Dreamcast Rememberance: The Final Generation of Software

So here we are with the final feature on the Dreamcast's software lineup, though we're certainly outside of the anniversary month. At this time in the console's life, Sega had announced that they were ceasing support of the Dreamcast and not producing any more consoles, so unsurprisingly software developers and publishers were jumping ship for greener pastures. For someone who supported the system for so long and adored its games, it was a sad time. Fortunately, that "time" was short-lived, since the PS2 had began to hit its stride later in the year with games like Ico, Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid 2, Final Fantasy X, and more. The Gamecube and Xbox were also getting ready to launch in the fall; so while it was a time of mourning for Sega as a hardware manufacturer, it was an exciting (and, perhaps, expensive) time to be a gamer.

Last Blade 2

Probably one of the most underappreciated 2D fighters ever, Last Blade 2 is what you could describe, basically, as an enhanced Samurai Showdown. You could consider it a natural evolution of its spiritual predecessor's weapon-based mechanics, instead adding the twist of parrying attacks and characters and story with a more over-the-top mentality. The combination of those two help the Last Blade franchise (because it only needs two installments to be a franchise, right?) stand on its own, and make it endearing and enjoyable. It's playable in a multitude of ways today, so why not give it a try?

(No, it's not on XBLA/PSN. Though that would be great if SNK was capable of making an online netcode that's actually usable!)

Garou: Mark of the Wolves

To date, Garou: Mark of the Wolves is the last game to release in the Fatal Fury franchise, but hopefully it won't be the last. Garou was, basically, SNK's answer to Street Fighter III, featuring vibrant animations that certifiably pushed the power of SNK's MVS arcade system. The results? Well, pretty spectacular, making a fighting game that was actually more user-friendly than SFIII, while at the same time maintaining the depth you would expect from an SNK fighter in that age. The only problem is that the Dreamcast port was rather suspect, which featured numerous sound effects and voice quips that were out of sync with what was happening on screen. Good thing PS2 and XBLA versions exist now.

Sonic Adventure 2

Sega continued their tradition to be the anti-Nintendo, who would only release one major 3D Mario adventure on the system, and released Sonic Adventure 2 on the Dreamcast. The game, as you would expect, continued the antics of Sonic as his friends. Like the last one, this game also has six playable characters. Unlike the last one, you also get to play the villains, including the now-popular Shadow the Hedgehog. The game was just as good as the first one, though it also shared some of its flaws, like a bothersome camera. It's still worth playing though, which is more than you can say about most Sonic games nowadays.

Space Channel 5, Part 2

A sequel to the music game that became a sleeper hit, Space Channel 5, Part 2 once again pit you in the boots of Ulala to fight intergalactic aliens. Yeah, there isn't too much ingenuity in the plot, as it's mostly the same as the first game. But there's also a two player mode for whenever you have a friend over. Oh, and one of the biggest attractions to this game was that it featured a special appearance by the late Michael Jackson. A lot of reviews may use this as the lazy way out, but you can't help but say "if you liked the first game, you'll like this one" here. Sorry!

Illbleed

Illbleed was a unique little survival horror that, unlike a lot of entries into the genre at the time (this was when Resident Evil still typified the genre), actually focused on surviving. The game involved the player struggling through a theme park rife with booby traps and monsters that your character, Eriko Christy, had to survive to make it out. Oh, and it was pretty bloody too, so it lives up to its name. Oh, and it's clunky too, so be prepared for that. It's been surpassed by the likes of Haunting Ground now, but it was good for its time.

Crazy Taxi 2

Oh look! It's another sequel to a Dreamcast game that became popular early in the console's short life. Crazy Taxi 2 is...well, just like the first game, except for the slightly different setting and some enhanced features. You're no longer confined to one customer while riding around, and now you also have new moves to better your score at the end of a session. The last sentence here would be the same as the Space Channel 5, Part 2 description, so I won't repeat it at the risk of being redundant.

Metropolis Street Racer

Despite originally planned as being a launch title, Metropolis Street Racer finally released in January 2001 after numerous development hindrances. But it was worth it for its looks and gameplay, with it being a sight to behold at the time, along with being an enjoyable racing game. This game was also developed by Bizarre Creations, who's now perhaps best known for the Microsoft-published Project Gotham Racing franchise. This game, in terms of features, is fittingly a progenitor to the template utilized for PGR. You can currently find them working on Blur.

Outtrigger

Outtrigger was Sega-AM2's six-player shooter for arcade using Sega's Naomi arcade board, whose architecture was based on the Dreamcast's hardware. It was a perfectly natural fit for this system solely because of the hardware it's based on. But there are a few problems in a transition like this; the good thing is that, since it's a little difficult to replicate the arcade shooter experience at home, Sega did the best thing to try and amend this: online play. But the problem is that none of your control options are optimal on the Dreamcast controller, but that isn't to say it's not bearable. A pity the Dreamcast didn't have dual analog sticks.

That's all for this look back at a good portion of the Dreamcast software. If there was a game that I forgot that you liked, then I have to apologize. There's probably no way one person could've found every game that everyone liked on the console, since there's different tastes to account for, but I tried to cater to everyone. And I had fun writing all of this up too, so I hope you had just as much (if not more) fun reading it.