IMPORTANT INFO INSIDE (Dreamcast in general)

Member Name: Premier King

Product:	Dreamcast in general
Date:	21/10/01 (95 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Games, console.

Disadvantages: Stopped now.

The Sega Dreamcast, a 128bit games machine released way back in October of 1999, a games machine with many exciting features, but one that has no stopped in production, and the support for the console now has more or less stopped, as sad as I am to say it. However, I believe that this is a stunning games machine, and one that you should consider purchasing, but why should you get a console that won’t have many future title released on it? Allow me to persuade, if you will.

Price wise, you cannot really beat the Sega Dreamcast in terms of value for money – the console, although it’s now discontinued, has some amazing games available for it, as well as many other important features, making it an absolute bargain, especially against consoles like the PlayStation 2, but more so against the PS one. The Dreamcast only costs £79.99 and you’re likely to get a game or two thrown in with it. Considering that the PS one is the same price, it’s only 32bit and is nowhere near as good as the Dreamcast, you can see which one to go for. The other Sony console, the PlayStation 2, or PS2 for short, is over twice the price of the Dreamcast, at £199.99, but the console does have the advantage of being still “alive” in the games market, has a DVD player, and plays all the PS one games.

But, the Dreamcast has the ability to surf the Internet, which is a good feature if you do not have a PC, basic emailing, surfing of most websites and buying online, just using your DC, connected to a phone line and you can surf through your television. Value wise, this is amazing technology at a very reasonable price. Don’t think of the Dreamcast as a competitor to the PS2, the PS2 is a better games machine overall, but the DC is priced to compete with the PS one, and it clearly wins.

Small in size, and very compact, the Dreamcast is a solid little device and it’s a high quality games machine, well made and has good aesthe
tics, in a nice whitish grey finish, but as we’re so often told these days, it’s what’s inside that counts, and Sega definitely got something right! Yamaha sound chip, ensuring top quality sound, the DC can also play CDs as well as games, an Hitachi processor, and all sorts of other technical goodness went into making this little gaming gem. The graphics of course do vary from game to game, but certain titles really do like extremely plush.

Just because the Dreamcast had a relatively short lifespan, do not assume this was because the console was rubbish, it certainly wasn’t and still isn’t, and it’s a wonder how the console did actually ‘fail’, Sega got a lot right with it in my opinion. Nowadays social gaming is very important, gaming cannot still have that nerdy weirdo friendless geek aura surrounding it, and thankfully multiplayer gaming has been taken to new levels with the Dreamcast. With 4 control ports, many games developers have included a four-player mode, or even specifically made their games aimed at multiplayer gaming. One such example is Virtua Tennis, a stunning game, a great single player title in it’s own right, but more importantly, it’s multiplayer features make it excel more than most sports games.

Peripherally excellent the Dreamcast accessories are some of the most exciting and original ones in the industry. The VMU, the memory card takes saving games to a whole new level (it has it’s own screen and can play mini games!), the vibration pack, allowing a greater sensation of gaming, shaking your control pad at appropriate moments in a game, like in a rallying game when you go over a jump etc. There’s also a light gun, which can be used in such games as House of the Dead and Confidential Mission, there’s a steering wheel for the racing games, and there’s even an arcade stick for fighting games! The most interesting peripheral is the microphone,
which can be used for playing online games where voice discussions are needed in order to complete the game. There’s a mouse, and keyboard too.

The control pad is well designed, has two slots for peripherals like the VMU and vibration pack and is generally comfortable and won’t cause too many blisters!! The Dreamcast really is a top games machine, there are certain games that have online play as well as offline, which means you can play against or with other players from around Europe, or in some cases, the world. Online games include: Ferrari F355 Challenge, Quake 3 Arena, ChuChu Rocket, Phantasy Star Online, Planet Ring, Speed Devils Online, Pod 2, and there are other games which feature some kind of online option, but the aforementioned are the main ones.

The modem is 33.6k, which isn’t that great, but for playing online games it’s surprisingly lag free, with exception to the ChuChu Rocket puzzle game. You can use your Dreamcast to send and receive email, but if you intend on doing this frequently then may I suggest that you purchase a keyboard – it takes an absolute age to type emails using an on screen keyboard with your controller pad! However the Dreamcast online portal isn’t maintained all that proficiently, and there are very often a lot of problems, so I wouldn’t recommend using the DC for email and Internet surfing if you have a PC.

Get one! The Dreamcast may not have a DVD player, like the PS2 does, but for the same price as a games console that used to be competing with Sega’s last games console, you can have this 128bit gaming delight. There are many top games available, and below is a quick list of the top 15 that I would recommend to you:

Sonic Adventure: Sonic is a classic adventure game, it has excellent graphics, appalling voice acting as ever, but houses fantastic gameplay.

Crazy Taxi: one of the most original games of recent days, Crazy Taxi is blist
eringly quick, very addictive and great fun to play.

F355 Challenge: an awesome racing game, by the creator Yu Suzuki. Top graphics and brilliant realism in F355!

NBA 2K: the best basketball game around on any format, super graphics, very fast gameplay and lots to do and play around with.

MSR: a really superb racing game (I have an opinion on this already), with excellent photo realistic graphics and a challenging one-player experience.

Virtua Tennis: the best sports game ever, a four player delight, must have this game!

Le Mans 24: another amazing racing game, featuring Le Mans and GT cars, the best graphics in a racing game, superb.

Phantasy Star Online: an online RPG game that is just completely different. Very successful, very addictive!

Soul Calibur: a really fun, but supremely slick fighting game from maestros Namco. Very fast, very entertaining.

Grandia 2: another A class RPG with an engrossing story, and addictive gameplay.

Power Stone 2: a 4 player game of madness, this really is insanity, but it’s just so good – four player simultaneous fighting!!

House of the Dead: excuse the acting, it’s awful, as this is a really fun arcade game whereby you have to pulverise zombies!!

UEFA Striker: the best football game on the console, it’s more realistic than most, although the goalkeepers are all brilliant.

John: John is a game that was only released to certain people. Nothing comes close to the gameplay in this one! If you can find it, get it.

Samba De Amigo: the most fun game on the console, if you can get the box set you’ll be having a laugh! Literally! Maraca shaking gameplay, it’s amazing.

Thank you for reading my opinion, hope it was of great use to you!

Premier King!!

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