What Dreamcast Needs

Written by Thomas Harding on September 29, 2000

What Dreamcast Needs: A Mix of love for Sega, Coffee, and Cough Drops. Oh, and crack. Can't forget about the crack

Admittedly, there are some flaws with the Dreamcast. Not many, but they're still there. A slightly flawed controller, and... er... uh, well, admittedly there's ONE flaw. But one aspect we can cross off the list is the games. We've enjoyed some instant classics on this gray box of ours. But that's not enough, by cracky! There are SO many hits us Sega Fanboys have had the pleasure of playing since the day of the Master Systems inception! And what do we get on this technological marvel but games that, while being generally top-notch, don't evoke the same feeling of belonging as say, a Golden Axe update would.

I would die a happy man, or live an even happier life, if the games I remember loving on my Genesis and on other's Saturn (sadly, I didn't have the luck of owning one... maybe I'll pick one up one of these days) would proudly stride forward to the Dreamcast. So without further adieu, I give you the Master System Masterpieces, the Genesis Gems, the Stars of Saturn. Sega's pride and joy. Read. Ruminate. Enjoy. Oh, and if I give a vague term like Sonic, I don't mean a specific game, but the characters and series in general.

Vectorman - Possibly the most technologically advanced game to hit the Genesis (after Virtua Racer, or course) it also was darn fun. People came for the beyond-16-bit visuals, but stayed for the beautifully crafted levels, the many weapons, and the playability. I mean, if there were talks for a movie, you'd think a progression in its gaming-life wouldn't be out-of-the-ordinary.

A Dreamcast production of this game would certainly be welcomed, after all, the platformer genre is sadly a little bare. And if done with the same metallic tones, with simplistic coloring, it could have a stark beauty in its newfound 3rd dimension. And maybe with 4-player split-screen battles, and then... Ooh! Online Vectorman! Imagine the possibili... Ahem. Let's just say that there's potential here, folks...

Golden Axe - I remember this day with crystal-clarity. A friend of my brothers had had this game, and decided he'd had his fun with it. The game had been beaten. So my brother traded him for Street Fighter 2. This shocked me to my inner core. Some old slow-moving game with midgets. Or frickin' STREET FIGHTER 2!!! I was disgusted. I loved SF2, and I absolutely OWNED with Sagat. Clearly the trade was not welcomed. So I sat down with this game, y'know, just to further my hate for it... And my anger disappeared and there was peace in the world. This game still rocks. It may be a little slow, and the graphics might not be up there with Vectorman, but it's just got that special something that makes it rock. Hard.

I think this'd make a great 128-bit update, and could be put much farther than it's humble beginnings allowed. I'm seeing a sorta Adventure/Action/RPG with strong influence from Gauntlet Legends. And doesn't that sound good?

Streets of Rage - Ah... Just typing that brings tears to my eyes. Streets of Rage, and all subsequent games to follow, were easily among the best games I've ever played. This was an incredibly kickass game to play with 2 people, even though I sucked at it and my brother always ended finishing up the game... And even though the story was a little on the skimpy side (Ooh, Mr. X. Now THAT'S creativity!) the gameplay made up and then some. Done in the vein of Double Dragons, it was as graphically-detailed and action-packed as a fighter, but was able to remain fairly grounded as an action/platformer. This is why I play videogames.

I'm still a little confused as to how this game would be put to it's best on the Dreamcast, I'm thinking a 3rd-quarter perspective, but it would HAVE (and I can't stress this enough) to have at least 2-player action. And 4-player, to make us even luckier. Multiplayer makes it good.

Desert, Jungle, Urban Strike - Don't you miss the days when Electronic Arts made good, good, games? These were satisfying times. This realistic series of helicopter sims was another of my all-time faves (Can't you see I love the Genesis?) and a darn good example for anyone else to follow. Basically you were the pilot of an Apache Helicopter, and you had certain missions to follow, and through the fogs of my wandering mind, I recall something centered on plutonium...

Anyways, there's been plenty of flight sims abound on PCs and consoles alike, and what they're missing is a good platform to build upon. C'mon EA, how about a long-awaited sequel? Soviet Strike on the Saturn just isn't enough.

Clayfighter - I'm well aware this game was released under the moniker of Clayfighter 63 1/3 on the Nintendo 64, but I'd really like to see this on the Dreamcast. These were some stunning rendered graphics. Seriously. It played great and everything, but the visuals were the main draw. Clayfighter, I salute you!

I'd like this game done in high-res 2D, with the actual clay models. 3D is nice and everything, but the knowledge that it was actual photographs of real physical hunks of clay, gave you a sense of realism that regularly would've been hard to convey in a game populated with Spirits of Jack-O-Lanterns. I'd like that same sense of relation in an update.

Contra - Whew, this game was a doozie on the NES, but it's updated graphics and quickened gameplay gave me the incredible respect I currently hold for the Contra/Probotector Series. Like Streets of Rage, but much more firepower-intensive.

This would probably even be versatile enough for a First Person Shooter, but I'd like it to retain its side-scrolling roots. Maybe even a Cannon Spike-esque isometric shooter.

And so I reach an end. This is a field full of honorable mentions, such as Earthworm Jim, Strider, and the like. And we must celebrate the titles we've already received, Sonic, Ecco, and the new versions on their way (Phantasy Star, NiGHTS). But for now, head over to a used game store, real-life, or on the Net, and buy yourself a Genesis, a Sega CD, or a Saturn, and a couple games. You won't be disappointed. In fact, I think I'll head over to Funcoland and check out the prices on a used Saturn...