Sega Dreamcast - Gray

All-in-all, this is a very cool game system. The graphics compare to the PS2, Xbox and GameCube. The games list will be much smaller due to Segas' decision to drop out of the game console war in 2002 but many of the games available are great!

GAMES
In our house the top game picks are Looney Tunes Space Race, San Francisco Rush 2049, Rayman 2, Spider-Man, Sonic Adventure, Disney's 101 Dalmatians Puppies To The Rescue, Magnetic Neo, Toy Commander, Walt Disney World Quest Magical Racing Tour and many others, (I recommend every game I just listed except for the Disney Magical Racing - the kids love it but it is not a great cart racing game.

Must have games include: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, Rayman 2, MDK 2, Virtua Tennis, 102 Dalmations; Puppies To The Rescue, Disney's Donald Duck Going Quackers, San Francisco Ruch 2049, Sonic Adventure & Sonic Adventure 2, Super Magnetic Neo, Toy Commander, Frogger 2; Swampy's Revenge, Mrs. Pac-Man Maze Madness, Tee-Off, Spider-Man and Rippin' Riders Snowboarding.

CONTROLLERS
The controllers set the standard for everyone else as they were well designed and they were the first of that generation to come to market. While the PS2 controller is pretty good, the Dreamcast controller feels better in the hand.
There are two expansion slots on each controller that normally accept a memory card or the Sega VMU (Virtual Memory Unit) and a vibration device but other accessories can be plugged in as well such as a microphone. There are all the usual buttons and the triggers and the control stick and the directional pad - all well placed.
The VMU does not require batteries to save games but are required if you want to play the little mini-games available for play on the VMU's (CR2032 x2).

LOAD TIME
The load times do not seem to be any better or worse than the comparable consoles of the time but I should note that I am not familiar with the Xbox system. The unit start up boot time is really fast.

4 PLAYER BUILT IN
It's a great system for multi-player games as it comes with 4 inputs for controllers. I know the PS2 requires a hub if more than two players want to play at the same time.

Most Dreamcasts came with a built -in modem but as the Sega Network went down, online multi-player gaming may be a mute point unless you know how to set-up a network with your friends. The modem slot was upgradable to a network style connection.

NOT AS VIOLENT AS TODAY'S GAMES
Some of the games can get bloody or violent but the bulk of the games were created before Americans fully peaked their lust for realistic killings in games. This translates to games with actual gaming involved and less concentration on graphical blood spray. You wont want your kids to play the mature rated games but most everything else is safe, cute, fun, engaging, entertaining.

ADDED NOTE:
We got a Wii Christmas 2007. The new game system has been popular but the Dreamcast still gets lots of use. To compare the Dreamcast to the Wii: the graphics are similar, the Dreamcast controllers are better and the game library is currently better on the Dreamcast (7/2008).

BOTTOM LINE
Great system with some great games, solid controllers, quality graphics and cool design. Get this as your main system if you're a Wal-Mart shopper, get this as a second system if you're a Macy's shopper, get this as a system for the cabin if you have servants that shop for you - but get this! - you will not be disappointed.

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