Dreamcast Discussion

[Daisoku]

Happpyyyy late birthday, Dreamcast!

-sneakily plays late at night-/shot-

[eXtaticus]

Frankly, I think the mere four posts here within 24 hours of it's birthday is fairly representative of just how great it was.

No, it just shows that people were too busy playing their Dreamcast to reply to the topic, that's all...

It also shows the adictiveness of the games, the brilliance of the hardware, and the fact that PEOPLE ARE MORE INTERESTED IN ACTUALLY PLAYING GAMES THAN GOING ON A FORUM TO MERELY TALK ABOUT THEM!

It's not like Sonic is hugely popular anyway, yet here we are!

[Crystal Kingfisher]

I know it's a little late, but happy 10th anniversary Dreamcast! One of the greatest consoles ever made.

[Phos]

Frankly, I think the mere four posts here within 24 hours of it's birthday is fairly representative of just how great it was. It'll always be a cult thing.

It goes without saying. You don't need someone to tell you what color grass is, just as you don't need to elaborate on the Dreamcast.

[Snatcher2047]

Still my favorite system. I loved it so much I'm on my 3rd Dreamcast system. The SONIC Adventures, all the great fighting games, Shenmue, and my favorite import SAKURA WARS. And it's no surprise why so many of it's (originally) exclusive titles got ported to other systems. They were that much fun.

It was a system well ahead of it's time, without question.

Edited September 11, 2009 by Snatcher2047

[Marcello]

So yesterday was the 11th anniversary of the DC's NA release date.

What are you fond memories of the DC? Here are some of mine:

Before I got it I was with my uncle, because he was buying it on release. He was thinking of only getting this hoverboard game, but I kept saying "GET SONIC ADVENTURE! GET SA! IT'S AWESOME! TRUST ME" I was 7 xD. In the end he got both games and I had to wait for him to try them out, so I could play some Sonic. I remember right when I unlocked Tails I quit playing as Sonic

The when me and my brother got it. We saved up for a long time to buy it together, but in the end we didn't have enough money for a game, so we only had a demo disc for about a month or so. I had some money and bought Sonic Adventure, while my dad bought NFL 2K.

NFL 2K has a funny memory too. When we were playing for the first time with my dad, he said "Wow! It's so realistic you can see their breaths!" But it sounded like "Wow! It's so realistic you can see their breasts!" Me and my brother made fun of him for a while about that

Then, remember that when you put a DC disc in a CD player or something the voice would say it's only for DC? If I recall a few games had special things. I think Seeaman was one of them, Seaman said it instead of the woman. Me and my brother tried each game out after that Actually, I still do that often xD Also osme games like Sonic had wallpapers for the computer..

[Alex2Beta]

Happy Birthday Dreamcast, the console that stole my childhood! Really, I had fun with it when my brother just bought it. But sadly, I can't celebrate it, since the best way to celebrate a console B-day is by playing it....And well the controller broke

I remember somewhere in 2001 my brother bought himself SA and SA2, those games were what made a Sonic fan, I remember countlessly asking him if I can play one of them, sometimes he replied with a yes. Also I remember playing Toy Commander, fun game. I mostly just flew around rooms there, bothering spiders and all, but yeh.

Edited September 10, 2010 by Alex2beta

[PickleBrows]

"It's Thinking".-Dreamcast slogan.

The SEGA dreamcast, released in 1998 in Japan and 1999 in other regions, was SEGA's jump into the sixth generation of video game consoles and they were actually the first company to do so. At launch the Dreamcast was met with aclaim from fans and critics and it seemed to be the start of a bright future for SEGA. However a rocky past and new competitor would see an early end to the Dreamcast

"The Saturn is not our future".- Bernie Stolar at E3 1997.

After the Saturn project was shut down SEGA went back to the drawing board. SEGA at that point had a tainted image in the eyes of the public so it was decided to hide the SEGA name during the development of the Dreamcast. SEGA wanted their new console to be capable of things that were imposible on other consoles and for the time this goal was well achieved: Online play, downloadable content and some of the most impressive graphics to date just to name a few. So for the first time since the Megadrive/Genesis SEGA now had a home console which had true potential to be sucessful but it would not be as simple as it might have been in the past. For a console to be sucessful people have to care about it and at that point SEGA had some serious relationship problems with the public, developers and retailers after the poor decisions made with the Saturn. Bernie Stolar (Now President of SEGA America) managed to successful repair the relationships with many of the retailers and SEGA set up displays showcasing the Dreamcast's capabilities which got the publics attention.

A promotional Dreamcast setup with several launch games available to play.

A gamestop prepares for the Dreamcast launch. Note the Sonic adventure strategy guide in the bottom left.

By the end of 1999 the SEGA Dreamcast had been launched in all regions and into the homes of gamers all over the globe. With titles like Sonic Adventure, Soul Caliber, Marvel VS Capcom and The house of the dead 2 available from launch day it's no suprise that the Dreamcast got off to quite a strong start. However then came the announcement that everyone had been expecting for some time:

Sony announces the Playstation 2 and brings SEGA's momtentum to a standstill as many gamers prepare to grab their new ps2 during the Christmas season. SEGA at first thought they had an advantage when it was found Sony had only been able to ship half of the promised consoles. SEGA then tried reducing the price making it half of what the PS2 cost but to no avail. They even went as far as to give you a Dreamcast for free if you signed up for the online service SEGA-NET and again this didn't work.

In 2001 SEGA realised that they were not going to be able to compete with Sony and announced that the Dreamcast would be discontinued and that from then on would be focussing strictly on software development.

In the end the Sega Dreamcast was an unusual case. Unlike other failed consoles it had all the right ingredients to be a success but sadly it's predecessors had left it with too much to handle and when it had to face as big a competitor as Sony it's lifespan was cut short. That's not to say that people hated it. Back then and even to this day the Dreamcast gained a massive cult following of gamers who enjoyed an experience only SEGA could provide.

What memories do you have of the SEGA Dreamcast? We're you there on 9/9/99? Did you wake up on Christmas day to some new SEGA magic ? or maybe do you remember the times you spent at a friend's house taking turns on Sonic Adventure and teaming up on House of the Dead 2. Share your experiences of the Dreamcast below.

Sorry for the massive PS2 image guys. The editor went crazy and it's refusing to let me reduce it so I've put it in spoilers for the time being.

Edited August 31, 2012 by liamc5232

[Kiovle]

I'm going to be honest and come clean with you guys here.

...I've never even seen a Dreamcast in real life before, and wasn't even really aware of it's existence until a few years ago. My household's console history went Genesis --> N64 (In year 2000) --> Xbox --> Gamecube.

Forgive me of my sins.

[PickleBrows]

I'm going to be honest and come clean with you guys here.

...I've never even seen a Dreamcast in real life before, and wasn't even really aware of it's existence until a few years ago. My household's console history went Genesis --> N64 (In year 2000) --> Xbox --> Gamecube.

Forgive me of my sins.

Same here man I just happen to have a great deal of appreciation and respect it for basically inventing online gaming as well as just being a great console.

[buba]

I'm going to be honest and come clean with you guys here.

...I've never even seen a Dreamcast in real life before, and wasn't even really aware of it's existence until a few years ago. My household's console history went Genesis --> N64 (In year 2000) --> Xbox --> Gamecube.

Forgive me of my sins.

To tell the true I only saw a Dreamcast some years ago at a second hand store, in my life I've never seen neither a Dreamcast or a Gamecube (and their respective games) for sale in my country or knew anyone with one.

My story went like this: Master System > Gameboy Advance > PS2 > NDS > WII > PS3 > 3DS

The only way I ever tried a Dreamcast game was via re-releases and emulators.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Tmsp

[Johnny Boy]

Eh, my uncle had a dream cast. But other than that, I was only introduced to the adventure games through the GameCube.

[Tracker_TD]

I got my Dreamcast about a year ago!

For £4.

At a car boot sale.

Go figure.

It's easily amongst my most cherished systems-hell, I relegated the Xbox 360 to my brother's room just so there was room for the DC in my cabinet of video gaming stuffs.

Unfortunately, it was hit by automatic resetting bugs, although some contact cleaning later and everything was fine and dandy. I still get a tad nervous whenever I go to play it though.

Overall, easily amongst my top systems, even if I was a tad late to the party. (And given my parents bought me and my brother a PS1 when we was little, even if we played a small contribution to the system's sad fate)

[Eternal EX]

You sinners. How do you not play this legendary system. It not only was a head of his time, it had some of the best games I've ever played. Power Stone 1 & 2, Sonic Adventure 1 a 2, NBA 2K, Jet Set Radio...just to name a few. And it had online capabilities. Did I mention that it was the 1st system ever to have DLC? This system was basically the xbox. Just weaker. Damn you Sony for knocking off one of the best systems from my childhood. I hope Sony All Stars fails and bankrupts you. (not really)

[Your Vest Friend]

Saw a demo booth thing for it at Toys'R'Us way back, but never owned the system myself. Not really interested in owning it either, there aren't any games on there that I am interested in that haven't got ports on other consoles (aside from Chu Chu Rocket, but I can't find that game so eh).

[Tracker_TD]

Saw a demo booth thing for it at Toys'R'Us way back, but never owned the system myself. Not really interested in owning it either, there aren't any games on there that I am interested in that haven't got ports on other consoles (aside from Chu Chu Rocket, but I can't find that game so eh).

They have, like, 5 copies of Chu Chu Rocket at a Gamestation in Liverpool. X3 T'is pretty cool.

Also, looking at these console flowcharts, here's mine.

PS1>Gamecube>PS2>Wii>Xbox 360>PS3>Master System>Mega Drive II>Mega Drive

Not included handhelds, because I've had way too many.

[Dummy Bear]

The Dreamcast was the first gaming console that I ever owned to myself(before it, every other console belonged to "the house"). I got it for my 15th birthday and even though it was already at the end of it's life-span(December of 2001), I loved the console anyway. It came with the Generator Demo Disc that included demos Sonic Adventure, Dead or Alive 2, Rayman 2, Tony hawk's Pro Skater, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, MDK, Fur Fighter, and some other stuff I can't remember. The first full game I ever got was Sonic Shuffle, but I eventually saved up and got Sonic Adventure at Best Buy for $9.99. My first Dreamcast eventually died from the reset bug, but I ended up buying a new one years later at a Swap Meet. So, yeah, I hold a very special place in my heart for the system. And to think I wanted a used Playstation 1 for my birthday instead. Good thing they were all out.

[Solkia]

It was only a matter of time till the Dreamcast met it's demise. It's controller is awful, it's way to easy to pirate games on (although I highly recomend not burning games, because it wears out the GD-ROM drive's motor way too fast) , they lost a lot of third-party support and lost a lot of money during the Saturn era.

There's no way in hell SEGA would still be here if they didn't make the decision to go third-party. The competition just had way too much going for them.

The Dreamcast has become kind of a cult system, that Indies still develop games for such as Fast Striker or Gunlord (Although Gunlord was a shitty port of the MVS cart, but that's beside the point).

I have a NA Dreamcast I put is a PAL shell (seriously fuck the orange swirl), and I love it. There's a lot of games for the system And I recommend picking one up.

[Stasis]

The Dreamcast was amazing. You can't say otherwise. Playing Sonic Adventure on a demo booth at my local movie theatre sealed the deal for me. On release day, my parents paid £250 for a Dreamcast with Sonic Adventure from Woolworths, but I had to wait for Christmas day before I could use it. I've always had new consoles as a main christmas present, but I can't recall having being as excited as when I got the Dreamcast. Is it just my memory, or did they send Chu Chu Rocket to you for free through the post? I know I never purchased it.

That leads me on to the online enjoyment. Chu Chu Rocket was my first online gaming experience, and I loved it! 56k at its finest supplied by one of the worlds longest wires. In 2001, I was in a game store and I noticed a game called Phantasy Star Online had a Sonic Adventure 2 Trial included with it. I paid £40 for the trial, honestly. It wasn't until a few weeks later I actually tried the game out. Wow! It was brilliant, and then I took it online... my parents weren't happy. The game was so addictive I'd run up a £20 phone bill in a few days (it was 1p a minute I think). Online gaming may have come a long way, but this was the pinnacle of it all.

And who can forget good old Shenmue. I'd seen bits and pieces about it in a magazine, and how the world was alive with shops and people working, shopping etc release day again and my parents had no choice but to buy it me. I was allowed a 10 minute go before it was wrapped up for christmas, but the intro alone took up all that time

How could anyone not have wanted this console? Rayman 2, Ecco, Slave Zero, Power Stone, Crazy Taxi, Ready to Rumble, Jet Set Radio... the list goes on. The SEGA fanboy inside of me loved every minute of the Dreamcast's lifespan.

[Magic Sketches]

I've been a Dreamcast owner and a huge fan of the system since 2009 it's unlike any other system to me I play it with the knowledge that I genuinely love it the quirky and fun games in the systems libary define my love for Sega and regained my interest in gaming it's a wonderful piece of hardware as well small but it has some good weight to it, a very nice White and Grey colour scheme and those GD-ROM grinding sounds make playing a real Dreamcast a somewhat unique experience unfortunately a lot of my old systems are packed away in boxes right now but my Dreamcast will always sit next to my Television waiting to be played

[Vee SA55]

Oh hurrah, a Dreamcast topic! I surprisingly play the Dreamcast at least once or twice a week to this day when I can't think of anything to play on the Xbox 360. It has some of my favorite games on it and I think it did really well for it's time. With games like Jet Grind Radio, Space Channel 5, Resident Evil Code: Veronica and Ecco the Dolphin, I just find myself playing the system a lot to this day. The Dreamcast I first got in 2000 still works to this day with hardly any errors. My personal favorite on the Dreamcast is Ecco the Dolphin since the graphics, music and gameplay still look and work aged well to this day if you ask me. I also have a soft spot for the Dreamcast since it was the first console of my very own.

[Sean]

I kind of regret getting this console because there weren't ever that many games for it I wanted. Funny story though is that my dad and I were searching all over town for a Dreamcast right as it was in the midst of dying, and we only came across one GameStop that carried it, except it was reserved by some guy who didn't pick it up, so they just sold it to us. I never went through so much trouble to get something game-related before or since.

It's definitely my least used console of all the ones I own, as well as the one I own the fewest games for. Still haven't had the urge to dig it out after all these years, especially since the cord for both of my controllers had torn near the part where it connects with the plastic so I wouldn't be able to play anything anyway.

Still, it was a pretty magical experience for me when I first got it, but I can't say it holds up for me today after that initial excitement. All of my other consoles see use to this day, but the lack of games that personally interest me are few so I never really used it to its fullest potential.

[LunarEdge]

I got a DC the first year it came out and I loved the system with the passion. It was so fun, loaded pretty fast and was a little loud XD. Never took advantage of the online or DLC because I was too young at the time and didn't fully understand that I couldn't just plug my phone cord into the DC and go online (Damn you AOL and AT&T).

At one point, idk how it happened, but I had over 6 dreamcasts in my possession, one of which, was never taken out of the box until recently (basement flooded last year during hurricane) D:

I was actually playing my DC not too long ago with a few friends playing 4 player Sonic Shuffle and Power Stone 2. It was definitely an awesome system with a lot of potential. Shame Sony destroyed it and my personal irk towards the system was lack of a second analog and bumper buttons (L1, L2 etc. etc.)

[The Hoenn Kid]

I never had a Dreamcast or really knew about them at the time. It was all PS1 and PS2 for me at the time but I started to become interested in the system when a friend bought one five or six years ago when he saw one in Gamestation. I bought my own earlier in the year for 20 quid in this specialist store near me and I play it at least once a week. I bet you can't guess what my favourite game on the Dreamcast is!

Edited August 31, 2012 by The Hoenn Kid

[Milo]

Only saw my cousin's SA1 DC disc copy as well as some controllers. Seems too bad that the console ended prematurely, it had a lot of seemingly good things going for it, but the PS2 beat it into submission and the announcement of MS's Xbox only served to quickly seal it's coffin.

Oh and inb4 WAHHHHHH IF OLNY TEH DREMCAS LASTD A BIT LONGR WE WUD HAD GOTEN SAWNIK ADVENTUR THREEEEE