Those who knew me know that I have the knack for emulators. Ranging from the basic Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) to the splendor of the Sony Playstation, emulators has been around in the computer scene long enough for programmers to actually program a software (hence emulator) in order to emulate such extinct machines.

I have a friend who asked me what emulators are.

To begin with, emulator is a piece of software than runs on standard PC (with Windows XP and such). The piece of software will actually copy the function of the hardware of the lesser machine. Usually you will see the standard working computer emulating the function of your home video games. This allows for unlimited function, from graphics enhancement to even network replay ability. However the most important aspect of emulators is that the games/applications that were written for the hardware are preserved in their standard form and they can be brought to future generation for education. Imagine your son watching you play Super Mario Bros, and you can proudly say: "See, this is what I played during my time, before you have this holodeck hall."

What we will have here today is a Sega Dreamcast emulator, Chanka which so far managed to play games such as Ikaruga. For those who are uninitiated, Ikaruga is a standard top down shooter with 3D background but however with a specific twist and strategy to gain points and kill off enemies.


Dreamcast boot menu


Ikaruga main page


Ikaruga intro screen


Ikaruga game play

This is great news indeed. I'm currently testing other games like Incoming & Guilty Gear X however they both suffered from speed and graphics glitches.