The Dreamcast Dozen

By Dan Whitehead Published 1 February, 2009

12 must-have classics.

The Dreamcast played host to scores of great games over its lifespan - that much is clear. Whether you were into it for the perfect arcade ports, the quirky exclusives or the excellent multi-format titles, it left an outstanding legacy of great titles behind. What follows is a list of what we consider to be the console's essential offerings; the titles we reckon stand tall among a long list of beloved games.

No doubt you will spy a number of interesting absentees. But fear not, because for we're following this list with another feature that takes into account all those Cult Classics that the format was renowned for.

Soul Calibur
SEGA/Namco

Still widely regarded as one of the greatest fighting games of all time, the Dreamcast's visual muscle made it the perfect console to tackle this blistering arcade conversion. Add in the official SEGA arcade joystick and you're in fighting game heaven. Thankfully, the joypad alternative was no slouch either. Take note, Mr Microsoft.

'The Dreamcast Dozen' Screenshot 1

Bangai-O
Swing/Treasure

This multi-directional 2D shooter technically debuted on the Nintendo 64, but its production run was so small - just 10,000 copies - that the tweaked and improved Dreamcast port can lay claim to bringing the title to a wider audience. A typically loopy effort from developer Treasure, this saga of mech battles and fruit smuggling is hard to resist. The sequel, Bangai-O Spirits, was recently released on the DS.

Resident Evil Code: Veronica
Capcom

Persuading Capcom to release an all-new Resident Evil game exclusively on the Dreamcast was an absolutely humungous coup for the platform. The first 'next-gen' title in the series, this two GD-ROM epic was the first Resident Evil to dispense with pre-rendered backdrops, and garnered blanket critical acclaim. Later released on PS2 and GameCube, this remains an essential portion of the series' 'classic' era.

Jet Set Radio
SEGA/Smilebit

Jet Set Radio typified the correlation between critical acclaim and commercial indifference of Dreamcast games. With its funky cel-shaded style and offbeat mixture of skating, cartoon gangs and graffiti, this is another DC game that now feels very much ahead of its time. Incredibly fun and painfully stylish, it's a great example of the Dreamcast's ability to produce fresh new games. That the sequel, Jet Set Radio Future, also failed on Xbox is proof that there is no justice in the world.

'The Dreamcast Dozen' Screenshot 2

Crazy Taxi/Crazy Taxi 2
SEGA/Hitmaker

The bastard offspring of GTA and OutRun, SEGA's citrus-bright free-roaming racer was ideal for the Dreamcast. Hurtle your fares around a city designed for maximum destruction and point-whoring. Incredibly simple, instantly appealing and precisely the sort of arcade buzz that the Dreamcast replicated so darn well. That the idea got implanted wholesale into GTAIII says an awful lot.

Virtua Tennis/Virtua Tennis 2
SEGA/Hitmaker

It's a little-known fact, but Virtua Tennis was one of the only Dreamcast titles (if not the only one) to hit the coveted All-Formats number one spot in the UK. Back in the summer of 2000, there was a brief period when it looked like the Dreamcast really could kick on and become a serious challenger to the PlayStation, and Hitmaker's perfect arcade conversion was not only incredibly gorgeous, but probably the most instantly playable sports title of all-time. Somehow, the 2001 sequel was even better, and remains arguably the purest tennis title ever released.

Ikaruga
Treasure

One of many arcade shoot-'em-ups to appear on the Dreamcast even after the console had been officially killed off, Treasure's bullet-switching vertical blaster is one of the best in its genre. Shoot white enemies with black bullets, black enemies with white bullets - a scathing indictment of racial tension, but mostly an ingenious way to inject strategy into the frantic shmup genre. You can get it right now on Xbox Live Arcade, but purists will want to seek out the Dreamcast version for the true retro sensation.

'The Dreamcast Dozen' Screenshot 3

Metropolis Street Racer
SEGA/Bizarre Creations

The forerunner to Project Gotham Racing, it's pretty amazing how many impressive features Bizarre Creations packed into this evergreen Dreamcast racer. Detailed recreations of London, Tokyo and San Francisco. A whopping 262 tracks. The Kudos incentive system. Even realistic time-zones, which remain constant across the game's three cities. Throw in a Richard Jacques soundtrack and you've got a driving game that pushed the genre forwards just as much as Gran Turismo, if not more.

Phantasy Star Online/Phantasy Star Online ver.2
SEGA/Sonic Team

The first online console RPG, Phantasy Star Online was nothing if not ambitious. Envisioning a future where players from around the world could join up in the game, and communicate using simplified symbols, it never quite caught on with wary western players, but with private servers still accessible as recently as this year, PSO's place in the history books is assured.

Power Stone/Power Stone 2
Capcom

Usually you have to physically restrain Capcom to stop it releasing a stream of sequels, yet the sublime multiplayer melee brawler Power Stone stalled at Part Two and hasn't been seen since. You can pick up both games in a dinky package for the PSP, but you really need a telly and a bunch of joypads for the full delirious effect. Why this hasn't been revived for the online age is a mystery.

'The Dreamcast Dozen' Screenshot 4

Shenmue/Shenmue II
SEGA/AM2

If ever a game summed up the Dreamcast, it would be Shenmue. Bold, ambitious and yet doomed to obscurity, Yu Suzuki's slow-burning saga of revenge and menial labour proved too ponderous and trivial for many gamers, but for fans its two entries represent some of the most engrossing and detailed adventures ever made. It also helped to introduce the concept of quick-time events, but let's not hold that against it.

House of the Dead 2
SEGA/Wow Entertainment

In the years before first-person shooters crossed the divide between PC and console, the lightgun was your only hope for immersive ultraviolence. Another arcade-perfect port, this Dreamcast version was just as stupidly cheesy as its coin-operated cousin, but there's just something in the purity of the concept - point gun at zombie, zombie head go splat - that still appeals. Sadly, getting the most out of it meant buying another gun for two-player fun, but it was worth every penny. The recent re-release of the game on Wii provides a somewhat cheaper means of enjoying one of the best rail shooters ever.

And now step away from the light for our Dreamcast Cult Classics.

Picture of Dan.

About Dan Whitehead

Dan has been writing for Eurogamer since 2006 and specialises in RPGs, shooters and games for children. His bestest game ever is Julian Gollop's Chaos.

Read more articles from Dan by visiting the Dan Whitehead archive page.

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Comments (56) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • brandon-flowers #1 3 years ago

    Soul Cal & Metroplolis stand out most 4 me.
    What an amazing console!

  • JeffGerstmann #2 3 years ago

    what about Eco: the dolphin

  • Krelle #3 3 years ago

    JSR and Shenmue are my two most beloved DC games on tat list. Also Ikaruga, but I did most of my playtime on the GC.

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #4 3 years ago

    "Citrus-bright"

    50 extra Writer Points!

  • GamesConnoisseur #5 3 years ago

    Soul Caibur l, MSR and I RE Code Veronica (PS2 version were too jaggy!) were special games for me on the DC. Deserved to get a bit more attention.

  • Leolian #6 3 years ago

    I miss my dreamcast. It's broken, but I might pick up another one for, like, a fiver.

  • tardo #7 3 years ago

    Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxis, and the Shenume games were my favourite from them (and Virtua Tennis was good also actually).

    I really loved Crazy Taxi back then, although I kept playing it so much and got quite good at it, that one go on it would end up taking at least an hour before I ran out of time/gave up, which perversely led me to finally stop playing it.

  • Retroid #8 3 years ago

    Phone charges stopped me from getting into PSO, but I was tempted.

    Otherwise... I've got most of those! Plus three Dreamcasts.

  • Scimarad #9 3 years ago

    Soul Calibur and Skies of Arcadia were great. I seem to remember really enjoying Trickstyle and MSR as well. I wish I'd played JSR but I never got around to it...

    Shenmue can fuck right off, though!

    I remember Grandia 2 buggering up during the end sequence; I was happily running around the city but the map just would scroll! How I got the game to continue I really don't remember:)

  • The-Bodybuilder #10 3 years ago

    Shenmue, Powerstone(s), MSR & JSR for me.

  • bad09 #11 3 years ago

    I have a serious urge to race around docks in forklift trucks.....

    / wishes he still had a working DC :(

  • The-Bodybuilder #12 3 years ago

    Yeah, mine died nearing the end of shenmue 2.
    Never bothered to fix it or get a new one. What was the point? Knowing there would never be a shenmue 3 to finish the story.

  • Ryze #13 3 years ago

    This list shows me the urge that I had to buy one of these in 2000, but the lack of trust I had in Sega to give them my money for the console after the waste of time that was the 32X.

    I held out - should have grabbed one in 2002 though - but I was too busy playing GTAIII.

  • bioreit #14 3 years ago

    MSR, Powerstone 2, Soul Calibur, Shenmue, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio.

    I've re-played all of these recently (thanks to an indie games shop running a DC on the counter) and they're still all good even today.

    I would love Powerstone 1 or 2 to be re-released - best Friday night beat-em up game ever. Fun, fast and the instigator of so many arguments when you used the parasol to push someone off into oblivion.

    And Jet Set Radio still feels modern and fresh even now. An amazing achievement. An amazing console.

    It even had Quake III.

  • N.A.T.O #15 3 years ago

    I can't let my DC rest in peace, I still boot it up even today. A hardcore gamers dream!

    Can't resist street fighter 3 third strike, just so technical and awesome.

    Please make Shenmue 3, for the love of God please!

  • CapnCloudchaser #16 3 years ago

    Wow I woke up this morning to a whole Dreamcast extravaganza! Just in time for my birthday too, yay! :D

  • Agent_Llama #17 3 years ago

    Seconds the 'Where is Ecco the Dolphin?!' query!

    Metropolis Street Racer was a brilliant, beautiful game. Ditto the Shenmues. And the hours I sank into PSO are quite scary.

  • db3dfx #18 3 years ago

    With my Dreamcast still setup this seems to be the perfect excuse to relive some of those classics! It's not like I needed an excuse though.. pure gaming joy!

  • secombe #19 3 years ago

    Whilst certainly not "must have", I still enjoy Sega Extreme Sports, certainly a bit different to most sports/racing titles.

  • absolutezero #20 3 years ago

    Needs more Lack of Love!!

  • StringBeanJean #21 3 years ago

    That there is a list of my favourite all-time games. Shenmues, Virtua Tennis and JSR are my top three of all time. What a waste.

  • secombe #22 3 years ago

    Are many of the games worth much these days? I've just dug out a few (pictured below), the rest are at my sisters but still got a reasonable number laying around. I would never sell them, but it's nice to know!

    Piccy
    Edited by 2 at 01/02/09 @ 13:54

  • Pod #23 3 years ago

    Shenmue invented QTE?
    Are you mad? What about Dragons lair and all the other countless clones. You might try to argue that shenmue put the button prompt on screen but there's examples of that in the laserdisc lot too.

  • Nithron #24 3 years ago

    Jet Set Radio is still one of my top 10 favourite games of all time. It needs an update, people. Or at the very least, a re-release on Xbox Live.

  • N.A.T.O #25 3 years ago

    Rez is worth a bit, although I don't think as much now due to the XBLA version. I think the most valuable PAL game is Evolution 2. I've seen it for a couple hundred quid on ebay. Also, Shenmue 2 is worth selling to the Americans as it wasn't released over there.

    The more obscure 2D fighters and shooters released in Japan can fetch some silly prices as well. Every Japanese DC game from Ikaruga until today is going to cost some cash as well.

  • DanWhitehead #26 3 years ago

    This still makes me laugh: http://uk.y outube.com/watch?v=SY8pEOWuJCk

  • bad09 #27 3 years ago

    LOL brilliant Dan :)

  • gazman #28 3 years ago

    There are 17 games in that list. More of a 'Dreamcast Almost a Dozen and a Half', then.

  • neilka #29 3 years ago

    I'm not sure how buying a Wii plus HOTD for over £200 is cheaper than buying a Dreamcast, light gun and HOTD2 for about a tenner.

  • Widge #30 3 years ago

    Shenmue must be rubbish as it contains QTE and all QTE games must be dismissed out of hand without though.

  • Sylpharion #31 3 years ago

    @ Schiff, MattDamon
    I third that, Shenmue I/II are easily two of my favourite games ever. The sheer attention to detail in those games is pretty insane even today, even more so considering it's running on the Dreamcast. A testament to how powerful the Dreamcast really was, considering that most GC, Wii and PS2 games don't even look half as good as they do IMO.
    Edited by 1 at 01/02/09 @ 18:07

  • TRUTH #32 3 years ago

    Shenmue II, Jet Set Radio, Soul Caluiber, Banjio...are all available on Xbox 1, but can be played on Xbox 360. Rez is now on download in HD on XB360. Suppose it's better & cheaper option to play on these games on 360.
    Edited by 1 at 01/02/09 @ 18:15

  • The-Bodybuilder #33 3 years ago

    Shenmue makes me jizz in my pants.
    Whoever mentioned the atmosphere was spot on. As great as the fighting engine was, or the amazing attention to detail (even for todays standards), all this led to was an amazing story.
    When I played it, I wasn't playing ryo hazuki, I WAS RYO HAZUKI. I was fully emersed in a world only a good literary book can do, and watching its world unravel.
    All those that say it was too slow missed the point. The fact that it took its time to begin the story (whereas other games would have the backstory in a booklet or as a text, you started the story from its very origins) was its charm.

    You know you're shenmue nut when you walk instead of running, as running around wasn't "realistic".

  • septimus #34 3 years ago

    Pristine boxed DC's are available on eBay for about 25 quid. Well worth it I think.

  • EmiliasHorse #35 3 years ago

    I still own every one of this list and 3 Dreamcasts to play them on. The launch day console is still working fine while the other two I bought for a crisp £10 each from a small games shop shortly after the death of the DC.

  • Yonda1me #36 3 years ago

    Played almost every game on that list. Brings good memories and Dreamcast truly had amazing titles. The key word was fun.
    Edited by 1 at 01/02/09 @ 22:14

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #37 3 years ago

    Shenmue = best game ever.

    Why the fuck Sega don't use the Yakuza 3 engine and redo the first 2, then release the 3rd I don't know.

    Obviously they'd have to port the engine to 360. ;)

  • Darren #38 3 years ago

    Personally I thought Ecco the Dolphin was deeply flawed - trying to work out what you had to do and where to go was frustrating at times - but it nevertheless remained an innovative, unique, beautiful and strangely relaxing game, one that is perhaps up there with the top five most memorable games on the Dreamcast for me. I'd love to see a remake or even a port to XBLA but I don't suppose that will ever happen now.

  • Scimarad #39 3 years ago

    Unfortunately I played DC Ecco before I started wearing contacts/glasses and the motion sickness made me feel really really ill. I still persevered for a while, though!

  • evild_edd #40 3 years ago

    Also happy to say say that I owned (rather than pwned - though taht would also be true.... ;0) each game on this list. All great titles, though Powerstone 2 was gash in SP.

    Dreamcast is still my 'favourite' console, though I wouldn't necessarily say it's the 'best'. I have fond memories of putting in the hours to some classic games.

    @ Thebodybuilder "Yeah, mine died nearing the end of shenmue 2.
    Never bothered to fix it or get a new one. What was the point? Knowing there would never be a shenmue 3 to finish the story."
    Strangely my 2nd DC died immediately after the end of Shenmue 2, just scraping through the end credits before seizing-up when I went for a swift go of Rez....I like to think that it hung-on in there out of respect ^_^

    Anyway, definitely worth playing through Shenmues 1&2. THe old expression "it's better to have loved and lost than never loved at all" comes to mind....

  • Redeye #41 3 years ago

    MSR...can still remember sitting there booting up for the first time and being absolutely gobsmacked by the sheer beauty of the thing (not to mention being completely addicted to it for months thereafter). :D

  • spitfire1945 #42 3 years ago

    While I agree with most of what is said here, I like to point out that JSRF for Xbox wasn't nearly as good as the original on DC.
    Too washed out and not as hardcore as it was on DC!

    Out of these 12 I played nine of them, leaving out Bangai-o (too hard to find), PSOnline (didn't have a flat internet connection) and Crazy taxi (didn't like it) and they all were a blast!

    I also think that a sequel to Powerstone 2 would be ideal on XBLA/PSN, that game was furiously fun in multiplayer !!!

  • Quint2020 #43 3 years ago

    Needs more Skies of Arcadia, one of the only JRPGs that has managed to hold my attention right the way to the end, truly engrossing story and brilliant combat.

  • Zomoniac #44 3 years ago

    No Sonic Adventure?????

    /loads shotgun

  • NKSR #45 3 years ago

    no f355 challenge?

    i used to fucking rock on suzuka, 3rd fastest in the uk

  • asharkman #46 3 years ago

    I had 6 of those games, i picked up a dreamcast 2nd hand and it tied me over during my poor college years.
    What a machine, so much happiness!

  • ryohazuki1983 #47 3 years ago

    Shenmue I+II greatest games ever made (IMO) The DC is a great console, still play it now.

  • Wille_Ash #48 3 years ago

    When SEGA still were cool, before the death in 2001 and they became a 'No Party'..

  • TPCG_Russ #49 3 years ago

    Glad to see Power Stone 2 in there. MSR too - God that was fun.

    Might have to dig mine out again after reading this...

  • daz_john_smith #50 3 years ago

    Power 1 or 2; or a fully fledged sequal for XBLA, PSN & WiiWare FTW

    R.I.P Dreamcast, your top drawer list of gaming classics gave us many, many hours of fun memories :,(

  • Rash' #51 3 years ago

    The omission of Capcom vs SNK 1/2 on either of the lists is disappointing. It is without doubt one of the best 2D fighters out there, eclipsing MvC2...

    :p

  • CHAZBIGPOTATO #52 3 years ago

    GOT
    NOT GOT
    NOT GOT
    GOT
    GOT/GOT
    GOT/NOT GOT
    NOT GOT
    GOT
    NOT GOT/NOT GOT
    GOT/NOT GOT
    GOT/GOT
    NOT GOT

    Not too bad, I have quite a few of those!

  • CHAZBIGPOTATO #53 3 years ago

    May I add to that list Samba de Amigo? (NOT GOT)!

  • Tuffty #54 3 years ago

    I always wished the PGR series would keep the features that MSR had. They're minor things, but without the realistic time zones, radio stations and the so bad it's good original soundtrack that was unique to each location, I always felt PGR4 felt rather souless and generic in comparison to it. Of course, to someone new to the series, they wouldn't even care or have these things affect them, and maybe nostalgia is affecting me somewhat, but I'd choose MSR over PGR4 as a result (doesn't help PGR4 that it's online mode for me is practically non-existent)

    Loved the DC. Playing Shenmue, JSR and Sonic Adventure on Christmas Day. Oh and Skies of Arcadia! Good times.
    Edited by 2 at 02/02/09 @ 19:22

  • Kapwan #55 3 years ago

    I think they should have Included Marvel vs. Capcom 2. That was Exclusive to dreamcast originally and had online play in Japan. Definetly should be up there.

  • stephenb #56 3 years ago

    More articles like this, and less of your pointless head to heads. That is all.
    Edited by 1 at 02/02/09 @ 23:33