Here are some things you may want in a console: Online connectivity (check), web browsing (check), top of the line graphics (check), games that are only available on the machine (check), free online play (check), and connectivity to a portable (check).
This may seem like a description of the Playstation 3 (PS3), but I am in reality about to stroll down memory lane to 9999, the US birthday of the Sega Dreamcast.
It was so hypnotic....
Once again I do not plan to put my own judgment on why this wonderful piece of hardware had the short life span that it did. I’ll leave that to your comments. Instead I am going to do my best to help you remember what made it great or to get you interested in the system that put Sega out of the Hardware wars. (Help me Oggie Ben Doggie, you’re my only hope!)
To get your brains in gear, here are some titles that must be mentioned:
- Bleemcast:This “game” made Sony very angry. It was an amazing thing, I could not understand why Sony would be so upset over a “game” that allowed you to play Playstation titles on a Dreamcast. Why would they have been angry over the graphically superior Dreamcast emulated versions of their games? At any rate the original plan was scrapped so only 3 games were done, still what a move!
- Soul Calibur: This made the eye leak water. It was a sign of our weakness for beauty.
- Jet Grind Radio: This was a blast, until the end where I lost. I never did beat this. However I did learn to scream at my tv in an adult way.
- Powerstone: I owned this and just never “got it”…then again I don’t get Super Smash Brothers.
- Ready to Rumble Boxing: Many had a lot of fun with this. Sadly it was no Super Punch Out.
- Resident Evil: Code Veronica: This game makes me think of fear and ice. I also think of basketball because of all the pivoting.
- Shenmue: My friend Johnny Cakes loved this. I played it. I think I took a nap and woke up on a forklift.
- Space Channel 5: Groove is in your heart and Ulala has always reminded me of Lady Miss Kier of Dee Lite.
I hope those started the mind stirring. Now onto those titles that hold a special place in my heart.
This made me look at the world as a skate park.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2: This remains one of the highest rated console titles of all time. Travi and I spent a lot of time with this glorious title. I can only imagine how many hours I might have spent had this been a current generation title. This may sound confusing since there are still are Tony Hawk games out there, but this was before the THPS burnout. This picked up from the first game and made it almost perfect. I did not know a gamer who did not play and enjoy some version of this game. The Dreamcast version shined the brightest.
(SIDENOTE: Why Scotch and gaming is dangerous: One night my Dreamcast acted odd. So I colored my THPS2 disc with a sharpie. Needless to say that did not do anything to help. I colored it with a black sharpie and then ruined my Game Doctor, while trying in vain to fix the disc.)
If you wished to make him, he could be yours.
Fire Pro Wrestling D: I felt very proud when I picked this game up from the UPS office. I had imported my first game directly from Japan. The tome I kept by my side to get me through the Japanese menus eventually was not needed. This was not due to my learning Kanji. I just learned those menus inside and out from my hundreds of hours of play. The Eggs may not have been born in Fire Pro D, but the 7th Egg Dynasty certainly was. The create a wrestler system was the deepest I had ever seen and allowed you to create anyone (or anything). The online component was a wonderful playground of downloadable created , including a monstrosity I acquired somewhere that was known as The Naked Man. This beast wrestled in the nude and made odd noises. He and the Eggs were destined to be enemies. Also available to download into your portable VMU were new moves, these new moves continued for a year, all 52 were for free. The only thing lacking was online play.
Seaman 6: The Confession
Seaman:This game was an exercise in patience for me. That little swimming jerk asked a lot of uncomfortable questions. I straightened him out for his incessant prattling and third degree. If you plan on winning, don’t leave him unattended for days. Also screaming into the microphone did not help him understand that I was done with providing information about my family.
..and now for the Dallas Cowboys....#21.......
NFL2K: Along with Soul Calibur, this game was a perfect way to see the future of gaming. The graphics and were a taste of things to come. I had such a good time with this game. Play calling from the VMU was a novelty at the time but reminds me in some way of what the Nintendo DS would improve on in the future. The customization was also a draw. This version did not have all of the bells and whistles of what we would come to expect over the years, but it set the new bar.
The memories.
Phantasy Star Online (PSO): My very first thought was how I tracked down the Easter Rappy. The next logical memory concerns my Dreamcast keyboard. I have many fond memories of playing this on bitter cold Friday nights. My favorite character was named P Funk and he looked like The Jackson Five era Michael Jackson, in a sailor suit. He was my main and I enjoyed the tough ride of leveling him up over many hours of gaming with friends online (over the built in modem, mind you). This game also allowed options in the text communication with your team members to communicate with foreign players by use of an interface. I think I accidentally told people I liked making art on canoes. Ok, it was not a mistake but I found it to be fun. The only flaw with PSO as I saw it was the game registration. The game had to be registered to a specific Dreamcast. So when my Dreamcast burnt out, from hours of play, I had to get a new copy if I intended on continuing. So I had to bid farewell to PSO.
I am sure I missed some of your favorites, so do me a favor and correct me in the comments! Otherwise I won’t email you my PSO character for you to dupe my items!
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