Remembering the Dreamcast

[swlovinist]

Twelve years ago put a smile upon my face. I had a new job as an assistant manager at a local Gamestop, watching unfold one of the most energetic console launches in North America. The launch of the Sega Dreamcast on 9-9-99 game me faith that Sega was finally going to deliver to gamers a sleek and dependable system that was cutting edge. All of the promises were hyped by the media, on top of promises of launching at a mere $199.99.

The system launch ended up being a slam dunk success. The Lauch day consisted of approximately 18 titles(our personal store was missing a couple). Soul Calibur was the highlight of the launch, boasting amazing graphics and rich gameplay. I ended up picking up a system shortly after launch with Soul Calibur. Soul Calibur was one of my favorite games to play, putting in several hundred hours and rekindling my interest in Sega products. Over the next two years the system became a staple in my game playing…offering dozens of quality titles that were excellent.

I think that reflecting backupon the system and what it offered was value, diversity, and a fresh new direction for console gaming. The system was my first foray into online console gaming and playing over the internet with others. Games such as Phantasy Star Online and NFL 2K1 provided proof that consoles could provide solid online gaming experiences. Those two games alone provided endless entertainment for me and my roommates at the time. Phantasy Star Online alone for provided over a thousand hours of gametime.

Starting early on with the system, I meagerly picked up a title every month or when I could. I usually waited for sales, bought used, and was patient. From a collecting standpoint the system was fun to collect and seek out titles over the years. As this is being written, I will be wrapping up my US collection of 252 complete titles. The conquest for me spanned over a decade of time, searching half the US, and countess hunting at flea marts, thrift shops, and game shows(PRGE, CGE, NWCGE, SRGE, and Cowlitz Gamers for Kids to name a few).

Let this be a time to remember a wonderful system and what it offered gamers around the world. For me, the Dreamcast is still thinking….

http://s268.photobucket.com/albums/jj28/swlovinist/Dreamcast%20Collection%20US/

[pixelsnpolygons]

I love the Dreamcast. I remember seeing an import version in this little game store I used to go to. I couldn't believe how small it was. On a recent trip back to Australia, where I grew up, I actually found a letter I had wrote to my sister who had just moved overseas herself. The letter was pretty much three pages of how much I wanted the Dreamcast and what games I wanted at launch. Even though I found it kind of funny I couldn't believe how much of a selfish prick I was. Three pages? I didn't even mention her baby! But, I guess it goes to show how I was obsessed with it.

I've mentioned this numerous times (even here) - I imported my system from the States. I got it from some dude on an air force base in Texas. I imagined that he looked like Guile as that was my best image of an American air force guy at the time. (Alright, it still is) I got a great deal on the Dreamcast - far less than I would have paid in Australia. When it came, I plugged it in all excited to play SoulCalibur, etc. I didn't know about step-down converters. My Dreamcast exploded - black smoke poured out of it. I purchased a step-down converter and miraculously it still worked. It continued to work after I moved to the US. When it broke, I purchased a Dreamcast from Best Buy and returned the old one in the box.

I had many great nights playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (and the original). Playing through Shenmue II remains one of my happiest gaming memories. Sonic Adventure... sucked. Sonic Adventure 2 sucked even more. Crazy Taxi was fun. I actually convinced my wife to play SoulCalibur with me for a few days. We also had fun together with Gauntlet (not the greatest game but two-player fun). San Francisco Rush 2049 remains, possibly, my favorite arcade racing game ever. There's plenty more great memories. I played the hell out of my Dreamcast - great variety and solid quality for a system that was here and gone in the blink of an eye.

And my avatar pic reminds me of a Dreamcast logo. (It's a fire hose sign)

[Steven]

i forgot all about the 12th anniversary. Happy 12th BDAY US Dreamcast!

You were/are a quirky little arcade-esque system. And my most "up-to-date" console I own. [insert "Soul Calibur still looks as good as some of TODAY'S GAMES!" rave here]

[sfchakan]

I'd have to agree with the launch of the DC being a slam dunk. It was a great time to be a Sega fanboy. My Dreamcast continued to get daily play well into 2003/2004.

The library is great. Square fanboys will boohoo about RPGs, even though we got the awesome, emo-free Skies of Arcadia along with some others... which probably still trumps Square's post-2000 efforts in my eyes, and I bet I'm not alone.

So many great games, so many great memories. It was the last console that I remember sitting down and playing games with other people IN THE SAME ROOM (though it did have some fun online games). Drunken nights, with 4-8 hour sessions at a friend's house just... well, I can't even think of a game you could do that with now.

[Snapple]

There are a lot of great Dreamcast reviews on Classic Game Room that will make some of y'all nostalgic.

Just go down this list:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=classic+game+room+dreamcast&aq=f&aql=t

[swlovinist]

There are a lot of great Dreamcast reviews on Classic Game Room that will make some of y'all nostalgic.

Just go down this list:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=classic+game+room+dreamcast&aq=f&aql=t

I love his reviews, one of my favorite on the internet. Thanks for sharing

[Deadman]

I remember when it came out thinking "I think I need to buy one of these" and that was the first system that I had purchased since my Genesis in 92. The mid-90's left a bad taste in my mouth gaming wise because all the systems were so expensive and just seemed cheap. The Dreamcast changed all that! Still love my Dreamcast and am starting to get close to having all the American releases - I'm just over 200 in the collection so far!

[Kevincal]

poor dreamcast got no love from me in 1999. See, I have a good excuse, I was 17, in highschool, and had a hot girlfriend who I was bangin everyday. LOL Needless to say my mind was far away from videogames during the time the dc came out. :D

then that girl dumped me in 2001 and I bought a PS2 like the day or day after she dumped me LMAO. I got right back into the videogames. :D Never did buy a DC until around 2003 or so. very cool system great graphics.

[SpaceHarrier]

I rented the Dreamcast and Sonic Adventure in August from Hollywood video, which had some kind of exclusive pre-launch deal. It was mind-blowing, like finding some secret world, and so impressed was I by the graphics and gameplay (and rebirth of Sonic!) that I pre-ordered the system and Sonic Adventure for day one!

(I've rarely purchased a console on launch-day. N64 being the exception.)

Soul Calibur -- I didn't even realize this was out for a couple of weeks, I was so lost in Sonic Adventure. When I saw SC on an overhead TV display at EB.. well I had to have that, obviously.

Soul Calibur is still my favorite fighting game.

[MrSmiley381]

The best part about the Dreamcast is that it's still getting new releases.

Border Down is really nice, too. And pre-DLC era Capcom. And a lot of things that consoles still try to emulate.

Hell, I'm still grinding out mithril in Record of Lodoss War.

[alec006]

Happy 12th Dreamcast, lets start you up and....set the date....LOL

[Lerxstnj]

Going to play some Crazy Taxi and Hydro Thunder...
One of my favorite systems for sure!

[abc_kid]

I recently spotlighted the Dreamcast on my youtube show "Retro Hardware"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ArnUh-BAvM&feature=showob

Hope you enjoy! (I know, not too thorough and I forgot Powerstone!)

[Smashed Brother]

I clearly remember DC launch day like it was only 12 years ago. Thinking that there was going to be pandemonium and Walmart fat-people herding (like the N64 launch), I was up at 8 am and on my way to the local Shopko to be first in line. But when I arrived, there was no craziness, no stampedes....nothing. The DC stuff was barely unpacked out of the shipping boxes, so I just grabbed a system and Sonic Adventure with little fanfare. Unfortunately, I ended up with one of the faulty Sonic discs, so, many hours (and trades) later, I fired up my DC with Hydro Thunder instead (Shopko's selection was pretty sparse...no Soul Calibur). But dammit, was I enamored with this system! I did pick up Soul Calibur later, as well as Sonic. My buddies and I spent countless hours playing SC, NFL 2K, Worms and many others. Gaming life was good.

About a year after launch, I was playing 3rd Strike when, out of nowhere, the TV screen went gray, the DC made a strange noise and just shut off. Yup, my launch system was done for. So I did what any normal person would do. Go to Walmart, purchase a new DC (they were only $99 at this point), swap the serial #s of the new DC with the broken one, place the broken one back in the package and return it to Walmart for a full refund! This DC lasted for about 4 years until it fell victim to one of the most insane, ridiculous ways that a system could be destroyed. I had this roommate who had this shitty, wobbly entertainment center with the glass doors. I think that I was yet again playing 3rd Strike (90% certain on this), when out of nowhere, one of the glass doors fell off, Final Destination-style and landed square on my DC, instantly killing it. But with more blood. Just to paint a picture of how retarded this was, there were at least 6 game systems on the floor in the same area, but none of them were harmed. The door just landed point-blank on top of my DC.

About a month or so after that, I ordered a region-modded DC from the fine folks at Lik-Sang (RIP) and it's the same one that I've been using ever since. 6 years and going strong! Yeah, I still play the cursed 3rd Strike game but nothing weird has happened yet. I actually sold most of my DC collection except for a few favs, but recently I've started grabbing import and post-mortem DC shooters so I'm still supporting it. In fact, when I do play games nowadays, it's either on an emulator or on the DC.

Happy Birthday, Dreamcast! Thanks for the many years of fun and interesting stories!

[Th3 hoff]

The dreamcast was ahead of his time

[substantial_snake]

I remember the huge hype train when the Dreamcast was released and it blew me away as a old Sega fan. However I was a pretty young kid then and didn't have any cash so it passed me by on its short life. I remember my brother borrowed it from one of his buddies and just playing Soul Caliber for a week being blown away by its graphics, sound, and just how big of a game it was. I picked one up years later and had some good times before its death a few months after picking it up. lol

I one thing I will always say about the Dreamcast is that the Controller left a permanent image in my mind and was really awesome. It was just so unique and different but felt really great..I still don't get all the complaints about it. :D

[T2KFreeker]

Hell, I remember 09/09/99 very well. I got my system at launch and loved it. Thus far, knock on wood, I haven't had a Dreamcast die on me. Hopefully this stays the case!

[heybtbm]

The Dreamcast was the 2nd best thing to come out 9/9/99...

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/7830/finalfantasy8cover.jpg

Just kidding. Kind of.

Flash forward 12 years and I'm 205 games into a full US set. Love my DC.

[j_factor]

As a gamer who owned a Saturn while it was a current system, I was far too cynical to get a Dreamcast when it came out.* "They'll just dump it in a couple years anyway," I thought at the time. When they did announce the system's cancellation, it was just as I had changed my mind and begun thinking it might stick around for the long haul after all. Sure, Sony was an unstoppable juggernaut, but Nintendo's reveal of the Gamecube didn't seem to cause a very huge response, and Microsoft's console was still a big question mark at the time. Meanwhile, Sega had moved into second place (outselling N64), their online network was finally operational and had proved a success, and the lack of EA Sports suddenly seemed like no big deal when Sega's football game outsold theirs. PSO was an instant hit, SA2 was coming, Virtua Fighter 4 was announced, etc. So that came as a genuine surprise despite my earlier cynicism. I didn't get a Dreamcast until that August.

*I was completely satisfied with the Saturn, until they just plain stopped making games for it. I traded in my Saturn and got a Playstation in late 1998, feeling that I practically had no choice. If Sega had kept the system going until the summer of '99, I likely would've gotten a DC at launch.

[otoko]

I love the Dreamcast. It is the first system I ever saved up to own. Anyone remember the teaser trailer they had for it? I saw it at a movie theater and it gave me goosebumps. At that point I knew I wanted that system. From that day I gave all the money I earned doing chores and my allowance to my parents to save up for it. This was the first and only time I really went into hard core money save mode as a child. It payed off in the end though. On report card day I found it all hooked up to our TV downstairs. No memory card, one controller, and I found sonic adventure hidden. I remember marveling at the graphics and how small it actually was in real life. That system traveled everywhere with me after that. I spent countless hours playing it on our car television on family trips, sitting downstairs playing tireless hours on chuchu rocket, and playing some hydro thunder. My first Dreamcast went everywhere with me and played all the games I dare purchase. It met it's end a half month after 9/9 in 2007. I just purchased Sonic Adventure LE and the prototype of Rush 2049 from DreamTR when the system stopped showing video all of a sudden during a hard game of Sonic Adventure. Since then the system lost audio and now sits format in my room. I find it really hard to bring myself to do anything with it. That little white box contains a large portion of my childhood. I didn't have many friends because I was awkward.. My Dreamcast was my childhood sanctuary. Dreamcast will never die for me.

Also, I don't think it's thinking anymore. It's got to at least be in the planning or development stages by now.

http://99.100.83.158:404/Picture/hosted%20photos/P1050265%20%28Small%29.JPG

[jammajup]

Really liked the machine and the games:- Sonic Adventure and 18-Wheeler were great fun,Shenmue are still classics and Omikron Nomad Soul is one of the few games to make the hairs stand up on the back of my neck and i also almost had a panic attack playing it - not even Resi-evil ever did that lol.
Mine is still in action as i am currently playing Tomb Raider Chronicles which is fun but Lara is quite an handful with the DC thumbstick.

[Damaramu]

I had seen the import in action at an old mom n pop game shop I used to work at in Austin, back in '98. The graphics blew us all away. People I knew were so excited by the Dreamcast.

I was going to an art school when the Dreamcast was launched in '99 and I convinced a buddy to pick one up (I got mine the following year).

We spent so much time after classes playing multiplayer games like San Francisco Rush 2049, Toy Commander, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Gauntlet Legends, etc. We would play well into the early morning hours, until 4 or 5 am.

We were sure one of buddies (the DC's owner) was cheating at Toy Commander during multiplayer. Everyone accused him of look at the other players' screens.

He was always there behind you, no matter how much you zigzagged. We said, "There's no way you're THIS good." So we built a barrier out of a cardboard box. He played from the bottom screen, underneath the cardboard divider and couldn't see the other split screens. Sure enough, his performance took a hit! He was indeed watching our screens and matching our moves.

Another fond memory of the Dreamcast - I had to get a wisdom tooth pulled. After having the procedure done, I went back to the apartment, took some Tylenol to ease the soreness and played Airforce Delta to help take my mind off the pain. It worked like a charm!

[josekortez]

Even though my Dreamcast doesn't get plugged in as much as it used to, I still love it. As a matter of fact, there's a stack of DC games sitting on my coffee table right now. And I just closed a deal to buy a copy of Sega's last Japanese commercial release, Puyo Pop Fever.

The Dreamcast was a highlight of my college days, even to the point that I didn't regret trading in my entire Nintendo 64 collection at the time to get one. I started with Crazy Taxi and NBA Showtime, and I've almost collected all of the domestic releases at this point. I only need 10 games or so at this point. Then, I moved on to imports, and I've been enjoying those including Chaos Field and Ikaruga. But the memories of playing through those games is what really counts.

[crazyjackcsa]

I loved my DC, but it was the first system I ever felt was lacking something. The Online was neat, the arcade games were great, but I found it lacking the platforming goodness I grew up on.

I still feel that way. There are dozens of games I'd love to break out with friends right now; Ooga booga, Power Stone 2, Soul Calibur, Quake 3, even games like Crazy Taxi are great party type games.

I love Grandia and Skies too, but after that, there is litterally nothing I want to play alone.

[swlovinist]

Back when PSO first came out, I was working three part-time jobs(when jobs could be found easier). My down time was sacred, and I was pretty wiped. I did not have a day off, but hours off at a time. That time was spent playing PSO online. I had a terrible connection of 14.4 at my apartment. The only thing stocked in my fridge was Mt. Dew. Playing that game the countless hours that I did brought me so many positive memories. The game also helped me considerably with my typing skills, which I use today at my current employment.

[starchildskiss78]

Wow...it's hard to imagine it's been 12 years since the Dreamcast came out!

Just like the SNES, I had my sights set on a different system at the time. My cousin had a Sony Playstation and I enjoyed playing the different games. (He had a subscription to the Playstation Underground, so we were always playing new demos on it. It eventually started overheating and we had to employ the "turn the sucker upside down" trick to play it...)

When the Dreamcast came out, I was very impressed by it. I was living with my brother and there was an electronics or department store (I forget which...it's not one I've seen before or since, so it must have been a local store to the Albany, NY area) that had a Dreamcast hooked up to a small television on a counter. It was playing Crazy Taxi, and I remember thinking how awesome it looked. I loved the arcade version and I was thinking how great it looked in comparison. I was also impressed by Ready 2 Rumble when it was playing on the demo unit at either Electronics Boutique or Babbages (I forget which....again...).

It was not to be at the time, however. The Sony Playstation still held a warm spot in my heart and was a much cheaper purchase. Electronics Boutique had a sale that let you get the system for $88 bucks and used games cheap. The price of $199.99 was too much at the time for me.

Fast forward to 2000 when I moved to Mobile, AL. I was working for Sears in their parts call center. The company had a program that allowed employees to earn points based on their performance and order from a catalog. The Dreamcast was one of those items. I didn't hesitate to work on earning those points quick and by the fall of 2000 I had that powerful little white box in my home. I upgraded the video slowly from that dreadful RF box to RCA cables to S-Video (which the cable broke eventually because it was cheap) back to RCA cables (so I could play my beloved Dreamcast again) to the VGA box.

I love my Dreamcast and I played some Crazy Taxi yesterday as a nod to that day when I was so blown away by the system.

[T2KFreeker]

You know, people always ask me why I love the Dreamcast, so here goes.

Alone in the Dark The New Nightmare
Armada
Blue Stinger
Cool Herders
Crazy Taxi
D2
Dead or Alive 2
Draconous Cult of the Wyrm
Ecco The Dolphin
Elemental Gimmick Gear
Evil Twin Cypriens Quest
Expendable
Fighting Vipers 2
Gauntlet Legends
Grandia 2
Guilty Gear X
Gunbird 2
Head Hunter
Heavy Metal Geo Matrix
House of the Dead 2
Illbleed
Irides
King Of Fighters 99
Last Hope
Marvel VS Capcom 2
Metropolis Street Racer
NFL 2K2
Outrigger
Quake III Arena
Record of Lodoss War
RUSH 2049
Rush Rush Rally Racing
Shenmue
Shenmue II
Silver
Sonic Adventure
Sonic Shuffle
Soul Calibur
Spawn
Speed Devils
Street Fighter III Third Strike
Super Magnetic Neo
Super Runabout San Francisco Edition
Sword of the Berzerk
The Ring
Unreal Tournament
Virtua Fighter 3 tb
Wind and Water Puzzle Battles

Hell, these are just off of the top of my head. Wanna' help me out and add some stuff all?

[old man]

I was so pissed when Sega canceled the DC. I loved the focus of the system. There hasn't been any game system that much fun since.

[Th3 hoff]

resident evil code veronica did it for me.