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Feature: Top Dreamcast Games

The SEGA Dreamcast has adorned our lives for over 20 years now, and was one of the shortest-lived AAA consoles on the market. Nonetheless, the Dreamcast was still a bonafide hit among the SEGA fan base which saw strong sales in the initial release and a rabid number of gamers standing by the system even after its discontinuation.
To help mark the SEGA Dreamcast, Cubed3 staff members have had their say on some of their favourite titles to grace the console, but don't despair, the following list is in no particular ranking order.

1. Dead or Alive 2

Team Ninja's Dead or Alive 2 still ranks highly in the upper echelons of the fighting game genre's best. Revisiting the Dreamcast port of what was originally an arcade title is splendid indeed, with the visually gorgeous character models and textbook fluid animations that the DOA franchise is still verily praised for putting it way above other competing fighters on the market. Interactive environments delivered a whole other dimension and degree of fun to matches, and the simple to learn, yet difficult to master "triangle combat system" that takes Virtua Fighter and spruces it up with stuns and risky, punishable attacks combined sweetly to craft one of the finest titles on SEGA's final home console.
-Az

2. Skies of Arcadia

While the PS2 had the full weight of JRPG powerhouses Squaresoft and Enix backing it with legendary franchises finding home on it as they did on PS1, the Dreamcast did not feature quite as many prime examples of the genre. However, its magnum opus in that regard, outside of household name Phantasy Star Online, has to be Skies of Arcadia. Its unique premise of sky pirates ruling over world travel by airship between floating gigantic islands was magical and still quite unforgettable to this day. It would not remain exclusive to the Dreamcast in the long run, with a now much sought after Gamecube port releasing in 2003, but while that lasted, the only way to experience this timeless classic was on Sega's very last-ditch effort to reconquer the home market.
-Rudy

3. Sonic Adventure

Sonic Adventure is still, without a doubt, a real classic of its time. Although it seems to have shrunk in stature, as it grows old, for those who enjoyed the ride in the first place, this is well worth replaying for the nostalgia rush alone. The best-selling Dreamcast game has a place on the shelf of any Sonic fan, and any decent SEGA fan. It's a shame that Sonic Team never quite reached this level again, with the exception of its follow-up sequel, Sonic Adventure 2.
-Tom

4. Crazy Taxi

YA! YA! YA! YA! YA! Ported perfectly from the arcade, Crazy Taxi was one of the best games to have on the Dreamcast. Heck, it still is! This pick-and-up and play drop and fetch quest style driving game had a killer sound track supplied in part by The Offspring, franchised fast food from KFC and one of the most interesting video game patents of all time, patent 138 which saw SEGA own the patent on cars being directed by a giant way-finding arrow. Crazy Taxi was a smash hit and one of the best-selling titles on the Dreamcast, and while it has been ported to so many consoles that came after it the Dreamcast version still remains to be the best version.
-Neil

5. Soul Calibur

Namco's follow up to Soul Edge, Soul Calibur was one of the best-looking games to make its way to the Dreamcast. Despite being originally an arcade hit, the Dreamcast was the perfect home for such a title and it even improved the graphics in the jump across hardware. Soul Calibur allowed players to master a number of characters, each of whom donned a signature weapon, whether that be Kilik's staff, Maxi's nunchucks or Cervantes' long sword. The 3D environments looked stellar for its time, and surprisingly still do, but it's not just the graphics that stand out but the remarkably silky-smooth gameplay that still marks it as one of the best fighters of all time.
-Neil

These are five games that helped define the Dreamcast, but there are so many more. Feel free to make your comments known below. If you'd like to read more about the Sega Dreamcast then check out our retrospective feature for the Sega Dreamcast's 20th Anniversary

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Feature: Top Dreamcast Games

1. Dead or Alive 2

2. Skies of Arcadia

3. Sonic Adventure

4. Crazy Taxi

5. Soul Calibur

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