questions about the dreamcast

[Ahadi]

hey guys, im very curious about this system. i totally dodged it when it came out(too young, i loved my n64 :-\ ) but now im thinking of buying one. and when if i do, i need to know a few things first.

what is up with the memory cards? they have like...buttons on them and a screen. what is up with that?

the controller seems kind of wonky. but looks similar to the xbox's. does it feel similar?

and finally, what are some games that i should consider getting with the dreamcast?

any other tips/bits of info would be appreciated. thanks a bunch!

[JackSuper]

memory cards for the dreamcast are called VMUs, or visual memory units. they allow you to play some minigames with other games, i think one of them you could get from skies of arcadia. i only use them as memory cards and as friendly reminders as to what game im playing (name of the game shows up on the screen during play).

the controller has a similar layout as the xbox controller, but id say the feel isnt too similar. the "handles", i guess, are slimmer. the joystick is plastic and is bothersome if you happent to get sweaty thumbs during play.

check out sonic adventure 1 and 2, any capcom fighting games (i highly suggest power stone 1 or 2), skies of arcadia if you dont have it for cube, the 2k line of sports titles, crazy taxi 1 and 2, confidential mission with a lightgun. other favorites would be soul calibur, virtual on, silent scope, maybe metropolis street racer (the original project gotham)

[GAMGAM007]

also give shinume a try its only like $6

[Ahadi]

im gonna bump this up because im definetly getting a dreamcast, and i now need insight as to which games to check out. there wouldnt happen to be a metal gear solid game or a mgs type game on the dreamcast would there?

also, what kind of hackable capabilities did the dreamcast have?
(if that ^ pisses anyone off, ill remove it.)

[Kayden]

Mars Matrix. One of the coolest flying shooters ever.

The controllers do kinda suck after long periods. The triggers make my fingers hurt.

[Machine]

Planetdreamcast.com has a decent list of the best games for the DC. Not everyone will agree with everything on the list but it is a good starting point. As for your other question, check out DCemulation.com - it's has lots of information about emulators and homebrew games.

[Midnite]

Grandia 2
Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves
Last Blade 2
King of Fighters 98-2002
Mars Matrix
Ikaruga
Zero Gunner 2
Virtua On
Sonic Adventure 1 and 2
Crazy Taxi
Dead or Alive 2
Capcom vs SNK 1 and 2
Skies of Arcadia

[Ebraum]

Toy Comander , Cannon Spike , MvC2, JoJo's Bizzarre Adventure,
Typing of the dead, Sega Rally 2, Tennis 2k2

[Seventh]

Grandia 2
Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves
Last Blade 2
King of Fighters 98-2002
Mars Matrix
Ikaruga
Zero Gunner 2
Virtua On
Sonic Adventure 1 and 2
Crazy Taxi
Dead or Alive 2
Capcom vs SNK 1 and 2
Skies of Arcadia

Shenmue 1 and 2.
EGG
Record of Lordess War

[Ahadi]

thanks for the help so far. i have a list of like 30 or so games on my computer at home. ill post the list up when i get home.

and what about side scroll shooters and beat em ups? are there any really good ones or any at all on the dreamcast?

[Ahadi]

okay, so heres that list of dreamcast games ive selected:
headhunter
fatal fury: mark of the wolves
bomberman online
project justice
unreal tournament
bangai-0
guilty gear x
grandia II
starlancer
quake III arena
power stone 2
street fighter alpha 3
chu chu rocket
legacy of kain soul reaver
sould calibur
expendable
bust a move 4
capcom vs snk
dino crisis
evil dead hail to the king
mdk 2
mr driller
power stone
spawn
stupid invaders

please pick out the riff raff, and i realize that there are several fatal furies and street fighters, if you wouldnt mind directing me towards the best one. thanks a bunch!

[The VGM]

What do you mean beat em ups? And I find it hard to believe that you have never played a DC and dont know any good games for it. Have you been living under a rock?

Anyways

Street Fighter Alpha 3
Street Fighter III Double Impact
Street Fighter III 3rd Strike
Marvel vs Capcom 2
Marvel vs Capcom
Powerstone 2
Powerstone
Spawn
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Blue Stinger

Directing you towards the best one... start with SF3 Double Impact. IMO Street Fighter III ver. 1 and 2 are better than 3 (3rd Strike)

[Ahadi]

What do you mean beat em ups? And I find it hard to believe that you have never played a DC and dont know any good games for it. Have you been living under a rock?

Anyways

Street Fighter Alpha 3
Street Fighter III Double Impact
Street Fighter III 3rd Strike
Marvel vs Capcom 2
Marvel vs Capcom
Powerstone 2
Powerstone
Spawn
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Blue Stinger

Directing you towards the best one... start with SF3 Double Impact. IMO Street Fighter III ver. 1 and 2 are better than 3 (3rd Strike)

i wasnt really into video games when the dreamcast came out. like, i played video games, but i wasnt really deep into them. id buy the games based on the cover art(gotta love the mind of a 12 year old). but yeah, ive never played a dreamcast.

and by beat em ups, i mean like double dragon, battletoads, ninja turtles, etc...

any other game suggestions?

[snotknocker]

I gotta get a Dreamcast too. I've been putting it off and missing out on so many great games. I'm inundated with old school and big 3 games that I'll never live long to play. Might as well add another system and more games

[Tromack]

The screen on the memory card is awesome. If you get good enough at Virtua Tennis you can school all those who come at you without ever watching the TV. They might be impressed, they might be angry, they might think you are pathetic, but I think it is hilarious.

[flizmo007]

i wasnt really into video games when the dreamcast came out. like, i played video games, but i wasnt really deep into them. id buy the games based on the cover art(gotta love the mind of a 12 year old). but yeah, ive never played a dreamcast.

and by beat em ups, i mean like double dragon, battletoads, ninja turtles, etc...

any other game suggestions?

I would try Sword of the Berserk.. Great game IMO

[The VGM]

I would try Sword of the Berserk.. Great game IMO

Holy fucking shit how did I forget Sword of the Berserk. I deserve to be shot.

Sword of the Berserk is THE BEST Dreamcast game out there.

[Roufuss]

okay, so heres that list of dreamcast games ive selected:
headhunter - decent, wouldn't pay too much for it

fatal fury: mark of the wolves - awesome fighter, best fatal fury ever

bomberman online - i'd go with a different bomberman, no more DC online

project justice - awesome fighter

unreal tournament - skip it, alot better FPS's out there now, no point w/out online

bangai-0 - awesome shooter

guilty gear x - get X2 for either ps2 or xbox unless you're a diehard fan, and you
can still get X on ps2 relatively cheap

grandia II - decent rpg, nice battle system

starlancer - can't remember offhand what this is about

quake III arena - same thing as UT... unless friends are going to play it with out, these make BORING single player experiences, as they were designed for online

power stone 2 - awesome

street fighter alpha 3 - best version made outside of the saturn one

chu chu rocket - awesome puzzle game for cheap

legacy of kain soul reaver - playstation version might be cheaper, but still a fun game

soul calibur - awesome fighter

expendable - don't remember this being that great

bust a move 4 - good puzzle game

capcom vs snk - go for CvS 2 instead

dino crisis - same as soul reaver

evil dead hail to the king - not sure, but I think it got bad reviews

mdk 2 - good game, hard as hell though

mr driller - awesome puzzler

power stone - awesome game, worth getting even if you get part 2

spawn - semi decent fighter... I enjoyed it for the 4 or so dollars I paid for it

stupid invaders - don't own it, so I'm unsure

please pick out the riff raff, and i realize that there are several fatal furies and street fighters, if you wouldnt mind directing me towards the best one. thanks a bunch!

Went through the list for you.

I'd also add Record of Lodoss War (awesome action RPG) and EGG (good zelda type game). And if you're into shmups, there is a ton to choose from that are decent.

[The VGM]

Don't tell him to go for 2. 1 is great and unless he is importing, he should stick with 1.

Spawn is kickass, tons of replayability. Its has like 20+ people to unlock.

[Roufuss]

Don't tell him to go for 2. 1 is great and unless he is importing, he should stick with 1.


Since he listed other imports such as Headhunter and Guilty Gear X, I figured he was importing in the first place.

1 is great but 2 completely blows it away, no question about that.

[Ahadi]

okay, so ive got my dreamcast(finally) and i got crazy taxi(its meh, fun for a bit) and expandable(i had this on pc for a bit, i enjoyed it, so i picked it up for under $10). theres a store near my work that has a nice selection of about 20 or so dreamcast games, but they are a bit pricey, so it might be wise to shop around i think.

i didnt realize i listed imports, i just went to a site with a list of games, some i chose just because of a bad ass sounding name, and others i chose just because the name was some what familiar.

im working towards picking up soul calibur and soul rever, but is king of fighers 99 good? or should is there a better fighter?

i plan on getting unreal tournament and quake 3 for when i have friends over, i know how shallow they are alone. and power stone i played in the arcade and cant wait to pick up.

and i think im just going to go with trial and error on buying some games. some game stores around here give a 7 day return policy on used games if you dont like them, so i can just use that as a comfort blanket.

last question in this post, how is shenmue(im no otaku, and i here thats who really enjoyed this game) and which football title was the best?

and finally i will say, i enjoy the low loading times, and it is amazing to see that the dreamcast is in my opinion still on par with gaming standards today, and the graphics are still really nice.

[rabidmonkeys]

Someone may have said this but I didn't see them:

Star Wars Racer
Hydro Thunder

are two awesome racers, SW:Racer was great on the N64 but even better on DC.

[The VGM]

2 doesn't blow 1 away. It's better, but it doesn't blow it away.


Soul Reaver isn't a fighter. King of Fighters is alright, haven't played Soul Calibur. If you want fighting games get Marvel vs Capom 2 and Street Fighter III Double Impact.

[Ahadi]

VGM, what would you say your top 10 dreamcast picks are?

and are there any accessories i should look into?

and can you play house of dead without the light guns?

[flybrione]

Cannon spike
Virtua Tennis 2K2
Solider of Fortune
Test Drive Le Mans
Illbleed
Sword of Berserk
Jet Grind Radio
Record of Lodoss War
Zombie Revenge

More to consider

[Kayden]

Do not get Dragon Riders of Pern!

You could read the books inbetween the load screens. >_<

[Ahadi]

what kind of game is sword of berzerk?

how is sega gt? does it have american muscle cars in it?

[Roufuss]

im working towards picking up soul calibur and soul rever, but is king of fighers 99 good? or should is there a better fighter?
.

Depends which KoF 99 you're talking about.

King of Fighters: Dream Match 99 is actualy KoF 98, which is an awesome game combining a ton of older KoF characters. It's still regarded as one of the best KoF's made.

King of Fighters 99 is ok, but I'd go for the Dream Match if you have the choice.

[supermariomelee]

what kind of game is sword of berzerk?

It's a action game. It's somewhat like Devil May Cry(except you rely on only a sword), but has a little weirder story to it(you fight a giant baby plant-like creature in the final battle).

[The VGM]

what kind of game is sword of berzerk?

how is sega gt? does it have american muscle cars in it?

Sword of the Berserk is a hack and slash. Sega GT is good. 2002 is the best racing sim ever (that's right I said it). I believe it does have american muscle cars.

Top 10? Ok, these aren't in any particular order, but I can arrange them if you want:

Sword of the Berserk
Street Fighter III Double Impact
Jet Grind Radio
Marvel vs Capcom 2
Project Justice
Blue Stinger
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Spawn
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Capcom vs SNK

Also worth getting:
Street Fighter III 3rd Strike
Virtua Tennis
Skies of Arcadia
Head Hunter (Worth downloading/importing)
Powerstone 1/2

[Ahadi]

thanks for the advice, and i will definetly check out like everything that has been listed so far.

now what i am curious about is the downloading of games(you mentioned head hunter as worth a download) i checked out one site and didnt understand any of the process at all. from what i saw, you can emulate older games on the dreamcast, which sounds really cool, but not legal at all.
*removed illegal content. sorry for any trouble it might have caused

[The VGM]

thanks for the advice, and i will definetly check out like everything that has been listed so far.

now what i am curious about is the downloading of games(you mentioned head hunter as worth a download) i checked out one site and didnt understand any of the process at all. from what i saw, you can emulate older games on the dreamcast, which sounds really cool, but do you need bootdisks to do so, or does a regular cd-r work just as well? and what is the latest system the dreamcast can emulate?

Don't talk about it on here man. Give me a PM if you want to know something that might not be....legal ;)

[Baseball2g]

Jet Grind Radio should be a must buy. Don't forget Sega Smash Pack. It has a little bit of everything for the old-schooler.

[dobiewan]

I gotta add Space Channel 5. Still cheesy, but oh so good.

[Josef]

You should try Seaman for a fairly unique experience.

[Ahadi]

alright, i picked up king of fighters dream match 99, and i must say, im quite pleased. i plan on picking up at least 1 title a week, and i think the next one ill get is either going to be soul calibur or soul rever. but if they have seaman(dont even make the comment, we all know...) ill get that, because the screen shots ive seen make me want to play it.

[Samurai X]

powerstone 1 sucks , powerstone 2 is so much better so get 2 !

[Samurai X]

what kind of game is sword of berzerk?

how is sega gt? does it have american muscle cars in it?

Sega gt is a lot like gran turismo , NO i don't remember ever getting a muscle car , you can even build your own car unlike GT , it's pretty cool man !

[Samurai X]

what kind of game is sword of berzerk?

how is sega gt? does it have american muscle cars in it?

Sega gt is a lot like gran turismo , NO i don't remember ever getting a muscle car , you can even build your own car and race the mile and the 1/4 mile , it's pretty cool man !

[repetske]

As far as "importing", be sure to check out Rez, mainly because it's stupid how much people love the PS2 version and didn't really give the Dreamcast version a second thought. Also, if you like top-down shooters, be sure to check out Zero Gunner 2 (import), Gunbird 2, Mars Matrix, Giga Wing 1 & 2, and Cannon Spike. All great games if you like the old-school type games.

[U2K Tha Greate$t]

Spawn is kickass, tons of replayability. Its has like 20+ people to unlock.

True. I am playing spawn right now, i think its more then 20 people to unlock tho and you can unlock other stuff. Its alot of fun, playing 2 on 2 tho. You should also pick up heavy metal , its just like spawn only with better graphics. Dont get me wrong, spawn has wonderful graphics, but i think heavy metal has better. Both games are a tie to me tho, lots of action.

[BustaUppa]

Come on, let's get some San Francisco Ruch 2049 love in here! :-) My friends and I played the 4-player stunt mode to death (we barely touched the actual racing). This game has yet to be outdone and is pretty much unique to the Dreamcast (well there is an n64 version but I'd imagine it's quite ugly compared to this). I thought it might be outdated with the new Rush title coming up, but I hear that is more of a GTA-type game so I doubt it.

Bomberman Online is great, I never actually played it online, but offline multiplayer is still awesome. There is a mode called "Hyper Bomber" that is incredibly fun (this is the mode where each player tries to obtain three "orb" power-ups and then touch the center square)... I'm not sure if this mode has been used in later Bomberman games. If it hasn't, then Bomberman Online is definitely a worthy purchase.

Agreed on the Chu-Chu rocket recommendation... this should be dirt cheap and is another great title unique to the dreamcast.

Virtua Tennis... trust me, it will be way more fun than you expect. I never gave a crap about pro tennis but this game is a blast. Just fundamentally FUN in a way that any gamer can appreciate.

Project Justice is a very unique fighter, another DC exclusive.

Soul Calibur has sort of been outdated by SCII, but some prefer the original. A Dreamcast is the only way you'll be playing this so its worth picking up if you're interested.

Power Stone titles are great as everyone has pointed out; these are also unique to the dreamcast.


Those are some of my favorites... I had a blast with other games such as Unreal Tournament and Worms, but here I tried to stick to games that saw their best versions on the Dreamcast.

[camelking6969]

ok i have a question for everybody, i bought a dc at a yardsale, 40 bucks with 12 games and a fishing rod, light gun, 2 steering wheels, but the internal battery went bad does anybody know the size to get. and how could nobody mention the fishing games, sega marine fishing is more fun then real fisshing

[Richter]

i believe they use CR 2032 batteries

[urzishra14]

ok i have a question for everybody, i bought a dc at a yardsale, 40 bucks with 12 games and a fishing rod, light gun, 2 steering wheels, but the internal battery went bad does anybody know the size to get. and how could nobody mention the fishing games, sega marine fishing is more fun then real fisshing

i'm sorry.. watching paint dry is more fun than real fishing.

[Scahom1]

You MUST play Shenmue.

[camelking6969]

i believe they use CR 2032 batteries
thank you sir