Sturmwind – Sega Dreamcast.

Sturmwind for the Sega Dreamcast has finally been release and so with any luck my order should be making it’s merry way to me soon.

What is Sturmwind? Well, it’s an independant, classic arcade shooter written by Duranik for the Dreamcast catering for the league of fans still devoted to Sega’s last console.

Check out the features list –

16 Levels
3 selectable difficulty levels
configurable controls
adjustable screen position
different weapons selectable
more than 20 large bossenemies
hundreds of different enemies
FMV intro sequence
hybrid 2d/3d game engine
resolution 640×480
PAL50, PAL60, NTSC and VGA (with Adapter) compatible
region free
works with any MIL-CD compatible Dreamcast
CDDA Sound
supports: Joypad, Arcade Stick (Analog/Digital), VMU, Rumble Pack (configurable)
internet WEBcode Hiscore Tables
award Trophy System with unlockable content
SD card support

It’s been a very bumpy ride for Sturmwind, and amongst the frequent setbacks and release dates, I was beginning to think we’d never see it…and what a shame it would have been too because just look at it!

Not bad for a (nearly) 15 year old games console!

So until the postie arrives with package of awesome-ness, this weekend the Dreamcast hits the geek desk because a) its been a while since I’ve used it and it needs a good test – I’d been gutted if Sturmwind arrives only to find my DC has croaked, b) Retro Revival is next month and I’m sure that if myself and fellow RCM chums happen to come across a Dreamcast, then they’ll be plenty of Soul Calibre shenanigans and I could do with a spot of practise (shh, tell no one) and finally c) I’ve had a new bit of Dreamcast kit in my desk drawer for the past six months and haven’t actually tried it out yet!

For more info on Sturmwind checkout the dev site – http://duranik.com/

and to place your order at – http://redspotgames.com/shop/?act=viewProd&productId=19

Sega Dreamcast VGA Box.

Without a doubt the best bit of 3rd party kit I’ve recently brought for my Sega Dreamcast console is a VGA conversion box. With this I can now connect my DC to a VGA PC monitor, projector or HDTV and have razor sharp 60mhz graphics instead of the a fuzzy RF connection.

To the right, we have composite and s-video output and on the left is a standard VGA D-sub connection as well as a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting to PC speakers/headphones etc. Finally on the front, there’s a selector switch to switch between the two connection types.

Once connected, the VGA box simply plugs into the AV socket on the rear of the Dreamcast.

Games look absolutely stunning, especially the likes of Soul Caliber and a host of shooters like Ikuragu and Zero Gunner.