As stated, despite the name of this series, I do love video games. As such, I get irate when there is an entire factor of gaming I haven’t experienced. Out of the consoles that were released in my lifetime, there was one big one I never owned: The Sega Dreamcast. Whilst I was more of a Playstation kid growing up, I rarely even saw a Dreamcast due to its poor sales worldwide. However, with new-found adulthood comes work. With work comes pay. And with pay comes questionable purchasing. I had never owned a Dreamcast at the height of their popularity in the early 2000's, but now I can fix that.
I went out and bought a used Dreamcast and decided to see what it was I missed out at the turn of the century. So, this week, I’m going to discuss the Dreamcast as a console and run down some of the games I have played in preparation for this article.
Will a retrospective experience of the Dreamcast hold off the Death of Video Games?
Will a retrospective experience of the Dreamcast hold off the Death of Video Games?
The way this is going to work is kind of like a review of sorts. I want to share my views on the Dreamcast on all facets of the console; as a game machine, as a piece of tech and as an example of design. So, let's begin by talking about the unit itself.
The Console
The console itself is pretty generic looking. Forget the couture design of the PS4 or the iconic look of most Nintendo consoles, the Dreamcast is a grey box with a lid and controller ports. It’s not exactly striking as casings go, but that isn’t what draws you into buying a console. Plus this was the 90’s, so worse looking things existed.
In terms of the interface, I don’t know quite what I expected, but the main menu is very… basic.
Launch disc, access memory cards, listen to music or change settings. That’s pretty much all you have going for you. Like I say, I don’t know what I expected given the time the console was released. I suppose that I have been spoiled by the all-singing, all-dancing machines we have today.
Launch disc, access memory cards, listen to music or change settings. That’s pretty much all you have going for you. Like I say, I don’t know what I expected given the time the console was released. I suppose that I have been spoiled by the all-singing, all-dancing machines we have today.
Image Credit: beagle.com.au
Here’s a fun fact about the Dreamcast: It has an internal battery. And it is fucking weird.
Unlike the internal batteries from Nintendo cartridges (R.I.P. all Pokemon from your Red and Blue cartridges), the battery in the Dreamcast is rechargeable. Great, right? Well, to charge said battery, the console must be switched on doing something. Just being connected to the mains is not enough. Again, we have been spoiled by the all-singing, all-dancing superconsoles of today. This means that you have to either leave the console on overnight so that it remembers the date, or play it pretty much every day. I’m not entirely sure whether that’s a design flaw or a play incentive, but it’s certainly a thing.
Lastly, this console is a bootleggers dream. The piracy protection on the Dreamcast is almost non existant, making importing with boot disks and game copying almost too easy. I’ll admit, a lot of my time was spent downloading roms and experimenting what would run on my Dreamcast. In total, I think I had about 2 failed burns and every other rom, including larger 2-disk affairs ran perfectly.
Unlike the internal batteries from Nintendo cartridges (R.I.P. all Pokemon from your Red and Blue cartridges), the battery in the Dreamcast is rechargeable. Great, right? Well, to charge said battery, the console must be switched on doing something. Just being connected to the mains is not enough. Again, we have been spoiled by the all-singing, all-dancing superconsoles of today. This means that you have to either leave the console on overnight so that it remembers the date, or play it pretty much every day. I’m not entirely sure whether that’s a design flaw or a play incentive, but it’s certainly a thing.
Lastly, this console is a bootleggers dream. The piracy protection on the Dreamcast is almost non existant, making importing with boot disks and game copying almost too easy. I’ll admit, a lot of my time was spent downloading roms and experimenting what would run on my Dreamcast. In total, I think I had about 2 failed burns and every other rom, including larger 2-disk affairs ran perfectly.
Note: I don’t advocate piracy, but given that this console has already gone belly up, it is a good way to experience rare or imported games, and it can cost you little to nothing to build a library of good games for the would-be super-system of the day.
I’m told the homebrew community is also excellent on this platform for the same reasons, but I want to focus on the experience the console offered at the height of it’s prime, rather than its extended legacy.
I’m told the homebrew community is also excellent on this platform for the same reasons, but I want to focus on the experience the console offered at the height of it’s prime, rather than its extended legacy.
The Controller
The controller is… interesting. It’s not exactly comfy, you only get one control stick which isn't the most accurate or user friendly of control schemes I've ever used. Think of the PSP and you’ll get what’s going on; poor traction, odd location and an all round pain to use when struggling against the camera in some of the more awkwardly designed games.
And there’s a ruddy great hole in the middle. Besides that, the face buttons and d-pad are okay, I guess. The triggers on the rear are pretty nice. The cord is pretty lengthy too, which is more than I can say for standard PlayStation controller cords.
And there’s a ruddy great hole in the middle. Besides that, the face buttons and d-pad are okay, I guess. The triggers on the rear are pretty nice. The cord is pretty lengthy too, which is more than I can say for standard PlayStation controller cords.
That’s pretty much all you can say about the controller, as you stare deep into the empty, plastic void in the middle of it. What goes in there, you might ask?
The VMU
That big hole in the controller is for one of these beauties. The VMU is probably one of the coolest memory cards in existence. Rather than the thin grey slates of the PlayStation or having saving capacity inside of cartridges, the Dreamcast had the VMU; a memory card with a small LCD screen in it that could do a small variety of things.
First and foremost, they could be used as a clock. Which is fun. And would explain why these things run off two fucking watch batteries, which is horseshit.
Secondly, these things can do one of the coolest things I have ever seen a memory card do: SYMMETRICAL DOCKING.
The ports on the VMUs allow them to connect to each other and transfer save data between them. Is your buddy having trouble beating that boss on Sonic: Before We Ruined It? Just give him your save file so he can actually finish the game! What a cool ass idea!
The ports on the VMUs allow them to connect to each other and transfer save data between them. Is your buddy having trouble beating that boss on Sonic: Before We Ruined It? Just give him your save file so he can actually finish the game! What a cool ass idea!
The final function is the ability to play small minigames, the most popular of which is a Tamagotchi-like Chao pet simulator from the Sonic Adventure series. Sadly, I couldn't get this to work no matter how hard I tried. I'm sure it’s pretty good though, considering the VMU has its own d-pad and A and B buttons, which is fairly excellent for a memory card.
The Games
Here is a small rundown of games I managed to get some good time into before writing this article:
Power Stone/ Power Stone 2
An awesome forgotten fighting game series. Think Smash Brothers meets DragonBall Z. Two games were released for the Dreamcast, the second being the better of the two, since that game made the action 4-player. It’s got random items, evolutions forms, finisher moves, moving and interactive stages as well as huge boss battles. It’s a hidden goddamn gem that everyone should play. This series needs rebooting right goddamn now. Playing this was probably the most fun I had on the Dreamcast.
Tech Romancer
Holy shit. Tekken meets Pacific Rim. If you’ve ever watched Gundam or GaoGaiGar or, like I said, Pacific Rim and said "That would make an awesome game";
A) You’re right, and
B) This is it.
It’s an arcade fighter style game with giant robots as the playable characters. Each character has their own story mode too, which is pretty sweet. Very polished, high octane fun. Plus, one the main characters main moves is a Rider Kick. Pure class.
A) You’re right, and
B) This is it.
It’s an arcade fighter style game with giant robots as the playable characters. Each character has their own story mode too, which is pretty sweet. Very polished, high octane fun. Plus, one the main characters main moves is a Rider Kick. Pure class.
Skies Of Arcadia
Probably one of the best RPGs I’ve played in a long while. It features a brilliant story about sky pirates battling an evil empire, with solid turn based RPG gameplay, gorgeous environments and some of the biggest areas of exploration I’ve seen in an older game. If you even remotely like RPGS or play games for their stories, play this. Right now. It even got remastered for Gamecube, so you have no excuse.
Jet Set Radio
Weird, but fun. Despire the tanky controls and limited trick index, Jet Set is still a great game. Think Tony Hawk Pro Skater meets GTA, I guess is the only way to describe it. It's a constant chase from the over-vigilant police, as you quick-time-event your way to graffiti stardom. Plus, it has one of the best soundtracks ever. I’m not kidding, even if you hate the control style, play this game just for the music.
Cosmic Smash
It’s tennis meets Breakout at the arcade. And it’s fucking weird. This game was only released in Japan, but surprisingly, the entire game is in English, even down to the menus. If you fancied an import title, this one is incredibly easy to recommend. It’s relatively fast paced, challenging and visually simple enough to keep you engaged for high score runs.
Grandia 2
Another great RPG. Whilst this game features one of the best RPG battle systems I’ve seen in an RPG, which no doubt serves as an influence for the brilliant Child of Light, the story is pretty uninspiring. The games dialogue is all a bit too in-depth with the fantasy vibe and isn’t extremely welcoming at first, which could put off more casual players, but veteran RPG fans will get so much out of this game.
Crazy Taxi
Illbleed
This game is fucking weird. I won’t say it’s good or bad, because it’s simultaneously both. The jist is you’re in a scare attraction and the object of the game is to work your way through the horror houses predicting where the scares are. If you don’t spot enough of the scares, you die of a heart attack. The voice acting is deliciously bad, the controls are pretty awful, but it’s such a unique experience, it gets a free ride. This one is a USA and Japan only deal, so European gamers will have to import the US version to experience it.
The Nomad Soul
Did you think that Heavy Rain could have used more aliens, future tech and David Bowie? Turns out that game already exists. From Quantic Dream, the guys who made Heavy Rain, is this… thing. Again, we venture into ‘so bad its good’ territory. The control and menu system is god awful. The game goes from being an adventure game to a GTA clone to a Tekken clone to a Half Life clone almost on the fly. And none of these control schemes are any good. The environments are a mess to navigate and the story is largely unclear, but I’ll be damned if this is not a good game to play with people who have weird senses of humour. Another weird train-wreck of a gem.
Frame Gride
Another Japanese import, this time from From Software, who would go on to make Armoured Core and of course the Souls series. This time, It’s Dark Souls meets Gundam meets DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi. This one is a little harder to recommend due to the high volume of Japanese menus. Plus the difficulty spikes higher than a roided-up volleyball player. If you’re a fan of your mecha, this is an easy one to recommend, but otherwise, it’s not for the uninitiated
The Verdict
There’s still quite a lot I’m unable to do regarding the full DC experience. Obviously, the online gameplay servers are gone for good, meaning it’s pretty hard to play Phantasy Star Online, which is a shame. Also, as I stated earlier, I ignored the homebrew community to focus on nostalgia.
So did my trip back to this forgotten console restore any faith in games for me?
Absolutely.
So did my trip back to this forgotten console restore any faith in games for me?
Absolutely.
For me, given that the system sits in this weird ‘not current but not retro’ state, the system and games go for pence, meaning it’s easy to build up a nice little collection. Of course, the piracy stuff makes it easier for you to experience stuff you may not have had the opportunity to at the time of the consoles heyday.
But this system has some stellar games. Some not so stellar, too, but of the games I played, the majority still hold up today, or are at least interesting enough to warrant trying out. Certainly titles like Skies of Arcadia and Power Stone I say should be revived, as future instalments could become instant classics.
The Dreamcast just has a certain charm to it that’s hard to deny is pleasing. It may have struggled back when it was first released, but its legacy is fondly remembered. I’m certainly going to be sharing some of the diamonds in the rough I’ve discovered in this systems interesting back catalogue with friends, and I’d recommend most of what I played to you readers as well.
For now, the Death of Video Games hasn't arrived. For now, it's go retro or go home.
But this system has some stellar games. Some not so stellar, too, but of the games I played, the majority still hold up today, or are at least interesting enough to warrant trying out. Certainly titles like Skies of Arcadia and Power Stone I say should be revived, as future instalments could become instant classics.
The Dreamcast just has a certain charm to it that’s hard to deny is pleasing. It may have struggled back when it was first released, but its legacy is fondly remembered. I’m certainly going to be sharing some of the diamonds in the rough I’ve discovered in this systems interesting back catalogue with friends, and I’d recommend most of what I played to you readers as well.
For now, the Death of Video Games hasn't arrived. For now, it's go retro or go home.
By Mike Owen
@ThatMikeOwen
The Editor in Chief of Foul Entertainment, Mike edits most of what you see on the site. He runs the production of our podcasts, and currently pens Pop Culture Club and The Death of Video Games.
@ThatMikeOwen
The Editor in Chief of Foul Entertainment, Mike edits most of what you see on the site. He runs the production of our podcasts, and currently pens Pop Culture Club and The Death of Video Games.