It’s hard to believe that ten years ago Sega was a major contender in the console wars with the Sega Dreamcast. However, sales plummeted after the release of the PS2, and Sega withdrew completely from the console wars to become a game developer. This September marks the 10th anniversary of the release of the Dreamcast, and it is my opinion that it was a console that should have been hailed as a masterpiece.
For example, it had some of the best launch games of all time which were Sonic Adventure, Power Stone and Soul Calibur. Their mascot Sonic was an obvious choice to launch with, but Power Stone and Soul Calibur were great games that fully took advantage of the Dreamcast’s superior graphics along with the aspect of multiplayer gaming. In time, Dreamcast had hits like the puzzle game Bust a move, the epic RPG Grandia 2, and fighting game favorite Marvel Vs Capcom 2. With hits like these: the system should have been selling extremely well.
The Dreamcast also had a built in modem for online gaming with games like Phantasy Star Online and Unreal Tournament, this aspect alone should have made this console a winner since online support is the selling point of most games (Halo, GTA 4, Gears of War 2 etc). Technologically, it was just as good looking as most PS2 games. Soul Calibur and Resident Evil 2 on the Dreamcast still decent to this day, even though it still looks dated.
However, the truth cannot be denied; the Dreamcast did have its fall backs. For starters, the console was easily modified and many gamers found ways to illegally copy video games, which most likely hurt Sega’s sales numbers. It also had to compete with the largely successful PlayStation 2, which took America and especially Japan by storm due to its inexpensive DVD player.
So the Dreamcast died out before it truly got to compete with the next generation of games (which also would have had it competing against the Gamecube as well as the XBox.) and now I remember it in fondness for the diversity of games, ahead of its time online support and overall greatness.
R.I.P. Dreamcast.
-Ray
July 22, 2009
#1
The Dreamcast really was a fantastic console. Grandia 2 and Seaman are two of the best games I've ever played. Sadly, all of the pirating hurt it immensely. I'm a bit surprised that the Wii hasn't suffered the same fate because it's also incredibly easy to mod. Of course, it also has a larger and more diverse audience.