Ah... Dreamcast Homebrew, I'll bet a lot of you didn't even know it existed.. All of this particular stuff is already pre-made and simply needs the appropriate burning program to get started. This series is probably going to take a very long time to complete, with large gaps as I write other articles and explore for myself some good programs to introduce you all too. Since you're going to be left waiting a lot though, I'm going to try to give you some potent software to get you started. The real payoffs are going to be when I teach you to compile homebrew discs for yourselves, but in the mean time if you need help beyond what this guide offers I'll help you out in the comments section.
The VMU Save CD - Dream On Edition
This is a very handy piece of software here. Simply burn it, insert into Dreamcast, and gain access to thousands of save files. Any game that you want to unlock all the content to, this disc probably has it. This disc is of especially great use to all those Marvel vs Capcom 2 players out there. Pull out your DC copy and celebrate the online release.
The Dream On release is packed with some nice features. It comes with a save file compressor that allows you to conserve space on your VMU, as well as a VMU emulator so you can play those neat little games that came with games like Power Stone.
Beats of Rage - Battletoads Mod
Beats of Rage was an open source beat 'em up engine created by Senile Team, with a heavy presence on the Dreamcast that enjoyed a strong following for a few years. Though the original Beats of Rage featured King of Fighters characters, everyone started making their own beat 'em ups with the engine. It lead to some very interesting creations including a Road Rash and Golden Axe mod. Later on we'll be covering sources for mods, as well as the means to stick multiple mods on a single disc.
NesterDC - Special Edition
NesterDC is the premium NES emulator for the Dreamcast. Last I heard version 7.1--the last official release-- even went so far as to support light guns, a pretty sweet bonus if your TV still supports light guns
{I have a DC gun available in the Trading Forums.) Great compatibility, full speed, and save states already made it a strong piece of software, but the Special Edition made by an outside party raised the bar considerably by creating a great disc builder and an awesome interface. See for yourself, this is one of the best NES emulators available anywhere. Not just on the Dreamcast.
The original creator's website is now gone, so you will need a
new link to the master library used to build your game list. Don't neglect doing this, you even get game manuals and box art.
SCUMMVM - Beneath a Steal Sky
As many know, SCUMMVM is an engine used to allow people to continue playing classic PC Adventure games that used the Lucas Arts SCUMM engine. Though I can't provide you with copies of most games, Beneath a Steel Sky is both an excellent game and also public domain these days. This is one of the very few classic adventure games that I'd ever beaten. I really recommend it. This build is ready made to play the game but doesn't support disc swapping because the full version of the SCUMMVM program isn't in place. We'll try building a more robust SCUMMVM disc later on.
QuakeDC - 10th Anniversary Edition
There's a handful of good classic FPS games available on Dreamcast, but my favorite of them has to be Quake. Very good ports of Doom are available as well. This particular disc doesn't contain the full game, though later on when we start exploring certain multi-boot programs it'll be a simple matter insert the appropriate files to give you access to the full game and any mods so desired. If anyone knows any particularly great Quake mods, now would be a good time to start telling us about them. You'll be credited if your mod is recommended when the time comes.
Giana's Return - Version 0.90
Giana's Return is a homebrew game with some interesting history. It was created as an unofficial sequel to The Great Giana Sisters, an old Super Mario Brothers clone. Just by the title alone you could guess that. It was very well made however, and so is this game. Oddly enough an official DS sequel was released overseas, but the original creator of the game has made no effort to stop this homebrew title.
A new totally reworked version is currently in development, but I wasn't able to find a DC port of the early builds yet. I actually had to hunt down this older version and build a quick image myself. I'd say give it a shot. I personally really liked it.
Till Next Time
That's it for now. Hopefully this batch of DC Emu will be easy for everyone to get into and raise some enthusiasm for any articles to come. The next guide may not come for a long time, as there will be a lot to research and other writing in between. I'll be looking into a variety of emulators that may or may not be worthy of pursuit, as well as anything else worth trying out. Some of the more extreme ones I'll be looking into are Neogeo and Playstation emulators.
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