411 Games Top 5 09.24.09: Week 30: Top Dreamcast Games

Posted by Todd Vote on 09.24.2009

From Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Sonic Adventure to Crazy Taxi, Power Stone, and others, 411 Games Staffers rank their Top Dreamcast Games in the latest edition of the 411 Games Top 5! See which games made the lists and why!

Hello everyone, welcome back to the Top 5. I'm Toddo, and let me just say Fusion Powers kick ass. That is all. Last week we covered voice acting performances, and as per usual, the readers had some differing opinions, and we also found out why Missy doesn't wear socks with shoes. It's a comfort thing.


Comment Time with Toddo!

I can't believe no one mentioned Brian Cox as Lionel Starkweather in Manhunt!
Posted By: Sev (Guest) on September 16, 2009 at 11:22 PM

My god that was Brian Cox, wasn't it? Good call Sev.

I love the dude from Gauntlet. "Red Warrior needs food, badly." "Blue Wizard is about to die."
Posted By: YepYep (Guest) on September 17, 2009 at 02:37 AM

Wow, no love for John DiMaggio as Marcus Fenix or Mark Hammill for the Joker in Batman: AA (which is probably the best-voiced video game I've ever played). I'm also surprised no one's mentioned any sports games. As much as I hate John Fatten, his voice is pretty much synonymous with football games, JR's been in WWE games forever, and while neither of those were particularly good (basically due to broken/repetitive commentary in the games), both Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan did a tremendous job with UFC Undisputed 2009.
Posted By: Wyatt Beougher (Guest) on September 17, 2009 at 06:08 AM

Dimaggio did fine as Fenix, but he missed making my list because I don't feel he added anything to the character of Marcus Fenix. The voice basically could have been done by any number of 1000 people. The choices that made my particular list were voices that I couldn't see being done better by anybody else. As for Hammill in AA, I haven't played it yet, so I can't have an opinion one way or the other on that subject.

How about Simon Templeman? Some of the best voice acting ever with the Legacy Of Kain series.
Posted By: Stitch (Guest) on September 17, 2009 at 08:51 AM

Simon Templeton was awesome as Kain in Legacy of Kain.
Posted By: Kain (Guest) on September 17, 2009 at 09:43 AM

Tony Jay, Simon Templeman, and Michael Bell in the Legacy of Kain series. Everything else is just child's play.
Posted By: His Bubbliness (Guest) on September 17, 2009 at 07:10 PM

Certainly no lack of love from the readers about Kain.... Thanks for reminding us.

I was hoping someone would mention Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars being in Oblivion.
Posted By: Sam Pow (Registered) on September 19, 2009 at 01:41 PM

See Sam? This is why you should always participate in the Top 5. LOL, I don't think I have to explain again why something from Oblivion didn't make my list.

LISTS!

Plus:
Doug Stone as Psycho Mantis
Quinton Flynn as Raiden
Hamill as Joker
Wally Wingert as The Riddler
Dino Andrade as The Scarecrow.
David Hayter and Patrick Zimmerman would be my 1) and 2) tho.
Posted By: BBM (Guest) on September 17, 2009 at 09:17 PM

1. TC Carson - Kratos
2. Nolan North - Nathan Drake
3. David Hayter - Solid Snake
4. Mark Hamil - The Joker
5. Kevin Conroy - Batman
Posted By: Hdj360 (Guest) on September 17, 2009 at 02:35 AM

Thanks guys, keep them lists coming.


This column is approved by Christina Hendricks


So... at the request of a fellow writer, and because we seem to be on that kick. This week the top 5 once again gets nostalgic. That's right another classic system has celebrated a birthday. I'm speaking of the Dreamcast of course. Mark Salmela, formerly of B3yond the Report recently asked me why the Dreamcast didn't get the same love as the Genesis, and the Gameboy did for having a birthday. The answer was simple, I didn't know about it. Not to mention that I've never played the Dreamcast, so I just wasn't to hip on that particular subject. But lo and behold, here we are. Your welcome Mark.

Last week I offered the readers a chance to be featured in the Top 5 if they could just get me a list of Dreamcast games. The only requirement was that the list be emailed to me instead of posting them in the comments. I don't know if it was a lack of interest, or my Spam filter, but I didn't receive one email. If you sent me a list for the Dreamcast, and I didn't get it, please let me know down in the comments, so we can rectify the situation, and hopefully feature your list next week if we had a problem.

Meanwhile... back at the Hall of Justice, the show got on the road. The 411 Games staff proudly bring you our Top 5 Dreamcast games.

Since he requested the subject, it is only fitting that we start things off with mark Salmela. Mark is Shaqless this week, and I am bound by law not to mention anything about the sudden disappearance of Shaq, and Marks basement in the same sentence. So you get Mr. Salmela all by his self this week.

Mark SalmelaHONORABLE MENTIONS:

Typing of the Dead - Just more proof on how awesome the Dreamcast was. Typing of the Dead sounds stupid until you play it. House of the Dead 2, except instead of using guns; you have a keyboard and type words to kill enemies. But trust me, it's an absolute blast, and gets super intense. I wish I had learned to type by killing zombies with phrases such as "fruity corpse".

Ikaruga - One of the best top down shooters ever, Ikaruga first came to home consoles on the Dreamcast. It's also possibly the best port of Ikaruga. It may not be HD, but damn is that game fun.

Space Channel 5 - Don't ask me to explain this game. I can't even explain it to myself. But that unlockable guy who made Thriller is no longer with us.

House of the Dead 2 - Zombies! Must kill zombies!

5.) Tennis 2K2 - The sequel to Virtual Tennis on the Dreamcast, Tennis 2K2 improved upon everything. Better graphics, more characters, better single player, and more. This was the best entrée in the Virtual Tennis series.



4.) Crazy Taxi - Hey hey hey, it's Crazzzzzzzzzy Taxi. Ok, annoying announcer aside, Crazy Taxi is an absolute blast. Driving around a city causing mayhem and being rewarded for nearly killing your customers, how could you not love Crazy Taxi? While the sequel was a little more bland, the original was full of life, and the in-game advertisements actually made the game better. I'd rather someone want to go to KFC than "Chicken Store A".

3.) Jet Grind Radio - Ahhh the colors, there's so many colors. The Gears of War freaks would shrivel up and die trying to play this game. Jet Grind Radio came out when games actually had color and a visual appeal to them, rather than trying to render the best mud. Spray painting graffiti using street fighter style controls? Hell yes.

2.) Marvel vs. Capcom 2 - Quite possibly the best fighter ever, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 needs to be played on the Dreamcast. There's a reason the PS3 and 360 ports are based on Dreamcast code instead of PS2 and Xbox code. Now that I think of it, all of the best fighters were on Dreamcast. Soul Calibur, Street Fighter 3, Power Stone, Fatal Fury, the list goes on.

1.) Sonic Adventure - This was back when Sonic was actually awesome. I like Sonic Adventure a little more than Sonic Adventure 2, as something just didn't quite click with me in Adventure 2. Don't get me wrong Adventure 2 is one of my favorite games ever, but I liked Adventure 1 just a little more. Well, besides the Big the Cat levels, because I still hate Big the Cat. Oh, and I hate whoever decided there should be fishing levels in Sonic Adventure.

Drew RobbinsHONORABLE MENTIONS

Sonic Adventure 2 - Also known as "Tails and Knuckles Shitty, Stupid Adventure." Despite this, I love the game, as not only were the Sonic stages great, but it was the only pet sim I'll ever admit getting addicted to. Chaos, anyone?

5.Jet Grind Radio - It had style! It had really freaking weird music! It had...a lot of cool things. Grafitti man, remember when that was cool? This was one of those games I point to when I try to prove people how incredibly unique and awesome the Dreamcast was.

4.Marvel vs. Capcom 2 - Before that PS3 and 360 nonsense with the worst online play of all time, the Dreamcast Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was the one that you had to own. It had the best graphics, and who didn't love playing fighting games with that awkwardly sized Dreamcast controller? Well...I didn't, but it was something I had to deal with if I wanted to play the real version of this game.

3.Crazy Taxi - Most of my gaming memories don't originate in a Target of all places, but this and Majora's Mask (a story for a different time) all date back to that accursed store. I didn't have a Dreamcast at the time, so I was always eager to pick up a display controller at stores. This particular Target had Crazy Taxi on display, and I was instantly enamored with the ability to drive like a complete asshole with little repercussion.



2.Power Stone 2 - Before Smash Bros. Melee one-upped the 64 classic, Power Stone accomplished that very feat on the Dreamcast. Four players could battle in a completely 3D plane, each level having its own unique gimmick. You could be battling on a boat that crashes into a thick sheet of ice, or have a level that falls to another floor where you are chased Indiana Jones style through a hallway. Even though the characters were mostly forgettable, this game is anything but that, and is still fun to pull out at a party.

1.Sonic Adventure - This game wins a lot of awards in my book. Worst lip-syncing, worst use of a fat purple cat in a video game, but also, and most importantly, the last amazing Sonic game. Everyone was blown away with the real 3D debut of Sonic, and if you say you weren't, you are a filthy liar. Its so sad to see what has become of Sonic, as it was sad to see what quickly happened to the Dreamcast. Long live the Dreamcast! Never forget!

Greg BrunoHONORABLE MENTIONS

Shenmue - I know, it's a fantastic title. I just never really cared for it. Shenmue kept my interest piqued for an entire 15 minutes before I'd pop in one of the games below.

5.Crazy Taxi - This was "the" game to have for a little while. I remember my friends and I playing this for hours and being amazed at how big the city was. I'd love to go back and give this a run through.

4.Sonic Adventure - What's this? The guy who blasted Sonic Unleashed has a Sonic game as a top 5 games? Well...yeah...when it comes to Dreamcast games, Sonic was a fantastic title. Too bad it never followed through.

3.Power Stone - I played this before I could drink, so I didn't get to really utilize its awesomeness for what it could have been. Anyone who ever loved the Smash Bros series would be wise to play this.

2.House of the Dead - Here's another one of those "I rented it and it was so cool at the time" games. Having multiple paths provided tons of replay time for me and my younger brothers. Too bad the movie and subsequent games were a let down.

creepy, isn't it?

1.Seamen - There. I said it. This was fun as hell. When the freaky fish learned a new word, I would nearly shit myself with excitement. Everything I know about parenting, I learned from Seamen. There's a Megan Fox joke to be made here, but I'm classier than that and intend to remain that way.

Lee PriceHONORABLE MENTIONS

Chu Chu Rocket - How many free games are this much fun? This game helped show the potential of online console gaming with a very simple premise.

Metropolis Street Racer - Without this game there is no Project Gotham Racing. I loved the Kudos system especially.

5.Resident Evil: Code Veronica - I am a huge Resi fan but if I had to pick out of the main games, this one would probably come bottom. Having said that it is still a superb game. One of the last Resident Evil games with the old style control system, coupled with the same cheesy dialogue and zombie killing action still made for a very fine game. Having said that the old Resi engine was starting to show its age here a little bit, plus we had to put up with Steve so RE:CV just about cracks the top 5.

4.Jet Set Radio - The first of two Retronomicon alumnus in my list, Jet Set Radio is the game that sparked of the Cel-Shading craze. Whether this is a good or bad thing is up to you, but nobody can deny just how innovative, fresh and, most importantly, fun this game was and still is. I still think that it is marginally better the its Xbox sequel and its definitely worth a play. Who knew graffiti could make such a good game.

3.Sonic Adventure 2 - If there was one of the 3D Sonic games that I could hold up and say that SEGA can make a decent triple dimensional hedgehog game it would be this one. Granted the robot and searching missions are a chore, but when you get in control of Sonic or Shadow the game becomes an absolute roller-coaster. Those levels are Sonic done right and are the closest thing the recent Sonic games have gotten to his glorious 16-Bit peak.

2.Soul Calibur - The PlayStation had the Tekken series from Namco as its big fighting game and many wondered what it would look like in the newer generation. Unfortunately we didn't find out until the PS2 came out. What we did find out was that Namco we capable of creating one of the single greatest fighting games of all time in its stead. This game still looks beautiful today, and its arguable that none of the subsequent Soul Calibur games has quite matched up to this one. Its also a damn sight smoother than Soul Blade as well, and is just an all round quality fighter on a console that had its fair share.



1.Shenmue Series - Was it ever going to be anything else? The peeps who read the Retronomicon know my love for this series so i won't wax too lyrical here, but this game was absolutely immense. I love everything about it and I think its a damned shame that we're never going to see the conclusion to the Shenmue saga. Play this game now.

Armando RodriguezHONORABLE MENTIONS

Virtua Fighter 3: Team Battle: Even as my least favorite Virtua Fighter game, it is still a ton of fun and one of the best fighting games on the Dreamcast.

Crazy Taxi: This is one of the most addictive titles I have ever played. I guess it is a credit to the development team's skill that even with only one environment and one cab to ride on; I spent weeks playing it every single day.

5.Power Stone - This is the type of game I show people when they don't believe a Super Smash Bros. style game can be done without Mario. I mean, they didn't have a single character that people could recognize at first sight, but it was an amazing game, especially in multiplayer. It boggles my mind that we have never seen a third entry in the series for newer consoles.

4.Marvel vs. Capcom 2 - What else could you possibly want in a fighting game? I mean, you have dozens of popular characters from the Marvel and Capcom universes, everyone from Ryu, Ken, Akuma and M. Bison to Spiderman, Hulk, Wolverine and Iron Man. You have an insane amount of special moves and combos, some of which could be stretched into infinity. The game is not perfect, but it is a ton of fun.

3.Soul Calibur - A lot of people call this the greatest fighting game ever made. I don't believe that, but I do respect and understand why people call it such. I was a Sony guy back when the Dreamcast came out, abandoning Sega after the Saturn debacle, but this was the game that actually made me want to get a Dreamcast. The graphics where insane for the time, the fighting system was near perfect and the cast of characters was (and still is) one of the most interesting I have ever seen. Voldo is my favorite, he reminds me a bit of a cross between Hannibal Lecter and Victor Zsasz of Batman fame. I also liked Killik a lot.



2.NBA2K/NFL2K - As an avid sports gamer, the biggest legacy the Dreamcast left behind has to be the NFL and NBA 2K series. They redefined sports at the time, beating Madden and Live at their own game with the best graphics and gameplay of the time. I still mourn the loss of the NFL license, but I still have my copies of NFL2K3 and 2K5 for the PS2 and also played all the Dreamcast titles as well. The same goes for NBA2K, possibly the only sports franchise that I have played every single installment since it first came out.

1.Jet Grind Radio - This is my favorite Dreamcast game of all time, one part Tony Hawk and one part graffiti artist game. It revolutionized games with the use of cel-shaded graphics, which became a staple in the industry after this game. But outside of the technical achievements, the game was and still is a ton of fun.


Bonus Video:
One of the Dreamcast launch commercials, The Thief:



That's it for this week. The Dreamcast was a system that I never gave a fair chance to, but to be honest, neither did Sega. Instead, when it comes to the Dreamcast and the Saturn, we will always be left wondering what could have been. Is it possible we could be dealing with a 4-way console war now, or would Sega staying in have ensured that Microsoft never would have created the Xbox? Something to think about. We'll see you back here next week when the top five goes full on gaming geek. You'll just have to come back next week to see what I mean. Take care.