Since the recent release of the SNES Mini, I have been thinking about retro consoles that could make come backs. It hit me that the one I would enjoy seeing more than any other is receiving little attention.
The Dreamcast, Sega’s follow up to the equally unsuccessful Sega Saturn, was a treasure trove of classics that went unnoticed by most gamers, making it a perfect console to be revived.
There were a lot of great games on the Dreamcast, so it is with great difficulty that I narrowed it down to the twenty classics below.
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing was released on the Dreamcast, PS2, and N64, but its sequel was the ultimate version, containing higher res graphics and smother gameplay.
Much like the recently released ARMS, this game is a riot because it doesn’t take boxing too seriously. Characters have exaggerated faces, the UI and backgrounds are colourful, and all of this is backed up with a heavy dose of humour.
This quirky boxing title has aged better than most games of its era as its cartoon graphics and simple gameplay mechanics means it has more of a timeless quality – perfect for playing retrospectively.
Trickstyle
The early 2000s were jam packed with popular board-based sports games. SSX Tricky, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2/3, Kelly Slater. Unfortunately, Trickstyle, one of the stronger games in this genre, has been forgotten. In many ways, it is a board-based game like the aforementioned, but one that hovers and is propelled by rockets.
It was an interesting concept that enabled players to blast around levels without having build up momentum using ramps, allowing tricks to be quickly and effortlessly pulled off.
This speed made levels instantly rewarding – rockets made everything fun to do.
Backsliding, turning and sliding, all felt buttery smooth and oh so satisfying.
Trickstyle wasn’t just fun to play, it also had sweet neon graphical style and a funky soundtrack. The whole thing felt like a cross between Tony Hawk, SSX Tricky, and F-Zero X. Not a bad combination. It gets better, though, as the cartoony graphics and gameplay have held up surprisingly well, too.
Evolution: The World of Sacred Device
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5cNCMVcc30
This is one of the few games that I questioned whether it deserved a place. On one hand, it has wonderfully designed characters and a cute story; the other side is that Evolution was a cookie cutter RPG in almost every other regard. If it wasn’t for the large roster of interchangeable characters, I wouldn’t have bothered slogging it through its many long, uninteresting corridor dungeons.
Each character had their own quirky abilities such as fire, a large mechanical hand, bazookas and cooking skills. It is wonderfully weird and made fights that would otherwise feel cliched interesting to play.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrQ4HCeXue0
More than any other game of the PS1/Dreamcast generation, THPS 2 for me was ubiquitous with that era. Punk skateboard culture, Bam Magera, and a soundtrack that included songs by Naughty by Nature and Bad Religion. Exactly the type of game that lends itself well to a blast from the past console.
The other main reason is that THPS 2 may be the second-best skating game ever and many would argue the best. The slick control mechanics, large variety of well-designed levels, and some of the best multiplayer ever makes this another perfect choice for a re-release.
Sonic Adventure/Sonic Adventure 2
No Dreamcast mini console would be complete without Sonic Adventure and its sequel. The lovable blue hedgehog is synonymous with Sega and these are two of the best titles released on the system.
Expansive and colourful stages, a variety of playable characters, those adorable Chao racing mini stages, and the speed demon hero who could blast through levels in an instant. It made playing through the game a joy, an experience only occasionally let down by the monotonous Knuckles and Big Cat levels.
Power Stone 2
Power Stone 2 is the sequel to one of the more original beat’em up games outside of the Smash Bros series. Both the first and second title are chaotic battle arena games where it is easy to lose track of your character if you are not paying attention. It required a lot of skill but it was hugely rewarding when you finally manage to land your first combo. This is not a series for everyone, but those who do like beat’em ups will love the quick speed of battle and steep learning curve that rewards those that persevere with the game.
Marvel VS Capcom 2
Over the years, there have been a lot of superhero games, including ones of a similar ilk to the Marvel VS Capcom series that feature a large roster of playable characters. What made Marvel VS Capcom 2 special was its focus on the tag team mechanic, special abilities and neat combos that players would spend hours mastering. MVC 2 could be brutally hard for those not familiar with the genre, but, like Power Stone 2, it becomes rewarding when it all starts to click and you nail combo after combo.
Soul Calibur
While the Power Stone games have a special place in my heart as some of the best beat’em ups of all time, it never had the level of polish that made playing Soul Calibur for the first time such an incredible experience. The fighting mechanics were taut, the graphics crisp, and the soundtrack was just out of this world. On top of this, it had a large roster of interesting characters that propelled it from being a good game to one that caused players to clamour for a sequel.
Regardless of whether it was the weird, acrobatic flexibility of Voldo, the bouncy, pokey playstyle of Yoshimitsu, or the merciless Nightmare, they all felt well balanced and worthy of learning how to master each of their play styles. 18 years on and the game can still hold its own against modern fighting games.
Chu Chu Rocket
Chu Chu Rocket was the first puzzle game that I ever played. If it wasn’t for the fact that I was offered it for free for logging onto the Dreamcast online service, I would have missed out on this classic. At first, I was apprehensive whether I would ever be able to get into Chu Chu Rocket. I wasn’t fond of puzzle games, but I was drawn in by the childlike illustrations and simple level design. It was cute and effective, taking away the stress that often accompanies games in this genre.
The premise is simple: you control a couple of mice, directing them through tracks to an end goal and avoiding numerous traps and enemies. The first couple of levels are easy enough, but then, suddenly, you get introduced to arrows that will speed you up or slow you down. Then bedlam ensues if and when spinning wheels suddenly appears that means a level can become infested with dangerous cats or the end level goal moves to a new location.
It’s madness but never once did it feel unfair. Yet, even though it could be frustrating, I was determined to pick up the controller and complete levels as I found the visual aesthetic too endearing. This charm is half the appeal. The thing that makes it unique. The thing that makes it a worthy inclusion in my top twenty games.
Toy Commander
Maybe my favourite Dreamcast game. Toy Commander is a clever title that feels like a mix of Toy Story and Micro Machines. Throughout the game, you are given control of a variety of common childhood toys such as a plane, a truck, and a helicopter while you complete objectives in a house environment. This means that you can run into all sorts of trouble, forced to navigate around things such as lamps, pencils and toy balls.
The goal was to complete these missions while also being mindful of how much gas you have and your vehicle’s condition. If either fall to zero, it is game over. This means that as well as completing an objective, you are constantly looking for refuelling and repair points.
The only downside is that the large number of vehicles means Toy Commander has a steep learning and just as you are getting used to controlling one, the game will thrust the next upon you. But learning to master these vehicles is incredibly rewarding, as you slowly master how to navigate the house environments. It was a fantastic game back in 1999 and another classic that has stood the test of time well.
Shenmue 1/2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOeg_RVC4Zk
Like Sonic Adventure, no Dreamcast list would be complete without the inclusion of the influential and critically acclaimed Shenmue series. A game that Sega spent an eyewatering $47 million on developing.
Shenmue featured huge traversable environments, detailed cutscenes and carefully crafted game mechanics that made it stand out from any other title. It is clear that Sega spent a lot of time lovingly crafting this masterpiece, filling out the world with fun little details such as the ability to play pool or listening to music on an old cassette.
Unfortunately, many of the same features that made Shenmue revolutionary back in the early 2000s now feel archaic. For example, the lack of fast travel, could potentially alienate some younger gamers. Saying that, the Virtua Fighter style combat is still a cracker and the use of quick time events remains a gaming novelty.
Skies of Arcadia
On the surface, Skies of Arcade is just another clichéd JRPG. You control a small number of characters and fight off a greater evil that largely consists of robots, but the beauty of this game lies in everything else.
The whole game takes place in the sky, where you slowly learn the story of these sky pirates, the Blue Rogues, and how these large landmasses manage to float in the sky. The story is top notch, as is the soundtrack, game mechanics, and everything else. I could gush for hours about how much I love this game. It is only second in my mind to the incredible Secrets of Mana as the best RPG ever released.
Like most JRPGs, while graphics may improve and consoles change, the core mechanics have stayed more or less the same, making the sub-genre less vulnerable to signs of aging.
Crazy Taxi
Picking up and dropping off people across a city does not sound like something that would be a lot of fun, but Crazy Taxi had me gripped with its simple but novel concept.
The chaotic gameplay, bright colours, and a timer that forces you to propel your yellow taxi down busy streets, gets my pulse racing in every mission. Not dulled by the passage of time or the sore thumb from the hours of smashing the same buttons, Crazy Taxi was one of my first choices for this list.
Jet Set Radio
Jet Set Radio, along with Crazy Taxi and Samba de Amigo, ushered in a new range of titles for Sega, featuring colourful graphics and quick, sharp gameplay that gave Dreamcast games of that era a distinct look.
The way Jet Set Radio, ‘set’ itself apart from other roller-skating titles is that tagging was the focus of the gameplay where you spray-painted intricate logos into buildings. This gave the game it colourful edge as you swiftly glided between locations, tagging environments with spray paint, while a smorgasbord of energetic tracks played in the background.
I loved that these missions would abruptly end after you finished a number of set challenges, rather than forcing you to complete other convoluted objectives or challenges such as boss battles. The only downside is that the controls would occasionally let you down, something that is particularly problematic in a game that asks players to perform various intricate manoeuvres at high speed.
House of The Dead 2
Much like Samba de Amigo, using the packed in accessory was an integral part of the experience, adding depth to the somewhat static, on-rails level design. It is unlikely such an accessory would be packed in with a retro console. Equally, the graphics haven’t aged very well, and on-rails arcade style shoot’em ups have more or less died out in the years since its release.
Yet, there is something just so incredibly satisfying about blasting away those walking corpses in one of the four ‘fleshed’ out modes. Maybe it is the strong level design and pacing, effective creepy atmosphere or corny music, but House of the Dead 2 still plays well, regardless of whether that is with a lightgun or not.
Samba de Amigo
Samba de Amigo arrived at a fortuitous point back in the early 2000. Preceding the hugely popular Dance Dance Revolution and coming a few years after the influential BeatMania, it capitalized on a new audience who clamoured for music-based games.
Samba de Amigo worked particularly well as the cute mascot and lively music lent itself well to the rhythm based game mechanics of timing when to shake the maraca accessories. I loved that the developer even made it so the backgrounds change colour depending on how well you are performing at the track; a nice touch that brought the experience to life.
It is a particularly good worthy inclusion as its basic concept, cartoony graphics and simple controls means it is less likely to show signs of age when compared to other Dreamcast games.
The only downside is that part of Samba de Amigo’s charm was the cool red maracas you could shake while playing the game. While by no means a deal breaker, the iconic Dreamcast rhythm game loses part of its elusive lustre without the iconic accessories.
Phantasy Star Online
Of all the games on the list, this is the one that I would like ported onto a retro console the most, but also the one that I expect the least. The reason for this is that gamers said their goodbyes to the world of Phantasy Star online back in 2007 when the final Phantasy Star Online server went down. So, having a retro console feature this game would allow players once more to connect with one another.
Phantasy Star Online is a great game with relatively simplistic real-time mechanics and three classes of characters. The joy of PSO comes from its rhythm based battle mechanics, as well as the detailed and exotic world that Sega created for this game.
Space Channel 5
Space Channel 5 is a weird title, even by my own standards. It’s a musical dancing game set on a space station where you fend off an alien invasion through dance competitions. Bizarre and about as far removed from my bread and butter RTS and shoot’em up genres as you could get.
It is fantastically odd and one of the most memorable experiences available for the Dreamcast. An undisputable inclusion on this list.
Bonus: Seaman
One of the best things about buying a retro collection is that it can expose you to titles that you would never want to buy. For me, this is Seaman, a game about a talking, incorrigible fish that slowly begins to pick up human characteristics as the game progresses.
It is so bizarre that I struggle to work out what type of game you could classify Seaman as being. In some ways, it is a life sim, but in others it is almost an interactive video. So utterly bizarre, yet it kind of works because of how strange it is to play.
Often, you will find yourself at wit’s end as you click on this fish to get him to talk, only for it to ignore your request and continue swimming. The weird joy about Seaman is that when your character listens to instructions, it is incredibly satisfying even if it is impossible to know why he decided to respond.
More likely than not you will only plough a few minutes into Seaman before putting the game down and never pick it up again. But I kind of feel that is how the game was designed and the reason why it is so memorable.
READ NEXT:
– 50 Best Games of 2017
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