Back in 2006 something very exciting started happening at IGN, they announced a re-launching of their Sega Dreamcast webpage and would immediately begin re-reviewing and ranking every game. Their claim was the Dreamcast was too great of system to let die and that “as Sega fans, we just can’t let the system die.”



This was great news, a major video game news outlet dedicating countless hours to playing and reviewing Dreamcast games. Each week I would have the opportunity to re-visit the system and check out the new reviews. The future was looking up. In a weird way, it was like a re-launching of the system itself. I was very impressed and hopeful. As each game was reviewed, it would receive a re-evaluation, as it was seen through current-video-game-generation eyes; had some of the great games not held up? Did others get better with time? These questions (and more) were all being explored by the editors of IGN. On top of everything, else we’d also be getting new video captures and media for every Dreamcast game, that means no more YouTube searches to find some video of 18 Wheeler!



Check out the rest of the incomplete list here: http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/702/702841p1.html

But atlas, it was not to be. The IGN crew only reviewed around 16 titles. For months (and even years later) I would check the page and hope that more titles had been reviewed only to find no updates. What makes this story even more tragic is that 09.09.09 would have been the perfect time to have completed this list.



However, I am very happy and super impressed that Gagaman of The Dreamcast Junkyard put together THE top 100 list of Dreamcast games. What makes it even better is that it was voted on by everyone in Internet Land. The Dreamcast is truly being kept alive by the fans of the system and not those that have a fleeting, nostalgic tug on their sleeve to revisit this wonderful system. So I know I’ve said it before, but thanks to all that continue to support the Dreamcast and let’s see if we can get IGN to live up to their promise. You can always give them a piece of your mind: dreamcast.ign.com/email.html and tell them that ihaveadreamcast.com sent you!

Speaking of keeping the dream alive, last night a buddy and I played some Sega Marine Fishing with the fishing rod controller and followed it up with some Virtua Tennis. Lots of fun, now I have some Shenmue to play!

DREAMCAST EP REFLECTIONS
First, a huge thank-you to everyone that supported The Dreamcast EP it was a HUGE success! We purposely left the website alone (maybe a bit too long) to allow for easy access to the download. Countless thanks for the outstanding support from The Nomad Junkyard, Sega Nerds, and The Dreamcast Junkyard as well as mentions on GoNintendo, SEGA of America's blog/podcast, and all the other SEGA fan sites out there. Most recently Barry from The Nomad Junkyard posted a preview video of the Dreamcast EP. Check out his website and see the video below.

Additionally, a huge thanks to everyone that downloaded the album and posted links around the 'net. We made the album for SEGA/Dreamcast fans everywhere and were totally blown away by the positive responses. I would also like to thank Buckner & Garcia.

As a child I wore a groove into my vinyl copy of their album Pac-Man Fever until the thing would no longer play without constant skipping. For those that do not know, Pac-Man Fever is a record dedicate to early arcade and Atari classics including: Pac-Man, Frogger, Centipede, Donkey Kong, Asteriods, Defender, and more. The music is a bit dated but it is still a fun listen, I recommend checking it out if you've never heard it. In my mind, The Dreamcast EP owes part of its inspiration to this early 1980s release.  Additionally, over the course of making the Dreamcast EP it went from being in the back of my mind to one of my main sources of motivation. You can download the album from Buckner & Garcia (they are charging) and listen to Pac-Man Fever below.

SHENMUE
Where am I with Shenmue and the original intent of this website? Right where I left off! I have a long list of excuses as to why I haven't played but I will spare myself the embarrassment.  However, know that we have our hands in many pots here in Athens, Ga and we will be sharing some of these other projects with you very soon. However, I still have every intention of completing both games before the end of 2009. I'm going to start playing again and will probably stream most of my Shenmue gaming, as well as document my progress.

MINI UPDATES
In an effort to keep things up-to-date we've added a Twitter feed. This feed will reflect things happening within our little Athens community including ihaveadreamcast related things, our music events, wiffle ball games (we play regularly), and random comments. So keep an eye on the Twitter feed whenever you visit and you please follow us if you have an account: @otherbooks.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE - 09/09/09 - DREAMCAST 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Recently, we have begun planning some events for 09/09/09. We should be able to reveal our plans within the next week or two. We are also up for ideas and collaborating with all the Dreamcast enthusiasts out there, so let's start scheming! Hit up the comment section to get things started. Expect another update next week - stay tuned.

Session 2: Shenmue Days 3-4

The insanity never stops! I have been slow to post (but hopefully all will be forgiven when everyone gets to hear the SEGA/Dreamcast album). Despite my delayed posts, I am proud to report I am maintaining my pledge of playing at least once a week, even though I would really like to play more.

Let’s recap
When I last typed, I was searching for The Heartbeats Bar, well I found it no problem. However it required Ryo to wrestle with a few sailors outside of the bar and inside (it all started when the bartender served me MILK). Once I was done laying them out I was told to look for Charlie. As a result, I spent day 4 asking all about him.

He’s a biker that wears a leather jacket and sunglasses, he also has a tattoo.

In a very short amount of time I found out that Charlie is quite the ass, messing with people and giving the owners of many local businesses a hard time. Once night was upon me, I ran into a thug that claimed to know where Charlie was. Since Ryo is a trusting guy, I followed. Well guess what. I was led to a parking lot full of punks. They jumped me and I was forced into my first Free Battle (luckily I spent that afternoon practicing my moves in the park). After a combination of random button presses, in the style of someone playing a 3D fighter for the first time, and a vague knowledge of what I was supposed to do I managed to knock out the thugs without taking much damage.

Following the brawl, I pestered some dudes in the arcade about Charlie. They would only talk to me if I joined their gang, being of solid character and strong ideals; I flatly refused to take part in any illegal activities or organizations. This proved to be a bad move because they would not tell me the location of the tattoo parlor. So I went to seek out the parlor on my own. It was easy enough to find but the tattoo artist told me to return tomorrow. The guy was a creep. He kept gushing about my skin and wanted to ink it up. I told him “no thanks” in a polite yet firm manner. At this point it was late, so I headed home. All the pieces seem to be coming together, on the walk home two great things happen.
1) It started to snow.
2) The kitten was awake and hungry.

Shortly before 11pm, I walked in the front door and went to sleep. The quest to avenge my father’s death will have wait till morning.

Future Plans: My goal is to complete Disc 1 sometime next week. I also want to stream again or at least capture some footage. I really like reflecting on my game play through a blog post but I want to try and make it a bit more interesting… I’ll think about it and you do the same!

Session 1: Shenmue Days 1-3

After much delay I have finally started my Shenmue Journey. Shortly, after the kick-off of the Super Bowl I began my quest. I had hoped to set up a better streaming image but I was just too lazy Sunday to make it happen. Sorry. I was even a bit uncertain if I'd go through with the stream since most of the Dreamcast crew were at "Beardo's" place watching the Super Bowl and I was enjoying a relaxing Sunday. Then when 6 o'clock rolled around, I checked the website and there were folks hanging out in the chatroom waiting, so I jumped to action!

What followed was a very awesome gaming experience. Currently, I am in day 3 of the Shenmue world. Here is the re-cap:

First, I left my house and found a kitten in a box (I hope this thing isn't left to die). I'm thinking the kitten is there for me to take care of daily. Who knows, maybe I have already set it on a path for death because I didn't name it and it wouldn't take milk on the third day - it just slept. We'll see though, I have plenty of milk, canned tuna, and dried fish for it.

I have knocked on a million doors and I found out a little bit of information about the men in the black car, mostly that they are Chinese and are reckless drivers. I have spoken with members of the 3 Blades and currently I am on the hunt for SAILORS. The sailors in this game are hard-ass, punks! I would know more about the sailors but I suck at pool, so I have to return to the Jazz Bar when it is night time. Also, I couldn't find the Heartbeat Bar before 11 o'clock (Ryo's bedtime) - so I'll check that out too.

Other things I've learned. Buying soda is fun (at least when you get a winning can). The capsules are awesome and very addicting (Maybe I should get  another? There is no maybe involved - I should always get another!). The arcade is a great place to wait for the time of day to change. Talking to any young females is a waste of time since you are just a pervert in their eyes. Oh, and I must win a Saturn game!

So far I'm hooked! Great game and the four hours during the Super Bowl slipped by very quickly (I even missed my planned halftime dinner break). I'll continue playing, blogging, and even streaming. Keep checking back! Lastly, a HUGE thanks to everyone that watched on Sunday. We had a modest audience of hardcore fans and I thank-you for your support. You guys are awesome.

I will begin playing Shenume during the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Ok. It is time to get this thing started. The month of January is all but gone and I’ve yet to start my Shenmue journey. All of that is about to change! On Sunday I will begin my quest to complete Shenmue I & II within the year. Again, for many people out there, this is a very easy task. I, on the other hand, do not have the time to play games like I used to. If you are curious as to just how busy I am, you can check out this blog’s first post here, it outlines all of the things keeping me away from my Sega console. Since the Dreamcast Marathon, I have had every intention to begin Shenmue sooner but there was always something keeping me away. On top of everything else, the very little amount of time I have had for video games these last 2 weeks have been spent playing Sonic Adventure (I’m so close to completing it) and an import of Cotton 2 for the Saturn (btw I’m loving this game and a few other imports – but more on them another day).

Instead of delaying things further, I will begin playing Shenume during the Super Bowl on Sunday. Yes, I will stream the event on my Justin.tv channel. I do not expect many viewers because of the football game but maybe there are others, like myself, that do not watch football. We’ll see. My main reason for setting this date is to give myself a timeframe. It is hard to get started doing something new in your life, like playing Shenmue. By penciling in a start time and promising to stream my initial game play forces me to stay focused. In addition, 02/01/09 is a great date to start something like this.

If the Super Bowl is broadcasting, so will I: from first kick-off to the final play, the Dreamcast will be humming.

p.s. My Athens buddies – come over if you want – watch the game on my monster tv or just play Shenmue with me. Whichever!