Gallery: Sega Dreamcast to get new game - in 2016 Gallery Gallery: Sega Dreamcast to get new game - in 2016 + 3

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Some dreams never die. Some Dreamcasts never do, either. If you still own a working unit of Sega's powerhouse console of 1999, then we have good news -- a new game is on its way.

German developer/retailer Hucast Games has announced RDX2, a 2D scrolling shoot-'em-up (or shmup) in the vein of classics such as R-Type or Ikaruga, due for release in May 2016. The game will be a sequel to the original Redux: Dark Matters, which was a Kickstarter success back in 2012.


Hucast's offering is definitely aimed at the cult audience who still cling to their precious white boxes, but it's looking like a pretty solid offering. Lead character Annie is clearly inspired to some degree by Metroid's Samus Aran, though the new game will see players flying through seven stages, destroying an alien swarm in either single or co-op play, complete with an arcade mode and score challenges. There will also be customisable controls, and the game will support Dreamcast-compatible arcade sticks, the VGA box, and the Visual Memory Unit. "Making games for Dreamcast is a luxury today, as it's difficult to get a coder who understands how to program for the complex hardware," said René Hellwig, CEO of Hucast Games. "However, RDX2 is now in development and it will arrive soon on Sega Dreamcast. We started the concept art phase and we hired some really talented digital artists. Redux 2 will have a biomechanical theme, with lots of scary alien monsters and robots in space ready to get blasted."

Sega launched the Dreamcast in Europe in October 1999. However, after the Mega CD, 32X, and Saturn all flopped -- in the public consciousness at least -- and with hype for the then-upcoming PlayStation 2 riding high, few picked up the console. Those who did, however, found a truly progressive piece of kit, capable of arcade-perfect ports alongside top class exclusive games. It also laid the groundwork for many of the standards of modern gaming that we now take for granted, including online play.

The fanbase for the Dreamcast has never died down, either. While Sega discontinued the console in March 2001, third party developers and indies have fairly regularly produced new software for the machine. These are often either Japanese dating sims or, as in RDX2's case, shmups.

And if you don't still have a Dreamcast to hand, fear not. The original Redux made its way to Steam, so chances are RDX2 will too, eventually. Until then, regular and collector's editions -- containing the game's soundtrack, a bonus content DVD, and printed manual -- can be pre-ordered directly from Hucast, with the first 300 getting an in-game credit to boot. If 2016 seems a long way off, Hucast will at least be blogging its development until then.