In honor of the Dreamcast I will write about it today. Today being one day past the tenth anniversary but that is the kind of respect Sega deserves.1
Man, I remember the day the Dreamcast came out clearly. And it has already been ten years ago, wow. I sat heavy with anticipation all day during school. Hardly being able to pay attention during class my mind drifted into the wonders that I would soon be experiencing. The final bell of the day rang. I was lucky2 to be at the same school my father taught at. I ran down to the car and my father drove me up to the mall. I dashed to Electronics Boutique, paid for my copy of Final Fantasy 8 and ran back to the car.
Hey, I had no idea the Dreamcast was released, but hell if I don’t remember that day!
My relationship to the Dreamcast was tenuous at best for a few years following that date. The most I got in reference to the Dreamcast were Penny Arcade comics that I didn’t quite understand due to the lack of knowledge of the Dreamcast’s library. Sega was always the sports game console in my household and that was something left to my brother and father while I played RPGs. But after my freshman year of college3 got me more out of Magic: The Gathering and more into video gaming, I found a Dreamcast with a few games on eBay and slammed down the $40 for the set. Then began my love for this bizarre system that to this day I just can’t explain.
There really is something magical about the Dreamcast and I can see it in the fans that (not-so) seriously cried out for the secret release of the Dreamcast 2 ten years the original’s release date. It to me still to this date feels like the last bastion of gaming as I know it from my youth. Repeat plays of now so called “retro” games only seems to reinforce it while shattering the lenses of rose-tinted glasses. The Dreamcast was magical despite all its failings.
Why? Well, a large portion of the games, many of those made by Sega themselves just have a “I don’t care about standards.” feel to them. Nothing was off limits and nothing was too bizarre. The system just felt free to have whatever “game” they saw fit and game was a loose term. It felt like it was made for me to play. That I was really experiencing something that was made by people who wanted to make a game, not someone who had to pay the bills.
That’s not to say I’m all love for this device. I never cared for the controllers and still don’t. They feel too light until you plop in two of the VMUs4 and then the weight balance felt off. And with all the games I had fun playing that other people owned there are only a scant few that I would want to have in my own library. But those scant few are glorious.
And for all you list-lovers, my DC top 85!
8. Twinkle Star Sprites
Maybe it was the Saturn version that I played, I can’t remember. Point is, you cross a shooter with a puzzle game and adorable high-pitch voiced characters and you have a game that can’t be ignored.
7. Phantasy Star Online Version 2
I never even got to play the online portion6 but I did waste a lot of time wandering around this world swinging my laser sword at little floppy bunny guys.
6. Typing of the Dead
Take the goofiness of house of the dead and team that up with typing practice and I still can’t believe how fun this game was. Every time I see it in a store I think long and hard about getting it once more to spend evenings typing the word ‘cat’ to make sure zombies don’t get that little girl.
5. Space Channel 5 Part 2
Were I to own this game right now I would have played it on the date of Michael Jackson’s death in memory of the man that brought us Space Michael. Rhythm games just haven’t been the same since the sassy Ulala took us through the eyes of news and dance as we tried to save the world.
4. Ikaruga
Who likes shooters? This mad mix of bullet hell and puzzles7 took me and my friends by storm for a few solid weeks. Cries of “Fucking walls!” could be heard coming from my dorm room. We never finished the game.8
3. Marvel Vs Capcom 2
I was taken for a ride in the first fighting game that really roped me in. Every fighting game since this one has always felt lacking to me in the number of characters available. Street Fighter 4 is a game I love, but being able to pick from a larger roster
2. Chu Chu Rocket
A devilishly simple concept intertwined with catchy music and adorable characters. Too many hours were spent with this game but it never felt like enough.
1. Jet Grind Radio
Easily the game that surprised me the most. The game that got me into Japanese music along with getting me to think outside the RPG-o-sphere when it comes to genres to seriously give a chance. The sequel, while awesome, was lacking in a few spots and unfortunately left us with only one totally awesome game with these mechanics. Revisiting it, though, is just a disc-insertion away.
So dig that DC out of the closet and give it a play this weekend. It’s alright if you’re late to the party. Sega would have liked it as long as you just shown up. It’s the true Dreamcast spirit.
- I kid, I kid. Or do I? [↩]
- In some ways. [↩]
- In the year of our Lord Kawazu 2002. [↩]
- Think memory card that can have little displays that give you info while playing the game. [↩]
- Because I couldn’t think of ten games. [↩]
- I did plug in my keyboard to see how typing in a console game would feel, though! [↩]
- Well, not really. But kind of! [↩]
- Well, I didn’t. [↩]
