Dreamcast reviews

There is no doubt that EA's refusal to support the Dreamcast had a detrimental effect on the success of Sega's console, while the 2K series of games based on U.S. sports were largely superior, the system suffered badly in Europe due to the lack of a FIFA game. Former president of Sega of America, Bernie Stolar recently shed some light on the situation as to why the company, which had once been a stern supporter of Sega’s consoles suddenly decided to jump ship. "[Former Electronic Arts CEO] Larry Probst is a dear friend of mine. Larry came to me and said, 'Bernie, we'll do Dreamcast games, but we want sports exclusivity....

Ask most people their top five favourite Dreamcast games of all time and I am sure that not many would list a bus driving simulation in which you drive (slowly) around a virtual city, observing the rules of road, and were the slightest bump can result in an instant game over. Yes, while Tokyo basu guide ("bus" in Japanese is an ugly woman) may not sound like the most enthralling of titles, it is actually one of most intense and addictive experiences I have ever had with a video game. Released around the turn of the millennium on the Dreamcast, the premise of the game is simple; as a bus driver for the Toei Bus Company, drive around centra...

Aah, Street Fighter, what can be said about this much loved series that hasn’t been said before? Well how about the fact that the Dreamcast is home to one of the best titles in this legendary series and it's not Capcom Vs SNK, 3rd Strike or Zero 3, tickle your fancy? No? Well, then you should probably quit games altogether and do a crossword. In 1992, Capcom released a game that proved to be proverbial crack on a cartridge, Street Fighter II . Anyone who’s been living near a plug socket for the past twenty years will know about the game's existence; it swallowed pounds and pounds of kid’s lunch money as they exchanged a school edu...

Designing a puzzle game you tread a fine line, make it too challenging and you run the risk of making it inaccessible to gamers and make it too easy and people will get bored and assume it is for kids. So, where does Capcom's, Puzzle Fighter Fighter in in the grand scheme of things? Super Puzzle Fighter X: For Online Matching Service , to give it its full, ridiculous title, takes Capcom’s lineup of characters and shrinks them down to compete in a puzzle fight off. The game was released back in 2001, relatively to the tail end of the Dreamcast's life, exclusively through Dreamcast Direct at a reduced retail price of 3,990 yen and w...

Super Euro Soccer 2000 , produced by Rage and published by Imagine was released in Japan back in April 2000. The title was initially released in Europe as Uefa Striker where it saw a semi-successful release on Dreamcast, probably because it was the only football title available for the console at the time. I’d played the original back when the game first came out in the UK and remember thinking at the time, “It’s okay, but deep down I wish it was ISS ” but anyway, it’s been a while, and I decided to give the game another try to see how it holds up in 2012. I picked this copy up brand new for the total of 98 yen so I wasn’t expecting fire...

One of the highlights, well quite possibly the only one, of being raised at the seaside in the UK is/was the glorious amount of arcade games you had at your disposal. I would visit the arcades most evenings after school, just to see the latest games which had arrived and watch the pros in action. If you asked a kid during the late 80s early 90s what their first video arcade game was then they would most likely list classics such as Super Mario Bros ., Donkey Kong , Kung-fu or Pac Man . While not completely out of left-field the very first game I played at the arcade was Sega's shoot-em-up, Space Harrier . Attracted by the huge, co...

Does the thought of your family descending on you for Christmas send a chill down your spine? Are you dreading your dad making a drunken fool of himself again, the in-laws who are always giving you helpful ‘advice’, or the nephews and nieces who proceed to wreck your house? Well why not keep them quiet with a party game on your beloved Sega Dreamcast? A game which might suit such a purpose is Sonic Shuffle , a party/board video game released for the Dreamcast at the tail end of the systems life cycle. The game was intended as Sega’s answer to Nintendo’s popular party game, Mario Party , and was actually co-developed by Hudson Soft the...

Released around the same time as colossal Dreamcast releases such as Shenmue and Jet Set Radio you would image that Konami's arcade sniper-em up had its work cut out for it, especially considering that the real attraction of the arcade game (a bloody big sniper rifle bolted on to the cabinet) was obviously not packed in with this home release; Konami aren't Sega you know! The premise of the game is simple, you move a cross-hair target around a fixed screen shooting whatever terrorists/kidnappers lie in in your wake. The real appeal comes in the tense appeal of being a sniper in the shadows, picking off people from miles away a...

Based on the popular Shutokō (which literally means “Tokyo, Expressway or Highway) driving series, in which you race on the infamous Tokyo Shuto Expressway's Bayshore Route using a tuned up mega car to battle against other illegal racers, Shutokō Battle was Genki’s final game for the Dreamcast and a real classy driving game. It was released towards the tail end of the system's lifespan and it really tells in the looks department. I particularly love the blur effects of the tail lights and the way the light reflects off of the cars. The resolution is also absolutely stunning, running at the systems optimal output (640x480), and ove...

Fans of the Dreamcast adventure Shenmue have been begging Sega to remake the game for modern consoles. A recent interview by Sega suggests that they are ready to release HD versions of Shenmue and as well as other Dreamcast fan favourite, Skies of Arcadia . While this is undoubtedly good news for fans who have been salivating about a conclusion to the saga in the form of Shenmue III , it may be better to head caution as we've been down this ill-founded road of caution before, with countless false hopes culminating in the cancellation of Shenmue World , this January. Personally, I am quite happy to enjoy what I already have and appreci...