During my University days, I found time to create and publish a number of videogame fanzines – my main focus being Dream Files – a tribute to SEGA’s (almost) forgotten but amazingly brilliant Dreamcast console.

Here, you can find an archive of the reviews I produced for the fanzine…

“Soul Calibur”

(Namco)

Over the last 6 years Namco have given gamers some of the best reasons to own a Playstation. If you ever wanted to play titles like Tekken or Ridge Racer, you had two choices.

1. Go to the nearest arcade with a pile of pound coins, or 2. Buy the game for your Sony and play it at home. Most people picked the latter.

Considering Namco’s reputation, you can bet Sega had them high up on their wish list when it came to signing up developers for the Dreamcast. Sega’s own in-house titles like Virtua Fighter and Daytona are all fine and well, but when it comes to mind-blowing graphical effects and pin-point gameplay, Namco are a step ahead.

Two years ago the Dreamcast debuted with Virtua Fighter 3tb, which was rightly praised for its visual loveliness and arcade accuracy, but when Soul Calibur came along it suddenly looked clumsy and dated. Namco’s masterpiece still sets the standard for other beat ’em ups to follow, with each and every sword-swinging character a joy to behold.

Another of Soul Calibur’s strong points is its lasting qualities. Not only do you get a piece of software that provides some great two player action, but you also have a single player mission game which keeps the lone Dreamcast player happy for months with loads of secret characters and weapons to unlock.

This game still has Playstation 2 owners green with envy and has Dreamcast owners looking for smile removing surgery.

Rating:9 out of 10

“Virtua Striker 2”

(Genki)

Before we go any further, it has to be said – Virtua Striker 2 is not the amazing footie game we were all hoping for. Even for the arcade enthusiasts this is lacking the fun and thrills we’ve come to expect from Sega’s finest coin-ops.

Sega left the game coding to Japanese developers, Genki, who produced two other DC titles last year – the shallow Tokyo Highway Battle and the shoddy Virtua Fighter 3 tb. Now that they’ve made a mess of Virtua Striker 2, their worth as a leading Dreamcast developer has to be questioned.

Virtua Striker’s major irritations are quite clear after only a few minutes of play – you never get enough control over your players and you can never put together a flowing move. Some may argue that Virtua Striker was never supposed to represent a true simulation of the beatiful game, but these niggles are more than enough to kill off any enjoyment that could have been derived from the title.

Virtua Striker’s stunning graphics and strangely addictive qualities save it from receiving a truly terrible mark, and you should definitely “try before you buy” with this one.

Rating:5 out of 10

“Crazy Taxi 2”

(Hitmaker)

Hitmaker were always going to have a tough time recreating the brilliance of the original Crazy Taxi. Maybe we’re being a bit harsh, but this sequel just doesn’t live up to our expectations.

For a start, Gus, BD Joe, Axel and Gena have all been dumped in favour of four new characters who can’t match the charm of our familiar friends from the first game . Gus and company ARE in there, but only as a reward for completing a set of very taxing challenges, which leaves us wondering why they didn’t have the new drivers as the hidden surprise.

One of the more welcome additions to Crazy Taxi 2 is the Crazy Hop. With a press of the Y button, your cab is sent into an insane leap that can clear any approaching vehicles with ease. Not only does it add to the repertoire of stunts in the game, it also makes it a lot easier to take shortcuts over the city’s rooftops and fences.

This “Hop” plays an essential part in Crazy Taxi 2, as the in-game location has moved from the hilly San Fransisco town of its prequel, to a grid of block buildings and flat roads reminiscent of New York. But despite the changes, there is little in Crazy Taxi 2 that hasn’t been done better in Crazy Taxi one, and for that, we’re a bit dissapointed.

Rating:7 out of 10

“Phantasy Star Online”

(Sonic Team)

Every now and then, a game comes along that has the potential to rule your life. Classics like Street Fighter 2 and Command and Conquer will live in peoples’ memories because they were just so darned addictive. It may feel like years since you developed such an obsession, but believe us, Phantasy Star Online will reminded you of what it’s like!

You begin by choosing a character and their costume, and then it’s time to fight monsters, gain experience points and partake in the adventure. The only thing that really makes this game stand out from other Dreamcast RPGs is that you can play it over the internet with other people.

Right now you may be wondering what the fuss is about, but once you enter that online lobby there’s almost no turning back. Creating a loyal team of fellow gamers and trading items found offline and online makes Phantasy Star extremely addictive in the short and long term. Fine-tuning your character’s abilities with armour, weapons and special items is highly compulsive, and you’re likely to find yourself playing that extra hour or two just so you’re prepared to lead a team into battle.

Sonic Team have proved once again that they make some of the most original and exciting software around. In the past, Sonic the Hedgehog has been their money maker, but in terms of the future, Phantasy Star is the essential franchise.

Rating:9 out of 10

“Metropolis Street Racer”

(Bizarre Creations)

When in-game footage of Metropolis Street Racer was released earlier this year, spectators were wowed by its amazing visuals. A virtual camera panned through a highly-detailed model of London’s Westminster area, and you could have sworn it was real-life. It was late evening in the capital of England and Big Ben was gently illuminated by the street lights – its giant clock even told the right time!

The eagle-eyed amongst us also noticed a car’s licence plate as it zoomed past the Houses of Parliament – “GT WHO?”, it read.

Those of us familiar with the game “Gran Turismo”, didn’t take long to recognise this as a subtle dig at the Playstation’s top driving sim. It may have seemed an arrogant gesture at the time – after all, this was only a demonstration we were watching – but with the final product now on the shop shelves, we can easily forgive the boys at Bizarre Creations. To put it simply, Metropolis Street Racer is the best racing title on any console, but there is so much more to it. Jumping straight to this conclusion would be a huge injustice to such an astounding game.

From its beginnings, the underlining premise of MSR was to recreate recognised areas of London, Tokyo and San Fransisco, and let players race around them – a highly ambitious concept in itself. Some early development code showed that the Dreamcast was capable of handling such a project, but if the game was to be more than a graphical showcase, it was going to need a lot of re-tuning.

This meant that Metropolis Street Racer would not meet its original release date of October 1999 – the same month that the Dreamcast was to be released in Europe. For the sake of quality control, the game was cancelled indefinitely and an almost complete overhaul began on what Sega had always demanded to be an exclusive and essential title for its next generation console.

A new development team was quickly assembled, and thanks to their collective genius, MSR would eventually live up to all the hype it had generated during its lengthy creation.

Spring of 2000 saw details emerge of “original” and “innovative” ideas, like real-time lighting effects that would change in accordance with the Dreamcast’s internal clock. For example, if a player was racing through one of the London tracks at 6 o’clock in the evening, the sun would be falling, which would create a soothing orange haze in the sky. Try the same track an hour later, and the street lamps and neon shop signs would light up the city with a multicoloured glow.

Players would also be confronted with different driving challenges – as opposed to simple start to finish races – and their overall performance, in terms of style and speed, would be rated once the race was completed. A “Kudos” or “respect” score would be calculated at the end of a single course, and then added to an overall game total. Once certain totals were reached, new tracks and cars would be made available as a reward.

Even if you had completed your task with significant time to spare, it wouldn’t neccesarily mean a good rating. A lot of crashes and shunts would lose you respect and your Kudos total would suffer because of it.

In terms of sound, MSR would also redefine the genre. If the engine roars didn’t impress you, then the virtual in-car radio would. Depending on which city you were driving in, the available music stations would differ, and so would the radio presenters. Take a spin around the Financial District of San Fransisco, and you could tune into the local Country and Western station with its southern accented presenter. Tune into Underground FM in London, and you would be treated to some bangin’ tunes from a young cockney fella’.

Metropolis Street Racer is an almost perfect marriage of graphics, sound and gameplay. It may suffer from a few minor bugs here and there, but when a game is doing so much right, its easy to forgive the little things that it does wrong.

Rating:9 out of 10

“Ecco the Dolphin – Defender of the Future”

(Appaloosa)

Those of you who owned a Megadrive back in the good old 1990s may remember a certain water based game called Ecco the Dolphin. This title sold by the bucket load and had the world’s gaming press drooling down to their feet. A strange world it was back then – if anything, Ecco the Dolphin was one of the most over-rated pieces of software of the 16-bit era. Sure it was original and looked really nice, but the mind bending puzzles and general feeling of disorientation made the game a real pain to play for any longer than half an hour.

Two consoles later, Ecco has returned and it all feels strangely familiar. The game looks absolutely gorgeous – the lighting effects are stunning, the landscapes and sea-life look photo-realistic and you can almost smell fish from your Dreamcast, but unless you’re a dolphin, your likely to feel motion sickness after a short while.

The transformation from side on 2D view to all over the place 3D view has been a real painful one. Driving games are fine in their 3D monicker, but that’s because you can’t stray from the track your given. However, in Ecco you have the choice of going almost anywhere – up, down, left, right, into the screen, out of the screen – and it just doesn’t make for a flowing and enjoyable game.

Some of the puzzles are also way to complex and time consuming making gameplay even more infuriating. If you were a fan of the original you might be able to work them out, but for most of us it seems like too much of an effort. With the likes of Resident Evil, Fur Fighters, Sonic Adventure and Rayman 2 already on the Dreamcast market, Ecco really isn’t worth the bother if your looking for a single player adventure game.

Rating:4 out of 10

“Virtua Athlete 2K”

(Sega)

Pay attention children, Dream Files are about to hold their first history lesson!

Approximately five years ago Sega released the 32-bit “Saturn”. This console entered the games market at around the same time as the Playstation and swiftly received a right good kicking from the Sony machine.

Despite its failings, the Saturn still homes some great gaming moments like Nights, Sega Rally, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Fighters Megamix, Shining Force 3 and Guardian Heroes. Also amongst these desirable titles was Athlete Kings – a simple, yet highly addictive track and field game that gave us many late nights striving to gain world records in the 100 metres, Javelin and Long jump.

Virtua Athlete 2K bears more than a passing resemblance to this Saturn classic – probably because it was made by the same development team. This should be good news, but somehow Sega have stuffed up.

Gone are the likes of Joe Kudou, Li Huang and Karl Vain – three of the charming characters that made the Saturn title such a joy to play. Instead, we have a bunch of nobodies that look silly and add very little to your enjoyment. They’ve also given us just seven events to participate in, which is pretty poor considering the choice in other track and field games.

Virtua Athlete’s only real saviour is its four player mode which does make for some enjoyable multiplayer action – just don’t expect too much from this game and you might not be disappointed.

Rating:5 out of 10

“Virtua Tennis”

(Sega)

If you’ve paid a visit to your local arcade recently you may have noticed the following game hogging some of the limelight. Virtua Tennis is the latest in Sega’s line of “Virtua” sports games and it’s definitely one of their better attempts.

Despite the simplicity of the controls, Virtua Tennis is definitely a long-term experience – anyone can pick up and play the game and those willing to improve their skills can indulge in the single player modes. When joining the “World circuit” you can choose one of the professional players available in the game and participate in training practices and competitive matches to gain money to buy extras like new costumes, stadiums and characters.

These extras can be used in the other game modes as well, and it all adds up to be a very rewarding experience. Virtua Tennis’ real trump card though, is its four player option – invite your friends round for some doubles and you’ll be playing this for hours on end.

The visuals in the game are also very impressive and the real professional players like Tim Henman, Cedric Pioline and Jim Courier are all represented with great detail. The only qualm we have is about the lack of these real players – there are only eight to choose from and none of them are women players or the big names at the forefront of the real sport. This means no Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Stefi Graf or either of the William’s sisters.

Gripes aside, this is one of the best games currently available for the Dreamcast and an essential purchase for tennis fans.

Rating:8 out of 10

“Chu Chu Rocket”

(Sega)

Chu Chu Rocket! – the UK’s first fully-online console game. It may meet the claim, but is it good enough to front the Dreamcast’s venture into internet gaming?

As a single player title, Chu Chu Rocket is a non-starter. It may offer a stage challenge against the computer and a lengthy puzzle mode, but it’s the multiplayer and internet options that provide the real entertainment. Up to four players can compete at once (over the internet or at home) and the aim of the game is to lure mice into your base whilst seeing off the attention of hungry cats.

The action can get extremely hectic as you scramble for all those mice, and sometimes it’s a matter of luck when someone wins. This is thanks to the “roulette” mice that trigger random events. These events, such as “Mouse Mania”, can turn a game completely on its head, and some people will find themselves extremely frustrated as their significant lead disappears within a few seconds.

At the end of the three minute contest, the player with the most mice wins – very straightforward and very simple to get into. Unfortunately, it’s maybe a bit too simple. There’s only so much you can do with the concept, and as a full-price title, Chu Chu Rocket would be a bit of a rip-off. This is probably why Sega are giving the game away for absolutely nothing!

If you purchase a new Dreamcast at the bargain price of £150, you’ll get Chu Chu Rocket for free, and if you already own the console, then you can log-on to Dreamarena and order a complimentary copy.

Rating:6 out of 10

“Shenmue – Chapter One”

(Sega)

To say that Shenmue has been an eagerly awaited game would be the understatement of the year. To say that Shenmue is the game of the year would unfortunately be an exaggeration.

Many were expecting the most revolutionary piece of software ever, but instead they’ll just have to put up with a wonderful adventure game that only hints at what may be achieved in the future.

The games’ creator, Yu Suzuki, spoke of his plans for Shenmue back in 1999, making it quite clear that it would be a long-term project: “I have a very big scenario for Shenmue – 16 chapters in all. Chapter one is only part of a bigger vision…I have many ideas for the other 15 chapters already.”

Judging by Suzuki’s words, Chapter 1 would appear to be as much of an experiment as a full-on game – a taste of things to come, if you like.

Shenmue opens with a lengthy intro sequence revealing the motivation behind the adventure. Our hero, young Ryo Suzuki, watches on as his father is murdered in his own home by a strange man named Lan Di. Before leaving the Suzuki household, Lan Di obtains an item of Chinese origin that he refers to as simply “the mirror”. The next day, Ryo awakes, and immediately begins his quest to avenge his fathers’ death and retrieve the mysterious mirror…

The plot unfolds nicely and thanks to the game’s stunning graphics and amazing attention to detail, most gamers will find themselves totally immersed in Ryo’s world – but it’s all over too quickly!

For a three-disc adventure, you would expect Shenmue to last for months, but if you ignore the everyday distractions of Yokosuka, you could complete the game within a week.

Rating:8 out of 10

“Quake III Arena”

(Sega)

For too long now, PC owners have had it better than good. Whether it be Doom, Quake, Duke Nukem, Rainbow Six, Half-Life or Quake III Arena, they’ve always had a great selection of online shooters.

Console owners may have Goldeneye and Quake 2, but the split-screen action can sometimes be a bit restrictive. With a deathmatch over the internet, however, you have your own full-screen and the experience is a lot more tense and

engrossing. The Dreamcast looks set to readdress the balance with this amazing conversion of Id Software’s Quake III Arena.

A team of top-class games designers were assigned by Sega to produce the game, and the final product is even better than we expected.

The single-player mode is pixel perfect, online play is smooth and the split-screen four-player mode rivals anything similar on home consoles old and new. Questions have been raised over the Dreamcast’s ability to run online games, but thanks to an independent server , deathmatches over the net are enjoyable and lag-time is almost unnoticable. And in the split-screen mode, the choice of levels may be limited, but even with four people playing on screen at once, the action is kept smooth, lively and very enjoyable.

Quake III Arena is one of the top titles available for the Dreamcast and its comprehensive set of play modes will provide hours and hours of entertainment for all you console owners looking for a good fragging!

Rating:9 out of 10

“Jet Set Radio”

(Sega)

In an age where tired gaming genres plague the sales charts, Sega are willing to take a risk and refresh our faith in the industry. Hitmaker are the team responsible for this instant Sega classic, and they’ve done a sterling job of creating a piece of software that’s suitable for anyone who hungers an original gaming experience.

From the stylised, manga-esque graphics, to the super-cool, in-game music, Jet Set Radio has all the charisma of a hundred Tomb Raiders.

The game puts you in control of one of the many roller-skating street gangs of the surreal city of “Tokyo-to”, and your responsibility is to claim and guard street turf by spray-painting your gang logo on the city surroundings. This job is made extra tough by the attention of rival street gangs and by the cities ever-reliable police force, so you have to be on your toes. Everything about the game is beautifully realised, especially the vast scope of Tokyo-to city and the attention to detail given to its many buildings and citizens.

The grandeur scale and liveliness of Tokyo-to, matches that of both cities seen in Crazy Taxi and makes for a great feeling of “being there”. Few qualms can be levelled at Jet Set Radio, except possibly for the lack of any multiplayer or internet play modes. Competing against fellow human controlled gangs would have been the icing on the cake if Hitmaker had been a little bit more ambitious.

As it stands, Jet Set Radio is yet another brilliant gem in the current Dreamcast crown, but it could have been even better.

Rating:8 out of 10

“WWF Attitude”

(Acclaim)

    So as not to offend all you Rock fans out there, Dream Files have decided to review the following game with a clear conscience and professional frame of mind (ahem!).

  WWF Attitude came out last year on a number of gaming formats including the Dreamcast.  This was Acclaim’s last chance to make a decent wrestling game before the WWF licence was transferred to THQ.

  Despite the incentive, Attitude turned out to be extremely rubbish and was only really appreciated by hardcore “Hulkamaniacs”…or words to that affect. 

   One thing it supposedly offered was improved graphics and a four player option – whoopy-do!  The fact that their previous games were a pain to control obviously didn’t register with Acclaim and in Attitude all the wrestlers were still as responsive as a JCB and the animation was still as creaky as an old door.

  The multiplayer mode was a bit of a laugh when Dream Files played it, but with Dead or Alive 2 and Soul Calibur sitting on the shelf looking as good as they do, WWF Attitude was soon relegated to our crap pile – along with Pen Pen.

Rating: 3 out of 10

 “Toy Commander”

(No Cliche)

No Cliche’s Toy Commander was one of the very first titles available for the Dreamcast, and although it’s now beginning to show its age, it still has a flawed but enjoyable multiplayer mode.

  The game puts you in control of a vast selection of toy vehicles, like tanks, helicopters, cars and planes, and in the single player adventure you must use each toy’s individual ability to complete a set of missions.

 In the four player mode, you and your friends can select any of these vehicles with fire-power and battle it out in one of  the many rooms in the Toy Commander household.

  Each room is scaled realistically so that the miniature vehicles have a huge area to hide, seek or shoot their way to victory.  Because the battle areas are so huge, the game has to run at a slow frame rate and it’s also easy to get lost amongst the many household objects.

  On the other hand, the expansive areas can make for an exciting and very tactical game of cat and mouse, and with four people involved in the action, it could provide hours and hours of entertainment.

Rating: 7 out of 10

“NBA 2K“

(Visual Concepts)

    Visual Concepts are the development team behind many of the major Sega Sports titles, including NFL 2K and NHL 2K.

  NBA2K is probably the most accessible of their efforts, especially for anyone  who is uneducated in such American-based sports. 

  As you would expect from a machine as powerful as the Dreamcast, the graphics and animation are almost life-like, and all the players, tactics and rules from the NBA are included.

  Despite the attraction of playing as real-life basketball superstars, Dream Files had much more fun playing as our own team of “freaks” and “people we know” created through the player edit mode.

  Pitting the Aberdeen Hedgehogs against the Chicago Bulls almost doubled our enjoyment and trying to beat each others records on the top score board was a welcome distraction when we couldn’t be bothered competing as a team.

  This is great fun for fans of the NBA, and can be made interesting for the rest of us thanks to the player edit mode and the top-score board.

Rating: 7 out of 10

 “Fur Fighters”

 (Bizzare Creations)

       Every now and then a game like Fur Fighters is released. 

  You know the kind – low profile yet ultimately superior than most of the other titles in its genre.  Rayman 2 shared this in April when it was put head to head on the release schedule with Tomb Raider 4. 

  Lara Croft may have had the bigger advertising campaign and sales figures, but Rayman was the clever option if you were looking for some quality software.  Fur Fighters is yet another better alternative.

  The game gives you the choice of six controllable characters, each one with their own special ability.  Rico the penguin can swim underwater, Roofus the dog can burrow underground and so on.  Each of these abilities are needed if you’re to complete tasks in the game and progress to later levels.  

  The combination of puzzles, challenges and shooting make for a hugely enjoyable adventure, and the brilliantly realised characters and locations add even more to the finished product.   Fur Fighters also has a habit of surprising you with neat little touches of humour and innovation. 

  Whether it be the cheesy elevator music in the New Quack City HQ or the advertising board for “Shen-moo” in the local games shop, this title will just keep on bringing a smile to your face.

Rating: 8 out of 10

 “Power Stone 2”

(Capcom)

  When Dreamcast hit British shores in October of last year, the original Power Stone was one of the release titles.

  Thanks to its innovative 3D fighting arenas and over-the-top action, it was well-received by the gaming press and the general public.  Almost a year later and we have a sequel which builds on the ingredients of the first game and gives us an even better piece of software.

  The most obvious additions are the new four-player mode and the wider selection of  characters, but the improvements don’t end there.

  Once you get further into the game, you’ll notice that the one-player mode has been improved and that the fighting arenas are more varied.

 In one particular stage, four competitors begin their fight on top of a huge airship, where they can use gun turrets and spinning propeller blades to whittle down their opponents life-bars.

  Eventually the huge craft explodes, sending the fighters into an airborne battle where they can use umbrellas and fists to get the upper-hand as they sky-dive to earth!

   The epic battle comes to its conclusion on a flying castle where tanks and catapults are ready and waiting for our competitors to fight with……and eventually someone wins. 

  All the stages in Power Stone 2 use this kind of imagination, and in the four-player mode they’re totally mad , but fun nonetheless.

  You’ve probably guessed by now that we really like Power Stone 2.  Fans of the original will definitely lap up all the new options and innovations.  However, fans of more complex and rewarding beat ’em ups like Tekken, Virtua Fighter and Dead or Alive may find the game a bit too random and confusing for their liking.

Rating: 8 out of 10