Happy Birthday Dreamcast!

Cloud121

Established Member
Ladies and Gentlemen of SX:

Four years ago on this very day, the game I had waited an excrutiating 2 years for finally came out.... Final Fanta...

UGH!

I mean Four Years ago on this very day, the greatest Non-Saturn ( :bow ) console was released. Hype had been surrounding it for months, hoping Sega would get it right (I'd say they got it right with the Saturn ( :bow ), well... game-wise at least :)), this time. Needless to say, the hype was worth it. Soul Calibur, NFL 2K, Sonic Adventure (Sonic Team = :bow ), 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, 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 ( :bow ) aside, this was TRUE online gaming. Sega had servers set up ready to go. Chu Chu Rocket made by Yuji Naka and Sonic Team ( :bow ), 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. 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 and NBA 2K1 laid the foundation for SegaNet to stay to this very day.

This console's primary competition, was released to much hype (mostly empty, but I was sucking in every ounce :() was released the day before my Fourteenth birthday (October 26, 2001. The 27th is my B-Day). 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 ( :bow ), 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 console RPG (Action RPG to me), 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 year:
  • Sonic
  • Adventure 2
  • Phantasy Star Online Version 2
  • NFL 2K2
  • NBA 2K2
  • NCAA 2K2
  • NHL 2K2
  • WSB 2K2
  • Tennis 2K2
  • Virtual On: Ontario Tangrem
  • Grandia II
  • Skies of Arcadia
  • Crazy Taxi II
  • Capcom vs SNK
  • Marvel vs Capcom 2
  • Shenmue II (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.
  • 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 ( :bow ), and this very console.

The console I speak of is...

The Sega Dreamcast

September 9, 1999 to February 17, 2002

Farewell old friend, you may not be Saturn ( :bow ) but you're pretty damn close :)

:bow :bow :bow :bow :bow

I just wanna cry now...
 
Happy B-Day Dreamcast! Woo! Talk about ahead of it's time :lol: :lol: It took a whole year before any system could match it :smash
 
WOW.. cloud... nice job cloud....

:bow :bow :bow :bow :bow :bow

that was beautiful... I don't think there is anything else to be said..

well done. :agree :agree :agree :agree

:cheers to the best console (aside from the saturn( deserves to be :bow ),genesis,sega cd, and sms, pretty much all other sega consoles....lol)
 
Good read.

<s>Needs more paragraph breaks though</s> :)

I'm sorry Cloud, but the DC gets my vote over the Saturn.
 
I dunno rack, saturn was a great system, but dc, is an awesome system as well , that one poses a great dillema, which is better saturn or dc. Hmmm, it kinda reminds me of the superfans, on snl (back in the day), where they would discuss, da bulls, vs, da bears... who would win..lol.. seriously this is a good question... whatdoya think?

:thumbs-up: :thumbs-up: :thumbs-up:
 
Don't get me wrong, the Saturn is great, but the DC is just a bit nicer.

Better Fighter Joystick (since fighters are big on both systems).

Slightly better game lineup.

VMUs

A more solid fighting lineup -- Saturn is tough to beat as it is.

Better video connection option (VGA Box)

Good Emulation/Homebrew -- especial NesterDC
 
Hey guys thanks. That's the first time I've ever written a speech like essay, that was a beautiful read like that. That's what I was pushing for at least.

:D :cheers

Just to let you know, whenever I say the word Saturn ( :bow ), expect a bowing icon next to it.

To some people at school (at least last year anyway) I was considered by a few of my friends as "The Dreamcast Boy". Well... okay.. I just made the nickname up a second ago, but I was known for my huge fandom of the DC (only to a few people though, most didn't even care).

And yet, they don't know where my TRUE (well... most of it anyway, gotta spread it out among all Sega consoles) loyalty lies: Sega Saturn ( :bow )
 
Man not to sound gay or nothing...(baseketball) but that was a nice essay, worthy of framing..lol. seriously it was nice, good job....

:cheers

and obtw,, SEGA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =

:bow :bow :bow :bow
 
When is the Saturns birthday? I'd like to celebrate that one too.

In celebration of 9/9/99 I played Soul Calibur, DoA2, SA2, Chu Chu Rocket, Virtua Tennis 2k2...then I got tired and went to bed. I baked a red and white frosted cake too, with four candles. And sang.
 
:bow

DC is still better, way better than PS2.

Meh all the Sony / Nintendo kids gave me crap in high school about the DC being crap... ...Wonder why they kept coming around to play Jet Set Radio and 4 player DOA:II & Virtua Tennis... :eek:wned

I'm waiting for a huge amount of DC stuff to arrive this week, and when my arcade stick comes, I'll be getting into it even more :D
 
Originally posted by KiDdErZ+Sep 11, 2003 @ 04:38 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KiDdErZ @ Sep 11, 2003 @ 04:38 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'> <!--QuoteBegin-racketboy@Sep 11, 2003 @ 09:53 AM

You can play 4-player on DOA2???

And you can't on the PS2 version?

4 player as in tagteam.

Cant you have tagteam on the PS2 version? [/b][/quote]

I really don't know

I was just curious.

I'm sure it's the same.
 
I thought I was the only one that remembered this [Dreamcast's birthday] :D Only I had to go to school then work and I didn't have but an hour to play Dreamcast :angry:

9/9 Should be a national holiday :wanker
 
LOL... 9/9 is an awesome day, the we were treated with a great , great system....

dreamcast rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:bow :bow :bow :bow :bow :bow :bow
 
YES, YES! Happy Birthday Dreamcast! the best release of the system was the US so it's the most deserving of celebration dispite it's acutual birthday would be in November when it was first released in Japan almost 5 years ago. I must agree with racketboy that i do like the Dreamcast the best of all systems, but the saturn's not to far off in 2nd.

How was the DC dead in Feberuary 02? was that when they stopped making R-7 models in Japan? or are you talking about NHL 2K2? i thought NHL 2K2 was released in January 2002? oh well, the Dreamcast still lives on, through emulation, homebrew, Quake 3 is back online, Japanese releases including SEGA with the new Sonic Team release of Puyo Puyo Fever! so in reality the DC still isn't dead yet! i think i'll go play some DC now :thumbs-up:
 
WOO HOOOO playin some DC,.. awesome choice.... I know I never stopped playin my dc, what a system, so super sweeeet. I hope the "home grown" games keep commin, and it would be nice if sega realized the support it has out there, and started making games again( I know its a pipe dream), but how sweet would that be.... hmmmmmmm

thoughts making me.......

:drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:
 
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