My Top 5: Sega Dreamcast Games
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
It's no secret to my Twitch community that I consider the Sega Dreamcast to be the most formative and important console of my childhood. We didn't have much money growing up, so I spent the entire 90s playing video games on NES and original Gameboy. But everything changed on September 9, 1999. As an early joint birthday present, my sister and I got the Sega Dreamcast on launch day.
I remember my mom picking us up from school and driving to Toys R Us to bring our new console home. We had played a bit of Genesis, SNES, N64, and PlayStation at friends' houses, but we didn't often get a chance to experience longer games that required hours of dedication. So getting a more modern console with 3D graphics was a big treat!
Production of the Sega Dreamcast was cancelled on March 31, 2001, only 18 months after its launch in North America. Despite its short-lived time on the shelves, 248 games were released in North America (19 at launch)! I would love to one day play through them all, but I'll share my top five favorites for now...
5. RESIDENT EVIL CODE: VERONICA (2/3/2000)
This was the first Resident Evil game I ever completed! I hadn't played many horror games at this point, and it was still a bit rare to see female protagonists in video games. But I instantly fell in love with how cool Claire Redfield was, especially next to Steve Burnside. After beating this game, I pressured my best friend's brother to let me play Resident Evil 2 on his PlayStation. While this game is a bit janky and the voice acting is not great, I am hoping for a remake in the future. It's really a great story and fun game that just needs some 2020s Capcom polish!
4. SONIC ADVENTURE 2 (6/19/2001)
I was always a Sonic fan. I played the first games with my uncle on his Genesis and I watched both of the 90s cartoons as a kid. Sonic Adventure was the first Sonic game that had full 3D camera controls and I really loved getting to play the story as six different characters. What I loved about Sonic Adventure was improved upon even further in Sonic Adventure 2. I loved playing through the story bouncing back and forth between the heroes and villains. It was really interesting to see what everyone was up to while also learning more about Shadow's origins. I really gravitated towards Shadow. I loved him as a challenger to Sonic.
3 . SHENMUE (11/7/2000)
I still remember the shock I felt witnessing such a calculated and deliberate murder in the first scene of the game—an event that carried the entire series over three (for now) games. There was such an interesting balance of exploration, combat, and murder mystery puzzling built into the game, and the game really gives the player the freedom to prioritize however they choose. I can't recall playing a game with that much freedom before this. The story was incredible, but I also had so much fun collecting gachapons, playing games in the arcade, practicing fighting combos in the parking lot, etc. The voice acting has definitely aged poorly, but the game is so near and dear to me that it's charming at this point.
2. GRANDIA II (12/5/2000)
This game took me by surprise the instant I opened the case. While the game is only on one disc, there's a second disc included—a full soundtrack of the game! Aside from that little bonus, I really enjoyed this story. The voice acting is really well done and each character feels so distinct. Each character plays such an important role in the party and I loved seeing Ryudo and Elena learn from one another and change for the better. I also feel that the upgrade and combat systems were greatly improved from the first Grandia game. I still credit this game as having the best turn-based combat system in an RPG. Nothing I've played since has come close yet!
1 . SKIES OF ARCADIA (11/14/2000)
I've probably mentioned Skies of Arcadia too many times on this blog already, but it's truly the most important game to me. It has everything I love in a video game story: found family, adventure, questioning authority, and characters carving out their own paths. It's really such a beautifully made game and I loved how beginner-friendly it was. The more cheery, optimistic tone was also a perk for me, which was a bit rare for JPRGs of this era. I enjoyed exploring the world to make new discoveries, and recruiting crew members is something I always look forward to when I fire this game up.
HONORABLE MENTIONS I can't leave this without listing some honorable mentions. I think about these games often, so they deserve a little praise as well! These may not have hit as hard for me, but they were each such unique experiences within their own genres.
Blue Stinger (survival horror/action)
Super Magnetic Neo (3D platformer)
ChuChu Rocket (puzzler)
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