators for it that i hear good things about.

EDIT: now to get a question answered my self, can i burn the dreamcast .cdi files with imgburn? i see the file type as a option in it so i would assume it will work ok.
well it burned the utopia boot disk fine but it says my jet grind radio .cdi file is a invalid format, so i guess not.


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## blueskies (Aug 20, 2009)

use alcohol 120% I hear it can burn cdi and mds/mdf plus like a million other types.


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## impur1ty (Aug 20, 2009)

Get DiscJuggler, select RAW write and overburn. Then burn the .cdi image file. Easy.

The only DCs that can't boot backups etc. is the Sakura Wars JP special ed. as far as I'm aware.


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 20, 2009)

i guess i'll do a test then since these are some old blank cd's i found in storage.
i used imgburn on the utopia boot disk, alcohol 120% on JGR, and i'll burn crazy taxi with DiscJuggler, who knows they might all boot when i get the dreamcast and try them.


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## MAD_BOY (Aug 20, 2009)

impur1ty said:
			
		

> Get DiscJuggler, select RAW write and overburn. Then burn the .cdi image file. Easy.
> 
> The only DCs that can't boot backups etc. is the Sakura Wars JP special ed. as far as I'm aware.


And DC's post October 2001 can't run backups either...I happen to have one of those


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## antonkan (Aug 20, 2009)

Can someone give me a link to buy Dreamcast Action Replay? And how does Action Replay will make Dreamcast loads region free discs?


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## impur1ty (Aug 20, 2009)

MAD_BOY said:
			
		

> impur1ty said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You don't need an Action Replay, you can boot out of region games using the Utopia boot disc. Download the disc image. Youtube probably has some guides.


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## blueskies (Aug 20, 2009)

WOOHOO got mine today! The mailman did a fake out, dropping off a few magazines first, then coming back 10 minutes later with a beat up looking box. And it boots backups! Off to burnin' and playing


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## vergilite (Aug 20, 2009)

blueskies said:
			
		

> WOOHOO got mine today! The mailman did a fake out, dropping off a few magazines first, then coming back 10 minutes later with a beat up looking box. And it boots backups! Off to burnin' and playing



LOL my mail man did that with my flash cart i was waiting at the door only to be disappointed then 5mins later it came through the post


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## jabmaster2 (Aug 20, 2009)

DAmn this thread is making me really want to get a dreamcast bad. I'm try going back and get all systems that I can mod or like dreamcast and play all great games I couldn't afford when I was younger. I think I was 11 when dreamcast came out. I've been looking on eBay and found a guy that sells new unoped dreamcast $90 shipped just need ask manufactoring date. I just got me a 50001  fat ps2 brand new for $80 with 10 games off eBay. I love eBay man.


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## toguro_max (Aug 20, 2009)

Just some quick facts about Dreamcast I noticed weren't mentioned:
1) Original DC games are in GD (Giga Disc) form. This media can hold up to 1.2 Gb of data.
2) Because of fact 1, most backup games are ripped in a way or another. Some have their sould quality lowered, some the videos are in low resolution (See Resident Evil Code Veronica as an perfect example for this).
3) Since fact 2 is true, some backup games (most of'em) tends to load a little slower than the original games (Dead or Alive 2 is the example here).
4) Riding on fact 3, some games needs "dummying", to, as blueskies said, fill the rest of the disk with zeroes, so the DC can read them better (try to compare Crazy Taxi "undummyed" with the "dummyed" one, you will notice how long the first take to load textures).
5) As asked (and aswered) before, Dreamcast is not region free. There are lots of ways to play imported games on DC, but some of them may create a side effect on the game. For example, if you break the region barrier of Sonic Adventure 2 (Jap) to play on a Us console with Game Genie, you won't be able to finish the game, because in the last mission the data will be loaded incorrectly and you will start the 2nd (or 3rd, sorry, it's been a long time) section falling through the floor. But you if bypass the regio with Codebreaker (hacked), there is no problem (keep in mind that I may have inverted the Codebreaker with Game Genie, since it's been a while, but the fact is that it happens).
6) Some games are not compatible with the original 400 blocks VMS (the VMU without the LCD screen).

I think that's it for now...
Enjoy your DC!


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 20, 2009)

anyone know if seganet is still up?
playing some of the online games might be fun if you still can.


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## impur1ty (Aug 20, 2009)

Great info Toguro!

Seganet is not up anymore. There are a few servers running to take it's place. I played Phantasy Star Online recently to find there are still hundreds of active users. It's quite complicated connecting to third party servers though. And the broadband adapter is certainly not cheap.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 20, 2009)

@blueskies damn! That USPS driver must have hauled ass down 101 south or I5. I see mine coming in Monday or if I'm lucky Saturday.

Edit: Mailman did the same when he dropped off my PS3.


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## blueskies (Aug 20, 2009)

I was wondering about online play too, I'll need a broadband adaptor I think because I don't have a land line, but Phantasy Star Portable would be the only game I'd want to play, not really into sports games. What's the process for playing this on third party servers?


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## DSFan08 (Aug 21, 2009)

baffle-boy said:
			
		

> ... also some people put emulators on their ds for free (owned)


You gotta be kidding me......I'm just trying to find the most user friendly Dreamcast emulator....

But dude, if you have the spare 42 bucks, then all means, buy a really cool console.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 21, 2009)

^NullDC. Just find the bios files and whatever CDi image you want to play.

BTT: anyone know how many VMUs I would need. I got 23 games qued up and I'm not going to delete save files.


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## impur1ty (Aug 21, 2009)

blueskies said:
			
		

> I was wondering about online play too, I'll need a broadband adaptor I think because I don't have a land line, but Phantasy Star Portable would be the only game I'd want to play, not really into sports games. What's the process for playing this on third party servers?



You might want to give online play a miss, Broadband adapter costs about $80 and the process is very complicated. If you want to play PSO, go with the PC version (Blue Burst) which is easier and cheaper ($0).


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## dreamcast (Aug 21, 2009)

man you should have bought one at launch when everyone was online. have fun with the console


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 21, 2009)

just got my Dreamcast today from a local flea market all plugs and a controller no VMU!  
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 but meh what can you do it was $20 and i'll just order that online.
MFD was july 2000 and it plays my  JGR .cdi burn fine but my utopia boot cd won't boot so no crazy taxi for the moment till i get some more cd-r's.


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## Overlord Nadrian (Aug 21, 2009)

Hmm, I'll be looking on those flea markets in Turkey for a Dreamcast, maybe I'll even find one.


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 22, 2009)

got to be careful about what .cdi images you download i accidentally got the pal version of Soul Calibur luckily it has a video mode selector.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 22, 2009)

Mine is at Richmond now. But it got there to late to make the mailman runs today. So I will get it monday.

@wolffangalchemist I think we got the same CDi file. You got that from a Dreamcast batch torrent huh?


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 23, 2009)

Bloodgod said:
			
		

> @wolffangalchemist I think we got the same CDi file. You got that from a Dreamcast batch torrent huh?


yep sure did also just noticed the voice overs are the original Japanese ones.


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## toguro_max (Aug 23, 2009)

About playing online: most of the servers are shut down, that's the fact. However, there are some private servers you can lon into to play online. Phantasy Star Online is one game you have, to my info, 2 options of private servers to play (since i don't know whether I can link'em or not, I won't post the link).
There a good site called Online Consoles where you can find more info about which servers are still up.
Btw, you can use your Dreamcast moden to connect to your PC so you can shere your connection, although it's not easy...

Suddenly i got the nostalgia feeling of when i've spent hours playing PSO


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## cupajoe (Aug 23, 2009)

Nosferadrian said:
			
		

> shinkukage09 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You're right. I just bought a SNES because I was sick of emulating, and it is a much more genuine experience.


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 23, 2009)

so i can conect my dreamcast 56k moden up throgh my unused land line jacks in imy pc and share my internet with it regardless of where i get it fr4om (eg usb wifi adapter, ethernet, G3 network adapter)?
if so nice! if i need the Ethernet modem well that suck


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## toguro_max (Aug 23, 2009)

Yes, you can! ?
But, you need to use some software to manage this connection... Search for Dreamcast  PC connection...


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 23, 2009)

thanks! and found a article on it! =]
http://www.dreamcast.onlineconsoles.com/ph...s_pcdcwin98.php


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 23, 2009)

wait can't i just use a majick jack? srsly anyone ever tried it?


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## MAD_BOY (Aug 23, 2009)

impur1ty said:
			
		

> MAD_BOY said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It's only on NTSC DC's though, all PAL DC's can read backups just fine.


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## Hadrian (Aug 23, 2009)

What is great is that Sega still give away their web browser disc, DreamKey for free.  You just have to go to the support part on their website and ask.  I got one back in February.

Ok you can just download one and burn it but at least they still post them to you for nothing.


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## antonkan (Aug 23, 2009)

Nosferadrian said:
			
		

> What is great is that Sega still give away their web browser disc, DreamKey for free.  You just have to go to the support part on their website and ask.  I got one back in February.
> 
> Ok you can just download one and burn it but at least they still post them to you for nothing.



Does it have Flash? Supporting images? Does it have Java?


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## blueskies (Aug 24, 2009)

Picked up Skies of Arcadia retail today. I've heard it's one of the best rpgs for the dreamcast, and the nfo on the rip made it seem like a pain to play the copy.. it's split into 4 discs, and you can't backtrack or visit certain areas from disc 1a if you're playing disc 1b. Seemed like it would be worth it to just buy a copy, even if it cost almost as much as I paid for the console.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 24, 2009)

has anyone tried to boot up that Gameshark CDX CDi file floating around?


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## impur1ty (Aug 24, 2009)

blueskies said:
			
		

> Picked up Skies of Arcadia retail today. I've heard it's one of the best rpgs for the dreamcast, and the nfo on the rip made it seem like a pain to play the copy.. it's split into 4 discs, and you can't backtrack or visit certain areas from disc 1a if you're playing disc 1b. Seemed like it would be worth it to just buy a copy, even if it cost almost as much as I paid for the console.



There is a 2 Disc version of Skies of Arcadia floating around the net somewhere. That is how it comes retail. Most people say either that or Grandia II is the best JRPG on DC. Not many made it out of Japan unfortunately.


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## TrolleyDave (Aug 24, 2009)

impur1ty said:
			
		

> blueskies said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



There's a few DC games that have similar problems when running the copies.  Crazy Taxi 2 doesn't stream quite fast enough and sometimes the textures/details don't show up quite as quickly as they should.  Can't remember what the others are offhand but there's quite a few with downsampled video as well.  It's definitely one of those consoles where you're better off owning originals of alot of games rather than copies.  There's a few games that go for silly money but most can be picked up for a couple of quid/bucks on ebay.


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## blueskies (Aug 24, 2009)

yeah, $30 was the cheapest for a like new quality game.. i don't really mind buying ONE game when I'm getting so many for free. I just didn't want any hassle, or have to constantly check the .nfo for 'where can I not go' directions.. pain in the ass really.


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 24, 2009)

to bad you can't get the original disc for Half Life on the DC, seeing as it was a leaked beta and the game was never released. 
SUUUUPPPEEEERRRR LOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG LOAAADDDINGGG SCREEENNSSS!!!!


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## TrolleyDave (Aug 24, 2009)

wolffangalchemist said:
			
		

> to bad you can't get the original disc for Half Life on the DC, seeing as it was a leaked beta and the game was never released.
> SUUUUPPPEEEERRRR LOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG LOAAADDDINGGG SCREEENNSSS!!!!



And don't forget the memory card bug! lol  A great game tho.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 24, 2009)

guy sent me a JPN DC


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## TrolleyDave (Aug 24, 2009)

Bloodgod said:
			
		

> guy sent me a JPN DC


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## antonkan (Aug 24, 2009)

Can anyone try Puyo Puyo Fever (Japanese version) for the Dreamcast via backup CDs to see how it works?


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## Bloodgod (Aug 25, 2009)

TrolleyDave said:
			
		

> Bloodgod said:
> 
> 
> 
> > guy sent me a JPN DC


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## TrolleyDave (Aug 25, 2009)

Bloodgod said:
			
		

> TrolleyDave said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Bloodgod (Aug 25, 2009)

not yet. I don't want to waste any cdr till necessary. I got an NTSC-U unit to pick up on WED. So I'll test those disks out on that one.


Edit: does it matter if I got ver 1.2 of utopia rather than 1.1?

Edit 2: All shenmue disks fit in 700MB disks.


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 25, 2009)

TrolleyDave said:
			
		

> And don't forget the memory card bug! lol  A great game tho.
> yeah, i heard about that the file gets bigger and bigger each time you save right?
> though can't you just erase the old save and make a new one each time in game(i don't have a VMU yet, damn slow ass mail...)
> 
> ...


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## dryo (Aug 25, 2009)

ok then it's time for some MAAAAAAARRRRRVEELLLLLL VS CAPCOM 2, AND RIVAL SCHOOLS 2, SHENMUE,SEGA BASS FISHING BUY EVRYTHING YOU CAN FROM DREAMCAST....call sega for their called back products you could arrange a deal.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 25, 2009)

I used DJ. all the games I've bruned so far worked. Just the utopia and gameshark images failed.

Whats your settings for alcohol 120?


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 25, 2009)

i just used the default setting for every burn, Write speed of 8x  Write method DAO / SAO


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## TrolleyDave (Aug 25, 2009)

wolffangalchemist said:
			
		

> TrolleyDave said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Alcohol burns the Utopia images just fine, I did one for someone recently (the Dreamcast must be making a comeback, everyone seems to buying one at the mo!).  It sounds more like you've got a bad image.  Try grabbing it from a different site.  Did you get the Gameshark image from the same place?  I'm not sure about the legality of the Utopia disc, I don't think it uses any copyrighted code but I think it uses the copyrighted bin file, so I won't link to it here but there's loads of places with it.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 25, 2009)

^ NM. 120 is being a bitch. Think I'm gonna try bootdreams. IF it doesn't work I'll just buy a gameshark

*Sidenote* My DC is NTSC-U. Previous owner just set the language to JPN. Also the bottom says NTSC-U


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## Bloodgod (Aug 26, 2009)

good 4 player game that's not Sports on the DC is what?

exclude power stone and bomberma


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## TrolleyDave (Aug 26, 2009)

Either of the Powerstone games are pretty fun when 4 player.


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## Armadillo (Aug 26, 2009)

I liked playing propeller arena 4 players, was fun.


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 26, 2009)

just got my VMU today and a second controller for trading in some junk at a locally owned game store.
so long as it's a normal sega brand VMU not a generic brand one you can delete the Half Life save file from it with the vmu's on screen menu and then pop it back in to create a new save file)after loading up the previous save of course..


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## Bloodgod (Aug 26, 2009)

picked up second unit today ($45). didn't really need a second unit,but I figured I'd buy it cause it was bundled with alot of controllers and VMUs. If I bought them separately from eBay. I would have paid

3VMUs $20-24
3Controllers $9.95ea (29.85)

Sure I saved a few $. But eBay didn't offer me a free second unit with random games. =) and the great part about my purchase..... one of the Memory card is one of those 4 in 1 cards. So it had 1600 blocks (200ea). Also one tremor pack (rumble)


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## funem (Aug 27, 2009)

What makes my DC even better is that I was given it for free with a load of controllers and games....

Most games dont feel right unless you play them on the DC, Ready 2 Rumble for example. I remember standing in the shop before it came out with my jaw on the floor playing the demo. I just didnt expect it to be that good and that game does not play right on other consoles ( dont even look at the N64 version ). The console was, in my opinion a defining moment in time, where you felt that tha arcade had really come home in all its glory, I never felt the PS1 really achieved it, they always seemed to me anyway to play like a port of a game, rather than feeling like an arcade game itself.

The DC was THE most underrated console ever......


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## impur1ty (Aug 27, 2009)

funem said:
			
		

> What makes my DC even better is that I was given it for free with a load of controllers and games....
> 
> Most games dont feel right unless you play them on the DC, Ready 2 Rumble for example. I remember standing in the shop before it came out with my jaw on the floor playing the demo. I just didnt expect it to be that good and that game does not play right on other consoles ( dont even look at the N64 version ). The console was, in my opinion a defining moment in time, where you felt that tha arcade had really come home in all its glory, I never felt the PS1 really achieved it, they always seemed to me anyway to play like a port of a game, rather than feeling like an arcade game itself.
> 
> The DC was THE most underrated console ever......




You'd love the NeoGeo AES.

Speaking of DC, I heard it is possible to play NeoGeo CD games on it. Anyone know anything about this?


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 28, 2009)

only 3 games saved to my VMU i already need to get more of them, looks like i'll be hunting them down at pawn shops and flea markets this friday.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 28, 2009)

Those save files would probably be 1-5 blocks, but Devs decided to put VMU games into them. So Shenmue is a ridiculous 80 blocks. I remember one NFL2kX game had 121 blocks taken


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## Bloodgod (Aug 28, 2009)

Documentary about Dreamcast made by G4's Icon. *Sigh* Back when G4 was still good.

Part one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3NfgF08EQE

Part two
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e27kjhZXQqE

Edit: my GameShark lite V.4 came in today. Boots up the codes and backups no problem. You can use an existing VMU to save new codes in. Yesterday I found a working Codebreaker CDi image. Only problem with that is that you had to use a loader CD to make backup boot with cheats. I'd post the files here, but I'm sure that's against ToS. So just use Google. It's the first link or third, assuming you know what to enter in the search field


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## wolffangalchemist (Aug 30, 2009)

just got Resident Evil Code:Veronica.
looking at the decent game graphics for the DC's time it makes you wonder what the hardware could have done had it really had the chance to be pushed to it's limits same thing with Half Life the DC might have stood a slim chance in the US market if it was released for it as originally planed.


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## impur1ty (Aug 30, 2009)

wolffangalchemist said:
			
		

> just got Resident Evil Code:Veronica.
> looking at the decent game graphics for the DC's time it makes you wonder what the hardware could have done had it really had the chance to be pushed to it's limits same thing with Half Life the DC might have stood a slim chance in the US market if it was released for it as originally planed.




I think Shenmue I/II pushed the DC about as far as it was going to go. It was the crysis of it's day back when it first came out. 

Half Life was cancelled because the DC was dying, so that may have been too late.


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## blueskies (Aug 30, 2009)

Does shenmue get...not boring ever? I played a very small amount of it, but was kind of bored by walking/talking/walking.

I know the story is supposed to be great, but is there any action or fighting?


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## TrolleyDave (Aug 30, 2009)

blueskies said:
			
		

> Does shenmue get...not boring ever? I played a very small amount of it, but was kind of bored by walking/talking/walking.
> 
> I know the story is supposed to be great, but is there any action or fighting?



There is but there isn't alot of it in the first one.


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## Hadrian (Aug 30, 2009)

blueskies said:
			
		

> Does shenmue get...not boring ever? I played a very small amount of it, but was kind of bored by walking/talking/walking.
> 
> I know the story is supposed to be great, but is there any action or fighting?


There is fighting but its just pressing the right buttons...kinda like in rhythm games.  Really disappointed a lot of people at the time as the screens that were posted before the game looked like you fought Virtua Fighter style.

For me its sort of an average game, I couldn't get into it that much but I did spend a lot of in the Arcade part playing Space Harrier.

The Dreamcast was ahead of its time, esepcially seeing that most of the games were ported to GC, Xbox & PS2 and fitted well.  In fact a lot of the games Sega made after they stopped developing for Dreamcast were intended for the Dreamcast itself like the Xbox Panzer Dragoon game.  Speaking of the game...Sega... Panzer Dragoon Saga sequel please for fuck sake.


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## Bloodgod (Aug 30, 2009)

^ Wrong. It wasn't just QTE events. Shenmue had a watered down VF fighting engine. Yu Suzuki did make this game after all 

@blueskies Think of this game as a Visual Novel. It's not a traditional "RPG" of any kind. You spend most of the time running around looking for clues, talking to random ppl, waiting for game time to pass then trigger an event. If you can find and ISO/rip of the Shenmue Movie that came with Shenmue II (xbox), I suggest getting that if you can't stand playing the game.


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## Master Mo (Aug 30, 2009)

blueskies said:
			
		

> Does shenmue get...not boring ever? I played a very small amount of it, but was kind of bored by walking/talking/walking.
> 
> I know the story is supposed to be great, but is there any action or fighting?


There are QTEs (like in Resi4 or GoW) and there are free-fights. There are free-fighter with multiple enemies, which are more button-mashing and there are fights against one enemy, which are more strategic (those would a watered down VF type of combat). You can even do training to make Ryo stronger. I thought the combat was pretty cool and deep if you get into it but don`t expect real VF!

The game maybe starts a little slow but if you get into it, it gets great. The Story is really great. And the second game is way more action-packed. But I know Shenmue is not every ones cup of tea... But for me the Shenmue Sega is the greatest game of all time!


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## blueskies (Aug 30, 2009)

Alright, I guess I just had a different idea of the game. It looks great from all the vids I've seen, I just need to really dedicate the time and focus on only this game. I can't just pick up and play this type of game randomly, I'll loose track of where I am. After Skies of Arcadia I'll play through.


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## Master Mo (Aug 30, 2009)

blueskies said:
			
		

> Alright, I guess I just had a different idea of the game. It looks great from all the vids I've seen, I just need to really dedicate the time and focus on only this game. I can't just pick up and play this type of game randomly, I'll loose track of where I am. After Skies of Arcadia I'll play through.


Yeah, exactly! Specially if someone is playing a game like Shenmue with an open World and not objective-based gameplay (missions), because Shenmue truly is Chapter I of the Saga and it feels just like it. Shenmue II on the other hand contains Chapter III-V.

You don`t play Shenmue, you live it


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## impur1ty (Aug 30, 2009)

Shenmue II is my favourite game. To really enjoy it you have to be committed. The pace is slower in the first game but it is definitely worth finishing. Let's hope a conclusion to the series comes one day.


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## wolffangalchemist (Sep 1, 2009)

just found my second Dreamcast unit at a pawn shop for $19.00 the guy at the pawn shop is gonna hold it for me till tomorrow when i get paid.
i think it's a launch model to MFD is September 1999 so i know it'll play my backups also it comes with 1 controller 2 memory units and all the plugs.
only need one more controller to have 4 now and also need to find a mouse and keyboard for it cheap.


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## Bloodgod (Sep 1, 2009)

Picked up a S-Video cable. Deeper coloring and less "jaggies" from the composite cables. I would have gotten a VGA box but anything from that gen should be played on tube TVs IMO. This is the main reason why I haven't connected this thing to my HDTV.


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## wolffangalchemist (Sep 1, 2009)

i might get one of those VGA boxes since i got a old CRT monitor(it's true anything old looks horrible on a lcd or plasma screen) i might even use that to build a homemade Dreamcast display(like the ones you seen in stores). 
i've seen them on Amazon for about $20 anyone know anywhere that sells them cheaper?(not that $20 is expensive but i always like a bargain)


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## Bloodgod (Sep 1, 2009)

^ Pix and link to the amazon listing. I might be interested.


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## Bloodgod (Sep 3, 2009)

any other method to burning MDF files? alcohol 120 is being a dbag and giving me errors everytime I try to open it. 

Edit: NM I got it open with a new copy. 

Settings 
Write Speed 16x
Write Method RAW DAO 
everything else default. 

Odd thing I used default everything for Shenmue II Disk 1 and it booted up no problem. But it failed to boot disk two.


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## blueskies (Sep 9, 2009)

Happy Birthday Dreamcast!! You're 10 today. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 :yaydc:


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## blueskies (Sep 17, 2009)

Is phantasy star online worth playing without the 'online' part? I know there are private servers, but I don't want to get a broadband adapter for the dc yet, just for one game.


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## wolffangalchemist (Sep 18, 2009)

not that it's not worh it to get one it is but getting one without having to cut off your arm and leg to make up for the price is the catch.
befor you buy one online for way to much cash check around localy for one at second-hand storeslike the  good wills, Christian missions , pawnshops and the like,


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## blueskies (Sep 18, 2009)

wolffangalchemist said:
			
		

> not that it's not worh it to get one it is but getting one without having to cut off your arm and leg to make up for the price is the catch.
> befor you buy one online for way to much cash check around localy for one at second-hand storeslike the  good wills, Christian missions , pawnshops and the like,


...what? I think you're saying don't spend too much on a broadband adapter. I said above that I don't want to get one. I'm just wondering if you can play PSO without the online part. I'm sure it's possible, but is it worth it?


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## wolffangalchemist (Sep 19, 2009)

oh i misunderstood, yes you can play PSO without the online playand yeah it's still a good DC game even if you exclude online so play away.
you just need to find a serial and som other code is needed but it can be made up and your set.


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## blueskies (Sep 19, 2009)

Sweet, I found a code online, got the game started. It seems pretty alright so far, I bet it was hella fun online tho.


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## Primenay13 (Sep 20, 2009)

Waste because of emulators for free. But its kinda nice to have an antique


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## TrolleyDave (Sep 20, 2009)

Primenay13 said:
			
		

> Waste because of emulators for free. But its kinda nice to have an antique



DC emulation is far from perfect so how is it a waste?


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## GamerzInc (Sep 20, 2009)

Love my dreamcast.  My friend found his and gave it to me.  Awesome system and IMO the best way to play MvC2.


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## Deleted User (Sep 20, 2009)

They have some really good games for them


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## wolffangalchemist (Sep 20, 2009)

well why i wait for Shenmue and D2 to download(sloooooww ass torrent)guess i'll play some Grandia II.
seems like a good game so far never played the first one though.


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## Bloodgod (Sep 20, 2009)

Primenay13 said:
			
		

> Waste because of emulators for free. But its kinda nice to have an antique



Thanks for talking outta your ass


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## godsakes (Sep 22, 2009)

Primenay13 said:
			
		

> Waste because of emulators for free. But its kinda nice to have an antique


for price of a PC controller you can buy a dreamcast they are dirt cheap (i got mine for £10) and amazing value 

as mentioned the DC emulators are far from perfect and AFAIK there's no console ports of them


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## blueskies (Oct 3, 2009)

heh, small bump to say I just picked up a Genesis on the cheap. Traded a few Gameboys for a system, controllers, master system converter thingy, and 11 games (2 master system, 9 md). Sega rocks, how did I spend my whole childhood without these systems???


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## TrolleyDave (Oct 4, 2009)

Nice! What were the games you got?


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## blueskies (Oct 4, 2009)

phantasy star iv boxed, maximum carnage boxed, sonic 1&2, altered beast, ms pacman, beavis & butthead, streets of rage, 2 boxed master system games and a few others that I can't tell from the picture.. he took down the CL listing already with the list. Pretty good haul I think, traded my Gameboy Light and a busted DMG to this guy Thretris, he paints/mods Gameboys on the 8bc forums.


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## TrolleyDave (Oct 6, 2009)

Nice find!  I'm probably remembering wrong but isn't Phantasy Star IV one of the MD games that's worth some cash boxed?  The only really shady game in that lot is Altered Beast, it's a great conversion it's just a shame the arcade game was so boring.  I used to play the B&B game alot, it was really weird but strangely fun!  Captured the show pretty well and the MD version wipes the floor with the SNES version.  Take some snaps of the carts you can't identify, someone might know what they are.


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## wolffangalchemist (Oct 6, 2009)

i used to have a genesis long ago as a kid.
played streets of rage, sonic, and maximum carnage a lot good times. 
had the chance to get one a few weeks back at a yard sale and kinda regret it now, it didn't have any plugs but it was only $3.00 should have got it.


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## blueskies (Oct 6, 2009)

he said phantasy star iv was pretty rare, and boxed is even better. here's the one pic I could get, like I said he took down the CL listing already after we sealed the trade:





I remember one of the master system games is zaxxon 3d, can't remember the other but they're both boxed. I think it's a pretty good haul. I've played a little genesis through emulators (even altered beast.. I don't really see the appeal it's a little boring) but I'm stoked to play on the real thing. I used to have dreams, always around christmas time, that I got a genesis, or found a genesis somewhere, but woke up so dissapointed. I think I'm settling some unresolved childhood repressions here with this pickup. 

I've been looking on CL and ebay for games, I'm hoping to get a cheap lot. What should I look for? What are your top 3 games?


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## impur1ty (Oct 6, 2009)

I would recommend:

Shinobi III
Sonic & Knucles
Gunstar Heroes
Thunderforce III

Too many to mention really...there's about 800 games, something for everyone.


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## TrolleyDave (Oct 8, 2009)

Hmm I couldn't list just 3 but here's a few that I absolutely loved Micro Machines 2, Streets of Rage 3, Sparkster, Speedball 2, PGA Tour Golf 3, Mickey Mouse:Castle of Illusion, Mega Bomberman, Flashback, Dr Robotniks Mean Bean Machine.  Any of those and you can't go wrong or the ones impur1ty posted and you can't go wrong! lol


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## wolffangalchemist (Oct 8, 2009)

working on modding my extra dreamcast with a vga and audio jack, if anyone else is interested it's quite a simple mod actually.
http://www.mmmonkey.co.uk/console/sega/dc-vga.htm


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## Bloodgod (Oct 9, 2009)

blueskies said:
			
		

>



Nice find. IIRC that was the first gen of Genesis consoles. You just gotta track down the 6 face button controllers. I'd join you in trying to get my own Genesis console, but 16bit era can be emulated well on PCs.


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## blueskies (Oct 9, 2009)

Bloodgod said:
			
		

> blueskies said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I used to not care about playing on the 'real thing' and just used emulators when I was young and didn't have any money. But now that I can budget a good portion of my money to 'shit I want', I don't mind dropping a few bucks on an old console. The dreamcast has been so much fun, I can't believe I lived life before Soul Calibur. I play with that more than my ps3! And now whenever I play an emulator, I notice small glitches, or things that aren't quite right because I've seen the real thing.. it's really not the same. It's good enough, but it's not the same.

Not to mention old cartridges are dirt cheap.


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## TrolleyDave (Oct 9, 2009)

blueskies said:
			
		

> I used to not care about playing on the 'real thing' and just used emulators when I was young and didn't have any money. But now that I can budget a good portion of my money to 'shit I want', I don't mind dropping a few bucks on an old console. The dreamcast has been so much fun, I can't believe I lived life before Soul Calibur. I play with that more than my ps3! And now whenever I play an emulator, I notice small glitches, or things that aren't quite right because I've seen the real thing.. it's really not the same. It's good enough, but it's not the same.
> 
> Not to mention old cartridges are dirt cheap.



Everyone who goes from emulator to machine and back again notices the things you have (or people who have been using the machines for a long time!)!  Graphics don't quite look right, or the sound isn't quite right, stuff like that.  Don't get me wrong, emulation is great for those that can't afford a real machine but it's nowhere near the perfect that alot of emulator supporters think it is!  N64 and Sega Saturn emulation is just piss poor. SNES emulation is good but it has faults that are instantly noticeable on alot of games (wrong colours, lack of soft focus backgrounds, darker palette and others) and MegaDrive emulation is ok but again has it's faults like colours being off and the midi sounds just not being quite right.  Golden Axe is a perfect example, the colours in emulation aren't quite as bold and bright and the opening theme doesn't sound quite right.

Which reminds me, add Golden Axe to that list of games I posted above! lol


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## blueskies (Oct 9, 2009)

I'm hoping to get to a flea market soon and find some treasure trove of old games. One can dream...

I think most emulator supporters think that emulation is fine because that's the first way they see it. It looks fine because that's all you know, and you just go on and enjoy the games. 

Also, it is absolutely LEGIT to have a 20+ year old console that still functions sitting next to current gen stuff in the your entertainment cabinet.


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## TrolleyDave (Oct 9, 2009)

blueskies said:
			
		

> I'm hoping to get to a flea market soon and find some treasure trove of old games. One can dream...
> 
> I think most emulator supporters think that emulation is fine because that's the first way they see it. It looks fine because that's all you know, and you just go on and enjoy the games.
> 
> Also, it is absolutely LEGIT to have a 20+ year old console that still functions sitting next to current gen stuff in the your entertainment cabinet.



I've got mine setup with my 360, what's more amusing is the fact that I've had these consoles for so long and I don't really worry about them breaking down yet every time I switch on the 360 I wonder if it'll actually come on! lol


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## blueskies (Oct 13, 2009)

Dave.. or anyone else for that matter.. have you heard of any good flash carts for the MD? I've heard of the Tototek carts, but they seem really expensive. this one popped up in my searching today, with this thread (needs reg, sorry) giving some slight details. Looks like that second one is half the cost, but maybe doesn't support saving. Original carts are sweet, but it would be so amazing to have one cart, maybe with an SD card, that could hold a few.. hundred games. Any tips?


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## wolffangalchemist (Oct 13, 2009)

blueskies said:
			
		

> Dave.. or anyone else for that matter.. have you heard of any good flash carts for the MD? I've heard of the Tototek carts, but they seem really expensive. this one popped up in my searching today, with this thread (needs reg, sorry) giving some slight details. Looks like that second one is half the cost, but maybe doesn't support saving. Original carts are sweet, but it would be so amazing to have one cart, maybe with an SD card, that could hold a few.. hundred games. Any tips?


http://www.ic2005.com/shop/product.php?pro...at=0&page=1
$150 but the closest to flash memory you will get.


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## blueskies (Oct 13, 2009)

whoa.. 150 is pricey for me. But that one does look really really awesome.

this Tototek one is only $85...hhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmm


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## blueskies (Oct 15, 2009)

Well, I took a chance and ordered this one. Came out to $55 after the western union fees. it's the cheapest of the options available for genesis flash carts, the cheapest tototek cart is $85, the neo myth md is $150.. this seems like a great deal to me, plus it's a usb cart, no parallel port needed. No saving though... are there really that many must play games that needs saves? I feel like most are arcade style, and don't need the save function.


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## Bloodgod (Oct 15, 2009)

No saves? Good luck playing an RPG.


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## blueskies (Oct 15, 2009)

yeah, i know.. i figure most games are arcade-like anyway, so it won't really matter, and I have a phantasy star 4 cartridge, that's a pretty awesome rpg, right?

or I could just play through said rpg in one wicked awesome play through.


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## TrolleyDave (Oct 21, 2009)

The games that had batteries were mostly RPGs and sports games like PGA Tour.  Dune 2 and Sonic 3 had a battery tho I'm pretty certain, so you won't be able to play that.  Can't remember if Sonic & Knuckles had one.  Alot of MD were arcade like you say, or they had a password system.

There's not alot of flashcart style devices for it unfortunately, I wouldn't mind one myself for a reasonable price.  Keep an eye out for something called a Double Pro Fighter.  They usually go for up to about 100 bucks.  They're the best backup device for the MD, plus they're interchangeable with the SNES so you could then have alot of SNES gaming goodness at the same time!  Plus they have battery backup built in.


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## blueskies (Oct 21, 2009)

If this $55 one doesn't work out I doubt I'll be spending any more money on a flashcart. It's a fun novelty, but not worth $100+ for me. I'm glad to hear that there aren't that many saving games, I'm not fully interested in RPGs for the genesis, I'm perfectly happy playing through some old arcadey and platformy style games that don't need saving. 

My only tough decision right now is which cartridge to sacrifice to hold this flashcart (it comes as a bare pcb). I've narrowed it down to 1) Beavis and Butthead, which I will never play, but the case doesn't fit well in the Genesis, 2) Ms. Pacman, which I will most likely never play, or 3) Sonic the Hedgehog, which doesn't boot up. I'm thinking Sonic because it's dead, but would hate to take apart the Sonic game and use that if there's some way to make it work in the futur.. but a dead cartridge is a dead cartridge, right?

I'll probably go with Ms. Pacman and take the sticker off.


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## sasho123 (Oct 22, 2009)

Guys I can't tell you who happy I am, I just bought a Sega Mega Drive 2 for 7$, original that can play all region games 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




, they just don't respect consoles here, there are n64 for like 15$ and Sega Saturn for 20$.


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## wolffangalchemist (Oct 23, 2009)

sasho123 said:
			
		

> they just don't respect consoles here, there are n64 for like 15$ and Sega Saturn for 20$.


that's nothing, low prices are good.
there is a pawn shop full of old games and consoles near me the guy who owns it gives a rats ass about anything he has, his shop is stroed with boxes of beat up games and other things it's also messy and unorganised not to mention crampt.  
now that's not respecting consoles!!
i got my N64 from him had to LITERALLY DIG through 5 different boxes of junk to find it and all the plugs only bonuses were it already had a Ram Expansion in it and the video cable is S-Video and works for /psx/ps2/ps3/xbox360/xbox1/snes/gc/ systems and came with Perfect Dark.
my psx, snes, and N64 look Glorious in s video(though it's not HD it's the best my bedroom tv and most the consoles on the cable can do anyway), it also saves me a lot of cables all over the place!
though my N64 was doused in rubbing alcohol the minuet i got home to clean it(was covered in dirt AND DUST!)


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## Gobnoblin (Oct 23, 2009)

all this talk makes me want to dig my dc out from under my desk and hook it up again.... got the 64 and snes and ps under there too.. only have xbox ps2 and 360 hooked up to tv right now.... need more inputs lol and a bigger a/v stand


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## wolffangalchemist (Oct 23, 2009)

Gobnoblin said:
			
		

> all this talk makes me want to dig my dc out from under my desk and hook it up again.... got the 64 and snes and ps under there too.. only have xbox ps2 and 360 hooked up to tv right now.... need more inputs lol and a bigger a/v stand


if most or all of your system plugs are regular A/V(video, r audio and l audio) plugs you could do some cuting and splicing.
i recently did slight bit more difficult DIY job to add s-video to my wii and then spliced it in with the other plugs of mine.


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## blueskies (Oct 23, 2009)

they also sell switches.. you plug 3-4 leads into this box that has one output to the tv, then a little dial to change between the active one.


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## Gobnoblin (Oct 24, 2009)

i actually have one of those somewhere.... i think it does three ins and one out... hmmmm wonder what the wife would say if she came home and i had all the consoles out..... maybe if i get a cabinet just for consoles she won't mind.... lets see if she goes for it


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