Dreamageddon - The Aftermath


I think every Dreamcast fan can tell you exactly where they were and how they learned of Sega's decision to discontinue the Dreamcast and go third party. I remember my dad called me over to the TV where X-Play was making the announcement, and moments later I was on the floor in pain. Three weeks of recovery later, I began to formulate my post-Dreamcast plans. I had read that Sega planned to support all platforms (even the new Nintendo Dolphin?! Unthinkable!) and that the plan was to have the internal dev teams divided among the three consoles. If you liked Sonic Team, your best bet was the family friendly Nintendo. If you liked trippy Japanese games, Sony was the way to go. And if you wanted graphical beasts, that PC makin' Microsoft could offer some pretty Sega games.

So here we are, a little over nine years later (the official announcement of "third party" was January 31, 2001) and we have since made our post-Dreamcast decisions. Some of us are now flag waving Sony fans, while others signed allegiance with the Nintendo empire. Still, there are others who couldn't give a crap about which company makes which system and just enjoy good games.

Before I get into the meat of this posting, my question to you is this: After the Dreamcast, where did YOU go? Feel free to answer this in the comments section.


A non-Sonic game from Sonic Team on a Nintendo console??


I should probably start by sharing where I went. Post Dreamcast I had a very difficult decision to make: PS2, XBOX or Gamecube. I wasn't the type of kid with deep pockets, so it really came down to the Christmas of 2001. At that time, the Playstation 2 looked to offer a bevvy of Dreamcast ports that didn't make it stateside, including Headhunter, Space Channel 5 Part 2 and Rez as well as arcade releases such as Virtua Fighter 4. There was also the unique looking GunGrave, which at the time looked to have the promise of Jet Set Radio meets Streets of Rage.


Shame it didn't play as well as it looked


Another strong contender for my next console was the XBOX. A part of me really liked the system as it, in my opinion at the time, did not kill the Dreamcast. *coughsony!* I also appreciated Microsoft's kindness towards Sega in their time of transition. Yeah, yeah, I know it's all business but still. In terms of games, the XBOX actually didn't seem to offer as much as the PS2 for Sega fans, but the promise of new SmileBit games was a major plus. Edit: Oh, and Crazy Taxi 3.

Last, and unfortunately least (IMO, please don't flame me!!! :P), was the Nintendo Gamecube. My opinions towards the system were, at the time, low. The design seemed to badly mimic the Dreamcast and the promise of online was severely lacking. Sega-wise, I really didn't know what to expect on the system, but the announcement of Sonic Adventure 2 being rereleased didn't excite me.

I assumed (and was correct in doing so) that Sonic Team would simply port what they had already done on the Dreamcast and any original Sonic games would surly be multi-platform. The one thing that really had my attention was Billy Hatcher. Remember, at the time Sonic Team seemed to do no wrong in developing a non-Sonic game; PSO, Chu Chu Rocket, NiGHTS and Burning Rangers. Still, I decided to wait until the Gamecube offered more games that caught my interest.

STILL WANT

So Chritsmas 2001 rolled around and I made my decision: I was getting a PS2. The major reasons were the many Dreamcast games I had missed out on, as well as the idea that I was saving money on a standalone DVD player by getting the one included with the system. In 2002 I caved and bought an XBOX as life just didn't seem complete without JSRF. Since then, I have not bought a GameCube and don't regret it. Besides missing out on new versions of PSO, all worthwhile Sega games found on Nintendo's system became available for the PS2 and XBOX. I believe Super Monkey Ball Deluxe and Sonic Mega Collection Plus trump their GameCube counterparts.

Now my favorite part: IN RETROSPECT

Do I regret my post-Dreamcast decisions? A little. I wish I had bought a XBOX before the PS2, and imported Rez, Headhunter and SC5 Part 2 for the Dreamcast. I also feel that a majority of the original Sega games released for the PS2 were not as great as I had hoped.

I had bought the XBOX in hopes of getting Shenmue 3, but obviously that didn't happen. Thankfully, the XBOX brought two of the greatest third party Sega games of the sixth generation: Panzer Dragoon Orta and JSRF.

I still don't regret not owning a GameCube. ;)

27 comments:

Ujn Hunter said...

Xbox was the next console after my beloved Dreamcast was laid to rest. I still have both (U.S. & Japanese) my Dreamcasts connected to my TV however! :)

Oh then I bought a Gamecube a year later... and didn't buy a PS2 until they released the Network adapter version, years after it was released.

A Moomintroll said...

Well, I didn't actually own a Dreamcast until 2007, but I fell in love with it when I first played JSR on it in 2004 or 2005.
I have no allegiance to any of the big 3, but Sony has never really drawn me.

As for the gamecube, it remains one of my favorite consoles. I wont defend my fondness, just accept me for the deluded cube lover I am.

Barry the Nomad said...

I accept you :)

I won't lie, I DO see the appeal of the GameCube. For one, it is a machine made for gaming (no DVD or "wireless multimedia" nonsense). Also, there are some rather great non-Sega games on it. However, I see myself buying a Wii before ever buying a GameCube (a Wii IS a GameCube, anyway)

I wonder if any mega Dreamcast fans will post here telling me that they have never bought another system after the Dreamcast. Hell, I did the same thing with the Genesis. Until 1998 the Genesis was the most powerful system in our house.

Animated AF said...

I bought a Gamecube when it looked as though all future Sonic games were coming out for it plus it had Monkey ball at launch and Nintendo were always gonna be my second choice of console developer...but the Gamecube support soon dried up and the Sonic game were...well, you know.

I bought a PS2 some years later, and even had a X-box for a short period of time just to play Panzer Dragoon and JSRF but I hated the controller. In all this time I still kept buying DC games more though. :P

Barry the Nomad said...

HA! I forgot, the original XBOX controller was one of the major reasons I didn't buy the system when it launched. It was like holding a Dreamcast!

Animated AF said...

I picked the X-box up for about £30, and usually even if a console has some good games if I don't like the console itself I don't want to keep it. Of the post-DC I liked the PS2 best in the end but of that generation in total the Dreamcast is still my favorite of the four by a big leap.

Anthony817 said...

Well, after sega went under, I regrettably sold my Dreamcast in 2002. I just could not find the games anymore, and it was just sitting there. I had no internet back then(we were late adopters lol), so I never knew the power that could be had on the little white box. Homebrew and emulators would have definatly kept me from selling it had I knew the true power it had.

After it was gone, I went over to the Dark side, as the plethora of games that were coming out for the PS2 were crazy. I remember I even got Head Hunter for it. I guesss the alure of GTA3, Max Pane and all the other great games pulled me away.

Well, I went untill july of 09, and then I caved in and bought the system I had so much fun with again. Since that time I have actually played more Dreamcast than 360,PS3 and Wii combined, and we have all the next gen systems in the house, on a Sony Bravia 40 inch LCD 1080p TV! Who needs HD when you can have AA in games?

João Gomes said...

Life after the Dreamcast?

Barry the Nomad said...

Nice story Anthony817!

You had better be rockin' that Dreamcast VGA output. It's like experiencing the Dreamcast all over again!

dreamcasting2008 said...

it really waked me some nightmares after watching this thread.I dont want to remember these days when i learned from the gamepro magazine that sega cut off the production of the Dreamcast.
I call myself a hard core sega fan.I hade lost my sleep,i couldnt eat sometimes when i as thinking about it.

The years passed and now iam 26 years old.i didnt bougth ps2 and xbox and when xbox360 and ps3 came out i realized that its like having a PC..YEA REALLY.So now i have a high-end PC AND MY PRECIOUS DREAMCAST.COUNTING 9 YEARS LIFE.Back then and today I cant find any differences between consoles and pcs games.Only wii is different who my sister owns one

So,,life after DREAMCAST

Chard said...

I held out until 2008 without a replacement, I had largely moved towards PC gaming for a bit, but mostly sticking with my Dreamcast and SNES. I finally got a PS2 for Christmas that year.

I do heavily regret not getting into that gen though as I did miss out on JSRF, space channel 5 part 2 etc. (I did recently just pick up JSRF and I do have to say, it's keeping my attention from FFXIII divided. haha.)

Andrew said...

I went the xbox route. I played PSOX and JSRF to death, but I still have never beaten Panzer Dragoon Orta. I will one day though!

Andrew said...

Oh and I absolutely loved the original xbox controller. Sure, it was huge but I have tiny hands and I got used to it, and to this day it remains my favorite controller ever. Just perfect analog sticks, and perfect placement.

Also, I still have my original dreamcast and it runs great. Already on my second xbox. Only the dreamcast still gets planned, although sooner or later I'm going to beat ninja gaiden black damnit!

Andrew said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tom Charnock said...

I actually traded my original DC console, and about 50-odd games...for a PS2 with 1 pad, a memory card and NHL 2001!!! I know...I hang my head in shame!

The Joker said...

Well, at one point, after DC's demise, I got rid of it (shameful, I know) to get a N64, for which rental games were easier to find. Il later exchanged the N64 for another DC console, that worked only once, I think.

But well, I kinda lost touch with SEGA once I bought my Xbox, since I've mostly been playing non-SEGA games. But I eventually could borrow Shenmue 2, Sonic Mega Collection Plus and Sonic Heroes from a friend (and oh boy, did Sonic Heroes suck compared to Sonic Adventure).

I eventually got a PS2 after my Xbox died and never played a SEGA game since then (except Sonic 3 & Knuckles and a bit of Sonic Advance, on emulators).

I just wish I still had a good working Dreamcast with games, or at least a Gamecube with a copy of Sonic Adventure DX. Good times, really. :)

Barry the Nomad said...

If I was a millionaire, I'd have a Dreamcast charity that gave a console to every person who needed one.

Sal said...

I actually kept on gaming on my Dreamcast up until mid 2007 when I finally decided to buy a PS2 and for the sole reason of only playing Melty Blood on it, then a year later bought a PS3. But up to this day I still continue to play on my Dreamcast including my Saturn instead of going with newer consoles. I invested a lot of time and energy into building quite heavy collections for those consoles over the years and even though I have beat some of the games some I have not so I keep going back and back to them because they were fun, quirky, and something special. Only reason I play on PS3 now is because of Street Fighter but my main game will be Third Strike.

The Coolinator said...

Where did I go? Back to where I always go when the gaming industry completely collapses into a pile of garbage and broken glass.....

PC GAMES!!!!

I have a million of them on my computer with tons of emulators and roms to boot.

Ironically this happened once before after the Sega Genesis. I really didn't like any of the 32-bit consoles. The graphics looked horrible, so I decided to go straight for where my forte was. PC!

That's why instead of spending money of a poor quality XBOX360, Fat useless PS3, or a kiddy Wii I tossed down $600 on a brand new PC and never looked back nor have I had any regreats. I use it every day of my life, runs great, and have more games then most people have skin cells.

Coolinator out!

Anthony817 said...

"Barry the Nomad said"
"You had better be rockin' that Dreamcast VGA output. It's like experiencing the Dreamcast all over again!"

Yeah, I know, I should get one since we have a great LCD 1O80P Sony Bravia HD TV in the house, but we have been blowing it off... XD


@ The Coolinator,

Haha! Coolinator you bastard, I did the same thing till last year when my ATI 3870X2 Burnned out, and then I was without those awesome Crysis Graphics...

I returned to my favorite system ever, after forgeting how much I loved SEGA!

Dude, this is the best fucking system for Emulators! Ps1 all the way to Atari!Best system EVER IMHO!

Molokh said...

I never regretted buying a Game Cube. The thing is I never bought as many games for my Game Cube as I have bought for the Dreamcast, I think that the next generation made me reasonable.

thomcastles said...

I had a PS2 while the Dreamcast was going bye bye. I never was a fanboy of a console but I do have the best memories playing Dreamcast and the unique games were awesome. Even though the PS2 to me had the best games out of the 4, I still go back to that white box even in my current PS3 X360 and DS house. Too bad Sega as of now sucks save a few games here and there.

mazonemayu said...

good gaming died with the dreamcast for me.
I still haven't bought a current gen console & I prolly won't; mainly coz I'm still playing my beloved dc every single day (& I still got tons of games for it that I haven't even touched, let alone finished).

I'm not saying I'll never buy a console again, but it won't be this gen

Pac-Man said...

Well, I'm still playing my almost 10 years old dreamcast. I do also play in a PC, but the Pc's gameplay simly sucks... In fact I still remain in Sega DC for 2 reasons:

1] It's a frakin hardcore console, with really good and dificult games.

2]And it is easy to copy and burn games. You all know.

Yeah, I do know it is ugly. Maibe that's the reason Sega discontinued the DC; but, I am a Brazilian, and here, the taxes for videogames are high. A PS3 ocosts almost U$$ 950.00. A game costs U$$ 169.00. It is a shame. because the brazilian market are unexplored. If I could, I would buy the Microsoft console, the only next-gen console officially launched here.

Unknown said...

well after dc died it wasn't until 03 did i get the ps2 the reason i had to wait is because my mom bought my dreamcast for me on winter of 2000 so i had to wait to get a new console

i then got my gamecube for summer of 04

then my xbox 05 for doing good in school

Unknown said...

now then my thoughts on the console's go as followed:

ps2 very fun but i didn't get as many sega game's as i thought i mean really beside's the genesis collection's and sonic collections i felt a little robed i mean it did give me other games i.e. kingdom hearts 1 and 2 but for sonic game's such as heroes it got the worst version same with shadow the hedgehog but despite me felling a lack of sega games it was still a good console.

Unknown said...

Now then for the gamecube well my personal favorite of the 3 billy hatcher is a really great game kind of underrated though it feel's like it should have been on dc though as for the phantsy star game's i haven't tried the gamecube game's just because well all three of them are kind of rare i haven't tried sa 2 battle well because i'm hesitante to try that as evry sonic fan pretty much hails it as the best 3d sonic and plus i can't refind sa 1 and 2 for dc but the gamecube did get the best version's of heroes and shadow th in all i got more than i expected by both it's non sega game's and the sega one's.