The Ultimate* Sega Dreamcast Survival Guide
Aug 15 '03
The Bottom Line *Your mileage may vary. Not available in all areas. Some assembly required. BYOB, RTFM, STFU, HOFYMFL, etc. Not valid in Buttsville, New Jersey.
It's been roughly 30 months or so now since Sega decided to pull the plug on the Dreamcast, in order to salvage their company from the ruins of debt. It's been well over a year now since Sega released NHL 2K2, the final US Dreamcast release. Despite the Dreamcast being "dead", the market for the game library is still strong. Not only is there a great DC community online, there's still loads of places that carry NEW DC software and parts, and a strong import scene, meaning there's still plenty of gaming fun to be had on Sega's best and last game console. If you still call the Dreamcast your main console (or are just getting into the console given the low price), the Ultimate Sega Dreamcast Survival Guide is here to help your Dreamcast experience continue to shine. The soul still burns...
For Beginners - Getting Into DC
The Console - Of course, before you can start getting into the rest of the Dreamcast experience, you need the console itself. Thankfully, they're pretty abundant still, though not as easy to find as perhaps last year. Of course, you won't be finding a new Dreamcast anywhere unless someone on eBay has one (and that's a risky proposition), as the console has been sold out since 2001. So, you'll need to check the online sites or your local game store. Purchasing a DC should run you between $25 and $40, and definitely should run no more than that, unless it’s a new one somehow. Also, try to get a console built before October of 2000, so you can take advantage of the special *ahem* tricks that can expand and enrich your Dreamcast gaming time. It should always come with the power cord and AV cables – however, it’s a rare thing to find a used DC with the originally included telephone cord (about a 15 foot cord), and the Web Browser software for surfing the Internet.
The Accessories - Finding some of the most common accessories for the Dreamcast isn’t too bad, as many game stores still carry brand new VMU’s and Controllers, both offline and online. As always, look for Sega branded stuff, as it’s guaranteed to work and is still under a semi-warranty through Sega-Parts.com. If you must buy used gear, it’s usually not bad, as Dreamcast controllers are known for being able to tolerate a lot of abuse, though I’m not sure if you want some stinky Cheetos eatin’ fool’s germs all over a used one if you get stuck with it. However, used VMU’s are okay, and even if the batteries are dead, it’s very easy to replace them. Gamestop.com sells 2 2032 batteries (looks like a watch battery) in a pack for $2, so it’s still pretty cheap to buy the 2 necessary batteries and pop them in. Personally, I suggest buying them in bulk, as they tend to run out very quickly due to the VMU itself – especially if you buy games that use the VMU for side quests and such.
The Games - For a dead console, there’s still an absolute load of software out there to buy, even brand new. While many stores such as EB are slowly phasing out DC software or sticking it in a bargain bin, their online store still has loads of used DC games (they have a great 15 games for $50 deal going on), and a decent selection of new games that changes here and there if they get something new in. Of course, if you’re buying used, there’s always a chance that you’ll get a game sans the box and/or instructions, making collecting a bit hard with cheesy CD cases without art and manuals. For an alternative, CD Covers (www.cdcovers.cc) has excellent scans of DC artwork, making makeshift boxes possible. Along with a program called CD Cover Print (Google it, lazy cretins), you can print out very nice looking boxes that are pretty close to the real deal – minus the instruction manual, of course.
However, given that there’s a strong selection of new games out there, it shouldn’t be hard to collect a great lineup of Dreamcast software. EBGames (www.ebgames.com) has a good selection if you find it fast enough (people such as me obviously scout their section for new goodies), though Gamestop.com struggles to have anything aside from new controllers and those VMU batteries (note to avoid Gamestop for used games – they charge way too much compared to EB). For your best bet, I’d suggest a store such as Amazon, which has a giant selection to this day of many games (some with free shipping), including a large selection of early Dreamcast releases. Also, you can check Sega Parts (www.sega-parts.com) which is Sega’s official vendor, who also sells some good accessories as well, including controllers, VMU’s, and Jump Packs. They also can do repairs on your Dreamcast should it go bad. Finally, you can always scour the eBay family of sites, as they tend to have some great deals too. I tend to prefer Half over eBay for DC related stuff, as there seems to be a stronger DC selection and less inflated prices. Either way, both sites have a good selection of DC games, new and used. After these last 3 steps, you should have a strong Dreamcast lineup and you shouldn’t have had to spend a whole lot of cash. You’re ready to level-up, my young apprentice.
For Advanced DC’ers – Rare, Online & Imported
Hard to Find Dreamcast Propaganda - Despite most of Dreamcast’s software being pretty easy to come across if you know where to look, there’s still a lot of stuff that’s not easy to come across either. The rarest piece of Dreamcast lore is easily the broadband adapter. Sega only produced a few of these babies, as they put it out around the time Sega ended the DC’s life. As such, the device usually runs about $100 and up if someone is selling it, though Gamestop has a listing for a pre-owned version for $23 that’s on backorder (I signed up to notify me if they somehow get it in stock, I’ll laugh my way to the credit card screen in this case). Of course, only a few DC games actually can use it (Outrigger, Unreal, Quake III are the biggest games), so it really doesn’t mean squat in the end, it’s just a rare device to amuse the hardcore.
There are a few rare DC games as well – while Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has lost some of its rarity given that it’s out on PS2 and Xbox now, finding a good used or new DC copy is a tough call. Power Stone 2 also is a rare piece of software, and you’ll expect to pay a pretty high price to find a copy. Really though, the original Power Stone is a bit easier to find ($17 at VideoGameDepot), and it’s also a superior game. Street Fighter III: Third Strike also is impossible to find anymore, though it’s prequel, Double Impact is not too hard to come across. Still, I kick myself for passing on Third Strike when I saw it for $20 at Toys R Us a year or so ago. Darnit. Anyway, that completes the 3 Capcom rarities.
Also, there’s a few other rare items for DC that aren’t published by Capcom – Treasure’s Bangai-O, SNK’s Last Blade 2, and Spider-Man by Activision, which came out at a bad time for the DC and only got a few copies released to stores. Which is unfortunate as the game was much better than the PlayStation version that came out in 2000. While I’m sure there are a few more rare Dreamcast titles out there (and it really depends on your region, as some places will have games that others won’t), those are some of the best games that you’ll never find.
Online Gaming - The Dreamcast was the first console to ship with a modem inside it, letting online gaming develop, as all Dreamcast owners had the necessary parts to do it. It took a year to get SegaNET up and running, and while it only lasted a while, it was still pretty good. Nowadays, Sega’s servers are down with the exception of Phantasy Star Online. However, 3rd party games such as Starlancer, Unreal Tournament, Speed Devils, and even Quake III (playing against PC players) still are up and running. Only a couple support the BB adapter, so 56k is the way to go. However, thanks to a site that lists free ISP’s for access (the few that remain), you can be a broadband user and play on 56k, as scary as it sounds. Just go to Online Consoles (www.onlineconsoles.com) click on the Dreamcast section, find the Free ISP list, and you’re ready to go online. If you manage to have a browser disc, you can also surf the ‘net and download DC stuff such as VMU files – GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs) has a load of them to peruse through.
The Import Scene - While the Dreamcast is dead as a doornail here with software releases, there’s still a load of Japanese Dreamcast activity. From the original release of Ikaruga, to the King of Fighters 2002 release recently, to the upcoming Border Down (which looks downright amazing), the DC import scene is red hot still. And we Americans can still be part of it. Remember me saying that you need a pre-October 2000 Dreamcast? This is why, unless you want to use a mod chip instead. While you can’t just pop in a Japanese or European Dreamcast game and make it work due to territorial lockout, there are some handy workarounds in the form of a boot disc. A boot disc effectively tricks your Dreamcast into thinking you’ve got the right territory for the game (think Freeloader for Cube). There’s many devices that let you do this, and all are pretty simple to find. If you want one that’s semi consistent, there’s the Utopia disc – this was most famous because it let people play backup (read: aaaaaaaaaaaargh, pirates!) DC games, which opened up a ton of piracy on the console. However, when used for the powers of the light side, it can play purchased imported games as well. Many will not run right or not at all, but what can you expect for free?
There’s also DC-X, which is a bit hard to find but can be found if you look around. The DC-X is a pure import player – just pop the disc in, let it load, then pop in your imported game and you can play. A rare few games are incompatible, but there’s about a 99% chance your DC import will work. Finally, the most common way is using a device that you’d least expect to work – Gameshark. Yes, the Gameshark is the evil demon seed of cheaters, but it also can play imports! It’s as simple as getting the Gameshark disc booted up (either GS Lite or CDX), and selecting “Play game without codes”, pop the import in, and voila! Ikaruga as it was meant to be.
Buying imported games is pretty simple as well, especially online. The 2 best American-based importers do a great job – NCSX (www.ncsx.com) and Video Game Depot (www.videogamedepot.com) have a large selection of used and new Dreamcast imports, and even sell the Gameshark cheats & codes disc that also lets you play imports. The prices will be about $10 higher than usual (for instance, the Border Down pre-order for the Sep. 25th release is $60), but given the yen price and shipping & customs from Japan, it all makes sense. If you’re not sure about how import-friendly the game is (as in, can you play the game despite not knowing Japanese, or how much of it is in English, etc), both stores will answer any questions to make sure you don’t buy a game you can’t play. Also, 2 foreign importers, Lik-Sang (www.lik-sang.com) and Play Asia (www.play-asia.com) also carry a ton of imported DC games, though the process is foreign to me as I’ve not ordered from them before. All 4 of these sites also carry a good selection of US Dreamcast games, so you can do all sorts of good stuff here! Buyer beware though – if you buy from Buy Rite Games, I will personally come to your house and beat the crap out of you until you look like the guy in the hospital in Silent Hill 3, hanging upside down with blood pouring into a pail. Never buy from a crooked company that rips off customers.
Don’t fear about other accessories – your VMU’s will play the imports along with the US games, and all controllers, etc. will work. All you need is the boot disc and you can play games that Americans were never meant to actually play (as well as perhaps play that one Half-Life game that got canned but someone had a final copy and leaked it and everyone got all giddy and now I cry because I can’t get it myself because nobody will give it to me)
If you plan on modding your DC, NCSX does carry a modchip and directions for installing it. They won’t do it for you though, but I believe VGD will for a small fee. It’s wiser to do the boot disc strategy, but for 100% accuracy, a modchip is probably the only way to achieve that.
Now, my young near Dreamcast Jedi, you’re ready for the final step to Dreamcast hardcoreness…
For Experts – Emulation & Homebrew
Makin’ Games In The Basement - Because the Dreamcast was built on Windows CE technology, the emulation scene has been monstrous once the code was cracked. Now, there’s a load of emulators and homebrew software out there, further making your Dreamcast experience all the more interesting. Legalities aside, the DC Emulation scene is flat-out bustling. Yet another reason to have a pre October 2000 Dreamcast!
To see all this at work, you must visit DC Emulation (www.dcemulation.com) to get a grip on how huge this scene is. Not only is there some basic PC ports of Doom, Quake, and the like, there’s a huge batch of emulators for other consoles, up to the PlayStation. As Bleem showed, you can run PS games on the Dreamcast, and a few determined individuals are trying to make them all run on a DC. Until then, you can pick up DC versions of some well-known emulators, such as SNES 9x and NESten. Just take the games you perhaps had on your PC (if you legally own them, of course!), burn them to a CD, and you can play them on your Dreamcast. A VMU save is even created to let you save games at any point, just like a PC emulator. While not as good as playing on the original console, just the technological breakthrough is astounding.
Of course, none of this is easy, at all, which is why I say you need to be an advanced user. There’s a lot of special tricks needed to make a lot of this stuff work, and it’s not for the weak hearted, that’s for sure. Many of the games need special ISO’s to work, or odd hex code modifying to make it work, or just plain files that make you figure out how to burn them to a disc. However, if you manage to make it all work, there’s yet another way to extend the life of your mighty Dreamcast.
5 Games An Expert Dreamcaster Should Own
There are of course way more than 5 DC games worth owning – but these are the best of the best. If you want a lineup of the entire collection of Dreamcast games, Sega.com’s Dreamcast section has the Dreamcast Checklist, a PDF with every US Dreamcast game listed for collecting purposes. For importers, these following games listed also are good buys, and are also very import friendly through use of the boot discs or modding methods.
US Games
Soul Calibur - Not much needs to be said here – this is still the best fighting game of the last few years, and still probably the best Dreamcast game, despite being a launch title. Soul Calibur 2 is near, but the original is a brilliant piece of software, with awesome graphics and a deep gameplay system. Along with a load of unlockable items and characters, Soul Calibur 2 could last a long, long time in your Dreamcast. While not easy to find new, used copies are still pretty easy to find, if not in perfect condition. Really though, it could come in just the case and it would be well worth the price you paid.
Resident Evil CODE: Veronica - Perhaps the pinnacle of the series, CODE: Veronica is the first pure 3D Resident Evil game. 2 discs long, and loaded with creepiness and disturbing events, C:V was perhaps the best DC adventure game in many ways. While it’s been ported to the PS2 and soon the GameCube, the Dreamcast version is a testament to how much juice this thing has under the hood, even today. If you’re interested, Amazon sells new copies of C:V for $15, but I’m sure it’s going fast!
NFL 2K2 - While the series is now known as ESPN NFL Football, NFL 2K2 was the last and best NFL 2K game for the Dreamcast. With online play (the server is turned off though), and a great franchise mode along with the trademark 2K gameplay, it was a great send off to the great Dreamcast. Finding it new or used is pretty easy, as many stores are overloaded with DC sports games from 2K2 and even 2K.
Test Drive Le Mans - This one was a shock when it came out. Simply the best Dreamcast racer around – beautiful graphics, loads of tracks and races, and a ton of unlockable cars. You can even race the 24 hour Le Mans race! Not all at one time, of course, but you can play it all in real-time, complete with realistic day to night effects and ultra-tough AI as well. This was a later DC release, and as such isn’t really easy to find new, though Half.com has a few new, and it’s about $8 used at EB. No matter though, it’s worth every penny if you love racing games.
Skies of Arcadia - Usually I hate RPG’s, or at least tolerate them. Skies of Arcaida though, is a different story. Instead of the dreadful melodrama that ruins many RPG’s, the carefree, adventuring theme of SOA won me over, along with the great characters and kickin’ ship battles. Random battles were a bit too frequent, but the fighting engine was good enough that you just won’t care. Not only is this a long game that’s loaded with cool locales and characters, a wide array of side-quests such as the Discoveries can add hours and hours to playtime. Sadly, this game didn’t sell well at all, and it’s also pretty rare used or new. But if you find a copy, buy it without fail, and prepare for a hell of a role-playing experience.
Japanese Games
Ikaruga
Border Down
Guilty Gear X
King of Fighters 2002
Capcom vs SNK 2
European Games
Headhunter
Rez
Shenmue 2
Fighting Vipers 2
Dreamcast Resources
Websites Galore - While a good batch of Dreamcast sites have faded away along with the Dreamcast, a few more still exist and only exist to educate gamers looking for more DC goodness. They’re chock full of reviews, information, and general DC-ness that will only educate you more on the almighty Dreamcast console. Let’s link ‘em up, shall we? Dreamcast History (www.dreamcasthistory.com) is a wonderful site that has a ton of great information and archives for Dreamcast fans, as this site is built to preserve the legacy of the Dreamcast. They also have a store, letting you buy some good Dreamcast items that also helps the site buy other rare items and make their site as comprehensive as possible.
Next up is Planet Dreamcast (www.planetdreamcast.com). Back in the day, this was my favorite place for DC stuff, and it’s still around though inactive. They have a great batch of reviews including some imports, and their Best DC Games section is awesome. They even have some forums as well for discussing Dreamcast and Sega in general. Planet Dreamcast is a great place to check out what was and what could and should have been with the Sega Dreamcast.
Finally, we have IGN Dreamcast (dreamcast.ign.com). While the forums are closed to Insiders (Ha Ha!), the site itself is open, and chock full of reviews, previews, and features. It’s been a long time since they updated (Ikaruga is the last main story, and this was a year ago), but it still has all the great IGN information you know from the other channels, and there always was a strong sense of love for the Dreamcast for anyone who wrote on the site.
I’ll Let You Go Play Now
As you can see, the Dreamcast is, for a dead console, still kicking up dust and still a viable piece of entertainment even these days, some 4 years after the US release. From importing and emulation, to online gaming and even finding lots of brand new software to play for the console, the Dreamcast still has a lot to offer any gamer as long as they’re planning on giving the system a shot. While it’s inevitable that the DC community and games will fade over time, like all other systems, what’s around now is well worth your time, and will go much easier on the wallet – if you don’t do a lot of importing, that is. While the PS2, Xbox, and GCN get most of the news these days for obvious reasons, it doesn’t mean the Dreamcast isn’t worthy of recognition.
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