Viewing Thread:
"Is this why the Dreamcast died?"

The Dreamcast. Segas final console. For the time being, anyway.

So what exaclty was wrong with it? Anyone that has one will tell you that it's a fantasic console, with some of the best games around. In which case, how come everyone hasn't got one?

I new it was being released, I'd seen the ads on the television. So many billion players and the like. Robbie Williams playing in the background, etc. what about games though? I never saw any of those advertised alone. Online gaming is more for your 'hardcore' gamers, and advertising the console on this point alone simply did not create any interest in it whatsoever! It wasn't something that interseted me, either. I didn't want to fork out extra on online charges!

So all the general public knew was that it could play games online. Not that there were that many games that could be played online, especially in it's early life!

Games were not advertised in the same way, so the general public, those that you need to buy the console in order to keep it afloat, didn't know what they were missing. The big 3rd party developers were cautious, not wishing to commit to the Dreamcast, and sticking with the successful Playstation. Especially as it's successor had been announced, the PS2. It was generally believed that this would be the future, and not Segas white box of tricks.

The Dreamcast had some innovative and clever titles, such as Samba De Amigo in which you had to shake maraccas, as Sega Bass Fishing, which came with a little rod accessory! What it was lacking, however was all of those games that made them great! Yes Sonic the Hedgehog appeared, and Ecco the Dolphin, but what about all of those other classic Sega characters that gamers know and love? Where was Alex Kidd, Sega's mascott character before the days of Sonic was allowed to die long before the Dreamcast era. Shinobi? Not seen since the Megadrive, even though the games were fantastic, and there was plenty of room to take it to the next level. What about Toejam and Earl? Again popular during the days of the Megadrive, it's only now, too late, that we hear of a sequel! At least Phantasy Star got a decent follow up!

So what am I saying here? Sequels sell a console! Sega would have been in a much better position if they'd have just stuck some of their classic characters into some of their innovative titles. That way there's something immediate for the gamer to hold onto, and make the games, and hence the console, a much more attractive option. A sequel to Nights, for instance, would have surely have intersted anyone that ever played the Saturn original!

Where Nintendo excel is in using it's characters to keep people interested Sega failed miserably. They made some truely great games, but how would you know that it you never even gave them a thought?

I never had a Dreamcast. I see at as a great console, with some great games, but it never had the magic to sell it to the masses. Magic doesn't just come with innovation, it comes with tradition too. One without the other just doesn't work, people don't care and it's a shame. A damn shame.

Jet Set is the nuts

JSR is immense!!

Grix if you wanna game unlike any other you have played.

I would definetely recommend Jet Set Radio!

Get that game!

I'm fed up with the fact that things pass me by that I'll probably regret later, so I recently went out and picked up a Dreamcast on the cheap.

And yeah, it's great. I've had little time to use it at the moment, but it is great fun. I'd certainly recommend it to anyone.

All I need now is some games... might even choose a DC game with that gameaday thing I was err... awarded.

no, they needed to bring all of the characters that gamers knew and loved to the console to get people interested, rather than simply advertise that there were billions of potential players.

I know I might have bought one if there were games featuring Alex Kidd, Shinobi, andif Phantasy Star Online had appeared earlier in it's life.

Once Sega got Sonic as a mascot, they let all of their other well known characters drift from memory.

In order ft terh DC to create sequels,it actually needs to make them first,anf it is doing so with clasic titles such as
Shenmue 2
Ecco 2
Sonic 2
Crazy Taxi 2
Vitrua tennis 2
Phantasy Star Online 2
Gran Turismo 2(hehehehehehh,bad luck sony)
NBA 2K2
Meh,cant think of any more

Sequels are commming.oh oh oh oh i forgot skies of arcadia 2,well got to go almost at the bridge now,ohh shoot,how im i supposed to send this post out..

My posts gone cold im wondering why,i loged on at all.
My Dreamcast is dead and buried now
and i cant play at all.
and even if i could it would still be sonic
running dowwwwwn the walllllllllll(say it long,hehe)
Ir reminds me that its still not over.
still not over.

Thanks for reading

Tony, did you see how much they are expecting that box to cost??? £600, damn thats an expensive Dreamcast!!

I wonder whether Pace will get their Dreamcast-based machine off the ground.

This could be quite an interesting one to watch.

Gaming is going in all sorts of directions at once at the present time.

I thought the dreamcast died becauce it couldnt get laid?!?

Just a rumor admittadly... but it sounded like it might be true?

Yeah, it is coming out.

Not sure if it'll be the same.

No bugs for this one though.