From the mid-90s towards the early-2000s, Sega was no longer on top like they once were with the Sega Genesis. After all the consumer abuse of making them buy distasteful decisions like releasing add-on like the Sega CD, 32-X, and Sega Activator and releasing the Sega Saturn too early, the general public lost a lot of interest with Sega’s products. Sega of America was screwing themselves during their day in the Sega Saturn, by not releasing RPG’s in North America (fuck you Bernie Stoler), making games too expensive to develop for the system, and there were barely any good marketing for the Saturn. Towards the late-90’s very little video game stores were selling any Saturn products and there was no saving grace for any more life for the Saturn. Sega had to redeem themselves by releasing the Dreamcast and do a much better job (business-wise) in making a strong library of games and also great customer service. It was codenamed the Katana and it was promised to be the next step for video games. Sega was loosing the Market with the Saturn, so on 1998 the Saturn was disbanded and the Dreamcast was launched in Japan the same year. We didn’t get this system in North America until exactly 9/9/99 when this awesome gaming machine was finally released worldwide. Immediately, the Dreamcast library flourished with qualitative titles with so many good reception, positive scores, and great customer feedback. Despite the great success that the Dreamcast has made on its launch, everyone else (who didn’t get the Dreamcast) was anticipated for the Sony Playstation 2. Part of the reason why a lot of people wanted the PS2 more so than the Dreamcast is because it was the cheapest DVD player and everyone wanted a copy of the Matrix on DVD. Because the Sony Playstation had so many great titles and developers working on their library, it also left people for a cult following for the PS2. Even despite the fact that Sega decrease the Dreamcast price, made many more good titles, and even offered online gameplay that consoles never did before, they could not get any more success in the video game market. Towards mid-2001, Sega officially disbanded the Dreamcast and no longer became a console manufacture. It’s really sad to say that the Dreamcast had some of the best launch that any console has ever had. Because the system has done so much for the Sega community, it has left a huge impact for many gamers and it created a cult following that other forgotten console wishes they could have. The Dreamcast was innovative. It offered graphics that was way better than the PS1 and N64 combines (and those graphics lasted all the way to the mid-2000s), it offered online compatibility to play with other people online, and also some of the most impressive games that a short-lived console has ever had! It was more of a party-machine than the Nintendo 64, and it continues to create a sense of joy each time we turn this system on. Gone too soon, Sega pulled the plug on the Dreamcast a year and a half after its debut, due to financial difficulties and gamer interest in the coming PlayStation 2, but, in its brief run, it was the one of greatest video game consoles of all time. And here are the ten games on the Dreamcast library to prove why it’s so loved by many!
Number 10. – Phantasy Star Online
Phantasy Star Online borrows largely from PC MMORPGs, such as EverQuest, Asheron’s Call, and Ultima Online making it the first MMORPG on console. And in this breath, the game does a very nice job of creating a well balanced yet challenging world that begs to be explored for hours on end. In my hours with PSO, I’ve also noticed a similarity to the classic Diablo, only the emphasis this time is on leveling up and acquiring that oh-so-rare item that everyone who ever goes online with this game looks for. Phantasy Star Online contains both an online game and an offline game. Both games are virtually identical to each other, and the offline game is ideal for introducing newcomers of the MMORPG to the style’s different mechanics and intricacies. Many see the offline mode as nothing more than as training mode, and in many ways they would be correct; the real meat of the game and the real enjoyment comes from embarking on your online quests. But the offline mode does prove quote addictive and it does serve a very solid purpose. Plus, the offline mode can be good for gamers who can’t connect to the Internet via their Dreamcast for some reason (whether it be bad connection, lack of funds to pay for service, or what not). Online play is virtually the same as offline play; the three difficulty settings remain intact and the overall mechanics of play don’t change. Since you’ll likely find yourself communicating a great deal while online, it’s advisable that you pick up a keyboard for your Dreamcast; typing messages with the controller is too tedious and frustrating to be anywhere near effective. There are certain built-in phrases that the Dreamcast system can translate into several different languages, and while the translation can be off from time to time, it does a great job of breaking through the language barrier and letting gamers from all over the world enjoy the PSO experience together. Also, it can be frustrating to be level 60 and stuck on a server with people that are level 20, but this game is all about patience and teamwork; in order to properly enjoy PSO, you need a good deal of patience and you’re gonna need to use a good bit of teamwork. If that’s not your thing, then either go play the offline mode or give Skies of Arcadia a try. So much to do and all the time in the world to do it. So be good kiddies and show Sega that we appreciate thier hard efforts and give this tittle the sales that it deserves.
Number 9. – Jet Set Radio (Jet Grind Radio)
Now here’s a game that has more style as well as awesome gameplay. Back in the late-1990s and early 2000s, the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series was a huge boom for the extreme sport game genre and Sega wanted to make their own take on it with the roller-skate punk culture. You can decide if it’s either an extreme sport game or a 3D Platformer, but Jet Set Radio (or Jet Grind Radio) introduced cel-shaded graphics, tag spraying missions that are all so fun, and the many cool tricks you can do with low gravity. Jet Set Radio also includes a Graffiti Creator where you can design your own tags to use in the game. And when you’ve finally created your masterpiece, you’ll be able to share it with the world via the Dreamcast modem. Why confine yourself to local areas when your tags can be seen on DCs everywhere? Sega should be proud of their accomplishments with Jet Set Radio, a game that brings out the best of the Dreamcast. With its fresh attitude and fun gameplay, this is a great alternative to sniffing paint cans in the morning. I love the fact that characters pull off different dance moves when left to idle, and that the military hardware that’s increasingly pitted against you has more than a hint of the Advance Wars series to it. Along with Intelligent Systems’ turn-based marvel, Jet Set Radio has some of the best troopers and the best helicopter gunships in gaming, if you ask me. When you’re avoiding their cannon-fire outside shops with names like Burger Queen – and when the next level promises to throw you in with electrical ninjas or whip-wielding assassins – it can be hard not to embrace the simple life in Tokyo-To wholeheartedly. 12 years on and this is a surprisingly rigorous game built of oddball delights, then, and the HD updating has only enhanced its charms. The skating’s still great, the city’s still a joy to explore, and the soundtrack’s still one of the very best ever put together. In other words, Jet Set Radio’s still capable of making people say, “What the hell is that?”
Number 8. – Marvel vs. Capcom 2
It took Capcom throughout the 1990s to finally make this fulfilling masterpiece of a fighting game! It started with the X-Men SNES titles then Marvel Superheroes was turned into a fighting game. Since then they’ve kept reusing the same engine and added new fetters to it like X-Men vs. Street Fighter, then Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Heroes. Then we’ve got ourselves the awesome Marvel vs. Capcom. Letting Marvel to let Capcom use their established character into a fighting game was some of the most ingenious ideas ever in the gaming industry. With 66 characters being reintroduced and debuting to this Capcom fighter, players select three fighters from the roster of characters from both of the titular universes and fight one-on-one until one of the teams have no remaining players or time runs out. Each character has at least one super combo and the entire team shares a single super meter. The characters can draw on this (at a minimum cost of one level) to perform their super combos or other special super moves. Up to five levels of the super meter can now be stored during a fight. Players can tag out their characters at any time, switching control to another character while inactive characters can gradually recover some health. Anyone that loves Marvel, Capcom, fighting games or games should already have played this game! There is no other fighter that has given so much variety of characters and the craziest team combinations to execute the most chaotic attacks. That’s why so many has regarded Marvel vs. Capcom 2 one of, if not, the best fighting game of all time. The only draw back is that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is seen as the most unbalanced fighting game ever created. When you have too many character that does so much on screen, you’re bound to have a chaotic experience with friends. Just make sure they don’t select the Sentinel, Juggernaut, and Cable combination (that is so cheap that they ruins the game).
Number 7. – Draconus: Cult of the Wyrm
What makes consoles like the Dreamcast such a worthy experience is to not only replay the iconic titles that got us loving the system, but also finding a plethora of hidden gems in the system’s library. To make the Dreamcast interest last longer (for everyone on board), I’m going to include a game that you’ve probably never heard of before. Dravonus: Cult of the Wyrm is one of the best discoveries that I found on the Dreamcast. No, it’s no Ocarina of Time. If anything, Draconus plays like Ragnarok on the PC. Games like Ragnarock an absolute blast to play but out of all the gems that you should REALLY check out, it has to be this title. Two things that surprised me about Draconus was that it was a sequel of an obscured PC title called Die by the Sword and it was developed by Treyarch… yes the same guys who make Call of Duty games. While Die By The Sword had the worst sword combat that I’ve ever seen in a video game, Draconous’s combat was fluid. Yeah you still have those awkward camera from this era and the frame rate get coppy at times, but the progression and world-building is so straightforward and interesting that it outweighs any outdated aspect. For one, you can play either Cynak (The Warrior) or Aeowyn (The Scorceress) and they play every differently from one another. Cynak is great for combat but slow on magic and vice versa for Aeowyn. I always prefer to play as Aeowyn because those magic abilities really makes combat with monsters far more interesting. For a single disc game, this game is HUGE in both size and scale and what you can unlock through leveling. Yes, this is a western-Action RPG and it is glorious to experience on a console like Dreamcast! The fact that these 15 levels take an hour to complete is such a sheer girth. Sure subquests gets in the way, but they’re never at all hard to figure out. This grimdark fantasy just gives you so much variety to kill and unique places to transverse. As for hidden gems go, I was deeply surprised on how good Draconus actually is. Even though this was a thirds-party game, this could have easily been a first-party Dreamcast exclusive. The fact that Draconus has been a Dreamcast exclusive ever since and never been referred or mentioned much in obscure games topic is mind-blowing to me. If there is any game that you don’t have on your Dreamcast collection but need to try out, I can’t recommend Draconus.
Number 6. – Shenmue
Released at the close end of the 1990s decade and in the early lifespan of the Sega Dreamcast, Shenmue’s visuals and adventure is unlike any game before or since (except for Shenmue 2). At first glance, it’s looked as Virtua Fighter RPG, but it became much more than just that. What Shenmue is is a martial artist/warrior’s journey searching for revenge for his father’s killer by transferring into a very believable and whimsical 1980s Japan, before the 80s revival craze became a fad years prior. Because its production for visuals, full voice-acting, and details are so ambitious that it cost Sega a fortune to get released and I can only imagine the look at Sega & Yu Suzuki’s surprise that it didn’t catch on when the Dreamcast needed it. Shemnue was the first of so many things that became a trend on gaming for the next decade; from quick-time events, open-world (way before the term “sandbox”), and interactions everywhere you go. This title doesn’t treat you like a idiot whom uses action for amusement, but instead respects our intelligence by teaching the player and hero Ryo about patience and 
knowing the right time to take action on certain dates. But the most valuable lesson about Shemnue is about seizing the moment in You Suzuki’s world. Just like how Earthbound was way ahead of its time that it didn’t get the respect it deserved till years later, so was Shenmue upon its own release. But unlike Earthbound, Shenmue’s ambitions are just too complex for any inspired developer to recreate its concept. But I don’t think about that stuff when Shenmue comes to mind. Whenever I think of Yu Suzuki’s magnum opus, I think of that one video game the immersed me the most. An experience that teaches me to take it one day at a time, treat the environment and its people with respect as if it were real, and appreciate beauty right before your very eyes. Doing all of this with little flaws & irritations as possible, it’s no wonder why the game still captures our hearts and destined to capture those who have yet played it. All of this built together is why Shenmue is some of the most impressive products as well as a spiritual experience; one that I can rarely say the same to any other game ever created. It’s just too bad that this whole 40-hour experience of a game is just a prologue to a promising saga that unfortunately will never complete.
Number 5. – Power Stone 2
The first Power Stone made its mark as a fighting game by placing more of an emphasis on using weapons and the environment than the traditional combos and super moves. The style of Power Stone 2’s gameplay is exactly the same as the first, but now with a four player multiplayer, best variety of weapons and maps, and so many more that makes this a dominate sequel. Since Power Stone 2 isn’t heavy on the moves list, a massive amount of weapons makes up for it. From the standard bazooka to the wacky bubble gun, this game has got more weapons than you can shake your magic stick at. A plethora of other objects, including gun turrets, tanks and hovercrafts, make fighting the enemy much more interesting. It doesn’t stop there. Power Stone 2 also contains an adventure mode in which players can collect the various items and weapons that are found in the game. After grabbing a few items, a trip to the store is in order. Here you can buy, sell, and even mix your items, turning them into something you’ve never seen before! This scheme is similar to Diablo II’s Horadric Cube and introduces more new weapons than you thought were ever possible. Power Stone 2 is easily one of the best party fighters currently out. The four-player matchups are filled with non-stop, frantic action. The single player game has some replay value with the adventure mode, but undoubtedly pales in comparison to the multiplayer madness. No wonder why this game is looked upon as the Dreamcast’s Super Smash Bros.! Dishing out the damage against three opponents is entertaining, and leads to some good strategy in what is otherwise a very ![nullDC Emulator 1.0.4 | Power Stone 2 [1080p HD] | Sega Dreamcast - YouTube](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EEiPj30yKMk/maxresdefault.jpg)
simplistic combat engine. And it’s a good thing that the combat is simple- sometimes it’s hard enough just trying to figure out where your damn character is after they’ve been swatted with a tennis racquet. And that is my only real problem with the game- sometimes it’s hard to figure out what the heck is going on. Well, that and the occasional cheap shot from one of the bosses. Certainly nothing to cry about. However, with entertaining characters, great gameplay, and an item costing 20,000,000 credits, which you will NEVER have, this game will stay in the Dreamcast for a long time. Certainly a great purchase. Even though we never got Power Stone 3 (imagine the possibilities of playing this game online with more than four players), this multiplayer party-fighter has always been a blast to play with anyone who both love the Dreamcast and to many others who have yet to see this console’s appeal. However, this isn’t a Dreacmast appeal, it’s rather what makes Capcom so approachable to play; it archaic nature. Superb, anarchic fun from Capcom. Puts some of their earlier offerings to shame. (Don’t buy Marvel vs. Capcom 2!) If you’ve been looking for the perfect multiplayer game on the Dreamcast, or just a beat-’em-up with a hint of originality, you must get this. I dare say that it is the best four-player experience that you can get on the Dreamcast.
Number 4. – Soul Calibur
In 1998, SoulCalibur in the arcades was so advanced in the department of graphics, gameplay, and presentation that not even the Nintendo 64 or Playstation could handle such a game. The Dreamcast not only handled it well, but it went above and beyond from the arcade version in levels like we’ve never seen before, making it one of the biggest reasons to get a Dreamcast when it first launched. While Tekken 3D perfect 3D fighting games, SoulCalibur perfected weapon-based fighters and the whole franchise still remains the best of its kind. actual martial arts forms are used and just waiting for a demo to come on is amazing because it shows you every character performing their styles just as if you were watching a kung fu film. Each character’s moves are unique and there are plenty of them you’ll want to use. An impressive array of combination moves is not too difficult to perform after trying a few times. There was a sense of realism where actual martial arts forms are used and just waiting for a demo to come on is amazing because it shows you every character performing their styles just as if you were watching a kung fu film. Each character’s moves are unique and there are plenty of them you’ll want to use. An impressive array of combination moves is not too difficult to perform. Tough to say it, but even though Street Fighter II
Number 3. – Sonic Adventure 2
The one thing that Sega does what Nintendon’t was have more than one main title game of their top mascot (I don’t see a Mario 64 2 on the N64). It’s really sad to see that the Sega Dreamcast didn’t last as long as it should have. Interesting to see they ended the game’s lifespan by releasing the sequel of the system’s killer launch title, Sonic Adventure. Sonic Adventure 2‘s stages are split in to three types: action (Sonic/Shadow), shooting (Tails/Eggman), and treasure hunting (Knuckles/Rouge) and are all divided into two separate teams; team dark and team heroes. The flow of the game gets rid of the “adventure” element from the first Sonic Adventure, opting for a level-to-level rhythm that truer to the nature of a Sonic game. Unfortunately, this rhythm is a staccato beat due to the forced switching of characters between levels. The choosing of one character and then sticking to that character in the original Sonic Adventure works out much better then jumping from one creature to the next in Sonic Adventure 2. Fix one thing only to break another. Though playing as Sonic and Shadow is incredibly fast and straightforward (the best part of the game), the same cannot be said about Knuckles/Rouge hunting for crystals in order (the space level was the worst) and Eggman/Tails was just a mind-less shooter (seriously, Tails can fly, so why put him in a mech?). Despite the game’s flaws, there are a lot of improvements the game made over the original like the homing attack and ring dash is so simple, better controls, the Choa 
pet-simulator mode is much better, and there are some replay value with all levels of the game. Oh and let’s not forget that this game got rid of Big The Cat… GOOD RIDDENCE!!! The game’s Legacy will never die because the Gamecube version of Sonic Adventure 2 was released the following year to show what we all missed out. Many Dreamcast fans debate over which of the two Adventure games was the best, but because we have a better story told, gameplay is fluid as ever, cutscenes and animation isn’t embarrassing to watch, pacing of the game is near perfect, level designs is forever imbedded in our memories, Chao gardening is very intuitive and addicted as hell, and the replay value is high as fuck, Sonic Adventure 2 has a very strong case of being the best 3D Sonic game of all time. Though the Sonic games still lives on now that Sega has gone multiplatform, how they ended with a bang in one of the very few last exclusive right till the Dreamcast was discontinued. If only more home consoles are able to release their last game with a bang this good, Sonic Adventure 2 stands as the best final exclusive release to any console in gaming history! Don’t waste your time on hearing another naysayer that hates on this game just because they hate Sonic. You should instead play this game and see for yourself why there are still fans of Sonic Adventure 2 to this very day.
Number 2. – Skies of Arcadia
One thing that I’ll always give the Dreamcast a lot of credit for is their willingness to release all sort of games for all sort of players. Nintendo 64 didn’t bother giving us investors any role-playing games on their system like we were getting on the Playstation. Dreamcast almost suffered the same fate for not having as many RPGs, but I’d rather have a small number of quality titles instead of a quantity of mediocre ones. Though Sega never did business with Square Soft or Enix, at least they were able to go back to their old roots of doing RPGs themselves. A game set in a steampunk setting where you play a team of space pirates really stuck out as refreshing. But playing the game with a neat combat system, endearing playable cast, air combat and jaw-dropping world building. What makes Skies of Arcadia different from nearly every JRPG before and since is giving its players… freedom! Many blame the JRPG’s lack of freedom and adherence to outdated game play traditions as reasons for the genre’s collapse. Advancements in technology have allowed western RPGs to become fully realized role playing experiences the likes of which were never really possible before. In many of these games you can literally be whatever you want. You can go where you want, do what you want, and be what you want. So how can Skies of Arcadia continue to hold such a unique feeling of adventure to me, in a way no other game from its era has been able to, in the face of games that offer so much more freedom? Well, it’s simple really: Arcadia made the act of exploring a plot point and a game mechanic. These western RPGs throw you into these massive, boundless worlds, but for all their size and scope there is often very little to them. They are large, but filled out mostly with the same mountains, trees, rocks, and ruins over and over again. Adventures are often directed with simple arrows that tell you exactly what cave you need to go into and exactly what item you need to interact with. Arcadia does feature a typical “save the 
Number 1. – Shenmue 2
It’s even a miracle that as much of a complete commercial failure as Shenmue was upon its release that Yu Suzuki even got the sequel, especially less than a year after the original’s release. Shenmue II is not only a better game, but there’s so much of it that feels impenetrable. Shenmue 2’s Hong Kong isn’t the biggest of open worlds, and unlike the Yokosuka suburb that preceded it, it can hardly claim to be the densest ever put in a video game. It’s an approach to what soon became a video game staple that sadly never caught on, in mainstream circles at least. Grand Theft Auto 3 & the sandbox craze came out a couple of months before Shenmue 2 placing its cartoon bombast, hyper-violence and psychopathic tendencies laying a template that’s still at the old tired trend of the genre almost 14 years on that the gaming industry glutton themselves with. Thankfully Shenmue II is above such nonsense. At its heart, Shenmue II enlightens the players’ spirituality (not just grabbing their attention) as Ryo further’s his tireless journey in finding his father’s killer just to find out that there is much more to learn. And by the end of it, it changes us as human beings because we -4.jpg)
witnessed an out of body experience where we forgot we’re even playing the game, but instead journeying and progressing through Suzuki’s ambitious creation. Transversing into the beautiful locations within Hong Kong has been one of the most fulfilling adventures that I’ve ever had in all my years interacting in the media of gaming. One that progresses to well from the Ryo who left his home Japan and (no spoilers) the cliffhanger at the end. So what really is the core of Shenmue II’s appeal? It’s making our very own mundane lives have more purpose by controlling Ryo’s mundane life in finding his father’s killer and evolve into a greater warrior in his life’s lessons in the most realistic and uncontrived way possible. One that is much more different than our normal lives that we may never get to the same life experience as Ryo Hazuki but yet we get witness it all. And because we placed all those precious hours controlling Ryo’s journey is why so many of us desires this saga to be completed. When Shenmue III finally comes, this still stands as a strong contender of being TheTopLister’s list of the Top Ten Best Games ever created.
7. 
The Top Lister 