Nine years later, the Dream(cast) continues
by Randy Nelson 
{ Sep 9th 2008 at 11:30PM }
It's hard to imagine a gaming world without the likes of Jet Set Radio, Shenmue, Samba de Amigo, Space Channel 5 and the 2K Sports series, not to mention wonderful one-offs like Rez, Skies of Arcadia and Typing of the Dead. Of course, there was also perhaps its greatest contribution to the annuls of gaming: Seaman. (Sorry, Pen Pen TriIcelon.)
So, Dreamcast may be gone, but it's certainly not forgotten. Series that began life on the console continue to this day on other platfoms, and there are still one or two indie Dreamcast games in the works. Do you have any especially fond Dreamcast-related memories? Share them in comments! We could totally get in on a nice, nostalgic DC love-in with some fellow Fans For Life.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
ComradeTrotskii @ Sep 9th 2008 11:38PM
Power Stone.
That's all I have to say on the matter.
NukeAssault @ Sep 9th 2008 11:41PM
Flippin loved that game. Played it all the time with my friends.
Jtenma @ Sep 10th 2008 12:01AM
Awww...man beat me to it.
I loved 2's 4 player vs..and I used to play 2 player co op, all the time.
Red Leader @ Sep 10th 2008 12:07AM
I personally loved everything about the Dreamcast. Sonic Adventure, Jet Set Radio, Shenmue, Seaman (yeah I know, stfu), Power Stone (1 and 2), and tons of other lesser known games that captured my heart. Did anyone try the PC port Silver? I fucking loved that game.
iamchialike @ Sep 10th 2008 12:39AM
i loveddd that game
flameofdoom666 @ Sep 10th 2008 1:09AM
I still have my copy of Silver! Loved it.
I didn't think people knew about it! Haha. I didn't know it was a PC port- learn something everyday!
sertz @ Sep 10th 2008 2:44AM
I love my Dreamcast. Still have it and it still works like a "Dream" haha. Not funny but whatever. Favorite games would have to be Soul Calibiur, Jet Set Radio, Power Stone, Dead or Alive 2, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Street Fighter III: Third Strike
Unreal Tournament, Grandia II, Skies of Arcadia, and the unreleased version of Half Life. And you didn't hear it from me, but you can get that unreleased version on torrent sites as a self-boot, along with a ton of other free indie games! Happy DC gaming!
OMGOMG @ Sep 10th 2008 5:27AM
I think House of the Dead may disagree with you, sir.
Kidding. I swear.
riggs @ Sep 10th 2008 11:15AM
ahh dreamcast, i bought it as a xmas present for 100 dollars 6 years ago, came with everything plus a huge cd case filled with every game ever made for it...man that console was fun....SHENMUE!
Spartacus @ Sep 9th 2008 11:38PM
Rainbow 6
Andrew @ Sep 9th 2008 11:41PM
Nine years ago I was 14 years old. I remember being in Babbages getting ready to pick up my Dreamcast that I had on reserve. Oh man, the memories. The first game I picked up was Sonic Adventure. I had been waiting a whole year to play it, and man was it worth it. I'd give anything to relive that day. Good times.
aj @ Sep 9th 2008 11:39PM
Man, I loved my Dreamcast.
I remember being blown away as I plugged my phone line into the back of the thing and dialed into my crappy ISP to play Phantasy Star Online for the first time.....slaying monsters with kids from Japan. It was a new experience for me.
And who can forget Shenmue? An RPG that took place in a real place, in a real time period, and you had to get a job and do all sorts of things which sounded boring and awful but actually made it a unique, fun game.
Time to go take it out of the closet, plug it in, and shed a tear as I play a little Chu Chu Rocket.....
Luke @ Sep 10th 2008 1:13AM
You unplugged it?
LeadBoxx @ Sep 10th 2008 1:16AM
Yeah man wasn't PSO online just so awesome! The first time I played it I stayed up for like 10 hours and there were nice people on their to help you. I miss that and the one for 360 was kinda lame.
drybones @ Sep 10th 2008 1:52AM
well there's a DS ver. of PSO not PSU coming out soon :)
wonder if Joystiq is gonna post this or not.
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4838974
Fin @ Sep 10th 2008 5:55AM
PSO is definitely my best memory... Chatting online, finding rare items, speed running Ruins 1 with a hacked Spread Needle...
Clocked up 500+ hours on it, loved every minute.
Always preferred the original to Ver 2 or Ep 1 & 2, the others felt gimmicky where the original felt pure. No feeling like hitting lvl 100 =)
BananaBoat @ Sep 10th 2008 9:19AM
I remember plugging in the phone line and thinking "There is no way this is going to work..." typed in my AOL screen name and password, and...lo and behold...it freaking worked! That was the first time I really thought that online gaming had a future on consoles. It's amazing how well that game worked despite being limited to 56k.
Having come from the N64, my other memory of the Dreamcast was popping in the first Dreamcast sonic, and wondering if I had bought a video game console, or a super computer. Then again, I had the same reaction when I bought an N64 after coming from the SNES. I was really sad the day that I bought a Playstation 2, because I knew the dreamcast (with it's lack of DVD player) was completely finished.
All is not lost though. I still play Jet Grind Radio on my Dreamcast, and Gundam:Rise from the ashes. If the previous 10 sonic games since the Dreamcast one had been any good, I'd probably be saying that it was for the best that Sega got out of the hardware business (I'd love it if Nintendo did, so they could focus on next-gen Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc. Zero chance of that happening though) but every sonic since has sucked major ass. I'm still waiting for a Jet Grind Radio sequel too, but I guess it's never coming.
Happy 9th birthday Dreamcast
dark_inchworm @ Sep 9th 2008 11:39PM
I know a lot of people are going to bring me down with their far superior games and whatnot, but some of my most memorable experiences with the console involve Crazy Taxi. That was a hell of a lot of fun back in the day.
KeenCommander @ Sep 10th 2008 12:03AM
Back in the day? Ahem, Fare Wars...PSP...all the time. Thanks.
But it's still best on Dreamcast, especially with rumble. *hugs Dreamcast* Best $30 I've ever spent.
dark_inchworm @ Sep 10th 2008 12:18AM
I'm aware of Fare Wars, I was staring at the damn case to it just yesterday. But the original experience? Dreamcast, baby.
(Or arcade, whatever. Both are good fun)
Tiptup300 @ Sep 10th 2008 12:26AM
Another awesome thing about the game was the way it loaded stuff, if stuff didn't load, you wouldn't see it. So my scratched disc made for some interesting game sessions.
Todd @ Sep 10th 2008 2:12AM
Crazy Taxi was great on the Dreamcast. Loved it! The versions for the other consoles either were censored and had the voices changed or the sense of speed was bad.
I also remember how amazed I was by Soul Caliber. Who would have thought a fighting game could look that good on the Dreamcast.
It was a worthy console, just too bad it's life got cut short
aj @ Sep 10th 2008 9:12AM
Oh man, I loved Crazy Taxi.
I did not love the soundtrack, though. I mean, I like the two songs, but there were only two songs.
I don't know, maybe my copy had a weird error where only two songs ever played, but it drove me insane.
deaftly @ Sep 10th 2008 9:41AM
YAH YAH YAH YAH YAH
Huey2k2 @ Sep 9th 2008 11:39PM
Grandia 2.
One of my most favourite RPG's.
ssuk @ Sep 10th 2008 3:26PM
I love that game still to this day. It may even be my favourite RPG of all time.
Trying to replay it is a pain for me though, my Dreamcast randomly resets itself when playing a game. A game with it's length and save system just begs for me to get within pixels of the save-cone before the bugger restarts, undoing an hour or so of dungeon-crawling.
Kevin McGough @ Sep 9th 2008 11:51PM
this console brought the 2nd best videogame ever ( behind ocarina of time) shenmue. This series needs to be finished...... Just one more game please sega!!!!! Hear the cries of the millions.... This story needs and ending!
Pudie @ Sep 10th 2008 2:35AM
Dreamcast, to this day, is still my favorite console. I remember using the browser just cause i thought it was new and cool to be doing that on my TV. Using to the keyboard to talk smack in NFL2K. Playing Virtua Tennis until the sun came up. Being in awe at Sonic, and endlessly frustrated with each sequel there after. Thinking the VMU was the greatest thing ever.
Looking back, Dreamcast send the ground work for a lot of todays consoles and was just a little bit to ahead of its time.
Jacksons @ Sep 9th 2008 11:47PM
The games were pretty good, but the controller was a sadist.
Hala Madrid!! (Madrileno hasta la muerte!) @ Sep 10th 2008 12:17AM
What are you talking about? The Dreamcast controller had one of the best designs of its generation,better than the Nintendo64 and PS controller but,I do think that MS copied some of the design of the Dreamcast controller for its first and second generation Xbox controllers.
Asher @ Sep 10th 2008 12:28AM
I totally agree. After finding out a while ago my Dreamcast could read burned games, I downloaded Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and that D-Pad destroyed my thumb.
Toastix @ Sep 9th 2008 11:48PM
Still probably my favorite system I ever owned. I still go back and play Chu Chu Rocket! for hours, and Jet Set Radio is one of my top 5 games of all time. Though how I loath Code Veronica for giving me a great game but not enough ammunition to get past the first disc; im still to frustrated to go back and beat it.
Titanium_Orchid @ Sep 10th 2008 12:46AM
great call on Chu-Chu Rocket.
Jason @ Sep 10th 2008 11:34AM
Speaking of RE:CV, I played the crap out of that first disk only to realize that when I needed to refill the fire extinguisher on Disk 2, I couldn't do so because I left it in the metal detector box, not the storage box. Needed to restart the game b/c I didn't have a disk 1 save file...
Foodie_Monster @ Sep 9th 2008 11:50PM
Do you know where I can find some sailors around here?
What can you tell me about the four Wudu?
Wanna play a game of Lucky Hit!?
Nozomi... Nozomi!? Nozomi!
Dad..? Dad... Dad..! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Jason @ Sep 10th 2008 1:05AM
"Do you know anything about 'that day'?"
"Oh, 'that day'? No, I don't know anything about 'that day'."
"I see."
Come Get Me!!! @ Sep 10th 2008 2:10PM
do you know where i can find warehouse number 8?
....warehouse number 8?...
yes,,,,warehouse number 8..lol
dreamcast is legendary man!
el serpiente @ Sep 9th 2008 11:50PM
Umm, Soul Calibur? Still looks great to this day...
Alex M @ Sep 10th 2008 2:45AM
Absutively. Still looks *and plays* great!
geminate @ Sep 9th 2008 11:52PM
I never had any desire to buy a DC. I had owned a Genesis previously but was always drawn more towards Nintendo. I also hate when people whisper on commercials! The DC commericals ended with a female whisering, "It's thinking." Uggh, I hated those commercials.
So, one day in the fall of 2000, I was at a Fry's Electronics and I was wandering around the game section. There was a game displayed that had maracas. For some reason I wanted to try it even though it looked kind of lame. I also don't really like latin music. However, as soon as I started playing Samba de Amigo, I was hooked. It was the most fun thing that I had played in a long time. I didn't end up buying it that day for some reason.
I ended up getting a Dreamcast, Samba, and a set of maracas for Christmas from my girlfriend!! I found out she had to wait in line for almost 2 hours to get it because of Christmas shopping! To this day, I still love playing it. I can't wait to play it on our Wii.
PS I married that girl!
Fishbox @ Sep 10th 2008 2:45PM
Awesome story!
My favourite games (the ones I still play now) from the DC are mostly 2D fighters, however when you look back now there were some truly creative and individual games. It's a real shame the system didn't really take of in a commercial sense, but I'm still as happy with the DC today as I was when I bought it.
Except for 3D Sonic games, they suck.
marik @ Sep 9th 2008 11:56PM
Sonic Adventure is still my fav Sonic game when I got my DC at launch @ Toys R Us. I still pop Marvel vs Capcom 2 (best version still) and Bangai-O here and there.
Jtenma @ Sep 10th 2008 12:04AM
Yes, someone said it...SA1 and SA2 were the best Sonic games (in my opinion) ever created. I liked how they did Shadow back then, although most people hate him now!
And the best 2-d fighter (again, my opinion) of all time MvC2..oh gawd.
Now imagine MvC2 with lag-less online play!
Do it!
Mr Khan @ Sep 10th 2008 8:20AM
We are in agreement, then. The Sonic Adventures both rocked.
Helmut The Cadaver @ Sep 10th 2008 12:00AM
Layin down some pwnage on power stone.
Combo 'n it up in Marvel vs. Capcom 2.
man I loved the Dreamcast.
Well, I'm gonna go play some Gauntlet Legends (on my dreamcast. XD)
Young_Nastyman @ Sep 10th 2008 12:02AM
I'm calling it right now:
Dreamcast 2 coming out this time next year!
FOXHOUND @ Sep 10th 2008 7:28AM
If SEGA found a way to 'recreate the magic' of the short-lived Dreamcast era, I'd gladly hop on board.
Hard to believe that next year'll make a decade since release...
Mr Khan @ Sep 10th 2008 8:51AM
Despite SegaSammy's financial straits, if they embraced Nintendo's business model (not to the T, but saying a less powerful set of hardware that they can profit off of)
The Wii model opens the door for someone like SEGA to get back in, since SEGA lost out for the same reason the GC did: their inability to compete with the big hardware/software megacorps of Sony and Microsoft.
LordChimp @ Sep 10th 2008 12:05AM
I remember logging around 500 hours+ into Phantasy Star Online. That game sucked the living soul out of me. I played that damn game so much, I had every map known by heart. I still love that game and wish I still had it but oh well. Time moves on I guess........???
Go Bruins! @ Sep 10th 2008 12:07AM
Chu Chu Rocket (even better than Bomberman for 4 players battle... assuming you can find 4 competent friends to play with)