The Sega Dreamcast’s discontinuation in March 2001 signified the end of a gaming era. Sega, along with Nintendo, were arguably the companies that brought console gaming into the mainstream. The Megadrive and SNES were the juggernauts of the 16-bit era with titles such as Sonic The Hedgehog and Super Mario Bros inducting millions of future gamers. However, whilst Nintendo managed to survive the transition from cartridge to CD, from 2D to 3D, Sega never quite managed to recapture its 16-bit form. Whilst the Sega Saturn, dually burned by the PlayStation’s emergence and it being hideously difficult for programming, severely dented Sega’s presence within the console market, it was the misfire of the Dreamcast that proved terminal. However, whilst the Dreamcast was badly timed and marketed, the console itself was revolutionary, innovative and featured some exceptional games.
Games, Games and Football GamesÂ
The Dreamcast had a superb collection of games. The console had tight, fast-paced platforming fun in Sonic Adventure, cartoonish racing havoc in Crazy Taxi and authentic stream-punk RGP perfection in Skies of Arcadia. Moreover, despite being shunned by popular sports simulation developer EA, Sega successfully created various arcade-inspired sports titles. These included the big-selling Virtual Tennis franchise and the critically-acclaimed Sega Championship Football. Whilst the graphics were inferior to the PS2, this technical deficit was made-up for by inventive design and slick artwork. Moreover, the gameplay was fresh and interesting, mixing realism and experimentalism within interesting concepts and unusual premises. It is a testament to the unique nature of the Dreamcast’s catalogue that versions of its games are still being re-released today. The enduring popularity of the Dreamcast’s sport simulations amongst gamers is especially impressive considering that today these same fans have access to both perfected online Xbox Live play, officiated FIFA licensing and real-money football betting websites like Bet365 to also entertain themselves. But all of that pales in comparison to Shenmue’s cult classic status. This legendary title pretty much speaks to itself and we’re not gonna ruin it for you so you can go and explore the game and the feedback it has for yourself.
Not Just A Phantasy
Whilst gamers take online play for granted today, back in the late 20th Century the notion of playing online on your home console was largely the stuff of science-fiction. It was Sega’s Phantasy Star Online which brought online console gaming to the masses, although in a much more limited form than it exists today. In Phantasy Star, which was a MMORPG in some senses, you could only play with a small handful of other players and only within some battles. It was a far cry from today’s sprawling, virtual-populated worlds. However, it was still the first functional and successful attempt at international online play within mainstream console gaming and set the foundations for what was set to come.
Two Screens
The Wii U’s claim to fame is its ‘revolutionary’ dual-screen gameplay which takes place both on the television and on the handset. However, this may not be as revolutionary as Nintendo would like you to believe. Like with Xbox Live, Sega did it first. The Dreamcast’s controller featured a detachable mini-screen that could either be used to play mini-games or display stats. Whilst it lacked the HD display of the Wii U, with the screen being pixelated and monotone, it is yet another example of Sega’s ill-fated console being too far ahead of its own time.
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Shenmue
i wonder how it really ends