why the dreamcast?

[charlesr]

4 pad ports built in - check.
modem built in - check (not that that's going to be of any use to you unless you want to browse the net on your tv and still use dial up)
VGA output as standard - check
Best quality RGB output ever - check
Plays all region discs with a simple bootdisc - check
Plays CDRs without modification - check (so you don't have to risk damaging all your originals)
Lively homebrew scene - check.
Excellent analogue triggers for racing games - check (although overall pad design isn't the best)
Brilliant official arcade stick - check
Test Drive: Le Mans actually good - check (it was ****e on the PS2. On the DC: 24 cars all racing at once with decent AI, super smooth - feel every bump and skip across the road in corners)
Drive a bus - check (Tokyo bus guide)
Blow buildings up - check (bomber hehheh!)
Go fishing - check (Sega Bass, Sega Marine)
Emulators - check (Everything up to Megadrive, and PS1 if you count Bleemcast, bootdiscs that let you use some of your PS1 games on it)
Decent shooters - check (Psyvariar 2, Zero gunner 2, Ikaruga, Mars Matrix, Gigawing1/2, Shikigami no shiro II, Chaos Field, Trizeal, Bangai-o, Border Down)
Weird stuff - check (twinkle star sprites - a puzzle shooter fighter, cosmic smash, typing of the dead)
Arcade goodness - check (Crazy taxi, F355-note: not a sim, just a decent arcade game - Bust a Move, Silent Scope, Mr Driller, Soul Calibur, Virtua Tennis1/2, Powerstone1/2)
Multiplayer party - check (apart from games already mentioned, there's Rush 2049, chu chu rocket)

[charlesr]

http://www.ntsc-uk.com/feature.php?fea=DreamcastHardware

[eastyy]

What was the launch line up for the dreamcast.The only thing i remember is the launch games where nowhere near enough to convince me to buy one at the time

[FreelancePolice]

is pop n music jap only? you've all convinced me, should i get a ntsc one or jap or pal? I'd prefer english writing if possible can they be modded etc.

[mid]

i have ... soul caliber 2 on gamecube

That's no excuse at all. Soul Calibur is a quite different (and many argue superior) game, as the parry works in a totally different way that requires far more skill (something I'm terminally lacking, which is why I'm in the minority that prefers the sequel). Plus I'm sure Saur can give you a quite comprehensive rundown on why SC1 Lizardman beats anything and everything on offer in 2.

That Bleemcast emulation is amazing, by the way. GT2 + Bleemcast beats GT3 by miles, MGS + Bleemcast is better than Twin Snakes thanks to the lack of crap voice work, and Tekken 3 + Bleemcast is my favorite in the entire series.

Crazy Taxi is still the greatest arcade machine Sega have done since Shinobi in my opinion, Bangai-O is just utterly hilarious, Rez is Godlike and DC Bust A Move 4 is the best version of Puzzle Bobble ever.

[mid]

should i get a ntsc one or jap or pal? I'd prefer english writing if possible can they be modded etc.

PAL plus a DC-X disc for running imports at full speed suits me just fine. Power Stone is about the only PAL game worth getting that doesn't have a 60Hz mode anyway.

[FreelancePolice]

are they easily modded ? Pop n music really interests me, if it's only japanese will i be struggling to get through the menus?

sorry for all the questions i think i missed the boat/party with dreamcast :P

[Ben-K]

Plays CDRs with modification - check (so you don't have to risk damaging all your originals)

Plays CDRs without modification. The bot disk will handle that bit, or you can get "selfboot" tracks to mod the games themselves to negate the need for a bootdisk.

{edit by charlesr: ooops. good spot man. That's what I meant. Changed in my post now}

[mid]

are they easily modded ?

There are modchips, but when the DC-X multi-region bootdisc works better than them, why bother?

[FreelancePolice]

ah brilliant thanks for all the advice guys, thanks to my deposit from my accomodation getting back i'm going to invest in some dreamcast and peripherals \o/

[Sketcz]

It was the last hardware launch I was excited about. The high quality next-gen (for the time) games were actually exciting both in execution and concept. It had great 2D and 3D games, it had emulators and homebrew titles.

Decent feature explaining people's love for the system:

http://www.ntsc-uk.com/feature.php?fea=FulfilyourDreams

[FreelancePolice]

is the DC comparable to the cube in some ways?

[butchcvc]

is the DC comparable to the cube in some ways?

forget comparing it to other systems and just buy the bugger!

[charlesr]

is the DC comparable to the cube in some ways?

I played Sonic Adventure 2 Battle on the GC and the DC and they were pretty much identical. Just get on and buy one. They are so damn cheap.

[nightstalker100]

The question should be why not the dreamcast? I think the guys have summed up the main advantages of the console. For sub ?20 you can get your hands on a 128 bit console that in some regards is superior to the current gen (better ports, more controllers (ps2 only has 2 as standard) etc). Factor in that most pal releases can be picked up for scraps and theres no reason to not pick one up. I have 3 and its still my most played console and what i consider the last "true" console out there.