As hinted with a great deal of subtlety in my previous post, I now intend to touch briefly on the brilliance that was the Sega Dreamcast. I purchased the DC in concert with my older brother from Harvey Norman for the paltry sum of $300 at what I would approximate as 3/4 through the console's life cycle in Australia. We got 2 VMUs, Blue Stinger and Sega Rally 2 for about $100 (which is a bargain just quietly). Our game library expanded pretty fast. While on a lunch break from my job at the Pick n' Pay Hypermarket I picked up Sonic Adventure, Soul Calibur and Dynamite Cop for $30 each.
Dynamite Cop was like Die Hard Arcade without John McLean. It didn't hold our attention for long but it is the perfect candidate for a PSN/XBLA remake. The last level took place on a pirate ship, nuff said. I can't remember much about Sonic Adventure. Any sense of nostalgia has since been violated by Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Unleashed. Anyone who says anything negative about Soul Calibur must simply not have played the game. There is nothing I can say about Soul Calibur (the graphics, the revolutionary 8-way run, Ivy's costume physics) that has not already been set so please enjoy the clip below.
In the following weeks and months more retailers lost faith in the console and of all places, the Telstra phone centre was the place to shop for Dreamcast games. Before long I had purchased Marvel VS Capcom 2, Dead or Alive 2 and one of my all-time favourites: Jet Set Radio. This was a game that I literally played for hours on end. With Sambo along for the ride, we would trick our way up to what were previously unthinkable heights. Under heavy pursuit from the law, we'd tag our way back to safety and love every second of it.
Toward the Dreamcast's tragic end, a friend donated their collection upon purchasing a Playstation 2. Crazy Taxi didn't have a great deal of reply value, it's sequel however was a completely different monster. I have a lot of fond memories tearing Round Apple with the Iceman. Space Channel 5 is the gaming equivalent of a nutbar complete with a cameo from Michael Jackson! I also finally purchased the brilliant Powerstone. This game didn't have a lot of legs either and from all accounts the sequel was better but I struggle to think of a panic that compares to making a mad dash for the last stone with your opponent dangerously close to a full set.
The Dreamcast was not the greatest console, nor did it have a great deal of fantastic games. I enjoyed a short and sweet ride with the last of Sega's machines. RIP Dreamcast and Space Michael.
Man I loved Jet Set Radio. That is in my top 5 all time favourite games. Just the climbability (that is now a word) of the environment was amazing for the time. It set the stage for other free roaming games such as Uncharted (albeit in a different setting) and Mirror's Edge (which is pretty much a straight rip off of jet set, without the cool rollerblades!)
ReplyDeleteI thought Jet Set Radio was like Tony Hawk with a story. It was a great game and it's a shame that no one has thought to port it to the PS3/360. It is also a shame that Tony Hawk franchise has fallen from grace. THPS1-4 were some of the best games on the Playstation and Playstation 2 respectively.
ReplyDeleteUncharted doesn't have the personality of JSR. I actually loved Mirror's Edge. Except when it was indoors or involved combat, so many headaches.