A shameless way of trying to get myself more games (Dreamcast in general)

Member Name: slinkysteve

Product:	Dreamcast in general
Date:	16/01/02 (156 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap hardware and Software, Good as PS2, Great games

Disadvantages: Discontinued console, not as many titles as PS2

If there was one console that has been sorely overlooked by the majority of gamers it has to be the dreamcast. With graphical capabilities matching that of the PS2 and a downright stupid price tag (£99.99 with 3 games) you have got to ask yourself "what is going on?" The reason behind this as most of you probably know is that Sega have discontinued manufacturing the dreamcast, though they're currently having to manufacture more as the demand in Japan has gone up again.

I got one for my birthday and I'm so pleased with it, most of the fantastic games (Sega Rally 2, Soul Calibur, Metropolis Street Racer, Trickstyle etc.) are under £15 equally matching those of the PS2 with one of the best adventure games on the planet out now - Shenmeu. In terms of a budget console this is everything you could ever want. There aren't as many games out for it as the Playstation or its successor unfortunately due to poor support from third party manufacturers which may have contributed to the Dreamcast's downfall. Another factor was that Sony was trumping up the Playstation 2 so much around the time of the dreamcast launch that the public may have been swayed. I've heard from various magazines that Sega may have stood a far better chance of the dreamcast surviving if they had launched it at the same time as the PS2 but its too late for that now.

If you go on ebay you can pick up just about any game (apart from the new ones that have just come out) for around £15 or less. One of the great things about it is that you can get a VGA box for it which allows you to play the games on your computer monitor at a higher resolution and without any of the PAL related slow down / black bars scenario that plague the PS1&2. This means you can fully experience the glory of games like Soul Calibur running full screen at a stunning 60fps.

Then there's the little things - the VMU unit for save games is one of the most bizarre yet eye-catching l
ittle gadgets I've seen on a console, with many games adding their own little animation or statistics on it whilst you are playing the game. Nintendo have gone one up on this with the ability of the Game Cube to link up with the Gameboy advance but that requires a lot more cash, something which many of us don't have.
The four joypad ports is another thing that adds to the value of the console, not forgetting the modem. Yes it is only 33.6k but I hear you can buy a 56k or even broadband if you are that way inclined. Previously you had to use BT Internet services which included telephone charges (but no rent) well now, providing you sign up by the 1st of March, you can use your own ISP and so really start to enjoy those online games (Phantasy Star anyone?) that our American and Japanese cousins have loved for a few years.

Go to Dixons, buy a Dreamcast. You won't be disappointed.
(and no I don't work for Sega, though I wish I did!)

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