kjell1979's Full Review: Sega Dreamcast Grey Console
So I finally decided to see what all the hype is surrounding the Dreamcast. While this sucker was in its prime, I was in college playing Starcraft, Shadow Warrior, Half Life, and other great computer games I missed in the mid-90's. It wasn't until the PS2 came out, and more importantly Grand Theft Auto III's existance was revealed to me, that I converted back to console gaming. By then, the Dreamcast was an afterthought left to its hardcore following and people who wished hack the system to pieces.
Specs and Design
Technically speaking, the Dreamcast wasn't a superior machine when compared to the PS2. However, its power was impressive when you factor in that it came out a full yearsbefore the PS2, 3 years after the launch of the N64, and 4 years after the launch of the PS1. The Dreamcast has a 128-bit processor that runs at 200MHz and the core system has 16MB of memory. The graphics processor runs at a speed of 100MHz and has 8MB of video memory. The sound is supported by a processor running at 45MHz with 2MB of memory, and capable of 64 voices. The media format is GD-ROM, which is a format that holds a little less than twice the amount of data that a normal CD does, where the discs are the same size (in dimensions) as a normal CD. This format is also known to be more sensitive to scratching as well. The Dreamcast also features a built-in modem, 4 controller ports, a serial input connector, and an expansion slot. It weighs just 4 and a half pounds and is roughly the size of the redesigned PSOne.
The console is pretty well designed from a physical standpoint too, though it does have some quirks not implemented in other modern systems. The four controller ports are located on the front side of the Dreamcast all lined up horizontally. The top features two buttons both the size of a half dollar. The first button's purpose is to open the disc hatch, also located on the top face of the machine. The other button is a power toggle button. There are two weird aspects to this. First, there's no hard reset button. The second is that the proper way to switch discs while powering down is to first open the disc hatch, then power down once the disc stops spinning. This seems a little backward to me since it seems dangerous to open the disc hatch while the disc is still spinning. However, this is the right practice since opening the door while the Dreamcast is on brakes the spinning disc. This doesn't happen after it's powered down for some reason. The back side of the Dreamcast has many input and output connectors including the serial port, modem port, a/v port, and power input. The design is very simple and definitely doesn't over complicate the process of hooking up a game system.
Accessories
Accessories are a tricky aspect of gaming consoles to handle. Nintendo has a lot of great accessory ideas, but 3rd party developers aren't quick to adopt them. Sony is similar in that it can introduce new accessories that only support a game or two (see the PS2 HDD). It's tough to tell whether the Dreamcast accessories were doomed to the same fate, or whether its early and sudden demise prevented what would have been a relatively successful collection of accessories.
I am not a big fan of the Dreamcast controller. While it certainly wasn't as bad as the N64 controller, it's lack of a second analog stick, its shortage of buttons, and its bulky size really prevented the Dreamcast from fully realizing its potential. The overall size of the controller is big. It wasn't too bulky to hold since the triggers were not mounted on the shoulders of the controller. However, the face of the controller was huge, mostly to accommodate the window for the visual memory unit. On the left hand side of the controller is where the dpad and analog sit. Both of them within easy thumb-reach. On the right hand side are the buttons in a standard diamond formation. The buttons are formed in the exact same way as the Xbox controller's, only with a different but brighter coloring scheme. The controller has two slots for a visual memory unit, where one of them can be visible through the window situated in the middle of the controller. Overall the controller was big, but easy to manage, however the fact that it didn't have a second analog stick made FPSes really tough without the mouse and/or keyboard accessories.
Like many other consoles of the 128 bit era, the Dreamcast requires external memory cards to store data. The bad part is that the VMU is only 128KB separated into 200 blocks. There are many games (especially sports games) that require an entire VMU unit to hold game data. There is a 4X VMU unit, but they are very rare today.
What's unique about the VMU is that it has a 48 x 32 LCD screen where you can play mini-games associated with the game saves. When plugged into the Dreamcast controller, the LCD screen is visible as well. This allows for viewing aspects of the game which should be hidden to your opponent (like football play calls). It's a very creative aspect of gaming that was copied by Nintendo somewhat by their GBA/GCN-connectivity.
The one of the most annoying aspects to the VMU is replacing the battery. It takes a CR2032 battery, which can cost anywhere from $2-$12. While it doesn't run out terribly quickly, if you play the mini-games associated with the saved files, then you'll be replacing them as often as your Gameboy batteries. Also when replacing your VMU battery, try to have a fillips head screwdriver handy.
The Dreamcast has an array of other accessories including three different light guns, a keyboard and mouse, two fishing reels, and a broadband adapter. Most of these accessories aren't worth the cost it takes to obtain them by today's inflated prices. The broadband adapter is really only useful if you plan on running Linux on your Dreamcast, and even then it might set you back as much as $200. The light guns and fishing reels are of great quality, but there are only a handful of games that really support them. Finally the keyboard and mouse, while nice during the dial-up era of the Dreamcast, are only really useful for FPS games. Unfortunately, the serial port to the Dreamcast requires special Keyboard and Mouse units instead of the USB compatible peripherals supported by the PS2.
Gaming Library
The gaming library for the Dreamcast was one of its strengths. While it didn't have quite the library size of many of its 128-bit contemporaries, the amount of quality games was still pretty high.
The Dreamcast's most prominent genre was fighting games. It had some of the best fighting games ever to hit a particular platform. Soul Calibur was a game that is considered by many to be the best game on the system in any genre, but the Power Stone series also gathered a huge following as well. Add in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Dead or Alive 2, and Street Fighter III and you have a potent lineup of great fighting games.
Another genre that the Dreamcast excelled at was driving games. There were so many quality driving games, that a fan of this genre will be all set for months. Some of the notable titles included: Crazy Taxi, Test Drive Le Mans, Rush 2049, Daytona USA, F355 Challenge, and Metropolis Street Racer.
The Dreamcast had 3 RPGs that really excelled among its peers. Skies of Arcadia, Grandia II, and Phantasy Star Online. Each of these RPGs brought different elements to the table and allowed gamers who liked different RPG styles to have a solid title to play.
Any successful system has to have at least a couple good platformers. The Dreamcast had two iterations of Sonic Adventure as well as Rayman 2. All of these games were very highly acclaimed and stacked up well against their peers.
The FPS genre while not huge in quantity does have two respectable titles in Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament. Both those titles not only provided a decent online experience for their time, but they were pretty decent games in general. The two major problems with this genre is that these games are no longer playable online. Secondly, the Dreamcast controller only had one analog stick, which made movement and aiming very hard without the keyboard or mouse accessories.
The Dreamcast had a wide array of sports games. Its 2K series of games were highly acclaimed and still are today. The downside is that if a particular sports series like World Series Baseball didn't quench your baseball thirst (and for many these titles didn't), then you're left with little options for another baseball title. That being said there were still some other successful 3rd party sports titles like Midway's NFL Blitz 2000 and NBA Showtime.
The Dreamcast also had a respectable amount of puzzle games including Chu Chu Rocket, Samba de Amigo, Mr. Driller, Bust-A-Move 4, and Space Channel 5.
Despite all these great titles, more than half of them were published by Sega. The lack of 3rd party support is one of the major factors in the demise of this system. In addition, there weren't many titles that could have sold systems like Grand Theft Auto III, Halo, or Metroid Prime. While Soul Calibur and NFL 2K did a respectable job of moving systems, in retrospect another game would have had to come along to compete with the console movers on other systems.
Conclusion
So now that I've experienced the system first hand, I am a believer in what it stood for. While I'm not much of an online gamer, the system really would have appealed to what I stand for now, but not who I was back in 1999. What led to its failure is one of many factors including piracy, lack of 3rd party support due to the mistrust of Sega based on their Saturn console, and the lure of the hype surrounding the PS2. It seemed that everyone had some hand in the demise of this system including Sega themselves. Whatever the case, the Dreamcast reminds me a lot of Obi Wan Kenobi summed up in this line, "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can ever imagine". In that sense the Dreamcast had. It allowed Sega to develop on other consoles, and allowed games like their 2K Sports series to be showcased on powerful systems with broadband internet support. Speaking of internet, Microsoft followed the path of Sega in putting an internal broadband ethernet adapter into its Xbox console. The Sony's internet strategy mimicked Sega's in allowing 3rd party publishers to handle the internet access of their games. Even Nintendo's GameCube implemented many design decisions from the Dreamcast. This isn't even going into what's going on in the Dreamcast home brew development scene.
So given today's market, is there still room for a Dreamcast in your gaming room? Well, yes and no. For sports gamers, most titles have been ported to modern consoles. The same is the case with many other Sega titles including popular titles like Soul Calibur, and the Sonic series. Other titles suffer due to the lack of internet access like Quake and Unreal. However there are some titles that are best played on the Dreamcast. Chu Chu Rocket is one game that is a better experience on a system with 4 controller ports than on its GBA port. Power Stone 2 I think is a better 4-player fighting game than Super Smash Brothers Melee. There's also some original games that only appear on the Dreamcast like Armada and Starlancer, which are great experiences.
So the bottom line appeal for the Dreamcast today is its price. The system itself is commonly sold for between $20 and $40 used. I got mine for just under $30 including shipping, which was a whopping $9. Most games will run you under $10 used, and under $20 new. Rare games like Power Stone 2 can be upwards of $50, however the good ones are worth it for the right gamer. I was able to get 4 used controllers for under $10. VMU units can be purchased for between $3 and $5 each. You could get a decent setup for around $75 pretty easily if you're a shrewd buyer on Ebay or Half.com, which is a pretty sweet deal. Some people could have a decent single player setup for under $50.
So while this system is long dead, I can still see this system being a member of certain gamer's library of consoles. This system is perfect for the poor college student, who's looking for a cheap distraction from the daily grind that he or she can share with their roommates. While the Dreamcast will be known more for what it did when it was thriving, it certainly shouldn't be ignored today.
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