09/09/1999

Do you consider yourself a gamer? Do you remember where you were on 09/09/1999? If you answered yes to either of those questions, you probably remember in amazing detail what is and will always be the best launch of any video game system. List of a few choice titles:

NBA 2k

NFL 2k

NHL 2k

Soul Caliber

Sonic Adventure

Power Stone

Hydro Thunder

Those are just launch titles. We are talking about 6 games that helped define a system simply in its launch. That's unheard of in the video game industry. With no sports licensing from EA, Sega developed their own in-house sports titles that proved to be far more realistic than anything EA had ever created. The players moved like their real life counterparts. The playbooks were all taken from each of the individual teams. The graphic animation was less flash and more realism, which created some of the best early sporting franchises in the history of gaming.

But I digress from a sports tangent and on to what Sega really did that revolutionized the gaming industry with the release of the D-cast. It was two very simple things.

1) They took chances on games that normally would never see the light of day.

Shenmue. A 4 disc masterpiece of gaming that for its time was one of the most ambitious games to date.

Seaman. A failed attempt to try and allow users to interact with a weird smart-ass creature that grew per how they took care of it.

Jet Set Radio. While gaming systems were moving forward with more advanced 3-d graphics, Sega kicked it old school with this cult classic using cell shaded animation that's just as beautiful as any modern video game (even Zelda switched to this style after Sega dropped this roller skating hit).

Space channel 5. A dance game where you have to out dance aliens that are taking over your space station would have many saying, 'WTF?' But when you start playing, the game has some of the most responsive play controls and has an infamous cameo by Michael Jackson grabbing his crouch towards the end.

Power Stone. A fighting game with interactive battles for up to 4 players! Every environment was interactive. If you saw an item on the screen, you could pick it up and attack your opponent with it.

Chu Chu Rocket. The first console online puzzle game and it was so addicting it could give Tetris a run for its money.

JoJo's Bizarre Aventure. A sidescrolling 2-d fighter that had a humping monkey. Come on Nintendo, why did you pass on this game? It's classic!

Virtua Tennis. The tennis game that every tennis game that came after it based its controls on. You would not be playing Wii Sports Tennis if it wasn't for Virtua Tennis introducing the world to a sport that plays like 'pong' in the videogame world, but with more depth than a RTS.

2) It was the first TRUE online video game console.

If you look on the front of the D-Cast, you'll notice a logo for one of the biggest computer companies in the world; Microsoft. Yup, that's right. Sega had Microsoft in its pocket for D-Cast before it failed and Microsoft went its separate way with the X-box. Yet, without the D-cast, gamers would not have the current x-box live. D-cast paved the road for what is considered the standard for online gaming. I remember playing my first NBA 2K game online against a total stranger. It was then I realized how gaming can connect the world, just like the social networks do of today. Me and a total stranger playing a game not on a computer. How freakin' cool is that?

So if the D-cast is so well remembered, why did it only last for a measly 2 years? The answer lies in SEGA. They messed up. They over inundated gamers with one hardware system after the next so by the time the D-cast came out, gamers were burned out by Sega and switched gears to the PS2. It wasn't because PS2 was the better system, with its hardware failure, overheating and one of the weakest launches in gaming history. It was simply Sega's mismanagement of their hardware (I know it sounds like something out of a porn). Out of all the old gaming systems that still live under your bed (X-Box, PS2, 3D0, Atari Jaguar, N64), how many do you still want to actually physically play? That's right. Only the D-cast holds that soft spot in your heart.

So today, on 09/09/09, instead of going out and buying a new copy of 'Rock Band: Beatles,' going to buy the 'Beatles remastered Edition' or going to see '9,' take a moment and if you still own a Dreamcast, dust it off, pop in one of your favorite discs and remember what will always be remembered as one of the best video game consoles ever. It had a shorter life span than most of your ex-girlfriends, but keep in mind how often do you talk fondly about your ex's and how often do you get chills as you remember the classic one-on-one moments you shared with that old friend living under your bed...