What Dreamcast Games Should I Get?

[UmbraTheHedgehog]

I recently bought a Sega Dreamcast and I absolutely love it! I only have Sonic Adventure 1-2 and Sonic Shuffle at the moment but I have several games in mind. I didn't grow up with the Dreamcast but I think I played it once when I was a kid. I was really curious and wanted to get it so I did. What games do you recommend I get for the Sega Dreamcast? What are your favorite Dreamcast games? I would appreciate your input!

[Polkadi~☆]

Skies of Arcadia and Jet Set Radio! One is an awesome JRPG, and the other is funky as all heck (with music by hideki naganuma :DDDD).

Crazy Taxi is also another fun choice too. Feel free to check 'em out.

[UmbraTheHedgehog]

2 minutes ago, Polkadi said:

Skies of Arcadia and Jet Set Radio! One is an awesome JRPG, and the other is funky as all heck (with music by hideki naganuma :DDDD).

Crazy Taxi is also another fun choice too. Feel free to check 'em out.

Thanks! I have heard of those so I will definitely check them out.

[Tori Himemiya]

I will say one thing.

Illbleed

Yeah this game is rather infamous for a certain part of it but there's more to the game than a tongue in cheek reference. Needless to say that this is one of the most unique games I've ever experienced. Its just a very surreal experience and that can make it funny and horrifying at the same time. I just never played a game like it and its the reason why I bought a Dreamcast in the first place. However it might cost a pretty penny but its worth it.

Also as a side note Blue Stinger if you want another survival horror game on the console that isn't on anything else. I will say I think the main reason why to check it out is mostly to hear the Dreamcast era Sonic cast say some of the most cheesiest lines ever outside of well Sonic of course.

[ThePrinceOfSaiyans]

• Sonic Adventure
• Sonic Adventure 2
• Phantasy Star Online
• Jet Set Radio
• Soul Calibur 

[MightyRay]

I've heard good things about Chu Chu Rocket if you're into puzzle games and if you're into rhythm game then you gotta check out Space Channel 5.

[UmbraTheHedgehog]

14 minutes ago, Crow the BOOLET said:

I will say one thing.

Illbleed

Yeah this game is rather infamous for a certain part of it but there's more to the game than a tongue in cheek reference. Needless to say that this is one of the most unique games I've ever experienced. Its just a very surreal experience and that can make it funny and horrifying at the same time. I just never played a game like it and its the reason why I bought a Dreamcast in the first place. However it might cost a pretty penny but its worth it.

Also as a side note Blue Stinger if you want another survival horror game on the console that isn't on anything else. I will say I think the main reason why to check it out is mostly to hear the Dreamcast era Sonic cast say some of the most cheesiest lines ever outside of well Sonic of course.

Thanks I have never heard of these games, interesting recommendations. I will check it out.

11 minutes ago, ThePrinceOfSaiyans said:

• Sonic Adventure
• Sonic Adventure 2
• Phantasy Star Online
• Jet Set Radio
• Soul Calibur 

Thank you! I have a friend who loves Phantasy Star so I will definitely get it.

11 minutes ago, MightyRay said:

I've heard good things about Chu Chu Rocket if you're into puzzle games and if you're into rhythm game then you gotta check out Space Channel 5.

interesting recommendations, Thank you!

[Sean]

I don't have it myself, but the DC version of Rayman 2 is considered one of the better versions. It has the smoothest framerate and pretty much none of the performance problems that plague a lot of later versions such as Rayman 2 DS or 3DS.

[McGroose]

Do you need to mod your Dreamcast or include an add-on to make sure that the online functionality works? Specifically asking for Phantasy Star Online, so expect to have to do some additional tinkering before you play that game. Heard it is a lot of fun and it looks like it.

Really, just type in "best dreamcast games" onto Google and I'll pretty much agree with every game that pops up. What I love about it the most is that it has so many higher-quality variants of PS1 & N64 games that came out years before on it, like Toy Story 2 & Resident Evil.

[UmbraTheHedgehog]

15 minutes ago, McGroose said:

Do you need to mod your Dreamcast or include an add-on to make sure that the online functionality works? Specifically asking for Phantasy Star Online, so expect to have to do some additional tinkering before you play that game. Heard it is a lot of fun and it looks like it.

Really, just type in "best dreamcast games" onto Google and I'll pretty much agree with every game that pops up. What I love about it the most is that it has so many higher-quality variants of PS1 & N64 games that came out years before on it, like Toy Story 2 & Resident Evil.

I didn't think of that, thanks for the advice for Phantasy Star Online, will need to keep that in mind. I will definitely research best Dreamcast games.

[SaturnWolf]

I really liked the Dreamcast port of Spider-Man! It's not nearly as robust as something like Ultimate but for 2000 it's pretty damn good.

[Shaun Shikeishuu]

Most of the good ones were already mention, only big one I think people missed was Shenmue and Shenmue II (Pal Version). If you like arcade racers I'd suggest picking up Hydro Thunder and Rush 2049. Two of my all time arcade games and they're great on the Dreamcast. 

Also fighting games if you're into them: Power Stone 1 & 2, Marvel vs. Capcom 1&2 and Dead or Alive 2.

[Cuz]

2 hours ago, DreamSaturn said:

I really liked the Dreamcast port of Spider-Man! It's not nearly as robust as something like Ultimate but for 2000 it's pretty damn good.

Oh yeah! It's not the greatest game out there but if you liked the 90's cartoon it's got the same voice cast and some of the writing is pretty hilarious. Venom's a riot.

D2 if you're into survival horror any, the first Metal Gear Soild's a good frame of reference. You're stuck in the alps with a gun and there are like aliens. It's nowhere near Illbleed's sense of humor but Kenji Eno's was like the poor man's Kojima, so expect it to walk the line between silly and heady.

[Tarnish]

Obviously it depends on what kind of games are your cup of tea.

For quick arcade-like games I would recommend Chu Chu Rocket!, Alien Front Online, Ooga Booga and Propeller Arena for sure. Chu Chu, Alien Front and Ooga Booga are still (or rather once again) playable online with other people as well.

Crazy Taxi 1 and 2 and Jet Set Radio are always fun.

[JezMM]

While Phantasy Star Online was a beloved Dreamcast game at the time, the offline experience is very grindy and setting up so you can connect to fan-made servers will require some additional effort.  It isn't really at all the ideal way to experience that game if you are interested in it, better to play Blue Burst on PC, which has the content from the Gamecube release of PSO and even more, plus, doesn't require a ton of modding to get yourself running on a fan server since most fan servers will preconfigure the game to connect to them when you download it.

At this point, the Dreamcast version of PSO is only really worth getting as a nostalgia item if you're already into the game, or to get your hands on the elusive Sonic Adventure 2 demo disc that came with it (which is notable for featuring a unique instrumental version of City Escape's theme and that Sonic doesn't wear his SOAP shoes).

 

 

Anyway, other than that I can second Jet Set Radio. Tbh a lot of the classic recommended DC games didn't stick with me for very long, but JSR is definitely one that brought me back for a second and third playthrough over the years that I had my DC set up.  Note that since you're in America, the original game was localised as "Jet Grind Radio" over there due to some copyright stuff.

[Mr Loopone]

It depends what genres you are into, whether its platforming, racing, fighting, sports, shoot em ups. Whether you're on a budget or want to go all out. The Dreamcast might only have around 200 games but you are spoiled for choice whether its from the arcade, an improved PS1 game or an original game. There's only really a few clunkers on the console, mostly from Acclaim and Titus.

If you're on a budget, well value of Dreamcast games seem to change like every month and yes, I really do mean it. Chu Chu Rocket is a great puzzle game, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation is an old school Tomb Raider game and considered one of the better ones (also better graphics than the PS1 original), Virtua Striker 2 for your arcade soccer and pretty much your only decent option on the console, Sega GT for a decent Gran Turismo clone and Sega Rally 2. Now Sega Rally 2 isn't a great port due to graphical cutbacks, slowdown and even crashes but its still a fine game, has extra tracks and has a career mode, I often play it. (There's also V-Rally 2 that might be a better option)

As for personal recommendations, there's the usual Jet Set Radio (you can play on PC, PS3/360 though), Crazy Taxi (on a lot of stuff these days but the Dreamcast, Gamecube and the PS2 are the original versions before a lot got changed) and the Power Stone series but sometimes you want to play something different.

One of my favourites is Virtua Tennis. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure but made me like tennis games. It's arcadey but has a deep World Tour mode. Oh and some great music, the first two games have the best music in the series. It's also cheap to pick up since its a common game. Also have Virtua Tennis 2 (believe it got a silly name in the US, think it is Tennis 2K if you're interested on picking it up) but haven't played it yet, its more of the same as it is the don't fix if it ain't broken except it has female players too.

Confidential Mission is my go to light gun shooter game. It's a cheesy American Bond theme but plays like Virtua Cop. While Silent Scope (recommend Silent Scope Complete if you have a Xbox) and House of the Dead 2 appeared on other consoles, Confidential Mission is pretty much Dreamcast only and technically too if you count the arcade.

Soul Calibur - Great fighting game, has a Quest mode, looks fantastic pretty much the arcade version at home and its a Western launch title too. One of the best in the series.

Soul Reaver and Shadow Man are two dark themed platform games. They also happen to be the best versions of those games graphically, performance and in Shadow Man's case, the least censored version (the more popular N64 version is censored). There are camera issues with Soul Reaver though but it was fairly typical of the era.

Le Mans 24 Hours/Test Drive Le Mans It's hard but its pretty and runs pretty well too. You could even do the full 24 hour race if you want, whether the Dreamcast or you could cope is another thing.

Metropolis Street Racer Ever played the Project Gotham Racing series and like them? This is its beginning. Good gimmick where it has "real time" day/night cycle that seemed have got dropped off the series where it is night in Tokyo, day in London and morning in San Francisco. Has a great soundtrack done by the same people as Sonic R (Richard Jacques and TJ Davis). There are glitchy print runs of this game about though since it was rushed and each different print run had a bug fix.

F1 Racing Championship might be an unusual pick for a F1 game. Normally its F1 World Grand Prix or Monaco Grand Prix for the Dreamcast choice but sometimes lesser known games can surprise you and its a merger of the two games. Pretty much a sequel to Monaco Grand Prix except that it is fully licensed and has much better handling. It controls decently and graphically it has held up well. It has an arcade option where you pass a lap within a time limit or the usual simulation so there is a choice of gameplay and one that not many F-1 games have. The N64 version is great and so is the Dreamcast version, both different games and developers but have their similarities. Also one of the early Ubisoft Montreal games before they made it big with Prince of Persia: Sands of Time and Splinter Cell. I don't think this got released in the US though.

Others are:

Looney Tunes Space Race
Rayman 2
Headhunter
San Francisco Rush 2049
Hydro Thunder

Have a soft spot for GTA 2, Daytona USA 2001 and 18 Wheeler but they are more guilty pleasures and not to everyone's taste. Especially with GTA 2 depends whether you like the old school GTA gameplay and not many do.

Oh and a bit of warning. Some Dreamcast games are very expensive to buy and some to silly levels especially Skies of Arcadia and a majority of the Capcom stuff. Yes, I know there is a well known way (that's why Propeller Arena got mentioned, it was unreleased). Also a few games seem to suffer from dodgy print runs such as Crazy Taxi (a game that I would recommend but not on the Dreamcast, at least in Europe because of the "dirty disc" error) and F355 Challenge where they can randomly fail even with no scratches. Oh and test your copies of Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 while you are at it. They had dodgy print runs too.

[Cayenne]

Some of my favorites that weren't posted yet:

- Project Justice: Rival Schools 2 (3D Fighting game, JPN and PAL territories only)

- Guilty Gear X (2D Fighting game, JPN only)

- Heavy Metal Geomatrix (Arena Fighting game)

- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (Arcade Sports - Skate)

- Record of Lodoss War (Action RPG - Diablo Clone)

- Outrigger (FPS/TPS hybrid)

- Quake III (FPS)

- Unreal Tournament (FPS)

[mikeblastdude]

If you’re looking for a fun platformer, I would recommend Super Magnetic Neo. Reviews are a bit mixed on that game, but I personally loved it. Although, it does take a bit of getting used to. I never seem to see anyone talk about this one, which is a shame, because I think it deserves some more love.

Jet Set Radio (Jet Grind Radio), as others have mentioned, is a lot of fun, and definitely one of the definitive Dreamcast games. And yeah, the music in that game is wonderful.

If you’re looking for some quick, fast-paced, arcade fun, my top recommendations would be Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Crazy Taxi, and Hydro Thunder. I enjoyed all three of these games quite a bit.

Dreamcast has a lot of great fighting games, if you’re into those. Marvel vs. Capcom, Virtua Fighter 3tb, Power Stone, Soul Calibur, and Street Fighter Alpha 3, to name a good few.

[UmbraTheHedgehog]

Thanks everyone for all the input and perspectives on Dreamcast games! I definitely have a better idea on what the must have Dreamcast games are now so I really appreciate it. I also now have a lot of games to look up now. I don't have many games right now but I already love my Sega Dreamcast and think its one of the best consoles ever! I love the huge and interesting variety of games despite the short lifespan it had, the fun and charming startup and menu is very memorable, its impressive ability to have online features and to play CDs. The VMU is pretty interesting. There are very few negative things I could think of, I only wish I grew up with it when I was a kid but the Nintendo GameCube was my first console. I really appreciate the amount and variety of feedback I got so thank you!

[Agie]

I wanna say this; avoid the Dreamcast version of the Toy Story 2 game, unless your Dreamcast is in perfect condition. If it isn't, then you'll be encountering crashes the further along you get in the game. I hear the PS1 version doesn't have that bug, so that's probably the way to go.

I looked at the disc, and even held it under a light, and saw nothing that shpuld have caused it, and then it turned out I wasn't even alone. So yeah, avoid the Dreamcast version, and get the PS1 version instead.

[shdowhunt60]

As far as I'd say?

*Sonic Adventure 1 + 2 (duh)

*House of the Dead series (IF YOU HAVE A CRT! LIGHT GUNS DON'T WORK RIGHT WITH LCD TV'S!)

*Soul Calibre

*Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

*Ecco the Dolphin

*Phantasy Star Online (this one takes a LOT of fiddling around to get working)

*Shenmue 1+2 (also duh, just beware! The second game can be really expensive!)

*Powerstone 1 + 2 (OH GOD THESE TWO ARE SUPER EXPENSIVE, but they're absolutely amazing games)

*Resident Evil: Code Veronica

*Resident Evil 2 (This also can be pretty pricey! But the DC version is one of the best versions of the game)

*Resident Evil 3

*Jet Grind Radio (Or Jet Set Radio, depending on where you're fun)

*Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 (ESPECIALLY 2!)

There's a bunch others, but those come to mind. The Dreamcast has a ton of games.

[GOAT]

Powerstone 2....So underrated. So amazing.