Did anyone rush out and buy a GameCube or a Xbox? With the release of both machines recently, the console wars have entered another phase with everyone claiming to be the best in graphics and the games. They both have a huge mountain to climb though as the Playstation 2 from Sony is still the market leader with established fans.
Hang on! What happened to Sega? Well sadly, they're out of the Games Console market now deciding to concentrate on the games software market instead. But what about the Dreamcast, I hear you say! The Dreamcast isn’t even that old of a machine considering its relatively short lifespan. It seemed like only the other month that it was released! In the space of only 3 years in the UK market, it turned from being the best console on the market to being the first 128 bit console to exit out of the arena. Sega ceased production of the Dreamcast in March of 2001.
So why I'm I writing an opinion about a defunct games console? Simple, because its still deserves a worthy mention to this day! In the latest battle in the console wars, people seemed to have forgotten that it was Sega who first entered this next stage of the 128bit consoles. What the hell does that mean I hear you all shouting? Well it means that even though its consider as a old machine now, the graphics and games are easily on par with any of the current crop of consoles.
The console is a small box measuring 190 mm (W) x 195mm (H) x 78 mm (D) and is finished in white. The design is a littled borrowed from the original Playstation with its top loading CD tray and its power button. Annoyingly, there is no reset button. It does however have 4 game controller
ports which means 4 people can play simulteanously on a game if the game permits. The game controllers are a bit big but feel ergonomically designed with all the buttons and triggers. There is no built in rumble though, which needs to be bought seperately and added on just like the memory cards. There isn't support for watching DVDs either as this came out before everyone wanted their games console to be a multimedia home entertainment system!
The Dreamcast was also the first console to offer Internet access (with a separate keyboard) with a built in modem. Problem is the modem only connects at 33.6K speed, which is a bit dated considering the norm is a 56k. It did however, open up the console for online gaming, something that was never done unless you had a PC. One of the best and most played titles online is Phantasy Star Online. I haven’t used the online capabilities myself so I’m not sure whether there is still any support for it.
It might have ceased production, but they were still making games for the dreamcast up till the end of last year which means that some great title have appeared on the Dreamcast but have been left unplayed! The best thing is that most Dreamcast games can be picked up for bargain prices at the moment and the console only cost £50 brand new! Now how much was that Playstation2, GameCube or Xbox? All over £100! For about a £100 you can buy a Dreamcast and 5 brand new games (most of them are under £10!).
Heres some of my favourite essential titles for the Dreamcast
Soul Caliber Simply the best beat-em up with swords on the Dreamcast from Namco, the people who made the Tekken games. Easily better than the lacklustre Virtua Fighter 3 and only available on the Dreamcast. It retails for £7.99 brand new and is a must for beat-em up fans.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 I originally owned this fantastic skate boarding gam on the Playstation but when I got this Dreamcast version, I was amazed at the amount of detail it had over the Playstation version.
Shenmue 1 and 2 Proabably the best role playing games on the Dreamcast with each game spanning more than 2 CD's. Ive literally sat in front of my Dreamcast for nights playing this fantastic game which has simply the best graphics on any Dreamcast game. This was like the last major showcase for the Dreamcast and once again it was exclusive to this console.
Crazy Taxi 2 An absolutely looney game where you drive around as a cabbie picking up passengers and getting them to their destinations in the shortest time possible. Sounds quite boring but I assure its a very addictive game!
Metropolis Street Racer This is THE racing game for the Dreamcast! Ok its no Gran Tourismo 3 ( I wouldnt even dare to compare it) but it still stunningly beautifully rendered with very realistic cars and cityscape backgrounds.
Sonic Adventure 2 No Sega games console is complete without the masco, Sonic. This is a all 3D adventure and is simply addictive!
Virtua Tennis 2 Only released last year, this has got to be the definitive sports game for the Dreamcast, with its realistic graphics of tennis players and sheer playability. Check out Tim Henmen 3D rendition! In fact there isnt another Tennis game to touch it at the moment on any console!
And the list goes on, there are plenty of good games for the Dreamcast to be discovered and all for the snip of the price of current Playstation 2, Xbox or GameCube games.
I know I won't be able to convince the hardcore gamers who have to have the latest machines and latest games, but if you are a true gamer and want a games console which has some classic games for it, then you shouldnt miss out on the current bargain prices. The sad thing is, when it’s gone, it will be gone forever!
If it such a good machine, why did it bow out of the market so early? Well theres a few factors:
1) Playstation - Sony have literally dominated the games console market ever since the launch of their first console in 1994. People were sceptical at first, as it was their first venture into the console market, but it saw off the ill-fated Saturn from Sega and took the crown from the then leaders, Nintendo. By the time Nintendo released the N64, it was too late and Sony had become the market leader. Ever since, Sony have dominated the market with the Playstation and its huge library of games. Sega came on the scene with the first 128bit console beating everyone else and although it was a great machine, the Playstation faithfuls were holding onto their money and waiting for the Playstation 2.
2) Sega - A lot of fans of the Dreamcast are angry at the fact that Sega never really promoted their games console properly! One prime example was Christmas 2000, when there were shortages of PS2, Sega should have pushed their Dreamcast into people's homes. Marketing alone could be considered as one of the main reason that Dreamcast had a premature exit. In the end, not enough people were buying the Dreamcast, instead opting for the Playstation 2 and with the Xbox and GameCube looming, Sega decided it wasnt worth fighting the battle and annouced that it would concentrate on the games itself and develop for other consoles instead. So began the decline of the Dreamcast.
I've only bought my Dreamcast for about 2 months (I bought it secondhand with 3 games for £30!) but like many Dreamcast owners, I feel that there was still a good 2 years in the Dreamcast. Sega killed it off prematurely and the worst thing is, they have stopped producing games for it even though they made the machine! The last game to be released for the Dreamcast was NHL Hockey 2002. Theres been petitions to save it but Sega werent interested.
If you are interested in buying one, there are still many places that still sell the Dreamcast. Retailers like Game, Electronic Boutique and HMV still sell the hardware and the games, even though most retailers have deserted it. The machine can be bought brand new for £50 and the games start from as cheap as £4.99! Online, Amazon.co.uk are trying to clear its stock of Dreamcast related products so its a good place to pick up some bargains! And if you're not fussy, then buying secondhand (like I did) means you can get a Dreamcast with a few decent games from about £30 from places like Ebay or Loot! It makes for an excellent buy new or secondhand, so before you splash out on that £200 console, give this a consideration!
Rest In Peace Dreamcast, You've been killed off, but will never be forgotten!
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Advantages: vague internet feature Disadvantages: not a good selection of games, all seem to be new games that haven't appeared on other platforms that are below par!
scottkilner 12.06.2000 ·
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Review of Sega Dreamcast
May 15th, 2002
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