Since it’s release in 1999, the Sega Dreamcast has remained my favorite game console of all
time.
Sega was at their creative peak with a never ending stream of awesome new games, arcade
ports were still relevant with simple, yet fun, gameplay mechanics.
And the Dreamcast enjoyed a massive technical leap over the competition for an entire year.
To celebrate the awesome that was, on today’s episode of 5 Games, we are going to take a
look at 5 great games for the Sega Dreamcast.
Virtua Tennis was released in 2000, a year after the arcade original.
The tournament mode from the arcade returns, letting you choose one of eight tennis stars
as you work your way through a 5 round tournament.
The controls in Virtua Tennis are simply amazing.
The smoothness of the analog movement is unmatched, and running around the court feels precise
and accurate.
Even better is actually hitting the ball.
Once you press the shot button, your player's momentum slows and then your control the aim
with the analog stick.
In the fourth and fifth rounds, the A.I.
becomes incredibly challenging, almost predicting your movements, and having no problems identifying
when you are out of position, and then capitalizing.
There is something almost hypnotic about lobbing the ball back and forth, and Virtua Tennis
remains exceptionally playable to this very day.
If you're looking for something a little more substantial, there is an entire World Circuit
mode which functions like a campaign, unlocking new events, new items, new characters, and
featuring a ton of clever mini games to hone your skills.
If you’ve avoided Virtua Tennis for some reason, you’re really doing yourself a disservice,
as it a shining example of what Sega, and the Dreamcast, is all about.
D2 is the follow-up to Kenji Eno’s D and Enemy Zero, marking the final chapter in the
D trilogy.
At it’s heart, D2 is an adventure horror game with light RPG elements.
The adventure begins with Laura surviving a plane crash and waking up in a cabin in
the woods.
From here, Laura explores the Canadian wilderness, hunts wildlife for food, befriends new characters,
kills monsters, and slowly unravels the mystery of the plane crash as the adventure turns
into a supernatural thriller.
By today’s standards, the gameplay feels a bit clumsy.
Laura has tank controls, much like an old tomb raider game, aiming and shooting monsters
can feel sloppy, and exploring the different buildings is slow and plodding, like an old
FMV game.
Where D2 succeeds is in atmosphere and story.
The game has a very desaturated color palette, helping cement the feeling of isolation and
desperation.
Adding to this is the constant howling of wind, terrific score, and mature themes.
The highlight of D2 is just experiencing the story.
You’ll spend hours listening to conversations, really getting to know each and every character,
and I find it rather enjoyable.
Those looking for a more traditional survival horror experience may find the gameplay lacking,
but anyone who appreciates good writing, will fall in love.
Wacky Races is mascot racing game, taking characters from the old Hanna Barbara universe
and doing an admirable job capturing the spirit of the old cartoon.
Wacky Races is most notable for being one of the first games to feature Cel-shaded graphics,
appearing on North American shelves just before Jet Set Radio.
The black outlines and chunky textures do a terrific job giving the entire game a very
cartoonish appearance.
Perhaps even more impressive is Wacky Races has zero load times.
From the moment you are dropped into the hub world, to selecting a race track, to actually
racing, and back again, is a seamless experience harkening back to the cartridge days.
Technical Wizardry aside, Wacky Races is a fantastic racing experience.
The controls are loose but responsive, the tracks are interesting with plenty of shortcuts,
and the items and weapons are useful and satisfying.
As the game progresses and you unlock new goodies, you can choose which three items
to equip, assuring you’re never stuck with a weapon you find useless.
Above all else, Wacky Races is just pure fun.
It even supports 4 players, so grab some friends and some beverages and get ready for one of
the most underrated racers of all time.
ChuChu Rocket is a puzzle game brought to us from the minds of Sonic Team.
The highlight of ChuChu Rocket was the multiplayer, both local and online.
In many ways, Sonic Team was able to capture the magic of many popular Nintendo 64 games,
which were often better with 4 players huddled around the TV.
ChuChu Rocket’s multiplayer has you guiding mice into rockets to score points.
You can’t directly control the mice, but can guide them by placing arrow tiles onto
the playfield.
The four directions are mapped perfectly to the controller's face buttons, making it very
easy to learn.
This brings us to the single player mode.
Here you are given a limited set of pieces to try and guide mice into the rockets.
Mice, as well as cats, will always turn right when hitting a wall.
Mastering this simple concept is key to the game’s challenging puzzles.
There is a lot of trial and error involved, as you must sometimes guide mice in between
marching cats.
If a mouse touches a cat, or a cat reaches a rocket, you fail, and must try again.
This is all rather refreshing, and a nice departure from block dropping or jewel matching.
Both the single player and multiplayer are fantastic, and when combined with the crisp
visuals and excellent music, ChuChu Rocket is a must own.
This brings us to Shenmue, easily the most ambitious, and perhaps most iconic, Dreamcast
game, ever.
On the surface, Shenmue is an extremely simple game.
You play the role of Ryo Hazuki and who witnesses a mysterious Lan Di murder his father.
Ryo then sets off to avenge his father’s death.
The simple tale is easy to comprehend, but Shenmue is really so much more.
Shenmue’s gameplay is very similar to 90’s adventure games, where one item leads to the
next, in a very linear fashion.
However, along the way you can really experience life if you so choose.
You can collect toys, play in the arcade, visit shops, talk to hundreds of characters,
practice martial arts, and even open thousands of draws and doors.
Shenmue succeeds at being a living, breathing, world.
Despite the massive scope and freedom the game provides, Shenmue’s controls are very
simple.
Wandering around, shopping, playing games, and fighting are all simple and intuitive
and blend together as a single cohesive experience.
The cinematic sequences are also epic, with every story segment happening in the real
game world, and even allowing interaction in the form of quicktime events.
While all of these are common place now, Shenmue really pushed the bar of what an adventure
could be.
While Shenmue isn’t as marvelled now as it once was, I still find it to be one of
Sega’s finest, and an absolute must have for the Dreamcast.
So there you have it, 5 great games released for the Sega Dreamcast.
Now, this is not a definitive list, nor is it intended to be a best-of, and the Dreamcast
has far far more than 5 great games, so be sure to leave a comment and let me know which
Dreamcast games, you enjoy.