9/9/99 Nevar Forget!!!

[Xenon Odyssey]

we've yet to have a system that launched on a date as catchy as 9/9/99

also the Sega's last hurrah thing that Sindra mentioned

[LuketheXjesse]

Let's not forget about sega's best system!!!

I just heard of this thing 5 minutes ago. Worse Battery drain than a game gear, according to PrinceofDarkness.

EDIT: and this thing

[BooDidley7]

Yeah, exactly. Why not celebrate all the other failed systems Sega made?

The only reason I can think of that explains this odd behavior is nostalgia, and maybe a hint of fanboyism.

Time has moved on, why haven't the fans?

Well for starters, the Saturn's surprise US launch was a failed sneak attack, that left the Saturn stranded with few titles for months and a compromised version of VF 1.

It was also after the whole Sega CD/32x debacle was still fresh in everyone's mouth, so there were a lot of bad feelings about Sega blowing another console launch.

With the exception of a few noted flaws, Sega got so much more right than wrong with the DC. It arguably still has the best group of games a system has ever launched with at day 1, with plenty more soon following. In fact, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better lineup of overall titles of any console in its first 2 years.

If you can't appreciate what the DC represents in terms of what I've and others have stated, you're probably too young to understand.

[Level 99]

People do. System 10th/20th anniversaries don't happen every day, or every year for that matter.

Lo, for behold, in 6 years time, we shall celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Virtual Boy's release. Bow before it's red-and-black-ness!

----

While I will not contend that many things look better through the rose-tinted lenses of nostalgia, DC introduced a great many things that we do take for granted, and while every system has crap games, the true gems will always shine through regardless of the console (I'm still holding my breath for a wii killer-app though). This was also in the dwindling days of the bit-wars, and I personally see it as a shift from gameplay-to-graphics focused games. Despite possibly not fully living up to the hype created for it, the PS2 did usher in an era of cinematic-style gaming, even when technical specs didn't allow the illusion of "OH CRAP ARE WE PLAYING FOOTBALL OR WATCHING A LIVE GAME" as we do these days. Dreamcast was also absolutely able to deliver visuals on par with much of what the PS2 had to offer. Dreamcast was first, but things like controller design and a lack of DVD definitely sang it to an early grave. Poor decisions that Sega made, and they definitely paid for it in the end. Sony made poor decisions with the PS2 as well, like a lack of built-in internet, and Nintendo wasn't exempt either, but in my opinion the sheer amount of things Sega did RIGHT with the Dreamcast influenced gaming as we know it today.

So, while for some it was no big deal, for others, remembering the Dreamcast today is our way of paying respect for hours of gaming goodness and showing our appreciation for continued innovation, even from the underdogs who leave.

Edit: Also, I despise most fanboys. Someone should make a list of "you know you're a fanboy if" jokes.

Edit-Edit: Furthermore, The Damned, do you think any Sega fans WANT to move on from Dreamcast's glory days? What have they done since that really tops that? Sega, for many, represents a console-and-game maker, not just a game maker (or rather, not just a crummy game maker). It's the same reason Sega still makes those "collections" of old games, just like Atari...and Namco...and Taito...and Midway...

[Arrow]

Also, games are still being made for it. In fact, another game was just announced today. It's due out in a month.

[MkVaff]

Someone sent me something about the DC anniversary and I remember thinking to myself the Dreamcast was the last game system that (to me) really blew its predecessors out of the water in terms of how the games looked.

Growing up, from NES to SNES to N64 (or SMS to Genesis to Saturn / PS1) every new system that came out was better enough than what had come before that there was real excitement and a "wow" factor about the new graphics and sounds the system could handle (even if some of those initial games sucked). N64, Saturn, and PS1 games were a big step in the 3D direction but when I saw Sega Rally or Sonic Adventure for the first time my jaw just dropped.

Since that launch, new systems have more and more lost the "wow" factor in terms of what they could offer that their predecessors couldn't (Wii's motion control notwithstanding). Sure there's a bunch of great games being made these days but I can't say I don't miss the hardware launches where my jaw would hit the floor in seeing what's possible. I don't expect to see anything like that for some time now, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

[EdgeCrusher]

The dreamcast was a great system not just for the graphical edge it did have over the PS2, Plus its one of the first systems that had a good edge in homebrew gaming, either by emulators or homemade games. Plus the great (but killing) factor of burning games off for it with no mod required.

[Sindra]

Let's not forget about sega's best system!!!

I just heard of this thing 5 minutes ago. Worse Battery drain than a game gear, according to PrinceofDarkness.

Oh god, the Nomad. I love how the picture has the Low Bat light on too, because that's always always the case. I have one, and the thing is a pretty-paperweight, honestly. It's huge. It's clunky. It's a battery whore. The only saving grace are the fact it is, in fact, a portable Genesis, and you can hook it up to your TV and play it as such with a 2P controller as well. It' was a novelty at best. Hence why I mentioned how Sega should make a *real* handheld and get back into the game.

As for why we gush about the Dreamcast, yes...we are fanboys/fangirls. The difference between this and other consoles though is that it performed very well for it's first year, and the other failures didn't. The Dreamcast, in my opinion, was not a failure. It was a flop. It did great for a period of time, then tanked due to poor decision making on Sega's part. It had it's high point, then sank down and sputtered for a bit before dying. The Sega CD, 32X, and Saturn never got to the high point the Dreamcast got to.

[The Coop]

Yeah, exactly. Why not celebrate all the other failed systems Sega made?

The only reason I can think of that explains this odd behavior is nostalgia, and maybe a hint of fanboyism.

Time has moved on, why haven't the fans?

The Genesis had it's 20th anniversary last month, and it was celebrated in places on The Web.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

I don't think it's a fanboy/girl thing at all. I was never a SEGA guy at all, and even I thought the Dreamcast was freaking amazing when I saw it in action at Babbage's or EB. I remember wanting Soul Calibur so hard. I also got to play Sonic Adventure and and NBA2k at a friends house a few times. I loved the feel of the analog stick and those two games blew my mind. Sonic felt much more realized to me, and NBA2k played so damned well.

Unfortunately this was back when I was a kid and didn't have my own source of income, so I couldn't actually grab the system. I DID however grab Final Fantasy VIII on 9/9/99(and it did come out that year) so the sting wasn't that bad.

Dreamcast, here's lookin' at you.

[Hale-Bopp]

I love my Dreamcast!

[The Coop]

The Damned- The thing to remember, is that a game system can have a fan base. Like any band, author, movie maker, stand up comic, comic book, and scores of other things, people celebrate the things that give them enjoyment. It's not being a fanboy, a fangirl, a geek, nostalgic, or anything other than someone who got pleasure from it.

As I'm sure you know, dates have always been a part of our culture. We celebrate birthdays, holidays, the founding of something, the release of a movie, book, game or CD... and really, the release date of a console fits right in with them. We go nuts when a system is first released, and when a decade passes, or two decades, it shouldn't be that surprising that it's commemorated in some fashion by those who were fans of it.

Is someone creepy for still liking and listening to a band, even after they've broke up? Are they odd for continuing to like a comic book when its run has come to an end? We both know the answer to these questions is a blatant "no". It's also not bizarre when major moments in the life span of those things is celebrated or remembered by their fans on the anniversary of its happening. So why is it so strange that people will celebrate the release a game system that gave them years of fun and good times long after its death on the market?

[Toadofsky]

I remember when it was coming out, and being completely blown away by Sonic Adventure. Something is STILL special to me whenever I hear that music from that level. That was the console I wanted at the time. My parents almost bought it, but when the console ceased production, that was it.

Now, after years of pining for one, my former room mate gave his to me. I haven't fired it up lately (Metroid Prime Trilogy is what I'm focusing on right now), but I'll definitely track down a copy of Sonic Adventure, Ecco Defender of the Future, and probably Adventure 2 and Crazy Taxi....

[Sindra]

I would run over to my neighbor's house to play House of the Dead 2 on his Dreamcast all the damn time. Then, it was going over at night when they'd moved it to his basement to play Code Veronica. Loved me those times.

[Monobrow]

I never had any Sega products

[Cuda]

Hahaha I still have my DC and I still play the Gundam game on it from time to time. I do love me some NES emu on a Sega system.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Code Veronica was so great.

I think I might see about picking up one of those new Dreamcasts for 100 bucks.

[Sindra]

You and me both. Its sad I never actually OWNED a Dreamcast, but certainly played enough of my neighbor's that I might as well have ganked his.

[audio fidelity]

anyone remember power stone? that was my jam...on my friend's console - i never owned

[Sindra]

Power Stone was good digs in terms of a fighting game. I wish they would come out with another, but am thankful they don't for production's sake.

[EdgeCrusher]

If you want a dreamcast, you can usually find a used one at a pawn shop or used games stores that dont start with game and end with stop. I picked one up in Knoxville 3 days ago for 15 bucks, one controller, no VMU.

[Level 99]

Don't beat me up or anything, but if/when they get harder to find, which they eventually will, or if it starts to break (it's well-known that people who made improper burns that had excessive laser seeking wore out the laser in almost no time, causing many games to stop working), the emulation area for Dreamcast is becoming quite mature.

[EdgeCrusher]

Ps2 emulator?!?!?

[Level 99]

Ps2 emulator?!?!?

My massive hate for you knows no bounds.

So I played some Soul Calibur, some Power Stone, and some MVC2 yesterday. I know everyone made a big deal about Shenmue but, while I respect all it introduced and how massive of a scale the game was at the time, I got bored in the first fifteen minutes the first time I played and never touched the discs again.

[BooDidley7]

Power Stone was good digs in terms of a fighting game. I wish they would come out with another, but am thankful they don't for production's sake.

Well there is Powerstone 2...

It's a bit different than 1, supporting 4 players at once, if you're not familiar. What's nice about it though, it makes a great party game, especially for casual people, as it's not as technical and as overwhelming as Smash Bros can be for people unfamiliar with it.

It's got some excellent, highly involved, interactive stages as well.

Powerstone 1 and 2 (with online matchmaking) should really get a XBL/PSN reissue.