The Sega Dreamcast system continues to live on in one form or another. Classic gamers are all-too familiar with the Dreamcast home brew scene and the dedicated developers who continue to develop for the platform. Just recently, NG Dev Team – a European game developer – recently released Fast Striker for Dreamcast. Fast Striker is an overhead 2.5D shooter with incredible graphics. Thanks to such collaborative efforts, Sega’s console continues to live on.
While the days of seeing first-party support for the Dreamcast is long gone, there are still efforts being made by Sega to preserve the DC’s memory.
Simply known as the Dreamcast Collection, this compilation contains 4 of the following first-party titles developed by Sega: Sonic Adventure, Sega Bass Fishing, Space Channel 5 Part 2 and Crazy Taxi. While the selection of games is sparse, what is available emulates flawlessly – including all the glitches that were present in the DC originals.
Sonic Adventure, while decent, suffers from the same issues it had originally. A buggy 3D camera will hide Sonic and his friends behind objects and textures, obscuring your view. Backgrounds pop up into view and the graphics haven’t aged too well over the years. As a game, Sonic Adventure is still fun and offers plenty of challenge for Sonic fans. The iconic beach scene where Sonic is chased by a whale made headlines back in the day, but this isn’t the case today. It’s a great nostalgic experience nonetheless.
Sega’s Bass Fishing – while still entertaining – feels awkward without the fishing rod accessory. The game plays perfectly fine with a joypad, but gamers who enjoyed the DC original may find the experience less-than-satisfying. Despite the aforementioned gripe, the controls are simple and responsive. The left Analog stick controls the fishing rod and the RT button reels the fish in. There are three modes to choose from: Arcade, Original and Practice. Arcade has you fishing on a timer; Original is a more relaxed version of the game; and Practice allows you to brush up on your fishing skills. There is also an online leader board that keeps track of how many fish are caught. Unlike Sonic Adventure, Sega’s Bass Fishing’s graphics still look polished.
Space Channel 5 Part 2 is one of the crowning jewels in the collection. An innovative title in its day, the player must help Ulala rhythm dance her way through a series of dance routines while battling the Morolians. The player must mimic on-screen dance queues with the joypad while rescuing victims. A variety of different genres are mixed together, including arcade shooting segments. Despite its age, Space Channel 5 Part 2 has stood the test of time. The music is catchy and the gameplay is still challenging.
Crazy Taxi is still just as fun today as it was on Dreamcast. The frantic action of picking up passengers and racing through the streets of San Francisco still offers an exhilarating buzz. While racing to your destination, the stunts you pull increase the cab fare. The exaggerated car crashes, the blazing speeds, and pedestrians screaming as you almost clip them with your cab round out the experience. Like Sega’s Bass Fishing, you can choose between Arcade, Original (which allows up to 10 minutes of actual gameplay), Crazy Box and an online leader board. Aside from Space Channel 5 Part 2, Crazy Taxi is a worthy addition to the collection.
Despite the limited game selection, the Dreamcast Collection offers two jewels – Crazy Taxi and Space Channel 5 Part 2 – that make this collection worth owning. Gamers not old enough to remember the Dreamcast will have the opportunity to experience some of the better titles from the system. Hopefully Sega will release a DC Shenmue collection in the future containing the completed, but unreleased, Shenmue 3.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: Xbox 360
Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
ESRB: E-T
Price: $29.99
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |   |
| The graphic quality for each title varies. | |
| Sound | |
| Crazy Taxi and Space Channel 5 Part 2 have the best soundtracks. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Every game in the collection has something to offer. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Crazy Taxi and Space Channel 5 part 2 make this collection worth owning. | |
