Episode 638: Dreamcast Turns 25
Added 2024-09-09 11:00:13 +0000 UTCJeremy: A different take on a console retrospective this week. Instead of giving the usual breakdown of the history and library of the Dreamcast on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, Diamond and I have taken a different approach by having a more relaxed discussion about the system. What does Dreamcast represent for Sega's legacy? What place does it hold in video game history? Was the end of one era of gaming, or the beginnings of another?
Edits by Greg Leahy. Art by John Pading.
09:37 - Sarah Natochenny: "Actually Ironic"
22:02 - Soulcalibur: Never Ending Quest | Marvel vs. Capcom 2: Opening
33:02 - Samba de Amigo Ver.2000: Vamos a Carnaval
40:34 - Propellerheads: "Spybreak!"
47:50 - Virtual Fighter 3tb: Dural | Radirgy: Stage 2
57:33 - Phantasy Star Online: Pioneer 2
1:05:52 - ChuChu Rocket!: Network Connecting | Seaman: Main Theme
1:19:05 - The Offspring: "All I Want"
1:26:21 - D2: Distraction
1:35:34 - Resident Evil - Code: Veronica: Theme of Alexia Type 2
Closing - Space Channel 5: Ending (Pala Paya... Lounge Musique)
Comments
This is the console that made me fall in love with Sega, and I got it for a steal from my cousin in early 2001. Dreamcast game were so plentiful and cheap back then, I think I nabbed Canon Spike for $15. A wonderful system, gone too soon.
Nuno Amaral
2024-09-22 15:01:02 +0000 UTCThis was another great episode, which was very personal to me. The Dreamcast was the first "retro" console I bought, in the sense that I only purchased it several years after it had become outdated, mostly because the system and games were cheap and a lot of fun. The Dreamcast was also the LAST console that I purchased... Jeremy and Diamond definitely hit on all the points that I thought made the Dreamcast and its games unique, fun, or memorable. I also have to say that I started playing PSO for the first time within the past twelve months. Like Diamond, I can also realistically imagine an alternate universe in which I did nothing but play PSO (and whatever subsequent MMOs that came next). It turned out not to be my destiny, but it sounds like a lot of fun.
CapNChris
2024-09-20 01:49:57 +0000 UTCI was at pax west and saw Jeremy and a few others talking about the Dreamcast’s Twentieth anniversary … and now it’s the Twenty FIFTH?
John Simon
2024-09-18 01:06:41 +0000 UTCWe got a running start with Pokémon in the tri-state area as a result. I had a Marill plush when most of the country knew only the first 151.
Garlicnaut
2024-09-15 20:02:24 +0000 UTC"Retronauts is on a heater" do kids say this? They ought to.
Diamond Feit
2024-09-15 11:01:49 +0000 UTCOnce again, Retronauts is on a heater as the kids say! I specifically remember this day not only because of the hype for the Dreamcast, it was the same day the MTV Video Music Awards aired that year and not only was it a pretty good show, they definitely spent part of the broadcast talking about the system! My personal experience with it…Sonic outrunning the whale was one of the craziest things I had ever seen in a game up to that point, and yes Sonic Adventure is super janky but I remember it reviewing well at the time and with the massive exception of the Big the Cat levels (which would take too long for me or anybody to complain about here)…I enjoyed it, and the soundtrack is an all timer! This was also my Marvel vs Capcom machine, and to relate this back to the Saturn I remember all the magazines saying the way to play 2D fighters was on Saturn because for whatever reason they ran better on that system compared to PlayStation? All I can say is that I spent hours and hours playing these two games on Dreamcast and having a ball, the colors were vibrant and nothing ever slowed down for even a second. I’ve already gone on much too long but I know Diamond mentioned Shenmue in the podcast…that was my introduction to Space Harrier! I liked Shenmue well enough but I got most excited to play this old Sega arcade classic whenever I had a chance to head to the arcade within the game, and I got pretty good at it! Even back then I still loved the older stuff! Anyways, long story short, great podcast and tribute to this wonderful system that didn’t last long, but burned brightly
James Krusling
2024-09-14 02:49:37 +0000 UTCAh yes 9/9/99. I remember it well. It was my first day of high school and after school I excitedly stopped at the nearby KB Toys to go to the launch of something i was highly anticipating. Of course I mean Final Fantasy 8. Seriously though I never actually owned a Dreamcast but my best friend did so I mostly played his. We played the hell out of Crazy Taxi and Marvel Vs Capcom.
Patrick McClafferty
2024-09-12 14:17:43 +0000 UTCThis was a great listen. I had to do some of my own reflections on the Dreamcast this week, too. 25 years is wild. It's also wild to think that there were only four years between the first US PlayStation games (9/9/95) and the Dreamcast launch. It is such a small window and lead in game design and technology.
Darren Hupke
2024-09-12 03:43:11 +0000 UTCHKT-7300 was my favorite KOTOR party member—JP
Retronauts
2024-09-11 13:57:01 +0000 UTCClick on the "Membership" tab and you'll see a link to our RSS feed, along with a link to the Retronauts Discord - DF
Retronauts
2024-09-11 08:23:27 +0000 UTCJust joined, where do I find the rss feed?
michael ross
2024-09-11 03:42:56 +0000 UTCVirtual On Oratorio Tangram is still peak robot fighting. I even imported the Twin Sticks. The Dreamcast had so many peripherals despite it's short lifespan.
Andrew O.
2024-09-10 16:27:59 +0000 UTCWhat a nostalgic place for me. I distinctly remember those shops
Craig
2024-09-10 13:07:49 +0000 UTCThe PS2 and GC did not fare well with DC ports. Grandia II was put through what amounts to a fart filter in both visuals and sound. Skies of Arcadia was very washed out and lacked the pop of the original version.
Craig
2024-09-10 13:03:09 +0000 UTCHKT-7300 is not a great name!
Diamond Feit
2024-09-10 02:01:05 +0000 UTCI remember an entire underground mall on Elizabeth St that had at least 3 different import shops selling games/anime/etc
Diamond Feit
2024-09-10 01:59:31 +0000 UTCLoved the episode. I certainly wouldn’t mind a part 2, with even more games from this gem of a system discussed.
Kormakur Gardarsson
2024-09-09 18:53:05 +0000 UTCI always felt the rise of PlayStation and the failure of the Dreamcast revealed something about gamers. Dreamcast was an amazing machine, especially for fans of arcade games. But it turns out that the single-player epic story games that define Sony consoles served a huge untapped market. I love arcade games, so the death of Dreamcast broke my heart. But I think Sony happened upon a much more popular style of game content.
Max du Coudray
2024-09-09 15:40:09 +0000 UTCI didn't get a Dreamcast at launch, but I did get one for about $30 used the week after I got a new Wii in 2007. It came with a VMU, keyboard and an extra controller. I really fell in love with the DC, and very rarely played the Wii after. I still have my CD binder of burned copies of Typing of the Dead, MVC2, various Kings of Fighters, Under Defeat, so many others. Also, this was the system that I was able to run emulators on my TV. I loved running the NES and SMS emulators on the Dreamcast when I didn't have access to my system and didn't want to play on my horrible Dell laptop I was saddled with during college.
Alex Atchley
2024-09-09 14:23:22 +0000 UTCThe arcade stick you both mention is hkt 7300, which people call the Green Goblin. It's the best arcade stick ever ever ever
John Learned
2024-09-09 12:16:43 +0000 UTCAlso as a NYC/NJ local the late 90s was the heyday of import shops in the area. You would see imports on Japanese release dates on the shelves of places like J and L, etc. Think the land of chocolate for Homer but with late stage Saturn imports.
Craig
2024-09-09 12:01:50 +0000 UTC9/9/99 is my special place in time
Craig
2024-09-09 11:36:57 +0000 UTCI was so looking forward to this episode! Thank you!
David Velez
2024-09-09 11:17:10 +0000 UTC
