Dreamcast: Year Two by Andrew J Dickinson - Book Review

As the saying goes, good things come to those that wait, a refrain your humble scribe hopes is true when volumes two and three of From Vultures to Vampires eventually make their way into the hands of more than patient Kickstarter backers, but that's a tale for another time. Today, we're going to have a look at another long awaited publication that overshot its original estimated publication date by well over a year and a half. What went wrong?

Actually, it's more a case of what went right, as the editor/author of this project found himself Lost in a Cult (sorry, had to do it!), and that award-winning independent publishing group have gone from strength to strength since the very first volume of their journal, [lock-on]. Naturally, paid work should take precedence over a personal project (games, bills, eating, you know, the essentials of life), but Andrew was very conscientious in keeping backers updated as to why Year Two was delayed, and the end result does not disappoint.

Rocking in at over 180 pages (compared to the 110 of Year One), this A5 book is a monument to what is arguably the best second year software catalogue of any console. It's also a reminder that, whilst the games selection on the Dreamcast was a thing of beauty, the financials of Sega themselves were a bit of a nightmare, and by the end of the 128-bit wonder's sophomore year, Dreamcast production had finished. 

Featuring contributions by a number of names familiar to the retro scene, Dreamcast: Year Two begins with a walkthrough of that tumultuous year and a rather neat synergy with the five stages of grief. Then come the interviews: again, there are some familiar names and all have some interesting comments to make. A quartet of features take the reader to near the half way point before we get to the really fun stuff: the games.

If you look at the contents page above, you'll see many a famous Dreamcast titles in there, including two of my all time favourites: Metropolis Street Racer and Fur Fighters - honestly, the latter, despite its funky controls, is one of the best third person shooters ever made. The highlight is the piece on Spirit of Speed 1937, as well as an interview with the managing director of the studio responsible for the game. Widely regarded as terrible (some consider it one of the worst games ever made), its inclusion here is a lovely rebalancing, not putting it on a pedestal, but providing a re-appraisal that considers the good points the game has too. 

There are many screenshots included, as well as original artwork for some of the featured titles, interviews and the like. Production quality is high and, overall, this is a worthy follow up to Year One, and one can but hope that a Year Three Kickstarter is not too far away.

Speaking of Kickstarter, as a backer, there were also some more goodies too - postcards of the artwork, a couple of bookmarks, a sticker, and a DCY booklet centred on a period of gaming from 1998 to 2002. Five features and a round of of opinion pieces, this is a nice add on and well worth a read.

So there we are then - better late than never and definitely worth the wait, Dreamcast: Year Two continues the fine work in Year One and promises a cracking finale for Year Three - if only to see Headhunter get some more love - truly a classic of its time. You can follow the author on Twitter here and, although he may not have any further copies of Year Two for sale (he reckoned they'd be gone by the beginning of June), you never know, Lost in Cult might be persuaded to support a reprinted single volume once the series is complete... I mean, when you're Operations Director, you have to have some say, surely? ;-)

In any case, although much has been written about the Dreamcast and it's library over the years, this worthy tome adds yet further flavour to the machine's history and is highly recommended to all. Andrew and every single contributor to the book should be congratulated on a job very well done!

Defending Rodinu - Volume 2 by Krzysztof Dabrowski - Book Review

Here we are with volume two of Defending Rodinu, this time continuing the story from 1961 to 1991, and this is where things get more interesting as technological and organisation developments both aid and hinder the air defence of the Soviet Union. 

The first chapter gives a run down of the PVO (Soviet Air Defence Force), its organisation and the surveillance, control and early warning systems it employed. Chapter two focuses on the developments in surface to air and anti-ballistic missile technology throughout the period covered - the amount of effort put into fielding highly advanced technology for the time is impressive, despite the obvious effects such spending would have on the wider Soviet economy - but that's a tale for another time. 

Chapter three covers the aircraft pushed into service and the various missile systems they used. As a military aviation enthusiast, I do like the design of early jets, and the range of Soviet machines do, at least for me, have a certain je ne sais quoi. From the svelte Sukhoi Su-11 to the more sedate looking Yakolev Yak-25, there are some striking looking aircraft here. The purposeful Yak-28 gets some love, as does the incomparable (and might fine) Tupolev Tu-128 - now that is how you build a long-range interceptor!

Chapters four and five cover polar and border intercepts, whilst chapter six proves that there is nothing new in this world as the Soviets dealt with many a balloon incursion long before it became fashionable to shoot down the things using an almost priceless F-22 and an expensive AIM-9X. 

Chapter seven is a more sombre read, taking on the subject of airline intercepts and, of course, covering the infamous shoot down of KAL Flight 007 in 1983. There were other intercepts, but none ended in the tragedy that engulfed that Korean Air Lines 747. 

Chapter eight is all about the defections that the service suffered, nine features the successful shoot downs of valid targets, whilst ten highlights possibly the most absurd missed interception of the Cold War, Mathias Rust's jolly boys day out to Moscow. It wasn't the only light aircraft shenanigans, as you'll find out here. The final chapter relates the closing period of the Cold War.

There are a couple of appendices: Commander of the PVO between 1945 and 1991, and a chronological list of the PVO's aerial victories, of which there were many more than I expected. 

As always with a Helion & Co publication, there are numerous photographs, maps and diagrams, all of which are high quality - taking into account the nature of the original imagery and its age, whilst the central artwork section has some lovely profiles of the aircraft featured within. For those who, in the best traditions of the Federal Network infomercials, want to know more, there is a cracking bibliography to investigate too. 

In the same vein as volume one, this is a well written, highly informative and interesting look at how the Soviet Union approached air defence through the Cold War. With plenty to read, look at and follow up on, they're a very worthy pair on the subject, and of much benefit to history fans and those who may wish to put something on the table. You can buy this (and the preceding volume) directly from Helion and Co here, as well as follow the publisher on Twitter here. 

Debug magazine - Issue 1 Review

Whenever a new publication comes along in the computer/video games market, I like to give it the once over (click here to see past magazine posts). In another sign that the printed word is alive and well outside of the traditional newsagent market, Debug arrives with a laser-like focus on the world of Indie video games. 

An 80-page (including covers) high quality magazine, Debug is a timely reminder that over the last decade or so, the Indie developer scene has grown and matured into what is the most exciting and vibrant sector of the video games market. Not that I don't like big AAA titles, but the advent of the £70 RRP and, let's be honest, a very "corporate" approach to modern day blockbusters, has meant that I've found myself moving towards Indie and smaller scale developer titles for my gaming experiences. That, and I have neither time nor patience for anything like another generic Ubisoft-style collectathon. Or live service games for that matter. Hell, even Starfield, what should be another brilliant Bethesda RPG (and all that particular label entails) and due out later this year, is looking like a push simply because of the amount of spare time for gaming I don't have. Excuse me whilst I shake my fist at the sky and start shouting at the clouds, considering whether a future post about my thoughts on video games is in order, but I digress...

What you get for your £7.50 is a mix of previews, interviews, reviews and features, all aimed at informing you about the latest and greatest games from the Indie scene. Nothing upsetting the applecart as regards to games magazines content. There is, however, a definite style to the layout, which some might consider quite "busy", but actually makes great sense as articles have sections dedicated to a developer's previous releases, similar titles in a particular genre, fun facts, and second opinions where it comes to some of the reviews. I also like the footnote style presentation of specific screenshots. 

When it comes to the aforementioned reviews, sixteen games are covered, two of which I have reviewed in Fusion magazine - Lucy Dreaming and Atomic Heart, and I found the opinions expressed here to be fair and balanced. Having seen the score for Horace, I know what my next purchase is going to be. As for the previews and the developer interviews, many a promising title is coming up and it's great they get some coverage here. 

There is a nice balance between text and imagery, and the quality of the writing is as you'd expect considering the team behind issue one. In another word, excellent. Another nice touch is the inclusion of QR codes that will take readers to videos of many of the titles mentioned. 

Overall, I can find nothing to criticise about the first issue of Debug. It is about time the Indie scene had a dedicated outlet and an independent physical magazine feels a great fit. The back cover promises issue 2 on 07.07.23 and yep, I'll be there for that one. Hopefully for many more issues too, as I genuinely believe there is still a place in the world for the printed word, and this issue is an excellent start for the title. If you like the look or content of Debug, check out their website here, and you can follow them on Twitter here.