SEGA – Retro Game Resource

Gaming Memories #2: Christmas ’99: Livin’ the Dream

Introduction

On 9/9/99 SEGA’s last ditch effort to overcome Sony’s dominance in the North American console market, the Dreamcast, was released. Promising proper online console gaming, true arcade quality graphics, and a strong upcoming line up of games, SEGA put forth their best effort to rebound from the mild domestic success of the SEGA Saturn in Japan, and its colossal failure in international markets.

Despite the Dreamcast ultimately failing as well, thanks to a lack of consumer confidence in SEGA, rampant piracy, the power of the PlayStation brand, and most importantly the PS2’s included DVD player, the Dreamcast managed to become a cult favorite with a die-hard fanbase that continues to speak its praises even today.

I am one of these rabid Dreamcast fans, and it all started on Christmas 1999.

What the Streets of Rage 4 Announcement Means to Me… and Thoughts

UPDATE: Check out my first impressions of SOR4 post-release here

When my 3-year old self managed to convince my parents to get me a SEGA Genesis just like my older cousin, one of the first games I received was Streets of Rage 2. Even as a barely functional toddler, it quickly became one of my favorite games on the console; spending much of my time bludgeoning hordes of “Galsia” with steel pipes and incorrectly mimicking the inaudible battle cries of the protagonists while they were performing their special moves on-screen (honestly, who the hell understood what they were saying back in the day?).

As mentioned in a previous post, a different cousin of mine, who was the same age as me, also happened to receive a Genesis and SOR2 the same year, and we played it together everyday following our daily 12:00 PM dismissals from pre-school; She the massive, possibly steroid infused, Max Thunder, and I, the scrawny pre-pubescent boy Skate. These character choices were particularly ironic considering I was big for my age, while she was pretty scrawny back then. As a side note, now she is pretty jacked, perhaps inspired by her childhood favorite Max?

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Phantasy Star (Sega Master System) Resource

Introduction

Some time around 1999 or 2000, I purchased an Official Dreamcast Magazine and saw a multi-page spread on on a game called Phantasy Star Online. Being exclusively a console gamer, I was absolutely blown away by the next-gen graphics and the ability to play with strangers online. I read and re-read the article innumerable times, until I finally got the game as a gift from my parents. Though they would not agree to the recurring payment for Dreamcast’s online service, I spent 100’s of hours in solo mode and considered the game one of my favorite of all-time.

With the game, I purchased a strategy guide that had a history of the Phantasy Star series in the back, and I was intrigued. This directly lead to my exploration of these games that I had missed in my SEGA Genesis days, due to a lack of perceived interest in RPGs.

By the time I had experienced PSO, I had already been thoroughly indoctrinated in RPGs, my new favorite genre, and was ready to partake in the founding entries of the series. The obvious starting point was the game that laid the foundation for the series, a game that was truly ahead of its time; that game was Phantasy Star for the SEGA Master System, a console I had previously known nothing about.

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The Best Game Gear Platformer? – The G.G. Shinobi II: Silent Fury Resource

Introduction

The Game Gear, SEGA’s answer to the almighty Game Boy; with true 8-bit color graphics, a backlit screen and the innards of a SEGA Master System, it outclassed the Game Boy’s technical specifications by miles. With an adapter, sold separately of course, it even had access to the Master System’s library… What could possibly go wrong? Well, a lack of first party support by SEGA with regards to original games, higher price tag than the Game Boy, and the Game Gear’s unquenchable thirst for its required 6 AA batteries helped expedite its demise; but does it have any great games? The answer is a resounding yes.

I’ve spent many a year tethered to my electrical outlet via the Game Gear’s short AC adapter playing the likes of Streets of Rage, Sonic Triple Trouble, Sonic Chaos, Ren and Stimpy: Quest for the Shaven Yak, and the shameless, yet incredibly fun Castlevania clone, Master of Darkness. There were however some gems I missed out on; that is, until I revisited the Game Gear as an adult. One of these games is The G.G. Shinobi II: Silent Fury.

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