IS THE DREAM REALLY OVER?? 9/9/02 was the 3rd birthday of Sega Dreamcast so as a nice… late birthday present I figured I would say a few words about it. It was 9/1/99 and Dreamcast was coming in only 8 days. 8 days until I got to play the greatest system ever made! Well actually I didn't get to play it until a couple of days after the ninth. That weekend I got the best deal ever when I bought my DC. My boss needed to borrow $150 bucks from me to buy some games from a guy (I work in a video game store by the way. Come visit us on the web at www.play-a-game.com ok ok I know that was a cheap plug but this is my website and my storie so I can do whatever I want!) so I lent it to him. After that he asked a question I will never forget as long as I live… "Instead of the $150 back in cash would you like a Dreamcast, Ready 2 Rumble and Mortal Kombat Gold??" I looked at him slack jawed and shook my head up and down because words just wouldn't flow from my tongue. We opened the box, pulled out the 128-bit out and hooked it up right away. The first time I heard that whiz of the fan and that opening logo I wondered what lied ahead in the world of Dreams. After a couple games of Ready 2 Rumble I knew this system was something special. The graphics were light years ahead of anything I had ever seen in my entire life! Actually I still haven't seen a system with graphics any better than what Dreamcast can do… It did so much in its short short life. It was the first system to come with a modem packed in, It's the first and only system to let you pick plays for a football game on the controller so your opponent can't see what you're doing, And it was the home of the cool blue Hedgehog with an attitude. That Monday I bought Sonic Adventure and spent the next couple months playing everyday (Which is rare for me these days) until I finished it and got every little thing there was to get. I ran and jumped. I collected rings and helped Tails and Knuckles. I played as Sonic, I played as Amy and I played as Big the shitty fat cat that loves a frog and fishes way to much as well. And I enjoyed every minute of that great game. The phone would ring and I would answer it like "Yea… No I can't now I'm busy… I'm uhhhh just waking up so I still gotta eat and shower and shit… I know it's 3pm… I'll call you later k?" Then I would hang up and continue on my quest to stop Dr. Eggman and his evil evil ways. I know, I know… I'm a loser. But again it's my website so I can talk about whatever I want, whenever I want! Whether it be Dreamcast, Spider-Man pasta or even Ronald McDonald's arrest. But back to the subject at hand before I get distracted and start talking about Frankenberry or something and… Hmmm that would make for a pretty good storie!! Anyway… Not every game was a winner. TNN Hardcore heat and Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000 come to mind, but the good most definitely outweighed the bad when it came to software. You had great launch title hits like Power Stone, Soul Calibur and NFL 2K and some awesome games that didn't sell like they should have. A couple that come to mind are Maken X, Samba De Amigo and Jet Grind Radio. Then about a year later "The" Dreamcast game was released. That game… was Shenmue! Shenmue is one of the most amazing gaming experiences ever created. It's epic in scope and the graphics are almost as good as those CGI movies people save their penny to go see at the cineplexes nowadays. It's the story of Ryo Hazuki, whose father has been murdered at the hands of Lan Di in his own home. Ryo sets out on a journey to find Lan Di and get revenge for his father. That's where the game starts. After a more than 10 minute intro you start off the morning after the murder. As you walk out into the town you start to realize what's in front of you. The town, the people, even soda machines can be interacted with. The graphics are amazing and the sound is breathtaking. The only real problem with it is the voice acting. Some voices are done really really well and others are just plain shit. But even so you wont be able to keep your eyes off it. I would like to talk more about it but I really don't want to give to much away for those of you that have yet to experience it. Now It's time to talk about playing games on-line, which again was something made popular on consoles by DC. Me and my most super most bestest best super friend Mike go on-line and play Maximum Pool a lot. It's always got lots of people on cuz PC, Mac and DC players can all play together. So one of us plays and the other types. We would then commence in talking more smack then the on-line world has ever seen. Usually you can't talk and play at the same time so you can only be a jerk when it's not your turn… but not when you have 2 people, You can be 2 times the ass-hole!!! I can't count the amount of people that have quit in the middle of a game because we were so nasty to them. Sayin shit like "I would have made that shot but it's hard to concentrate with your mom blowing me!!" People got so angry with us hehehehee. But remember, it was all in good fun and we didn't say it to hurt anyone… except maybe that one guy in New Jersey he was a real dick head! What other system lets you play arcade perfect versions of games like Street Fighter Alpha 3, House of the Dead 2, WWF Royal Rumble, SNK Vs. Capcom, and Alien Front to name a few. What other system had improved versions of PSone hits like Resident Evil 2 and 3, Dino Crisis, Tomb Raider 4 and 5, and with the help of Bleemcast DC got enhanced versions of Tekken 3, Metal Gear Solid and Gran Turismo 2? But Sega has dropped the most promising system to come out in the last 15 years just because they were afraid of failure after Saturn, 32X, Sega CD, Game Gear, Pico… actually every system they have ever made except for Genesis has been a financial failure. So I guess that means the Dream is over… But is it really, really over? Dreamcast has brought so much love into the world in its short life, so much happieness has emmited from its white casing into our TV sets. Why did it have to end so soon? Why did it have to leave us so soon before it had a real chance to shine?? Well Dreamcast… I for one will never forget all the enjoyment you have brought me. I will never forget all the fun I had kicking peoples ass in Worms or all the fun I had goin nuts in Crazy Taxi. I'll never forget swinging from building to building in Spider-Man or Running at super Soinc Speeds in Sonic Adventure. Oh the memories of the little orange swirl. The great TV ads with all the video game characters living inside the Dreamcast system going to the Drive-In and eating at the Dreamcast Diner. Sonic acting as DJ at a Dreamcast Night Club while Virtua Fighters, Basketball players, Ready 2 Rumble boxers, and Rayman dancing to the phat beats. With the last couple games coming out in Japan and NHL 2K2 being the last US game, Dreamcast is almost gone… except for homebrewed games and emulators. So to you DC I say "Happy Birthday Dreamcast!! Happy Birthday indeed. As long as we play you will never die!! As long as we Dream you will continue on. So no the Dream has not died and never will if you ask me." I know I'm a Dreamcast freak… But it's ok. Cuz Sonic loves me :) |
