Re: Dreamcast Appreciation Post
 

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.Perhaps it was overhyped, I'm not sure about that or why it even matters, but I surely do not think that it was underperforming, let alone the most underperforming system ever. Then again, I guess it could depend somewhat on your definition of "performing".

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It matter for the context of my original post in this thread.
I was attempting to explain why in part, I believe the masses largely neglected the Dreamcast, instead waiting for the PS2 release.

Re: Dreamcast Appreciation Post
 

Something being over-hyped is very much relative to its environment, and in the entertainment/multimedia industry there are very few products that deliver on all their promises. Taking that into account and the fact that the PS2 was the best console of its generation, I just don't see how you can think it was over-hyped. Sorry.
he Dreamcast was a legitimately better system than the PS2.
This is made even more silly because you equate over-hyped with under-performed when the one is not necessary nor sufficient for the other.

To illustrate this point very simply, let's go back a couple of years. Nintendo are the world leaders in video game entertainment and the new Mario game gets announced. No explanation of features, no hype whatsoever. No promises. It gets shipped, gamers play it and

a) Love it - it performed well
b) Hate it - it under-performed
c) Mixed results - it performed better than previous Mario games but not as well as the latest Sega game.

See how performance is related to expectations and environment, and not just hype? Hype is a contributing factor to expectations (more for some than others) but has no direct influence on something's performance. I don't think anyone seriously believes every press release as undisputable fact and then gets outraged when something that was announced 2 years ago does not end up in the final product.

EDIT: To relate this to the Dreamcast and your theory that gamers were waiting for a PS2 instead of a Dreamcast and that's why it was ignored: The Dreamcast was an in-between system and floundered primarily because of that. Another big contributing factor was that Sega made some extremely poor business decisions like pissing off a lot of major Japanese developers for starters. Sega's reputation at the time was pretty poor, it was released 16 months before the PS2 which meant it was an improvement on the PS and N64 but inferior to the PS2 and not truly a next-gen console. Smart business move by Sony to kill the Dreamcast buzz by announcing the PS2 when they did. Nothing more to it than that.

Re: Dreamcast Appreciation Post
 

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I don't think anyone seriously believes every press release as undisputable fact and then gets outraged when something that was announced 2 years ago does not end up in the final product.





Outraged? Certainly not, atleast I was not.
However, Sony wasn't even in the ballpark with what they promised. The hype was truly insane in 2000 for the PS2.
The fact it was a commercial success, does not preclude it from being over-hyped.







To relate this to the Dreamcast and your theory that gamers were waiting for a PS2 instead of a Dreamcast and that's why it was ignored: The Dreamcast was an in-between system and floundered primarily because of that. Another big contributing factor was that Sega made some extremely poor business decisions like pissing off a lot of major Japanese developers for starters. Sega's reputation at the time was pretty poor, it was released 16 months before the PS2 which meant it was an improvement on the PS and N64 but inferior to the PS2 and not truly a next-gen console. Smart business move by Sony to kill the Dreamcast buzz by announcing the PS2 when they did. Nothing more to it than that







I said in part, that's why the Dreamcast failed not that it was the only reason.

Your contention the Dreamcast failed PRIMARILY because it was an in between system is silly.
All the other reasons you cited are far larger than the in between theory.
The Saturn & PS came out in 1995 (in America) and the Dreamcast came out 4 1/2 years later than the Saturn.
Just because the Dreamcast came out 13 months earlier (in America) than the PS2 does not preclude it from being a next generation system.
At the time, it was a powerful 128 bit system, and most certainly a next generation system.

Re: Dreamcast Appreciation Post
 

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No love for Power Stone (2?)

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Mad love for Power Stone 1 & 2 here. 4 player 3D fighting game FTW!

Re: Dreamcast Appreciation Post
 

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No love for Power Stone (2?)

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Mad love for Power Stone 1 & 2 here. 4 player 3D fighting game FTW!

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definite props to that game, such good times...

Re: Dreamcast Appreciation Post
 

Dreamcast was a fantastic system. I'm a little surprised that controllers-with-a-screen didn't become a must-have feature on consoles. It was a little over the top the way they delivered a little removable game unit in the controller, but I'd love to have screens in controllers today and game support for them.

I'll go peek through my games and see what I remember as good; I never got Seaman to work so well (I think the first thing he said to me was "Why do Americans assume everyone speaks English?" so um...wtf) but the fighters and sports games were pretty good.
Off the top of my head Hydro Thunder hasn't been mentioned but was really, really good.

Re: Dreamcast Appreciation Post
 

Re: Dreamcast Appreciation Post
 

I honestly want to buy a DC and play some Sega Bass Fishing after reading this thread.

Re: Dreamcast Appreciation Post
 

I'm also a little surprised that the VMU idea didn't take off more. I thought we were going to see some HUD type stuff in later generation consoles. Obviously it has some brilliant multiplayer applications, a really stupid example would be a multiplayer poker game where your hole cards are displayed on the controller.

Re: Dreamcast Appreciation Post
 

The VMUs were cool, but the fact is that memory cards straight up suck ass overall IMO and Xbox style where you can save on your harddrive is way better.