Dreamcast
20 Best Dreamcast Games of All Time
Today we pay tribute to the best Dreamcast games, the last incursion of the company of the blue hedgehog in the business of desktop consoles. After a trajectory little less than injured, he said goodbye to his followers with an exceptional machine, an ode to the video game that despite its short period of life managed to carve a niche in our hearts. Sega. We miss you.
“Snuggle by the fire, young zagales and tell you a story, the story of how, many years ago, my dear parents were dedicated to do more than video games. They made machines! The first was called SG-1000, and it was closely followed by Master System, and then they triumphed with Mega Drive (although a lot of the success was thanks to me, ahem) and then the planetary jump with Saturn, unfortunately, after a series of unfortunate mistakes they had to leave it. But not without first delighting us with his latest work, a dream called Dreamcast. “
15 long years have passed since Sega shared with the whole world that last dream, which also served as the first contact with the sixth generation of video consoles: on October 14, 1999, it was put on sale throughout Europe Dreamcast, obtaining an important temporary advantage over its future competitors PlayStation 2, Gamecube and Xbox . The black, which until then had been the color worn by most Sega systems, gave way to the purest white.
With 128 bits of power, the machine offered a graphical section without equal. And the good proof of this was his first games, which left with the mouth open to all the children who watched them in front of the windows of the English Court. But the legacy of Dreamcast goes beyond power; It meant the introduction of innovative features that have become an industry standard: it included a serial modem, with the consequent possibility of connecting to the Internet and enjoying online games through a dedicated server called Dreamarena, the precursor of the current PSN and Xbox Live. To his credit, he also has titles that revolutionized the market by including voice chat, popularizing the style cel shading and implement the first downloadable content or DLC. Come on, that neither Rubén Guzmán himself could have predicted that a “failed” console would be a model to follow in future generations.
And it is considered unsuccessful because, despite having an unbeatable launch, with more than 500,000 units sold in the first week in the United States alone, was the victim of the PS2 hurricane that wiped out the shelves of shopping centers around the world. The popularity that had acquired the brand and, above all, the DVD player that included the console (format with a tremendous pull at that time) were the aces in the sleeve of Sony to win the game again. This caused that in 2001, only 3 years later, Dreamcast stopped being distributed and Sega was expelled from the board, suffering a restructuring with which it went from giant of the sector to third-party company. At that precise moment, somewhere in the world, a hedgehog shed a tear.
Interestingly, some people consider the first Xbox as a spiritual successor of Dreamcast, not in vain the design of the command in both is very similar and exclusive games of the Microsoft console, such as Project Gotham Racing and Jet Set Radio Future, are continuations of successful titles that we will review below.
1. SoulCalibur
– Company: Namco
– Year: 1999
Contemplating SoulCalibur for the first time was synonymous with change. The smoothness, speed, and three-dimensionality with which his fighters moved was the next-gen we had seen so far, with a graphics section that even today is worthy of admiration. And if seeing him on the move was incredible. imagine playing it! The title was an authentic revolution for the time, improving in every aspect of the arcade version (heiress of Soul Blade) and joining the select club of ports for a desktop console that exceeds the recreational machine. The introduction of revolutionary mechanics, such as movement in 8 different directions, changed the fighting games forever and earned him the honor of being on the podium of the stars next to Street Fighter 2 and Virtua Fighter, which is not turkey moo. To this day, it is still considered as the cause of one of the most notorious generational changes in how many have lived in the industry.
2. Jet Set Radio
– Company: Smilebit
– Year 2000
A while ago we talked to you about the culprit of popularizing the cel-shading style, well, here you are! But not only because of its peculiar graphics aspect is Jet Set Radio Remembered. The most dangerous fun and a soundtrack full of underground styles come together to offer an arcade experience that is pure adrenaline. In order to ‘step’ on the graffiti of rival bands, we find a game system reminiscent of the well-known Tony Hawk, with the particularity that here we move at full speed using inline skates instead of a skateboard. So, whether you are a risk sports lover or not, you will be hooked by their style in less than it takes to grind a railing. Currently, you can do with the HD reissue in digital format through PSN, XBLA, PC, Vita, Android and iOS, almost nothing! So if you want to relive the ultimate rollerblade experience or in your day you are left wanting to try it, there is no excuse (and everything is said, as, in the case of Wind Waker HD, high definition can not sit better).
3. Sonic Adventure / Sonic Adventure 2
– Company: Sonic Team
– Year: 1999/2001
After leaving us with honey on the lips with Saturn and his Sonic R, fans of the blue hedgehog put the cry in the sky asking for a game at the level of the myth that had been established on Mega Drive. So Sega did not do more than beg and present Sonic Adventure as the first release title in Dreamcast, and both this and its sequel, Sonic Adventure 2, adapted to the three dimensions with mastery the extreme speed of which the mascot of the company. But not only Sonic live both titles: we control up to six characters, among which are faces known as Tails And Knuckles or Sonic’s nemesis: Shadow the Hedgehog. Each one possesses unique abilities and characteristics that make the game system vary depending on who we control, and how could it be otherwise, Dr. Eggman (formerly known as Robotnik ) is the main cause of all our problems throughout the adventures. Unfortunately, from here things went downhill for the hedgehog of Sega, who did not raise his head again until the great Sonic Generations with which he recovered all the splendor of yesteryear.
4. Crazy Taxi
– Company: Hitmaker
– Year 2000
Who would have thought that being a taxi driver would be so much fun! Although of course, if your route passes through a beach city, your customers are the most diverse people on the planet, and you are an expert driver, capable of executing the most crazy maneuvers, the thing changes. That is basically the premise of Crazy Taxi, which with the hype and strumming of American punk rock groups like Bad Religion or The Offspring, offers us a total arcade and untethered driving experience. Literally, because our vehicle will spend more time flying over the sidewalks that respect the traffic regulations. But that the capers do not cloud your judgment! As good taxi drivers, the goal of Crazy Taxis to take customers to their destination as soon as possible. But nobody has mentioned that they have to do it in one piece.
5. Virtua Tennis
– Company: Sega AM3
– Year 2000
Following the trend of all the games we have seen so far, Virtua Tennis flees from any type of simulation or realism to offer tennis matches in its most arcade side. And that is probably his greatest achievement, because after 5 minutes of play until a detractor of the sport of racquet by antonomasia will be captivated by the fun offered by the title. Wonderful controls and a magnificent learning curve serve as the culmination of a game that is already difficult enough to take off. Unfortunately, being the year 2000 we will not find current tennis players (sorry Rafa, again it will be) but we can put ourselves in the shoes of Carlos Moya and bring home a few drinks, which is not little.
6. Space Channel 5
– Company: United Game Artists
– Year 2000
She’s a reporter, she has pink hair and more rhythm than interplanetary maracas, she’s. Ulala! This charming girl is the protagonist of Space Channel 5, the emblematic musical game of Dreamcast in which she must face a race of aliens that, moving away from cliché, forces her victims to dance. To save these dancers by force, our reporter uses two pistols and skeleton movements that would dislodge the hip of an expert Zumba Fitness player. But he also needs our help, because we must carefully memorize the movements of the aliens and introduce them to the rhythm of the music to prevent our dear Ulala from suffering any damage. As a curiosity, one of the characters in the game is inspired and dubbed by. The very king of pop, Michael Jackson! Oh! How far is the fantastic Moonwalker?
7. Skies of Arcadia
– Company: Overworks
– Year: 2001
Long before Edward Kenway and his crew of pirates sailed the Caribbean seas, Vyse, the protagonist of Skies of Arcadia, already did the same in Dreamcast. But with one small difference: I sailed aboard a flying boat! And is that the story of this RPG takes place in a universe slightly inspired by the novels of Jules Verne. Thus, this young pirate and his fellow travelers will sail the skies on board an impressive ship, exploring dungeons, discovering secrets and fighting (in turns) an evil empire that craves the power of mechanical creatures capable of destroying the planet. With an exceptional graphics section and a history of those that get hooked from start to finish, Skies of Arcadia became one of the strongest bets in terms of role in the catalog of the Sega machine, and a real must for the owners of the console.
8. Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
– Company: Capcom
– Year 2000
In the wake of Saturn, Dreamcast had a good handful of arcade ports that were very faithful to the original machine. And that is the case of Marvel vs. Capcom 2, the legendary crossover fight between characters from the House of Ideas and the Japanese company. Moreover, this version is considered superior to all those that were made for desktop consoles, so if you want to play, do it in Dreamcast! And believe us: you want to play, because it is, plain and simple, the most addictive, affordable and fun fighting game of all history. With a team of simply brutal characters (28 from Marvel and 28 from Capcom) among which are heavyweights such as Wolverine, Jill Valentine , Iron Man , Mega Man , Magneto or Akuma , all with their attacks and characteristic and powers represented with 2D sprites animated so well that gives the sensation of watching a comic book in motion. And if we have not convinced you yet, we have only one thing left to say: Hadouken vs. cobwebs.
9. Rez
– Company: United Game Artists
– Year 2002
From time to time, a work appears on the market capable of reshaping the foundations of the industry and making us feel like we have never done before. Titles like Shadow of the Colossus or Journey are a good proof of that, and they would rethink their opinion to the greatest defender that video games are not an art form. The game that occupies us, although not being as popular as those already mentioned, falls into this category perfectly. Rez is a rails shooter, with a graphic style inspired by the works of the artist Wassily Kandinsky, in which we control the virtual representation of our character: an avatar. This avatar is evolving according to the score obtained, being the lowest (and vulnerable) represented by a sphere and the highest level with a humanoid aspect. This concept of ‘creation’ also extends to other sections of the title: each shot we produce produces a musical tone, usually electronic chords, which cause us to be the composers of the soundtrack of the game. It is difficult to express in words what Rez is because first of all, it is a unique audiovisual experience that must be experienced in order to understand. And as in the great movies, the meaning and the moral change according to the eye that contemplates them.
10. Resident Evil: Code Veronica
– Company: Capcom
– Year 2000
The fourth chapter of the Resident Evil saga (not to be confused with Resident Evil 4) is considered by most fans as the last truly faithful delivery to the survival horror before Capcom lost the north. It was the first game of the franchise that debuted outside a Sony console. Although it was not long before being seen by PS2 (with some improvements and the letter X at the end of the title) and also the first to leave behind the famous pre-funds. -learned to make way for scenarios entirely in 3D. It was the return to the forefront of Claire Redfield, the daring girl we controlled in the second album of Resident Evil 2 desperately looking for his brother. And it is in Code Veronica where, at last, we met the brother of yore: Chris Redfield, who stars in the second part of the adventure. Both have to face once again the Umbrella corporation and a variant of the T-Virus that threatens to infect the entire world. Oh, we almost forgot: in this game there are zombies. Many.
11. Blue Stinger
– Company: Climax Graphics
– Year: 1999
But not only of Resident Evil lived the survival horror in Dreamcast: Blue Singer borrowed several elements that made this saga famous and added his own to offer a set of the most interesting. In this way, apart from exploring scenarios in search of resources and key objects, we face grotesque creatures using a combat system more typical of a beat ’em up with combinations of melee hits, as well as firearms with great power of destruction that endows the title with an explosive level of action. Now, there is a fact about the game that is important to know: in its Japanese version, the camera system is fixed (very similar to that of the Resident saga), however, both in the North American and European view is located behind the character, which gives it a very different air to the title, reducing stress and at the same time differentiating it even more from its direct competitor. Which one do you think feels better?
12. Metropolis Street Racer
– Company: Bizarre Creations
– Year 2000
It is possible that the savviest have noticed the similarity between the name of this and one of the best sega dreamcast games of the first Xbox. This is not due to chance or chance: Project Gotham Racing is the spiritual sequel to Metropolis Street Racer , and takes from this good part of the elements that made it famous: faithful and detailed representation of the cities of London, Tokyo and San Francisco (courtesy of a superb graphics section), soundtrack integrated into the vehicle radio (to the GTA ), day / night cycle that takes place according to the Dreamcast internal clock and a system of achievements that rewards us with ‘kudos’ or ‘honor points’ for carrying out specific actions. Kudos are the monetary system of the game, so if we want to unlock all cars or have access to the 262 circuits, we should not only run fast but also with style.
13. Ikaruga
– Company: Treasure
– Year 2002
And speaking of spiritual successors, the fantastic Ikaruga is heir to one of the titles that we reviewed last week in The 20 best sega dreamcast games: Radiant Silvergun. And like this, did not get to leave Japanese territory. A real shame, because the guys from Treasure They returned to amaze us, bringing freshness to a genre as trite as the shoot ’em up. The mechanics of the title revolves around two polarities (represented by the colors blue and red) and can alternate between them at any time. When our ship is of the same polarity as the enemy shots, they are absorbed and converted into energy for special weapons. When they are the opposite. You can get an idea of what happens. But this becomes a double-edged sword since the enemies also respond to this system and we must carefully select the correct polarity to destroy them. Original, right? Well, think that all this change of ‘colors’ has to be done at full speed, while we are attacked by hordes of aircraft and bosses of colossal size to the rhythm of a frantic soundtrack. The result is simply brutal.
14. Phantasy Star Online
– Company: Sonic Team
– Year: 2001
The Phantasy Star saga abandoned the battles in turns and went to hack ‘n slash maintaining, yes, all the rollers components that had made her famous in the past. But if there was an important addition to this installment, it was what the title tag says: online. Although it was possible to enjoy the adventure alone, the spark of the game was to form a party with three other players through the network and enjoy liquidating large enemies, leveling up and obtaining legendary weapons. Thus, Phantasy Star Online became the first MMORPG for desktop consoles. With no precedents, the developers took part of their inspiration from Blizzard classics that triumphed in PC. Although at that time the Internet connections were very different from what we know today, the game was a resounding success and became a true pioneer to bring consoles that seemed impossible. A revolutionary title, whose impact can be felt today in titles like Monster Hunter and guilty of paving the way for a whole generation of online gaming and downloadable content.
15. Power Stone
– Company: Capcom
– Year: 1999
Taking advantage of the pull of Super Smash Bros., Power Stone poses a similar situation with 10 totally original wrestlers with whom to cast candela on stages, yes, in three dimensions. The levels have an intricate design, with different paths and heights, and are full of objects that enhance the skills, such as chairs or tables that we can use to soften the rival’s health bar. But the beauty of the matter lies in the gems that give the game its name: every once in a while, Power Stone appears on the stage, and the first contestant who collects three becomes a ‘super’ version of himself (some are simply spectacular) capable of making definitive attacks that leave the opponent in shreds. An authentic festival of fun and freshness with whose multiplayer mode you will have assured laughs. The title enjoyed such popularity that a sequel and a series of animation with the characters were made.
16. Headhunter
– Company: Amuze
– Year: 2001
Poor Jack Wade is part of the amnesiac protagonists club, but that does not mean he’s defenseless. On the contrary, before losing his memory, Jack was the best headhunter in the world, a kind of special security force in charge of guaranteeing the order in the dystopia in which the title takes place. Now, this Jason BourneIn particular, he must recover his hunting-reward license in order to resolve a plot that takes place in a society that has gone to the rack, in which criminals, apart from being sent to prison, are deprived of their vital organs if they lose a combat in an underwater ring. Almost nothing! The game mixes shootings in the third person with phases of stealth and driving on the back of Jack’s brand new bike, recalling in many moments of his development the well-known saga of tactical action and espionage Metal Gear Solid. It featured a sequel, Headhunter Redemption, on PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
17. The House of the Dead 2
– Company: Wow Entertainment
– Year: 1999
One of the titles of launching for the system, the popularity of The House of the Dead 2 grew to like the foam due, mainly, to the fever by the pistol arcades (like Virtua Cop or Time Crisis ) that was lived at that time in the recreational rooms. And of course, with the Dreamcast light gun, the development gains integers in intensity, but it is still a delight to slaughter zombies and other creatures from the hell at the tip of the pad. This sequel to the first The House of the Dead improves almost everything to the original title, with a greater level of detail in the levels (being able to choose the way to be followed several times), more variety of enemies and different endings depending on the score and the decisions made throughout the adventure. It is also one of the most rejuvenable titles in the catalog because after all, any time is good for distributing some lead syrup among a bunch of brainless zombies.
18. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
– Company: Capcom
– Year 2000
Street Fighter II set the bar very high. Too tall. That’s why expectations with the third installment of the saga were skyrocketing. But the Capcom chiscos did not disappoint their fans and with Street Fighter III they crowned themselves as the undisputed kings of the fighting games. 3rd Strike is the final version of the title (after New Generation and 2nd Impact ) that adds to the already exceptional roster of fighters characters as well known as Chun-Li. The combat system was also refined with touch-ups here and there, making Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike in one of the most demanding and complete fighting games of all time, which is still venerated today in tournaments as important as the EVO. And speaking of the Evolution Championship Series. The most incredible moment in the history of this important competition was when Daigo Umehara, famous participant, blocked with a very difficult series of parrys (an especially useful and dangerous maneuver). blows of the special attack of his rival, to immediately counterattack with his own. A feat worthy of a true champion of command.
19. Grandia II
– Company: Game Arts
– Year: 2001
Ladies and gentlemen, we present you the best RPG of the entire Dreamcast catalog and (according to some brave ones) of all time. A classic among the classics up to the legends of the role as Final Fantasy VII, which to this day has not received even half the praise of those who are worthy. But anyone who tried it at the time knows what we are talking about: a title that marked a whole generation of players. It had a breathtaking visual section, with environments and characters in 3D with a high level of detail, and an innovative combat system that allowed to execute combos and counterattacks, giving it an unusual dynamism to be a turn-based system. And what about his story. A magical fantasy that carried Ryudo, the sarcastic protagonist, and the lovely Elena to travel the world in an epic of epic dimensions, with a finale that managed to touch the fiber even the most insensitive. An authentic gem that no lover of RPG and good stories should miss.
20. Shenmue / Shenmue 2
– Company: Sega AM2
– Year: 2000/2001
Up to here the 20 best Dreamcast games! We hope that you have enjoyed this special tribute as much as we do, that we are still with the lagrimilla hanging with so much nostalgia. And as sure you miss some game that you scored more than the rest, take advantage of the comments to tell us. Or visit the special The 20 best dreamcast games to continue reliving the old good times.
