It's a sad fact that at the end of every console war, a remainder of die-hard zealots from each camp stay behind, waving high their console's battle standard while refusing to endorse any and all future pieces of hardware. Such a camp surely exists for the Sega Dreamcast, and while time may have forgotten these stubborn warriors, the kind folks at developer HUCAST have not -- they recently released a 2D horizontal shoot-em-up titled Dux exclusively on the extinct piece of Sega hardware.

Dux is currently selling for the bizarre price of $27.90. Fortunately, it won't be the last game to come out on the system -- HUCAST is nearing completion on another Dreamcast-exclusive shmup titled Last Hope: Pink Bullets, which was presumably co-developed by The Shins.

The fiction we'd established for ourselves around ThinkGeek's recently unleashed stash of new Dreamcasts was fairly elaborate. Let's just say it involved one of Bernie Stolar's forgotten summer homes and a tesseract. But now it seems that some of the supply was just plain old.

One of ThinkGeek's customers complained to Destructoid yesterday, saying that their console (advertised as new-in-box) had fairly obvious signs of wear and tear. The company said that it would offer a refund to the customer, explaining that it had inspected some other consoles from the same batch and found them all to be brand new.

It's nice that ThinkGeek's doing the right thing, but we can't help but be disappointed watching our "fold in space-time" theory go up in smoke.

Think The Conduit is the biggest Sega first-person-shooter news this year? ... You're right. But it's not the only Sega-related FPS being published on an unexpected platform. A team of homebrewers is working on a game called Hypertension for Windows, Linux ... and Dreamcast. Great news for all of you who just bought the system!

Hypertension is a reimagining of Blood, made in the Doom-based EDGE engine. The use of fairly antiquated technology, and source material, seem appropriate for a game being released on a console that came out in 1999 After the break, you can see some footage of the current alpha version of Hypertension, which is looking very Doomy. TDGMods has yet to specify a release date for the game, but it's not like there's a rush at this point. The Dreamcast will still be old.

[Via Sega Nerds]

We thought ThinkGeek's coolest items were the fake ones the company made up for April Fools Day. It has finally outdone its staff's own imagination, with Sega Dreamcasts. For $99.99, you can purchase a brand new North American Dreamcast, complete with cables, controllers, a web browser disc (version 2.0, so it includes Sega Swirl) and a demo disc.

You're on your own for games, which means you may have to resort to putting used games in your new console. Not that it's really a problem to spend the tiny amount of money required to equip your system with a bunch of great games -- Jet Set Radio, Shenmue, Bangai-O, Space Channel 5 and Typing of the Dead come to mind immediately.

We're of the opinion that the gaming community would get along so much better if everybody just played some Dreamcast and remembered what fun was like. After the break, we remember Segata Sanshiro, and the noble sacrifice that granted the Dreamcast its life.

How do you play games on a Mac? It's easy -- just pull out all the computer parts and put a Dreamcast inside.

Modder Logicdustbin pulled all of the obsolete computer parts out of the shell of a vintage iMac, replaced the bulky CRT with an LCD, and added a Dreamcast to the now-hollow unit. He fit controller ports onto the front of the computer and wired up the power button, with the result being this love letter to the late '90s. It's basically a homebrew version of Sega's own Divers 2000 Dreamcast!

After the break, we've got a video of this self-contained retrogaming box in action, along with a picture that answers the question on everyone's mind: Why? How do you get discs in there?

[Via Engadget]

The latest issue of Famitsu reveals an XBLA game that we can already pretty much guarantee is going to be awesome -- because it already was awesome in arcades and on the Dreamcast. The 5.66 revision of Virtual On Oratorio Tangram, Sega's classic arena game about robots shooting each other until they explode, is on the way to Japan's Xbox Live Arcade at a price of 1200 ($15).

Gamers outside of Japan can look forward to the release as well: a listing for VOOT showed up on the Australian OFLC ratings board yesterday, indicating a new release for a platform that was, at the time, unknown. Now that mystery has been solved!

Does Sega share our view that ChuChu Rocket! was Born for Wii? The company's U.S. arm re-registered a trademark for ChuChu Rocket! on December 22, and Siliconera's Spencer predicted that this could mean a future release for ... Xbox Live Arcade.

In this case, we hope Spencer is totally wrong, and that this actually signals a forthcoming WiiWare adaptation. Sega recently made its WiiWare debut with Let's Catch, so has already shown an interest in the service. Obviously, this news could also mean nothing, but we don't like to dwell on that possibility -- the dark satisfaction to be had from guiding your opponent's ChuChus towards a hungry KapuKapu is something we want to experience again.

The keen-eyed Sega fanatics over at Sega Nerds picked up on something interesting. See the image above? Notice anything? There's a Dreamcast! Apparently, Robotnik likes to take a break from hunting down Chaos Emeralds every now and then with a game of Lucky Hit.

We may be a Wii-based gaming blog, but we love the Dreamcast. And we're glad that Sega took the time to toss the system into Sonic Unleashed like they did. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some people to question about a black car. You know, the one on the day of the incident? Have you seen it?


[Via Kotaku]

When you read "Cosmic Smash", does your mind instantly wander to brutal, over-the-top space battles full of massive explosions, flaming spaceships and blazing arcs of deadly plasma? Okay, so maybe that's just me -- but when I first heard of the name Cosmic Smash, the real thing wasn't exactly what I had pictured. Fortunately for my overly-active imagination, the actual game is almost as awesome as its name implies.

Cosmic Smash was originally released in Japanese arcades in 2001, and Sega soon followed up with a Japan-only Dreamcast release later that year. But what is Cosmic Smash? A futuristic, electronica-infused amalgamation of racquetball and Breakout. With a visual style that will instantly feel at home to anyone who's played Rez, Cosmic Smash keeps things simple with pristine environments and a pseudo-wireframe character. Cosmic Smash is like Wii Sports Tennis on steroids and LSD, and anything that meets that description is Born for Wii.

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Gallery: Born for Wii: Cosmic Smash

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Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.

We just poured out some virtual ones for our fallen homey the Dreamcast, and now Peter Moore has recalled his fond memories of the labor pains and death throes of the unfortunate console with The Guardian.

As you read the whole account, it's interesting to see that the Dreamcast didn't actually die, it just didn't get huge quick enough. It's a solemn reminder of why you don't see more smaller companies with limited cash flow trying (and succeeding) to get into the console game.

Oh, and if you don't care about gaming history in the slightest, you can at least read about Peter Moore playing against Ice Cube in NBA 2K1. So, you know, there's a little something for everybody.

It was nine years ago today that Sega launched its final entry into the video game console market in North America. Still very near and dear to our hearts, the Dreamcast was home to new takes on classic Sega franchises and gave birth to some beloved ones of its own.

It's hard to imagine a gaming world without the likes of Jet Set Radio, Shenmue, Samba de Amigo, Space Channel 5 and the 2K Sports series, not to mention wonderful one-offs like Rez, Skies of Arcadia and Typing of the Dead. Of course, there was also perhaps its greatest contribution to the annuls of gaming: Seaman. (Sorry, Pen Pen TriIcelon.)

So, Dreamcast may be gone, but it's certainly not forgotten. Series that began life on the console continue to this day on other platfoms, and there are still one or two indie Dreamcast games in the works. Do you have any especially fond Dreamcast-related memories? Share them in comments! We could totally get in on a nice, nostalgic DC love-in with some fellow Fans For Life.

Even though it's been eight years since Jet Set Radio was released for the Dreamcast, few games are its equal when it comes to style -- and even fewer have surpassed it. Jet Set Radio pioneered cel-shading in 2000, and just about every entry on the short list of games that out-cool it also followed in its footsteps. While Okami, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and No More Heroes all feature gorgeous toon-shading to the same effect, they also owe their beauty to the original, which brought the wild streets of Tokyo-to to life in an exciting new way. It's so stylish, it even gives 80's Prince a run for his money.

Jet Set Radio is a game of mad beats, madder cops and rad moves. You take on the role of the aptly-named Beat, the leader of an up-and-coming street gang in the bustling metropolis of Tokyo-to. Your gangs of Rudies, skate punks out to make their mark on the world, are the GG's. Your task? Usurp the territory of rival gangs, avoid the police, and tag your way to the top. And don't forget to jam out to some righteous tunes while you're at it. As developer Smilebit's first release, Jet Set Radio is a landmark title for the Sega Dreamcast, and it's their second game that's Born for Wii.

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Gallery: Born for Wii: Jet Set Radio

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Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Sam & Max Hit the Road, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.

"Welcome to the Power Stone World."

Man, we're off to a good start already! When a game is nice enough to welcome you to the experience just for making it to the title screen, and also offers you encouraging remarks like "You are the champion – keep it up!" it's got to be pretty awesome, right? Well, in the case of Power Stone 2, it is.

Released for the Dreamcast in 2000, Capcom's Power Stone 2 was relatively hot on the heels of its predecessor -- the original Power Stone hit the system in 1999. Power Stone 2 takes advantage of the Dreamcast's four controller ports, and like Super Smash Bros., it offers one of the most frenetic and entertaining brawler experiences for a group. Just make sure you don't play with that one friend who doesn't respond so well to losing -- your Power Stone experience may end with a large bruise. But I digress: other than 2006's Power Stone Collection for the PSP, the Power Stone world has been rather dormant. The colorful cast of characters, addicting chaotic battles and goofy nature of the Power Stone world make it a prime target for the next Wii multiplayer phenomenon.

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Sega might have spent the last few years dragging our beloved memories of Sonic through the dirt, but like an abused, battered spouse, we always return to the company's embrace. They'll change this time, we tell ourselves before each new Sega title is revealed. Sometimes, the gamble pays off. Other times ... not so much.

At first glance, the company's Wii line-up for Leipzig (listed past the break) consists of titles we've all seen before, but Sega is also planning a "world premiere" for a hitherto unannounced game, one that will be announced in time for the start of the trade fair on August 20th. This being Sega, our imaginations have instantly fired up. Given the recent trademarking shenanigans and Sega's current fondness for reviving Dreamcast titles, our money is on a Jet Set Radio game of some description. You never know, however -- it could just be another Sonic game noone really cares about. We'd never rule that option out.

Activate idle speculation!

Sega has already enjoyed a measure of success with two ports from its wonderful Dreamcast line-up, and now Jet Set Radio will join the likes of Shenmue on the "rumored" pile. A "Jet Grind Radio" trademark was filed over at the USPTO last week by Sega, while Kotaku heard whisperings at the ongoing Comic-Con 2008 festival that the trademark referred to a new Wii game.

Though we should emphasize the "whisperings" part of that last sentence, it's difficult not to get massively over-excited by the idea of a Jet Set Radio on Wii. The original game, now a breathtaking eight years old, exuded style and flair from every pore, with to-die-for cel-shaded visuals and a soundtrack that is played on the Wii Fanboy stereo to this day. We'd take a trip back to Shibuya-cho and Professor K any day of the week, and we'll do it with Wii MotionPlus compatibility, if you're reading this, Sega.

[Via Game|Life]