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[Project Midway]

9/9/99 - Never forget.

I was on a business trip in US during that time, I didnt even know Dreamcast was going to launch during that week. I just walked by a videogame store and saw NFL2k running on TV.... WOW! It looked amazing. I had to buy DC, with Blue Stinger + Tokyo Extreme Racing and Ready2Rumble Boxing... TXR roxored, others were meh. But I got Sega Rally and Soul Calibur later that year!!

 

[bjork]

9/9/99: I requested the night off (I worked night crew), and went to the mall at 4 am. I was #2 there, behind some other guy who'd been there since the day before, but he got kicked out by mall security. Once the mall people opened the doors, I ended up #7 due to people running. I waited in line and got my system, but they had no games in stock. I did notice a sealed copy of Simon's Quest for the NES in their used bin, but I passed it up.

Went home, played the demo disc and did the OMG TEH GARFIX bit, then went to my local WM and got Sonic Adventure.

A few days later, I went up to Gamestop and got that sealed copy of Simon's Quest. $4.99.

About 18 months after that, I was moving furniture and dropped a computer monitor on the Simon's Quest, effectively crunching the box and making it just like my other "banged up box" copy of Simon's Quest.

But yeah, Dreamcast = keen.

 

[Gunstar77]

9-9-99 was the best launch ever! I was standing in line with about 200 other gamers on 9-8-99 about 11 PM EST. I would have never in a million years thought that many gamers liked Sega enough to stand out in line for Dreamcast. I will never forget DC, best time I had with my DC was playing PSO for thousands of hours.

 

[mashoutposse]

Five years already? Damn.

 

[TekunoRobby]

I took half the day off in school on launch day to get my Dreamcast. When I came in my late morning class the first thing my teacher asked was "How was the Dreamcast?" My classmates never let me live that down, rofl.

 

[Defensor]

Celebrate by playing Soul Calibur, Crazy Taxi, and House of the Dead 2

 

[AstroLad]

My Favs:

Samba w/ maracas
Virtual ON w/ 2 sets of Twin Sticks
Hydro Thunder
Virtua Tennis

Too bad all that stuff is back at home thousands of miles away.

 

[MetatronM]

Well, I've decided that one game simply won't do. The games I will be playing this afternoon following my classes to celebrate this happy occasion shall be none other than:

and

Hooray Dreamcast!

 

[Teddman]

I too was all about Nintendo back when Dreamcast launched... Even going so far as to claim that the N64 with a RAM pack upgrade looked about as good as the DC! (Yeah right!)

Early on, I played a few minutes of Sonic Adventure at Hollywood Video, the chain that had exclusive demo kiosks in the months leading up to the North American launch. I thought Sonic Adventure sucked, because all I'd played were portions of Station Square (i.e. non action stage parts).

I had no interest in the DC until Xmas 2000, when I got one as a surprise present. I actually wanted a Saturn more at the time to play NiGHTS, Panzer Dragoon, and other classics I'd missed. Initial impressions weren't good when Shenmue and my demo disc wouldn't load, and I called Sega support and gave them a hard time ("You wouldn't see Nintendo systems do this kind of thing!")

But once I fired up Emerald Coast in Sonic Adventure, I really got impressed by the console. SA is still one of my favorite games to this day... I did just about everything in that game. And Shenmue (once it loaded up) really pulled me into an immersive experience unlike any game I played before. Loved it. Future games like PSO, Alien Front Online, NFL 2K1, all affirmed how awesome the Dreamcast was, and cool add-ons like the VGA box, microphone (played all of Seaman), fishing controller, etc. opened my eyes to the talent at Sega.

My newfound enthusiasm for the Dreamcast became bittersweet when Sega announced that it was going software-only just a few weeks after I got my DC in early 2001. The DC really changed my view of videogames, and spelled the end of my "Nintendo above all!" philosophy of gaming... But that's another story.

 

[RiZ III]

 

[Kiriku]

5 years and people STILL can't let go? Didn't you celebrate the "birthday" of the DC last year too, or am I mistaken?

 

[Alex Anderson]

Yeah, there was a topic last year too I think. It's only been ~2.5 years since no games have come out though. Not five.

 

[AniHawk]

It's only been ~2.5 years since no games have come out though.

In non-Japanese regions at least. Hell, Sega just released a game there for the DC a couple months back.

 

[P90]

Canned after two years. Shenmue II cancellation. Awful controller. VMU that ate batteries. Sans the $49 price tag, Soul Calibur, and Skies of Arcadia good riddance Dreamcast. Viva la PS2!

 

[AniHawk]

Canned after two years. Shenmue II cancellation. Awful controller. VMU that ate batteries. Sans the $49 price tag, Soul Calibur, and Skies of Arcadia good riddance Dreamcast. Viva la PS2!

Oh HELL no. Should I bust out a list? I think I should.

 

[Duke Juan the Beast]

Can't have a birthday when you're DEAD!

Zombie fanboys must burn.

 

[Solid]

Congrats! I guess I'll be playing F355 Challenge today then

 

[goodcow]

Wow, it HAS been five years... time is flying, I'm going to die soon too.

 

[advancegrant]

I remember it because it was also my first day of college - right after my only class of the day I headed to the mall of america to pick up the dreamcast - and NFL2K and Sonic. I couldn't believe how "real" NFL2K looked compared to the current PS and N64 offerings.

 

[Folder]

"Arcade perfect?!? HOLY SHIT!"

For real.

I have spent so many hours chatting with friends and industry types, lamenting the demise of the Dreamcast. It’s possible the greatest crime ever. It had everything, so far ahead of its time. And Sony managed to trick the world with the line, “Just wait a while. Don’t buy a Dreamcast, hang on and get a PlayStation 2, it will be amazing.” And everyone fell for it.

Curses!

I took to just buying up Dreamcasts when they went ultra cheap, for no real reason. Ended up with tons of the things. It was like a stray dogs home, just with Sega consoles instead of canines.

Perhaps I just need help…

 

[djtiesto]

WE WILL NEVER FORGET


I'll never forget the day my friend Tony bought an import Dreamcast and this game... My jaw literally dropped to the floor. And it played as good as it looks. Still the best 3D fighter ever, IMO:

One of the most deeply engrossing "worlds" I have ever been to:

-


The first use of cel shading, classic platforming gameplay, and reeking of style:

Phenominal graphics, interesting concept, great soundtrack, awesome game:

A classic RPG with awesome graphics, great scenery, and unforgettable characters:

Awesome special effects, great sense of speed, probably the best Sonic since 3:

The most addicting sports game I've ever played:

First time I've ever taken a console online, to play with random people:

 

[Tritroid]

You know it's weird to think that had the Dreamcast actually lived to its full potential and lasted more than 2 years, right around now would be the time that it would start dying down.

 

[DSN2K]

Dreamcast FOREVER!!!

 

[kroutdogg]

R.I.P. Dreamcast - Tonight i will fire up a game of TXR, SC, and PS for you. Then I'll go back to playing Madden on the PS2.

 

[Folder]

You know it's weird to think that had the Dreamcast actually lived to its full potential and lasted more than 2 years, right around now would be the time that it would start dying down.

Indeed. Imagine what the games would be like this far into its lifecycle... Tragic mate, really.

 

[P90]

For real.

And Sony managed to trick the world with the line, “Just wait a while. Don’t buy a Dreamcast, hang on and get a PlayStation 2, it will be amazing.”

Heck, with PS1 backwards compatibility, you couldn't go wrong with the PS2.

 

[dark10x]

Oh man, the DC was quite possibly my favorite console of all time. It doesn't necessarily have the best games overall, but damn, there was something special about it. Every new DC game was HUGE to me...

I loved the system so much. It totally changed the way I VIEWED games in general. I managed to convince many of my friends to buy the system, and they all loved it too. My 9-9-99 DC still sits below my TV and it will proudly remain there for years to come (right next to my Saturn )

It still gets playtime as well. I usually leave a shooter in the DC so I can just flip it on every night before I head to dreamland. Nothing like a game of Border Down to calm yourself down after a busy day...

No other system purchase was as special as this. I still very clearly remember arriving home with my DC in hand. It was so exciting watching Soul Calibur boot for the first time. It was the beginning of my addiction to 60 fps as well.

 

[BuddyC]

There's a disturbing lack of Samba love in this thread. That's what I'm celebrating with today.

Samba!

 

[totoro'd]

The Dreamcast remains the only system I bought on launch day. I remember skipping classes that day to drive to ToyRUs to pick mine up. Picked up Sonic Adventure for myself and NFL2k for my fiancee. Both games blew us away.

There was just something special about the system, something I haven't experienced yet with this generation. I'll never be addicted to a game like I was with PSO either

When the DC died, I quit playing console games for 3 years straight (not on purpose, I just lost that special feeling, and the PS2 definitely didn't interest me at the time).

 

[DDayton]

Time to go play Crazy Taxi, Phantasy Star Online, Sonic Adventure 1 & 2, and Skies of Arcadia...

(cough)

Edit: Oh oh! Code Veronica, too!

 

[belgurdo]

Heck, with PS1 backwards compatibility, you couldn't go wrong with the PS2.

That's about the only reason I bought a PS2 (that, and my original PS broke.) Certainly not for the launch lineup...

 

[ManDudeChild]

The homebrew DC scene is still alive and kicking though

 

[AeroGod]

Still my favorite system, if only for the fact that it gave birth to Grandia 2 and Skies of Arcadia. And I dont care what anyone else says, DC had THE BEST controller ever.

 

[Wario64]

Yeah, there was a topic last year too I think. It's only been ~2.5 years since no games have come out though. Not five.

Lies, Propeller Arena finally got ripped in May

 

[FortNinety]

Who exactly did that. Was it you Sai? Anyway, I love it.

The homebrew DC scene is still alive and kicking though

Damn straight. The Dreamcast will never die. Case in point, one of ABA's best is now out for the DC. Check it out.

http://www.dcemu.co.uk/noiz2sa.shtml

Anyway, when the DC died, so did gaming for me to a certain extent. I just can't excited by consoles anymore.

 

[CajoleJuice]

I loved N64 and that was probably the system that made a gamer at first, but DC is the console that made me what you could say a hardcore gamer. I started looking at crap online, like this forum (even though I barely post and have been reading for years), started to like all those "niche, hardcore games" like Jet Grind Radio and Shenmue. I remember not thinking much of Dreamcast at first because of what happened to the Saturn, but I played Soul Calibur at the mall and couldn't believe it. It really completely blew everything out of the water. I couldn't not get it. Of course, DC turned out to be very similar to Saturn, but those 2 years were amazing. Soul Calibur is my most played game this gen. I would still be playing it to this day if it wasn't for SC2. Actually, wtf am I talking about, I still prefer SC1.

 

[DCX]

Canned after two years. Shenmue II cancellation. Awful controller. VMU that ate batteries. Sans the $49 price tag, Soul Calibur, and Skies of Arcadia good riddance Dreamcast. Viva la PS2!

Hope you fall and break your thumbs...

DCX

 

[Wario64]

It's not like you really needed live batteries for the VMU, unless you had one of the couple games that had mini games for it

Although I do admit that having that VMU do that loud beeping noise every time you power the Dreamcast was a bit annoying

 

[BuddyC]

 

[ourumov]

Best system this Gen. Period.

 

[GDJustin]

WE WILL NEVER FORGET

The first use of cel shading

No.

 

[djtiesto]

No.

Then what is? Do you have an earlier usage?

 

[FortNinety]

Yeah, I'd like to know as well.

 

[dark10x]

No.

Really? What commercial title used cel-shading prior to JSR?

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

Really? What commercial title used cel-shading prior to JSR?

Fear Effect

 

[dark10x]

Fear Effect

Shame that wasn't actually cel-shading. Bitch.

That's right, it's starts with "O".

 

[AniHawk]

Shame that wasn't actually cel-shading. Bitch.

That's right, it's starts with "O".

Okage?

 

[dark10x]

Okage?

Yeah, umm, perhaps I should have refrained from posting that whole "O" line, eh? It actually had nothing to do with the topic...

'Sides, what are you thinking? Okage? That's a PS2 title and wasn't even cel-shaded.

 

[Son of Godzilla]

Although I do admit that having that VMU do that loud beeping noise every time you power the Dreamcast was a bit annoying

That's how you knew it was QUALITY.

I didn't get a DC until MvC2 came out on it. Oh my that game was amazing. I don't think I have ever had a session where someone didn't get totally pissed off playing that.

 

[goodcow]

That fucking rocks!