RVG Forum

We all know and love Doom, sadly a sequel or port was never officially released on the Dreamcast. Thankfully the Dreamcast has a diverse and healthy homebrew scene and there have been many attempts to bring various different games to the platform in one form or another. Amongst all of the Doom ports that exist for the Dreamcast, this one stands out above all. Where as many ports by various homebrew devs have tried to incorporate the Doom gameplay but maybe haven’t hit the mark with quality or playability or they have tried to incorporate TOO much such as levels from other Dooms and mods, this version created by Cryptic Allusion is truly top class. This version is massively true to the original game for PC, it even encourages you to play the game using keyboard commands rather than controller. The game also allows for multiple levels, difficulties and it even lets you play with full screen OR if you are so used to having a border round the action (32X) you can view it with the border, though why you would is anyone’s guess. It’s also important to note for those of you Jaguar fans that thus far there is no soundtrack, only the ambient sound effects inherent. Some people prefer this because it adds a nice realistic sheen to the game and makes it eerie and unsettling when you hear enemies making noises as they approach. The graphics and controls are nice though, as it’s a homebrew port it isn’t the best looking version of Doom you’ve ever seen, but certainly it’s the best looking Dreamcast port. Ignore all the other messy and rushed ports to DC this is the definitive version and is the only one you need.

One thing that the Dreamcast has an abundance of is Platform games! Rayman, Sonic Adventure, MDK2, Fur Fighters... the list is long and plentiful. So many people might ask "why do we need another one?" but Dreamcast owners should definitely give Evil Twin a try, because as its name suggests... it is a far darker themed platformer than they will have seen on the system. Evil Twin takes you to a world of dark childhood dreams, with weird oversized animals and insects attacking you, levels that look like they were made out of the sort of lost stuff you might find hidden under your bed, buttons, cloth, zips, drawing pins etc. In terms of artistic style Evil Twin is probably the most original platformer on the console, with imaginative level design and enemies and a gripping storyline as well as having truly delightful musical elements. Unfortunately it’s not all good news where Evil Twin is concerned. It is notorious for being one of the last retail games to be released for the system and as a result of this it was, many felt, terribly rushed to get out on time. The graphics sometimes have noticeable tears or textures might be missing, the collision and general physics mechanics in the game are very hard to get used to. Quite often you might find yourself jumping for a platform and from your perspective you may have timed the jump perfectly but Cyprien will inexplicably fall into the ocean or fly off into the distance. However if you can get past the frustrating glitches in both control and graphics there is a lot of charm and a lot to love here. Evil Twin isn't a fantastic game but its certainly worth a look for any self respecting platform fan and will reward you with a very long and engrossing story that will keep you hooked start to finish.

Light gun games are one of my favorite arcade pastimes, and so hold a special place in my heart. I look back on Lethal Enforcers and Virtua Cop fondly, and The House of the Dead 2 belongs in that elite fraternity, too. But the legend is hard to relive these days. CRT televisions are all but extinct, and the light guns just don’t work on LCD displays. If you were fortunate enough to own The House of the Dead 2 in 1999 with a light gun, then you experienced the game in its full glory. Based on cheesy horror movies—and with the terrible voice acting to match—House of the Dead 2 takes you and a partner through a city crawling with mutants and zombies. Armed initially with nothing but your trusty sidearm, you’ve got to mow down the undead and rescue survivors as you chase after the elusive Goldman, who is behind the outbreak. You can collect weapons along the way, including shotguns and machineguns to cut a swath through the zombie infestation. Whenever a bullet lands, it leaves a generously sized exit wound in the flesh of the mutant. The hit detection is indeed one of the most satisfying features: if you’re skilled enough, you can blast your enemy’s head clean off for maximum damage. You’ll encounter supersized bosses in each of the stages and most of them are heavily armored, so you’ll need to target their weak points to defeat them. The game moves at a brisk pace, and there’s always something on the screen to shoot or an alternative path to take. Best enjoyed with a light gun, but still lots of fun with a controller, House of the Dead 2 is one of the must-have games on the Dreamcast.

In Soul Reaver you play the role of Raziel, a vampire who is seeking revenge against his old master - Kain. Raziel was one of Kain’s lieutenants but he had the misfortune of evolving as a vampire before his master by receiving the gift of wings. Kain decided to punish Raziel by throwing him into the Lake of Dead so its waters would burn Raziel and destroy him. But Raziel was not doomed for The Elder made him an offer he could not refuse: stalk the Material Plane of Nosgoth and destroy the other vampires. As Raziel you are immortal but your energy does deplete. A Health Coil let’s you know how much energy you have, energy that is depleted constantly in the Material Plance unless you consume the sould of your enemies. Should you run out of energy, you will transcend into the Spectral Plane where the Health Coil will slowly replenish. If you fail to replenish your energy, you’ll be sent to the Elder’s Chamber. Soul Reaver is a pretty amazing and large adventure game for the Dreamcast that fits perfectly as a Halloween game. You must explore the world of Nosgoth and destroy your enemies in order to gain new powers. Though you can be forced into the Spectral Plane, you can enter yourself there at will as a strategic way of getting around Nosgoth. Additionally, there are puzzles you must solve in order to defeat enemies or advance in the game. The graphics of Soul Reaver are gorgeous and sharp and the characters are nicely animated. The monsters look really cool and the bosses not only loom large but look grotesque. This is another really good title for the system and I can easily recommend it.

Nightmare Creatures II (NCII) follows the story of one Herbert Wallace as he tries to stop a sorcerer of the name Adam Crowley. Crowley had been defeated about a century prior but he has returned after gathering power once more. Crowley has stolen a mystical object from The Circle, the Glyph, in order to impose his reign on Earth. Wallace, a man who has suffered for years at the hands of Crowley, decides that it is time to stop this evil sorcerer and takes it upon himself (with whatever little sanity he has left) to end the sorcerer’s plan. NCII is an adventure/fighting game for the Dreamcast that is most appropriate as a game to be played on Halloween night. The scenery involves old buildings and dark streets that provide the eerie atmosphere that is perfect for this type of game. As you explore, you will have to face a variety of monsters and creatures fit to give anyone a nightmare. To do so, you have your trusty axe but you can certainly pick up various power ups to assist in your fights with the ghouls. Some of these power ups include a Gory Sound, a Jar of Flies, Hell Fire, and a Gory Spirit. Each has an unique property that will help when attacking your enemies. Though NCII has the right atmosphere for Halloween, the game is far from perfect. There isn’t much strategy when fighting, though I suppose this may be appealing to some. Music is sparse, but there is music from Rob Zombie on the title screen. Sound effects, though, work quite well and certainly are of the right kind for a scary atmosphere. Overall, NCII is an alright game that may only need to be played one night a year.

Capcom’s announcement of a Dreamcast-exclusive Resident Evil game was definitely a major selling point of the console. Though it was held up in development and released several months off schedule, when Resident Evil Code: Veronica finally hit shelves in 2000, survival-horror fans were witnessing a significant step forward in the genre. Capcom upgraded the pre-rendered backgrounds of the PlayStation games to full 3D environments, allowing the camera angles to open up and capture more of the terror. The character models are improved and Code: Veronica is overall a longer and deeper game than any of its predecessors. If you had trouble with the “tank” controls of previous games, though, you won’t find any refuge here: the game feels like a traditional Resident Evil game, and that’s precisely why Code: Veronica is both a hardcore fan’s dream and a newer fan’s nightmare. If you’re familiar with the formula, there are some added features for you to play around with, like the ability to dual-wield certain weapons. It seems like a novelty at first, but you’ll be thankful for the added firepower when you find yourself cornered by zombies. Just when you get comfortable with the way things are going, you’ll have to switch characters on a few different occasions and you can expect a lot of backtracking across locations. Code: Veronica may prove difficult for newcomers, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll find yourself wrapped up in the plot and wanting to play it through to completion. The narrative stars Claire Redfield, who we are joining after the events of Resident Evil 2 as she sets out to find her missing brother. Claire’s packing more heat in Code: Veronica and intends to make life difficult for the undead, so this is an adventure you won’t want to miss.

A port of the self-proclaimed (on the back of the box) “arcade hit,” Zombie Revenge may have turned about as many heads on the Dreamcast as it did in the arcades. Since I don’t remember seeing a crowd of people massing around Zombie Revenge cabinets, the term “arcade hit” may be something of an exaggeration. It’s essentially a 3D beat-‘em-up game where your primary opposition is the undead first and the clock second. You and a friend choose from up to three different characters, each with his or her own unique attacks and combos, and advance through streets and sewers to stop the zombie infestation. You’ve got to eliminate anything that creeps or shambles and do it quickly, but as the timer ticks down and your virus gauge begins to fill, the anxiety sets in as you rush to beat the clock. I like that the game is always pushing the pace, but your normal attacks aren’t always sufficient to cut through hordes of zombies. This is where the special weapons come into play. As you progress through the levels, you’ll have the opportunity to pick up shotguns and machineguns to increase your firepower. But the auto-targeting system leaves a lot to be desired, and even though you’ve equipped a superior weapon, delivering the payload to the intended target is sometimes another issue entirely. Many scenes are reminiscent of The House of the Dead series, and if you’re a fan of monster B-movies, you’ll appreciate the flat voice acting and poorly written dialogue. (Yet, somehow, these qualities are more charming in The House of the Dead.) Overall, Zombie Revenge is a serviceable but not perfect beat-‘em-up. Co-op is fun and the framerate and gameplay are consistent, but the constant recycling of the same enemies will try your patience eventually.