Games By Genre: Dreamcast – Games List With Comments & Recommendations

This is my Dreamcast games list. I wrote the original version back in 2008, and improved it in 2012, and I think it still holds up quit well! I added a few games to this new 2015 version, and improved the formatting some due to WordPress’ additional features versus a forum, but it’s mostly the same as before.

Key

This list is sorted by genre, and within each genre, by region of release — ‘US’ for games released in either only the US or the US and other regions, ‘Japan’ for games only released in Japan.  Maybe I should separate the ‘US’ category into US-only and US/JP releases, but most games released in both regions.  There are a few US or US/EU-only games, though, so that might be helpful for anyone reading this not in the West.  The genres are in a somewhat random order, though genres where most games have similar multiplayer are grouped at the top.  Multiplayer games usually have the number of players that the game supports (for offline, single-system play) listed, either by genre for genres where most games have similar multiplayer, or by game.

Several additional markers identify exclusives and games I particularly love.  Exclusives are always one of the major reasons to consider buying a console; I first made this list in large part to counter the claims of people who said that all of the good Dreamcast games have ports somewhere.  They didn’t when I first wrote this, and still don’t, unfortunately.

Italics for  games either only released on the Dreamcast, or games only released on Dreamcast and PC or arcades — that is, true exclusives and home console exclusives for the system.

I also underline italicized games which are actually multiplatform, but do have significant amounts of DC-exclusive content that earn them the italics, namely the three DC-only tracks and circuit mode you’ll only find in Daytona USA 2001, King of Fighters 1999’s DC-exclusive polygonal backdrops and extra strikers, the features that differentiate the DC and PS3/360 versions of Soul Calibur, and Demolition Racer: No Exit’s added content, improved gameplay, additional ways to score points, and more. Other than those three, though, all italicized games are console-exclusive on DC.

Bold for games I particularly like. I also like a fair number of the non-bolded games that I have played, but those I thought were particularly noteworthy. I certainly like some of the non-bolded games too, of course — I don’t only like the bold ones, but I like them more than the non-bolded ones, I would say.

“US” titles were released in the US and maybe or maybe not other regions (sorry for the US focus). “Japan” or “Europe” mean that those games were released in those regions only unless both are listed, in which case the game came out in both of them but not the US.

Games are one player only unless noted.

 

Dreamcast Games List
Shmups/Shmuplikes
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Multiplayer in this genre: all 2 player unless noted with ‘1p only’
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US: Giga Wing, Giga Wing 2 (4 player simultaneous! Awesome!), Mars Matrix, Gunbird 2 (Psikyo is great), Cannon Spike (arena shooter), Bangaioh (1p only) (very similar to the Japan-only N64 original, but not the same), Centipede (good arena-ish shooter crossed with a 3d platformer); Japan: Under Defeat (was DC exclusive until the recent, also Japan-only PS3 and 360 ports; it‘s the second best DC shmup after Ikaruga), Ikaruga (What more could be said about how amazing this game is? Not much I think.), Zero Gunner 2 (also Psikyo, but a bit different this time), Twinkle Star Sprites (Neo-Geo port, has English mode), Border Down (1p only), Trizeal (Raiden-esque, better than Raiden III), Trigger Heart Exelica (1p only; okay game, is on X360 XBLA worldwide), Chaos Field, Radirgy, Karous (all three 1p only games from Milestone; each one is better than the last, but they’re only okay at best), Shikigami no Shiro II (on PS2 in the US in English as Castle of Shikigami II); Unlicensed Releases (all region, as long as the system can play CD-Rs): Last Hope (1p only hard R-Type clone), Dux (1p only hard R-Type clone), Fast Striker (1p only bullet hell shooter), some upcoming titles (ReDux, Sturmwind)
2d Fighting
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Multiplayer in this genre: all 2 player except Marvel vs. Capcom 1, which has a 4-player alternating mode, and Street Fighter Alpha 3, which has a special 3 player 2-vs-1 mode.
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US: Marvel vs. Capcom 1 and 2 (I‘m just not a fan… too fast and crazy, I prefer CvS2), Capcom vs SNK (good game, but CvS2 is better), Street Fighter III: Double Impact (a good game well worth having, the stages, endings, and music are entirely different from 3S), Street Fighter III: Third Strike (one of the best fighting games ever), Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Street Fighter Alpha 3, The Last Blade 2 (another of my favorite fighting games, though the Japanese version is better, Japanese text only or no, and only also on Neo-Geo and the Japanese PS2), Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves (exceptional, only also on Neo-Geo and Japanese PS2), King of Fighters ’99 Dream Match (aka KOF ’98, one of the series’ best!), KOF ’99 Evolution (KOF99) (Italics because it‘s the best US release of the game – has DC-exclusive 3d stages, DC-exclusive extra strikers, etc.); Japan: Capcom vs SNK 2 (one of my favorite fighting games ever, though I‘ve mostly played it on GC), Capcom vs SNK Pro, Vampire Chronicle (Darkstalkers) for Matching Service (This is great, and has more animation and shorter loading, but for features, Darkstalkers 3 on PSX has more.  Also, the PSP Darkstalkers game is a port of this game with added features but longer load times.), Super Street Fighter II X for Matching Service (this is SSFII Turbo for DC), The King of Fighters ’00, ’01, and ’02 (KOF ’00/’01 and ’02/’03 packs are on the US PS2,and there are some newer re-releases as well), The Last Blade 2 (Another of my favorite fighting games ever.  The Japanese DC version has blood and fatalities, but the US one is a straight port of the US Neo-Geo game, so all blood and fatalities are removed like they were there. Unfortunately unlike on Neo-Geo, the Japanese version is Japanese language only. US and JP version savefiles are inter-compatible though, so having both is the best solution I think.), Guilty Gear X (most other GG games had US releases, obviously, but not this one).

3d Fighting
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Multiplayer: all 2 player except for DOA2, which has a 4-player alternating mode)
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US: Soul Calibur (supports fishing controller for motion-sensing control!  There is also a PS3/X360 version of this game, but it’s not the same as the DC version.), Virtua Fighter 3tb, Project Justice (surprisingly great game, and I don’t like Rival Schools for PSX that much but this is fantastic), Power Stone 1 and 2 (both are only also on PSP), Psychic Force 2012, Heavy Metal Geomatrix, Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein, Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram (was exclusive, but now is on XBLA too… controls are a nightmare on the gamepad though. I‘m not a fan.), Dead or Alive 2, TechRomancer; Japan and Europe: Fighting Vipers 2 (I like the first one, but haven’t played this; graphics are supposed to be very mediocre.); Japan: Dead or Alive 2 (this later Japanese release is better than the US oneit has 5-7 costumes per character (some unlockable), instead of 2-4 per character like the US version, plus more. Great game.)

Wrestling / UFC
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Multiplayer: all are 4 player unless noted.
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US: WWF Royal Rumble, WWF Attitude, ECW: Anarchy Rulz, ECW: Hardcore Revolution, Ultimate Fighting Championship (two player); Japan: Giant Gram: All Japan Pro Wrestling 2, Giant Gram 2000: All Japan Pro Wrestling 3, Fire Pro Wrestling D, New Japan Pro Wrestling: Toukon Retsuden 4

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Multiplayer Note: From this point on in the list, games only have multiplayer if it is noted; there are no more genres with similar multiplayer in most titles.
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Action-Adventure
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US: Shenmue, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future (awesome game, but frustrating… it‘s easy to get lost.), Omikron: The Nomad Soul, Draconus: Cult of the Wyrm (fantasy combat, by the “Die by the Sword” team… imperfect controls, but it is fun. I like it.  Maybe this should be bolded.), Shadow Man (good game), Dragon Riders: Chronicles of Pern (widely disliked, but a few people like it); Europe/Japan: Shenmue II

Adventure / Survival Horror
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US: Resident Evil: Code Veronica (classic RE, you like it or you don’tit‘s okay.), The Ring: Terror’s Realm (average), Carrier (solid, fun survival horror game), Illbleed (looks interesting, haven’t played it myself), Blue Stinger (early but good, in my opinion at least; this is a love-or-hate game, I think. Theso bad it‘s good” voice acting is good stuff too.), Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare (subpar reviews), D2 (from Kenji Eno), Stupid Invaders (PC port, traditional-style adventure game); Japan: The DC has lots of visual novels and dating sims. Kanon, Air, etc, this was one of the most prolific genres on the platform. Pretty much none are playable for people without a good grasp on the language though of course. Virtually all are PC ports, and quite a few were also on PS2.  There are a few DC-exclusives, though, mostly from Sega, such as their two Love Hina games.  Note that the Sakura Taisen series are listed as strategy games (see below) because of the battles between adventure segments.

2d Action/Platform
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No official releases apart from the Genesis ports in Sega’s Genesis collection.  Unlicensed Releases (all region, as long as the system can play CD-Rs): GunLord (outstanding Turrican clone; this is one of my favorite games of 2012. Also on Neo-Geo.)

3d Platformer or Platform/Action
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US: Jet Set Radio (was DC exclusive until the 2012 PS3/360 download-only release of the game; the game is incredible and deserves its very high reputation!), Rayman 2 (best version, and one of the best 3d platformers ever) (has some 4 player minigames, but main game is 1p only), Sonic Adventure (better than on GC/PC), Sonic Adventure 2 (2 player) (the GC version is slightly improved over this, particularly in multiplayer (except for kart racing, where the DC has some exclusive downloadable tracks you can get)), Super Magnetic Neo (good game), Donald Duck: Goin’; Quackers, MDK2 (partially) (great version of an awesome game! PC is better though.), Fur Fighters (4 player) (3d platformer/3rd person shooter cross), Arabian Nights: Prince of Persia (very slow and precise movements are necessary, but once I got used to it I really liked this game…), Frogger 2: Swampy’s Revenge (4 player) (great update of the classic arcade title, like the old ones and surprisingly difficult but really fun!), KAO the Kangaroo (1 player) (mediocre at best, also on PC), The Grinch (2 player), Toy Story 2, Floigan Brothers Episode 1 (minimal platforming, and it‘s really short, but some like it); Japan: Napple Tale: Arsia in Daydream (great fun despite the language barrier), L.O.L.: Lack Of Love (simply amazing game… play this, now.)

Multiplayer Puzzle, Party, or Action Game
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US: ChuChu Rocket! (4 player) (good, tough puzzle game), Bomberman Online (4 player) (classic Bomberman fun), Ooga Booga (4 player) (weird but fun beat ’em up arena 3d action game), Sonic Shuffle (4 player; Sega’s take on Mario Party unfortunately wasn’t too good. Boring game.); Japan: Treasure Strike (kind of strange but fun game, not too hard to get into without knowing the language esp. with the help of the guide on GameFAQs)

Card/Board
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Japan: Culdcept Second (Culdcept II) (4 player) (the PS2 version, Culdcept Second Expanded, got a US release as ‘Culdcept’), various online and offline Shogi and Mahjong games, the GuruGuru Onsen series (online casual game series, now offline of course, all with 4 player online and unknown but likely 4 player offline); Unlicensed Release (all region, as long as the system can play CD-Rs): Maqiupai (Shanghai clone)

Arcade/Futuristic Racing
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US: Magforce Racing (4 player) (this is a port of Killer Loop on the PSX, but it‘s far better (and 4 player) on DC), Pod 2: Speed Zone Multiplayer Online (2 player) (most won’t like it, but for a huge Pod fan like me it‘s good despite its flaws…), Daytona USA [2001] (2 player) (italicized for the significant exclusive content – 3 tracks and the championship mode are exclusive. But why the heck isn’t this four player, Sega? Why are there NO first-party DC racing games with four player support? Stupid… good game though, of course, though the controls aren’t as good as the Saturn versionsare, unfortunately. This holds it back from being bolded.), TrickStyle (2 player) (decent fun futuristic racing/stunt game, but it could have been better), Re-Volt (4 player) (best console version, BUY THIS on DC but don’t even consider it on N64 or PSX — and the sequel, RC Revenge (PSX/PS2) is a far inferior simple arcade game. Re-Volt is really a RC car sim… really, really hard, but great!), Sega Rally 2 (2 player) (disappointing but okay), San Francisco Rush 2049 (4 player) (DC & N64 versions are equally great (don’t bother with the awful Midway Arcade Treasures 3 port, though!), this is my favorite racing game ever. It‘s got everything.), 4-Wheel Thunder (2 player) (Good game! It‘s fast, fun, challenging, rewarding… simply great arcade racing. It is hard though.), Hydro Thunder (2 player) (4 player on N64 (and only N64), but better graphics here obviously. The Midway Arcade Treasures 3 port of this is decent.), Star Wars Episode I Racer (2 player) (slightly, but not significantly, improved (graphically) over the N64/PC versionsbut it‘s still crazy hard), Speed Devils (2 player) (great game; it‘s a simplified and altered but still good port of Speed Busters on the PC), Speed Devils Online Racing (Stay away! This game is crippled and near-worthless. It adds one track and some cars to the game, but removes the splitscreen and single player campaign modes, leaving only single race mode and a long-offline online mode. It has harder handling than the original Speed Devils, though, making it control more like the PC original, so it is a little different, but that just makes it harder and not as fun. AVOID!), Pen Pen TriIceLon (4 player) (easy but amusing), SnoCross Championship Racing (2 player) (Sega Rally style on snow, okay game), Test Drive 6 (2 player) (I like it, anyway – it‘s fun), 4×4 Evolution (2? player offline, 4 player online) (popular game, but I find it boring.), Suzuki Alstare Extreme Racing (2 player) (also on PC; sequel to Redline Racer on the PC, this game’s pretty good!), Demolition Racer: No Exit (2 player, significantly enhanced PC/PS1 port. This isn’t really a new game, but it does have significant DC-exclusive features and is much better here, so I counted it as exclusive.) (good Demolition Derby style game – fast, smooth, and fun!); Europe: Stunt RC (4 player) (arcadey RC racing game), Toy Racer (4 player; this game is multiplayer or timetrial only, there is no AI!) (from the Toy Commander studio, this game was online play-focused and sold for cheap.), Aqua GT (2 player) (below average PS1/DC boat racing game only released in Europe on either platform), Moho (2 player) (released as Ball Breakers in the US on the PSX) (action/racing hybrid game, depending on mode); Japan: Zusar Vasar (2 player) (weird game…); Unlicensed Release (will run on any system that can play CD-Rs): Rush Rush Rally Racing (4 player) (a WiiWare version exists, but was only released in Europe. No other region releases seem forthcoming. As for the game, it‘s okay, but hard – memorization is CRUCIAL, you go fast and the courses are challenging.)

Arcade Checkpoint Driving
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Crazy Taxi (1 player), Crazy Taxi 2 (1 player) (I couldn’t decide where to put them, so I ended up putting them in their own category this time. Also, it‘s really unfortunate that none of the console Crazy Taxi games have multiplayer. Note that Crazy Taxi 1 was ported everywhere, but 2 is only also in the PSP collection; though part of it was in 3 on the Xbox, that wasn’t the whole game.), Super Runabout: San Francisco Edition (1 player) (buggy and flawed game but it can be fun. The game is clearly Crazy Taxi inspired, though this has more of a mission-based focus so it‘s not exactly the same.)

Kart Racers
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US: Looney Tunes Space Race (4 player) (better here than on PS2, unless you have a multitap… good game.), Wacky Races (4 player) (DC has best console version. Also on PC; there‘s also an awful PSX port. It was also on PS2, but only in Europe.) (based on the classic cartoon… and fun too! :)), Walt Disney’s World Quest: Magical Racing Tour (2 player)

Snowboard racing
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Rippin’ Riders (2 player) (It‘s too bad this is the DC‘s only snowboard racing game, because I can’t stand itit got okay reviews, but I think this game’s awful. It was called “Coolboarders” in Japan.)

Sim/Realistic Racing
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US: Ferarri F355 Challenge (2 player) (legendarily challenging), Metropolis Street Racer (2 player) (a good first effort from the team who went on to make Project Gotham Racing), Test Drive V-Rally (4 player) (pretty good, upgraded port of V-Rally 2 from the PSX), Vanishing Point (2 player) (kind of classic NFS-like, this DC version predates the much worse PSX port.), Test Drive Le Mans (2 player) (popular game I think), Sega GT (2 player), Tokyo Xtreme Racer (2 player), Tokyo Xtreme Racer 2 (1 player) (the series continued on the PS2, they’re okay), Flag to Flag (2 player) (okay at best CART game from Sega), TNN Motorsports Hardcore Heat (2 player), Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000 (2 player) (mediocre), Ducati World Racing Challenge (2 player) (mediocre), F1 World Grand Prix (2 player), Spirit of Speed: 1937 (also on PC, but awful, avoid!); Europe/Japan only: F1 World Grand Prix II (released in EU/JP on DC, EU only on N64, not released anywhere in the US)

Vehicular Action/Action Flight Combat
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US: San Francisco Rush 2049 (4 player) (Battle Mode – multiplayer only, can’t play this mode with one person) (DC & N64 versions are best), Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense (4 player), Red Dog: Superior Firepower (4 player) (very fun action tank driving shooter game), Propeller Arena (4 player) (unreleased) (great flight action game, it‘s really unfortunate that this wasn’t released!), Wild Metal (very slow, strategic third-person tank game where aiming your tank’s shots is the key, Armada (4 player) (partially) (unique topdown space action-RPG/strategy game), Demolition Racer: No Exit (2 player) (partially – arena mode), Incoming (2 player) (PC port, it‘s one part turret shooter, one part flight action); Europe: Moho (2 player) (partially) (released as Ball Breakers in the US on the PSX) (action/racing hybrid game, depending on mode); Japan: Macross M3, Godzilla Generations (4 player) (destroy cities), Godzilla Generations: Maximum Impact (different from the first one – its a fighting game/rail shooter-esque hybrid)

Simulation (I know, there is some overlap between this and the above category.)
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US: Air Force Delta, Deep Fighter, Bang! Gunship Elite (PC port. Simple arcade-style space sim, but fun), StarLancer (1 player offline, 6 player online) (solid port of the PC game), Iron Aces, Toy Commander (4 player) (a true DC classic!), Aero Wings (airshow team training – no combat), Aero Wings 2: Air Strike (air combat training), Railroad Tycoon II (PC port); Coaster Works (roller coaster builder and simulator); Japan: Frame Gride (2 player) (mech sim), Segagaga (awesome concept!), Seaman (voice-controlled life sim…), Kidou Senshi Gundam: Giren no Yabou- Zeon no Keifu (also on PSX), Kidou Senshi Gundam: Renpou vs. Zeon DX (arcade port also on PS2. That version did come out in the US and EU as Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon.), Aero Dancing i (the third Aero Wings game, Japan-only release)

Sports
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US: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2 (2 player), Dave Mirra Pro BMX (2 player), NHL 2k and 2k2 (4 player), World Series Baseball 2k2 (4 player) (2k1 is awful, don’t get it; get 2k2), NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC (4 player — NBA Jam 4, final 2v2 Midway basketball game, and the DC has the best console version — though NBA Jam T.E. on SNES or 32X is my favorite…), Virtua Tennis (4 player), Sega Sports Tennis 2k2 (4 player) (it‘s Virtua Tennis 2, just as good as the first one. Also supports fishing controller for motion-sensing control!); Sega Bass Fishing (supports fishing controller for motion-sensing control), Sega Marine Fishing (supports fishing controller for motion-sensing control), Sega Bass Fishing 2 (supports fishing controller for motion-sensing control), Reel Fishing Wild (supports fishing controller. I think this is exclusive and not a port of the PS1 games) (I hate fishing and would never play these, but some like them) (etc, there are more sports games but I don’t care enough about them to list them all…); Japan only: Cosmic Smash (1 player) (good game for sure), BassRush Dream (fishing controller supported), Lake Masters Pro for Dreamcast Plus (fishing controller supported; PS1 port with added stuff), etc etc (again, there are lots)

Arcade/Classic
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US: Mr. Driller, Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness (4 player), Midway’s Greatest Arcade Hits Volume 1 (1 or 2 player depending on game), Midway’s Greatest Arcade Hits Volume 2 (1 to 3 player depending on game), Atari Anniversary Edition (up to 4 player depending on game), Sega Smash Pack Vol. 1 (up to 4 player depending on game; note that the audio emulation in the Genesis games is pretty bad, but apart from that it‘s a good collection. It‘s some Genesis games and Virtua Cop 2.), Namco Museum (2 player) (same ~6 titles as the N64 one, same complete lack of extras the PSX collections had)

Light Gun Shooter
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Multiplayer & Controller: games support light guns unless noted, all 2 player unless noted.
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US: Confidential Mission, House of the Dead 2 (that voice acting… :lol), Death Crimson OX (also on PS2 in Japan and Europe only), Virtua Cop 2 (in Sega Smash Pack Vol. 1 in US, standalone in Japan), Demolition Racer: No Exit (only in the “Big Car Hunter” minigame), Silent Scope (No Gun Support, Single Player Only); Japan: Death Crimson 2 (4 player)

Rail Shooter
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US: Charge ‘n Blast (sort of a rail shooter…); Europe/Japan: Rez (one of the all-time classics); Japan: Rainbow Cotton (mediocre according to reviews), Card Captor Sakura: Tomoyo no Video Daisakusen! (Pokemon Snap like, you (as Tomoyo) take photographs of Sakura…)

Action/Beat ’em up
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US: Dynamite Cop! (2 player), Zombie Revenge (2 player) (simple, but great fun, with awesome House of the Dead-quality voice acting. Kill the zombies!), Sword of the Berserk: Guts’ Rage (bloody manga-license hack and slash), Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles (2 player), Soul Fighter (bad game but some may find it amusingly so), Fighting Force 2 (partially) (simply awful beat ’em up/stealth game), Spawn: In the Demon’s Hand (fighting game / beat ’em up)

Third Person Stealth Action

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Max Steel (action game with some stealth), Fighting Force 2 (partially; it‘s mostly a beat ’em up though, but either way it‘s terrible and not worth playing); Japan & Europe only: Headhunter (action/stealth/driving game with story; released in the US on PS2 but not DC.)
First/Third Person Action/Shooter
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Note: Some of these games support a mouse and keyboard for better controls.  I recommend it particularly for Half-Life, UT, and Quake III.
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US: Half-Life (unreleased), Unreal Tournament (4 player) (Assault mode and female characters are removed from this version, but a 1v1 mode was added with exclusive maps. Id stick to the PC.), Quake III Arena (4 player offline and online, and unlike UT, no cut modes.  Good game, but tough with a gamepad!), Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear (4 player), Alien Front Online (tank combat game; no multiplayer anymore, was online only. That hurts the game a lot, but what’s there is decent at least.), Fur Fighters (4 player) (3d platformer/3rd person shooter cross), MDK2 (partially) (best console version), Kiss Psycho Circus, Maken X (US DC exclusive, but there was a JP PS2 version with an added third person camera), Outtrigger (4 player FPS with the smallest FPS maps ever), Slave Zero (4 player) (also on PC, decent game I think), Hidden & Dangerous (PC port, also on PSX, but Europe-only there), Soldier of Fortune (very gory, PC port), Spec Ops II: Omega Squad (PC port, bad game; there were four PS1 Spec Ops games, but I don’t think any were ports of this.); Japan only: Bluesteel Variable Formula: Space Griffon (a port of the PS1 game Space Griffon VF-9; the PS1 version does have a US release.  This version is only moderately improved from the PS1, and because it has a lot of story and objectives will be hard to play for those who can’t read or understand Japanese.)

RPG
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US: TimeStalkers (Yes, I enjoyed TimeStalkers. Many people don’t seem to, and it‘s no LandStalker, but it‘s fun.), Evolution: World of Sacred Device (Evolution Worlds on the Gamecube includes part of this game, but not the whole thing), Evolution 2: Far Off Promise (repetitive game, but I like this one too… good sense of humor, a bit of strategy in the battles, and some nice graphics. The DC original is better than Evolution Worlds, which is a port of it with a few of Evolution 1’s dungeons tacked on the front. It does get very repetitive though, so the critics are not entirely wrong.), Skies of Arcadia (slightly better on GC, but great here too, I like this version nearly as much… on either platform, it‘s my favorite console RPG ever no question. Truly exceptional game! My favorite game on the Dreamcast.), Grandia II (Grandia II is also on PS2 and PC, but this is by far the best version! I like this game a lot.); Japan: Japan-exclusive RPGs wouldn’t be much fun without knowing the language, but to list them anyway: El Dorado Gate 1 – 7 (seven part serial (episodic) RPG. There are guides to all parts but not translation.), Fushigi no Dungeon: Furai no Shiren Gaiden: Jokenji Asuka Kenzan! (Shiren the Wanderer sidestory game starring Asuka, with standard Fushigi no Dungeon gameplay. GameFAQs has translations for the items and menus.), Rhapsody of Zephyr (strategic RPG, Japanese port of a Korean PC game), Tricolore Crise (Cute RPG. Only has a partial menu translation, but the game looks pretty playable.), Sunrise Eiyuutan (Sunrise crossover RPG. Lots of text. GameFAQs guide short, not very helpful.), Sorcerian: Shichisei Mahou no Shito (not so good Sorcerian remake, very hard and mediocre graphics), Izumo (visual novel/RPG), Nishikaze no Kyoushikyouku, deSPIRIA, Chou-Hatsumei Boy Kanipan: Bousou Robot no Nazo!? (Pokemon ripoff), Card of Destiny: Hikari to Yami no Tougoumono (dungeon crawler/visual novel? not sure)

Action-RPG
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US: E.G.G. – Elemental Gimmick Gear (2d top-down action-RPG. Good stuff!), Armada (4 player) (partially) (unique and interesting game…), Silver (PC port), Record of Lodoss War (quality Diablo clone), Phantasy Star Online Version 1, Phantasy Star Online Version 2 (also on PC) (both versions of PSO are still online via user servers, but the DC versions really are irrelevant compared to the GC or PC-Blue Burt versions of the game. DC only has Episode I, while GC has episodes I and II (with online play via the hack server on GC, and with 4-player splitscreen too; the Xbox version is worthless now though, because it required now-shut-down Live.), and the PC (Blue Burst) has Episodes I, II, and IV with online play. (III is the GC-exclusive card battle game). It was great at the time, sure, but between the GC and PC titles, there‘s no real reason to play this on DC really.), Gauntlet Legends (4 player) (I love Gauntlet, but this is a very flawed version I do not recommend unless you want a serious challenge. You can’t even buy health in the shop, name your character, or save items! So this is fun, but N64 Legends or GC/Xbox Dark Legacy are much better.), Seventh Cross Evolution (mediocre); Japan: Rune Jade (without knowing Japanese getting to the point where you’re actually in the first mission can be a challenge, but once you’re in it‘s a fun Diablo clone. It was originally online, but that is gone now so it‘s one player only. Plus it requires an entire memory card to save, and for no good reason too. Still, it‘s fun enough that I‘m really considering bolding itit‘s a good game.), Rent-A-Hero No.1 (fighting game-RPG) (Genesis remake. Requires Japanese knowledge, but there is a thorough FAQ on GameFAQs going through the whole game and translating key parts), Animastar (4 player) (Pokemon-ish monster raising/racing game RPG, GameFAQs has a very basic guide)

Puzzle
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US: Wetrix+ (2 player) (upgraded version of the N64 game; the final title in the series was AquaAqua for PS2.), Bust-A-Move 4 (2 player) (great classic BAM game, only missing a 4-player mode like the N64 version of BAM3 has), The Next Tetris: Online Edition (2 player), Sega Swirl (4 player) (it‘s SameGame.); Japan: Puyo Puyo Fever (2 player) (great, and has full English mode for text and voice acting), Super Puzzle Fighter II X for Matching Service (2 player) (the best puzzle game ever, with two new modes…), Get!! Colonies (2 player) (Hexxagon/Ataxx clone), Bomber Hehhe (2 player), Golem no Maigo (2 player) (supposedly pretty good, but I haven’t played it), Puyo Puyo 4 (4) (4 player mode is DC exclusive — PSX version is 2-player only. Simple traditional Puyo Puyo, unlike Fever, but good, and 4 player), Sakura Taisen Hanagumi Taisen Columns 2 (2p), Tetris 4D (4p) (very standard, average Tetris with no special features beyond 4-player mode), The Shinri Game (4p) (psychological quiz game with minigames, know Japanese), Sega Tetris (2p local, once online but now offline), Plus Plum (2p), Musapey’s Choco Marker (2p), Doki Doki Idol Star Shaker Remix (2p), Hello Kitty no Magical Block (1p only), Hello Kitty Lovely Fruit Park (4p) (another Hexxagon/Ataxx clone), Communication Logic Battle Daisessen (2p local, used to have online but now offline) (Battleship-like, according to IGN…); Unlicensed Release (all region, as long as the system can play CD-Rs): Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles (2? players) (upgraded GP2X port), Inhabitants (4p)

Music
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US: Samba de Amigo (has pricey maracas accessory) (2p), Space Channel 5 (2p); Japan: Space Channel 5 Part 2 (2p), Pop’n Music (4p), Pop’n Music 2 (4p), Pop’n Music 3 Append Disc (4p), Pop’n Music 4 Append Disc (4p), Cool Cool Toon (2p), Dance Dance Revolution 2nd Mix: Dreamcast Edtion (2p), Dance Dance Revolution Club Version Dreamcast Edition (2p), Samba de Amigo version 2000 (2p), Puyo Puyo DA! (2p) (poor reviews) (I really don’t like music gamesI am so, so bad at them…), O-to-i-re: Dreamcast Sequencer (music sequencer program, not a rhythm game); Unlicensed Release (all region, as long as the system can play CD-Rs): Feet of Fury (2p)

Strategy
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US: Industrial Spy: Operation Espionage (I-Spy) (some call this an adventure game, but this is a strategy/simulation title. You control a team of spies infiltrating enemy facilities entirely with menu-based control – no direct control. It‘s a pretty good game once you get used to it.), Worms Armageddon (4 player), Worms World Party (4 player) (the 2d Worms games are fantastic on almost any platform!); Japan: Many titles, including Sakura Taisen (1-4) (these adventure/strategy games all have good FAQs on GameFAQs translating much of the games; the first two are Saturn remakes, 3 and 4 are new.), Ouka Houshin (okay tactical strategy game), Super Robot Taisen Alpha, Hundred Swords (an RTS, did get a US PC release), Black/Matrix AD, Run=Dim, Rune Caster, Langrisser Millenium (the much-disliked final game in the Langrisser series), Vermilion Desert, Dogu Senki Haoh, and probably more.

Typing
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US: The Typing of the Dead (Dreamcast keyboard required); JP: The Typing of the Date

About Brian

Computer and video game lover
This entry was posted in Dreamcast, Lists, Modern Games and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to Games By Genre: Dreamcast – Games List With Comments & Recommendations

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