Ladies and Gentlemen of SX:
Five years ago on this very day, the game I had waited an excrutiating two years for finally came out.... Final Fanta...
UGH!
I mean Five Years ago on this very day, the greatest console was released. Hype had been surrounding it for months, hoping Sega would get it right this time. Needless to say, the hype was worth it. Soul Calibur, NFL 2K, and Sonic Adventure were the top titles of the launch crop. Among other great games were Power Stone, Marvel vs Capcom, Ready 2 Rumble, etc. It broke records with it's vast number of launch titles, and number of consoles sold within a 24 hour period.
After this great launch, killer apps seemed lacking. NBA 2K was probably the hottest new game before the games came, and came, and kept coming. Six months after launch, NBA 2K the only game to quench your thirst of killer games (that is, if you were bored of the launch titles), until this six month drought was up. Crazy Taxi, Dead or Alive 2, NHL 2K, Resident Evil: CODE Veronica, Virtua Tennis, Space Channel 5, Jet Set Radio, D2, among others. The year 2000 was the time for this console to shine, despite people saying that a certain upcoming console would crush it in one night.
2000 also saw a truly ground-breaking event occur: Online-Gaming via Game Console. X-Band and Netlink aside, this was TRUE online gaming. Sega had servers set up ready to go. Chu Chu Rocket made by Yuji Naka and Sonic Team, was the world's first online console video game. Established and pioneered by this particular console, it would become the benchmark, by which all future console online games was measured. SegaNet. Despite major lag issues with Chu Chu Rocket, it was (and still is) a monumental event in the history of video games. This console made it a reality.
A few months later, the world's first Cel-Shaded Graphics game was released. Jet Set Radio. The only Cel-Shaded game available for about two years, it's home was this console. The Sega Scream would make a comeback later that year. Truly a moment long awaited by long-time Sega fans everywhere. A new era was beginning. NFL 2K1, NBA 2K1, and Quake III: Arena laid the foundation for SegaNet to stay to this very day.
This console's primary competition, was released to much hype on October 26, 2001. Lack of consoles, and hardware problems (big suprise eh? ) caused many to flock towards Sega's console. Many were happy with their purchases, NFL 2K1 was (and still is) a much better game than ANY Madden.
A few weeks after the competition's launch, another truly ground-breaking game was released. Shenmue, created by famed Yu Suzuki, was released on November 11, 2001. Many loved it, many hated it. Hate for it's slow pace, love for it's total immersion. It was (and still is) a game for the ages. Early in 2001, Phantasy Star Online was released. The world's first online console RPG, was truly ground-breaking, and again, only on this console for close to two years. Amid all these great times, trouble arose:
Sega announced that their newest console, would be their last, and would be discontinued a year later. Many a fan were aghast at this announcement. Whereas many a fanboy, laughed at both Sega and its fans. Many more great games would be released for this console throughout it's final years:
Sonic Adventure 2
Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2
NFL 2K2
NBA 2K2
NCAA College Football 2K2
NHL 2K2
World Series Baseball 2K2
Tennis 2K2
Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram
Grandia II
Skies of Arcadia
Crazy Taxi 2
Capcom vs SNK
Marvel vs Capcom 2
Power Stone 2
Shenmue II (Import)
Headhunter (Import)
Rez (Import)
Ikaruga (Import)
Fire Pro Wrestling D (Import)
New Japan Pro Wrestling: Toukon Retsuden 4 (Import)
Dance Dance Revolution 2nd Mix: Dreamcast Edition (Import)
Dance Dance Revolution Club Version: Dreamcast Edition (Import)
Bio Hazard CODE: Veronica Complete (Import)
Capcom vs SNK Pro (Import)
Capcom vs SNK 2 (Import)
Super Street Fighter II X for Matching Service (Import)
Super Puzzle Fighter II X for Matching Service (Import)
Garou: Mark of The Wolves (Import)
The Last Blade 2 (Import)
The King of Fighters 2000 (Import)
The King of Fighters 2001 (Import)
The King of Fighters 2002 (Import)
Border Down (Import)
Shikigami no Shiro II (Import)
Psyvariar 2 (Import)
Puyo Puyo Fever (Import)
Among many others...
This game console was discontinued on February 17, 2002. WAY before it's time. Many believed it's time had already passed (2000). And yet, to many, despite being pushed to it's absolute limit close to only six months after it's launch with Dead or Alive 2, many felt it had much more potential. It still does, as true fans are continuing the legacy with independent development.
The year 2004 breathed much needed life into the DC Homebrew scene. The release of Super Famicast in January brought SFC/SNES emulation back to the Dreamcast, as DreamSNES had long been discontinued. February 2004 brought quite possibly the biggest release in the history of the Homebrew DC Scene. Beats of Rage. This one little beat 'em up, took the homebrew scene by storm. Originally developed for DOS/Windows based computers, it has since been ported to PlayStation 2, XBox, Dreamcast, and Palm OS. It was also easily moddable. With dedicated players putting in their own sprites, artwork, and backgrounds for use in their own versions of the game. Mods of Rage is the place to go for these mods. Also in mid-2004, the world's first personal PSO server was created. Thanks to Schtack, Phantasy Star Online was, well... online again! After several bugs were discovered initially, everything went smooth. Just a couple months ago, Schtack released the server software so others could create their own servers for use in the PSO World.
This console brought Sega back from the depths.
It brought them respect.
It brought their fans back.
It established Sega as a force to be reckoned with.
It made console online gaming possible.
It made emulation on a console a reality.
It made everyone sit up and take notice. $ony wasn't the only powerhouse in gaming. Sega was striking back, and with a vengeance. But $ony, with all it's faceless drones and slaves, managed to stop the onslaught.
As of February 18, 2002, Sega, the world's most innovative and greatest game company, abandoned the hardware business, for an undetermined amount of time. Leaving in it's wake, the Sega SG-1000, Sega SG-3000, Sega Mark III/Master System, Sega MegaDrive/Genesis, Sega Mega/Sega CD, Sega Super/Mega/Genesis 32x, Sega Saturn, and this very console.
The console I speak of is...
The Sega Dreamcast
September 9, 1999 to February 17, 2002
*Sniff* I love my Dreamcast... *Cuddles his Dreamcast*
Great Dreamcast Sites:
Planet Dreamcast
IGN Dreamcast
Dreamcast History
SegaXtreme
Segagaga Domain
Dreamcast section of Play-Asia
Dreamcast section of Lik-Sang
I still need to add more to try and make the essay fresh....
Where were YOU at 12:00 AM September 9, 1999?
What will you be doing to honor our fallen loved one this day?
Thanks to whoever fixed the links.
What was I doing?
I was obviously in bed, only having trouble sleeping, thinking about Final Fantasy VIII as I was a huge $ony fanboy at the time. All I could think about was picking up the game on the 11th. Imagine My joy when my dad let me go get it on the 10th!
What am I doing to celebrate?
I revised last year's essay, slept with my Dreamcast last night, had breakfast with my Dreamcast this morning, I'm going to play nothing but Dreamcast today (Launch titles only), and I'll most likely be sleeping with my DC again tonight.
Five years ago on this very day, the game I had waited an excrutiating two years for finally came out.... Final Fanta...
UGH!
I mean Five Years ago on this very day, the greatest console was released. Hype had been surrounding it for months, hoping Sega would get it right this time. Needless to say, the hype was worth it. Soul Calibur, NFL 2K, and Sonic Adventure were the top titles of the launch crop. Among other great games were Power Stone, Marvel vs Capcom, Ready 2 Rumble, etc. It broke records with it's vast number of launch titles, and number of consoles sold within a 24 hour period.
After this great launch, killer apps seemed lacking. NBA 2K was probably the hottest new game before the games came, and came, and kept coming. Six months after launch, NBA 2K the only game to quench your thirst of killer games (that is, if you were bored of the launch titles), until this six month drought was up. Crazy Taxi, Dead or Alive 2, NHL 2K, Resident Evil: CODE Veronica, Virtua Tennis, Space Channel 5, Jet Set Radio, D2, among others. The year 2000 was the time for this console to shine, despite people saying that a certain upcoming console would crush it in one night.
2000 also saw a truly ground-breaking event occur: Online-Gaming via Game Console. X-Band and Netlink aside, this was TRUE online gaming. Sega had servers set up ready to go. Chu Chu Rocket made by Yuji Naka and Sonic Team, was the world's first online console video game. Established and pioneered by this particular console, it would become the benchmark, by which all future console online games was measured. SegaNet. Despite major lag issues with Chu Chu Rocket, it was (and still is) a monumental event in the history of video games. This console made it a reality.
A few months later, the world's first Cel-Shaded Graphics game was released. Jet Set Radio. The only Cel-Shaded game available for about two years, it's home was this console. The Sega Scream would make a comeback later that year. Truly a moment long awaited by long-time Sega fans everywhere. A new era was beginning. NFL 2K1, NBA 2K1, and Quake III: Arena laid the foundation for SegaNet to stay to this very day.
This console's primary competition, was released to much hype on October 26, 2001. Lack of consoles, and hardware problems (big suprise eh? ) caused many to flock towards Sega's console. Many were happy with their purchases, NFL 2K1 was (and still is) a much better game than ANY Madden.
A few weeks after the competition's launch, another truly ground-breaking game was released. Shenmue, created by famed Yu Suzuki, was released on November 11, 2001. Many loved it, many hated it. Hate for it's slow pace, love for it's total immersion. It was (and still is) a game for the ages. Early in 2001, Phantasy Star Online was released. The world's first online console RPG, was truly ground-breaking, and again, only on this console for close to two years. Amid all these great times, trouble arose:
Sega announced that their newest console, would be their last, and would be discontinued a year later. Many a fan were aghast at this announcement. Whereas many a fanboy, laughed at both Sega and its fans. Many more great games would be released for this console throughout it's final years:
Sonic Adventure 2
Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2
NFL 2K2
NBA 2K2
NCAA College Football 2K2
NHL 2K2
World Series Baseball 2K2
Tennis 2K2
Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram
Grandia II
Skies of Arcadia
Crazy Taxi 2
Capcom vs SNK
Marvel vs Capcom 2
Power Stone 2
Shenmue II (Import)
Headhunter (Import)
Rez (Import)
Ikaruga (Import)
Fire Pro Wrestling D (Import)
New Japan Pro Wrestling: Toukon Retsuden 4 (Import)
Dance Dance Revolution 2nd Mix: Dreamcast Edition (Import)
Dance Dance Revolution Club Version: Dreamcast Edition (Import)
Bio Hazard CODE: Veronica Complete (Import)
Capcom vs SNK Pro (Import)
Capcom vs SNK 2 (Import)
Super Street Fighter II X for Matching Service (Import)
Super Puzzle Fighter II X for Matching Service (Import)
Garou: Mark of The Wolves (Import)
The Last Blade 2 (Import)
The King of Fighters 2000 (Import)
The King of Fighters 2001 (Import)
The King of Fighters 2002 (Import)
Border Down (Import)
Shikigami no Shiro II (Import)
Psyvariar 2 (Import)
Puyo Puyo Fever (Import)
Among many others...
This game console was discontinued on February 17, 2002. WAY before it's time. Many believed it's time had already passed (2000). And yet, to many, despite being pushed to it's absolute limit close to only six months after it's launch with Dead or Alive 2, many felt it had much more potential. It still does, as true fans are continuing the legacy with independent development.
The year 2004 breathed much needed life into the DC Homebrew scene. The release of Super Famicast in January brought SFC/SNES emulation back to the Dreamcast, as DreamSNES had long been discontinued. February 2004 brought quite possibly the biggest release in the history of the Homebrew DC Scene. Beats of Rage. This one little beat 'em up, took the homebrew scene by storm. Originally developed for DOS/Windows based computers, it has since been ported to PlayStation 2, XBox, Dreamcast, and Palm OS. It was also easily moddable. With dedicated players putting in their own sprites, artwork, and backgrounds for use in their own versions of the game. Mods of Rage is the place to go for these mods. Also in mid-2004, the world's first personal PSO server was created. Thanks to Schtack, Phantasy Star Online was, well... online again! After several bugs were discovered initially, everything went smooth. Just a couple months ago, Schtack released the server software so others could create their own servers for use in the PSO World.
This console brought Sega back from the depths.
It brought them respect.
It brought their fans back.
It established Sega as a force to be reckoned with.
It made console online gaming possible.
It made emulation on a console a reality.
It made everyone sit up and take notice. $ony wasn't the only powerhouse in gaming. Sega was striking back, and with a vengeance. But $ony, with all it's faceless drones and slaves, managed to stop the onslaught.
As of February 18, 2002, Sega, the world's most innovative and greatest game company, abandoned the hardware business, for an undetermined amount of time. Leaving in it's wake, the Sega SG-1000, Sega SG-3000, Sega Mark III/Master System, Sega MegaDrive/Genesis, Sega Mega/Sega CD, Sega Super/Mega/Genesis 32x, Sega Saturn, and this very console.
The console I speak of is...
The Sega Dreamcast
September 9, 1999 to February 17, 2002
*Sniff* I love my Dreamcast... *Cuddles his Dreamcast*
Great Dreamcast Sites:
Planet Dreamcast
IGN Dreamcast
Dreamcast History
SegaXtreme
Segagaga Domain
Dreamcast section of Play-Asia
Dreamcast section of Lik-Sang
I still need to add more to try and make the essay fresh....
Where were YOU at 12:00 AM September 9, 1999?
What will you be doing to honor our fallen loved one this day?
Thanks to whoever fixed the links.
What was I doing?
I was obviously in bed, only having trouble sleeping, thinking about Final Fantasy VIII as I was a huge $ony fanboy at the time. All I could think about was picking up the game on the 11th. Imagine My joy when my dad let me go get it on the 10th!
What am I doing to celebrate?
I revised last year's essay, slept with my Dreamcast last night, had breakfast with my Dreamcast this morning, I'm going to play nothing but Dreamcast today (Launch titles only), and I'll most likely be sleeping with my DC again tonight.
)
