Happy Birthday Dreamcast!

[Cloud121]

10 years baby! Yeah, it's still 26 minutes away here in Iowa, but on the east coast, it's time to party like it's 9/9/99!!!

Here's an essay I wrote years ago. I've since revised it a bit, and added to it.

Ladies and Gentlemen of DP:

Ten years ago on this very day, the game I had waited an excrutiating two years for finally came out.... Final Fanta...

UGH!

I mean ten years ago on this very day, the greatest console was released. Hype had been surrounding it for months, hoping Sega would get it right this time. Needless to say, the hype was worth it. Soul Calibur, NFL 2K, Sonic Adventure, were the top titles of the launch crop. Among other great games were Power Stone, Marvel vs Capcom, Ready 2 Rumble, and my personal favorite, King of Fighters 98. It broke records with it's vast number of launch titles, and number of consoles sold within a 24 hour period.

After this great launch, killer apps seemed lacking. NBA 2K was probably the hottest new game before the games came, and came, and kept coming. Six months after launch, NBA 2K the only game to quench your thirst of killer games (that is, if you were bored of the launch titles), until this six month drought was up. Crazy Taxi, Dead or Alive 2, NHL 2K, Resident Evil: CODE Veronica, Virtua Tennis, Space Channel 5, Jet Set Radio, among others. The year 2000 was the time for this console to shine, despite people saying that a certain upcoming console would crush it in one night.

2000 also saw a truly ground-breaking event occur: Online-Gaming via Game Console. X-Band and Netlink aside, this was TRUE online gaming. Sega had servers set up ready to go. Chu Chu Rocket made by Yuji Naka and Sonic Team, was the world's first online console video game. Established and pioneered by this particular console, it would become the benchmark, by which all future console online games was measured. SegaNet. Despite major lag issues with Chu Chu Rocket, it was a monumental event in the history of video games. This console made it a reality.

A few months later, the world's first Cel-Shaded Graphics game was released. Jet Set Radio. The only Cel-Shaded game available for about two years, it's home was this console. The Sega Scream would make a comeback later that year. Truly a moment long awaited by long-time Sega fans everywhere. A new era was beginning. NFL 2K1 and NBA 2K1 laid the foundation for SegaNet to stay to this very day.

This console's primary competition, was released to much hype on October 26, 2000. Lack of consoles, and hardware problems caused many to flock towards Sega's console. Many were happy with their purchases, NFL 2K1 was a much better game than Madden.

A few weeks after the competition's launch, another truly ground-breaking game was released. Shenmue, created by famed Yu Suzuki, was released on November 11, 2000. Many loved it, many hated it. Hate for it's slow pace, love for it's total immersion. It was (and still is) a game for the ages. Early in 2001, Phantasy Star Online was released. The world's first online console RPG, was truly ground-breaking, and again, only on this console for close to two years. Amid all these great times, trouble arose:

Sega announced that their newest console, would be their last, and would be discontinued a year later. Many a fan were aghast at this announcement. Whereas many a fanboy, laughed at both Sega and its fans. Many more great games would be released for this console throughout it's final year:

Sonic Adventure 2
Phantasy Star Online Version 2
NFL 2K2
NBA 2K2
NCAA Football 2K2
NHL 2K2
World Series Baseball 2K2
Tennis 2K2
Virtual On: Ontario Tangrem
Grandia II
Skies of Arcadia
Crazy Taxi II
Capcom vs SNK
Marvel vs Capcom 2
Power Stone 2
Garou: Mark of The Wolves
The Last Blade 2
Shenmue II (Import)
Headhunter (Import)
Rez (Import)
Ikaruga (Import)
Fire Pro Wrestling D (Import)
New Japan Pro WrestlingL Toukon Restuden 4 (Import)
Dance Dance Revolution 2nd Mix (Import)
Dance Dance Revolution Club Mix (Import)
Biohazard CODE: Veronica Complete (Import)
Capcom vs SNK Pro (Import)
Capcom vs SNK 2 (Import)
Super Puzzle Fighter II X for Matching Service (Import)
Super Street Fighter II X for Matching Service (Import)
The King of Fighters 2000 (Import)
The King of Fighters 2001 (Import)
The King of Fighters 2002 (Import)
Border Down (Import)
Shikigami no Shiro II (Import)
Psyviarir 2 (Import)
Puyo Puyo Fever (Import)
Chaos Field (Import)
Trizeal (Import)
Raijirugi (Import)
Under Defeat (Import)
Last Hope (Import)
Trigger Heart Exelica (Import)
Karous (Import)

Among many others...

This game console was discontinued on February 17, 2002. WAY before it's time. Many believed it's time had already passed (2000). And yet, to many, despite being pushed to it's absolute limit close to only six months after it's launch with Dead or Alive 2, many felt it had much more potential. It still does, as true fans are continuing the legacy with independent development.

The year 2004 breathed much needed life into the DC Homebrew scene. The release of Super Famicast in January brought SFC/SNES emulation back to the Dreamcast, as DreamSNES had long been discontinued. February 2004 brought quite possibly the biggest release in the history of the Homebrew DC Scene. Beats of Rage. This one little beat 'em up, took the homebrew scene by storm. Originally developed for DOS/Windows based computers, it has since been ported to PlayStation 2, XBox, Dreamcast, and Palm OS. It was also easily moddable. With dedicated players putting in their own sprites, artwork, and backgrounds for use in their own versions of the game. Mods of Rage is the place to go for these mods. Also in mid-2004, the world's first personal PSO server was created. Thanks to Schtack, Phantasy Star Online was, well... online again! After several bugs were discovered initially, everything went smooth. Schtack has since released the server software so others could create their own servers for use in the PSO World.

This console brought Sega back from the depths.
It brought them respect.
It brought their fans back.
It established Sega as a force to be reckoned with.
It made console online gaming possible.
It made homebrew development on a console a reality.
It made everyone sit up and take notice. Sony wasn't the only powerhouse in gaming. Sega was striking back, and with a vengeance.

As of February 18, 2002, Sega, the world's most innovative and greatest game company, abandoned the hardware business, for an undetermined amount of time. Leaving in it's wake, the Sega SG-1000, Sega SG-3000, Sega Mark III/Master System, Sega MegaDrive/Genesis, Sega Mega/Sega CD, Sega Super/Mega/Genesis 32x, Sega Saturn, and this very console.

The console I speak of is...

The Sega Dreamcast

September 9, 1999 to February 17, 2002

Farewell old friend. Hard to believe it's been ten years already. September 9, 1999. I was just entering seventh grade, and I was 12. Anxiously awaiting Final Fantasy VIII, launching the same day, but I still kept my eye on on the Dreamcast, and not just for Virtua Fighter 3 either.

I was a huge Sony fanboy at the time of release, however, I was still interested in the Dreamcast. I remember when it was first unveiled, and I was hoping for a Virtua Fighter 3 port. Unsurprisingly, I got my wish. I wanted one purely one for Virtua Fighter 3.

I never did play one until August 2001, my first game being Shenmue, followed by Crazy Taxi. I didn't own one until January 2002. I purchased my Sega Saturn on Sunday, August 20, 2000. That was the day that my love shifted from Sony to Sega, which still stays to this day. Needless to say, I was on a quest to purchase all the other Sega consoles that I didn't own. 32X in August 2001, Mega CD in November 2001, Dreamcast on Sunday, January 14, 2002, and finally a Sega Master System in December 2007.

I still remember shortly after Christmas 2001, when I had started to save for my Dreamcast. Going on Amazon.com and drooling over everything. For some reason, I had this weird obession with "Time of Your Life" by Green Day at the time. I've since christened my "Dreamcast Song", as I had it on loop during all the time I spent shopping for my Dreamcast.

When I got my Dreamcast on Sunday January 14, 2002, my first game was NBA 2K1, not Virtua Fighter 3 as I had originally planned. This is what got me into sports games. I also had a disc of DreamSNES ready to go as well, this being my first taste of homebrew development on a console. This is what I used to play through and beat Chrono Trigger in August 2002.

As much as I loved my Saturn, which is what got me into Sega, and what turned me into the game collector I am today, I virtually ignored it and all my other consoles and devoted my time to the Dreamcast. Well, I did play my PSX for a few weeks for the sake of playing Chrono Cross after beating Chrono Trigger. Hell, I was so in love with the thing that I devoted all my speeches in speech class my Sophomore year (Spring 2003) to Sega. My introduction speech was about Yuji Naka. My "How To" speech was how to select a good gaming console that suited your tasted. Naturally, my picks were the MegaDrive and Dreamcast. My final speech was comparing Sega to Sony, and trying to convince people that Sega wasn't as bad as everyone said. I've since disavowed ever giving that speech. Not only did I make myself look like a complete fool, but Sega as well.

I still remember vividly when I made my lifelong dream a reality back in 2006. I dropped $600 on the Wii and seven games on launch day. I gave up everything for three months. I very rarely saw any of my friends during that timeframe. Basically, if it cost money, I said no, as that was money saving for Wii. Several of them said afterwards that they were proud of me, as I hadn't shown such determination for something in my entire life. I'm one of those people that when I get my mind set on something, I focus on that. Yeah, it's gotten me in trouble numerous times in my life, but you live you learn right?

Anyway, at the Wii launch, I kept thinking what it must've been like to get a Dreamcast on launch. Ten years, and roughly ten console launches since, it is still considered by several within the industry to be the single greatest hardware launch of all-time. The record for revenue has obviously since been shattered, but in regards to the quality of the launch lineup, and consoles sold, Dreamcast is king.

Sega was always the king of innovation and taking risks. Hell, quite a bit of what we take for granted these days as gamers we owe to the Dreamcast. Online play? SegaNet. DLC? VMU downloads. Cel-shading? Jet Set Radio. Console MMO? Phantasy Star Online. Microphones/Headsets? Seaman and Alien Front Online. Analog buttons? Dreamcast controller, with it's analog triggers. I'm surprised no one's copied the idea of the VMU yet. Easily the most innovative, and revolutionary console accessory ever.

So, fellow Sega fans, gamers, and collectors, let's make a toast, to quite possibly the single most revolutionary piece of gaming hardware of all-time. Let's pop the cork on the champagne and party!

What are you doing to celebrate 9/9/09?

SEGA!

[vivaeljason]

The Dreamcast was probably the last console I truly got excited about at launch. I'm always going to remember the first time I got to play through Sonic Adventure.

[T2KFreeker]

Yeah, to celebrate the ten years of the Dreamcast, I wrote up an article for the second issue of ClassicVGM. I hope people like it as the Dreamcast is easily still one of my all time favorite systems. It rocks!

[Sonicwolf]

For a console produced here in North America for just over a year and six months, it sure left a big impact. I love the Dreamcast.

[BetaWolf47]

A few weeks after the competition's launch, another truly ground-breaking game was released. Shenmue, created by famed Yu Suzuki, was released on November 11, 2001.

Isn't that also Gamecube's release date? Very nice retrospective BTW, always been wanting a Dreamcast. By far the best short-lived system ever made. Sega gave this system their all... too bad they couldn't live up to their past mistakes. I think I'll celebrate by putting aside some cash for one and a good 5 games to go with it. Since this thread is likely to be swarmed by Dreamcast veterans, I've got some questions to go with this:

1. What games released for multiple systems have a noticeably superior Dreamcast version?
2. What colors are available in the US? I hear black sports edition, white, and gray. Are white and gray the same color?
3. What are some good homebrew games? I've only heard of Beats of Rage and Wind & Water Puzzle Battle.
4. Is Dreamcast or any of its accessories prone to any sort of problem?
5. What are the best platformers and adventures to look for, aside from Sonic?

[ScourDX]

Happy 10 years old Dreamcast. Ever since I purchased my Dreamcast, I feel the system was a head of it's time. I even got 2nd one just incase my original breaks down. If Sega did release DC with backward compatibility with Saturn & Sega CD, do you think they will survive a bit longer?

Great...500 post

[T2KFreeker]

Isn't that also Gamecube's release date? Very nice retrospective BTW, always been wanting a Dreamcast. By far the best short-lived system ever made. Sega gave this system their all... too bad they couldn't live up to their past mistakes. I think I'll celebrate by putting aside some cash for one and a good 5 games to go with it. Since this thread is likely to be swarmed by Dreamcast veterans, I've got some questions to go with this:

1. What games released for multiple systems have a noticeably superior Dreamcast version?
2. What colors are available in the US? I hear black sports edition, white, and gray. Are white and gray the same color?
3. What are some good homebrew games? I've only heard of Beats of Rage and Wind & Water Puzzle Battle.
4. Is Dreamcast or any of its accessories prone to any sort of problem?
5. What are the best platformers and adventures to look for, aside from Sonic?

1. Almost any game that was made by Sega and was ported to any other system is better on the Dreamcast. Gotta' love Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament on the Dreamcast also just for the controls alone.
2. White and Black are the only US variations I am aware of. The black system also carries the "Sega Sports" logo on it.
3. Homebrews are fun for the Dreamcast as there have been some really well done ports like Quake and Cool Herders is a blast to play, especially if you like Bomberman style party games. A new game is coming called Hypertension that looks pretty bad ass. It's made from the "Blood" engine with some serious graphical overhauls to it.
4. As long as you take care of the system and the accessories and buy first party stuff, all should be good.
5. Shadowman, Evil Twin: Cypriens Chronicles, Head Hunter, Super Magnetic Neo, Sword of the Berzerk, Evil Dead Hail to the King, Carrier, Gauntlet Legends, Record of Lodoss War, D2, Illbleed, just to name a few.

[garagesaleking!!]

i will never forgot one memory i have of the dreamcast, we used to get a magazine every so often in elementary school with just random pop culture and current events in it. There was an article about the dreamcasts upcoming release and i remember it talking about about how the graphics were 128 bit. I will never forget that article and reading it. Its one of the earliest things i remeber from my childhood.

[HurricaneAndrew]

Ahh... the Dreamcast... The only system I ever bought specifically to play one single game.

That game would be KISS Psycho Circus. I am sure there are many other great games, but this one really struck me well. I actually bought the game well before I found the system for the right price. A nice $25 price tag on a Dreamcast in a shop in Illinois did the trick...

[TwinThumbs]

I too have a backup Dreamcast bought several years ago "Just in case." So far I haven't needed it. My original one, bought for Christmas 2000 is still going (and, yes, it has been played regularly since new). I just got done playing some Unreal Tournament, and I started a new ShadowMan game last night. I've never actually played the DC version, but I beat it a couple years ago on N64.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DREAMCAST. I still love ya after all these years!

Actually, make that Xmas of '99. I don't know why 2k stuck in my head, but I recall now hearing how everyone was "waiting for the PS2" whenever I'd bring up the DC, so it musta been '99.

[alexkidd2000]

10 years ago I drove 5 hours to get my hands on a Dreamcast. When I finally got home it would not boot any games!!!!

I made it back again the next weekend and swaped for another console and it has been working great since then! SpacccccccccccccBoooooommmmmmmmmmbaaaaaaa!!!!!

[HurricaneAndrew]

I just had a bit of a memory jogging...

I remember that day in 1999, I was in 3rd grade. In my school, all of the teachers were making a big deal out of the fact that the date was all nines for some reason, but a large group of (fairly nerdy) students were making a big deal out of the Sega Dreamcast being released that day. I remember myself thinking that I could care less, since I had never had a new console in my life (I had the hammy-down NES that had belonged to my brother). This was before I began actually collecting. Little did I know that 9 years later I would find myself buying a used Dreamcast for $25 (a bargain in my opinion).

[TheGam3r]

Happy 10th Birthday Dreamcast. Too bad SEGA pulled the Plug on you in 2002

I got My Dreamcast Last Summer It was a Black SEGA Sports System came with:

-NBA 2K
-NFL 2K
-Crazy Taxi
-18 Wheeler
-Tomb Raider last revelation

And I Also got At A Pawn Shop:
-Jet Grind Radio
-Hydro Thunder


I'm Gonna Play Some Dreamcast Today and Some DC-To-Gc Ports (Sonic Adventure,Sonic Adventure 2,Skies Of Arcadia Legends)

[mezrabad]

I remember driving home from work on 9/9/99 and hearing an NPR segment talking about the release of the new console. I wasn't a console gamer at the time, but I remember being astonished that it had been three years since a new console had come out and that it was big enough deal that NPR was doing a spot on it.

People they were interviewing were talking about the controllers, and one person especially was commenting on the location of the left and right triggers saying "other controllers (PSX?) have shoulder buttons, but these are triggers and are actually where my fingers are so they're useful" or something like that.

Odd that that bit should stand out in my memory, I mean, I like the Dreamcast controller just fine, but weird that's the only bit of the story I remember.

I didn't get a Dreamcast until 2002, sometime after the Philly Classic #3. I liked it so much I bought a second one in case my first one broke. (It hasn't, I gave my backup away). It's a system the you can sit down with and not run out of things to play for a long time... at least ten years... and if you do there's always the homebrews and emulation projects for it to keep you interested longer.

[NayusDante]

I still have my September '99 manufactured unit, and it's never given me problems. I have an old mini-ITX PC set up with Windows ME and a brand new 56K modem just so I can forward internet to it and play PSO on Schtserv. Very reliable system, from my experience, but I suppose that's odd.

Dreamcast was ahead of its time, certainly. For me, however, it was far ahead of its time in terms of software. At the time, I was 11, and I was much more into Final Fantasy, Mega Man, and games that were more linear in scope. Sitting down to play an arcade port or a brawler seemed odd to me, so I neglected a great deal of the console's library. I always loved quirky games, but being young, the lack of a job restrained me from dropping cash on every neat sounding game.

Looking at the system today, and going for a complete collection, it's a true gem of a console. In most art forms, I find myself respecting the innovators while ignoring the derivatives. Dreamcast was an innovator in many respects, from its more modular peripherals (VMU-port microphone) to its online system. When you look at consoles that came after, they didn't innovate, they included what had become accepted.

Great artists are never respected until after they die. Dreamcast is our Vincent van Gogh.

[gamegirl79]

The Dreamcast holds a special place in my heart. I didn't get one at launch, but about a year or so later I bought a used one on ebay. I played it for days on end and wondered why I had waited so long to get one.

I still remember the excitement when Beats of Rage came out and I still play it to this day. Jet Grind Radio, Tennis 2k2, Sonic Adventure 2, Crazy Taxi, and all the excellent fighting games are among my favorites.

I now have three Dreamcast consoles, one of which I got brand new from Thinkgeek not long ago. The other two consoles are finicky with the game discs they will read and sometimes reboot randomly (even after a power supply swap). Out of all the game consoles I own, the Dreamcast is still my all around favorite though.

Happy 10th Birthday Dreamcast!!

[jwlowry]

It's hard to believe it's been 10 years. I remember 9/9/99, I went to TRU that evening hoping (but not expecting) to find a DC on the shelf. Luckily they still had a few. Those were the days...when you didn't have to wait in a line all night to get your hands on a new console at launch.

I think I'll play some Powerstone when I get home from work today.

[SaturnFan]

9/9/99 was in 9th grade. Had the Dreamcast pre-ordered at Toy's R Us for months. Saved all my money cutting lawns that summer. Good times, bought it with Sonic Adventure with 1 vmu. I almost smoked my DC though, leaving it on a blanket.....woops! That thing got really hot!

Happy B-Day!!!!!!!!

[RPG_Fanatic]

I took the day off work to stand in line on 9/9/99 to get one. Later that night I couldn't believe I was checking porn on a gaming console

[Flashback2012]

Happy 10th Birthday Dreamcast!!

My memory of this system will be that I worked the midnight launch of the system's release. I was working for Funcoland at the time and this is back when they were a competitor to Babbages and they hadn't rolled out Gamestop as a brand just yet (I would end up going to GS two months later).

I don't recall much from the launch, only that our store was packed with people. I also don't remember all of the launch games I picked up aside from Sonic Adventure and Soul Calibur. I did pick up Final Fantasy VIII with the strategy guide on that night and remember my friend giving me hell for doing so. He said that was money I could have used for another DC game.

One thing I do remember about the launch was the amount of software available. I remember there being 17 or 18 titles available at launch. I remember how little in comparison there were at the subsequent launches for the PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube.

Alas, I no longer possess my launch DC. It started acting up on me and right about the time it did, Sega had released the 2K Sports Edition Black DC. I ended up trading my unit in for that one 'cuz I had wanted a black unit from the get go. I decided against removing the decal from the unit even though it annoyed me. A few year later I happened upon another 2K unit. A kid had brought it into my store and wanted to trade it in but at the time GS stopped taking in DC. I offered to buy it from him after hours and his mother agreed. For $50 I got another unit, a 2nd controller, and a small stack of games. Ironically, it turns out that the kid was the younger brother of a girl who worked in the same mall as I did who I dated a few times.