Retro Arena: 128-bit era consoles

[Cepp]

I only care about the Dreamcast, that was the last time a console truly blew me away. I fell off after that. It always annoyed me the way SEGA spread their games across all of the remaining systems when they went third party. Why fragment your fanbase like that?

I bet on the Gamecube afterwards but I probably should have got an Xbox in hindsight. I've owned a PS2 twice since that time but never seem to put any time into the games for it despite the amazing library.

The DC was something special though, the memories I have for PSO alone... I'm really fond of Mr Driller, Third Strike, Giga Wing, Rez and Bangai O as well. Plus Crazi Taxi and Jet Set Radio of course. That was a great couple of years.

[Leon Retro]

The DC was something special though, the memories I have for PSO alone... I'm really fond of Mr Driller, Third Strike, Giga Wing, Rez and Bangai O as well. Plus Crazi Taxi and Jet Set Radio of course. That was a great couple of years.

Yeah, it was very special. Soul Calibur blew me away, Jet Set Radio was such a cool game, Ferrari F355 looked cutting edge, and Shenmue felt truly groundbreaking. It offered so much over a two year period. It's such a shame that it didn't get the usual 5-6 year lifespan.

[Leon Retro]

My Top 5 for each system:

Dreamcast

Power Stone
Soul Calibur
Zombie Revenge
Ferrari F355
Cannon Spike

PS2

Katamari Damacy
Gradius V
Gran Turismo 3
Twisted Metal Black
Shox

GameCube

F-Zero GX
Super Monkey Ball
Beach Spikers
Viewtiful Joe
Rogue Squadron II

Xbox

RalliSport 2
PGR2
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Grabbed by the Ghoulies
OutRun 2006

[Cepp]

Yeah, it was very special. Soul Calibur blew me away, Jet Set Radio was a truly cool game, Ferrari F355 looked cutting edge, and Shenmue felt truly groundbreaking. It offered so much over a two year period. It's such a shame that it didn't get the usual 5-6 year lifespan.

Ferrari F355 blew me away. Hard as balls to!

[Leon Retro]

Ferrari F355 blew me away. Hard as balls to!

It's a shame it didn't have a 'beginner' mode that made it feel more accessible/easier for people new to the game. It does have options to make things a bit easier but it's always a tough game to get to grips with. I had to learn how to set the car up properly before I managed to get a few wins. The amazing(for the time) graphics really compelled me to get good at the game. It was such a stunning experience back then.

[Team Andromeda]

My Top 5 for the systems

OG XBox

1 Panzer Dragoon Orta
2 JSRF
3 Riddick
4 Conkers
5 Oddworld Stranger

Dreamcast

1 REZ
2 Code Veronica
3 PSO
4 Sonic Adv
5 JSR

Game Cube

1 MonkeyBall
2 Prime
3 Star Fox Adv
4 RE 0
5 Star Wars RS 2

PS2

1 Gradius V
2 ICO
3 This Is Football 2003
4 God Of War
5 Silent Hill 2

[Cepp]

DC
PSO
Giga Wing
Third Strike
Rez
Soul Calibur

GC
Wind Waker
F-Zero GX
Super Mario Sunshine

PS2
Yakuza 2
Yakuza
Outun 2006: C2C

Xbox
Halo? Haven't played anything else on it

I have a lot of gaps from this generation tbh.

[Anpanman]

Dreamcast easy for me for all the usual reasons not least the support for a range of different controllers from maracas to fishing rods.

Never had a PS2 but did buy a GC and three months later it was gone and replaced with an Xbox which I also loved - though not as much as the DC.

XSN on the XB was both tremendous and underutilised and the early days of Live! were a laugh.

[ZipZap]

These were my favourite/most played at the time, not necessarily all the games I would still enjoy today (some have aged better than others!). In no particular order...

DC
Tony Hawk 2
Revolt
Ikaruga
Project Justice
Mars Matrix
Typing of the Dead
Virtua Tennis 2
Sonic Adventure
Code Veronica
Daytona
Crazy Taxi

GC
RE
RE4
Super Mario Sunshine

PS2
Burnout 3
Gradius V
Outrun C2C
Dodonpachi DOJ
Silent Hill 2
Project Zero 2
PES3
Ico
Viewtiful Joe
Devil May Cry 3
Space Channel 5 2
Maximo

XB
Outrun 2
Half Life 2

[Leon Retro]

OG XBox

1 Panzer Dragoon Orta

Had to amend my list to include Orta.

1 MonkeyBall

Was playing that the other day -- and it looks even nicer now that I can force 'Progressive Scan'. Reminded me how much the game suited the GameCube and helped make the machine feel special.

PS2

1 Gradius V

One of my 'go-to' games for the PS2. It's such a shame that Konami haven't got Treasure to make Gradius VI -- it's been 15 years.

F-Zero GX

I was playing it a few days ago -- and it's still a beautiful game that's a joy to play. I know it has its critics for various reasons, but I think it's a top quality game in all areas. What Sega did with the hardware was breathtaking.

XSN on the XB was both tremendous and underutilised and the early days of Live! were a laugh.

I'll never forget how much fun I had with PGR2 and RalliSport 2. The online experience was mostly rock solid and it felt so cutting edge to be playing against and talking with people from all over the world. I've never felt so enthusiastic about online gaming since that period.

=
Maximo

That's a PS2 highlight for me. I remember thinking it looked a lot nicer than most other PS2 games of the time. I also liked the overall design and all the care and attention that went into it. I feel like going back to it the next time I have my PS2 set up.

[Neon Ignition]

I bet I wasn't the only person to lose a good few nights getting fully enveloped in Sega's Seaman...

[Leon Retro]

enveloped in Sega's Seaman...

But seriously -- I haven't played it, so I can't say if it was any good. I did think it looked interesting, but not enough to make me buy it.

[Atticus]

My top 5s, also in order of favourite console:

PS2
1 Ridge Racer V
2 Ico
3 MGS2
4 GTA San Andreas
5 Ibara

Game Cube
1 Pikmin
2 Resi 4
3 MonkeyBall
4 F-Zero GX
5 Zelda: Wind Waker

Dreamcast
1 Shenmue
2 Rez
3 Zero Gunner 2
4 Street Fighter III W-Impact
5 Space Channel 5 pt2

XBOX
1 OutRun 2
2 Halo
3 JSRF
4 Oddworld Stranger's Wrath
5 Fahrenheit

[Leon Retro]

My top 5s, also in order of favourite console:

PS2
1 Ridge Racer V

It's in my collection but I haven't played it much. I remember thinking the graphics are a bit dull. I really need to go back to it.

Zero Gunner 2

One of my favourite shooters for the Dreamcast. I really like the way it plays.