The Dreamcast is a video game console that truly lives up to its name. Being Sega’s last console before the company stopped producing hardware and became a third-party developer, the Dreamcast is home to some of the dreamiest and most innovative games out there. These include the Sonic Adventure games and excellent arcade ports like The House of the Dead 2.
Sadly, the Dreamcast’s library was so innovative that most gamers missed out on many of them at the time. Only now are they truly able to appreciate the likes of Jet Set Radio and Phantasy Star Online, both of which were ahead of the curve compared to other console games in many ways.
Gamers might’ve heard about The House of the Dead and its more popular sequel, The House of the Dead 2. However, it’s unlikely that they’ve ever heard about The Typing of the Dead, which made use of a special Dreamcast keyboard peripheral.
The Typing of the Dead is just The House of the Dead 2, but instead of firing weapons, players type words in order to take down the zombies. It’s very quirky and yet very effective in what it sets out to do. If anything, players might practically become stenographers due to the fast typing required to defeat zombies.
D2 Stars Laura in Her Greatest Role
D2’s biggest selling point is its digital actress, Laura, the game’s protagonist who also starred in the first D. In D2, she is left to fend for herself in an unknown snowy wilderness, which is rife with all sorts of creatures who are out to get her.
Few gamers know about D2, and fewer know about its predecessor. What is certain, however, is that D2 gives players plenty to do as they fend off and mow down eldritch abominations. With its RPG-esque random battle encounters and surprise variety of weapons, it’s easy to see why D2 is Laura’s greatest game.
Toy Commander Is a Hardcore Version of Toy Story
Toy Commander is a game that even the most diehard Dreamcast gamers don’t know about, but they should. It’s effectively a video game version of Toy Story, with a young boy’s older toys revolting against the newer toys. Unlike Toy Story, these older toys are staging an all-out war against the newcomers.
The most fun part about Toy Commander is being able to ride the toy vehicles in a virtual home environment. Whether it’s flying toy planes through a kitchen or racing cars through the boy’s bedroom, Toy Commander has to be one of the most creative games ever made.
Space Channel 5 Features the Most Heroic Journalist
Given how far public perceptions of the profession have fallen, journalism doesn’t command the same respect as it used to. Space Channel 5, meanwhile, features the most heroic journalist of all: Ulala. She is simultaneously reporting and taking on an alien invasion.
Space Channel 5 is effectively a rhythm game, with players having to mimic enemy moves to the correct rhythm. It may not sound like much, but players will end up becoming enthralled with the game and its unique premise. To put the cherry on top, the game even features a full-fledged cameo appearance from Michael Jackson.
Illbleed Is Scarier Than It Needs to Be
Players will be surprisingly frightened by Illbleed. It starts out unassuming, with protagonist Eriko Christy at the titular horror-themed amusement park to find her friends. This amusement park plays up the horror aspects, but the monsters that lurk within the park are very much real.
Illbleed proves to be more effective with its scares than one might think. It doesn’t help that the tone and atmosphere are so oppressive that players feel isolated for extended periods. It’s also a well-crafted survival horror game, with the attractions being based on traditional horror film tropes.
Phantasy Star Online Is an Early Console-Exclusive MMORPG
Phantasy Star Online was the first new installment in the Phantasy Star franchise since Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium. It is an early console-exclusive MMORPG that sees players on a monster-infested planet. They must eradicate these monsters while rescuing some of the planet’s survivors.
While the game can still be played offline, Phantasy Star Online had its heyday when its official servers were still on. That online multiplayer mode gave players from around the world a chance to assist others in taking down the monsters.
Seaman Features the Snarkiest Virtual Pet
At first glance, Seaman may not seem like much. It is a virtual pet game that has players raising the titular species, which hatch from external eggs and evolve from Tadman to Frogman. Much of the game takes place during the Seaman’s Gillman stage, which is where things get interesting.
Regarding the Gillman, and indeed the Seaman in any other stage of its life, players interact with the creature by speaking into the Dreamcast microphone. The Gillman, despite its snarky demeanor, will end up taking great interest in the player’s private life, making for one of the most personal games out there.
Jet Set Radio Is the Most Y2K Game Ever Made
No other video game personifies the Y2K era as well as Jet Set Radio does. Released in the U.S. as Jet Grind Radio, the game is set in the totalitarian city of Tokyo-to, where illicit activities like skating and graffiti are frowned upon. However, a gang of graffiti-spraying skaters doesn’t care too much about these rules.
Players go around landmarks tagging graffiti and performing complex skating tricks for points. While the game’s original Xbox sequel, Jet Set Radio Future, is superior in many ways, it lacks the first game’s Y2K charm.
Segagaga is a Japan-exclusive Dreamcast title that came out near the end of the console’s lifespan, and thus around the time Sega exited the video game console market. This is humorously reflected in the game itself, which sees Sega’s characters taking on a thinly veiled parody of PlayStation characters.
Segagaga is one of the most meta video games ever made, and to prove that fact, the game has Sega’s most iconic characters, including Sonic the Hedgehog and even Alex Kidd, assisting players during battles. Needless to say, the Dreamcast couldn’t have asked for a better send-off.
Shenmue Predicted the Future of Gaming
In several respects, Shenmue is an anomaly: it is a Dreamcast game, a product of the Y2K era, and unusual as a game in general. The game is set in an intricate recreation of Japan, more specifically in the city of Yokosuka, and stars Ryo Hazuki, who seeks to avenge his father’s death.
Shenmue is incredibly large in scale, more so than any other video game released before it. The day-and-night cycle helps the game’s realism, and the ability to interact with nearly everyone in the game world adds to the immersion. Not even the Grand Theft Auto games come close to Shenmue’s realism.
