Why Do People Love The Dreamcast?

[alphamalet]

One thing I have never understood is the gaming community's undying love for Sega's failed console, the Dreamcast. Many people even hail it as one of the greatest consoles of all time, which is baffling to me.

Sure the hardware had some interesting ideas, but the console was only supported for about 3 years! Just about every notable game on the system can be found on other consoles, and in my opinion the Dreamcast's library is lacking to say the least.


Do you think the Dreamcast is over-rated amongst the gaming community?

Help me understand why people love the thing. I owned one, and it was LOUD, the controller was bulky (it only had one damn analog stick!), and there weren't many games on the system that didn't find their way to other consoles.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

A lot of those games weren't available on other consoles at the time, though and there are still a few games that you can only get for the Dreamcast. Plus it had the best version of just about any 2D fighter OR shmup that appeared on the system, so if you're into those genres it was great!

A large part of it, though, is just plain nostalgia. Just the intro screen for the Dreamcast gives me nostalgic feels.

 

[FalloutJack]

It wasn't a 'failed' console. That would imply that it was bad. Virtual Boy is a failed console. Dreamcast was something new, something different, something with some very cool games on it, and so on. The library of games that got ported to other systems, like say Skies of Arcadia? Because people wanted it after the Dreamcast was discontinued! They had a new and interesting system that had a chance. They didn't make it is all. That's what business is about. People call Dreamcast good because it was. Likely, a number of people had it, plus the current Playstation or X-Box, or all three.

 

[alphamalet]

It wasn't a 'failed' console. That would imply that it was bad.

I don't know what else to call it. It sold on 10 million units in 3 years and was the console that prompted Sega to leave the hardware business forever. I wouldn't call that a success.

 

[omegaweopon]

You either die young and be a hero, or you live long enough to become the villain.

Dreamcast brought a lot of new ideas to the table. The first fusion fo Mobile and console gaming a la the VMU. The first instace of Console MMO's with PSO, and the first online multiplayers + Web browser. Graphics that were above their time, and a library of mostly innovative games. Plus a lot of people are kinda fond at how openly hackable it was due to terrible encoding.

It didn't last long enough to become bad. It died with good memories.

 

[Jazoni89]

It wasn't a 'failed' console. That would imply that it was bad. Virtual Boy is a failed console. Dreamcast was something new, something different, something with some very cool games on it, and so on. The library of games that got ported to other systems, like say Skies of Arcadia? Because people wanted it after the Dreamcast was discontinued! They had a new and interesting system that had a chance. They didn't make it is all. That's what business is about. People call Dreamcast good because it was. Likely, a number of people had it, plus the current Playstation or X-Box, or all three.

Finally a guy who knows what he is talking about...

It did also sell 10 million units worldwide and had the best launch of any console up to that point. People tend to forget about that a lot when they talk about the Dreamcast.

If you really want to take advantage of the Dreamcast, you need to look at it's library deeper. There are still tons of games that are still not on consoles, or is a PC port. Toy Commander, Blue Stinger, Heavy Metal Geomatrix, Record of Lodoss war, Silver and Super Magnetic Neo to name a few. Their are also quite a lot of superior ports of other games, even some of the Dreamcast ports on PS2 were worst graphically and gameplay wise to the original. Grandia 2, Dead or Alive 2, Resident Evil 2, and Crazy Taxi, for examples.

The Dreamcast is my favorite console for many reasons. It was so ahead of it's time. Especially since the best before the DC was the blurry Vaseline low-res smear of N64 games. It's internet features are revolutionary in console gaming (and you can still go online with it with a bit of finding out how, i managed to a year ago). How it has the best good to terrible game ratio of any console, and how it just looks so bloody awesome. It reeks of innovation and fresh ideas from the moment you first look at one, and how it now somewhat is used as a pedestal of console design in both a anesthetic point, and a design point.

It's not everyone's cup, but the Dreamcast still has tons of experiences you just can't get on any console.

 

[Darks63]

Not sure really myself the only titles from that system I remember were Shenmue and Panzer Dragoon. Other than nostalgia factor it could be the lost potential factor of it.

 

[Jazoni89]

It wasn't a 'failed' console. That would imply that it was bad.

I don't know what else to call it. It sold on 10 million units in 3 years and was the console that prompted Sega to leave the hardware business forever. I wouldn't call that a success.

No, that would be the Saturn, or 32X that helped Sega go into a money slump. The Dreamcast was their last ditch effort to get a grip on the console market, but by then the damage was done, and they would of needed a astronomical amount of sales from the Dreamcast in order to stay afloat in the console business, sadly everyone was hyped about the PS2 which at the time was a cheap DVD player that could play games. It wasn't really until around 2003/2004 when the PS2 picked up steam, that it became more than that, and the rest is history.

The saddest thing is that the Dreamcast is that at one point it had a reasonable success, and had a bright future ahead with many games (that didn't see the light of day) were shown, such as Castlevania Resurection, and No Cliche's Agatha.

Still had over 200 English games for it, in such a short space of time i found that to be kinda incredible. Especially considering how many are actually good.

 

[Marc Wyzomirski]

For me it is all about those great arcade ports. At the time, and even quite a while after, it was the only home to best, if not only, versions of some great arcade games. I got a Dreamcast sometime after I got a Gamecube and before getting the Xbox360. At this time it was discontinued of course. I was able to pick up many fighters that I had not been able to play previously, or their other ports were not as good.

By now most every title I would be interested in has been ported elsewhere.

 

[FalloutJack]

It wasn't a 'failed' console. That would imply that it was bad.

I don't know what else to call it. It sold on 10 million units in 3 years and was the console that prompted Sega to leave the hardware business forever. I wouldn't call that a success.

No, Dreamcast was their last ditch effort to do something wonderful after a series of lukewarm-to-bad ideas between it and the incredible success of the Genesis/Masterdrive era. I lived through it and I was on Sega before I hit Sony, so I should know. Dreamcast is one of those born-too-late systems that might've been better before a hash of bad moves. It was a proper competitor. It just didn't get the gold.

Games!

Power Stone was my proper invitation to 3D fighters, and a fun one at that.

 

[Something Amyss]

Just about every notable game on the system can be found on other consoles

Largely after the fact. Ever wonder why those games are in such demand still?

It's also worth noting that a lot of those games end up with INFERIOR ports, even on later generations; reduced performance, worse textures, worse music.

Maybe there was something there after all.

 

[Candidus]

I loved it for Record of Lodoss War and Skies of Arcadia. I have many fond memories of the former. The latter I was still occasionally plinking away at, right up until the year my Dreamcast finally died.

 

[Jazoni89]

It wasn't a 'failed' console. That would imply that it was bad.

I don't know what else to call it. It sold on 10 million units in 3 years and was the console that prompted Sega to leave the hardware business forever. I wouldn't call that a success.

No, Dreamcast was their last ditch effort to do something wonderful after a series of lukewarm-to-bad ideas between it and the incredible success of the Genesis/Masterdrive era. I lived through it and I was on Sega before I hit Sony, so I should know. Dreamcast is one of those born-too-late systems that might've been better before a hash of bad moves. It was a proper competitor. It just didn't get the gold.

Games!

Power Stone was my proper invitation to 3D fighters, and a fun one at that.

Oh yeah, i forgot Power Stone is only on the PSP other than the Dreamcast.

 

[FalloutJack]

Oh yeah, i forgot Power Stone is only on the psp other than the Dreamcast.

*Makes a note of that fact*

 

[GonzoGamer]

You need to play Seaman then see if you still feel like asking this question.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MqvIHxkQo

It had Rez & Crazy Taxi too.

 

[Roxas1359]

It wasn't a 'failed' console. That would imply that it was bad.

I don't know what else to call it. It sold on 10 million units in 3 years and was the console that prompted Sega to leave the hardware business forever. I wouldn't call that a success.

Actually that was more of the Saturn's fault. Sega Saturn greatly damaged Sega's credibility when it came to consoles and that one lead to more problems. The Dreamcast was revolutionary in it's technology and had many great games that barely now are starting to get released onto other consoles. For example, Jet Set Radio for the longest time was only available on the Dreamcast and it wasn't until 2012 that we got a port to Steam, XBLA, and PSN. Then the Sonic Adventure games first showed up on the GameCube, but before was only available on the Dreamcast. Then the Crazy Taxi games and Soul Calibur games were first on their. People didn't buy the Dreamcast sadly because of what Saturn and 32X did to the company.

 

[Confidingtripod]

Nostalgia goggles are a big element of it, alot of people here played it as kids and even if the games they played were crap (not calling all games for it crap) if their all you have available you almost make your own game up as a child, I know deep down that many of the games I have nostalgia for (I came a couple of generations later) are absolute garbage but I had fun with them at the time :/

 

[FoolKiller]

Umm... it was no longer sold in North America after 2 years and Europe after 3, but the console lasted 8 years in Japan. And it did have a large continued library for it. It may have failed here but it didn't fail in Japan.

And quantity (in this case, duration) or lack thereof does not remove quality.

The console had several new features:
- 4 controller ports
- built-in modem
- controller with proper triggers

The problem is it was in the half-generation timing area and that hurt it, as did the ease of piracy and lack of North American support on the console other than 2K games.

 

[Mudokon]

For me the Dreamcast is awesome, when i first played the Shenmue my jaw dropped on the floor when i reallized that the graphics in the cinematics were exactly the same graphics when i was playing the game, ps3 gamers ever played yakuza? well yakuza is heavily inspired from shenmue, shenmue was the first game that utilized so well the QTE system, yes this is the same system that after Shenmue, many games followed to use it as well such as God of war 1,2,3 star wars the force unleased, heavenly sword, Dante's inferno, Asura's wrath, Prince of persia, Heavy rain, Resident evil 4. Shenmue is not only notable for being the first game to do QTEs, it is perhaps also notable for doing it the best. Whereas future generations will probably look back at God of War or Resident Evil as the point when QTEs moved out of the niche and became truly mainstream, the fact of the matter is that those games and franchises did practically nothing, since the entire groundwork and refinement was laid down for them by Shenmue. To this day, whenever your game initiates a QTE, it is just mimicking something that Shenmue did fourteen years ago, so Dreamcast wrote history that means Dreamcast cant be called as a failure. i can write here for many other Dreamcast games but Videogame history class dismissed

 

[RelexCryo]

You either die young and be a hero, or you live long enough to become the villain.

Dreamcast brought a lot of new ideas to the table. The first fusion fo Mobile and console gaming a la the VMU. The first instace of Console MMO's with PSO, and the first online multiplayers + Web browser. Graphics that were above their time, and a library of mostly innovative games. Plus a lot of people are kinda fond at how openly hackable it was due to terrible encoding.

It didn't last long enough to become bad. It died with good memories.

This^. I still love the Dreamcast. I still remember playing Alien Front Online.