It was nine years ago today that Sega launched its final entry into the video game console market in North America. Still very near and dear to our hearts, the Dreamcast was home to new takes on classic Sega franchises and gave birth to some beloved ones of its own.

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.

You know that feeling that nags at the back of your skull, reminding you that you've forgotten something, but stopping just short of recalling what exactly that something is. Well, we've been struggling with that for a few days, and let me tell you, it's been enough to drive us crazy. It turns out, however, that what we overlooked was none other than Sega's 'tude-fueled azure marsupial's 17th birthday.

Sonic first sped into North America households on June 23, 1991 in Sonic the Hedgehog for the Genesis as Sega's answer to a certain Mushroom-hungry plumber, and has since been featured in numerous games, toys, and breakfast cereals. Happy belated birthday sonic. We hope you didn't forget to blow out your candles and make a wish. We suggest something simple, like a game that doesn't continue to dilute your good name. That, or you know, a pony.

Two days after we blew out Sony's candles celebrating the PlayStation 3's first year or existence, Nintendo reminds us that its latest console the Wii turns one today. And with age hopefully comes more experience and knowledge - such as knowing how to keep up with the console's demand.

All this week, Nintendo Wii Fanboy is celebrating the console's birthday, starting off with a game giveaway including the hidden gem Zack and Wiki, potentially the last complex game for the Wii. In the interim, dear esteemed and unbiased Joystiq readers, how would you grade the Wii's performance so far?

[Image credit: Kristy and Eva's Flickr account]

It may have been a fat baby, but the PS2 has slimmed down and celebrates its seventh birthday in the States today. GI.biz has a nice little rundown of the unit's life. Since Oct. 26, 2000, the heir to the PlayStation name has shipped 120 million units and a billion units in software. Another 10 million PS2 units are expected to sell worldwide by March 2008. Peter Dille, Sony America's senior vp of marketing says, "Never before has an in-home game system experienced this type of worldwide success on such a long-lasting scale." That's absolutely true, PlayStation gave PS2 a good start in life -- now, about the grandkid.

We have the list after the break of the PS2's top-selling titles, but if you ever needed to know how important the Grand Theft Auto franchise is to PlayStation, it becomes quite apparent looking at the list. The top three games are GTA: Vice City (13 million units), GTA: San Andreas (12 million) and Grand Theft Auto III (11 million). Looking at the full list quickly, it's made up of GTA, Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. Strictly based on PS2 software sales, it appears Sony needs to do what it can to hold on to Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy. But this story isn't about the PS3, it's about the PS2, and nobody can argue its success. Happy Birthday PS2, enjoy the rest of your ten-year cycle.

Today is Sonic the Hedgehog's 16th birthday. He was cute as a baby and burst into the world with the delightful Sonic the Hedgehog. As of late though, he has certainly been experiencing the highs (Sonic Rush) and lows (Sonic on Xbox 360) of being a teenager. However, like a 16-year-old, Sonic may finally be coming into his own after Sega said that their mascot is going on a blue ambition reinvention tour.

The most shocking news of Sonic's reinvention isn't even his pairing with Mario for an Olympics game. Something that we might have cared about and made our head explode in the the early '90s. Nope, the most shocking news came two days ago when BioWare (Mass Effect, Knights of the Old Republic) announced that they were working on a Sonic RPG for the Nintendo DS, the game is expected in 2008. Who knows, maybe when Sonic turns 18 he'll be cool again. And then he can go pick up a pack of smokes from the corner store, fly to Europe, and party to the point where he forgets everything between the late '90s and now. Happy birthday Sonic!

Hold on, Wii! Your name isn't the only thing celebrating a birthday today! Well, it's not so much a "birth" day in this other case, seeing as how we're still waiting for the baby to drop ...

So, happy 10th un-birthday Duke Nukem Forever! CVG reminds us that ten years ago, on this very day, you were conceived and hurriedly scribbled into tiny notebooks (computers weren't even invented yet!) and from there typed up into magazines (remember them?) the world over. Sure, a lot of things have happened in the last ten years (no, seriously, A LOT) -- including some awards, you assiduous devil -- but we still remember where we were when you were announced to the world. Find out where after the break:

The blue dude with an attitude turned fifteen years old yesterday and he celebrated at NYC's DigitalLife show. Fans and confused onlookers watched as Sonic was presented a ridiculously large birthday cake by psuedo-celebrity Lacey Chabert. Hungry attendees of the show (myself included) scarfed down the cake, and laughed at the man inside the Sonic suit, knowing it was impossible for him to blow out the candles on his cake, let alone eat it. Sonic, the cake was delicious.

When questioned about how it felt to be 15, Sonic responded, "It's strange. I'm growing hair in places I've never had hair before." He then sped away and, like in his upcoming Xbox 360 game, my camera was unable to follow him. Read on to see more pictures, and video from the celebration.

It was the speedy blue hedgehog's fifteenth birthday on Saturday so, to commemorate the occasion, Sega of Japan has created this gorgeous little papercraft (.pdf) of Sonic the Hedgehog's equivalent to World 1-1: Green Hill Zone.

Just cut it out, assemble it, and place it in the center of your retro-gaming shrine and, just for a little while, Mario and his army of nostalgia-laced tchotchkes will play second fiddle to Sonic and his paper playground. Live it up.

Build - Sonic Green Hill Zone papercraft (.pdf)
Read - Build Sonic a paper model to celebrate his big birthday!