I got my Dreamcast at midnight on 9-9-99. When i hooked it up the next morning & played HOTD2 for the first time to say i was impressed is a huge understatement. It was shockingly good. It was so far beyond any other light gun game i had played up to that point. I expected it to be good but after the Saturn port of HOTD i was cautiously optimistic. It’s not often that a game so completely obliterates my expectations but HOTD2 did it & then some. Still my favorite light gun game.
There are more light gun games you can play on the Dreamcast then what you have listed. The Atomiswave light gun acrade games have been ported to the Dreamcast. You can play Ranger Mission, Extreme Hunting 1&2, Sega Clay Challenge, and Sports shooting USA. You have to plug the gun into controller ports 3 or 4. You guys should do a follow up video to this showing those games.
Regarding HD CRT’s, another thing to look out for is that the HD ones are usually 100 Hz, whereas purely analogue CRT’s should be 50Hz or 60Hz (PAL and NTSC respectively).
Awesome video !! It’s nice you are appealing towards the OGs. !!! A great guide !!! Not getting Confidential Mission. Not a great collection of light gun games unfortunately !!! If calibration is so frustrating, then it’s not worth it. !!!
I think the issue is with your light guns and not the TVs. I play these games on PAL and NTSC-J dreamcasts using the proper SEGA light gun (the one not released in USA) and I had no issues whatsoever with calibration. You might also want to check the gun lens, maybe its dirty and causing some diffraction.
Underrated channel that's still putting on passionate video about games. Love seeing any video about light guns. I don't have a pelican or madcats gun but I do have a Hais mini light gun. I'd love to compare these one day. There might be a larger version but I'm only vaguely remember a listing from Russia.
I got super lucky with my CRTs. I got a 36 inch trinitron off craigslist for free, then i found a Toshiba 32A41 at an estate sale with stand for 20 bucks, then i got a 34 inch widescreen Wega HDMI CRT for 60 bucks on Craigslist (I use that one for PS3, 360 and Wii U). They are BEASTS but i love em dearly and its the only way to play Retro systems! Also just tried Confidential Mission with my Mad Catz Light gun on my Toshiba 32A41 while i was watching this and it calibrated perfectly. Now, this TV is a bubble tube, curved CRT, its not a flat screen like yalls, so, i dont know if maybe this particular game doesnt like flat CRTs? Could be the issue, but just wanted to add that here.
Small library, but House of the Dead and Virtual Cop are so good it’s worth it. Next I wanna see a video on the Dreamcast fishing controller and games. For extra authenticity, maybe up the beer drinking on that one.
I love light gun games. I love them so much that I hefted my grandmas old 27" CRT that she had in her garage into my game room just so I could play light gun games with my friends. It's got Component and S-Video to, really rare to find SD CRT's like that these days so that's really neat bonus lol. Looks absolutely gorgeous. However, I just have to be honest with you here bros; I have had ZERO luck finding decent light guns to use for the Dreamcast. Z. E. R. O. Luck. I've tried every brand there is (barring the official Sega gun that doesn't work in North America of course) and not a single one can hold all its shots dead center during gameplay or calibration. It's not like its only slightly off center either, we're talking shots bouncing all over the screen like a ping pong ball. I thought it might be my CRT but all my other guns from other systems work just fine. All my GunCons, PlayStation Justifiers, Saturn Stunners, NES Zappers, an Xbox Silent Scope Rifle and even an off brand Beretta-style light gun with blowback action for the original Xbox (which works amazing with HotD 3 btw) all work absolutely perfectly. But Dreamcast guns? Nope, every one I tried were all essentially unusable. It sucks to because I'd love to play Confidential Mission, HotD 2, Death Crimson and all the Atomiswave ports. Luckily HotD 2 is available on the Xbox inside HotD 3 as an unlockable so there's that I guess. Apparently, this is a common issue with Dreamcast light guns because many others like myself have all reported the same issues. Maybe you guys got lucky with some good guns. I just wish I could be on the same side as you here because the Dreamcast is awesome. But as it stands, like you guys, I couldn't recommend Dreamcast light guns to anyone. Just for different reasons than you two. :(
I always considered Virtua Cop 1 and 2 legit masterpieces. You know if Sega ported THAT stuff to modern consoles, with a new lightgun included, their Sega Ages collection would actually be worthwhile. In fact almost anything from their Model 2 and Model 3 catalogue is awesome. Yet to their own detriment they continue to ignore those titles.
Really loving this channel. You guys are dedicated. I love Arcade shooters but when my last CRT died about a decade ago, i retired my light guns and now just use standard controller. I admire your dedication.
I can also confirm what others have said in the comments section. The official SEGA light gun works very well and is the way to go. I’ve used it with the European/PAL region versions of House of the Dead 2 (HOTD2) and Confidential Mission (CM) with no problems. I’ve also had a similar experience with patched versions of the North American (NA) versions of both games that remove the software block for the official light gun. Furthermore, I suspect the software block in the normal NA versions of both games might degrade even the supported 3rd party guns for NA because my MadCatz light gun works well with the Japanese version of Virtua Cop 2 but is tricky to calibrate for NA HOTD2 & CM. It also works slightly better with the European/PAL versions of both games.
Love the coverage on everything Light Gun & unique peripherals! Hope you guys can do more on all the unique stuff the Dreamcast and Saturn had. Would be cool to see how many of those Light Gun games have Dreamcast Mouse compatibility too! Virtua Cop 1&2 on Saturn had amazing Saturn Shuttle mouse support - best way to play without a CRT. HOTD 2 also supports the Rumble Pack for the Light Gun (I believe) to add a closer to the arcade experience. (Also, shout out to Typing of the Dead using the Dreamcast Keyboard - also possible to play with your USB keyboard if you have a BROOK adapter for your console.)
Respect for all the testing and information you shared about it. I only ever played light gun games with a CRT on the Saturn, but not on the Dreamcast. I have a Dreamcast as an adult with some of those light gun games, but no CRT. So it's helpful to know what the experience would be like if/when I do get a CRT.
First of all, thank you for doing this video! Light gun games are probably my favorite thing when it comes to gaming and every video you guys make on the topic is amazing and very in-depth. When I was looking to get into Dreamcast light gun games I encountered some forum posts mentioning your same calibration issues with all light guns except the official japanese ones. Also, there are 3 US light gun games that block official japanese light guns from working (Sega did this because of the shooting). They are House of the Dead 2, Confidential Mission, and Death Crimson OX. Someone on the Dreamcast Talk forums uploaded patched image files for these 3 games removing the lock, allowing official Japanese light guns to work with those 3 US games. I burned the image files and purchased 2 JP light guns. I can confirm that the Japanese light guns have excellent performance with all games and calibration is not an issue at all. I have been able to play from the other side of my room (with extension cables) on my 32 inch CRT without problems. Hopefully this can be an acceptable solution and help someone have a much better experience with Dreamcast light gun games.
Any chance you could email us those patched files dude? We have a dreamcast with the GDEMU mod as well and I think it could run them. I ordered a gun :) retroffthegrid@gmail.com
Light gun games aww yeah! Great coverage and breakdown of each game. Interesting stuff about Confidential Mission. Personally have not experienced the issues you mentioned, but glad you still enjoyed the title.
The official Japanese Dreamcast gun is way much better than the 3rd party ones you got in North America. It has no issues with calibration. The trigger clicks and is not mushy at all. It's almost as good as a Guncon on the Playstation.
Another great video! I love light gun games. You could also put the rumble pack (or whatever they called them for the Dreamcast) in those slots on the guns to get pseudo-recoil feedback! Also, I don't remember having calibration or accuracy issues. It's been a while, but I believe I connected to the TV using S-video cables. Maybe you could try that?! (or try different brand A/V cables, etc).
The Dreamcast is (if I'm correct), the only console I'm missing from the NES forward (sure I'm missing something). Actively trying to find one for a good price, might even have a trade lined up with a buddy for one though *fingers crossed*. I agree although you can emulate almost anything now a days, it's something about having the OG hardware that just hits different. Potentially it from the memories and nostalgia you have from the times when if you have a physical copy of the game, or a buddy with one, you were SOL. I love how much I've learned about games I might not of known of if I hadn't checked out your channel. I don't play many Light Gun games as a whole, so seeing videos like this get me hyped and give me some games to keep an eye out for to hopefully add to the collection at some point. Always such a great time to drop by the channel and check out the content you provide, always top notch my dudes. Cheers!!!! #Roadto45k
Got my Dreamcast thanksgiving 1999 (early Christmas) and house of the dead 2 was apart of that collection! Me and my cousins literally had a 24 hour experience during the holiday break right after thanksgiving dinner that night, and it was a BLAST!!
And the honorable mention light-gun, not light-gun, game, goes to "The Typing of the Dead." Another great video guys!. Very informative. The PS1 might still be the King of Light Gun Games.
The PS5 is almost 4 years old, and it barely has anything I'd want. I can think of maybe the RE4 remake but that's available on the PS4. Plus I lost all respect for Sony when they got into people's consoles and removed content from them without offering any kind of refund.
It was Columbine. I was a junior in high school at the time and I remember when I bought the Dreamcast when it came out I had to buy a pair of those Mad Katz light guns and they are great, but I was disappointed there was no official Sega light gun like there was for the Saturn and Genesis.
Enjoyed this! Like these videos much better than topical videos. Would love to see you guys do a garbage or gold type episode like Mort’s garage. See you guys review new co op or old retro ones you haven’t played yet. Or some games you disagree on!
“Short video” at 29min long 😂😂 hey I’m not complaining just thought that was funny. Would love to run across a Dreamcast at a yard sale some day would be an awesome score 🎉
I like ya review on light gun games. I have a sega dreamcast on 36" Sony CRT and haven't run into any of those problems. I can play CM on my couch on default calibration. Maybe It's the lighting of the room or the guns itself??? Next time I hook up my lightgun I could show you my setup.
Pseudo Sue was the beer that my fiancée and I had on our first date back in 2020 (I picked it because of the dinosaur, obviously) and we cracked a couple open to celebrate our engagement so every time y’all mention Toppling Goliath I get so excited. Shoutout to them, shoutout to the incredibly sketchy Cambridge MA SAV-MOR Liquors, and shoutout to you guys for another great video!
BANG BANG! lol… I really appreciate you u guys being honest about whether or not something is worth buying as opposed to other RUclipsrs with their YOU NEED TO BUY SO AND SO GAMES…. Anyways got a question for you guys, I really want to play Die Hard Arcade so bad but i don’t own a sega Saturn. I have a powerful enough pc but not really knowledgeable in emulation. Should I buy a Saturn for just that one game or should I figure this emulation thing out? Thanks
Dude, first off we really appreciate your comment. Second, that game is wrecked. Saturn version and PS1 version. If you want our commentary check the vids. That being said if you are a B-Grade horror fan, there is some meat on the bone. But every way we’ve played it……it’s rough. Rough fun
What did you guys use for all that shelving back there? Love my light gun games, it was one of the reason I start retro collecting back in 2015. I'm glad I scored a ton of the games and guns long before they start going up in price.
I'm glad to know it wasn't my 27" Wega. It's a bitch to get the guns with Confidential Mission, to aim at the edge of the screen. Such a great shooter, but man! I just realized I hadn't subbed. WTF?! I've been checking out your channel for a couple of years.
Aw gutterd, missed opportunity there by Sega, u would of thought they would of nailed the light gun aspect of the dreamcast, it's so hard where I live to find guns on any console to play light gun games, but they are so good. Awesome vid guys
Dreamcast was WAY ahead of it's time. It was one of my all time favorite systems, but it was so far ahead of it's time that it didn't do well in the gaming market. In fact Sega moved to just a publisher after this system failed to carve a niche for itself.
For what it’s worth, I have all three light guns mentioned in this video, and I’ve never had issues with confidential mission, house of the dead , or death crimson ox. Played on several different TV’s. Maybe gotg’s madcatz light gun is on its way out?
Demolition Racer is exactly that! Was wondering if you'd cover it because of the mini game. It is like Burnout Lite. Not surprised you goofballs 100% it either. Cheers
Hey guys, I really enjoy your videos. I have a Japanese Dreamcast with a solid state drive. I recently purchased the official SEGA light Gun for it. And it definitely works better then the MadCats light Gun. It's still nowhere near as good as the Namco GunCon 1 & 2. I still had to sit a lot closer to the TV then I usually do and I still had to fiddle around with the brightness. But at least I didn't have to collaborate every ten seconds! If I'm being honest, it was still a bit underwhelming. I think I'm just spoiled from the PS1, PS2 and the SEGA Saturn light Guns... 🤩♥️👍
Back in the day when i had a crt .. i never had the gun 🔫 lol so controller it was and i remember having fun with my friends .. but the dreamcast overall is a blast and i still have the same games today!
Man I love the dream cast. But nobody talks about the best part...... the mini games that get downloaded to it. But sadly my dreamcast died in 2003 when my 2 year old feed it a sandwich and a tall glass of milk.
The star fire is great I prefer it to the madkatz official i have both . To calibrate the guns i have close to the screen then play from my couch about 4 or 5 ft away from my crt that usually works.
Good to know about the calibration issues. I recently just got a Japanese Dreamcast so maybe I’ll give the official sega gun a whirl and see if it fairs any better. Btw there is a region lock for the lightgun but it’s the game not the system, so all Japanese Roms/games should work fine. Nice review, cheers
Get yourself a Japanese Dreamcast and an official Japanese Dreamcast light gun, Known as The Dreamcast Gun. This is the only way I play. It is super accurate and makes House Of The Dead 2 and Confidential Mission dead ringers to the arcade.
I thought it was just my Sharp tv. The Saturn is much better from a technical standpoint for light guns. Can’t believe someone else realizes the greatness of Demolition Racer. I love how “coming in first” is really just half the battle. Cirrus The Answer is a great song!
Oh yes!!! Glad you know that game. We had a blast with it :). Also, some issue on our end. We're getting a lot of comments suggesting it's our TV but our TV works perfectly with the other consoles we've covered. I ordered a official gun from Japan. Really hoping that will be the answer. Time will tell.
@@GamingOffTheGrid yeah, it was hard for me to wrap my mind around the Dreamcast being newer tech than the Saturn but the gun calibration is really a pain. That was my experience.
I caved and bought a new standard a/v cable this week, there will be light gun gaming going down this weekend for sure... as long as my Interact guns aren't busted. My copy of HotD2 still has a little yellow sticker on the jewel case that says "Please read Warning statement before use", which I thought was cool. Good to know I'll be in for a bear of a time calibrating the damn things.
Update: One Interact gun works... one doesn't. To compound upon that, the Smash Pack works perfectly fine and yet my copy of House of the Dead 2 will NOT calibrate. It starts out fine, and you can nail the first upper left calibration fine... but then it gets to the second calibration point on the bottom right of the TV, and doesn't do jack shit from there. Not even with the gun right up against the TV. It recognizes using the start button, but if you try to play the game, no shots register on screen, it's like you're not doing anything. The gun does light up as it is supposed to. I should also add that it was not a necessity to calibrate for Virtua Cop 2; the trajectory went off target drastically for one shot after I believe 6 rounds, so the standard revolver load, but returned to accurate shots right after. Calibrating it obviously helped, and I had no trouble clearing a few stages before I got eliminated by the game's cheap shots. Super fun game. I'd say my experience is slightly different than this video's thus far. Only a little bit.
Not light gun related, but demolition racer reminded me of a game on og xbox I used to play a lot. Test drive eve of destruction is an incredibly fun racing game if you have never played it
We've done them :). Here are the links. Cheers! COMPLETE PS2 Light Gun Buying Guide | PlayStation 2 Light Gun Games ruclips.net/video/EBitCbp-iyE/видео.html PlayStation Light Gun Buying Guide | Must Play PS1 Light Gun Games ruclips.net/video/c2mTXFD2gto/видео.html Arcade Light Gun Games At Home? | Nintendo Wii Light Gun Buying Guide ruclips.net/video/hFXW5hfo4bE/видео.html
I guess calibration for me hasn't been as much of an issue. Definitely a little wonky compared to say the PS2, or even the Saturn, but at least for me not quite as frustrating. I play on a Sony Trintron KV-32FS320. I have the Smash Pack, Confidential Mission, and HOTD2 and have been enjoying them all but I also play solo so maybe therein lies the problem? Who knows? Have to agree though, if you're looking to buy a console exclusively for light gun games I think the PS1, PS2, and Saturn are better bang for your buck.
I only have the mad catz one and I have trouble calibrating it. When you have to shoot the second target in the lower right it has a hard time registering.
I felt like the Starfire light guns were the best that were released in the united states. They were most sinilar to the Saturn Stunner in look and feel.
Always thought it was my TV with the Dreamcast calibration but like you said I tried many CRT TV's and it is a bitch. I have all the light guns but the best is the OG official one here in Australia for the PAL console. Have a massive physical collection for Dreamcast but have another console modded with the GDEMU for ease and disc preservation 😁 Cheers boys🍻
For confidential mission, the calibration I need to be like right up against the screen but actually playing I could stand a few feet back kinda arcade distance (which is how my TV is set up anyway). This is with a 20in trinitron and the interact gun on a dreacast with GDEMU. I've only played the first level though, so not sure if it will start to start to get messed up longer into the game.
Pathetic. You're not even using a GDEMU optical drive emulator mod with an HDMI output mod into a MClassic into a RetroTink 4K with a custom made Dreamcast preset with HD Retrovision cables into a 4K tv into a $4K PC via capture card. With all that said, I love this channel. I love the light gun series. I have 2 Sony Trinitron 32 inch Standard Def CRTs and plan on getting all the consoles. Just have Gamecube and N64 right now, but on the hunt for a Saturn next.
Ya know I've never bothered putting my US copy of Demolition Racer in before. Figured its just an American releas, how good can it be? Well i know what I'm doing after work on Friday. Beer and Dreamcast time. Cheers boys 🍻
I had House of the dead 2 and two mad katz guns. Had a ball playing it with friends but it was the only light gun game I had for the Dreamcast. Ended up trading in the game and threw away the guns years later 🤦🏼♂️
Okay dear Guys do try Lightgun Games Always with Both TVs on or only single TV because flashing from Second Device Like a bulb (in my Case on Dreamcast) on the right 30cm next to TV make also a Bad Lightgun Experience with Calibration
I was really thinking of getting a Dreamcast just for the light gun games, I own a CRT but never a Dreamcast but after watching this video I don't feel like it would be worth the money
Hi you both, Second time i Made a comment! I'm in TV Business for Years, (but in CRT Time). Is IT possible that your TV got 100Hz than maybe this is the Problem for calibration, on PAL is 50Hz and NTSC is 60Hz when the Picture Refresh Rate (TV to Console maybe PAL to NTSC or both to 100Hz almost every Philips, Sony TVs) is different to your TV than small gun Move is Big!
Not Sure but in my softly destroyed Brain Said a Little voice. The Dreamcast was the First with No wires from the Yellow AV Plug to Console Lightgun Gaming Experience! Don't know about Saturn, but Sure the PSX does it the way with the Yellow Cable from the AV Output Console to TV
There is a fan translation of Death Crimson 2 out now that works on original consoles. Its only been a thing for like a month i think. But now you can play it and understand the language... you still won't understand what the hell is going on tho. The game is weird lol
As for Sega Smash Pack, it is worth mentioning the Emulation on the Genesis games is pretty bad. Still worth it for Virtua Cop 2 though, just don't expect much from the 16-bit titles.
I have an HD CRT that can use 6th Gen console light guns. The HDMI mod on the Dreamcast will work with light guns if you use a HDMI to Component converter then to your CRT. I've tested that on my HD CRT and SD CRT.
I hope it'll work. Could be that i remember it incorrectly. Or maybe a 50 60 hz issue.. What type of connectiion do you use? In europe we used scart, maybe it has something to do with that...
So far we've tried composite and S-Video. It's odd because our Saturn is dialed in as well as other light gun consoles (PS1, PS2, XBOX.) I'm really hoping the official guns fixes the issue.
Is it your guns? I play Dreamcast light gun games on a 68cm VGA CRT at 480p and on a flatscreen trinitron at 480i and ive never even contemplated calibration.....but i use the official guns (PAL gamer benefit for once!) Seems odd you guys had so many issues.
But no official guns right? If you want to go down the rabbit hole. Import one from JP and a JP version of HOTD.... It would be an interesting experiment.
Hey my dudes. Just wanted to follow up. Had some time yesterday so busted out a very unscientific test for you. Virtua cop 2 JP on JP Saturn with official lightgun on a 68cm flat screen trinitron over RGB Vs Virtua cop 2 JP on JP Dreamcast with official lightgun on a 68cm Loewe VGA CRT over VGA. Calibrated both guns through the games calibration menu. Saturn accuracy on beginner level completion 81% Dreamcast accuracy on beginner level completion 83% Then I thought. What if it is the SD CRT where accuracy falls off for Dreamcast. So I repeated on the trinitron with; Virtua Cop 2 JP on PAL Dreamcast (codebreaker boot disk) over RGB Dreamcast accuracy (SD) at completion of beginner level 83% So I reckon it's definitely as accurate as Saturn. It's got to be those third party guns! As an aside, Virtua Cop 2 looks phenomenal on Dreamcast. Particularly in VGA. Hope you guys can get an official gun (or 2) and revisit the Dreamcast lightgun library. Peace
Dumb question. But does anyone take crt tvs n rig them up so they aint as big? If not I feel bigger companies should make these. Crt flat panel lol. I laugh but its a brilliant idea n I'm full of them 😂😂😂
@@GamingOffTheGrid nice one guys! I guess it's time to get a dreamcast. Btw because of you my life feels incomplete, i hope i can get my hands on that xbox sniper rifle soon. Love those buying guides!
I got my Dreamcast at midnight on 9-9-99. When i hooked it up the next morning & played HOTD2 for the first time to say i was impressed is a huge understatement. It was shockingly good. It was so far beyond any other light gun game i had played up to that point. I expected it to be good but after the Saturn port of HOTD i was cautiously optimistic. It’s not often that a game so completely obliterates my expectations but HOTD2 did it & then some. Still my favorite light gun game.
That's so awesome dude!
There are more light gun games you can play on the Dreamcast then what you have listed. The Atomiswave light gun acrade games have been ported to the Dreamcast. You can play Ranger Mission, Extreme Hunting 1&2, Sega Clay Challenge, and Sports shooting USA. You have to plug the gun into controller ports 3 or 4. You guys should do a follow up video to this showing those games.
You need a 480p crt though
These aren’t official. They were very specific about this video being about official Sega Dreamcast “OG” games and hardware.
Regarding HD CRT’s, another thing to look out for is that the HD ones are usually 100 Hz, whereas purely analogue CRT’s should be 50Hz or 60Hz (PAL and NTSC respectively).
For sure!
Awesome video !! It’s nice you are appealing towards the OGs. !!! A great guide !!! Not getting Confidential Mission. Not a great collection of light gun games unfortunately !!! If calibration is so frustrating, then it’s not worth it. !!!
I think the issue is with your light guns and not the TVs. I play these games on PAL and NTSC-J dreamcasts using the proper SEGA light gun (the one not released in USA) and I had no issues whatsoever with calibration. You might also want to check the gun lens, maybe its dirty and causing some diffraction.
Underrated channel that's still putting on passionate video about games. Love seeing any video about light guns. I don't have a pelican or madcats gun but I do have a Hais mini light gun. I'd love to compare these one day. There might be a larger version but I'm only vaguely remember a listing from Russia.
Really appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed the vid. Cheers 🍻
I got super lucky with my CRTs. I got a 36 inch trinitron off craigslist for free, then i found a Toshiba 32A41 at an estate sale with stand for 20 bucks, then i got a 34 inch widescreen Wega HDMI CRT for 60 bucks on Craigslist (I use that one for PS3, 360 and Wii U). They are BEASTS but i love em dearly and its the only way to play Retro systems!
Also just tried Confidential Mission with my Mad Catz Light gun on my Toshiba 32A41 while i was watching this and it calibrated perfectly. Now, this TV is a bubble tube, curved CRT, its not a flat screen like yalls, so, i dont know if maybe this particular game doesnt like flat CRTs? Could be the issue, but just wanted to add that here.
Sounds like retro gaming bliss to me!
Small library, but House of the Dead and Virtual Cop are so good it’s worth it. Next I wanna see a video on the Dreamcast fishing controller and games. For extra authenticity, maybe up the beer drinking on that one.
LOL!!!! I love this idea. We need to bring a fishing boat into the game room as well :)
I love light gun games. I love them so much that I hefted my grandmas old 27" CRT that she had in her garage into my game room just so I could play light gun games with my friends. It's got Component and S-Video to, really rare to find SD CRT's like that these days so that's really neat bonus lol. Looks absolutely gorgeous. However, I just have to be honest with you here bros; I have had ZERO luck finding decent light guns to use for the Dreamcast. Z. E. R. O. Luck. I've tried every brand there is (barring the official Sega gun that doesn't work in North America of course) and not a single one can hold all its shots dead center during gameplay or calibration. It's not like its only slightly off center either, we're talking shots bouncing all over the screen like a ping pong ball. I thought it might be my CRT but all my other guns from other systems work just fine. All my GunCons, PlayStation Justifiers, Saturn Stunners, NES Zappers, an Xbox Silent Scope Rifle and even an off brand Beretta-style light gun with blowback action for the original Xbox (which works amazing with HotD 3 btw) all work absolutely perfectly. But Dreamcast guns? Nope, every one I tried were all essentially unusable. It sucks to because I'd love to play Confidential Mission, HotD 2, Death Crimson and all the Atomiswave ports. Luckily HotD 2 is available on the Xbox inside HotD 3 as an unlockable so there's that I guess. Apparently, this is a common issue with Dreamcast light guns because many others like myself have all reported the same issues. Maybe you guys got lucky with some good guns. I just wish I could be on the same side as you here because the Dreamcast is awesome. But as it stands, like you guys, I couldn't recommend Dreamcast light guns to anyone. Just for different reasons than you two. :(
Another great video fellas. I love this channel!
Thanks a ton! Glad you enjoyed.
I always considered Virtua Cop 1 and 2 legit masterpieces. You know if Sega ported THAT stuff to modern consoles, with a new lightgun included, their Sega Ages collection would actually be worthwhile. In fact almost anything from their Model 2 and Model 3 catalogue is awesome. Yet to their own detriment they continue to ignore those titles.
I really enjoy the passion you guys have for this shit :D
Gaming off the Grid going through all the consoles light gun games perfect
Really loving this channel. You guys are dedicated. I love Arcade shooters but when my last CRT died about a decade ago, i retired my light guns and now just use standard controller. I admire your dedication.
Sucks your CRT died. We have been really lucky with the ones in our game room. Got a couple back ups just in case :). Cheers!
I can also confirm what others have said in the comments section. The official SEGA light gun works very well and is the way to go. I’ve used it with the European/PAL region versions of House of the Dead 2 (HOTD2) and Confidential Mission (CM) with no problems. I’ve also had a similar experience with patched versions of the North American (NA) versions of both games that remove the software block for the official light gun.
Furthermore, I suspect the software block in the normal NA versions of both games might degrade even the supported 3rd party guns for NA because my MadCatz light gun works well with the Japanese version of Virtua Cop 2 but is tricky to calibrate for NA HOTD2 & CM. It also works slightly better with the European/PAL versions of both games.
Love the coverage on everything Light Gun & unique peripherals! Hope you guys can do more on all the unique stuff the Dreamcast and Saturn had.
Would be cool to see how many of those Light Gun games have Dreamcast Mouse compatibility too! Virtua Cop 1&2 on Saturn had amazing Saturn Shuttle mouse support - best way to play without a CRT.
HOTD 2 also supports the Rumble Pack for the Light Gun (I believe) to add a closer to the arcade experience. (Also, shout out to Typing of the Dead using the Dreamcast Keyboard - also possible to play with your USB keyboard if you have a BROOK adapter for your console.)
Respect for all the testing and information you shared about it. I only ever played light gun games with a CRT on the Saturn, but not on the Dreamcast. I have a Dreamcast as an adult with some of those light gun games, but no CRT. So it's helpful to know what the experience would be like if/when I do get a CRT.
First of all, thank you for doing this video! Light gun games are probably my favorite thing when it comes to gaming and every video you guys make on the topic is amazing and very in-depth.
When I was looking to get into Dreamcast light gun games I encountered some forum posts mentioning your same calibration issues with all light guns except the official japanese ones. Also, there are 3 US light gun games that block official japanese light guns from working (Sega did this because of the shooting). They are House of the Dead 2, Confidential Mission, and Death Crimson OX.
Someone on the Dreamcast Talk forums uploaded patched image files for these 3 games removing the lock, allowing official Japanese light guns to work with those 3 US games. I burned the image files and purchased 2 JP light guns. I can confirm that the Japanese light guns have excellent performance with all games and calibration is not an issue at all. I have been able to play from the other side of my room (with extension cables) on my 32 inch CRT without problems. Hopefully this can be an acceptable solution and help someone have a much better experience with Dreamcast light gun games.
This is good info! I got a gdmu installed so I can get the roms. Just got to get the light gun. Thank you
Thanks for the info! We need to look into a pair of those for sure.
Any chance you could email us those patched files dude? We have a dreamcast with the GDEMU mod as well and I think it could run them. I ordered a gun :)
retroffthegrid@gmail.com
@@GamingOffTheGrid Sure thing! When I get off work in a few hours I'll send you an email with the links.
Any idea if that file works with the jumppack in the gun?
Great informative video.
No matter how many times you tell ppl that you’re well aware that you can mod, hack, and emulate stuff, they don’t shut up 😂😅
You are correct lol
Perfect timing! My 2 Dreamcast Japanese guns arrived today!
Hell ya!
Love your content guys. Are you gonna do an ultimate light gun tier list covering the best games across all crt platforms? That would be awesome.
Sounds like a good idea to me.
Light gun games aww yeah! Great coverage and breakdown of each game. Interesting stuff about Confidential Mission. Personally have not experienced the issues you mentioned, but glad you still enjoyed the title.
I know a lot of people love House of the Dead 2, but my favorite DC light gun game is Confidential Mission. It is a blast to play!
The official Japanese Dreamcast gun is way much better than the 3rd party ones you got in North America. It has no issues with calibration. The trigger clicks and is not mushy at all. It's almost as good as a Guncon on the Playstation.
You are correct. We recently got a Japanese Dreamcast with OEM guns and it’s a game changer
I have had a great experience with it!
Another great video! I love light gun games. You could also put the rumble pack (or whatever they called them for the Dreamcast) in those slots on the guns to get pseudo-recoil feedback! Also, I don't remember having calibration or accuracy issues. It's been a while, but I believe I connected to the TV using S-video cables. Maybe you could try that?! (or try different brand A/V cables, etc).
The Dreamcast is (if I'm correct), the only console I'm missing from the NES forward (sure I'm missing something). Actively trying to find one for a good price, might even have a trade lined up with a buddy for one though *fingers crossed*. I agree although you can emulate almost anything now a days, it's something about having the OG hardware that just hits different. Potentially it from the memories and nostalgia you have from the times when if you have a physical copy of the game, or a buddy with one, you were SOL. I love how much I've learned about games I might not of known of if I hadn't checked out your channel. I don't play many Light Gun games as a whole, so seeing videos like this get me hyped and give me some games to keep an eye out for to hopefully add to the collection at some point. Always such a great time to drop by the channel and check out the content you provide, always top notch my dudes. Cheers!!!! #Roadto45k
Demolition racer is $25 sealed on ebay 🤣 nice hidden gem!
It's so damn good!
Love these lists and videos!! Actually helped me pick up some PAL exclusives I didn’t realize I needed while I was in the UK.
Boom! Glad you enjoyed. Cheers 🍻
Got my Dreamcast thanksgiving 1999 (early Christmas) and house of the dead 2 was apart of that collection! Me and my cousins literally had a 24 hour experience during the holiday break right after thanksgiving dinner that night, and it was a BLAST!!
Hell ya! Sounds to me like that's how Thanksgiving should be. Cheers!
And the honorable mention light-gun, not light-gun, game, goes to "The Typing of the Dead." Another great video guys!. Very informative. The PS1 might still be the King of Light Gun Games.
Love the Dreamcast! Also just picked up the Big Suits as well Toppling Goliath is top tier stuff.
Enjoy. Great brew
The PS5 is almost 4 years old, and it barely has anything I'd want. I can think of maybe the RE4 remake but that's available on the PS4. Plus I lost all respect for Sony when they got into people's consoles and removed content from them without offering any kind of refund.
It was Columbine. I was a junior in high school at the time and I remember when I bought the Dreamcast when it came out I had to buy a pair of those Mad Katz light guns and they are great, but I was disappointed there was no official Sega light gun like there was for the Saturn and Genesis.
Enjoyed this! Like these videos much better than topical videos. Would love to see you guys do a garbage or gold type episode like Mort’s garage. See you guys review new co op or old retro ones you haven’t played yet. Or some games you disagree on!
“Short video” at 29min long 😂😂 hey I’m not complaining just thought that was funny. Would love to run across a Dreamcast at a yard sale some day would be an awesome score 🎉
LOL!!! That was the plan but when we get rolling and are passionate about it the plans go out the window :)
I never had problem calibrating the gun at all. I’m in the U.K using the official sega gun
We recently got the official guns from Japan. Game changer!
Thanks for the heads up on sitting closer. I thought my guns were not working. Imma need to try again.
That should help
I like ya review on light gun games. I have a sega dreamcast on 36" Sony CRT and haven't run into any of those problems. I can play CM on my couch on default calibration. Maybe It's the lighting of the room or the guns itself??? Next time I hook up my lightgun I could show you my setup.
Oooooo you guys caught me before I found my daily Good Mythical Morning! Heck yeah! 😂
Pseudo Sue was the beer that my fiancée and I had on our first date back in 2020 (I picked it because of the dinosaur, obviously) and we cracked a couple open to celebrate our engagement so every time y’all mention Toppling Goliath I get so excited. Shoutout to them, shoutout to the incredibly sketchy Cambridge MA SAV-MOR Liquors, and shoutout to you guys for another great video!
Hell ya dude!!! Cheers to that! What a great beer.
I've got demolition racer on a burnt disk I've had it years I'm gonna play it now I've watched your video superb
Enjoy man!!!! That game is HAMMER!!!!
The Dreamcast stopped their software distribution in NA in 2002
Killer video Guys Love all you do and Thanks for all you do.
Thanks ton dude!
Greetz from Europe, you make the best retro video game videos
Thanks a ton Dude! We’re definitely not for everyone but we appreciate when we find folks like us :)
BANG BANG! lol… I really appreciate you u guys being honest about whether or not something is worth buying as opposed to other RUclipsrs with their YOU NEED TO BUY SO AND SO GAMES…. Anyways got a question for you guys, I really want to play Die Hard Arcade so bad but i don’t own a sega Saturn. I have a powerful enough pc but not really knowledgeable in emulation. Should I buy a Saturn for just that one game or should I figure this emulation thing out? Thanks
Dude, first off we really appreciate your comment. Second, that game is wrecked. Saturn version and PS1 version. If you want our commentary check the vids. That being said if you are a B-Grade horror fan, there is some meat on the bone. But every way we’ve played it……it’s rough. Rough fun
What did you guys use for all that shelving back there? Love my light gun games, it was one of the reason I start retro collecting back in 2015. I'm glad I scored a ton of the games and guns long before they start going up in price.
Here is the Amazon link for our media shelves. Cheers!
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058O8ES8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Lol it’s the same in Europe / UK too haha! You have to be super close to the TV regardless ha!
This video is great! I just bought hod2 and now I'm buying that racing game.
Hell ya! Enjoy!
Another informative video. Are the VR headsets the new light gun ?
Seemingly. We don't have any VR at this time but we have heard of a few rail shooter types of games.
I'm glad to know it wasn't my 27" Wega. It's a bitch to get the guns with Confidential Mission, to aim at the edge of the screen. Such a great shooter, but man!
I just realized I hadn't subbed. WTF?! I've been checking out your channel for a couple of years.
Aw gutterd, missed opportunity there by Sega, u would of thought they would of nailed the light gun aspect of the dreamcast, it's so hard where I live to find guns on any console to play light gun games, but they are so good. Awesome vid guys
You can probably order online even if you live very remote. You can even order from another country 😊 (but it might add shipping costs of course)
Can’t wait for the short Xbox episode. Short but sweet❤
Dreamcast was WAY ahead of it's time. It was one of my all time favorite systems, but it was so far ahead of it's time that it didn't do well in the gaming market. In fact Sega moved to just a publisher after this system failed to carve a niche for itself.
Maybe, just maybe, madcats doesn't make the best light gun...... 😅
Excellent content! Keep it up guys.
For what it’s worth, I have all three light guns mentioned in this video, and I’ve never had issues with confidential mission, house of the dead , or death crimson ox. Played on several different TV’s. Maybe gotg’s madcatz light gun is on its way out?
Could be for sure. We tried 4 different guns though.
Demolition Racer is exactly that! Was wondering if you'd cover it because of the mini game. It is like Burnout Lite. Not surprised you goofballs 100% it either. Cheers
Dude we went all in on that damn game. Nothing else mattered LOL
Hey guys, I really enjoy your videos. I have a Japanese Dreamcast with a solid state drive. I recently purchased the official SEGA light Gun for it. And it definitely works better then the MadCats light Gun. It's still nowhere near as good as the Namco GunCon 1 & 2.
I still had to sit a lot closer to the TV then I usually do and I still had to fiddle around with the brightness. But at least I didn't have to collaborate every ten seconds! If I'm being honest, it was still a bit underwhelming. I think I'm just spoiled from the PS1, PS2 and the SEGA Saturn light Guns... 🤩♥️👍
Back in the day when i had a crt .. i never had the gun 🔫 lol so controller it was and i remember having fun with my friends .. but the dreamcast overall is a blast and i still have the same games today!
Man I love the dream cast. But nobody talks about the best part...... the mini games that get downloaded to it. But sadly my dreamcast died in 2003 when my 2 year old feed it a sandwich and a tall glass of milk.
Yikes LOL! What a tragedy
@GamingOffTheGrid well she was just trying to feed the tomagotchi that got downloaded from the sonic game.. lol
The star fire is great I prefer it to the madkatz official i have both . To calibrate the guns i have close to the screen then play from my couch about 4 or 5 ft away from my crt that usually works.
Got em all 😎
Good to know about the calibration issues. I recently just got a Japanese Dreamcast so maybe I’ll give the official sega gun a whirl and see if it fairs any better. Btw there is a region lock for the lightgun but it’s the game not the system, so all Japanese Roms/games should work fine. Nice review, cheers
Always wanted to try the official gun
They’re back like the electric bill
Get yourself a Japanese Dreamcast and an official Japanese Dreamcast light gun, Known as The Dreamcast Gun. This is the only way I play. It is super accurate and makes House Of The Dead 2 and Confidential Mission dead ringers to the arcade.
We need to for sure.
I thought it was just my Sharp tv. The Saturn is much better from a technical standpoint for light guns.
Can’t believe someone else realizes the greatness of Demolition Racer. I love how “coming in first” is really just half the battle. Cirrus The Answer is a great song!
Oh yes!!! Glad you know that game. We had a blast with it :). Also, some issue on our end. We're getting a lot of comments suggesting it's our TV but our TV works perfectly with the other consoles we've covered. I ordered a official gun from Japan. Really hoping that will be the answer. Time will tell.
@@GamingOffTheGrid yeah, it was hard for me to wrap my mind around the Dreamcast being newer tech than the Saturn but the gun calibration is really a pain. That was my experience.
I caved and bought a new standard a/v cable this week, there will be light gun gaming going down this weekend for sure... as long as my Interact guns aren't busted. My copy of HotD2 still has a little yellow sticker on the jewel case that says "Please read Warning statement before use", which I thought was cool. Good to know I'll be in for a bear of a time calibrating the damn things.
Update: One Interact gun works... one doesn't. To compound upon that, the Smash Pack works perfectly fine and yet my copy of House of the Dead 2 will NOT calibrate. It starts out fine, and you can nail the first upper left calibration fine... but then it gets to the second calibration point on the bottom right of the TV, and doesn't do jack shit from there. Not even with the gun right up against the TV. It recognizes using the start button, but if you try to play the game, no shots register on screen, it's like you're not doing anything. The gun does light up as it is supposed to.
I should also add that it was not a necessity to calibrate for Virtua Cop 2; the trajectory went off target drastically for one shot after I believe 6 rounds, so the standard revolver load, but returned to accurate shots right after. Calibrating it obviously helped, and I had no trouble clearing a few stages before I got eliminated by the game's cheap shots. Super fun game.
I'd say my experience is slightly different than this video's thus far. Only a little bit.
We need to get the rights to Sega Swirl and re-release it as a mobile game, I think it would kill now.
Not light gun related, but demolition racer reminded me of a game on og xbox I used to play a lot. Test drive eve of destruction is an incredibly fun racing game if you have never played it
Dude, I have been reading about that game. You just motivated me to pull the trigger
@@GamingOffTheGrid it's pretty much burnout County fair edition lol
Wii has many light gun games. Perhaps do that next. Or do ps1 and ps2.
We've done them :). Here are the links. Cheers!
COMPLETE PS2 Light Gun Buying Guide | PlayStation 2 Light Gun Games
ruclips.net/video/EBitCbp-iyE/видео.html
PlayStation Light Gun Buying Guide | Must Play PS1 Light Gun Games
ruclips.net/video/c2mTXFD2gto/видео.html
Arcade Light Gun Games At Home? | Nintendo Wii Light Gun Buying Guide
ruclips.net/video/hFXW5hfo4bE/видео.html
The only thing i don not like about the Dreamcast is the lens always die on me. i have 3 systems.
I guess calibration for me hasn't been as much of an issue. Definitely a little wonky compared to say the PS2, or even the Saturn, but at least for me not quite as frustrating. I play on a Sony Trintron KV-32FS320. I have the Smash Pack, Confidential Mission, and HOTD2 and have been enjoying them all but I also play solo so maybe therein lies the problem? Who knows?
Have to agree though, if you're looking to buy a console exclusively for light gun games I think the PS1, PS2, and Saturn are better bang for your buck.
I only have the mad catz one and I have trouble calibrating it. When you have to shoot the second target in the lower right it has a hard time registering.
They can be a pain in the ass. Apparently the official guns out of Japan are far better. We need to get a set and do a follow up.
Nice shirt Wes!
LOL!!! I love it
I felt like the Starfire light guns were the best that were released in the united states. They were most sinilar to the Saturn Stunner in look and feel.
Roam reigns title reign has lasted longer than the Dreamcast. With that said I love the console so much.
Always thought it was my TV with the Dreamcast calibration but like you said I tried many CRT TV's and it is a bitch. I have all the light guns but the best is the OG official one here in Australia for the PAL console.
Have a massive physical collection for Dreamcast but have another console modded with the GDEMU for ease and disc preservation 😁
Cheers boys🍻
For confidential mission, the calibration I need to be like right up against the screen but actually playing I could stand a few feet back kinda arcade distance (which is how my TV is set up anyway). This is with a 20in trinitron and the interact gun on a dreacast with GDEMU. I've only played the first level though, so not sure if it will start to start to get messed up longer into the game.
Pathetic. You're not even using a GDEMU optical drive emulator mod with an HDMI output mod into a MClassic into a RetroTink 4K with a custom made Dreamcast preset with HD Retrovision cables into a 4K tv into a $4K PC via capture card.
With all that said, I love this channel. I love the light gun series. I have 2 Sony Trinitron 32 inch Standard Def CRTs and plan on getting all the consoles. Just have Gamecube and N64 right now, but on the hunt for a Saturn next.
LOL!!!!
This is the gayest y’all have ever looked on the thumbnail… but I still love you both😘😘😘 ! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Ya know I've never bothered putting my US copy of Demolition Racer in before.
Figured its just an American releas, how good can it be?
Well i know what I'm doing after work on Friday. Beer and Dreamcast time. Cheers boys 🍻
Enjoy brotha! It's great
I had House of the dead 2 and two mad katz guns. Had a ball playing it with friends but it was the only light gun game I had for the Dreamcast. Ended up trading in the game and threw away the guns years later 🤦🏼♂️
Okay dear Guys do try Lightgun Games Always with Both TVs on or only single TV because flashing from Second Device Like a bulb (in my Case on Dreamcast) on the right 30cm next to TV make also a Bad Lightgun Experience with Calibration
Bonus I'm on lunch break top lads
Boom!!! Pulled the pin on this one a little early. Enjoy your lunch brotha!
I was really thinking of getting a Dreamcast just for the light gun games, I own a CRT but never a Dreamcast but after watching this video I don't feel like it would be worth the money
Hi you both, Second time i Made a comment!
I'm in TV Business for Years, (but in CRT Time). Is IT possible that your TV got 100Hz than maybe this is the Problem for calibration, on PAL is 50Hz and NTSC is 60Hz when the Picture Refresh Rate (TV to Console maybe PAL to NTSC or both to 100Hz almost every Philips, Sony TVs) is different to your TV than small gun Move is Big!
I don't believe so. Other light gun consoles work great on it. Also tried other TV's
Not Sure but in my softly destroyed Brain Said a Little voice. The Dreamcast was the First with No wires from the Yellow AV Plug to Console Lightgun Gaming Experience! Don't know about Saturn, but Sure the PSX does it the way with the Yellow Cable from the AV Output Console to TV
Nintendo Wii got a Infrared Emitter and become Infrared Signal from the Controller (Lightgun), PS 3 Move got a Camera also PS4.
There is a fan translation of Death Crimson 2 out now that works on original consoles. Its only been a thing for like a month i think. But now you can play it and understand the language... you still won't understand what the hell is going on tho. The game is weird lol
LOL!!! We will try tracking it down
Playing light gun dc games on a crt computer monitor #Win 🔥
As for Sega Smash Pack, it is worth mentioning the Emulation on the Genesis games is pretty bad. Still worth it for Virtua Cop 2 though, just don't expect much from the 16-bit titles.
Death Crimson ox is a bitch to play. I played it on Ps2 and felt like it wasn't balanced for single player.
Ooo more light gun stuff 🥹
Yesir!!!
I have an HD CRT that can use 6th Gen console light guns. The HDMI mod on the Dreamcast will work with light guns if you use a HDMI to Component converter then to your CRT. I've tested that on my HD CRT and SD CRT.
Good to know
@@GamingOffTheGrid it will also work with an HDMI to VGA converter to a VGA CRT monitor.
Never had any problems with my official lpal light gun...
(I live in europe)
I've got some light guns on order from Japan. Hopefully they will work well like yours.
I hope it'll work.
Could be that i remember it incorrectly.
Or maybe a 50 60 hz issue..
What type of connectiion do you use? In europe we used scart, maybe it has something to do with that...
So far we've tried composite and S-Video. It's odd because our Saturn is dialed in as well as other light gun consoles (PS1, PS2, XBOX.) I'm really hoping the official guns fixes the issue.
💀👾🤖 Ohhh Yeah!! Happy Collecting!!!
Is it your guns? I play Dreamcast light gun games on a 68cm VGA CRT at 480p and on a flatscreen trinitron at 480i and ive never even contemplated calibration.....but i use the official guns (PAL gamer benefit for once!)
Seems odd you guys had so many issues.
I suppose it could be but we have 4 different guns.
But no official guns right? If you want to go down the rabbit hole. Import one from JP and a JP version of HOTD.... It would be an interesting experiment.
Hey my dudes. Just wanted to follow up. Had some time yesterday so busted out a very unscientific test for you.
Virtua cop 2 JP on JP Saturn with official lightgun on a 68cm flat screen trinitron over RGB
Vs
Virtua cop 2 JP on JP Dreamcast with official lightgun on a 68cm Loewe VGA CRT over VGA.
Calibrated both guns through the games calibration menu.
Saturn accuracy on beginner level completion 81%
Dreamcast accuracy on beginner level completion 83%
Then I thought. What if it is the SD CRT where accuracy falls off for Dreamcast. So I repeated on the trinitron with;
Virtua Cop 2 JP on PAL Dreamcast (codebreaker boot disk) over RGB
Dreamcast accuracy (SD) at completion of beginner level 83%
So I reckon it's definitely as accurate as Saturn. It's got to be those third party guns!
As an aside, Virtua Cop 2 looks phenomenal on Dreamcast. Particularly in VGA. Hope you guys can get an official gun (or 2) and revisit the Dreamcast lightgun library.
Peace
Dumb question. But does anyone take crt tvs n rig them up so they aint as big? If not I feel bigger companies should make these. Crt flat panel lol. I laugh but its a brilliant idea n I'm full of them 😂😂😂
Not that I know of but hell of an idea
And don't know if you guys did ps3(ps move) gun games. If not, can't wait for that one. Since watching these,now I gotta buy some
Confirmed, nutsack blown right out on my 36” Trinitron
LOL!!! Yikes
4:20 even Martin Luther King had a Dreamcast
Is calibration easy with the PAL sega official gun? I live in europe. In case anyone knows thank you
The official SEGA guns from Japan and PAL are way better!!!
@@GamingOffTheGrid nice one guys! I guess it's time to get a dreamcast.
Btw because of you my life feels incomplete, i hope i can get my hands on that xbox sniper rifle soon.
Love those buying guides!
I had a seizure watching your last few videos...was worth it 💯 Got G?