Congratulations for making one hell of a great post man, seriously, the haters just don't understand or are just too blind to care bro.Original_Name wrote:Jeez, I'm not used to seeing the Dreamcast get slagged in this corner of the internet, but it seems like I see more and more complaints about it lately. People talking about feeling like it gets shoved down their throats in the retro community is understandable, but you guys have to realize that only a couple of years ago it was a solid pick for "most underrated console ever" (I still would have given that honor to the Sega Saturn or PC-Engine even back then, though). Plus I think its often taken out of context amongst people who posthumously got into the console -- the console only had a two-year commercial lifespan, folks. The console may not be for you, but objectively-speaking, I don't think anyone could think of a better two-year-run on any other console. For all the "shallow" games, there are plenty of lasting, intricate experiences. The Dreamcast also has a knack for fitting the conceptual scope of more indulgent games into the brevity of arcade action titles, which is fascinating to look at if you're interested in conceptual design in games.
Anyway, CONGRATULATIONS, NOISE! You're saying you're getting into it mostly for shmups and homebrew, but there are a ton of Dreamcast games I think everyone should try, regardless of personal taste. Rez, Shenmue, Ikaruga, Skies of Arcadia, Jet Set Radio, Samba de Amigo, Cosmic Smash, Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram, The Typing of the Dead, Power Stone 2, and Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future are all fantastic games, although you may not be into all of them, there's so much variety there that the ones that grab you will really grab you. Unsung classics like Toy Commander and Lack of Love are great to keep an eye out for. You've got to develop an appreciation for the strange, but you'll be fascinated by how fun a game like Sega Marine Fishing, for instance, can be if you throw your inhibitions away. Once I've become good enough at Japanese, I can't wait to sink my teeth into the likes of Segagaga, Rent-a-Hero, Roommania, and Sakura Taisen 3.
The only fault I can find with the Dreamcast is that so many of its best games ended up getting converted into exclusives for other titles during Sega's shift to third-party. Panzer Dragoon Orta, Virtua Fighter 4, Super Monkey Ball, Jet Set Radio Future, GunValkyrie, The House of the Dead 3, and Shinobi all have their rightful home on the Dreamcast. Plus planned Dreamcast games like Air NiGHTS, Shining Force IV, and Thunder Force VI all ended up being changed beyond recognition during their convoluted development histories. That is to say that people who find the library small have no one to blame but themselves for not keeping the Dreamcast afloat longer.
The Dreamcast is chock full of quirky and truly bizarrely unique games, but that is what makes it all the more of a cult classic than any other system on this planet. It also had more Arcade perfect ports than any other system of the last gen! It's an ADHD gamers Paradise!
Let me also remind you other fanboys of other systems, we give the Dreamcast so much love, most likely more love than fanboys of other systems ever even thought about giving. The Homebrew and Indie scene is more alive now than ever, what, with our newly developed SD card adapters, recently updated in 2011 emulators and Half-Life PC mod ports!
I mean, what other "Dead" system gets retail games each consecutive year for it? None! Albeit they are not going to be sold in retail stores, but online the Dreamcast takes a life all its own. The Dreamcast has gotten retail games for it every year since 1998, and not one single year has past where a new game wasn't sold for it. Hell, Sega themselves even supported it up until 2007 in Japan! It might have "died" abroad to the casual gamer, but to the truly hardcore gamers in the know, they get the most joy out of it, and for those that love the Dreamcast, they REALLY love it! The Dreamcast even was the first HD system with its 480P VGA box resolution, official Mouse and Keyboard and Anti-Alasing making it stand far and above even the WII today!
The Dreamcast didn't let the world down, the world let the Dreamcast down.
Man, backup games nowadays on CD even have file folder order on the discs to load more silent, and are optimized more-so than the original GDR games are to load much more faster in many cases.Rurouni_Fencer wrote:Aren't you guys using boots and burned discs worried about wearing down your DC's laser? That's a big reason why I haven't used my boots and have been holding out for an imported system.. Thoughts?
I have been burning games to mine for YEARS now and the thing is still kicking strong, its a February 2000 model too, and I have had no problems with it at all.
My mom even accidentally turned on my system when she sat it in a box, and the thing was on running for 3 weeks straight, no lie, and it was still kicking ass 3 years afterwards to this very day!
The Dreamcast is a sturdy system, more-so than the Xbox 360, you have nothing to worry about with burning games, no the laser will not kill over by playing backups, it is just not like that.
