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The Sega Dreamcast turns 20 years old (North America launch)
- Thread starter Deleted member 12790
- Start date
I don't think the WiiU was quite as inventive as the Dreamcast library was, but I think it hit a similar wave of just brilliant first-party invention.
OP
OP
Can we talk about the stupidity behind the Dreamcast controller.
One analog stick
Only two triggers with no shoulder buttons
I'm watching Sega's DC stream and it's just so funny how the guy has to keep re-centering the camera every so often in PSO because there's no analog stick to control the camera with.
Imagine playing PSO without a keyboard
I'm jealous, really. I would wear it at work or in free time, wouldn't matter. Congrats on winning and this amazing looking jacket.
Classic Gaming Quarterly put out a feature-length retrospective on the Dreamcast launch. His work is usually very thorough and well-produced (going off of his previous launch specials). Going to tuck into this one tonight.
Dreamcast will take you to a brand new
world more than just a TV game. A new level of
entertainment awaits you.
world more than just a TV game. A new level of
entertainment awaits you.
Other games I forgot to mention: Cosmic Smash is a great arcade game and it's a shame that's never been ported. Rayman 2 The Great Escape is still quite enjoyable and the art style is very endearing. Virtua Tennis was classic Sega. Even if you weren't interested in Tennis as a sport, Sega's take on it was so playable you could still really enjoy it. Speaking of sports games, I recall the first time I saw NBA 2K running being a "holy shit" moment. I recall that UFC game being really impressive too.
Then there's this madness:
Seaman was crazy but such an innovative and ambitious game.
Yeah, to me the real flaw of the dreamcast (controller board fuse excepted ;) ), was the weakness in the triggers plastic rod (i m lacking proper terms).
I smashed the right trigger while gearing up in Crazy Taxi for the boost start... it killed 3 japanese original controllers (launch controllers). I had to switch to european controllers afterwards because i spent those i brought from home.
But god i loved the light gun, with the VMU ammo cartridge xD
House of The Dead 2 was my favorite game on the system...
(yeah surprisingly it was not pen pen tricellion ;) )
I smashed the right trigger while gearing up in Crazy Taxi for the boost start... it killed 3 japanese original controllers (launch controllers). I had to switch to european controllers afterwards because i spent those i brought from home.
But god i loved the light gun, with the VMU ammo cartridge xD
House of The Dead 2 was my favorite game on the system...
(yeah surprisingly it was not pen pen tricellion ;) )
Great OP for GOAT console. Can't wait for my copy of Dreamcast: Collected Works in November, and of course to play Shenmue III after eighteen years of waiting.
Wait, so the European triggers were more durable? I wondered why my Japanese controller Right trigger got busted after Crazy Taxi sessions but my other controllers didn't, good to have this mystery solved after all these years...
I've tried finding excuses to buy more games for the system than I currently have, but I have high standards and restrictive genre preferences compared to when I was a teenager. I would have love arcade accurate ports of the Metal Slug games on the DC, even as a fan project.
That's the one thing I can't defend about the system. The controller was uncomfortable, felt hollow, and the cord came out the wrong end.
Can we talk about the stupidity behind the Dreamcast controller.
One analog stick
Only two triggers with no shoulder buttons
I'm watching Sega's DC stream and it's just so funny how the guy has to keep re-centering the camera every so often in PSO because there's no analog stick to control the camera with.
That's the one thing I can't defend about the system. The controller was uncomfortable, felt hollow, and the cord came out the wrong end.
OP
OP
Ahaha, yeah, empirical evidence :)
Still... that was a bummer to have to suspend play session because your last spare controller is dead
1. Shenmue I & II
2. Virtua Tennis 2
3. Crazy Taxi
4. Samba de Amigo v.2000
5. Rez
Honourable mentions: Power Stone, Space Channel 5, Chu Chu Rocket, The Typing of the Dead
EDIT: Shit, can't believe I forgot SoulCalibur.
Ah yes. One of the only controllers I had to take apart to try and fix. Those triggers were garbage.
My buddy and I worked all summer and saved every scrap of cash we possibly could for the launch of this console.. think we ended up spending something like $700 each on launch day... which still seems an unfathomable amount of money to spend on a single day as a 17 year old. We bought pretty much the full lineup and couldn't believe our eyes when we got back to his place.
Such a good system... I was heartbroken when they canceled the system... I was in freshman year of college, and I basically took it to be sold immediately because I knew the price was going to plummet and I was a college kid with ZERO cash. Ended up springing for a PS2, which was a good deal at the time... but I wish I had held on to my launch system.
Such a good system... I was heartbroken when they canceled the system... I was in freshman year of college, and I basically took it to be sold immediately because I knew the price was going to plummet and I was a college kid with ZERO cash. Ended up springing for a PS2, which was a good deal at the time... but I wish I had held on to my launch system.
I had no idea about that Japan-only DreamLibrary service. Downloading games to RAM, absolutely nuts. And after the Dreamcast had been officially discontinued, too.
I'll just take a post in this thread to underline the below picture, which represents one of the best delivered lines of all time in video game media.
I still have my original Dreamcast (doesn't work though). I'm going to have the console sit at the dinner table tonight in commemoration.
I do agree, the controller (specifically the lack of a second analog stick) hasn't held up well. Probably the only major misstep with the console design. The PS2 wasn't nearly as innovative despite its hype. But the two major things it got right was including DVD playback and the dual shock controller.
That said, I still see the Drreamcast as the father of modern gaming. It introduced online play, realistic sports games and open-world gameplay to mainstream console gaming.
I do agree, the controller (specifically the lack of a second analog stick) hasn't held up well. Probably the only major misstep with the console design. The PS2 wasn't nearly as innovative despite its hype. But the two major things it got right was including DVD playback and the dual shock controller.
That said, I still see the Drreamcast as the father of modern gaming. It introduced online play, realistic sports games and open-world gameplay to mainstream console gaming.
I loved my DC so much, and my then best friend and I had the most amazing time hyping each other up during the launch period, swapping stories of our initial impressions for different launch titles etc. Many sleepovers were had just playing the DC together, and collectively fawning over the insane graphics. Crazy the DC only lasted two years, that feels like absolutely nothing these days in terms of console life cycles (yes I know they were shorter in general back then), if only Sega could've survived longer :/
The IQ was SO good on the DC, and every title felt like something new and inventive. Ecco: Defender of the Future was probably my favorite overall, the animations in that game were extremely impressive for the time. It felt like you were controlling an actual aquatic creature, and that same attention to detail extended into the rest of the game's menagerie. I recall one level that has you descending into a large underwater depression similar to the Great Blue Hole, and at the bottom was a rich population of various sea species. The one that stood out was this tiger (or leapord) striped/spotted manta ray. I was spellbound just watching this virtual creature's movements, it looked so smooth and lifelike. Made most other game animations or characters up to that point for 3d games look like stiff animatronic bears in comparison.
It was little things like this that made the DC stand out, the library felt so distinct and perfectly curated in terms of variety and inventiveness. This thread has hit me hard in the nostalgia feels, makes me want to seek out a CRT on ebay and fire my dusty launch unit up again.
The IQ was SO good on the DC, and every title felt like something new and inventive. Ecco: Defender of the Future was probably my favorite overall, the animations in that game were extremely impressive for the time. It felt like you were controlling an actual aquatic creature, and that same attention to detail extended into the rest of the game's menagerie. I recall one level that has you descending into a large underwater depression similar to the Great Blue Hole, and at the bottom was a rich population of various sea species. The one that stood out was this tiger (or leapord) striped/spotted manta ray. I was spellbound just watching this virtual creature's movements, it looked so smooth and lifelike. Made most other game animations or characters up to that point for 3d games look like stiff animatronic bears in comparison.
It was little things like this that made the DC stand out, the library felt so distinct and perfectly curated in terms of variety and inventiveness. This thread has hit me hard in the nostalgia feels, makes me want to seek out a CRT on ebay and fire my dusty launch unit up again.
what a great system.
as far as sega systems go, it's probably my third favorite though. I still prefer the Saturn and Mega Drive/Genesis.
as far as sega systems go, it's probably my third favorite though. I still prefer the Saturn and Mega Drive/Genesis.
20 years ago today I cut my first day of senior year in high school to drive to the mall with my buddy (who I forced to cut also since he had the car) and I picked up a Dreamcast, 2 controller, 5 games and 2 VMUs. It was the first time I had saved my own money to buy a game console. I saved my money by getting my first job at a movie theater that summer. I was hired on the spot because the manager was desperate to staff up for the upcoming release of Star Wars Phantom Menace. So I got hired with no interview, no evaluation, nothing.
I needed a job because my previous plan for saving my "allowance" (lunch money) didn't turn out so well when I got myself a girlfriend at the beginning of the year and any cash I had on hand went to towards that project (project "get laid") which did not go well. Anyway, that summer I spent most of it face deep in magazines reading about specs, upcoming games, & interviews with Sega that promised this time things would be different. I also wrote Bernie Stolar a letter asking him to change the controller to accommodate for 6 buttons. I know, I know I even got my own phone line so I can play online when I wanted to. Overall, 20 years ago I spent over $500 that day and took home Sonic Adventure, Power Stone, Ready 2 Rumble, Soul Calibur, and Trickstyle. I could not have been happier. Good times, Happy Birthday,
I needed a job because my previous plan for saving my "allowance" (lunch money) didn't turn out so well when I got myself a girlfriend at the beginning of the year and any cash I had on hand went to towards that project (project "get laid") which did not go well. Anyway, that summer I spent most of it face deep in magazines reading about specs, upcoming games, & interviews with Sega that promised this time things would be different. I also wrote Bernie Stolar a letter asking him to change the controller to accommodate for 6 buttons. I know, I know I even got my own phone line so I can play online when I wanted to. Overall, 20 years ago I spent over $500 that day and took home Sonic Adventure, Power Stone, Ready 2 Rumble, Soul Calibur, and Trickstyle. I could not have been happier. Good times, Happy Birthday,
Great point that I think a lot of people overlook, especially people who weren't around at the time. The PlayStation had texture warping and "jaggies" (as we called aliasing back then), and the N64 had blurry textures and generally looked like Vaseline was rubbed all over the screen. But seeing Sonic Adventure running on a Dreamcast in Toys R' Us was mindblowing at how crisp and clear everything was (at least, as crisp and clear as Composite on a CRT could be :P ).
So you could've been happier?
On topic: still trying to track down all the controller color variants.
I was sold on a Dreamcast when I was in Japan, I had walked by a store showing of Sakura Taisen 3 and was blown away by the animated intro, music and demo game play. Forgot about it until I had started college and was able to buy a copy later on, it was the first game I bought for it too. After that it became a cheap way for me to enjoy SNK's offerings until I could afford a Neo-Geo AES. I loved the Dreamcast it was probably still if not one of the best systems I've ever owned (I have four of them! :D, (My roommates got rid of theirs after they moved out of the dorms, so I ended up with a collection of Dreamcasts and Gamecubes lol)). I think I am going to play some Dreamcast tonight :D
Still have my Official Dreamcast Magazines (I never got issue #0), and some misc related stuff including Space Channel 5 magnets.
I signed up for everything game related I could in the '90's and would get coupons, catalogs, preview ad's, VHS tapes, demo disc's etc... from Nintendo, Sony, Sega, Namco, Midway, Konami, Toys R Us, Funcoland and more. During the Dreamcast era I didn't get anything from Sega.
I signed up for everything game related I could in the '90's and would get coupons, catalogs, preview ad's, VHS tapes, demo disc's etc... from Nintendo, Sony, Sega, Namco, Midway, Konami, Toys R Us, Funcoland and more. During the Dreamcast era I didn't get anything from Sega.
The Dreamcast was my second Sega console ever after the Game Gear. Bought it at Zellers in September of '99 with my mom on my birthday along with Soul Calibur. Good times.
Sill works fine to this day besides the laser which I fixed earlier this year using a screwdriver.
Sill works fine to this day besides the laser which I fixed earlier this year using a screwdriver.
Krejlooc Since you brought it up and I've been wondering about this for quite a while, was the bump mapping hardware feature part of how those walls in Crazy Gadget were able to pack seemingly tons of (repeated) polygons without causing the game to lag out?
The room at about 1 minute in was something that caught the attention of some of the folks I was playing a stream for back when the PC port was newish, and I realized I didn't have a great explanation for how they did that without lagging the game, since that's a lot of polygon detail, even if the collision geometry of the stage is pretty flat.
The room at about 1 minute in was something that caught the attention of some of the folks I was playing a stream for back when the PC port was newish, and I realized I didn't have a great explanation for how they did that without lagging the game, since that's a lot of polygon detail, even if the collision geometry of the stage is pretty flat.
Top 5 that comes to mind at this point:
1. Sonic Adventure
2. Jet Grind Radio
3. Phantasy Star Online
4. Armada
5. Shenmue
I loved the Dreamcast so much, this top 5 could easily change in a few hours once the nostalgia kicks in.
OP
OP
Pretty sure that's just regular polygon detail. The Dreamcast can actually push a lot of polygons at once, provided they don't need a ton of computation in the CPU. The repeating nature of the model might lend itself better to easier calculations.
Yeah, Trickstyle was pretty terrible but at the time I was in my glory.
Maybe its cause I was young & impressionable but the graphical leap from Saturn/PS1 to Dreamcast still hasn't been matched let alone surpassed. Neither PS3 nor PS4 had that wow factor for me. I still hold that gens graphics in the highest of regards as its a style in which most games still looked "gamey" whereas todays style just dun have the same appeal.
I'm alil sad I "only" have 19 games for the thing, but looking at my PS2 collection a system which last 4 to 5 times longer and seeing only 33 games for it says just how on fire the DC was. I dun really know any titles I'm missing out on that I'd really love either but there prolly are some?
I'm alil sad I "only" have 19 games for the thing, but looking at my PS2 collection a system which last 4 to 5 times longer and seeing only 33 games for it says just how on fire the DC was. I dun really know any titles I'm missing out on that I'd really love either but there prolly are some?
In no meaningful order: Marvel vs Capcom 2, Jet Grind Radio, Shenmue, Crazy Taxi 2, Skies of Arcadia
I still have that unit which still works even if it is turning that lovely yellow colour. It's one of the VA0 models with the badass looking heatpipes and it has a modem now as a friend ran a games shop and swapped me the modem from the display model for the dummy unit in mine.
The original US review systems were Japanese hardware with US BIOS loaded.
Well as I said, I just took all the unique games Sega released on PS2/GC/Xbox and made a list of them, throwing in NHL 2K2 and Space Channel 5 2 for good measure; I didn't include games that were canceled and didn't release anywhere.
Ok hooking it up tonight! Can't believe I never bought HotD2 at launch. Now that I have a Sony PVM it may be time to get that plus a lg.
Probably my second favorite all time system, SNES probably being #1. Loved damn near everything about it, and remember the events of launch day to this day. I picked up Soul Calibur and NFL 2K, I'm trying to remember if there was a 3rd game...
There were no universally adopted controller schemes back in 1998.Can we talk about the stupidity behind the Dreamcast controller.
One analog stick
Only two triggers with no shoulder buttons
I'm watching Sega's DC stream and it's just so funny how the guy has to keep re-centering the camera every so often in PSO because there's no analog stick to control the camera with.
The Dual Shock was the only joypad on the market with two analog sticks, and most developers couldn't figure out what to do with the right one, not even during most of the Ps2 days.
Also they thought they had to lower the number of buttons on the pad because they wanted it to be less complicated and hardcore.
That said, yeah, the DC's controller was super cute but kind of lackluster and uncomfortable.
DC actually had decent analog triggers, which was and still is huge for racing games. Rip switch (and ps2...)Can we talk about the stupidity behind the Dreamcast controller.
One analog stick
Only two triggers with no shoulder buttons
I'm watching Sega's DC stream and it's just so funny how the guy has to keep re-centering the camera every so often in PSO because there's no analog stick to control the camera with.
No right side analog stick was unfortunate, but also not standard until later