Dreamcast: 10 years later

AJColossal · Post by **AJColossal** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 5:31 pm

So, the Dreamcast came out 10 years ago today. I remember it well, coming home with Soul Calibur and NFL 2K. My friend and I sat down and played NFL 2K, and I honestly don't think we uttered a sound for 15 minutes or so.

Will there ever be another console that will feel as much of a quantum leap forward as the Dreamcast?

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 5:35 pm

AJColossal wrote:So, the Dreamcast came out 10 years ago today. I remember it well, coming home with Soul Calibur and NFL 2K. My friend and I sat down and played NFL 2K, and I honestly don't think we uttered a sound for 15 minutes or so.

Will there ever be another console that will feel as much of a quantum leap forward as the Dreamcast?

Oh man, that was an awesome day. I bought those 2 exact games. I remember a friend came over and said "how much better could this be than Playstation(1)???" I threw in NFL 2k. The next day he bought one. Loved that console!!!

edit: I still have friends who ask about "Seaman"... I miss that cranky bastard.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 5:37 pm

AJColossal wrote:Will there ever be another console that will feel as much of a quantum leap forward as the Dreamcast?

The Dreamcast was the video game equivalent of the Tucker automobile: Way too good for its time and buried by possibly inferior machines built by much bigger rivals. Sega's sh*tty marketing didn't help, either.

I dropped out of consoles in 2006 after owning an Intellivision, 8-bit NES, PlayStation, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and I never enjoyed a machine more than the Dreamcast.

Very fond memories. Thanks for the reminder of 9.9.99!

Take care,
PK

AJColossal · Post by **AJColossal** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 5:49 pm

Interesting reflections from Peter Moore's blog:

http://itsinthegame.ea.com/archive/2009 ... after.aspx

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 5:59 pm

9.9.99

It's thinking........

I had 2 show up at my house that day due to ordering issues. It had it's flaws, but I played a ton of dual screen CART Flag to Flag racing on the DC.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 6:00 pm

That was my first time I went to E3, and seeing NFL 2k was one of the most jaw-dropping experiences I've ever had with this hobby. I was just floored by the graphics. The same with NBA 2k.

I'm not a fan of fighting games, but Soul Calibur 2 is one of the greatest games ever made and probably got more play than anything else I owned for the system. Even somewhat average games like Ready 2 Rumble and Trickstyle had incredible graphics and art direction that made them stand out.

Then there was Shenmue: the gateway to modern gaming. Sprawling, immersive, and one of the most mature games ever made. Sadly it arrived too late, but it still arrived.

The biggest problem was they completely blew their wad at the launch. I don't think I bought another DC game until NFL 2k1 the next fall. By then the writing was on the wall that the DC wasn't going to last.

However, I really think it changed the course of gaming, moving it from a kid's pastime to an art form adults could proudly enjoy. That's its real legacy.

toonarmy · Post by **toonarmy** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 6:02 pm

I don't know if I would go as far to say that Sega did a poor job of marketing. They marketed the crap out of the 2K Sports games and the console itself. The problem was mainly that Sega was not in the same ballpark monetarily as the other guys. Sega had to turn a profit. It was not like things recently, where some companies will take a huge loss on initial hardware sales and marketing just to get systems into homes. Sega did not have that luxury.

And, yes, it was a great system that was ahead of its time in many respects. It's amazing how many truly excellent games came out for it. Sega developed quite a cult following as a result. My favorite soccer jersey is a player-issued long sleeve Bergkamp Arsenal jersey with the Sega logo on the front. I do not wear it out and about very often, but when I do I always get remarks about the Sega logo.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 6:32 pm

greggsand wrote:
AJColossal wrote:So, the Dreamcast came out 10 years ago today. I remember it well, coming home with Soul Calibur and NFL 2K. My friend and I sat down and played NFL 2K, and I honestly don't think we uttered a sound for 15 minutes or so.

Will there ever be another console that will feel as much of a quantum leap forward as the Dreamcast?
Oh man, that was an awesome day. I bought those 2 exact games. I remember a friend came over and said "how much better could this be than Playstation(1)???" I threw in NFL 2k. The next day he bought one. Loved that console!!!

edit: I still have friends who ask about "Seaman"... I miss that cranky bastard.

The same two games for me as well. I was just speechless while playing NFL 2K.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 6:44 pm

I got mine on launch night at midnight

One thing I remember from that night was there were some shady characters at GameStop. Well, two things. I remember the dial up modem reading my credit card froze up for like 10 minutes. I remember thinking "I'm never gonna get to play my new games!!!" Great system. I was also enamored by NFL2K. First game I popped in and the graphics as well as the commentary blew me away. Awesome night!

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 7:02 pm

Had mine preordered at Toys R Us and picked up Soul Caliber, NFL 2k, and NFL Blitz 2000. I had no plan on getting a Dreamcast because I was waiting for the PS2. All of that changed when I went to Hollywood Video about a month before launch and they had Dreamcasts available for rent. The only game they had to rent was Ready 2 Rumble boxing so I rented it to check it out. I was blown away at how awesome the graphics were and the next day I reserved one at Toys R Us.

I still have my Dreamcast to this day and still play it on occasion. I'm still shocked at how active the piracy community is with Dreamcast games after all of these years.

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 7:06 pm

I was late to the party only getting one when nhl2k2 i loved the controller and all the peripherals for it , the light guns and the coolest fishing controller ever for sega bass fishing.
I dig it out from time to time for some nhl 2k2.

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 7:51 pm

Scoop, bust out that DC. A new game announced today (not joking):

http://www.redspotgames.com/rush-rush-r ... noucement/

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 7:59 pm

toonarmy wrote:I don't know if I would go as far to say that Sega did a poor job of marketing.

Sorry, but "9.9.99 -- It's Thinking" was not a slogan that attracted attention from non-gamers. That was Sega's big pitch line leading to launch.

Stupid.

A shame, as it was an incredible machine. I was about a year late to the party with the Dreamcast, as I've never bought a console at launch. But the first time I played and saw NHL 2K and saw World Series Baseball 2K1 (horrible game, but gorgeous!), I was sold.

I went home from the mall that night, gathered all of my PSX equipment and games, sold them on eBay and scraped together enough cash to buy a DC. Zero regrets.

Take care,
PK

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 8:35 pm

I actually still have my DC. Almost forgot about it but this thread jarred the old memory

F308GTB · Post by **F308GTB** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 9:00 pm

10 years ago I was on a trip for work to Edwards Air Force Base preparing for some flight tests on a project. I was bummed that I was out of town and that I would miss out on picking up my pre-ordered DC. Headed into the "bustling" town of Palmdale and found a stack of DCs at the Best Buy. Headed back to the base quarters with DC, NFL2K, and Tokyo Xtreme Racer in hand. I was pumped. 10 years later, I'm on travel again, though this time in Denver. Would be nice to play some DC games tonight, but that will have to wait until Friday.

BTW, I was excited about the US launch even though I picked up an import DC in the spring of 1999. A great system and one I still play to this day. Some of the games I thought were great back then have lost their luster, but many are still just as great now as they were back then.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 9:05 pm

So many cool games like Sega Rally and Crazy Taxi came out on the Dreamcast. I remember playing Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and just being amazed at the graphics when compared to the Playstation.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 9:59 pm

LOVED my Dreamcast. Did the midnight launch at Funcoland. Picked up NFL2K, Soul Caliber and I think Hydro Racing or whatever it was called. Maybe even Trickstyle too. I went for it.

I'll never forget going online for the first time in NFL2K1 (was it?). But my favorite all time game was Virtua tennis. Had the most insane and intense battles with that game. Sega Bass Fishing was played many a late night as well.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 10:04 pm

And who can ever forget Seaman. One of the most innovative games I can think of.

F308GTB · Post by **F308GTB** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 10:32 pm

Top games on the DC which I still consider to be some of the best of all time:

F355
TXR
NFL2K
Samba de Amigo
Virtua Tennis
Typing of the Dead
Giant Gram

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 10:41 pm

Still my favorite console to date. I hadn't been in awe of what I was seeing BEFORE it, nor have I been AFTER it. It truly was groundbreaking.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 10:42 pm

Spooky wrote: But my favorite all time game was Virtua tennis. Had the most insane and intense battles with that game. Sega Bass Fishing was played many a late night as well.

Agreed. That game kept me up for days. I think I even got all the extra peripherals for the Dreamcast, the fishing rod, the driving wheel...And that memory card, so innovative at the time, how you could keep your plays of NFL 2K while viewing the VMS (is that what they called it?), although in the end it ended up being more flash than dash.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 10:44 pm

Not only do I still have my Dreamcast...my kids still play it on a regular basis. I'll try and post some pics of it here later. Awesome system...NFL 2K, MDK....just a fantastic gaming system truly ahead of it's time.

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 11:07 pm

Love this thread. My favs:

All the NFL 2k's
Crazy Taxi
Seaman
UFC (huge surprise)
Iron Aces
Test Drive Le Mans
Tony Hawk Pro Skater
etc, etc, etc.....

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Wed Sep 09, 2009 11:14 pm

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 12:16 am

My favorite DC games, in no order:

NHL 2K
F355 Challenge
NFL 2K1
NBA 2K1
Virtua Tennis (better known as Virtua Crack)
Shenmue
Jet Grind Radio
Soul Calibur
Vanishing Point
Tokyo Xtreme Racer
Metropolis Street Racer
Test Drive Le Mans
Test Drive V-Rally
Crazy Taxi
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX
Mat Hofmann's Pro BMX
Daytona USA
Demolition Racer: No Exit
Ecco the Dolphin
Looney Tunes: Space Race
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Unreal Tournament
Maximum Pool

Good Lord, that system was stuffed with great technology and great games. An embarrassment of riches. Best system I've ever owned, period.

Take care,
PK

Digital Sportspage

Dreamcast: 10 years later

Dreamcast: 10 years later

Re: Dreamcast: 10 years later

Re: Dreamcast: 10 years later

Re: Dreamcast: 10 years later