Last chance to get Jet Set Radio and Shenmue exclusive slip cover rewards
I recently asked my Twitter followers what system they’d like to see rereleased as a plug-and-play “classic” console next; the PS1, the N64, the original Xbox, or the GBA. The PS1 won by a pretty decent margin, but the most popular write-in vote was, by far, the Sega Dreamcast. Despite being one of the least successful home consoles in history, or maybe even because of that fact, the little white box still has what it takes to strike an emotional chord with millions of people around the world
For me, the console represents the last time a major console developer launched a product that didn’t seem to have any particular target demographic. The Dreamcast wasn’t specifically a “kid friendly” console, nor was it fighting to win over the “edgy and mature” crowd, or tech enthusiasts looking for the most powerful hardware. It was a system built on the promise of literally taking game developers’ dreams and casting them into game form for all the people in the world to experience. At least, that’s how Rez creator and former Sega executive Tetsuya Mizuguchi described it in the book that comes with the special edition Rez: Infinite vinyl soundtrack. It’s a must read for anyone interested in game development history and Sega’s place in the grand scheme.
The upcoming Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works book promises to be just as vital, featuring exclusive interviews with Mizuguchi, Sonic Team’s Yuji Naka, former Sega President Peter More, famed Sega composer Hideki Naganuma, Crazy Taxi director Kenji Kanno, Jet Set Radio director Masayoshi Kikuchi, and many more. The book has already made almost double its funding goals, so you’ll likely have the opportunity to pick it up again later, but probably not for this cheap. This is also your last chance to get the Kickstarter exclusive slip covers themed around Shenmue, Jet Set Radio, or Phantasy Star Online.
Chances are the book and its various variant editions will be worth a pretty penny in a few years, so best not to sleep on this one if you have the dough.
