Cry of Xaz and the Dreamcast

There are a myriad of reasons why anyone and everyone (their dogs too) should actually own a SEGA Dreamcast and five of 'em reasons have already been detailed here. Now, here's a reason for existing and/or ecstatic DC gamers to feel even happier with their fantastic SEGA dominated lives... Crystals of Xaz, a very interesting 80s-styled defensive (!) shmup, which might soon undergo a name-change, and already has a nice video-featuring little website.

Here's a few things the developer has to say: "Crystals Of Xaz (not its final name) is a Dreamcast game that I started back in September 2006. I've always wanted to design a shooter (or "shmup" as they're currently called) in which the player takes on more of a defense role than an offensive one. I also wanted to include many of the gameplay elements that I loved in 80s arcade shooters like Astro Blaster, Galaxian/Galaga, Moon Cresta, and others. After more than four months of steady work, I finally have an alpha version of my game engine ready, and it is currently in testing. It's not complete, as I'm adding other elements to the game (such as boss battles; gotta have SOME offensive gameplay there), better graphics (the current ones are borrowed), music (already there, just turned off), and some other tweaks to make it better."

Watch this space for further info and a complete preview... By the way, the early alpha version I'm playing is most promising and quite addictive.

Related @ Gnome's Lair: 2007 Dreamcast shmups, Dreamcast 2? No, batari BASIC


Related Tags: Dreamcast, SEGA, DC, SEGA Dreamcast, Dreamcast homebrew, shmup, shmups, games, game, retro, freeware