Be Excellent To Each Other

Eurogamer have a retrospective up on the Dreamcast to mark the passing (back in Nov last year, shockingly) of ten years since the system's Japanese launch. It tackles the knotted issue of what killed the Dreamcast anyway; as well as the usual suspects of "the PS2", "piracy" and "no EA software" it includes a new one on me in the suggestion of "reduced consumer confidence in Sega consoles after the short life and high costs of the MegaCD, 32X, and Saturn". He may have a point.

I might get one of my Dreamcasts back out of the attic to mark the occasion. One of my consoles is a Jap launch machine with the liquid cooling system, so it's over ten years old now.

I always wanted to try out the Broadband adaptor for the Dreamcast but it looks like they're not getting any cheaper. Mind you, if I was going to use a console for surfing I'd just use the Wii now.

I might celebrate ten years of Dreamcast by actually buying a Dreamcast.

I might celebrate by playing mine for the first time in a few years.

I think my Dreamcast was probably my favourite ever console. I'm sure it's just nostalgia talking; it's greatly influenced by being my first ever non-handheld console; and like all true tragic figures it died young. But nevertheless, there it is. Reading down the Eurogamer list of must-have DC titles gave me the warm fuzzies for four-player Virtua Tennis, Metropolis Street Racer, F355, Daytona, ...

I'm celebrating by eating the second half of my sandwich.

good plan, still one of the lovelies arcade consoles there are

see stu's comment on that eg article,he's bang on the money,it should have been the super arcade 3000!

The Dreamcast is the console that got me talking about games the Internet, I think. At least I don't remember doing much of it before getting it.

Ah Giga Wing, Gunbird 2, Seaman, Crazy Taxi, Dead or Alive 2... etc.

I've got over a hundred Dreamcast games in a cupboard somewhere, including every game that Capcom released on the console in the US.

Up until the 360, the Dreamcast was the best console ever. But NOBODY had the 'warm fuzzies' for F355 Challenge.

Oh man! I've just got all nostalgic for the first week of PSO, before the griefers and cheaters arrived. Just jumping online and playing with complete strangers, everybody helping each other out, being kind and patient, marvellous times.

And Seaman, what an awesome piece of work that was. Only last a couple of weeks, but that was enough to form a deep and lasting impression.

And for ages after playing Shenmue I kept finding myself thinking I'd actually been to Japan.

And... and... and...

I did one clean lap, once; cannot remember which course. One of my greatest gaming achievements ever.

I'd love some Seaman right now.

Yeah, more than any console before or since, the Dreamcast let you 'live' in Japan.

Consider:
-Jet Set Radio, where you could skate around the Shibuya Bus Station
-Metropolis Street Racer, where you could race around the Shibuya Bus Station
-Tokyo Bus Guide, where one of your routes terminated at the Shibuya Bus Station
-Densha de GO!, where you drove trains into Shibuya Train Station (which is attached to Shibuya Bus Station)
-Tokyo Xtreme Racer, where you drove past the Shibuya Bus Station

Yes.

But also Shenmue, where you looked for black cars and sailors and completely ignored the fact that you were the only good looking young man in your neighbourhood and all the girls wanted your love stick in their hot Japanese twinkles. But you were too consumed with getting revenge. And plastic toys. And a high score on Outrun. And a job driving forklifts.*

And Cannon Spike and Bangai-O were incomprehensibly Japanese.

*Yes, yes, I know all about the Chugworth and Penny Arcade strips parodying this.

I love my Dreamcast more than anything.. Really, I do!

House of the Dead 2 was amazing.. as was Giant Gram wrestling (That's not the full title but I don't know Japanese).. and Under Defeat!

Amazing!!

I recently picked up my second DC, after having to leave my US model and small collection behind a while back. Pleasingly, a big package arrived this morning containing the HOTD2 & Gun box set which I recently picked up on amazon marketplace for a song. So I know what I'll be doing to celebrate.

Also, isn't it just bloody lovely when you buy some cheap used thing online, and it turns up absolutely fucking mint condition with the shrink wrap still on?

why dont they celebrate the 10 years by making jet set radio xbla with online multiplayer.

Just re-read my Seaman Diary. Good fucking times.

Because they have to make Panzer Dragoon and Space Harrier games first.

Won't it be great when SEGA release the dreamcast collection in 10 years on a single megatron disc

celebrated it by buying a new scart splitter which actually works well, then went on to play a bit of giga wing.. seem to have misplace my crazy taxi disc, shame as that is my most lost Dc game

yeahfound it,. did discover again what did kill the dreamcast, those horrible game boxes

Actually it would be nice if they produced a DC emu for the funsquare

Man, I know toy laws are ridiculous these days, but at least let me transform into a fucking tank or something.
\

On the a similar note and totally off course to the dreamcast. I bought a packet of lucky strikes yesterday, and you open the lid as usual, but then you can open the tab box like a book or a wallet and opens up into two sections for absolutely no reason except as a gimmick. Its excellent, Im sure its some kind of new ploy to get kids smoking Im sure the limited transformer tab boxes will be out soon where your packet of 10 will transform a lung or some shit.

I've never understand why they did that. The US and Japan had normal cases but did we get the stupid blue ones to hold the multilingual instructions or something? The cases might as well have come pre-broken to save you the hassle.

I think most of mine did.

Anyway, we've already had this discussion: No good football games = dead console.

Aw, I liked the cases. Pleasingly chunky, and felt a lot more substantial than the "I paid 30 quid for a fucking CD?" ones everyone else got. Of course, DVD-style cases would really have been the way to go. Well, that or anything with a slightly less than absolutely shocking build quality.

oioi, klatymydron kindly sent me under defeat. how FUCKING beautiful, beat that next/current gen!

This is precisely the reason I didnt buy a Saturn over a Playstation nor a Dreamcast over a PS2. I was sorely disappointed with the MegaCD and my mate who had a 32X (I cant remember which came out first) was also almost as disappointing.

They doubled the cost of the Megadrive but came nowhere close to doubling how good it was. If only Sega didnt waste our time and money on these shitty add-ons then perhaps the Saturn may have done better against the Playstation.

edit: I really should read the link before posting

I'm sorry your mate wasn't up to scratch, but is that really Sega's fault?

I liked the fact that you could actually play VT on the visual memory on the controller

Since I bought the MegaCD, yes, everything that has gone wrong in my life is Sega's fault.

The Mega-CD came out before the 32X.

I'd still like to own a Multi-Mega one day.


[/Sega geek]

The Multi-mega is rather nice. I keep forgetting I own one though with it being so dinky.

The Dreamcast. What a pile of shite that was, eh?