What is your least favorite and most favorite console?

[Balasubbie]

What I don't get is why people adore the Dreamcast so much. I like the console and it does have a few games that are near and dear to me, but it is, by far, my least favorite Sega console (Game Gear and the like don't count, since it is not a console). It's also the least Sega-ish Sega console, if that makes sense.

That was the boon, perhaps. It didn't work anyways.

[alienjesus]

What I don't get is why people adore the Dreamcast so much. I like the console and it does have a few games that are near and dear to me, but it is, by far, my least favorite Sega console (Game Gear and the like don't count, since it is not a console). It's also the least Sega-ish Sega console, if that makes sense.

I never got the 'handhelds aren't consoles' mentality. I judge handhelds by the exact same merits - how strong is the library, how is the hardware quality, etc.

I'm inclined to agree with you though. I wouldnt say its by far my least favourite, but I prefer the other sega home consoles to the dreamcast. They're all so good though :p

[ATARI800XLfan]

What I don't get is why people adore the Dreamcast so much. I like the console and it does have a few games that are near and dear to me, but it is, by far, my least favorite Sega console (Game Gear and the like don't count, since it is not a console). It's also the least Sega-ish Sega console, if that makes sense.

How was it not a Sega-ish console. It was creative and original and had there biggest franchises like Crazy taxi and Sonic, even the master system did not have that, actually what did the Master system have that makes it worth owning?

[alienjesus]

What I don't get is why people adore the Dreamcast so much. I like the console and it does have a few games that are near and dear to me, but it is, by far, my least favorite Sega console (Game Gear and the like don't count, since it is not a console). It's also the least Sega-ish Sega console, if that makes sense.

How was it not a Sega-ish console. It was creative and original and had there biggest franchises like Crazy taxi and Sonic, even the master system did not have that, actually what did the Master system have that makes it worth owning?

Alex Kidd, Fantasy Zone, Shinobi, Asterix, Wonder Boy, Castle of Illusion (and other illusion games), Sonic, power strike, phantasy star, golden axe warrior, lucky dime caper & deep duck trouble, golvellius, ninja gaiden, master of darkness, r-type, ys.

[TornadoCreator]

What I don't get is why people adore the Dreamcast so much. I like the console and it does have a few games that are near and dear to me, but it is, by far, my least favorite Sega console (Game Gear and the like don't count, since it is not a console). It's also the least Sega-ish Sega console, if that makes sense.

It's because the Dreamcast was Sega's redemption and it was so good.

Sega messed up with the Saturn, they'd pissed off a lot of the 3rd party developers by rushing the release date of the console in order to beat the PS1 to market making these developers who'd marketted their games as launch titles feel rushed and ignores. Many jumped ship to the Playstation, and with that the Saturn was alway going to be inferior. But the Dreamcast was ment to change that. A jump to 128bit, internet connectivity, and care, thought and most importantly patience when converting over or developing games.

Sega went out of it's way to use the same processors and graphics chips in the Dreamcast that was in their Arcade Cabinets, (or as close to as possible), they allowed both 50Hz and 60Hz playback, and they put more money than ever before into making quality games rather than making shovelwear, which is why the average Dreamcast game feels so well produced and why the library is relatively small.

This was clearly Sega taking the industry seriously, treating the gamers like they cared. The internet was still young, but back in 1999 and 2000 you could even go onto Sega IRC rooms and talk with developers, designers and other fans to exchange ideas and opinions on games. For a solid 2 year period Sega was the best you could get because it was trying to be the best and that's why we appreciated it so much.

In the end, the Dreamcast was the opposite of the PSOne, which was a console you played alone without much social interaction. Final Fantasy VII, Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid, Vagrant Story... it's all ment to be a solo experience. The Dreamcast was ment to be the arcade experience, Crazy Taxi, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, House Of The Dead 2, Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2, Soul Caliber. They're all arcade games and the Dreamcast was the first console with online play too.

It's hard to explain why this console felt different, but it felt like the spirit of gaming for many people. When the Playstation 2 crushed it 'neith it's mighty tread, it was a sad day. To see the console failing to compete when so much love had been spent on it. I think that's why people are so fond of the console, it had such promise and such care given to it, and the saddest thing is, Sega was forced to cancel some of it's best games ever because it was hemorrhaging money...

System Shock 2 and Half-Life, where both originally ment for the Dreamcast, later they'd become PC classics. These would have made the Dreamcast a fantastic FPS console, to have two of the greatest FPS's ever made on it, it'd have been incredible. There was also Alien Breed II and Swat 3 due for the Dreamcast, these both remained PC exclusives in the end, and Project Eden which got a PS2 release instead. Remember though, the Dreamcast has a keyboard and mouse, and all 5 of these games would have supported "traditional PC controls" to bridge the gap between console and PC gaming.

Panzer Dragoon Orta and Jet Set Radio Future, later released exclusively on the Xbox. Great games and franchises which Sega was famous for, but where largely under-appreciated on the Xbox.

Shinobi (2002) and Soul Reaver 2 both later released on the PS2 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2002) and GunValkyrie both later released exclusively on the Xbox, these four games would have given the Dreamcast a solid library of Third Person Action games. Remember this was before Ninja Gaiden and God Of War, and less than a year after Devil May Cry. The genre was still very young.

The saddest of all however is the Dreamcast was actually due to get Age Of Empires 2, Tropico, Black & White, Sim City 3000 and Heroes Of Might And Magic 3. These are all fantastic PC games. I still play Tropico and HoMM3 now on PC now. They where due not just for Dreamcast release but where specifically designed to take advantage of the Dreamcasts keyboard and mouse. If this had succeeded we could have had real console RTS games, God games, strategy-builder games... this could have disolved the last barrier between consoles and PC gaming.

With all of those games... basically the entire Christmas 2001 to Early 2002 release calander for the Dreamcast, all cancelled because Sega was forced to liquify most of it's assets, to see the company not just fail at a console but fail at a console that was so clearly designed with will intentions and destined to be so great, and almost bankrupt Sega and take the whole company with it... that hurt. If felt like we'd betrayed Sega not the other way around, we'd sent them the message that their efforts weren't good enough and their console wasn't worthwhile. I still remember Christmas 2001. I was looking forward to getting Half-Life, HoMM3 and Shinobi for my Dreamcast. I'd heavily hinted I wanted those games to my family, but when the Dreamcast was officially discontinued in USA earlier in the year I started to worry, it was unpopular over there. USA has always preferred Nintendo, but here in the UK the Dreamcast even outsold the Gamecube. Then I heard the news. I still remember it today, December 3rd I got my copy of a local gaming monthly gaming magazine. It had a 4 page special feature detailing the official announcement that Sega was discontinuing the Dreamcast and stopping production officially on January 1st 2002. It was horrible. A few new games came out the following year but by Summer 2002 they where down to a crawl only a handful of games per year, with the last games released here in Early 2004.

I love my Dreamcast, I love Sega for making it. For 2 years we had something rare and special, a console manufacturer and game developer that cared, if the 2002 releases hadn't been so quickly cancelled it may well have been remembered by many more as one of the greatest consoles ever made. Loosing the Dreamcast wasn't just the loss of a console, but the loss of our childhood. Sega was gone. The cutbacks effectively mean all the designers and developers working for Sega where let go. Only the bare bones of the company remained... limping on to this day. You won't be forgotten Sega, Rest In Peace.

I hope this answers your question.

[TornadoCreator]

What I don't get is why people adore the Dreamcast so much. I like the console and it does have a few games that are near and dear to me, but it is, by far, my least favorite Sega console (Game Gear and the like don't count, since it is not a console). It's also the least Sega-ish Sega console, if that makes sense.

How was it not a Sega-ish console. It was creative and original and had there biggest franchises like Crazy taxi and Sonic, even the master system did not have that, actually what did the Master system have that makes it worth owning?

Alex Kidd, Fantasy Zone, Shinobi, Asterix, Wonder Boy, Castle of Illusion (and other illusion games), Sonic, power strike, phantasy star, golden axe warrior, lucky dime caper & deep duck trouble, golvellius, ninja gaiden, master of darkness, r-type, ys.

Well said, there's also Paperboy, The Ninja, Enduro Racer, Putt & Putter, Road Rash, Lemmings, James Pond and Dynamite Headdy.

[Breetai]

How was it not a Sega-ish console. It was creative and original and had there biggest franchises like Crazy taxi and Sonic, even the master system did not have that, actually what did the Master system have that makes it worth owning?

Ummm... it had Sonic games. It also had some of the largest franchises at the time; basically all of the Sega arcade games like Outrun, Space Harrier, After Burner, etc. Those were HUGE and sold systems.

Sega consoles:
Saturn(imports included)>Genesis/MD>Dreamcast>Sega CD>Master System>32X
That's how I see it. The SMS is weaker than other Sega consoles, but the games listed on this page of the thread do make it owning for any retro gamer.

[AppleQueso]

Sega just never did recover after the insanely botched and abysmal Saturn launch in the US. I still believe that effectively killed Sega.

[Breetai]

I hope this answers your question.

I get what you are saying, but... from an unbiased view, you are showing your fanboyism a lot. I'm also a bit of a Sega fanboy, but in reality, now that the dust has settled, the library of the DC does not compete overall with the PS1, PS2, GCN, etc. Had Sega kept it going, it might well have. The average quality of a DC game DOES seem higher than on other systems, and you have outlined the reasons well. It is unfortunate that the DC did not have the lifespan to see 3rd-4th-etc. generation games. In comparison with the first 2 years of most other systems, the DC is better than most. However, looking at the entire library of games, I find more enjoyment out of other systems. I do love the DC for what it is, though.

[isiolia]

System Shock 2 and Half-Life, where both originally ment for the Dreamcast, later they'd become PC classics. These would have made the Dreamcast a fantastic FPS console, to have two of the greatest FPS's ever made on it, it'd have been incredible.

While they may have both been slated to come out on the system, both of those games were PC-first. Half-Life came out nearly a year prior to the Dreamcast in the U.S. System Shock 2 came out a couple weeks or so before the system launched.

FPS fans would likely have already played those games by the time they were released on the DC. There would likely have been an even wider audience that appreciated them, but I doubt it would have put the system on the map for FPS games like Halo did for the XBox.


The main problem the DC had was that the bigger franchises were secured on Playstation, and in turn the sequels were headed to the PS2. It really does go back to the developer relations that were soured with the 32X/Saturn. The hardware was nice, there were quality titles, but with EA Sports sitting it out (not that Sega's titles were bad), no Metal Gear, no Gran Turismo, no Final Fantasy...people just waited for the PS2 instead. I worked at a Software Etc at the time, and saw it firsthand.