Note: This feature was originally posted in April, 2007.
The Sega Dreamcast's North American 10th Birthday is today. You can read ex-Sega of America head, Peter Moore's thoughts on the ocassion here. Happy Birthday, Dreamcast!
With Sega having officially ceased production of Dreamcast discs (GD-ROMs) and the repair service set to close on September 28, the Dreamcast has well and truly been laid to rest. If it breaks after September 28, you're on your own. Or stuck in the world of emulation.
Although the Dreamcast died before its time, having been discontinued in 2001 - just three years after its original 1998 release(1999 in US and UK), its many innovations, vast selection of peripherals and huge library of arcade games earned it a huge cult following. Some say that the console was launched too soon.
The Dreamcast was considered way ahead of its time when it hit Japanese stores on November 27, 1998, with high-resolution, silky smooth visuals that put N64 and PSone to shame.
Innovative genius
The biggest innovation Dreamcast introduced was the Visual Memory Unit (or VMU), with its little LCD screen that could be slotted into the controller for an in-hand display.
The possibilities for innovative gameplay using the VMU were vast, and Sega was the first to demonstrate with Sonic Adventure, which allowed you to transfer in-game virtual pets (dubbed Chaos) to the VMU where they became a virtual pet you could look after. Although, except for the odd radar in some action games the VMU was seldom used as Sega probably intended.
Dreamcast was also the first console to come internet ready out of the box, with a built-in modem tucked in its side. Awesome puzzle game, Chu Chu Rocket from Sega, kicked off the online console revolution, followed by stunning conversions of Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament, which worked with a proprietary Dreamcast mouse and keyboard giving console gamers a taste of first-person shooting that had previously been exclusive to PC junkies. More than that though, Dreamcast was the first console to offer cross-platform play. PC gamers got to show off their headshots against DC n00bs with Quake III Arena.
Peripherals played a huge role in Dreamcast's short lifespan. The now-legendary rhythm-action game, Samba de Amigo, had players shaking a set of (rare and expensive thesedays) maracas in different directions to on-screen prompts and funky tunes.
The Dreamcast light gun brought arcade shooting home, most notably compatible with the awesome House of the Dead II, on which we had burned many a quid before it came to Sega's next-gen console.
The official Dreamcast Arcade Stick is still considered to be one of the single best home arcade sticks ever made, and with games like Street Fighter 3 and Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Dreamcast had the hardcore 2D fighters to support it.
Sega Bass fishing came with a neat fishing rod controller that was actually sensitive to movements (hello Nintendo Wii). Dreamcast even has voice-controlled gaming, with a microphone that slotted into the top of your controller which allowed you to control the strange but cool virtual pet game, Seamen, with your voice. And there aren't many consoles that can claim that.
The beginning was the end
Despite the Dreamcast's undisputed awesomeness, sales took a turn for the worst after Sony crashed the party with the PS2 and its superior marketing campaigns. While Sony was wowing the kids, Sega went and spunked a hell of a lot of money sponsoring Arsenal football club. The inevitable was fast approaching.
Sega pulled the plug on Dreamcast in 2001, announcing on the 31 January that production of the console would cease in March that year and the company would dedicate recourses to software development.
"One of the best consoles ever, destroyed because of the lies and marketing hype of the PS2," said CVG reader, neilyboy1, who shares the sentiments of many hardcore Dreamcast fans that were, and still are, bitterly upset that Dreamcast was embarrassingly knocked out of the console war.
But before giving up the ghost of Dreamcast though, Sega struck a deal with TV manufacturer Pace to include the DC's PowerVR Series2 technology in set-top-boxes. But this move failed to keep the Dream(cast) alive and it died on its arse.
Although most of the games in development still made it to shelves before the Dreamcast was buried, there were a few games and hardware projects that never saw the light of day, as with any console.
Yu Suzuki, creator of the amazing Shenmue games, had promised several episodes to the series, but only two made it, with the second game being rushed out with Japanese speech. Shenmue 2 was later ported to Xbox with full English speech, the way it should have been.
Many of its planned sequels ended up on Xbox after Sega and Microsoft struck an exclusivity deal. Sega was hardly going to give Sony (the company that almost killed it) its hard worked-on games so soon after the DC's demise. These included Gunvalkyrie, Panza Dragoon Next (renamed Panza Dragoon Orta) and Toe Jam & Earl 3.
A Dreamcast port of Half Life was almost released, with review versions even being sent out to the press. The game was eventually canned because of horrendous loading times. We remember hearing stories about how you could go and make a cup of tea, come back and it still wouldn't have loaded the next level. Official Dreamcast Magazine even carried the game as a cover review, if we remember correctly. Half-Life and Propeller Arena: Aviation Battle Championship were later leaked to the internet, which delighted gamers were able to download and play.
Agartha, Castlevania Resurrection and Geist Force were canned and buried, never to return, as was the DVD-playing attachment, high-capacity MP3-playing VMUs and a Zip drive, all of which Sega showed at E3 in 2000. If Sega had the capital to see all this through, today's console battle could be a very different war.
10 DC titles you MUST own
Dreamcast had a cracking library of games but there was the striking omission of anything EA Sports related, which Sony probably paid an arm and a leg for to keep from the platform. And the fact that EA Sports didn't support the platform... well, we know what happened next.
Soul Calibur
Shenmue
Ikaruga
Samba De Amigo
Jet Set Radio
Crazi Taxi
Metropolis Street Racer
Phantasy Star Online
Quake III Arena
Virtua Tennis
Life After Death
If you still love your Dreamcast (and it still works) and you can't bear the thought of it passing on, there's still hope. If you haven't got a Dreamcast, or don't know what we're talking about, jump on eBay now and you should be able to get yourself a console and a nice bundle of games for around £30, which is literally an absolute bargain. It's also worth checking out those cash converter-type places where crackheads sell everything they get their hands on for a fix. You can usually find some old gaming gems at the bottom of the pile, or behind a glass window. Do it now, before they become rarer. Or worse, eBay runs out of them.
Great article guys, brings back some amazing memories and shows how lamers that love the same footy game every 6 months pay more money than us true gamers do!
Bass fishing that was great! I remember the delays on that took months to come out.
Can't beat Shenmue hopefully the series will make a mighty return one day. I loved Sega consoles and always found them to be the best No 3 red lights here
EDIT - Oh and that last bit really try it guys! Instead of buying NFS:My ride be pimping get a dreamcast with Shenmue, Crazy Taxi, Soul Calibur and many other amazing games
* Looks for the forgotten machine and put down GH2 *
Why should have Shenmue 2 been in English, I enjoyed it much more with Japanese speach. I don't get why games with Japanese speach have to be translated into English. English voice acting can sound so out of place in some games. I recently got my self a Japanese copy of Shenmue 1, and enjoyed it even more than the US/UK ver. The fact that you had Japanese speach coming from Japanese was much better, than the crap English dub.
See, even hugely powerful cutting edge futurtistic hardware from a video game powerhouse company can fail... Yes Sony, I'm looking at you... Good story, but you don't say if the online support is still there, when I get my ebayed dreamcast can I still chu chu against people all over the world?
sega bass fishing with the Fishing Controller work's like a wii control casting moveing left, right, up down. i would say RIP but my dreamcast is still going unlike my ps2.
Playing through Sword Of The Berserk was the only way to find out the rest of the story to the rather amazing anime series. Aside from reading the manga.
I remember reading a brilliant massive article on sega through the ages in an early issue of retro gamer...it cruely gave us dream fans hope at the end by speaking of rumours that sega may very well be returning to the console market...next gen came and next gens here so it looks like sega are stayin out of the loop I hope no one slates me for saying this but sonic adventure tied me over for 2 months until i got crazy taxi for my dreamcast it was one the best and most enjoyable games i ever played!ya i sed it!
Jet Set Radio, Shenmue 1&2, Skies of Arcadia, Crazy Taxi, Seaman, Chu Chu Rocket, Phantasy Star Online, Soul Calibur, Metropolis Street Racer and so on...
A console that gave us all this, how could it have gone wrong?!?
The dreamcast is so 6 years ago get over yourselfs you have to move on and say goodbye. Would you really want another sega console judging by the latest sonic games I would'nt.
I would be willing to give Sega another chance if they ever released a new console.
But then again I do have to admit that Sonic has fallen from grace lately, but if they made a new console you wouldn't be able to get VF or Sega rally or possibly another Shenmue on anything else.
See, even hugely powerful cutting edge futurtistic hardware from a video game powerhouse company can fail... Yes Sony, I'm looking at you... Good story, but you don't say if the online support is still there, when I get my ebayed dreamcast can I still chu chu against people all over the world?
The Dream Arena online portal is long gone. Check out this link but it seems to be two years old and probably out of date. If anyone ever fancies a game of Sega Swirl, let me know and i WILL go out of my way to give you a game.
I don't think this is a very good article. I would expect a fan to write something like it but not someone who supposdelly does it for a living and has been "in the know" for years.
The grammar, syntax and vocabulary used seemed to be that of a teenager attempting to write in a more sophisticated style than he is used to, and failing. The more I read, the worse it got with the last paragraph being the epitome of amateur.
It's hardly in depth with the information presented potentially coming from a quick google search and/or off the top of the writer's head and the final result getting submitted after twenty minutes or so of work.
It includes blatantly subjective and/or biased information (ex: Xbox Shenmue II being "the way it should have been" and presents rumours or hearsay as fact (ex: Half-Life canned just because of the loading times).
It doesn't include information about some of its greatest strengths and titles, but also doesn't really write anything substantial about what went wrong with Sega.
If you really want an article like this, please dedicate the proper amount of time and effort or let someone who actually "knows" the given system write it. Dreamcast deserves better and so does C&VG.
PS: In response to some comments above I want to say the 2D Sonic titles have been as good as ever (GBA & DS games) while Sonic on the Wii is pretty damn good especially considering it had a much lower budget and development time than the "next-gen" Sonic title. True Sega still lurks underneath all the dirt they've had to develop in order to survive through the last few years and we get to see it every so often. Having said all that, they better not f**k up the upcoming NiGHTS game
I don't think this is a very good article. I would expect a fan to write something like it but not someone who supposdelly does it for a living and has been "in the know" for years.
The grammar, syntax and vocabulary used seemed to be that of a teenager attempting to write in a more sophisticated style than he is used to, and failing. The more I read, the worse it got with the last paragraph being the epitome of amateur.
It's hardly in depth with the information presented potentially coming from a quick google search and/or off the top of the writer's head and the final result getting submitted after twenty minutes or so of work.
It includes blatantly subjective and/or biased information (ex: Xbox Shenmue II being "the way it should have been" and presents rumours or hearsay as fact (ex: Half-Life canned just because of the loading times).
It doesn't include information about some of its greatest strengths and titles, but also doesn't really write anything substantial about what went wrong with Sega.
If you really want an article like this, please dedicate the proper amount of time and effort or let someone who actually "knows" the given system write it. Dreamcast deserves better and so does C&VG.
PS: In response to some comments above I want to say the 2D Sonic titles have been as good as ever (GBA & DS games) while Sonic on the Wii is pretty damn good especially considering it had a much lower budget and development time than the "next-gen" Sonic title. True Sega still lurks underneath all the dirt they've had to develop in order to survive through the last few years and we get to see it every so often. Having said all that, they better not f**k up the upcoming NiGHTS game
Geek.
PS DC is always going to be my favourite ever console, too many good games, too many good times-a-playing Virtua Tennis 4 player and i remember playing Soul Calibur solid for 6 months.
I disagree about Shenmue 2 being rushed out and stuck with the proper language. It was so much better have origin language and subs. And if they hadnt of done that we would never have got it in the first place!
Why do so many people complain about the poor english dubs of games and then still complain when it comes over in the original format.
A lot of people i know - if choice of english dubs or japanese with subs they would go for the latter. Shame only really some fighting games do that, prob cause lack of space for rpgs etc.
And i keep saying, Wii is pefect for shenmue 3. wouldnt need to spend millions on engine, just update the dreamcast one and bobs your uncle millions of happy people getting to continue with the story
The DC was so much better than the PS2, it's a shame how things panned out.
For me the Xbox was the succesor to the the DC, it had alot of Sega exclusives, it continued on with PGR where MSR left off...even the Xbox controller was like an evolution of the the DC's.
It was for that reason and Halo, that I bought an Xbox.
I have a mate, who owns a DC with 100+ games and every peripheral that was released, in fact I picked him up a second official fishing rod, over Christmas just gone while I was in Bangkok. We still have the odd the DC session.
People everywhere always say the dreamcast will never die, but i've got 2 sitting in my bedroom that have. Simply stopped working and now they randomly turn off. I'm pretty bitter about the fact i'll have to go buy another just to play Third Strike. This ever happen to anybody else?
In my first year of uni, when everyone else had their Xboxs and PS2s, I had my Dreamcast, 4 controllers and a shedload of games (which i could afford to add to with my student loan, because they cost about Ł5 each).
Did anyone play multiplayer games on the PS2 or Xbox? Did they balls - my Dreamcast was always in demand and many a drinking game was devised to everything from Virtua Tennis to PowerStone 2.
It did make me wonder though - where did Sega go wrong, everyone I knew who saw it was instantly engrossed in the thing! It was fantastic
The Dreamcast was/is an awesome console and I hope we get the third instalment of Shenmue one day but one thing I would have to say is I always thought the VMU was a complete waste of time, I don't remember ever really using that screen for anything.
People everywhere always say the dreamcast will never die, but i've got 2 sitting in my bedroom that have. Simply stopped working and now they randomly turn off. I'm pretty bitter about the fact i'll have to go buy another just to play Third Strike. This ever happen to anybody else?
Yeah this used to happen to mine. I'd load a game and then the system would reset itself after about a minute. Try removing the modem and fingers crossed it will start working again, mine did.
the dreamcast wasnt as good as all that. its stand out moments were great though, im thinking of nomad soul one of the best damn games ever, and the chao raising feature in sonic adventure. i also had the random reset problem too which plagued my enoyment of skies of arcadia and happened on 2 seperate machines. in my experience less reliable than ps1 or ps2. would kill for another shen mue or nomad soul by the way.
I still have my Dreamcast to this day, and I give the old thing a dust down about once a month. I loved Jet Set Radio and Resi Code Veronica, not forgetting Skys of Acadia! those were well and truly the days!
I've still got my Dreamcast and I still think it's one of the best consoles ever made. Soul Calibur is still one of the best games ever committed to a disc. It looked brilliant, played like a dream and had so much content to keep it interesting, it was unbelieveable. I've heard Namco were working on version of this original Dreamcast game for the DS. I haven't heard anything for a while though.
The Dreamcast STILL f'n rules. I love playing Virtua Tennis with the lads, and House Of The Dead with the gun. The graphics are still amazing today; its such a shame that everything went the way it did, mostly because of the situation surrounding the best game ever SHENMUE! Am I the only one, who is close to tears, that Shenmue 3, realistically, is never going to happen? Lets start a rally or petition guys, and YOU at CVG, to BRING BACK SHENMUE on the 360 or whatever console! Come on guys BRING BACK SHENMUE BRING BACK SHENMUE BRING BACK SHENMUE BRING BACK SHENMUE BRING BACK SHENMUE !
THANKS CVG! FOR MAKING A GREAT ARTICLE LIKE THIS! YOU ABSOLUTELY KNOW THE TRUTH!
For me Sega Dreamcast is still alive and It's still my best friend because of titles such as Shenmue I, II, Jet Grind Radio, Soul Calibur, Dead Or Alive 2(better graphics than the PS2 version), Crazy Taxi 1, 2, The House Of The Dead, NBA 2k2, Virtua Tennis, Metropolis Street Racer, Sonic Adventure 1(not 2), Phantasy Star, Ecco!:The Dolphin, Day Tona USA, Resident Evil:CV, SEGA RALLY, Space Channel 5, REZ,
BTW I've recently bought another Dreamcast very cheap! So now I have two DCs! I did this because I was worry about my first DC, my first DC is so old andI've finished many games on it so if it damges someday, I still have another one just for playing games that you'll never get tired from playing them just like Yu Suzki's Shenmue series.
Seriously Shenmue I and II are two of those games that you can play them untill the last day of your life! Awesome story, Fantastic musics, Stunning Graphics (In it's time) & Innovative Game Play...+MORE!!!
HALL OF FAME GAVE YU SUZUKI AN AWARD MAINLY BECAUSE OF HIS SHENMUE SERIES,
SO SEGA SHOULD GIVE US SHENMUE III ON NEXT GEN BEFORE IT GET'S TOO LATE!
No matter on X360, Wii or PS3!
On Xbox 360 they can simply just release Shenmue III(Since Shenmue II X is now BC on Xbox 360)
On Wii they should just give us a remake of Shenmue I and II(with the same classic memorable graphics)and a new Shenmue III with using from Wii's unique controller(Why CAPCOM release Resident Evil 4 for Wii too? Sega should learn this from them)
and finally on PS3 they should put all 3 games together on a Blu-Ray disc but with PS3's graphics!
Shenmue's been my fav. game for years and I want them to finish it off some how. But if they put it on the wii with a bunch of tacked on gimiky stuff I'd be well f*cked off.
Heres to the Dreamcast, the dying wish that never came true.
Truly one of gamings greatest pleasures, shot down in its search for glory.
The best console ever, even in this day of Xbox 360's and PS3'S, and to some degree, the Wii, The Dreamcast did all the gimmicks. Tracked Motion, Cross platformed gaming, and online capabilities.
Come on guys, and you at CVG...let Yu Suzuki know, join me; BRING BACK SHENMUE ! BRING BACK SHENMUE ! BRING BACK SHENMUE ! BRING BACK SHENMUE ! BRING BACK SHENMUE ! BRING BACK SHENMUE ! BRING BACK SHENMUE !
People everywhere always say the dreamcast will never die, but i've got 2 sitting in my bedroom that have. Simply stopped working and now they randomly turn off. I'm pretty bitter about the fact i'll have to go buy another just to play Third Strike. This ever happen to anybody else?
ye the screen flashs black and goes back to the starting screen!!! it really p**sed me off as i got shenmue 1 off ebay and then it had to stop working!!
Come on guys, and you at CVG...let Yu Suzuki know, join me; BRING BACK SHENMUE ! BRING BACK SHENMUE ! BRING BACK SHENMUE ! BRING BACK SHENMUE ! BRING BACK SHENMUE ! BRING BACK SHENMUE ! BRING BACK SHENMUE !
BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah - golden days of gaming. Thanks for that CVG. Very nice article.
I wouldn't mind downloading a few DC classics on my Wii VC if you don't mind Ninty.
Sega was jut too naďve and was quickly put away by contemporary videogame business and marketing. Sony opened the way to a new ugly side of console launching with the PS2. Certainly raises an eyebrow when you consider the hideous hype surrounding their most recent spawn.
I think I’ll always look back on the DC (and also Gamecube) with a tear in my eye. The last of the innocents to pass before we all turn into robotic graphic-whores devoid of creativity.
But in the words of the green wise one… there is ano…ther…
That article does not do the Dreamcast justice. Surely if you're trying to make the point that it was one of the greatest consoles ever, and you're claiming to be a proper games site, you can manage a bit better than a pathetic 'best ten games' list, a potted history (which focuses almost entirely on the demise of the format) and some rumours-presented-as-fact, the sum total of which wouldn't cover both sides of a sheet of A4?
I've read more compelling and accurate games coverage on the BBC News website.
What about a list of Dreamcast games which survived onto other formats? What about how the controller seems to have inspired the XBox's controller? What of the piracy issue and boot discs? What about the updated internet browser disc which was never officially released in the UK (the one where you could choose your ISP, which at the time was crucial to the UK and made it all the more puzzling we never had it)? Typing of the Dead? The broadband adaptor? The homebrew scene? VGA boxes?
BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the Shenmue tale needs to be wrapped up - fantastic game. Disagree with the comment that Shenmue 2 was better with english voice overs... the japanese voice acting was great and made it much more immersive. Plus it was quite novel not having some annoying american voice actors (sorry)
The DC was and still is a good console, but i think some people rate it a bit too high.
some fantastic and original games, great graphics for the time, online etc.
some of them were unreliable though, even if mine still works fine! ive never used my VMU for anything other than game saves either, and even the 360 comes second to the DC in noisiest console stakes.
and some people go on about the graphics being far better than PS2, which is complete and utter rubbish! Better anti-aliasing yes, but theres no way the DC could run a lot of PS2 games.
At the time the PS2 was released, and for about a year after that, the DC really did offer much better visuals in many cases, not only as far as AA is concerned but also the clarity and detail of the textures (the PS2's ram amount is a joke). Then it died, therefor obviously we didn't see any better use out of it. Instead developers focused on PS2, where the money was, and ended up making some mighty fine looking games by now. Who knows what we would see come out of the Dreamcast had it survived for a couple more years.
As a side note I used the VMU to play a mini dungeon cralwer "downloaded" from a store in the Time Stalkers RPG. Time Stalkers was crap and that mini dungeon crawler was tons more fun than it. I've been trying to find something like that on PC but all the first person dungeon crawlers are overcomplicated, trying to be real RPGs when they aren't, or whatever else that makes them much less fun than that little mini game. Oh well.
BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE! BRING BACK SHENMUE!
The Dreamcast was and still is the most beautiful console ever made. It has a near magical quality to it and when you switch it on you know you're in for some gaming goodness.
REZ should be on your top ten list without a doubt.
I prefer Shenmue 1 with its main downfall being the last 100-man battle or whatever it was. Other than that it was much more atmospheric than 2, despite the crappy english dubs, and was overall a better "experience". Shenmue 2 was better as an actual game with more emphasis on combat and many more opportunities to use it. It also had more arcades, mini games, etc (but damn the new job sucked compared to the first game's!). However, it wasn't as atmospheric and didn't have as strong characters, and Ryo never got real close with anybody. Not to mention there was a complete lack of phones. It also had its great moments though, and it was sweet to finally meet that shenmue 1 intro chick and stroll through the forest (though the forest got repetitive after a while).
At the time the PS2 was released, and for about a year after that, the DC really did offer much better visuals in many cases, not only as far as AA is concerned but also the clarity and detail of the textures (the PS2's ram amount is a joke). Then it died, therefor obviously we didn't see any better use out of it. Instead developers focused on PS2, where the money was, and ended up making some mighty fine looking games by now. Who knows what we would see come out of the Dreamcast had it survived for a couple more years.
yea, but that would probably happen regardless of the console. DC's 2nd round of games looked better than PS2's first. Almost identical to the ps3/360 situation now. I would be amazed if the DC managed to run San Andreas,Black,MGS3 etc. almost all DC games look bland when compared to these. which is what youd expect from something released in 98!
I reckon I must have completed Shenmue I & II at least 4 times each! I find that I rarely replay a game twice these days. Everytime I played I would strive to choose a different path the game would allow me.
I would still like to try a few of the things that I have thought of in the last few years!
ArchFlameTera, you first agree with me, then you contradict that. What I'm saying is what you agreed with. Games created for a given system improve visually over time. Dreamcast didn't get time therefor remained with mostly first-gen titles.
No, perhaps it couldn't run MGS3 as it is, but I'm sure there would be something from Sega that could match up to that quality overall, even if it had slightly lower polycounts and made up for it with more detailed textures for example (god even MGS3 is AWFUL in that aspect) for example, as the Dreamcast could very well do due to the higher amount of ram than the PS2.
Just look at how the underpowered GameCube offered some of the best looking titles of last gen, such as Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 1 & 2, and Resident Evil 4. Sure the GameCube couldn't do Xbox's Halo as we know it, but it certainly offered games that matched up to that visual quality overall by taking advantage of the system's own strengths rather than trying to retrofit techniques of other titles in it.
It's not just system power, it's what you can and do with it that matters.
Jet Set Radio, Shenmue 1&2, Skies of Arcadia, Crazy Taxi, Seaman, Chu Chu Rocket, Phantasy Star Online, Soul Calibur, Metropolis Street Racer and so on...
A console that gave us all this, how could it have gone wrong?!?
It never went wrong, mate, not in our eyes. I'm Dreamcast til the day I die!
Jet Set Radio, Shenmue 1&2, Skies of Arcadia, Crazy Taxi, Seaman, Chu Chu Rocket, Phantasy Star Online, Soul Calibur, Metropolis Street Racer and so on...
A console that gave us all this, how could it have gone wrong?!?
It never went wrong, mate, not in our eyes. I'm Dreamcast til the day I die!
I have just over 50 odd games and counting! got 2 official guns and an official rod as well, heres a few decent games people seem to have forgotten: 1. Ferrari 355 Challenge 2. Headhunter (I enjoyed it more than mgs2) 3. Rayman 2 (best version) 4. Toy Commander 5. 18 Wheeler 6. Looney Tunes Space Race (best mario kart clone of them all) 7.Sega GT (what other game lets you build a car from scratch) 8. Daytona 2001
the DC's my favourite games machine by a mile, the xbox and the 360 are its general successors though as they seem to have filled the gap SEGA left when they quit the hardware race.
LISTEN I'VE READ CVG FOR 10 YEARS (mag form) and at the time of the Dreamcast their bias towards this console was unbelievable. There wasn't an episode of the mag that went by when a game released on it wasn't claimed to be 'the best ever' in it's genre or the best version of it. Ok im exaggerating but you know i'm telling it straight CVG. I remember. Some laughable examples: Virtua Soccer 'best ever arcade football game EVER'and DOA2 on the Dreamcast getting a higher score (Dreamcast 5/5, PS2 4/5) than the identical PS2 version because you believed it was a 'better technical achievement on the console at the time'. This in particular infuriated me at the time, and any person involved in writing it should be ashamed of their sad and childish atempt to damage Sony. OK Dreamcast was a good console. But it didn't have the great depth of great games that is made out. Crazy Taxi? 5/5? What an overrated pile of rubbish.
So what's a better arcade soccer title than Virtua Striker? And the Dreamcast did have the great depth of great games it's made out to have, people have only mentioned a few of their favorites and everyone brings up a different top 10 that's equally good to the previous, and they're still only scratching the surface.
It kept getting great games until its inevitable early death but at the time of the PS2's release and for well a year after that - at the very least - it offered a lot more quality titles that surpassed the PS2's best in every aspect, including graphics for which every Sony lover was hyped over with the Emotion Engine bulls**t.
And how many Playstation # titles have been overrated by the press? Every year a new game is the absolute classic of its category. The Final Fantasy name alone is enough to show the press' attitude toward Sony in each and every generation up until now so spare us all this "Sony was wronged" bulls**t. You know nothing.
Dreamcast still up there with the best as far as I am concerned. Always was a Sega bod - Master, Mega, MegaCD, Saturn & Dreamcast, had them all. My DC still working strong. I'm currently reliving REZ - awesome through a meaty AV setup. MSR, House of the Dead 2, Confidential Mission and Samba De Amigo are also loved and played by me and my partner's 2 boy's. Shenmue 2 about to get a dust-off and another go. Bout the best thing my ex did was buy me the DC for Chrissy 1999. Cheers.
I'm the proud owner of a still-working Dreamcast and a pair of arcade sticks. I'm still playing Soul Calibur regularly, despite the fact that it's eight years old. Don't forget that a major contributing factor in the 'demise' of the DC was the lack of support from Electronic Arts. I have never forgiven EA for this, and still refuse to buy their games. Here's my top 10...
Soul Calibur Dayona USA 2001 Sonic Adventure 2 Shenmue Toy Commander Virtua Tennis Ikaruga REZ Ferrari F355 Challenge Metropolis Street Racer
Long Live SEGA!
Ps: Does anyone play XBOX OutRun 2/2006 online anymore? I can never find a game...
"Dreamcast was the first console to offer cross-platform play. PC gamers got to show off their headshots against DC n00bs with Quake III Arena"
I experienced that.... the PC did have an advantage over the DC though. I always considered the PC users who played against the DC players on Quake3Arena a bit lame when you remember the PC users were all on PC's (obviously) so they all had keyboard and mouse, and had Broadband connections... against us poor old DC players who were on dial up (i did have a keyboard and mouse though so i could hold my own just about).
It was still great fun though, and the PC players boosted the number of people playing on the DC servers towards the end of the DC's life.
ArchFlameTera, you first agree with me, then you contradict that. What I'm saying is what you agreed with. Games created for a given system improve visually over time. Dreamcast didn't get time therefor remained with mostly first-gen titles.
No, perhaps it couldn't run MGS3 as it is, but I'm sure there would be something from Sega that could match up to that quality overall, even if it had slightly lower polycounts and made up for it with more detailed textures for example (god even MGS3 is AWFUL in that aspect) for example, as the Dreamcast could very well do due to the higher amount of ram than the PS2.
Just look at how the underpowered GameCube offered some of the best looking titles of last gen, such as Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 1 & 2, and Resident Evil 4. Sure the GameCube couldn't do Xbox's Halo as we know it, but it certainly offered games that matched up to that visual quality overall by taking advantage of the system's own strengths rather than trying to retrofit techniques of other titles in it.
It's not just system power, it's what you can and do with it that matters.
My understanding is that the PS2 was a far more powerful machine. It had a terrible amount of video ram but a, for the time huge internal bus speed, meaning infomation could be streamed through the system quickly rather than being held in a memory cache.
It also had a true custom graphics processor, so trying to compare the 2 based on Vram size is eronous.
My interpretation of the sega fiasco is that they shot their load too early, releasing a console that seemed underpowered when the ps2 came out. This is almost exactly what happened with the amiga cd32, which came out shortly before the original playstation, was made to look foolish and pretty much destroyed the company
Most excellent that the DC is still getting props even after all these years! Although it was taken from us too soon, I still have mine and it works!!!!! Thats probably something Micro$oft and $ony should learn from is how a DC can work fine even after all these years yet my 360 seems to be so bored with life that it's had to be returned for repair twice! Iv'e always said the old companies (Sega, Nintendo) know how to make top quality consoles that are built to last. Heres a true tale of a N64 console that was urinated on after a drunken night of partying. Two months later (after being suitably dried and washed down) the console STILL worked with zero parts needing to be replaced, and then we have PS2 I still have friends and family asking me to repair their systems, the problem? Wear and tear, whilst both my friends N64 still functions after having bodily fluids released onto it and my DC still in perfect working order and still being played non-stop! And as for the comment about Sony being robbed with regards to game reviews, that's the biggest load of cack iv'e ever heard. How do we explain GC and xbox 1 versions of multi-platform games recieving lower average scores than P$2 versions? Possibly a new "marketing" strategy by Sony? Because it certainly aint better graphics, sound or even controls! Sega were robbed by Sony end of story anyone who says otherwise is an idiot, hell even the Ps2 user was lied to, once the DC began to pick up steam suddenly the lengthy delay on the PS2 became a whole lot less lengthy, all of the add on peripherals promised that would be such a necessity for PS2 gameplay, what happened to them? Oh and while i'm at it what ever happened to the PS2's supposed internet functionality? It never happened. Online play. Thats all. Dreamcast rules!!!!!!!! peace out!!!!
edit: As an aside; the reason why there were so many good games for it may also have been the reason for it's downfall. EA's refusal to make games for the DC may have ultimatley contributed to the systems downfall, but it also meant that there was less of the shovelware we have come to expect from EA.
My understanding is that the PS2 was a far more powerful machine. It had a terrible amount of video ram but a, for the time huge internal bus speed, meaning infomation could be streamed through the system quickly rather than being held in a memory cache.
It also had a true custom graphics processor, so trying to compare the 2 based on Vram size is eronous.
the DC had a custom graphics chip too based on the power vr series that started in PC's. it was a very efficient chip that only rendered what was visible on screen unlike modern chips that do more than the the player can see.
i dont know which machine was most powerful but the dreamcast had the better games library in my opinion.
I've never physically touched a Sony product since. I nearly wept with joy at the spectacular EPIC FAILINGS of the PS3 launch. Ten years waiting for retribution, and now we can all finally bask in the glory of Sony's years of arrogance and lies coming to bite them in the bottom.
Never had one,by the time I had saved up for one no shops around where I lived where selling them. I might get one as someone earlier said you can get them cheap on ebay,just to see what all the fuss is about and to see what shenmue is like.
It seems to me though that it has this expanded reputation because it "died" early. Elvis,Marilyn Monroe,John Lennon,James Dean,all good at what they did but seemed to have been elevated to legendary status just because they died before their time and it looks like Sega fans are doing the same for the Dreamcast. I'm not slating it, or Sega fans, just making an observation.
Im surprised no one mentioned Hidden and Dangerous and also Legacy of Kain:soul reaver on Dreamcast, but i must admit Shemue was or is still one of the greatest games ever made, but my main love for the Dreamcast was playing Unreal and QuakeIIIAreana online,Simply has to be the best console ever in made but still bewilders me how Sega F***ed up so bad. Really hope Sega decide to fund the Shemue3 project as there was talk about a few months ago.
Sega wore and still are the only company that would mildly temp me to get another console manufacture other than Nintendo,funny enough even in the big battle days there was enormous respect Between the "2Big japanese developers" Sony never interested me for the same reason Dreamcast fans resent sony they tired but fortunily failed to topple a great games company in form.IF sega brought out a new sega console i would quite happily place it next to my Nintendo Wii/dslite/I.and play it as long they had a mutual agreement to allow saga games on nintendo's consoles.As we have given them favour in buy there Sonic games.by the way i will defo get Sonic knight sonic with a sword actually sounds amazing legend.
Sony didn't kill the Dreamcast, SEGA did... With bad pricing and poor marketing. Simple as that. As I've said before - If everybody who harps on now about how great the DC is just because the internet now says it's 'cool' had actually gone out and BOUGHT ONE when it released like the rest of us, then SEGA might well have been still in the hardware business to this day.
EVERY GAMING STORE WOULD TRY TO PUT THE CONSUMER OFF AND SAY WAIT FOR PS2
STUPID CHAV CULTURE DOMINATED THE WEAK MODERN TEENAGERS MIND AGAINST COMMONSENSE THINKING PROCESSES AND DREAMCAST OWNING ""THINKERS"" WERE MADE TO FEEL UNPOPULAR IN THE STREET BLACK CULTURE SONY IS COOL BECAUSE SONYS MARKETING DEPARTMENT TOLD US SO CHAV STUPIDITY RULED SADLY CULTURE ROLS EYES
QUALITY POLISH SWEETNESS OF GAMEPLAY AND CONTROLS WENT OUT THE WINDOW """GAMERS HAD LOST CONTROL AND WERE REPLACED WITH THE TREADED SONY CHAV """ """GOD FORBID"""
A GAME WAS NOW ONLY GOOD IF IT CRASHED LOADED TERRIBLY SLOWLY HAD POP UP WEAK DEAD SPOT PS2 CONTROLS AND MORE JAGGYS THAN A BREAD KNIFE
AND HAD A MAN WITH A GUN SHOOTING OTHER MEN WITH GUNS
APPARANTLY GAMING WAS ABOUT CHAVS ACTING OUT CHAV FANTASYS AND ALL OTHER GAMES WERE NOW APPARANTLY GAY
SONY FANS THE WEAK MINDED CHAV DOMINATED GAMES CULTURE WAS A FAD NOT WII
NINTENDO RECLAIMED HER RIGHTFUL PLACE ON THE THROWN
Of all the consoles currently residing in the failed videogaming graveyard the Dreamcast was the most worthy. If only Sega hadn't fumbled the ball with the Mega CD, 32X and Saturn (although I LOVE my Saturn) then it really could have stood a chance.
Btw for all those with random reset problems there are easy fixes like these:
honestly,i loved my dreamcast.but the reason i say sega failed with it.like many other things they created...it simply didnt get the right push.i mean who would have thought.sony,a name who is associated with walkmans,tv's,stereos and car radios.would come in the way they did.and just dominate the gaming world.i still find it hard to believe sega was defeated the way they were.and yet it was done so easy.there was a time when i wouldnt buy anything that wasnt sega related.yet i soon realized the end was near. and got rid of my dreamcast .i would like to see sega one day get back into the console war.now i own all three consoles.and i must say,i have more fun with my 360 than i do with ps3 and the nintendo wii.
I have to agree. my Dreamcast is my most cherished console. My SNES comes a close 2nd and I've kept both machines and all my games.
I think what made the DC so cool was the fact that the games were very Japanese during it's initial release and straight up to it's untimely demise (and beyond the grave with the likes of Border Down etc.). Japan develops games for western audiences these days and major releases tend to be rather watered down to suit xbox 360 and PS3 owners etc, rather than the old 90's Japan-Eccentric style that I still love to this day. And it's still the daddy when it comes to 2D fighters. It's anti aliasing ability meant you had smoother 2d graphics in comparison with it's rival, PS2. It even had a huge injection of SNK titles ported from the NEO GEO in it's last few official months on the market.
Out of my rather huge archive of DC games (which I love to boast about haha!) I would recommend the following - if you like your games with a distinct old school Japanese flavour:
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure IllBleed Shutokou Battle 2 (Tokyo Highway Challenge 2) Densha de Go Ryojo Aero Dancing i Out trigger Phantasy Star Online 2 Guilty Gear X
I still own two dreamcasts - one that I use and one completely factory new (I have never even opened the box after I bought it from Electronics Boutique (now Game)
I would never consider selling anything on Dreamcast and consider it the most impressive console I ever bought at the launch date.
Dreamcast games still have that arcade like brightness and Soul Calibur looks almost as good as Soul Calibur 4 and plays better. When it came out it was simply incredible.
Some other great games (all in my collection) included Marvel vs Capcom 2, Resi Evil 2 (best version) Resi Veronica, Bangai O, House of the Dead 2, Sega Rally 2, Shenmue 1 and 2, MDK2, Stupid Invaders, 24 Hours le mans (with a full 24 hour mode, Confidential Mission, Chu Chu Rocket, Metropolis Street racer, Jet Set Radio, Phantasy Star On Line...really I could go on.
wow this support for dreamcast is boderline crazy. I admire your feelings for the console, but seemingly like the wii, third party support (the lack of) was one of the nails in the coffin. not saying it was as chronic as wiis but still poor compared to ps2 in the day. Liked the amazing amount of add ons for it, and it had online out of the box, ps2 didnt get that over here untill 3 years after dreamcasts death......
I generally love all consoles after pretty much having had all of them at one time or another since the Spectrum 48k but the Dreamcast was supposed to be my gap console spanning ps1 & 2 as i bought it near the end of its life it was cheap and it had lots of cheap games. I never expected it to delay my buying of a ps2 for as long as it did because, well, i didn't need to. I used to love Gran Turismo on PS but after playing MSR i could never go back, Shenmue 1 & 2 are 2 of the greatest games ever made which my wife and i both played. Crazi taxi was an amazing arcade game and Virtua tennis and NBK2 near the end were also great sports games, oh, yeah and Rez and Soul Caliber & Jet Set Radio were brilliant too and i even enjoyed Sonic Adventure 1 & 2. P.S. Where the hell is Shenmue 3, mainly bought Xbox1 as its was supposed to be coming out and for PGR of course.
I have a theory. Sega are building themselves up as a mega publisher, then when they have enough exclusives they will launch their own console. Obviously not gonna happen but I feel dirty owning a 360! I'm a sega fanboy!
I was a huge Sega Fanboy from Mark III (Master System) onwards. I wish all you bastards actually brought the Dreamcast instead of a Playstation 2. For the short time it was out, I dont think any other console has had as many true Triple A games. But then again must of you bastards should of brought a Sega Saturn instead of a PS1. I mean whats wrong with people? Panzer Dragoon Saga, Daytona USA, Sega Rally, Virtua Cop, Virtua Fighter, NiGHTS, Burning Rangers, Fighters Megamix, SonicR, Dragon Force, Shining Force III, Guardian Heroes, Saturn Bomberman (10 player FFS!), Radiant Silvergun. And the best home ports outside of Neo Geo AES of: King of Fighters, Waku Waku 7, Astra Super Stars, Metal Slug.
Sega Saturn owned the Playstation, and the games playing public are daft as f**k for not seeing it. -Although it is funny how I think the Playstation 3 is the best of the current gen of consoles.....
I've actually just realised that the Dreamcast is my favourite ever console. Virtua Tennis got a lot of multiplayer action, Soul Calibur was great, Crazy Taxi was brilliant. In my opinion it had the last good sonic game (I was 10 at the time). Most important for me was that it was the first thing that I connected to the internet with, we never had a computer in our household so this was my first foray into the online world. It's a shame that it wasn't the success that it had the potential to be.
If sega announced the were bringing out a console backward compatible with Dreamcast games, that had downloadable Dreamcast games as well, ALL megadrive games downloadable all in widescreen HD AND a few games in development for the new machine, i would buy it..!!!
I remember after they announced the discontinuation of the Dreamcast they also vowed to continue supporting the machine. They announced a killer line up of games including the likes of Jet Set Radio 2 which never saw the light of day on teh DC. Shame.
I still have my DC (in my wife's attic) haven't played it for a couple of years now. Maybe I should tackle the couple of unfished games I have for the system (Illbleed, Shadowman, Ecco). I hate lose ends
A great console. My personal third favourite behind Snes and N64. - I'll never forget the first time I played through Shenmue, becoming utterly immersed in the process. Some criticized the slow pace and rigid story-telling, but the sense of being in a living, breathing world was incredible, second only to Ocarina of Time.
A Wii compilation would be fantastic, with perhaps the conclusion to the story as a short movie (since Sega probably nolonger have the funds to create a third game!)
EDIT: Make that fourth favourite. I'd put GameCube above it, having just looked at my games collection. It has the definitive, deluxe version of Skies of Arcadia too.
I've got two (one for using and one for spares complete with spare pads). Great machine, never regretted buying it from day one. Online straight from the box, a fantastic selection of games and graphics far superior to anything from the rivals at the time. Even when the Ps2 came out later on the Dreamcast was able to compete graphically. A shame too many people bourght into Sonys hype and ignored the Dreamcast because quality outweighs quantity and playing the likes of Sonic Adventure 1+2, Shenmue 1+2, Msr, Headhunter, Tokyo Highway Challenge, Pso, Ecco and many others was gaming heaven.
I've got two (one for using and one for spares complete with spare pads). Great machine, never regretted buying it from day one. Online straight from the box, a fantastic selection of games and graphics far superior to anything from the rivals at the time. Even when the Ps2 came out later on the Dreamcast was able to compete graphically. A shame too many people bourght into Sonys hype and ignored the Dreamcast because quality outweighs quantity and playing the likes of Sonic Adventure 1+2, Shenmue 1+2, Msr, Headhunter, Tokyo Highway Challenge, Pso, Ecco and many others was gaming heaven.
Gone, but not forgotten.
To be fair, it wasn't just hype. Sony did have a great machine and the games to go with it.
And the Sonic Adventure games were dire. Hardly the Dreamcast's finest moment.
I've got two (one for using and one for spares complete with spare pads). Great machine, never regretted buying it from day one. Online straight from the box, a fantastic selection of games and graphics far superior to anything from the rivals at the time. Even when the Ps2 came out later on the Dreamcast was able to compete graphically. A shame too many people bourght into Sonys hype and ignored the Dreamcast because quality outweighs quantity and playing the likes of Sonic Adventure 1+2, Shenmue 1+2, Msr, Headhunter, Tokyo Highway Challenge, Pso, Ecco and many others was gaming heaven.
Gone, but not forgotten.
To be fair, it wasn't just hype. Sony did have a great machine and the games to go with it.
And the Sonic Adventure games were dire. Hardly the Dreamcast's finest moment.
I disagree. A lot of existing Ps1 owners were taken in by Sonys marketing and although the Ps2 was a good machine it certainly wasnt the behemoth Sony would lead people to believe coming out with crap like 'the emotion engine is so sophisticated its actually capable of its own emotions'. Also I'm not sure how you can describe the Sonic Adventure games as 'dire'. Sonic Adventure 1 in particular is a storming game, is very highly regarded and is far better than anything has that come out since.
I've got two (one for using and one for spares complete with spare pads). Great machine, never regretted buying it from day one. Online straight from the box, a fantastic selection of games and graphics far superior to anything from the rivals at the time. Even when the Ps2 came out later on the Dreamcast was able to compete graphically. A shame too many people bourght into Sonys hype and ignored the Dreamcast because quality outweighs quantity and playing the likes of Sonic Adventure 1+2, Shenmue 1+2, Msr, Headhunter, Tokyo Highway Challenge, Pso, Ecco and many others was gaming heaven.
Gone, but not forgotten.
To be fair, it wasn't just hype. Sony did have a great machine and the games to go with it.
And the Sonic Adventure games were dire. Hardly the Dreamcast's finest moment.
I disagree. A lot of existing Ps1 owners were taken in by Sonys marketing and although the Ps2 was a good machine it certainly wasnt the behemoth Sony would lead people to believe coming out with crap like 'the emotion engine is so sophisticated its actually capable of its own emotions'. Also I'm not sure how you can describe the Sonic Adventure games as 'dire'. Sonic Adventure 1 in particular is a storming game, is very highly regarded and is far better than anything has that come out since.
I was talking about the PS1, not PS2. Perhaps I misunderstood what you were saying? Ridge Racer, Tekken and Wipeout weren't bad were they?
The Sonic Adventure games were not very well regarded, and for many were the beginning of the end as far as quality Sonic fare was concerned. Even subsequent 2D stuff has felt like token efforts.
Dreamcast Ecco was crap too. Let's not be looking through rose-tinted specs now. The Dreamcast wasn't perfect.
I've got two (one for using and one for spares complete with spare pads). Great machine, never regretted buying it from day one. Online straight from the box, a fantastic selection of games and graphics far superior to anything from the rivals at the time. Even when the Ps2 came out later on the Dreamcast was able to compete graphically. A shame too many people bourght into Sonys hype and ignored the Dreamcast because quality outweighs quantity and playing the likes of Sonic Adventure 1+2, Shenmue 1+2, Msr, Headhunter, Tokyo Highway Challenge, Pso, Ecco and many others was gaming heaven.
Gone, but not forgotten.
To be fair, it wasn't just hype. Sony did have a great machine and the games to go with it.
And the Sonic Adventure games were dire. Hardly the Dreamcast's finest moment.
I disagree. A lot of existing Ps1 owners were taken in by Sonys marketing and although the Ps2 was a good machine it certainly wasnt the behemoth Sony would lead people to believe coming out with crap like 'the emotion engine is so sophisticated its actually capable of its own emotions'. Also I'm not sure how you can describe the Sonic Adventure games as 'dire'. Sonic Adventure 1 in particular is a storming game, is very highly regarded and is far better than anything has that come out since.
I was talking about the PS1, not PS2. Perhaps I misunderstood what you were saying? Ridge Racer, Tekken and Wipeout weren't bad were they?
The Sonic Adventure games were not very well regarded, and for many were the beginning of the end as far as quality Sonic fare was concerned. Even subsequent 2D stuff has felt like token efforts.
Dreamcast Ecco was crap too. Let's not be looking through rose-tinted specs now. The Dreamcast wasn't perfect.
No mate, Ps1 was a great machine and I love the original Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution. Much better and more focused that the latest efforts and Tekken 3 is one of the most enjoyable fighting games I've played. Wipeout wasn't all that, but I do rememeber the graphics being amazing at the time. Destruction Derby on the other hand was/is still awesome! I was talking about the Ps2 in my original quote.
I think you'll find Sonic Adventure was highly regarded as far as Dreamcast games go. Read any old issue of a Dc magazine and see for yourself. Talk to any Dreamcast fan about that game and you'll also see. Hell, check out some reviews online from somewhere like Gamerankings. Ecco was also a touch of class and got fantastic reviews at the time. It was later ported to Ps2 with graphical and content upgrades(I have both versions)after the Dreamcast had died. Maybe you don't like those games, which is fine, but loads of Dreamcast owners would disagree, and those rose tinted specs are non existant as I still own the machine and its games today and still play it. I agree it wasn't perfect, I don't think theres ever been a perfect machine(although Sega Megadrive came pretty close), but it was revolutionary back in 1999 and set a benchmark for innovation and technology at the time.
Ecco was visually beautiful, but excrutiatingly difficult to play and lacking direction and focus in its story progression. - That's my opinion and I seem to recall a lot of mags at the time saying the same thing.
Sonic Adventure felt like an on-rails platformer which, at times, gifted you very little control over the main character other than holding down forward to run. Not clever. - In between which you had to plod through a very mediocre, slow paced 'hub-level', totally ill-fitting Sonic's biggest asset and draw. His speed. - It also introduced a raft of some of the most despised characters in gaming history, second only to Donkey Kong 64. I admit though, it was about the best of the 3D efforts.
Ecco was visually beautiful, but excrutiatingly difficult to play and lacking direction and focus in its story progression. - That's my opinion and I seem to recall a lot of mags at the time saying the same thing.
Sonic Adventure felt like an on-rails platformer which, at times, gifted you very little control over the main character other than holding down forward to run. Not clever. - In between which you had to plod through a very mediocre, slow paced 'hub-level', totally ill-fitting Sonic's biggest asset and draw. His speed. - It also introduced a raft of some of the most despised characters in gaming history, second only to Donkey Kong 64. I admit though, it was about the best of the 3D efforts.
Even so, you're talking like it's Galaxy's equal.
I can see you may not personally like Sonic Adventure or Ecco but as I said even if you don't there are plenty of people out there who do, and regardless of personal opinion both games got great reviews.
Sonic Adventure was on rails yes, which is why it was so good. The exploration hubs between levels were not over complicated like they have been in more recent efforts and you can more or less go straight to the next level with minimal exploration if you wish as most puzzles in this world seem to be of the take object A to point B type. The levels themselves had an incredible sense of speed and because it was linear in nature made it all the better as it was simply like a classic 2d Sonic game but in 3d(get to the end of the level as fast as you can = fun). They should have stuck to that formular.
As for Ecco all Ecco games always were at their worst extreamly difficult and fustrating but at their best very engrossing, relaxing and beatiful to play.
I never mentioned anything about either being galaxys equal so not sure where that came from, just a gamer expressing an opinion that the Dc was great for a number of reasons and that it had some of the best games around at that time(which were reflected in the review scores from various magazines and internet sites, and by Dc gamers alike).
I suppose the games are down to personal preference, but at least we can agree that the Dreamcast was/is an awesome console. - It had the kind of arcadey, pick-up-and-play titles that you just cannot find on either 360 or PS3. It has become the fashion to over-complicate games and stuff as much content in as possible.
Look how simplistic Crazy Taxi was. I'd still rather play it than something like Gran Turismo. - Outrun over Forza any day of the week.
I suppose the games are down to personal preference, but at least we can agree that the Dreamcast was/is an awesome console. - It had the kind of arcadey, pick-up-and-play titles that you just cannot find on either 360 or PS3. It has become the fashion to over-complicate games and stuff as much content in as possible.
Look how simplistic Crazy Taxi was. I'd still rather play it than something like Gran Turismo. - Outrun over Forza any day of the week.
I hear ya mate. It had a lot of instant action titles, but also had more intense stuff that would engross you for hours(like Shenmue). I agree about the modern trend of over-complicating stuff, although the new consoles are still great fun and have some really decent games of their own generation. For me though the golden era of gaming was the 16-bit days, but the Dreamcast ranks up highly as one of my favourite machines from other times.
soul calibur, shenmue 1 and 2, virtual on 2, marvel vs capcom 1 and 2, street fighter 3, power stone 1 and 2, crazy taxi 1 and 2, house of the dead 2, ecco, sonic adventure, skies of arcadia, doa2, chu chu rocket, space channel 1 and 2, phantasy star online, sega bass fishing, confindental mission, resident evil code veronica, grandia 2, quake 3, f355 challenge, project justice rival schools 2, jet set radio, bangi 0, rez, mdk2, tokyo highway challenge, virtua tennis, head hunter
all great games, missed by soo many people, the lack of fifa wounded dreamcast, the lack of gta3 killed it stone dead
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I enjoyed it much more with Japanese speach.
and presents rumours or hearsay as fact (ex: Half-Life canned just because of the loading times).
got 2 official guns and an official rod as well, heres a few decent games people seem to have forgotten:
Sony didn't kill the Dreamcast, SEGA did... With bad pricing and poor marketing. Simple as that.
