Need your questions for Official Dreamcast Magazine crew!

[Barry the Nomad]

I'm excited to announce the guests we have planned for the 50th SEGAbits Swingin' Report Show podcast - celebrating the Dreamcast's 14th anniversary in the United States!

We managed to book three awesome guests discussing the Dreamcast's launch, and their time spent covering the console when it was in its prime:

Francesca Reyes - Former writer for the Official Dreamcast Magazine and current editor-in-chief of the Official Xbox Magazine

Simon Cox - Former editor-in-chief of the Official Dreamcast Magazine and a video game media veteran working on EDGE, GMR, Xbox Nation, 1UP.com, GameQ, and NVision

Ricardo Torres - Former editor-in-chief of Gamespot

The show records Thursday and will be posted to YouTube and iTunes before 9/9.

We'd love to hear from the Racketboy community, so any questions for the above people would be greatly appreciated. Also, let me know the name you want attributed to the question. Thanks!

[8bit]

Long live the DC Magazine! I still have a complete collection minus issue 0 and cherish it!

I've got a few questions. Feel free to pick from the ones you guys feel are interesting.
- When exactly did you guys know the dreamcast was going to fail and the magazine would be shutting down?
- Did the final issue ever have a demo disc in the works or did you guys already know the magazine was done before ever reaching that point?
- What happened if subscribers sent in a yearly subscription payment or renewal during those last few months?
- What games were you looking forward to that never made it out on the Dreamcast?
- Do you guys blame Bernie Stolar at all for the failure?

[pierrot]

- What happened if subscribers sent in a yearly subscription payment or renewal during those last few months?

I'm still waiting on the rest of my subscription.

[8bit]

- What happened if subscribers sent in a yearly subscription payment or renewal during those last few months?

I'm still waiting on the rest of my subscription.

Haha! I was kind of afraid of that... Well maybe one of these two will know who to talk to about that

[superyoda41]

Did Sega ever interfere with the content of the magazine, in terms of reviews/opinions, especially in the waning days of the system?

How much did banking on Seganet before widespread broadband use was prevalent hurt the system in your opinion? Can you rank the biggest issues (EA support, DVD).

[Barry the Nomad]

Thanks for posting questions so quickly guys! The more the merrier!

I can answer a few already:

Did the final issue ever have a demo disc in the works or did you guys already know the magazine was done before ever reaching that point?
- What happened if subscribers sent in a yearly subscription payment or renewal during those last few months?

-The demo discs were phased out in the issue before the final issue, subscribers received an apology letter (I still have mine) explaining that there would no longer be demo discs. So only one issue without a demo disc was published, then the magazine ended its run.

-I believe my subscription was switched over to another magazine. I can't recall which magazine it switched to, but it might have been Next Generation.

[CRTGAMER]

Maybe a mention of exclusives such as the Toy Commander Christmas Level that were only available on the DC Magazine Cover Disc. It would be interesting to hear the what and whys that were involved to get the exclusives.

[Barry the Nomad]

Talking Official Dreamcast Magazine with former editors and writers RIGHT NOW on our podcast! Cannot wait to post this show. It's truly a special show.

[Barry the Nomad]

Simon Cox, former editor-in-chief of Official Dreamcast Magazine, named the game Rez. No joke.

[CD AGES]

Ah shit! It's too late already...

Questions for Ms. Reyes
1. At the end of final ODCM issue 12, It was clearly teased that Issue 13 would have contained a full review of Phantasy Star Online written by you Ms. Reyes. Though ODCM Issue 13 never saw the light of day, did you have a completed review written and ready to be published? If not, based on the method and categories Dreamcast software was reviewed for up to that point in the publications life,
Graphics:
Sound:
Control:
Gameplay:
OVERALL SCORE:
What would the score for the game look like based solely on your hands on time with the game?

2. ODCM Issue 6 contained an article reporting on that years Tokyo Game Show which you and Editor-in-Chief, Simon Cox attended. The article starts right off the bat, describing a very bleak picture of the Dreamcast in Japan as a result of the launch of the PS2, with little signs of resuscitation for the platform in that territory.
Needless to say, that first paragraph left me a bit cold the first time I read that considering quietly frankly, how blunt and honest such a statement was made especially from a magazine that focused completely on Dreamcast. As a result of your personal experience in witnessing the performance of the Dreamcast in its native Japan, were you ever concerned at the inevitable abrupt demise of not only the system, but your job at that point in time which I assume was primarily dependent on the continuation of ODCM, or did the Dreamcast brand seriously looked strong enough in the US to not worry?

3. How much of an avid Dreamcast gamer are you these days? Do you still own or play the DC library of games? Any personal favorites?

4. What are some of your fondest memories about being part of ODCM staff? Was there a particular title you enjoyed reviewing during your ODCM career (Shenmue, Grandia II, SOA, Evolution 2, etc)?

5. The Dreamcast catalog of official games continued to grow in various regions long after the end of ODCM and still does even today due to indie releases on the platform. With that said, is there a particular game for the system you would you want to play and write a review for today?

6. As someone who played a role for the Dreamcast platform during its commercial life, what are your thoughts on the active community for the system today over a decade later? Why do you think people still praise and enjoy Dreamcast gaming today?

7. Can you comment on the demand for ODCM publication during its 12 issue run among readers? Was the subscriber rate and purchase for the magazine healthy for its time?