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Dreamcast Redux : Vice Style

The Sega Dreamcast is often considered one of the most underrated consoles of all time, this is only now after we’ve realized just how stacked the library was with great games unlike consoles following it who have bigger libraries stacked with only about fifteen to twenty actual hits. The Dreamcast even before the PS2, Xbox, or Gamecube had online play, it was terrible, but it showed that online play on your console was possible. The Dreamcast had an incredible advertising campaign that truly made you want to own a Dreamcast. All in all the Dreamcast was an incredible venture by Sega, so how did it fail? Due to its gift, the console was way ahead of itself which prompted other companies to up the ante. The PlayStation 2 came and boasted everything the Dreamcast had and more, including a DVD player and better graphical capability.

Now if Sega were run by the GamingVice staff, we believe the Dreamcast would have done well enough that it could justify a successor. The Dreamcast had a million and one peripherals, from arcade sticks to fishing rods. One thing it was missing, however, was a DVD player which we feel would have kept the console in the fight much longer. If Sony was able to make a profit with their cheap DVD player/video game console, Sega would definitely be able to make a profit selling a DVD player of its own. As for the graphical quality, there would be no reason to worry about that. The PS2 clearly had the least graphical capability in comparison to the Xbox and Gamecube and it won the console war with its incredible library. Next on the list would be an even bigger campaign then before, new and original advertising techniques to really draw the crowd in. The Dreamcast was already cool, so now it had to look better than the competition.

The Dreamcast had all the necessary tools to stay in the console race, unfortunately the ball was dropped and history occurred. Could Sega have made a comeback after the Dreamcast? definitely. If they were to come out of console retirement it would be one of the hugest shockwaves the gaming world has ever seen. With their experiences and learning from their mistakes they could easily come in and innovate gaming to a point we’ve never phathomed.

Tags: consoles, dreamcast, PS2, revival, xbox

Quarter Dollar Gaming

The arcades were the end all and be all of gaming back in the late 80s to mid 90s. Many major franchises made their debuts in the arcades, such as Street Fighter, Donkey Kong, Double Dragon, Bionic Commando and others. Arcade gaming was the equivalent of the Monday Night Football game with your buddies, the only difference was that the arcade was open everyday. Even when the first home consoles came out they featured games that were watered down versions of arcade games. Arcade titles were top of the line in sound, speed, and graphics, it was also a very competitive place to be. People battled for top scores around the clock, day in and day out. When it came to fighting games people plunked down quarters to not only learn the game but also to prove their mettle as a gamer.

Do you remember the days when gaming consisted of a joystick and only the buttons you needed? When to get the best possible graphics you had to get out of your house? When you could make friends or meet a half decent woman while playing games? When you could cut school to play games and not get in trouble? If you don’t, we here at Gaming Vice do, and if you’ve been living under a rock for longer than I’ve been alive I’m talking about the arcades.

These games were a lot more personal too, when you lost, you didn’t just lose a game, you lost that quarter. These games were for pride as well, there weren’t internet thugs calling you a “noob” from fifteen states away, these were real people calling you a scrub to your face, and what could you say, everyone saw you lose. On the flipside if you were the best at your local arcade people saw you as a king among gamers. You could play as long as you wanted on that same quarter. It was a fun and exciting time. Something happened that rocked the boat though, home consoles started to rival the arcades, but that was no big deal at the time it just meant you could play games at the arcade and at home and have a good time all the time. Then it got bad, consoles became better than the arcades in the mid 90s, arcades across the United States began closing in rapid fashion.

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Tags: Arcade, Dollar, Gaming, Quarter, revival