Why the Dreamcast? Part 3

[wraggster]

On Monday I talked about what I feel made the Dreamcast so unique, and on Wednesday I talked about how much of an attraction the Dreamcast was at launch. Today, I'm going to continue the "Why Dreamcast?" articles with the next bit in the story, and actually intertwine both of the earlier articles together by discussing what made me love it even more than I imagined when I first thought about buying the console.

If you haven't guessed already, although I wasn't really focused on the arcade games when I bought it, I love arcade games. I worked at a family entertainment center. I spent at least a few hours a week (and often more than that) at places that had arcade games, playing pinball and various video arcade titles. I regularly played Rush 2049, Hydro Thunder, Area 51, Maximum Force, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Carnevil, Sega Super GT, Daytona USA, House of the Dead and House of the Dead II when I was out in that time, with The first five games getting my attention any time I found them.

I played them over and over to get a better time, get a few more points or just to blow off some steam. And the Dreamcast was suddenly home to most of these games that I found myself sticking quarter after quarter into - Rush 2049, Hydro Thunder, Daytona USA and House of the Dead II were all basically ported with equal if not better than the arcade graphics and gameplay. And I was enthralled by playing them over and over. I still would play these at arcades, but I felt like I could actually improve by practicing "for free" at home. And I did. I poured tons of time into playing Rush specifically, including starting up a "Rush 2049 league" with a bunch of friends after work.

As a quick aside, if you love this type of gaming, the arcade manufacturer Raw Thrills has recently come out with a game called H2Overdrive, which is the spiritual successor to Hydro Thunder and perhaps my favorite arcade game ever. I wish I had the money and space for one -- luckily, I know of a few locations that have them so I can play them around here. If you liked Hydro Thunder, beg your local Dave and Busters or GameWorks or whatever to get one, and then go play it a ton to thank them for it. Anyway...

full article --> http://www.goatstorepublishing.com/n...amcast-Part-3/

[WhizzBang]

Hydro Thunder is a much overlooked gem.