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It may seem like it was eons ago, but there was once a time when Sega went head to head with Nintendo in the war for console supremacy. The house that Sonic built was notable for invading living rooms with their Master System, Genesis, Game Gear etc. Things started to turn south for the company, which led to them entering the sole route of game development. But Sega’s swan song system, the Dreamcast, may just be one of the most underrated consoles ever. Its catalog of games made the decision to hold onto the console an easy one. Join us as we count down the 50 greatest Dreamcast games.
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50. Virtua Fighter 3tb
Year: 1999
Publisher: Sega
Akira and company were a part of the Dreamcast console lineup with this title. The graphics got a notable upgrade, plus tag team battles were added to the fold (hence the tb add-on to the game’s name). We also witnessed the debuts of Miss Aoi Umenokoji and sumo wrestler Taka-Arashi.
Spawn: In the Demon’s Hand
Year: 2000
Publisher: Capcom
This is the best video game based on the Spawn comic book series (those other games were trash). Capcom provided some fast and furious battle arena gameplay and let us take control of hell’s favorite anti-hero. It was also cool being able to wage war with the Violater/Clown, Tiffany, and Brimstone.
48. Armada
Year: 1999
Publisher: Metro3D, Inc.
This space shooter was one of the more unique entries in its genre. It featured your familiar shoot ‘em up mechanics, but the game also added some RPG tropes to the mix. We treated our ship like our second child because of all the sweet upgrades we could give it.
Sword of the Beserk: Guts’ Rage
Year: 2000
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
The manga was dope and so was this game based off of it. Guts wielded a big ass sword, which meant we were gonna be able to cut some hapless soldiers in half. What was so cool about this game was the fact that your journey could change based on the success/failure of the Quick Time Events. Non-linear gameplay is something we always enjoy.
46. Outrigger
Year: 2001
Publisher: Sega
Sega had a knack for making super fluid arcade shooters in the past. One of those shooters happens to be the game you’re gazing at right now. Sega ported this arena shooter to the Dreamcast and we love ‘em for doing that. Outrigger felt like a Japanese take on Unreal Tournament, but with a third person view. Hey, ya know what? The graphics on this thing still look pretty spiffy.
45. Wacky Races
Year: 2000
Publisher: Infrogames
When cel-shaded graphics were all the rage for last generation’s games, Wacky Races came along for the ride. Infrogames reintroduced the world to Dick Dastardly and the rest of his cartoon crew. Dreamcast gamers wanted a good kart racer and they got one with this game. We’re sure our grandparents got a kick out of hearing the original voices for the game’s wild cast.
44. Zombie Revenge
Year: 2000
Publisher: Sega
So instead of filling zombies with arcade light gun lead, this game let us punch and kick them back to their graves. It felt real good when we ran through the game with two other partners in tow. We laid Black Magician Type 01 to rest so many times, we lost count.
43. Dynamite Cop
Year: 1999
Publisher: Sega
Say hello to another classic Dreamcast beat ‘em up! At first glance, you’d mistake this title for a sequel to Die Hard Arcade...and you’d be half right. This is a sequel to that game, but without the movie tie-in license. Bah, who needs it anyway! Delinger and his crew of dynamite officers pulled off wrestling moves on sorry criminals and giant octopuses. The Tranquilizer Gun unlockable game wasn’t half bad, either.
42. Ikaruga
Year: 2002
Publisher: Treasure/Sega/ESP/Atari
Treasure is known for crafting some of the most action packed games on the planet. In 2002, they gave Japanese owners (and American importers who had money to burn) a shooter unlike any other. The main hook to this game was the way you were forced to constantly change between a white and black version of your ship. Not only did your ship’s current color determine what enemies it could hurt, but it also determined what bullets could hurt you. Ikaruga was a worthy challenge.
41. Virtual-On: Oratorio Tangram
Year: 2000
Publisher: Sega
Robots killing each other never gets old, right? Especially in video game form! Sega’s Virtual-On series is known for intense mech mayhem. This Dreamcast entry came with a special twin sticks peripheral that brought the arcade experience home. Who was our favorite Virtuaroid? MBV-707-G Temjin.
40. Hydro Thunder
Year: 1999
Publisher: Midway Games
Back in the day, Midway was the one video game publisher known for churning out quality arcade racers. Hydro Thunder was a fresh take on racers, since it did away with dry roads and cars. The Dreamcast version had stunning graphics and it was much closer to the feel of the arcade version. Just how we like it.
39. Super Magnetic Neo
Year: 2000
Publisher: Crave Entertainment
This game pushed us to our limits. The stages got progressively more difficult as time went on, which led to plenty of failed jumps and wasted lives. We couldn’t stay too mad at our boy Neo, though. He was a cool dude who was able to generate two types of magnetic fields. It was up to you to get your reaction time right and use those fields correctly.
38. Canon Spike
Year: 2000
Publisher: Capcom
Capcom and its zany roster crossover games were at it again! This time, instead of a fighting game, Capcom crafted a multi-directional shooter that harkened back to the days of Smash TV. The best part about this game was its selectable characters. Arthur from Ghosts N Goblins, Charlie from Street Fighter Alpha, Baby Bonnie Hood from Darkstalkers, and Mega Man were all playable. We shit you not.
37. Toy Commander
Year: 1999
Publisher: Sega
Toy Commander took our childhood playtime fantasies and made them a reality. There’s a certain joy that comes from blowing everything to bits with a toy tank…in someone’s house. Why this series wasn’t as successful as Army Men is a question we’ll never quite have an answer for.
36. The Last Blade 2: Heart of the Samurai
Year: 2001
Publisher: SNK
SNK are fighting game gurus. That’s a fact. One of their most criminally overlooked fighting game franchises is The Last Blade. Dreamcast owners received a port for the second entry in the series, which was pretty close to the arcade edition. Each character stood out from the pack and the Speed/Power mode system provided plenty of ways to play.
35. Garou: Mark of the Wolves
Year: 2001
Publisher: SNK
This SNK classic got ported over to XBLA, so we’re sure there’s a few heads out there that recognize this game. Terry Bogard and Geese’s son Rock Howard fought in the streets with a new cast of characters in this version of Fatal Fury. The sound effects made each hit sound like a death blow, son.
34. Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
Year: 2000
Publisher: Capcom
Not many people paid attention to the Street Fighter series once it entered phase three. The first two games that came before this third entry were quite good, but 3rd Strike was the most refined and fun of them all. Roster standby’s like Ryu, Ken, Akuma, and Chun-Li were joined by newbie’s like Alex, Elena, Yun, and Yang. This game’s soundtrack is legendary.
33. Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000
Year: 2000
Publisher: Capcom
It finally happened. The two reigning kings of the fighting game world took their best guys and put ‘em all in a game. And the result? Capcom vs. SNK: Millenium Fight 2000. We could finally see who the stronger posterboy (Ryu vs. Terry) was, who was the tougher teen queen (Sakura vs. Yuri) and who was a true boss (M. Bison vs. Rugal).
32. Dead or Alive 2
Year: 2000
Publisher: Tecmo
The 3D fighting genre was ruled by heavy hitters like Tekken, SoulCalibur, and Virtua Fighter back then. Then came along this game…and we were blown away. The fighting seemed to move at the speed of light and the counter system kept opponent’s guessing. The superb graphics on this game made a strong statement about Dreamcast’s power.
31. MDK2
Year: 2000
Publisher: Bioware
Bioware made this? They sure did. This third person shooter featured the weirdest cast of heroes we’ve ever seen: a dude in a skintight coil suit, a robotic six-legged canine and a mad doctor who hurts people with radioactive toast. How awesome does that sound to you right now? These guys provided three different play styles that kept things from getting stale.
30. Seaman
Year: 2000
Publisher: Sega
Sega seemed to be in an experimental stage at this point. The type of games they were making was certainly different from the norm and most of them graced the Dreamcast console. One of those odd games happened to be this one: a virtual pet sim that tasked you with raising a sea creature. The microphone attachment let us converse with our digital pet. Hearing Leonard Nimoy talk back to us was mad trippy.
29. Rayman 2: The Great Escape
Year: 2000
Publisher: Ubisoft
One understated aspect of the Dreamcast library was its large offering of quality platformers. Rayman 2: The Great Escape was a part of that large offering. Instead of racing around stages like Sega’s blue hedgehog, Rayman slowed things down for us so we could explore every nook and cranny of the game world. We punched robot pirates, acted a fool with Globox and collected lums.
28. NBA 2K2
Year: 2001
Publisher: Sega
Aw man, look at that young Allen Iverson. Dude was on top of the world at one point, right? Proof of that success came in the form of his cover stint for this annual edition of the NBA 2K series. This happened to be the last entry to hit the Dreamcast, too. The basketball action in this one was damn near perfect and we lost countless hours to all the modes available to us. We’re looking at you, Fantasy mode
27. Ready to Rumble Boxing
Year: 1999
Publisher: Midway Games
Afro Thunder! Lulu Valentine! Jimmy Blood! If those names mean anything to you, then that means you remember this game fondly, just like us. This boxing game was a hilarious good time. We constantly called our boys over so we could run hours of matches in this thing. If we got to land a Rumble Flurry, then we had the right to brag for a whole week.
26. San Francisco Rush 2049
Year: 2000
Publisher: Midway Games
Midway came through with another memorable arcade racer with this one. There was a shitload of cars to choose from and plenty of stages to race them on. What was so cool about this game’s vehicles though was the fact that some of ‘em had wings that let you do the whirly bird in mid-air. The future of car racing was right here, ladies and gents.
25. Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes
Year: 1999
Publisher: Capcom
We were in heaven once we powered up Marvel vs. Capcom in our own bedrooms. The best thing about this arcade port was the Cross-Fever mode, which allowed four players to duke it out on separate teams. Thanks to this game, we can’t live without Strider, Mega Man, Captain Commando, and Jin. Our only complaint was the fact that we couldn’t play with the assist characters. We just wanted to do one match with Jubilee and Ton Pooh, that’s all.
24. Shenmue 2
Year: 2001
Publisher: Sega
This sequel to Sega’s epic open world adventure came to Japanese gamers who still played the Dreamcast. Us American’s got a ported version of the game on Xbox. It seemed to work out pretty well on both ends, we say. Shenmue 2 continued the journey of Ryo in Hong Kong. There was a lot more Quick Time Event action going on and branching paths to take this time around. We’re still waiting for a part three to this series cause that ending sure left us hanging.
23. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Year: 2000
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
The Legacy of Kain series is sorely missed by us Complex gamers. This Soul Reaver offshoot game was a full fledged adventure that featured amazing visuals and gory combat. Raziel was a badass vampire who had access to a variety of cool abilities. Getting a taste of Holy Flame meant we were set to go hard in our Fire Reaver form. This series needs a comeback…like, right this instant.
22. Resident Evil Code: Veronica
Year: 2000
Publisher: Capcom
Getting to see the Resident Evil series on a console besides the PlayStation wasn’t something we were used to seeing back then. But when Code Veronica came to the Dreamcast, we welcomed the thought of that idea going forward. Claire, Steve, and Chris were all playable in this latest take on the survival horror series. The game was hella hard, but we had a good time nonetheless. Alfred, though? He was weird.
21. Power Stone
Year: 1999
Publisher: Capcom
The sleeper fighting game came out of nowhere and wowed us upon its release. Instead of making us dish out hadukens on a 2D plane, Power Stone tasked us with running around wide open 3D environments while hitting dudes with benches. Once your character consumed the power of all three Power Stones, they’d transform into a super powered version of themselves. Super Saiyan Wang-Tang? Yep, we used him a lot.
20. The Typing of the Dead
Year: 2000
Publisher: Sega
When we heard Sega was getting ready to drop a new version of its popular zombie blaster, this isn’t what we had in mind. In the end though, this game turned out to be a fun little diversion that turned us into computer keyboard masters. Edutainment games were never this good! When the zombie apocalypse goes down, we’re taking the undead out…by typing out the names of flowers.
19. Space Channel 5
Year: 2000
Publisher: Sega
Man, was this a weird game or what? But ya gotta hand it to the guys that developed this quirky title. It was a breath of fresh air and it looked like nothing else at the time. We loved Ulala and her funky dance moveset. We had a mighty fun time dancing our asses off while shooting aliens in the face. Anyone remember Space Michael?
18. Grandia 2
Year: 2000
Publisher: Ubisoft
This game ended up becoming one of the finer RPG’s on the Dreamcast. Its visual presentation provided colorful forests and intimidating caves and the battle system was mad innovative. It was turn-based yet steeped in real time action. The adventure was lengthy but we had a good time completing it. Oh and Ryudo the Geohound is the greatest name we’ve ever heard.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Year: 2000
Publisher: Activision
The Tony Hawk video games were once regarded as the greatest skateboard titles on the market. What was the best version, you ask? We pick the second one. It kept all the things we loved about the first one and added new mechanics like the Noseslide and Feeble grinds. And Create-A-Skater and the Park Editor modes were just the icing on the cake.
16. The House of the Dead 2
Year: 1999
Publisher: Sega
Re-Re-Re-Reload! That annoying ass voice in your head reminds you of holding an plastic gat in your hand at the arcade or movie theater. That must mean you fondly remember The House of the Dead 2. If you were able to cop two light guns and a capable friend, this game was a blast to play. We felt like shit when we couldn't save someone. RIP to the chick that was hanging off the railing…
15. Project Justice
Year: 2001
Publisher: Capcom
For all those diehard fans of Rival Schools out there, you should already know why this game is ranked so high. For the rest of you, you’re about to understand why. Project Justice was an incredible sequel to the first game on PSOne. We got plenty of new characters (the chick with the violin was so ill) to place more beatdowns with. This time, we got to roll with three members and pull off insane team maneuvers. The price for this thing is pretty high nowadays, too.
14. ChuChu Rocket!
Year: 2000
Publisher: Sega
Sega took the eternal struggle between cats and mice and turned it into an awesome puzzle game. ChuChu Rocket! tasked players with getting their mice to the goals safely while avoiding pissed off felines. The game’s graphics were certainly unique, but the one thing that this game is most remembered for is the fact that it was a pioneer in online gaming.
13. Samba de Amigo
Year: 2000
Publisher:
This musical good time did unspeakable damage to our vision. We couldn’t take our eyes off Samba de Amigo, though! Amigo was such a likable dude, and playing to famous Latin tunes with maracas was awesome. The action that went down in the background was so vibrant and full of color too. We’re glad this game got another shot on the Wii.
12. Sonic Adventure
Year: 1999
Publisher: Sega
Our eyes propped open with amazement at the first sight of this 3D Sonic game. Some say Super Mario 64 changed their lives. Sonic Adventure was the game that did it for us. Getting to see the famous blue hedgehog run around in full 3D was awe inspiring. People stopped at the sight of a TV displaying the scene where Sonic is hauling ass from a killer whale. It looked that good. We still can’t get the "Speed Highway" tune out of our heads!
11. Power Stone 2
Year: 2000
Publisher: Capcom
The sequel to the first Power Stone gave us more than we asked for. New characters, four player brawls, and massive stages were all a part of this super sequel. The game was much deeper too, as you could craft your own weapons and items for battle. We derived a great amount of pleasure from cutting our enemies to pieces with a giant fire sword. Adventure mode was da ish too!
10. NFL 2K2
Year: 2001
Publisher: Sega
Today, only one football video game franchise reigns supreme. A couple years back however, there was a challenger to the throne. Sega needed a football game of their own for its new system, which ended up being the NFL 2K series. The 2K2 edition of the game was the last to land on Sega’s console and it was a fine farewell. The graphics, game mechanics, A.I. and game modes gave the Madden series a run for its money.
9. Virtua Tennis
Year: 2000
Publisher: Sega
We never knew the sport of tennis could be so addictive. Sega took the simulation aspects of the sport out and put in quick and easy arcade play in instead. This game had an easy learning curve that helped newbie’s get a step up on the court. World Circuit mode had us glued to our chairs back then. That might've been due to the awesome training mini-games.
8. Sonic Adventure 2
Year: 2001
Publisher: Sega
One hedgehog was fine, but two of ‘em? Even better. Sonic Adventure 2 was the coming out party for Shadow the Hedgehog and Knuckles’ main rival, Rouge the Bat. The game split its story into a good/evil side, which eventually led to the true and final ending campaign. We have fond memories of watching Sonic run away from a rampaging truck. The final, FINAL boss fight was epic too. Super Shadow was da man.
7. Crazy Taxi
Year: 1999
Publisher:
Crazy Taxi was an insanely fun time when it found its way into arcades. When the home version dropped into our laps, we fell in love with it even more. The game made it our mission to get our eccentric passengers to their destination by any means necessary. We’d drive our cab through outdoor restaurants and malls with reckless abandon. We’ll never forget the entire blatant product placement in this game either.
6. Shenmue
Year: 2000
Publisher: Sega
This open world action game was an innovator upon its release. Yu Suzuki went above and beyond as the producer of this epic adventure. Shenmue seemingly had everything: open environments, a day/night cycle, changing weather, a battle system, minigames, Quick Time Events etc. Ryo may have had the personality of a boulder, but we still enjoyed his journey of revenge and redemption.
5. Phantasy Star Online
Year: 2001
Publisher: Sega
Online gaming got a shot in the arm when Phantasy Star Online became a reality. Players from all over the world were able to take their personally crafted warriors into the wild with fellow adventurers and complete missions. Our minds were blown at the fact that our home console allowed us to play such a huge game over the Internet. We tended to be a Hunter, but the other two race classes performed just as admirably. The real time combat engine gave us countless hours of fun hack and slash action.
4. Skies of Arcadia
Year: 2000
Publisher: Sega
As for best traditional RPG on the Sega Dreamcast, we feel Skies of Arcadia deserves that honor. Vyse and his two lady companions explored the world on a huge airship, searching for Discoveries and engaging in battle with other ships. The character battle system proved to be a fun diversion, but we got a bigger kick out of living the pirate’s life. This game was all about entering the great unknown and living to tell about it. We’d love to see ya again, Vyse.
3. Jet Grind Radio
Year: 2000
Publisher: Sega
We think this game started the whole cel-shaded graphics era. After Jet Grind Radio blew everyone’s minds upon release, a slew of games featuring this title’s cartoon sheen started popping up everywhere. Mad respect to this OG. The music was memorable and it fit the game’s theme perfectly. We controlled Beat as we skated all over Japan and laid down tags, evaded police, and landed sweet tricks. Thank the gaming Gods because they’re blessing us with an HD re-release of this classic.
2. SoulCalibur
Year: 1999
Publisher: Namco
This game right here, son? One of the greatest launch games to ever grace a newly released console. SoulCalibur was the game you showed off to your non-Dreamcast owning buddies. Afterwards, they’d head back home to their PSOne’s and N64’s with a look of eternal sadness on their faces. Eventually, they’d come back to your crib for some Vs. playtime. This fighter’s graphics were beautiful at the time of its release and the weapons combat system was simply untouchable. Man, we loved getting our cheese on with Maxi and Kilik!
1. Marvel vs. Capcom 2
Year: 2000
Publisher: Capcom
One of, if not THE greatest fighting games of all time, made its console debut on the Sega Dreamcast. When Capcom released the second installment in its company crossover fighting game, they went all out. A roster full of 56 playable heroes and villains guaranteed you and your buddies hours of nonstop play. The 2D character sprites combined with 3D backgrounds were awesome to look at and the soundtrack was so different yet so satisfying. The Dreamcast was a safe haven for incredible fighting games. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is proof of that.