Dreamcast Games - ranked by preference

Release Date: October 5, 2000 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Overworks
Genre: RPG

As soon as I first began to sail the skies in Skies of Arcadia, I fell in love with this game. This is an RPG that encourages and rewards exploration in such a way that I was driven to ensure that every millimeter of the world map was explored to find all discoveries, hidden bosses, recruitable characters, etc. When you're not exploring the game is still tremendous with memorable characters, fun ship battles, beautiful visuals, and inspiring story. The Dreamcast wasn't exactly known as a console full of RPGs, but it's the home of this game, which I consider to be one of the best RPGs ever made.

Release Date: August 5, 1999 (JP)
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Genre: Fighting

Soul Calibur turned a lot of heads when it was released. Not only was everything arcade-perfect, but in many ways it surpassed the arcade version, which in itself was already an amazing game. Namco also tossed in a few extra modes to boot, including Mission Mode, which was absolutely addicting. There are also plenty of characters, costumes, and modes to unlock, creating plenty of replay value to ensure that you keep coming back for more. I don't consider this to be the best 3D fighting game of all-time any more, but back when it was released, there weren't too many fighting games that came even close to matching the quality of this gem.

Release Date: July 8, 1999 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting

Well, this is it, in my opinion...The absolute best Street Fighter game ever created. Sporting one of the largest cast of characters in any fighting game up to this point, and a plethora of game modes, it was not an uncommon thing to hear of people sinking hundreds of hours into this game, even without playing any multiplayer. The ability to play each character with A, X, and V-Isms basically means that the roster is multiplied by three as each character has a slightly different move set depending on the Ism that you use. The awesome, RPG-like World Tour mode alone will make most fighting game fans lose hours of their life as they try to build up the most powerful version of their favorite fighters as possible, which you can then use that super-powered character in arcade mode and absolutely dominate the competition. I really can't say enough good of this game. It's Street Fighter perfection that hadn't been achieved before and hasn't been done since. This is a must-play for fighting game fans.

Release Date: June 29, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Crave
Developer: Treyarch
Genre: Sports - Extreme Sports - Skateboarding

I first played Tony Hawk's Pro Skater a year prior to its release on a demo disk. The game was extremely basic when compared to the final product, but it was still fun enough where a few friends and I lost hours playing the demo. Then, a year later Pizza Hut released a demo much more true to the original game...And I was sold. I went out of my way to purchase this game...And to this day, I can still pop it in and love every minute of my time with it. And I'm not a music guy by any stretch, but I enjoy every song on the soundtrack, which also adds a tad to the enjoyment. While the sequel might be a superior game overall, I'll always have a preference to the simplicity of the original.

Release Date: September 8, 2000 (EU)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Hitmaker
Genre: Sports - Tennis

In my opinion, Virtua Tennis is easily one of the greatest sports games ever made...And it's up there as one of the best Dreamcast games as well. Virtua Tennis brought back the simplistic joys of Pong, tweaking the tennis game formula to near perfection in the process. Not only is the action extremely fluid and easy to play, but World Tour mode and the mini games found within is a great addition as well, adding hours of gameplay to an already great game.

Release Date: November 10, 1999 (NA)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Visual Concepts
Genre: Sports - Basketball

NBA 2K, along with NFL 2K, made it perfectly clear that Sega's Dreamcast didn't need EA Sports franchises like Madden of NBA Live. In fact, in my personal opinion, both NBA 2K and NFL 2K surpassed the EA Sports titles in just about every way. NBA 2K almost seems like a perfect game of basketball when compared to rival games of the time. It looked gorgeous, and it hasn't aged too terribly, either. It still plays great and has enough customization where you can make the game play the way you want it to play. If you're a basketball nut, you can even watch the computer battle it out, which is actually pretty dang fun to watch as well. Sega's sports brand made it clear that sports fans had plenty to get excited about on the Dreamcast, and NBA 2K was leading the charge, in my humble opinion.

Release Date: February 29, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Tecmo
Developer: Team Ninja
Genre: Fighting

Dead or Alive 2 was one of the more sought-after games on the Dreamcast. Years after the death of the console, a used copy of Dead or Alive 2 was still fetching around $30 or so. Last time I checked, that price has dropped, but regardless of what it costs, this is a must-play game for fighting enthusiasts. In my personal opinion, this is the pinnacle of the Dead or Alive series, with improvements in every aspect of the original game. If not for Soul Calibur, Dead or Alive 2 would have been the best 3D fighter on the Dreamcast. But second place ain't bad either.

Release Date: January 24, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Hitmaker
Genre: Action

Crazy Taxi was a blast in the arcades, and while you can't sit in a booth with a steering wheel and a gas pedal while playing this at home, maneuvering around the city using a controller is nearly as fun. Crazy Taxi is arcade-style gameplay at its most fun, with a premise that doesn't sound like it would be too enjoyable - drive people around location to location as quickly as possible. I was never all that great at this game, but that never prevented me from enjoying it one bit.

Release Date: June 29, 2000 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Smilebit
Genre: Platformer

Jet Grind Radio wasn't the first game to use cel-shaded graphics, but it was probably the most notable game to do so at the time. The art style fit well with the game itself, as you skated around a city, skitchin' down streets, grindin' rails, taggin' walls, runnin' from cops, and several other activities that I can use an apostrophe in the place of a 'g' for. It was fun playing the game itself, but it was just as fun just wandering around, doing the above mentioned activities without aiming for any particular goal.

Release Date: March 1, 2001 (JP)
Publisher: Spike
Developer: S-Neo
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

Fire Pro Wrestling D, until Fire Pro Wrestling R was made on the PS2, was the ultimate Fire Pro Wrestling game. Scratch that. It may have been the ultimate wrestling game regardless of game series. Like the previous game in the franchise on the Saturn, Fire Pro D offers the player several match types, including MMA-style shoot fights, and a plethora of wrestlers to play as. Like most games in the series, there's definitely a learning curve to overcome here, but once you overcome it, you would have been very hard pressed to find a deeper wrestling game for its time.

Release Date: September 8, 1999 (NA)
Publisher: Midway
Developer: Eurocom Entertainment Software
Genre: Racing

I'm a sucker for racing games that don't involve cars. Maybe it's because I've always enjoyed games that stray from the beaten path, or maybe it's because games like Hydro Thunder are just so dang good that it makes me want more. Hydro Thunder takes the fun racing-on-water mechanics of Wave Race 64 and adds some speed and a more arcade-y feel to deliver an awesome experience for both casual and hardcore fans of racing games. It's not an incredibly deep racing experience, but it doesn't need to be - it's just pure fun.

Release Date: March 30, 2000 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is a hectic fighter full of unbalanced characters where a button-masher has a good chance of defeating a player who learned all the moves and tries to fight strategically, depending on the players chosen. So why is it so beloved? Well, 'cause it's fun. This sequel improves upon the original Marvel vs. Capcom in most aspects and adds a few new modes and features, making it one of the most enjoyable fighting games on the Dreamcast.

Release Date: December 16, 1999 (DC)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: UGA
Genre: Music

Space Channel 5 is a very unique music game that has the player controlling Ulala as she tries to rid Space Channel 5 of a swarm of aliens that have infested the area....She tries to do this through dance. It's essentially an interactive movie where you just input commands as you're prompted to, but the story is so unique and the characters so charming that you can't help but keep playing. A musical, video game version of Simon really shouldn't be this much fun...But it is.

Release Date: September 9, 1999 (NA)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Visual Concepts
Genre: Sports - Football

NFL 2K was a Dreamcast launch title that immediately made it clear to football fanatic Sega fans that Madden wasn't needed on this system. In fact, NFL 2K, in my opinion, was a Madden killer of sorts. I've never been a big football guy, but I was genuinely hooked on NFL 2K, something that I can't say about any Madden title after the series went 3D. NFL 2K let every Dreamcast owner know that while they weren't going to get any Madden games, Sega was going to do their best to make sure that they got something better instead. They definitely did with this release.

Release Date: September 27, 2001 (JP)
Publisher: Agetec
Developer: SNK
Genre: Fighting

I need to get this out of the way right off the bat - there's a fighter in this game named "Butt." If that's not enough reason to praise this game, I don't know what is. With that said, Mark of the Wolves is a fantastic 2D fighter that hasn't been played by nearly enough people. This is one of the best-made SNK fighters that you can find. Beautiful 2D models brawl it out with smooth controls and fun, unique move sets for each character. It may not have an overwhelming amount of game modes, but the fighting is done so well, that it can get away with it. If you're into fighting games, hunt this game down. You'll be glad you did.

Release Date: June 25, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Genre: Action

Oh, Mr. Driller how I love thee. When I first played Mr. Driller, I was working at Funcoland and we had the game hooked up for people to try out. I was on break, so I gave the game a try and instantly became a fan. The odd mixture of Dig Dug-like digging and Tetris-like block matching was a blast to play, and still is today. Later Mr. Driller games have added some more modes and features, but the core gameplay has almost completely stayed the same...and there's a reason for that. I don't think it can get much better than this. Give it a try. I bet you'll be glad that you did.

Release Date: July 12, 2001 (JP)
Publisher: Media Factory
Developer: Omiya Soft
Genre: Board

Culdcept II is a game that I try not to play often - not because it's bad, but because I have a hard time putting it down once I start. The most basic way I can describe Culdcept II is that it's like Monopoly with monster fights. Basically, you roll the dice, move around the board and place creatures on the empty space you land on. If you land on a space that has a creature of one of your opponents on it, you can choose to pay the fee, like in Monopoly when you land on a property, or choose a creature in your deck of cards to do battle and try to take the space over. It's probably not for everyone, but I'm a pretty big fan of the game, personally. If you're a fan of Monopoly, you might get a kick out of playing this variation of the Monopoly formula. If this sounds interesting to you, but you don't want to bother with Japanese, this game came to North America on the Playstation 2 known simply as "Culcept."

Release Date: September 6, 2000 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Adventure - Survival Horror

I'm usually in the minority when I say this, but what the heck, I'll say it anyway - I prefer Dino Crisis to the first three Resident Evil games. I like Resident Evil and all, but when you take the Resident Evil formula, get rid of the slow-as-dirt zombies and replace them with lightning quick dinosaurs, it just makes for a more exciting game to play in my opinion. Yeah, the story and characters are kind of corny, but maybe that's where the game charmed me. I like corn. The only real downside to the Dreamcast version that I noticed is that it wasn't really upgraded or modified to take advantage of Sega's more powerful hardware. But, if you're not a graphics snob, you'll still find plenty to like here.

Release Date: December 23, 1998 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sonic Team
Genre: Action

Sonic Adventure wasn't terrible for its time, honestly. Sure, the camera wasn't great, but nor was it for most 3D games back then. That aside, I actually really enjoyed the varied gameplay mechanics of each playable character. Sonic's levels revolved around speed, Big's around fishing, E-102's levels had a little more action to 'em, etc. The game hasn't aged particularly well, but it can still be pretty fun if you're into nostalgia and/or the history of the Sonic franchise.

Release Date: October 14, 1999 (NA)
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Genre: Racing

Speed Devils is a deceptively good game. At first glance, it just looks like your average racer with a pretty coat of paint and (mostly) interesting levels. Each level is hiding shortcuts and hidden routes and you've got turbo boosts to use at your disposal and you can customize the levels prior to racing, like what the weather will be like and if it's a regular course or a mirror course....There's just so much to do and discover that any fan of arcade racing can easily lose hours upon hours here. Some folks don't like this game for some reason, but I fail to see what isn't to like here. If you get a chance to play it, give it a shot and find out for yourself.

Release Date: March 25, 1999 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: AM1
Genre: Shooter - First-Person - Light Gun

House of the Dead 2 starts out with a creepy, winged gargoyle-like creature taunting you...And once you hear his voice, the creepiness instantly goes away. Give a munchkin some helium and you've pretty much got that voice. Anyway, House of the Dead 2 is a solid rail shooter where you shoot up zombies and slugs and various other creatures and monsters in your way while a cheesy, B-movie story unfolds. If you can get your hands on a Dreamcast light gun, this is an awesome game to get.

Release Date: August 29, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Crave
Developer: Anchor
Genre: Fighting - MMA

Ultimate Fighting Championship isn't a fighting game with fireballs coming out of the hands of the fighters. There aren't exotic locations that they fight in. There's no limit breaks, no combos, no fatalities...This game is purely mixed martial arts action. Just punches, kicks, takedowns, and submissions. But Anchor did a tremendous job bringing the sport of MMA to video games. At its time, this was the best MMA game ever made. More than ten years later, it may not be the best any more, but it's still near the top of the heap.

Release Date: June 16, 2000 (EU)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Appaloosa Interactive
Genre: Adventure

Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future is a great example of the power of the Dreamcast - the game looks absolutely gorgeous. I found that much of my time was spent ignoring what I was supposed to be doing just so I could swim around and enjoy the underwater world created here. Unfortunately, once you start to do what you're supposed to be doing, some of the areas are very easy to get lost in. Without a whole lot of landmarks to go by, getting disoriented in the levels is pretty common...But, like I said, when half the fun is just wandering around and admiring the aquatic scenery, getting lost isn't always too upsetting.

Release Date: December 21, 2000 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Amusement Vision
Genre: Racing

Daytona USA on the Sega Saturn was an attempt to bring the fantastic arcade racer into homes that fell short. Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition was a much better attempt, but still fell a tad short. Was the third time the charm with Dreamcast's Daytona USA? Yes and no. This game has several extra features like new tracks and cars to race as, but the gameplay itself still isn't quite as tight and fluid as the wonderful arcade original. It's the closest thing you can get to the arcade game on a home console, though, so that alone makes this a worthy purchase for racing fans - but plopping quarters in a Daytona USA arcade cabinet is still the way to go for the best Daytona USA experience.

Release Date: June 24, 1999 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Scarab
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

All Japan's game on the Saturn included a few characters from Virtua Fighter to fight alongside or against various AJPW wrestlers like Giant Baba, Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada, and Kenta Kobashi. Giant Gram does that again with a larger roster and slightly improved in-ring action. The only thing that really holds this back from being a truly great wrestling game are the controls which feel like they lag at times. By no means does it break the game, but it does feel annoying at times. It's still a decent wrestling experience, and worth checking out...Especially if you're a fan of the 90's All Japan product, like I am.

Release Date: September 6, 2000 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting

Capcom vs. SNK covers kind of a wide range, doesn't it? A better name for this game would have been Street Fighter vs. King of Fighters since, minus a couple of characters, pretty much every playable character is from one of the two franchises. That minor complaint aside, Capcom created a nice fighting game that provided a dream match for fans of fighting games, pitting characters from two of the best 2D fighting game franchise against each other...or teaming them up, depending on how you play, I suppose. If you're a fan of either fighting franchise, this is definitely worth checking out.

Release Date: February 9, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Black Box
Genre: Sports - Hockey

NHL 2K wasn't quite as impressive as NFL 2K or NBA 2K were, but it was still a solid, entertaining game of hockey for the Dreamcast. This is really the only sports game that I feel that Sega didn't surpass Electronic Arts in when it comes to the early titles in the Dreamcast library...And again, it's not a bad game by any means, and it's quite fun...it just isn't a sports game that'll blow anyone out of the water, like some other Dreamcast sports games did.

Release Date: November 11, 1999 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Takumi Corporation
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

A lot of reviewers were hard on this game when it came out, and aside from the graphics seeming like they were a generation behind, I'm not really seeing the problems that they saw. Actually, I really enjoyed my time with Giga Wing. Is it flawless? Nope. Is it original? Not really. Is it fun? Indeed, it is. Fans of scrolling shooters will likely enjoy Giga Wing. If that genre has never really impressed you, well then you may have the same opinion as those reviewers from back when this game came out.

Release Date: December 7, 2000 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting

Project Justice is a fighting game that provides an interesting story to go along with the fighting as well as a cast of fighters where each one is unique and with their own personality...None of them really come across as generic, and that's pretty refreshing in a fighting game. This also is not a game that lends itself to button mashers. It's got a little bit of a slower pace than Street Fighter fans may be used to, but the slowed-down pace makes for more strategic fighting, which in turn leads to (in my opinion, anyway) a more enjoyable fighting experience. If you enjoyed Rival Schools on Playstation One, then you'll probably enjoy this sequel.

Release Date: November 14, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Psikyo
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

Cannon Spike is a different kind of shooter, where you're basically enclosed in an area and expected to shoot and/or brawl your way through all of the opponents that come your way. The controls take a little while to get used to since once you begin firing, you're unable to change the direction of your aim until you stop. If the shooting aspects were a little more like a twin-stick shooter, I feel like this game would be at least a tad better. Anyway, as it is, it's still a solid shooter and worth checking out for fans of the genre.

Release Date: June 23, 2000 (EU)
Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Bizarre Creations
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

Fur Fighters seems to generally be overlooked on the Dreamcast due to its cutesy appearance. Don't let the adorable-looking graphics fool you, though...There's a reason this was rated "Teen" rather than "Everyone" by the ESRB afterall. This game is also kind of hard...Not so much the game itself, but trying to get used to the control scheme. Most games have the movement of characters controlled on the left side of the controller. Fur Fighters is controlled on the right side, with the left side controlling the camera. It takes a while to get used to, but after you're used to it, it's not incredibly bad. But anyway, Fur Fighters is a solid third-person shooter in single player, but it also shines in multiplayer deathmatch-style shootouts. If you're looking for a solid shooter and have patience and time to get yourself used to a unique control scheme, Fur Fighters is an excellent choice.

Release Date: April 1, 1999 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sims
Genre: Sports - Fishing

There probably aren't a lot of folks out there that think that a fishing game could be fast-paced, exciting, and fun...But Sega Bass Fishing manages to be all three. It's fishing without the long, boring periods of not catching a thing and with the stress of trying to capture enough fish within a set time limit. The end result will likely get anyone that plays it hooked, pun intended.

Release Date: September 2, 1999 (JP)
Publisher: Tomy Corporation
Developer: Yuke's
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

Toukon Retsuden 4 was a game based on the New Japan Pro Wrestling promotion in the Land of the Rising Sun. It looks great, and there are plenty of modes and such to keep players busy for a long time...The thing holding this game back is the actual gameplay. It's not terrible gameplay, but it's choppy. Wrestlers move robotically and the in-ring action doesn't often flow well. That said, it's still a decent wrestling title, but unless you're a wrestling nut (like me), you're better off importing the Giant Gram games or Fire Pro Wrestling D if you're looking for quality wrestling on the Dreamcast.

Release Date: June 21, 2001 (JP)
Publisher: Altron
Developer: Altron
Genre: Puzzle

Cleopatra Fortune is an odd puzzle game that plays kind of like Tetris in that blocks fall from the sky and stack on top of each other. The catch here is that instead of matching blocks, you want to instead entomb the sarcophaguses that fall with the blocks, which gives you points and clears up the level, allowing you for more room for burying more mummy caskets. It's a decent puzzle game that might be worth checking out if you find the concept interesting.

Release Date: June 24, 1999 (JP)
Publisher: Crave
Developer: Genki
Genre: Racing

Tokyo Xtreme Racer is almost like a hybrid between a fighting game and a racing game. The concept of the game is to drive around the highways of Tokyo and challenge people to street races. Once in the race, two health bars pop up on the top of the screen - one for you and one for your opponent. Whoever is ahead in the race is fine, but whoever is behind constantly has their health bar drain. The loser is the one who has an empty health bar first. It's a neat concept and fun game, but doing the same thing over and over again gets repetitive. If there were more modes or options in the game, I'd give it a higher score, but for what it is, it's still well worth a look from any street racing fanatics out there.

Release Date: July 30, 2001 (NA)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Visual Concepts
Genre: Adventure

This was actually the first episode of what was scheduled to be a few that followed the Floigan Bros. When it first came out it was praised at how much it felt like being an interactive cartoon, and with all of its personality, it still feels that way to a degree. Interacting with Moigle is both amusing and a necessary aspect of the game. However, the gameplay does get a little tedious after a while. It's probably a perfect game for young'uns and it's entertaining enough where many adults may find some enjoyment here, as well.

Release Date: December 21, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Clockwork Games
Genre: Racing

Vanishing Point has a pretty steep learning curve...So steep that most folks will likely give up after only a few races...Especially considering that you have to unlock nearly everything in the game, so you're very limited in what you've got to do early on. But if you stick with it, you'll find a racing game with an intelligent AI, and while it's annoying early on to have to unlock everything, it also increases the longevity of the game, sometimes driving you to keep playing in order to unlock the next track or car. I was never a big fan of how the vehicles feel when driving, but learning to control them is all part of the learning curve. If you've got the patience to stick with it, you've got a decent racing game here.

Release Date: July 12, 2001 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting

The first time I played Heavy Metal Geomatrix, I was a bit disappointed. As I've played it on and off over the years, I've come to appreciate it a bit more. Basically, think 3D fighting similar to (but not quite as good as) Power Stone, but throw in a lot of guns and explosions, and you've pretty much got this game. If that sounds interesting to you, you might wanna give it a try.

Release Date: August 31, 2000 (JP)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: KCEO
Genre: Sports - Olympics

You like to button mash? Well, then ESPN International Track & Field is for you, friends!.....Wait, most of you said that you don't like to button mash? Oh, well then forget my previous statement. ESPN International Track & Field is a passable collection of button-mashing mini games disguised as various track and field events that can be fun when playing with friends in a competitive way, but lacks most of that fun when playing solo. Unless you're an olympics junkie that wants to play any game involving the international sporting event, you can probably just avoid this game altogether.

Release Date: January 18, 2001 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Scarab
Genre: Fighting

I always liked Fighting Vipers on the Saturn. The over-the-top style of fighting, with sending your opponent bursting through the barricades surrounding the fighting area, just seemed neat. Fighting Vipers 2 is more of the same...but not really anything new. The overall fighting is passable, but it does feel a little bit dated in comparison to the other fantastic fighting games on the Dreamcast.

Release Date: August 1, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Yuke's
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

WWF Royal Rumble in the arcade was decent, but not great. When a port was announced for the Dreamcast, a lot of wrestling fans were hoping for some new content...unfortunately, there was none. This is just a straight port of the arcade game. You have the options of playing singles mode, which is basically an arcade mode from most fighting games, and Royal Rumble mode, which is just a Royal Rumble match...where you'll see the same wrestlers over and over because the game's roster does not have 30 wrestlers to fill those spots. On the plus side, though, this game does allow nine wrestlers in the ring at a time, which allows for some fun, hectic moments. The gameplay itself is not the best - my main complaint is that there is no lock-on, so if you're trying to back away while throwing a punch or perform a grapple, you're going to turn your back to your opponent. Likewise, it's not always the easiest to line-up a punch or grapple when trying to catch an opponent off-guard, too. It can take a while to get used to it...But unfortunately, with a lack of modes (which was acceptable for an arcade game - but not a wrestling home console game at this time, where the norm was season modes with storylines and create-a-wrestler options) this game ultimately falls flat.

Release Date: December 30, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Acclaim
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

When Acclaim put out WWF Warzone and WWF Attitude, its wrestling engine was actually pretty good, though complicated. By the time ECW Hardcore Revolution came out, the engine was already dated and in need of a change. Anarchy Rulz was supposed to have a new engine for this game, but the changes were minute, and many of them actually made things worse rather than better. The end result was a turd of a game, which pains me to say as a big ECW fan. The confusing inclusion of a ficticious Brimstone match, a match that never existed, and a cage match in a UFC-style octagon ring (which, again, never happened in ECW) just adds to the poor quality of the game. The season mode is decent, but once you get to the in-ring stuff, it all goes back down hill. There are worse wrestling games out there, but that still doesn't make this good in any way. Big fan of ECW. Not a fan of Anarchy Rulz.

Release Date: August 31, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Developer: Attention To Detail
Genre: Sports - Olympics

I'll give Eidos credit - I thought that this game would be absolutely terrible. That said, I still don't feel that it's a good game...Just not as bad as I thought it would be. Sydney 2000 has some redeeming gameplay elements (I personally enjoyed the high dive) but it also has some stinkers in there that bog the whole experience down (like powerlifting) and prevent this from being a game that I feel like I can recommend. But, if you like the Olympics, your options on the Dreamcast for an olympic game are few. While I don't feel that this game is particularly well done, you could play a lot worse than this game.

Release Date: September 20, 2001 (JP)
Publisher: Bimboosoft
Developer: Bimboosoft
Genre: Sports - Tennis

This game is pretty bland, especially considering that the incredible Virtua Tennis was released a year before this game and is still superior to it in every way. Basically, Boku no Tennis Jinsei has some super-deformed characters to play as, or you can create your own super-deformed character and build up their stats in a career mode of sorts. That may sound kind of neat, but unfortunately once the action on the court begins, it's not a particularly fun experience. It's not the worst rendition of tennis that I've played before, but this Japanese import is still just shy of me considering it a passable game.

Release Date: February 29, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Acclaim
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

ECW Hardcore Revolution came right off the heels of Acclaim's success with WWF Attitude. After losing the WWF license to THQ, Acclaim picked up the rights to ECW. Rather than attempt something new, Acclaim stuck with the same formula that they used in their WWF games, which was fine in previous years, but already showing signs of aging poorly by the year 2000, when Hardcore Revolution came out. With THQ's great, smooth-playing WWF games around, Acclaim's wrestling engine felt dated, clunky, and overly-complicated. Hardcore Revolution suffered from this. Hardcore Revolution isn't an abomination or anything, but even with the ECW coat of paint, it was a case of just more of the same if you'd already played WWF Warzone and WWF Attitude.

Release Date: November 20, 2000 (NA)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Genre: Sports - Basketball

Poor physics. Poor controls. Poor everything. ESPN NBA 2Night would probably be better named "ESPN NBA 2Rible." Get it? 'Cause this game is terrible...2rible sounds like terrible...Bah, you don't know funny. Anyway from the generation-behind graphics, to the controls that make you want to headbutt a bed of nails, ESPN NBA 2Night is one of the worst sports games ever made.

Release Date: June 9, 2000 (EU)
Publisher: LJN
Developer: Broadsword Interactive
Genre: Racing

I want to like Spirit of Speed 1937. I really do. I really like the concept of old-timey racing...But this is just done so poorly. The races themselves are absolutely boring. The racing is extremely bland...Well, until you touch a wall, in which case your car bounces off like a slingshot, hurling you out of control into another wall or any other racers unfortunate enough to be around you. Broadsword Interactive is apparently unaware of the rule of physics that states "every action has an EQUAL and opposite reaction." So, by grazing the wall, I suppose being launched into another wall is an equal reaction...Anyway, Spirit of Speed has a nice concept, but extremely poor execution. There are much, much better racing titles on the Dreamcast than this turd. Avoid it.

Release Date: October 31, 1999 (NA)
Publisher: Mindscape
Developer: Toka
Genre: Action - Brawler

Can you imagine the number of tears that were shed when children asked their parents for Soul Calibur and they wound up with this heaping pile of steaming garbage? Controlling the characters in Soul Fighters is ridiculously horrible. Trying to walk in a straight line towards an enemy is like dropping a stone in a puddle and trying to prevent ripples from forming - it's impossible. When you finally manage to be in position to attack an enemy, there's a good chance that you'll completely miss your attack and then once again be stuck trying to maneuver around and get into striking position. This is horrible. If these buffoons are fighting for our souls, we're all doomed.