With the recent release of Crazy Taxi and Sonic Adventure on Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, we’re now very interested to see what the next batch of Dreamcast ports will be. Sega announced in the summer that 20 old Dreamcast titles will be hitting the XBLA and PSN stores over the next year, and there are some titles we’d love to jump back into. Here’s ten of our favourites:
Power Stone
A wonderful multiplayer brawler, we find it rather odd that Capcom didn’t take the series further after just two games. Both Power Stone 1 and 2 provided exciting local multiplayer fun, with players fighting to collect power-ups scattered around various levels. Environments would constantly change, so you’d need to be prepared for anything. If these games aren’t part of the Dreamcast revival, we’ll eat our collective hats.
Skies of Arcadia
A huge, sprawling RPG that starts slow, but builds into one of the finest Dreamcast experiences you can have. With a great story and plenty of flying pirate ships, it’s no wonder that the game has already been ported before, appearing on the Gamecube as Skies of Arcadia Legends. An XBLA/PSN version would make us very happy indeed.
Shenmue
It’s impossible to talk about the best Dreamcast games without mentioning Shenmue - a very unique experience that no doubt sold plenty of Dreamcasts on its own. There was so much style and polish, and the game easily raised the bar for adventure games. Another must-have for the Dreamcast reboot - let’s see both the original and the sequel on Xbox and PlayStation please, Sega!
Chu Chu Rocket
We sunk far too many hours into Chu Chu Rocket - again, this was a game worth buying the console for. The single player puzzle levels saw mice shifted around via arrows, while cats tried to chase after them and gobble them down. The multiplayer was even more mental, with up to four players attempting to bag the most mice and avoid the cats. We’ve already seen this ported to Nintendo DS and iPad, so a console version must surely be on the cards.
Jet Set Radio/Jet Grind Radio
When we think of cel-shaded games, we immediately think Jet Set Radio. Taking to the streets of Shibuya, you form a skate gang and keep your turf safe from rival gangs, with tagging and pirate radio a big feature. There were already rumours earlier in the year that Jet Set Radio would be landing on Xbox sometime soon, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed!
Phantasy Star Online
Another game we lost many hours to, the Phantasy Star Online series provided a core RPG experience for those willing to let it engulf them. Players could join up online, then head off on missions together, battling nasties and taking on epic boss battles. Surely the perfect game for XBL and PSN capabilities?
Metropolis Street Racer
The original Project Gotham Racing, you could say. Metropolis Street Racer rewarded players who drove both recklessly and quickly, with Kudos points awarded based on style and speed. Tracks included accurate versions of Londond, Tokyo and San Francisco, and the game would use the real current time, then let your race through night or day depending on the time. There were plenty more excellent ideas thrown in there, and we’d definitely like to revisit the streets of MSR.
Grandia II
The Dreamcast was great for RPG lovers, and Grandia II was another huge voyage to take. The game had a special battle system not seen before, in which players had limited movement for striking their opponent and retreat - however, the opponent could use a cancelling move to stop any damage. Combo attacks could also counter attack moves and deal extra damage. Between this, Skies of Arcadia and Phantasy Star, we’re hoping for a huge RPG presence in the Dreamcast revival.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Following the ghostly figure Raziel, players could move between two planes in this dark adventure title. In the spectural plane, Raziel’s influence is limited, but he’s able to move through obstacles that were impassable in the material world. Soul Reaver already appeared on the Playstation Network, but we’d welcome a release on Xbox Live Arcade too.
Armada
A lesser known title for Dreamcast, but one that we’d like to give another playthrough. After Earth is destroyed by the evil Armada, the human race is split into parts and eventually decides to take on the Armada. Up to 4 players could float around space together, playing Asteroids-style games in RPG clothing, with tons of customization options.
Use the comments system below to tell us which of your favourite Dreamcast games you would like to see on the XBLA and PSN.
