Beginning of summer 2001. Spring semester at college had just ended and I and some friends were at my house discussing what to do next. I decide to count my money, and, after counting every last penny in my possession, I determine I have enough for a Dreamcast. I bag up all my cash, and we drive like lightning to the mall before it closes. We make it with one minute to spare. We run to EBGames just as they're lowering the cage, but they let us in to make our purchase. I pick up my Dreamcast along with a VMU, extra controller, and Marvel vs Capcom 2. Luckily, I had just enough without a penny to spare.

Once we get back to my place, we call up another friend (who is also a huge comic junkie) to come over and play my new game that no one except my brother and I knew anything about. Hours later, the sun's coming up, but we're still playing. The next week, we purchase Capcom vs SNK and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, and the incredible amount of awesome continues for the entire summer. By the beginning of Fall Semester 2001, I'd amassed at least 20 Dreamcast games (and a PS2 and some games, but that's another story). Over the next year or so, my friends all purchased their own Dreamcasts, and the console was pretty much our go-to gaming system for quite awhile... even after fading from the public eye thanks to the PS2. The memories of fighting game tournaments with MvC2 and Capcom vs SNK, Phantasy Star Online sessions, Power Stone calamities, Chu Chu Rocket madness, Sega Swirl craziness, Crazy Taxi, Shenmue, Sonic Adventure, Soul Calibur, Skies of Arcadia.... wow... that all made for some of the best gaming we'd experienced in our lives.

Here's to you, Dreamcast. There will never be another like you.