Best of the Dreamcast's Multiplayer Library

[retrosportsgamer]

I thought this was a good read that would have some nice discussion.

http://www.snackbar-games.com/features/ ... r-library/


Disclosure: I do write some freelance reviews for this site (but this is not my piece).

[CD AGES]

Nice read. But where the fuck is Ooga Booga and MVC1 (with its awesome Cross Fever mode) on the list?

[CD AGES]

He also forgot other notables like Spawn ITDH, Heavy Metal. Project Justice (has a Tournament mode for 4players) and GigaWing 2 which has an insane 4player mode.

[colorninja]

Hey! Author here. Thanks for reading.

The general idea with these lists is to present a broad cross-section of the experiences you can have on a system, so with a lot of the games you mention, it got narrowed down to Power Stone 2 and Dead or Alive 2, and the others were (barring variation of individual opinions) just slightly less great at the same sort of purpose. (Though MvC was close to DoA2, and I respect that switch... I went with DoA because field testing with MvC usually led to the frantic nature of a party game but a skill gap that didn't mesh with that well. If you have the right group, that's not a concern, but I try to play games with everyone.)

You know, Ooga Booga was the last cut, and the hardest one. As much as I like the game personally, it came down to this: people just don't seem to have very much fun when we play it. It could be some residual effects from a game design made for early online play. I don't know.

I didn't forget Giga Wing 2, though. That game just breaks so much in four-player... tried a few sessions of it after lots of people liked our Jamestown sessions, but... yikes. It's just too unprepared for people to actually try playing with the full team.

[mjmjr25]

Power Stone 2 shouldn't be lumped into the traditional fighter realm (not necessarily in the article, but in the above post w/DoA, MvC, etc). Or with SSM either, as that is only 1/2 the game PS2 is, being on a 2D fixed plane, vs. the 360 world of PS2.

To me, there are 3 games that must be mentioned when discussing DC-4player support.

Power Stone 2 (exclusive)
Guantlet Legends (superior to the N64 version graphically, and less drop-off on side screens)
Giga Wing 2 - (unless you played on an emulator or burned disc, I don't know why you would have any problems. The game slows down during bomb sequences and at some hell spots whether your playing 1p or 4p, this is true even playing 2p on the NAOMI cart). The fact that it's a legit 4p shmup is sick, and worth playing for the novelty alone. I've played through many times w/4p and had no reasons to not do it again. Great game.

All the racers and party / puzzle games were done by psx and N64 as well, and don't really stand out as reasons to get a DC for 4p's, the above 3 do, imo.

[CD AGES]

Power Stone 2 shouldn't be lumped into the traditional fighter realm (not necessarily in the article, but in the above post w/DoA, MvC, etc). Or with SSM either, as that is only 1/2 the game PS2 is, being on a 2D fixed plane, vs. the 360 world of PS2.

To me, there are 3 games that must be mentioned when discussing DC-4player support.

Power Stone 2 (exclusive) Guantlet Legends (superior to the N64 version graphically, and less drop-off on side screens) Giga Wing 2 - (unless you played on an emulator or burned disc, I don't know why you would have any problems. The game slows down during bomb sequences and at some hell spots whether your playing 1p or 4p, this is true even playing 2p on the NAOMI cart). The fact that it's a legit 4p shmup is sick, and worth playing for the novelty alone. I've played through many times w/4p and had no reasons to not do it again. Great game.

All the racers and party / puzzle games were done by psx and N64 as well, and don't really stand out as reasons to get a DC for 4p's, the above 3 do, imo.

Very well said. Agree 100% with this. I was gonna mention Gauntlet but I don't have much experience with the games 4 player component like I do with other 4player DC games, so I'm glad someone brought it up!

[colorninja]

You're right! I wasn't entirely clear with that last post. I certainly wouldn't lump Power Stone 2 in with 2D fighters. I would, however, consider Spawn and Heavy Metal as contemporaries, and while by no means would I not recommend playing those two games, those provided at least marginally-similar experiences when it came down to writing a column and not an encyclopedia.

And when I said Giga Wing 2 breaks, I didn't mean technically so much as I meant from a game design perspective. It feels like they just slapped three more ships on the screen in an experience designed for single-player, because... well, that's exactly what they did. You can artificially handicap yourselves in the settings to fix some of it.

As for Legends, I guess I'm in the "if you're going to play Gauntlet, head straight for the PS2 version of Dark Legacy" camp. It's the same game with more content. DC Legends is better than some of the other G:DL ports, certainly.

Generally, though, I hear ya. The feature isn't The Only Good Multiplayer Games On The Dreamcast.

[mjmjr25]

I see. Not trying to pick apart the article, just stating the (3) must-play 4p games, imo.

Guantlet Legends, iirc correctly was only on DC and N64.

Then a sequel, Dark Legacy, was made for PS2 / GCN (and prob oXbox, too lazy to confirm).

I haven't played the PS2 version, but in effort to make the characters more crisp (which they did) in the GCN version, they sacrificed some of the "up close battle elements" that were great in the N64/DC versions. When playing 4p on GCN (again, don't know about PS2, but I assume it's the same) if anyone goes to another section of the screen, it goes too far overhead and the characters become way to small to actually see what your doing. The DC version is much more in the vein of the popular 4p arcade hit.

I've actually never played Spawn for DC, but i'll check it out now.

GW2 - aren't all shmups really designed for 1p? Or the vast vast majority anyways. If you've never played a bullet-hell game, and you play 4p version of GW2, it's going to feel like a hot mess, but if you have guys who've played GW1 or GW2 solo and who know how to play a shmup co-op (spacing, bombing appropriately, following 2p side pattern, etc) then GW2 is mad fun.

[Nemoide]

Now I really want to try Armada.

[CD AGES]

As for Legends, I guess I'm in the "if you're going to play Gauntlet, head straight for the PS2 version of Dark Legacy" camp. It's the same game with more content. DC Legends is better than some of the other G:DL ports, certainly.

This statement just feels wrong! Simply due your selection particulary speaking for DOA2. The same can be said for this game as well, "Its the same game with more content, so why not head head straight for the PS2" via DOA2 Harcore or better yet DOA2 Ultimate on the ol xbox?


I would just like to know the though process on the DOA2 selection after hearing your justification for not including GL.