For my next revision to the Cheapest Games series , I wanted to revisit the Sega Saturn. The values of the popular Saturn games have increased significantly over the last few years — especially for complete copies of the game.  Because of this, I’ve bumped up my criteria for the list to games that are under $25.   Now keep in mind, the prices quoted below are for complete copies of the game in excellent condition.  If you want to save a lot of money, you can usually find disc-only versions of the games.

Not only does this revised list reflect the changing values, but I’ve also expanded it and included a Japanese-exclusive list and a short list of popular Saturn games that are sigificantly cheaper as Japanese releases.   Hopefully, this revised list of Saturn  games will help you start or build up your collection without having to spend much.. (Prices listed are an average eBay price for US games, including shipping)

Cheap Classics

	NiGHTS into Dreams: $19 This crown jewel of the Sega Saturn used to be one of the most afforable games on the system. However, with all the nostolgic talk about the game and the general disappointment of the Wii sequel, the demand for Nights into Dreams for the Saturn has pushed the price up to the $20 range. Until this fan favorite gets a solid port to another console, the demand for this otherwise common game should stay high.  If you Shop for NiGHTS Into Dreams on eBay Shop for NiGHTS Into Dreams on Amazon.com
	Panzer Dragoon Zwei: $23 While it kinda pushes the price limit of this guide, Panzer Dragoon Zwei is one of the more affortable foundations of the Saturn library. You can usually find it to be a better value than the original Panzer Dragoon. Shop for Panzer Dragoon Zwei on eBay Shop for Panzer Dragoon Zwei on Amazon.com
	Panzer Dragoon: $19 Of course, if you are a fan of on-rails shooters and want a well-rounded Saturn library, it’s not a bad idea to check out the original Panzer Dragoon either. Shop for Panzer Dragoon on eBay Shop for Panzer Dragoon on Amazon.com
	Street Fighter Alpha 2: $10 As one of my favorite fighting games of all time, I can’t help but put Street Fighter Alpha 2 on this list. At around $10, it can still fit into the smaller budgets. While some may prefer the larger character lineup of the more expensive Street Fighter Zero 3 (Alpha 3), I feel that Alpha 2 has more balanced gameplay and tighter control. Shop for Street Fighter Alpha 2 on eBay Shop for Street Fighter Alpha 2 on Amazon.com
	Galactic Attack (Layer Section): $17 The Sega Saturn is one of the best consoles for fans of 2D shoot-em-ups.  Unfortunately, most of the best shmups on the system were only availible in Japan and usually sell for $40 or more (many time a LOT more).   Fortunately, one of the most recommended shooters for the Saturn was actually released in the US and carries a rather reasonable price tag.  Galactic Attack (also known as Layer Section, Rayforce, or Gunlock) is one of Taito’s best of the genre and had a number of gameplay innovations considering its release date. Shop for Galactic Attack on eBay Shop for Galactic Attack on Amazon.com
	Astal: $10 It is always a pleasure to enjoy some of the two-dimensional artistry that some developers treated gamers to on the Saturn.  Astal is one of the earliest examples of 2D beauty on the Saturn and still holds up as an enjoyable 2D platformer.   It also happens to be a game that went under the radar of many Saturn owners, so grab this 2D bargain on the cheap while you still can. Shop for Astal on eBay Shop for Astal on Amazon.com
	Rayman: $8 After a decade, most gamers are familiar with Rayman.  However, in the 32-bit era, this platforming series was an abitious newcomer.  Much like Astal, it is a beautiful example of two-dimensional action.   Rayman also happens to be one of the least-expensive games on this list (especially considering it wasn’t a pack-in for the Saturn) Shop for Rayman on eBay Shop for Rayman on Amazon.com
	Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge: $13 Even though the Darkstalkers series essentially uses the same engine as the Street Fighter Alpha series, it is still a blast to play due to is diverse cast of characters and it’s flashy style.  If you are a fighting fan or even just like monster movie characters, Night Warriors is a must-play — especially for the price.  (Also check in the imports section below for the sequel) Shop for Night Warriors on eBay Shop for Night Warriors on Amazon.com
	Super Puzzle Fighter 2: $20 This little classic used to be a bit more expensive over the last decade, but now that it’s been re-released as an affordable download on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, the original releases have come down a bit in value.  Of course many gamers might not think a puzzle game for an old machine is worth $20, but it’s one of my personal favorites and a bit of a collector’s item as well. Shop for Super Puzzle Fighter 2 on eBay Shop for Super Puzzle Fighter 2 on Amazon.com
	Die Hard Arcade: $18 If you are a fan of old-school side-scrolling beatemups, Die Hard Arcade (known as Dynamite Deka in Japan — and precursor to the not-quite-as-fun Dynamite Cop on the Dreamcast)  should be right up your alley.  Even though it’s 3D, it has plenty of action, cool weapons, and just enough weird stuff in it to keep things interesting. Shop for Die Hard Arcade on eBay Shop for Die Hard Arcade on Amazon.com
	Daytona USA: $5 As one of the biggest launch titles and eventual pack-in game, Daytona USA is one of the most common games in the Saturn library. You can get it dirt cheap in its pack-in form as it is commonly thown in as game or system bundles on eBay. You can also find the original full-case version for just a few dollars. This Saturn version isn’t quite as polished as its Dreamcast sibling, but if you are tight on money (or just a collector), you can’t go wrong with the original console version of Daytona USA. Shop for Daytona USA on eBay Shop for Daytona USA on Amazon.com
	Sega Rally Championship: $8 Sega Rally is the essential complement to Daytona USA if you are a racing fan. This drifting-filled racer truely is an essential and dirt-cheap classic. But just like Daytona USA, Sega Rally also has a graphically-enhanced sequel on the Dreamcast that is also pricier. But at $5 its hard to go wrong with the Saturn version. Shop for Sega Rally on eBay Shop for Sega Rally on Amazon.com
	Virtua Fighter 2: $9 Just like Daytona USA, you can find the plain disk or sleaved (pack-in) version for next to nothing. But collectors will most likely be willing to pay just a few dollars for the full-case retail version. Virtua Fighter 2 actually serves as a great technical demo for the Saturn. The game maxed out the Saturn’s High Resolution 720×575 mode (highest for a console game at that time) while running at a smooth 60fps. Shop for Virtua Fighter 2 on eBay Shop for Virtua Fighter 2 on Amazon.com
	Fighters Megamix: $14 Fighters Megamix took the models from Virtua Fighter 2 and Fighting Vipers and threw in some of Virtua Fighter 3’s new moves. Megamix looked good, but lacked Virtua Fighter 2’s high-resolution feature. Of all of the non-pack-in games, Fighters Megamix is one of the best values today. You still won’t find as much depth as some modern fighters like Soul Calibur, but it’s a great game to give your Saturn some life. Shop for Fighters Megamix on eBay Shop for Fighters Megamix on Amazon.com
	Virtual On: Cyber Troopers: $6 This excellent conversion of the one-on-one mech fighter is one of the most innovative bargain out of the bunch. Virtual On is essentially a true 3D fighter with super-quick mechs trying to blow each other up while dodging and hiding behind obstacles in the course. However, once again, the Dreamcast also has an enhanced sequel, but this Saturn original passes the savings on to you. Shop for Virtual On on eBay Shop for Virtual On on Amazon.com

Affordable Japanese Exclusives

	X-Men vs. Street Fighter: $20 This game is the reason I bought an Action Replay back in the day.  The Marvel vs Capcom game may get all the attention today, but I still love X-Men vs Street Fighter.  It isn’t quite as chaotic as the later installments but still has a strong character roster.  Also, the Saturn version is spot-on to the arcade version, unlike the crippled Playstation port.  At the $20 price point, you should also get a RAM cart, but you should be able to find it cheaper on its own. Shop for X-Men vs Street Fighter on eBay
	Assault Suit Leynos 2: $20 One of my first impressions of this game was “Mechs meets Metal Slug“. It’s an impressive, but very tough 2D Mech shooter with some spectacular graphics and gameplay. It’s a wonderful exclusive for the Saturn and is definitely worth looking into if you are a shooter fan. Shop for Assault Suit Leynos 2 on eBay
	Waku Waku 7: $13 As one of the best hidden gems in the Saturn fighting library, this quirky brawler from Sunsoft is a steal for just over $10.   Try finding the Neo-Geo cart for that cheap. Shop for Waku Waku 7 on eBay
	Magical Drop III: $11 The Magical Drop series is an essential for puzzle fans.  It’s a shame the series never really got much exposure outside of Japan.  It happens to be one of the best values in the puzzle genre for the Saturn. Shop for Magical Drop III on eBay
	King of Fighters ‘95, ‘96, or ‘97: About $15 each SNK was a strong supporter of the Saturn in Japan and blessed gamers with handful of King of Fighters titles for the 32-bit machine before continuing their support on the Dreamcast.  Each game should come with a RAM cart for about $15 each.  Not a bad price at all for such solid fighters.  However, keep in mind, you could purchase The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga, which contains all three games for the same price Shop for King of Fighters Series on eBay
	Cyberbots: Full Metal Madness: $12 This is one of Capcom’s lesser-known fighting gems and is a spiritual prequel to the Dreamcast game, Tech Romancer.  Cyberbots is good change of pace for fighting fans and duking it out with large robots gives off a unique feeling of satisfaction Shop for Cyberbots on eBay
	Samurai Spirits III or IV: $15 each More SNK goodness.  While many fans of the series prefer the original two installments of the series, part III and IV are still solid fighters and are quite affordable on the Saturn.  However, you could purchase the Samurai Shodown Anthology on a newer platform for about the same price of one of these games. Shop for Samurai Spirits Series on eBay
	Strikers 1945: $20 One of the other few solid 2D shooters that can be found for an affordable price on the Saturn.   Also, remember than the Saturn port is superior to the PS1 version (and vice versa for the sequel). Shop for Strikers 1945 on eBay
	Puyo Puyo Sun: $9 Yup, another puzzle game.  But its a great version of the classic Puyo Puyo series and it’s easy to find for under $10.  Might not sound like a great deal for those that aren’t hardcore puzzle fans, but it’s worth mentioning. Shop for Puyo Puyo Sun on eBay
	Vampire Savior: $15 Also known as Darkstalkers 3, this fighter really takes advantage of the Saturn’s 2D capabilities and requires a RAM cart as well.   Just be aware of some of the incompatibilities with many of the Action Replay Plus cartridges. Shop for Vampire Savior on eBay

Cheap Import Alternatives

I thought it would be interesting to list of few of the especially popular Saturn games that are quite expensive as US releases and see what the Japanese version sell for.  If you have a way of playing imports, you might want to consider these if you want real copies of the games.

	Panzer Dragoon Azel: $24 Compared to $200+ for US copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga Ok — so playing an RPG in Japanese can be quite a challenge, but look at the savings!  Of course, there’s English FAQs out there if you want to brave this one. Shop for Panzer Dragoon Azel on eBay
	Guardian Heroes: $25 Compared to $90 for US copy of Guardian Heroes There is some text in Guardian Heroes since it has RPG elements, but its rather playable in Japanese.  Plus, the savings is quite noticable. Shop for Guardian Heroes on eBay
	Shining Force III: Scenario 1: $15 Compared to $100 for US copy of Shining Force III Yeah, it’s another RPG, but $15 is dirt cheap for this game Shop for Shining Force III on eBay
	Saturn Bomberman: $12 Compared to $60 for US copy of Saturn Bomberman Bomberman is Bomberman.  And any Bomberman fan must play Saturn Bomberman.  So if you want this game, can play imports, and want to save money on a real copy of this game, this is an easy choice. Shop for Saturn Bomberman on eBay
	Burning Rangers: $23 Compare to $80 for US copy of Burning Rangers Like Guardian Heroes, there is some text in the game, but it should be quite playable in Japanese. Shop for Burning Rangers on eBay

Other Cheap Favorites

• Bust-A-Move 2: $8 (eBay / Amazon)
• Baku Baku: $8  (eBay / Amazon)
• X-Men: Children of the Atom: $19 (eBay / Amazon)
• Virtua Cop : $7 (eBay / Amazon)
• Sega Touring Car Championship: $10 (eBay)
• Bug!: $14 (eBay / Amazon)
• Bug Too!: $19 (eBay / Amazon)
• Clockwork Knight: $16 (eBay / Amazon)
• Mr Bones: $13 (eBay / Amazon)
• Wipeout: $8 (eBay / Amazon)
• Three Dirty Dwarves: $15 (eBay / Amazon)
• Fighting Vipers: $10 (eBay / Amazon)
• Steep Slope Sliders $8 (eBay / Amazon)
• Manx TT Super Bike: $5 (eBay)

To complement the comprehensive guides to the impressive Sega Saturn and Playstation Shmups libraries, we’ve updated and expanded this Dreamcast 2D Shooter guide.   We now have more of the newer post-mortum shooters included and hopefully made it a bit more informative.  If you have anything to add, just let us know in the comments!

While it only started out with a few shooters from Psikyo and Capcom (most of which looked like nice 2D Saturn games), the Dreamcast gathered quite a library by the end of its life. In fact, MOST of the 2D shooters for the console were released well after the Dreamcast was “dead” in the United States.  So yes, if you wish to play most of these, you will need to learn how to play Dreamcast imports. But if you are a shooter fan, you will not regret investing in some of these Dreamcast gems.

Ikaruga

A pseudo-sequel to Treasure’s Radiant Silvergun, this mind-bending shmup is incredibly popular and combined high-precision shooter action with the color-matching gameplay element found in Treasure’s adventure game, Silhouette Mirage. Ikaruga still blew away every expectation that the shump community had while the rumors of a Radiant Silvergun sequel were discussed. Ikaruga is brutally difficult, but the gameplay is refined to near perfection. It has developed a strong cult following (much like other Treasure games) and is a common way to show up a shmup expert’s skills.  Treasure understood this challenge and included tutorials and a trial mode.

Ikaruga is a traditional vertical scrolling shooter like Radiant Silvergun, but there are a few twists. Like Silhouette Mirage, your ship and every enemy is assigned one of two polarities: dark or light. While your ship can switch back and forth between light and dark, the enemies are static. White enemies fire white bullets, and black enemies fire black bullets. As the player you have a choice: by choosing the same color as an enemy you can absorb their bullets and charge up your super weapon. By choosing the opposite color as an enemy you can double the damage you inflict, but their bullets will kill you. If you want to score big you need to kill enemies in groups of three according to color, “chaining” these groups together.  Since bosses retreat after a set period of time, it’s also possible to make it through the game without firing a shot, so some attempt to make it through by merely avoiding one color while absorbing the other.

The challenges in Ikaruga are nearly endless, and Treasure did an unbelievable job of presenting the player with all sorts of interesting and unique situations. The game even features a TATE mode where   the game can be rotated into a horizontal shooter and artwork featuring ship designs.  While every gamer will not be up for this gaming wonder, it’s definitely worth looking into if you want a challenge.
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Under Defeat

At the time of its release, Under Defeat was billed as the last Dreamcast game to be officially released.  And while this claim was a bit premature, this title would definitely have been a high point to end on.  Under Defeat is a retelling of WWII, where you play as a German-speaking helicopter pilot in a uniform reminiscent of the Nazis.  The enemy is a group known as the Union, who speak English and use WWII-era equipment and vehicles in an attempt to take you down.  The gameplay is done in vertical SHMUP style with 3D graphics, and follows a traditional system of controls.

That said, it also features different optional weapons with varying levels of firepower and recharge rates.  The weapons not only can deal massive damage but serve to add additional multipliers to score, so figuring out the best way to get points is part of the fun.  Multiple resolution modes can be jumped through on the fly as well, so there’s a large variety of ways to view the game, which is pretty cool for a game generally considered traditional.

And while the bosses can be a challenge, the player doesn’t actually have to kill them.  With each one comes a countdown.  Once it hits ‘0,’ the boss self destructs, for fewer points than would be given for beating them.  There’s also an alternate game mode known as 2-1 which flips the stages and increases the difficulty for those who make it through the game.

Three versions were presented when the game released, though they were functionally all the same.  The Limited Edition included a bonus soundtrack, while the Sega Direct version included the soundtrack, a poster, and a sticker.  The standard version was game-only.
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Bangai-O

Originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999, Bangai-O(or Bakuretsu Muteki Bangaioh) is much better known as a Treasure release on the Dreamcast.  The game features 44 levels, where a brother and sister named Riki and Mami pilot an enormous robot named Bangai-O as they fight a group known as the Kosmo Gang, know throughout the universe as an evil band of fruit smugglers.

Ok, so it’s a little odd, but what you end up getting is a non-traditional title with large stages, two characters you can flip between with different attacks, and a massive amount of firepower.  If you like quirky Japanese storylines and getting to destroy a lot of stuff, this is probably the game for you.  The Dreamcast version added new enemies, bosses, different level layouts, and utilizes an ‘Explosion Meter,’ which keeps track of the number of explosions to give better fruit from killed enemies.

Keep in mind that when you start playing, the starting AB control scheme is considered terrible(even the manual acknowledges it isn’t as good).  Changing to the ABXY scheme is recommended for everyone, and is the preferred.
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Border Down

G.Rev’s first post-mortem Dreamcast shmup featured a new twist on the shooter genre. Your performance actually determined the branch of each stage you would play in.  The game is a horizontal shooter with a system of keeping score based on time, number of points accumulated in a stage, the hit-counter from boss fights, and so on.

Border Down features a unique “border system”, each stage has a green, yellow, and red border and these have 3 parts. Consequently, there are three different paths you can follow, each with different challenges. If you die, you go down a border: green to yellow, yellow to red. If a player dies on red, then the game ends.  One border is not necessarily harder than another(though enemies tend to fire faster on yellow and red, these versions also tend to be shorter), its a matter of personal preference and it differs from level to level.

The bosses in Border Down look especially cool and the explosive effects are very satisfying. In some stages you see battles occurring in the background and that makes you feel like part of a group rather than a lone fighter against a vast armada. Overall, the game looks very slick as you would expect from a late Dreamcast shooter.

A limited edition of the game was released, including a soundtrack CD and different cover art.  Both versions received a very limited release.
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Zero Gunner 2

Zero Gunner 2 is actually one of my favorite shooters, but that’s mostly because I’m not very good at most of them. This helicopter shmup is not overly challenging, so I find it to be the game I pop into the Dreamcast when I need to blow some stuff up without having to stress out. I would also recommend Zero Gunner 2 to those looking to get started in the shooter genre.  It offers nine levels of difficulty to play on and includes three different helicopters to play as.  There are 7 levels, which is brief enough for those who aren’t used to the genre to continue to the end.

One of the best parts of this game is the ability to change the direction your ship can fire. Holding down X or B prompts a cross-hair like cursor in the center of the screen, and using the D-pad while the cross-hair is visible rotates your ship around the cross-hair. If you have enemies coming in from the back left and right diagonals, simply rotate your ship around to fire at them instead of waiting for them to come into your line of fire. This also serves to spice up the conventional vertical or horizontal scrolling most shooters must abide by.

Certain parts of the stages, mostly during boss battles, will occur from a diagonal position, and the direction is constantly twisting and turning, adding a very fun but not frustratingly difficult aspect to the gameplay.

While Zero Gunner 2 has 3D styling, it operates on a flat axis with no vertical movement, so it is a pure 2D shooter at heart. While your ship itself is small, everything else is beautifully detailed. Enemies are characteristically tremendous, and litter the screen with weapons fire.

Overall, the gameplay feels comfortable after only a few levels, and definitely serves to breathe new life into what some call a tired genre.
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Mars Matrix

If you are looking for a challenge that depends more on dodging and a never-ending rain of bullets as opposed to the puzzling elements of Ikaruga, Mars Matrix is where you need to look.

Mars Matrix fills the screen with intricate backgrounds, dozens of independently moving objects, and intense arcade action. Your tools in dealing with an onslaught of bullets from all directions are a fairly standard laser gun, a powerful pulse weapon, and a special attack that can allow your spacecraft to inhale incoming fire and return it in a fierce volley.

Mars Matrix also offers a 2-player mode where two pilots can lay waste to the Red Planet in tandem. And then there’s the glorious Shop Mode. Picking up the gold cubes also nets you experience points, which you can then spend in the extensive Shop to buy more levels, ships, continues, options like ship speed and GHB gauge speed, and even ship and background colors. Mars Matrix has an extremely high replay value at it will be quite a while before you unlock everything.
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Triggerheart Exelica

This is one of the more recent releases for Dreamcast, not seeing release until early 2007.  The game focuses on Exelica and Crueltear, two ladies in the Triggerheart team fighting a war against the Ver’Mith.  A portal opens and the two are accidentally sucked in, finding themselves trapped on Earth.  While making themselves comfortable on their new home, a second portal opens, and the Ver’Mith come streaming through.  So now it’s up to the two of them to save our planet.

The game is a vertical shooter with 3D style, though it’s a 2D experience.  While it’s graphically not as impressive as the Xbox Live port, the Dreamcast version did add a Story Mode and Arrange Mode to add more replay value to the game.  Players must choose which of the two leads to run through the game’s 5 stages, with both having different standard weapons.  To add more meat to the game, both characters can fire anchors to catch enemies, and can then use them as shields, clubs, and even projectiles by hurling them into other enemies for better scores.  Just watch out, because the higher the score you acquire, the harder the boss at the end of the level.

When it released, Triggerheart Exelica also had a special edition release, including a guide book and soundtrack.  A phone card and poster were also included if ordered from Sega Direct.
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Castle Shikigami 2

This beautiful shooter is the sequel to the game known as “Mobile Light Force 2″ in the Western territories. Castle Shikigami 2 enables players to control flying humans instead of ships. It isn’t ground-breaking in any respect, but is a good game to pick up for shooter fans.

The scoring device for this game is called a Tension Battle System (TBS). Your score multiplier increases the closer you are to an enemy or bullet. Therefore, to get the highest scores, you must destroy enemies while brushing up near an enemy bullet or enemy (Think of it as Crazy Taxi meets shmups). To compensate for putting your character in harm’s way, your character’s shot power and shot pattern are enhanced while you are close to your enemies and their bullets.

In addition to the TBS system, some basic mechanics of the shmup genre have been altered. For one thing, you have a life bar, as opposed to dying as soon as you are hit, as in most other games of this type. You can be hit twice and still live; get hit a third time, and your character dies. Also, your “bomb” is not what you may think. As opposed to the usual “blow everything on screen up” type bomb, you have a character-specific move that, while powerful, requires a bit of strategy to use effectively.

There are five difficulties to play on, and an unlockable “extreme mode” for those who make it through the game.  Once again, a special edition released in Japan with a soundtrack and trading cards, while the Sega Direct version included a phone card.
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Psyvariar 2

To earn points in Psyvariar 2, you must destroy your enemies and also “buzz” their attacks, meaning get as close as possible to their bullets without actually getting hit.  Large portions of your ship are invincible, save for a couple of pixels in the center.  This means to get the best scores, you have to willingly risk death and pray you take nothing straight up the middle.

While the original Psyvariar was disappointing, Psyvariar 2 brings the real deal to the Dreamcast. While the shmup is flooded with a tremendous amount of “bullet hell”, the game’s controls are tight and responsive enough to give you a chance at staying alive.

Also, between the 2D/3D backgrounds and the wonderfully polished character/mecha designs, Psyvariar 2 also features a great deal of eye candy to keep you entertained.  Unfortunately the Dreamcast version would go without some of the features made available in the PS2 and Xbox ports, but that doesn’t mean the game was unpopular.  In fact, the Dreamcast version’s the most sought after.
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Twinkle Star Sprites

A port from the Neo-Geo original, this game wonderfully combines gameplay elements from both the shooter and puzzle genres to make one charming game.   Twinkle Star Sprites plays like a vertically scrolling shooter, but you actually play head to head against another player in split screen fashion. By destroying lots of enemies in one go (chain combos) you send more bad guys over to your opponents half of the screen. Once this process begins, it is very similar to modern competitive puzzle game like Puyo Pop Fever and Tetris Attack.

There are also bosses to contend with, Death Attacks if the match stretches on too long or if a player is idle for thirty seconds, and different kinds of attacks which can be created by reflecting enemy shots(creating Reverse Attacks or Extra Attacks).  To further instill competition, whenever a player takes damage, their opponent gains back half of that amount in health, helping to extend the match.  If you are a shooter fan that is stuck in a rut, nothing will give you a breath of fresh air like Twinkle Star Sprites.
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Last Hope

This game started as a homebrew project for the Neo Geo AES  by German independent game developer NG:DEV.TEAM.  The DC version was published via redspotgames.  It centers on the impending destruction of Earth, which can only be defeated by a single ship, the Z-42 Warpstar, which can be warped behind enemy lines to destroy the alien leader.

To do this, you have to pilot it through horizontally aligned levels, wielding a shield that can be rotated around you in full circular motion to deflect enemy fire.  The game is similar to R-Type in presentation, but features fully hand-drawn backgrounds across its six stages, and it runs at a smooth 60 frames per second.  Controls are simple, with one button to shoot and two to rotate the shield pod to the left and right.  The game features four difficulty settings.

Unfortunately, it’s difficulty has actually been one of its greatest criticisms, as shrapnel from exploding enemy ships was often the same color as enemy bullets.  To counter this criticism(as well as a few others), the development team has been working on a retooling, known as Last Hope: Pink Bullets, which does include pink bullets, as well as faster ship speed, lower difficulty, and slightly altered colors to make the game brighter.  The original version released alongside a limited edition version, which included the soundtrack.
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Trizeal

Trizeal is a vertical shooter ported from the Naomi board arcade version, combining 3D graphics with classical 2D gameplay. In the game, your spacecraft can be morphed into 3 models supporting different shooting types, including front missiles, homing rockets and wide shot.  Backgrounds are also played with a bit to show distant ships or things coming in from various angles, giving a sense of depth to the screen.

Trizeal delivers a steady stream of enemies to blast through. Bonuses can be “chained” together in combos to build up your weaponry, so you won’t want to share too many of them with your friend in two-player mode.  Also included in the Dreamcast port are several levels not in the arcade release, a score attack mode, and a sound test.  Both Omake Mode, where levels are short but enemy patterns are much faster, and Lifting Mode, where you have to juggle a stone on your ship to gain points, are both unlocked by beating the six stages of the game.  A ship from Triangle Service’s older game, XII Stag, is also hidden in the game.
While a sequel was released in 2007 under the name Exzeal, a Dreamcast port has not been officially announced.  That doesn’t mean it’s not rumored however, so keep your ears open for this one.
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Chaos Field

This vertical-scrolling shooter puts its own interesting spin on some aspects of the traditional shooter formula. Unlike most other shmups, Chaos Field features very few enemies on screen at one time. Large enemies that could be boss characters in other games are the majority of what you will see in Chaos Field — each with many points that must be destroyed before the player can advance.  Generally this style is known as “boss fest.”

In order to defend yourself, you have the traditional unlimited blaster, and a blade for clearing the incoming bullets (kinda like a windshield wiper). You will find this device indispensable, as often the screen becomes entirely filled with gunfire that must be eliminated to survive.

Finally, there is the ability to switch between an “Order” Field, and the namesake “Chaos” Field. Switching to the Chaos Field renders your craft’s fire more powerful, but makes enemy fire more damaging. Luckily, this is not a one-hit-you’re-dead affair. You are allowed to take more than one hit, and the amount is variable via the options screen.
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Gunbird 2

If you are familiar with Psikyo’s Strikers series of shooters, Gunbird 2 won’t offer you many innovations – in fact you will notice many similarities. While it is a typical Psikyo shooter, it  doesn’t have much to excite shmup fans that are addicted to Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga.

The game definitely looks a little long in the tooth graphically as it could easily pass for a Sega Saturn game like its prequel. In terms of gameplay, there is not much depth or strategy. You simply power your gun up as high as you can and try not to get shot.  Humor seems to be the real focus of the game.

To give you a little variety and replay value, players are offered the selection of four base characters, with two hidden characters, including Morrigan of Darkstalkers fame. Each character has their strengths and weaknesses that include differences in such categories as firepower, homing shots, and close range attacks.

Additional levels and more original gameplay elements would have made this one a must own title. Instead, we are left with a mediocre title that only keeps shooter fans mildly entertained.
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GigaWing & GigaWing 2

Giga Wing casts off the strategic elements that fans of the genre often look for in favor of exaggerating the action. Instead of shooting at you in big bursts, the enemies totally blanket the screen with fire that simply cannot be avoided with slick maneuvering and well-placed shots.

To combat this wave of fire, you have a tool that creates a force field around your aircraft to repel the countless projectiles back at your foes and produce oodles of items to snatch. You can also wipe the screen clean with smart bombs, which produce similar results.

There are several different planes to choose from, each with different standard weapons which can be upgraded via appropriate power-ups, but not a great deal of variety is added to the game because of this, because fighting your way to the end is really just a matter of using your reflect force at every opportunity and dropping bombs whenever the screen gets cluttered.

You are given unlimited continues and when you use one you pick up at the exact same point you left off, so there’s not much incentive to be careful where you fly or to deploy your bombs conservatively. Pretty much anyone can pick up this game and beat it on their first attempt with the proper amount of patience.

You won’t find a huge difference between GigaWing and GigaWing 2 other than the fact that Capcom pushed the graphics a bit further. While the original GigaWing was based off the older CPS2 arcade hardware and looks like a Saturn 2D game, Gigawing originally ran on the Dreamcast-friendly Naomi arcade hardware. With this new hardware, GigaWing 2 took cues from games like Radiant Silvergun with its 2D sprites on top of 3D backgrounds. Unfortunately, the graphics alone weren’t enough to boost Gigawing 2 above its predecessor.
Find GigaWing Series on eBay
Find GigaWing Series on Amazon.com

Radilgy (aka Radirgy, Rajirugi, or Radio Allergy)

This is an odd game.  Much like Chaos Field, you have three different ships to choose from and the gameplay is said to be like a cross of Chaos Field and Mars Matrix. If you’re just playing for survival, it’s not a very tough game for experts. Going for the big score is another story though. It’s a huge challenge to keep the multiplier meter going, especially during a boss battle. It’s tough enough just to destroy the bosses before timing out.  The gameplay also borrows heavily from its brother, Chaos Field such as the ability of the player’s ship to swing a sword to cause damage, and destructible enemy fire.

The graphical style is very unique for a shoot-em-up as it sports an anime-style, cell-shaded look that some have compared to Jet Grind Radio, but I think it looks more like a hand-drawn, Macromedia Flash-like style.

Radilgy breaks the mold from traditional shmup style and will stand out in a crowd. While it’s not one of the better Dreamcast shooters, collectors will probably want to pick it up.  A Sega Direct special release included a phone card, while another included a phone card and a refurbished Sega Dreamcast.
Find Radilgy on eBay

Karous

With this release, the Dreamcast was officially dead to third party titles.  Featuring a visual style and some gameplay elements similar to Radilgy, this vertical shmup included a strange system known as the D.F.S. Bomb.  Wheranever a bomb is used, a shield goes up around the player which can then be used to kill enemies, garnering more experience points for them.  Both the weapons and shield can be upgraded after getting so much experience points, up to level 100.  Weapon levels are also treated as experience multipliers, and the sword generates more so if you’re going for a high score, that’s the way to go.

To further gameplay, there’s an interesting item system which can upgrade weapons, affect speed, recover health and shields, or fill the SP meter, so the Bomb can be used again.  Enemies and their shots aren’t very quick, and there’s a very limited number of enemy types, so after a couple of levels, you’ve seen everything.  Enemy waves also don’t vary much, so don’t expect a sudden change in gameplay.
Find Karous on eBay

DUX

DUX is a horizontal shooter, developed and released by HUCAST.net & KonTechs Ltd.  A mysterious new material, named DUX, has been discovered, and a ship has been built out of it to fight a war against a group known as the Spiritual Spacers.  However, the material isn’t exactly stable, so they have to find a real nut to pilot it.  That’s where you come in.

This region free game includes six levels, an upgradeable weapon system that can be charged up for more power, and an upgradeable shield pod(yes, like R-Type) device that can be launched as a weapon if necessary.  The scoring system features a similar risk/reward system to Psyvariar 2, though this time your ship’s a bit bigger than a single pixel.  The game’s graphics are an interesting point of contention: you either love them or you hate them.  Still, backgrounds can be disabled by choosing the “perfect” video selection in the Options menu, and if you really like the images, the game was designed with the Dreamcast VGA box in mind.

Unfortunately the game apparently had some bugs when initially released, though word is that replacements are free.  A special edition was also released that included the game’s soundtrack.
Find DUX on eBay

Honorable Mentions

Drill
While it is possible to find the demo for this vertical shooter on the Internet, the production team making it apparently fell apart soon after its release when the lead programmer was given offers to work on titles for the Nintendo Wii.  So it appears Drill will never be released.

Rez
Some folks may debate whether this rail shooter should be on the list alongside all the scrolling shmups present on the Dreamcast.  That still doesn’t mean it’s not at least worth a mention, especially considering how many people seem to love this game.  REZ features the player as a hacker in a computer world, attempting to destroy viruses while stopping the central computer, Eden, from shutting down.  But killing enemies also adds beats, causing the player to affect the music.  Throw in the multi-colored wireframes that make up the game, and it makes for one unusual, but incredible, experience.

Note from racketboy: Thanks to Ack for helping me me revise and expand this guide (it really needed it).

Can you believe the Dreamcast has already been around for a decade?  (and that it was only on the retail scene for three of those years?)  To help celebrate the landmark, we’ve revised and expanded the Dreamcast beginner’s guide to help those interested in Sega’s little white box get started on their journey.

The RetroGaming 101 series is aimed at gamers who are just starting out in the classic gaming scene or are curious about an older console that they don’t know much about yet. Those of you that are especially knowledgeable about the featured console, I encourage you to add any information that you think would be beneficial into the comments section. If you are new to the featured console, and still have questions, you can also use the comments section and I will do my best to help you out.

Background Information

• After the Saturn’s poor sales in the USA, Sega’s American branch began pressuring it’s headquarters in Japan for a new console in 1997.  Two competing teams are formed, one headed by Tatsuo Yamamoto, the other by Hideki Sato.
• Though Sega first favored Yamamoto’s design, eventually Sato’s choice of using a PowerVR2 graphics processor from VideoLogic won out.  This resulted in a lawsuit from 3dfx, who had developed the graphics processor that Yamamoto’s team had been pushing.  The lawsuit was settled in 1998.
• Sega broke console sales records in North America on launch (9/9/99), and initially did very well worldwide, though sales eventually slowed to a trickle, and Sega announced in 2001 that they were stopping production.  In 2002, the US would see its last release, NHL 2K2.  New games continued to be developed in Japan until 2007, while Sega managed to sell off the last of its units in Japan in 2006.  There have been additional independent games released for sale as late as 2009.
• Watch G4’s Icons episode on the History of the Dreamcast
• More Dreamcast History at Wikipedia

Historical Impact

• The Dreamcast was Sega’s fifth and final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. Sega cut off the Saturn’s lifespan early to try to get a head start in competing with the Playstation 2.
• Dreamcast was ahead of its time in many ways. It was the first console to include a built-in modem, make Internet support for online gaming commonplace, and natively provide stunning VGA video output. It was also a large leap in graphical and storage capabilities over the existing PS1 and N64 consoles.
• The Dreamcast only lasted a few short years on the retail scene outside of Japan, but still maintained a strong cult following due to its innovative games, homebrew capabilities and the trickle of interesting imports coming from Japan.

Strengths

• Fun & Quirky Game Library – While some of the games such as Crazy Taxi, Rez, and Space Channel 5 have been ported to other consoles, there are still a number of unique, and most importantly, extremely fun games on the Dreamcast that you can’t find on any other console (Jet Grind Radio, Cosmic Smash, and Typing of the Dead, just to name a few)
• Strong 2D Library for Hardcore Audience: In addition to the quirky Sega-developed games, the Dreamcast is very popular because of its deep library of 2D Fighting and 2D Shooting games (shmups).  If you are a fan of either genre, the Dreamcast is essential a most-own console.
• Great Arcade Ports: Many of the original arcade games were originally developed on the NAOMI arcade platform (which is basically Dreamcast hardware with extra RAM), which made it very easy to have arcade-accurate console ports.
• Very Affordable – While there are handful of other cheap consoles with strong libraries like the Gamecube and PS1, the Dreamcast is a great all-around console that is inexpensive to get started with the hardware, games, and accessories.
• Great Import Library – Don’t judge the Dreamcast purely on it’s US or even PAL libraries — there are so many great games that only saw Japanese releases that truly round out a quality selection of games.
• Powerful Hardware Considering It’s Place In Time: The Dreamcast was a very powerful machine in its day (before the release of the PS2, XBox and Gamecube) and still holds up surprisingly well in the modern era. It also had some of Sega’s more creative and innovative games, some of which have not yet been ported to other consoles.   A few games even utilized some of the Dreamcast’s slight graphical advantages over the PS2.  It would have been interesting to see what could have been done if it had lasted as long as the PS2.
• High-Quality VGA Video Connection: As mentioned above, in addition to many common video connections, the Dreamcast also supports native VGA output that makes it ideal for playing the Dreamcast on computer monitors or HDTVs.  The Dreamcast only pushes 480p resolution, but the VGA connection greatly increases the clarity that HDTV owners will desire.
• Homebrew & Piracy: I feel kinda weird listing easy piracy as an strength, but it’s a fact that many gamers factor this aspect in. Due to the discoveries made by piracy groups at the end of the Dreamcast’s retail lifecycle, it is very easy to run both rips of commercial games and homebrew efforts like independent games and emulators of older systems without any modifications to the hardware.

Weaknesses

• No DVD Support: The Dreamcast was developed before DVD drives had reached an affordable level, so it does not support DVD playback or playing homebrew off of DVD media.
• Not as Powerful as Later Consoles: This is quite obvious, but since it was released a year before the Playstation 2 and two years before the Gamecube and XBox, it does not quite have the graphical capabilities of the later consoles from the generation.
• No RF Wireless Controllers Availible – Wireless controllers hadn’t really taken off during the Dreamcast’s life, but the Gamecube, PS2, and Xbox each had quality wireless controllers in the form of Nintendo’s Wavebird and Logitech’s third-party controllers.  The Dreamcast wasn’t so lucky.
• Only a Few Strong RPGs: The RPG genre did not have a very big showing in the Dreamcast library. Skies of Arcadia and Grandia 2 were very strong games, but the rest of the library was limited to a small handful of gems.
• Short Retail Lifespan Outside of Japan: The Dreamcast’s retail lifespan out side of Japan was only a few short years, so the game library isn’t especially large.  It also got more ports of PS1 games that it did of the multiplatform games of the PS2/Xbox/Gamecube era, which would have made better use of the Dreamcast hardware.
• No Support from EA: Those gamers looking for many of the popular games from Electronic Arts will be disappointed as EA did not support the Dreamcast after its disputes with Sega during the Saturn era. However, Sega did an excellent job of filling the software gaps itself.
• Relatively Noisy: Maybe I’m nit-picking here, but it’s not unusal for new Dreamcast owners to think something is wrong with the disc drive when its ready.  While the noise level isn’t as bad as an Xbox 360, but considering the Dreamcast followed the smoothly -silent Sega Saturn, the Dreamcast’s noise level is a bit disappointing.

Dreamcast Game Library

• The Best Dreamcast Games Under $10 – If you need to start a quality Dreamcast library without spending much cash, this is the place to start.
• The Best Dreamcast Games for Today – A lot has changed over the last 10 years, so we try to round up the best Dreamcast games that hold up a decade after their release.
• Games That Defined the Dreamcast – If you want to see the games that gave the Dreamcast its unique personality, check out this little guide.
• The Best Multiplayer Dreamcast Games – When you have four controller ports at your disposal, its natural to want to find games the play with your buddies.  Luckily, the Dreamcast has a variety of titles to keep you and your friends busy.
• The Best Undiscovered Dreamcast Games – If you’ve already checked out all the big-name Dreamcast games, make sure to explore these Hidden Gems that are broken down by genre.
• The Best-Looking Games on the Dreamcast – This little guide will give you a good idea of what games will show off the Dreamcast’s graphic capabilities and quirky sense of style.
• Sega Dreamcast Exclusives – We try to keep a list up to date of the games that still are console exclusive to the Dreamcast (arcade, PC, and portable versions not included)
• Dreamcast Games That Appear on other Consoles – If you want to try out some Dreamcast games on some other consoles you own, this list might also be useful to you.
• The Rarest and Most Valuable Dreamcast Games – There are a handful of rarities and a lot of semi-rare cult favorites that have held their value quite well over the last 10 years.  See what to keep an eye out for or check if some of your existing games are worth a pretty penny.
• The Best Import Dreamcast Games – As mentioned before, the Japanese library adds a lot to the Dreamcast’s library.  There are also a number of good PAL games that never made it to the States.
• The Dreamcast 2D Fighters Library – Personally, I’m a sucker for a good 2D fighter and I am in a wonderland on Dreamcast.  Teamed up with the Sega Saturn, I’m set with most of the best 2D fighters out there.
• The Dremacast 2D Shooters Library – The Dreamcast started out just a little slow in the shooter genre, but it finished out strong even after it had already died off outside of Japan.  The Dreamcast is right up there with the Saturn and Playstation as one of must-own consoles for shooters.
• The Dreamcast Survival Horror Library – It might not have quite the lineup of the Playstation consoles, but the Dreamcast has a respectable collection to keep fans of the genre busy.
• The Best Unlicenced/Homebrew/Leaked Dreamcast Games – We haven’t developed a polished guide yet, but we are starting the discussion in the forum.

Hardware Variations

	Sega Sports Dreamcast The United States and Canada would see a black Sega Sports Dreamcast released, including matching controllers and came bundled with a couple of Sega’s great sports games.   If nothing else, the Sega Sports Dreamcast is nice for those that want a Black Dreamcast without having to paint one (or without paying a ton for a Japanese R7 or “Super Black” Dreamcast). Find Sega Sports Dreamcast on Amazon.com Find Sega Sports Dreamcast on eBay
	Special Editons There were actually quite a few limited edition Dreamcast models, including an official Hello Kitty model, a Sonic anniversary Dreamcast, a Toyota model, and a pink Sakura Taisen model.  To check out a more extensive listing and gallery of limited edition Dreamcasts, check out this guide at SonicRetro
	Fuji Television DIVERS Series 2000 CX-1 This all-in-one TV/Dreamcast device remains as a bit of a novelty.  Taking a bit of inspiration from both the iMac phenomena of the day and retro-futuristic stylings of Space Channel 5, the setup has a bit of a curvy and colorful gumdrop look to it.   It features LEDs on the side that cycle based on the audio,  four controller ports under the screen, a cute little antennas on the top and some TV buttons lining the top of the screen (see this Flickr photo for more detail and annotations). Find DIVERS Series 2000 CX-1 on eBay
	Treamcast An unofficial portable device known as the Treamcast can also be found for sale online, using official components.  It is unknown how many of these units actually exist.  There are actually two revisions of the Treamcast — the newers SE model has a better screen and comes in black. Check our the full review of the Treamcast unit.

Accessories

	VMUs The Visual Memory Unit, or VMU for short, is perhaps the best known accessory for the Dreamcast, because it functions as the console’s memory card.  Certain DC games could also bring up mini games on the VMU, giving it a similar design to Sony’s PocketStation on the PS1. These are a necessity for any Dreamcast.  VMUs plugged into the ports on the top of the Dreamcast controller, in the same place the console’s rumble packs plug in.  They come in a variety of colors and there even some limited edition VMUs for collectors as well. Find Dreamcast VMUs on Amazon.com Find Dreamcast VMUs on eBay
	VGA Box Another important accessory to note is the VGA box, allowing the console to put out signals in VGA mode.  The difference in clarity from your standard AV outputs (even S-Video) with be incredibly surprising.  A few minutes with this, and you will not want to ever play a DC game any other way again.  There are essentially two types of adapters — one that is just a simply VGA adapter, and another that supports VGA, but also switches to Composite or S-Video Buy Dreamcast VGA Box in Racketboy Store Buy Dreamcast VGA Box with Extra Video Outputs in Racketboy Store Find Dreamcast VGA Box on eBay
	Jump Packs These are essentially rumble add-ons in a form factor similar to VMUs that are designed to slip into the second VMU slot on your controller.  In my opinions, the rumble feature never felt quite as useful on the Dreamcast as it does on many other systems, so I usually do without. Find Jump Packs on Amazon.com Find Jump Packs on eBay
	Light Gun It is important to note that while Japan, Europe, and Asia saw an official Sega light gun, other regions were forced to deal with 3rd party equipment.  The “official” light gun in the United States is the Star Blaster by Mad Catz, which is similar in design.  However, since peripherals on the Dreamcast work regardless of region, getting an official Sega gun isn’t too much of a hassle. There were numerous other light guns, such as the SRC Bio Gun(similar in design to the Sega Saturn light gun), Hais DC Lightgun and Hais DC Mini Gun(meaning small, not spinning cylinder of death), StarFire LightBlaster, and DCX Blaster.  There’s even a wireless light gun, the SRC DC Wireless. Also, make sure you look into region compatibility if you’re thinking of importing a gun. List of Dreamcast Light Guns on Wikipedia Find Dreamcast Light Guns on Amazon.com Find Dreamcast Light Guns on eBay
	Keyboard and Mouse The Dreamcast also featured a keyboard and mouse combo, for use with certain games such as the console’s first person shooters can use these controls.  They are also absolutely required for the Typing of the Dead games.  Plus, they work with the console’s web browser.   To check out all the uses for the Dreamcast Keyboard & Mouse, check out the feature we did a could of years ago. Find Dreamcast Keyboard & Mouse on Amazon.com Find Dreamcast Keyboard & Mouse on eBay
	Agetec Arcade Stick If you are serious about 2D fighters or shooters, it is easy to get fed up with the standard Dreamcast controller.  While it may not be as good as a high-end Hori stick or a custom job, the Agetec stick is reasonable affordable, make frequent appearances on eBay, and has solid construction.  Even though it isn’t made by Sega, it is often referred to as the “official” Dreamcast arcade stick. Find Agetec Arcade Stick on eBay
	ASCII Pad If you aren’t much for arcade sticks, but would still like a more traditional gamepad to assist you in 2D fighters or other select games, you might want to consider the ASCII pad.  Just keep in mind, like the arcade stick, it is missing an analog stick and some of the buttons that certain games may require. Find Dreamcast ASCII Pad on eBay
	Broadband Adapter The Dreamcast came standard with a 56K modem, which at the time its release was a reasonable good Internet connection.  However, as just about everyone knows now, a DSL or cable connection will dramtically improve one’s online gaming experience.  Sega offered an optional Broadband Adapter (essentially an Ethernet connection) for those wanting the higher networks speeds.  To this day, the Broadband Adapters have held their value quite well and sometimes sell for more than their original retail price of $100. Find Dreamcast Broadband Adapter on eBay
	Twin Sticks If you plan enjoying Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram, you’ll really want a set of Twin Sticks for the best arcade-like experience.  You could, however, use an adapter (see below) to use a Saturn set of Twin Sticks. Find Dreamcast Twin Sticks on eBay
	Accessory Adapters While adapters are quite common for various platforms, the once-common adapters (mainly the Total Control series) for the Dreamcast was especially useful.  There were adapters that let Dreamcast owners use Sega Saturn controller, Playstation controllers and/or PC keyboards and mice (PS/2 connection).  Not only was this handy for using existing hardware instead of buying Dreamcast specific controllers, but using certain Saturn controllers was especially useful.  The Saturn gamepads are especially more practical for certain types of games (2D fighters, for instance) and the adapters were often used for Virtual On fans that wanted to use their Saturn Twin Stick controlls instead of having to invest in a separate Dreamcast set. Find Dreamcast Controller Adapters on eBay
	Maracas Like Dance Dance Revolution, Samba De Amigo is a fun rhythm game even without the specialty controllers, but to really get the full arcade-like experience, you’ll want to pick up a set of Maracas controllers or maybe the full Samba de Amigo Box Set.  Third-party maracas can be a bit hit or miss, so even through they are a little pricey, you might want to go for a set of offical Sega controllers. Find Dreamcast Maracas on Amazon.com Find Dreamcast Maracas on eBay
	Fishing Controller The Dreamcast offered two Sega Bass Fishing games and Sega Marine Fishing.  To complement these niche titles, Sega developed an interesting Fishing Controller that actually had motion detection (a bit of a predecessor to the Nintendo Wiimote).  It’s even a not-so-hidden secret that you can also use the fishing controller to play games like Soul Calibur if you were so inclined. Find Fishing Controller on Amazon.com Find Fishing Controller on eBay
	Microphone The Dreamcast microphone was another item in the long list of the console’s innovations.  The microphone was first used/included with the game Seaman.  It let you communication and interact vocally with the game’s character/creature.   The late Dreamcast game, Alien Front Online also included a microphone that could be used for voice chat while playing online multiplayer.  A similar feature was to be included in the cancelled game, Propeller Arena.  The microphone’s main body was much like a VMU or Jump Pack and plugged right into the controller. Find Dreamcast Microphone on eBay
	Bleemcast Not your typical “accessory” as it’s a disc as opposed to a piece of hardware, but these Bleemcast retail emulation discs let you play Metal Gear Solid, Tekken 3, or Gran Turismo 2 on your Dreamcast with enhanced graphics.  As we discussed in our Bleemcast write-up, hacked versions of the Bleemcast emulator also allow Dreamcast owners to play other Playstation games as well. Find Bleemcast Discs on eBay
	Dreameye The Dreameye was a webcam released in Japan that could capture still (3 megapixel – quite good for the time) and motion images. The device came with a microphone headset, a stand, batteries, software, a cable to connect the Dreameye to the Dreamcast and a Dreameye microphone plug card. This was yet another solid Sega innovation that paved the way for similar products for the Playstation and Xbox platforms. Find Dreameye on eBay
	Steering Wheels The Dreamcast has a lot of respectible racing games in both the arcade and simulation subgenres, but it can be a challenge to find a Dreamcast steering wheel that will suit you better than a standard controller.  Check out our discussion on the Racketboy Forum about choosing the best Dreamcast raching wheels. Find Dreamcast Steering Wheels on Amazon.com Find Dreamcast Steering Wheels on eBay

Of course, the Sega Dreamcast had a number of other controllers including specialty controllers for games like Densha De Go! and other rather innovative items like a  karaoke microphone and a midi cable to hook various musical tools like a drum machine to the console

Emulation Other Systems on the Dreamcast

• Because of the large homebrew community for the Dreamcast, there are a multitude of emulators for the Dreamcast.  Through programs like NesterDC, Super Famicast, or MameDC, the Dreamcast is capable of emulating everything from the Vectrex to the WonderSwan.
• One of the most popular emulators on the Dreamcast is NesterDC.  It provides and slick way of playing your NES ROMs easily.
• One of the most impressive emulators from a technical standpoint is Neo4All, a Neo-Geo emulator that pulls off emulating large Neo-Geo ROMs — a feat that many developers once thought would be quite difficult.
• Of course, as mentioned above, there was the Bleemcast set of commercial emulators that let you run Playstation releases of Metal Gear Solid, Tekken 3, and Gran Turismo 2.   As we discussed a while back, a Dreamcast enthusisasts hacked around with Bleemcast to let people play a number of other Playstation games.
• For more information on Dreamcast emulation, the folks at DCEmulation.org are probably the best place to look.

Emulating the Dreamcast on Other Machines

• While there are multiple programs to emulate the Dreamcast on the PC, none are perfect, and certain ones are no longer being worked on.  Programs like Chankast or Swirly seem to have gone by the wayside, though certain projects thought dead, like DCemul, have recently been brought back.  NullDC is probably the best bet right now.
• Linux and Mac users, don’t fret, there is at least one emulator for you.  Lxdream was released in 2008 and is still being regularly updated, so there is some community for it.
• However, since the Dreamcast is so affordable and the emulation still has room for improvement, we still recommend you just pick up the real machine.  If nothing else, it will ensure 100% compatibility and save your time and effort.
• For more information on Dreamcast emulation, the folks at DCEmulation.org are probably the best place to look.

Playing Imports

• How to Play Imports on the Dreamcast – there’s a couple of ways you can handle the import situation
• The Best Import Games for the Dreamcast – don’t be afraid to explore the best other regions have to offer!

Affordability

• The Dreamcast is actually one of the most affordable consoles on eBay. It is very easy to find one on eBay or in pawn shops or flea markets for under $20. (Looking locally will shave off a lot of the cost by saving on shipping)
• In the US at least, many of the most popular games for the Dreamcast are also available for just a few dollars each. Add that to the emulation capabilities and you have a very good classic gaming value.
• Accessories for the Dreamcast are also generally inexpensive, and specialty controllers can go for less than $30.

Most people I know don’t automatically think of RPGs when they think of their Genesis.  But there is actually a large number of titles available on the console.  Add in the Sega CD, which I outlined earlier, and you’ve got a hefty selection available, spread across a variety of different types of RPGs.  Just take a look at your options.   (This is a rather lengthy post and we had to divide it up to two pages until we can figure out how to get the server to let us post more — see page two here.

Phantasy Star Series

Phantasy Star (NTSC-J / 1994),  Phantasy Star II (NTSC-J, NTSC-U/1989), Phantasy Star III (NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL/1990), Phantasy Star IV (NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL/1993)

The Phantasy Star series has the prestige of being one of the first RPG series to appear on North American consoles, and the first title’s Japanese release for the Master System was a mere two days after Final Fantasy. All four games are JRPGs that take place in the same continuous universe in the Algol Solar System.  All four games are connected, though Phantasy Star III would serve as a large departure from the others.  It is the only one of the four to feature a medieval fantasy setting, while the others are all science fiction types.

The entire series is composed of solid titles, and they’re worth tracking down, though for those of us who can’t read Japanese, it might be better to go for the Master System version of Phantasy Star, since the Megadrive version never made the leap across the ocean.  Finding it for the Megadrive may be even harder since it only saw release as a limited edition with a low print run.

It should also be noted that there was one other Phantasy Star title for the console, available via the Sega Meganet in Japan, Phantasy Star II Text Adventures.  This is a series of 8 text-based adventures, later released in compilation for the Mega-CD.
Find Phantasy Star Series on eBay
Find Phantasy Star Series on Amazon.com

Shining Series

Shining in the Darkness (NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL/1991), Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention (NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL/1993), Shining Force II (NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL/1994)

In the Shining Series, the timeline begins with the return of the Dark Dragon, and after his defeat at the hands of the Shining Force, the rise of the Devil Kings.  While all three titles are in the Shining series, Shining in the Darkness is a very different animal from its Shining Force brethren.  First, it’s a dungeon crawler, not a strategy RPG like the two Shining Force.  The art and musical styles are similar, but the series includes a variety of different RPG styles.

Second, it’s out of order.  While the plots are all linked, Shining in the Darkness takes place after Shining Force II, and the events of Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict on the Sega Game Gear takes place between Shining Force and Shining Force II.  For access to both Shining Force Gaiden’s, as well as a third previously unseen chapter, Shining Force CD is available on the Sega CD to round out the collection.
Find Shining Series on eBay
Find Shining Series on Amazon.com

Dragon Slayer Series

Sorcerian (NTSC-J/1990), Dragon Slayer: Legend of Heroes (NTSC-J/1994), Dragon Slayer: Legend of Heroes II (NTSC-J/1995), Lord Monarch (NTSC-J/1994)

Ok, so this series is a mess of different RPG sub-genres, originally spreading across the 1980s and then being continuously updated for the next decade.  It also incorporates the first two parts of a second entire series, known as the Legend of Heroes series.  So why is it a group of cross-genre RPGs with no real connection via storyline or style can be considered connected?  Because they all had the same producer, Yoshio Kiya, one of the first Japanese minds behind RPGs.  It is debated that his first game, Dragon Slayer, released 1984, is the first Japanese action RPG.  In 1985, a fledgling startup named Squaresoft would port it to the MSX as one of their first published titles.  Without his initial work, series like The Legend of Zelda might not ever have existed.  And thankfully the Megadrive releases of his work are actually considered pretty good.

First, Sorcerian features an open party which is created from scratch at the start of the game which then grow stronger as they are pitted against various scenarios for gold and glory.  The game changes gameplay styles, though at its heart, it’s a side-scrolling action RPG.  Lord Monarch is radically different, more of a strategy game with heavy RTS elements than an RPG at all.  The purpose of the game is to use your peasants to slaughter every other kingdom.  And yes, I mean EVERY kingdom, as once allied players smash an opposed enemy, they must then work to smash each other, since the game only allows one winner.

The Legend of Heroes games are both similar, though again, different from the other Dragon Slayer games.  They’re both JRPGs with a connecting storyline.  Only the first two in the series kept their association to the original Dragon Slayer series, and the next set of games feature a new plot, known as the Gagharv Trilogy.  Unfortunately neither of the Megadrive versions would make it out of Japan.

Uncharted Waters Series

Uncharted Waters (NTSC-J, NTSC-U/1992), Uncharted Waters: New Horizons (NTSC-J, NTSC-U/1994)

Finally, the piracy RPG you know you’ve always wanted to play…if you like.  That’s the beauty of the Uncharted Waters series, they’re very open-ended high seas adventures with loose plots that allow you to pick and choose generally what you would like to do.  This includes leading trade expeditions, investing in locales, hunting for treasure, hunting for pirates, or engaging in a bit of piracy yourself.

The first game in the series focuses on Leon Franco,  son of a noble family that has fallen into disrepute.  So Leon sets out to restore it by doing tasks for the king, investing into foreign lands in the name of Portugal, or taking out Spanish or Ottoman ships, in hopes that the king will give you titles and raise the status of your family.  The sequel makes it all bigger, with more countries, the same open-ended gameplay, and the ability to choose one of six different characters to follow at the start of the game.  Seriously, if you’ve got a thing for pirates, check this series out.
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Langrisser Series

Warsong (Langrisser) (NTSC-J, NTSC-U/1991), Langrisser 2 (NTSC-J/1994)

The Langrisser series is composed of multiple strategy RPGs on a truly epic scale.  And I mean epic, as in up to thirty controllable units on just your side epic. All the games of the series are connected, though they span many years in the game world.  The games all focus on two swords, the Langrisser and the Alhazard.  The cast of each game is enormous too, and large amounts of story exposition is conducted during combat, so once a fight starts, expect to be there a long time.  On the upside, the music is quite good throughout, so at least you’ll have something pleasant to listen to.

There are two Langrisser titles on the Genesis, though only one made it out of Japan.  The first Langrisser, known in the west as Warsong, is the roughest in terms of design and unfortunately isn’t as graphically attractive as the rest of the series.  In an effort to localize the series, character names were changed and character portraits were “Westernized.”  Which is a real shame, as one of the perks of the series is that the character designs and portraits were absolutely stellar.  Still, at least it saw release outside of Japan, unlike its sequel.  Langrisser 2 was more of the same, but with improved graphics, a larger cast, and multiple branching storylines for added replayability.
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Vixen 357

(NTSC-J / 1992)
In the 25th century, there will be war between humans and aliens.  We will win, thanks to specially built mechs known as Vectors, as we take the fight to the Four Heavenly Emperors and their leader, Zithor Weimer, who pilots Golgyas, a mech equipped with the ultimate weapon, Vixen 357.  Yes, that’s the plot.  As far as gameplay, it’s a strategy RPG with mechs.  Yes, it’s practically Sega’s answer to Front Mission, only it predates Front Mission by nearly three years.  And while it’s nowhere near as pretty(battlefields are actually quite bland), it lets me watch massive robots beat the snot out of each other with a variety of close-range and long-range weaponry.  Just keep in mind that character death is permanent, so losing certain characters will result in a game over.
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Gauntlet IV

(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1993)
Not only is this considered a faithful port of its arcade predecessor, it’s considered a better game overall, and for good reason: it stays true to the visuals, audio, and gameplay of the action RPG arcade hit Gauntlet(yeah, don’t ask where the IV came from), but it brings in multiple game modes not found in the arcade to boot.  This includes the arcade, a Quest Mode that includes RPG elements and a fleshed out storyline, a multiplayer free-for-all mode, and a mode that records you as you race through a dungeon.  Plus, it was the first game built for the Genesis multitap, so you know what that means.  That’s right: 4-player multiplayer, baby!
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Pirates! Gold

(NTSC-U / 1993)
This was a remake of 1987’s Sid Meier’s Pirates!, though with improved graphics, more colors, and more features.  It’s an open-ended title, allowing the player to create a new character from a list of options at the beginning and then setting them loose on the Spanish Main to plunder from Florida to South America as they age from a young man to an old man.  Along the way, towns can be sacked, ships can be captured, treasure can be found, quests can be accepted, and armadas can be sunk, all done in varying styles of gameplay.  Seriously, between this and the two Uncharted Waters games, there’s more than enough pirate goodness to keep players happy.
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Shadowrun

(NTSC-J, NTSC-U / 1994)
We need more cyberpunk RPGs.  The Genesis version of Shadowrun follows Joshua, a new Shadowrunner who is out for revenge after his brother’s murder.  To do this, he’s gonna need money and skills as well as a little help, so he’ll have to start doing jobs for the “Mr. Johnsons,” though if he screws up, he’ll likely wake up in the chop shop.  The game world is Seattle, giving the player the freedom to move around it openly, with all kinds of random events occurring on the way.  If Joshua gets a datajack, he can then do some Matrix running for missions or simply to steal computer files for some quick cash.  It’s definitely a game worth checking out.
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Beggar Prince

(Universal / 2006)
Originally a Taiwan-only game known as Xin Qigai Wangzi, it was edited, localized, and updated for a release on all versions of the Genesis/Megadrive by the Super Fighter Team nearly a decade later.  In the game, the Prince of Shatt is a snot-nosed brat who wants to leave his life behind, so he switches places with a beggar with the help of the nefarious Cat Minister.  Once out, he quickly learns that life outside the castle kinda sucks, but isn’t allowed to return to his old life since he is now a beggar.  So now he must go on an epic quest to reclaim his kingdom.  Unfortunately the first two print runs of the games were a bit buggy, though thankfully Super Fighter Team has managed to fix the vast majority of them from the Taiwan original.  It makes for an excellent RPG, and it proves the capability of the Super Fighter Team.  And who knew those Taiwanese RPGs were worth playing?
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Legend of Wukong

(Universal / 2008)
And once again, this is another Taiwan-only RPG by Super Fighter Team, extensively reprogrammed for all versions of the Genesis/Megadrive like its predecessor, Beggar Prince.  And this time, there were no issues with the first print run.  In this title, a young boy named Wukong visits his neighbor, Dr. Tang, scientist and inventor extraodinaire.  Dr. Tang takes a few moments to talk about his latest creation, the first time machine, which Wukong accidentally turns on and is sent back to the days of the Tang Dynasty in China(618-907 AD), with the time machine lost.  With a little help from a friendly monk, Wukong must set off across China and India to find the time machine and return home, battling monsters and making friends along the way.  This is definitely worth checking out.
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Landstalker

(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1993)
This is an action RPG that follows Nigel, a young wood elf hunting for the treasure of King Nole, who disappeared one night many years ago after an angry horde of subjects rushed his castle.  Ok, so he wasn’t the most well-liked of kings, but his lost treasure is apparently worth tons, and Nigel’s set his sights on it.  It’s pretty, the plot’s not the typical contrived “teenager-must-save-the-world” drivel we keep seeing over and over again, and the music is top notch stuff.  Unfortunately, perhaps the most unique feature of the game is its biggest downfall: an isometric viewpoint and a lot of jump puzzles.  In some cases, a single messed up jump can mean a lot of backtracking too.  It unfortunately makes some sections of the game a bit more tedious than they should be, though beyond this, the isometric view isn’t a problem at all.
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Surging Aura

(NTSC-J / 1995)
This is a Japanese-heavy JRPG that never made it off its home island.  It’s also extremely pretty, with some very well-designed character sprites and portraits.  Combat’s a bit static, but with some absolutely beautiful effects.  The plot centers on Prince Muu who’s castle is suddenly attacked by monsters.  The royal family and closest aids and advisors run down to the royal treasure(a book trapping an evil sorcerer) to protect it and themselves, but the king and queen die fending off monsters, and then one of the aides turns into said evil sorcerer, Rufeed, who then slaughters everyone, including Muu. With the castle destroyed, a six-armed white rabbit known as the Time Expert appears and sends Muu back in time to stop Rufeed.  It’s a real shame we never got this, as its considered to be one of the best for the console.
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Beyond Oasis

(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1994)
Beyond Oasis is another top-down action RPG, featuring all the usual trappings of an RPG(hit points, equipment, experience), but also features realtime combat.  The plot follows a young man named Ali who finds the Gold Armlet.  The spirit of said armlet informs him of the evil Silver Armlet bent on destroying the land Oasis, and to save it Ali must first find the four spirits of the Gold Armlet.  A little odd coming from a glove, but it makes for a fun adventure, and the pretty visuals and music help the journey along.  The controls do present a few problems, as different attacks are executed based on how long the attack button is pressed, and there’s a limited number of enemies expanded via palette swaps, but don’t let that stop you from tracking down this little gem.
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Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water

(NTSC-J / 1991)
Also known as Nadia no Fushigi no Umi or Fushigi no Umi no Nadia, depending on who is asked, this is a video game adaptation of the anime of the same name, which in turn was loosely based on the works of Jules Verne.  In the year 1889, a scientist named Jean meets a circus performer from Africa named Nadia.  A criminal organization is after Nadia and her blue pendant, and Jean decides to help her out.  The game is mostly based around using necessary items at necessary times, and combat is nonexistent.  Party members join up and leave as time goes by, and the game is presented as a JRPG.  It’s apparently quite good, starting in Paris and eventually ending in Atlantis.  It shouldn’t be confused with the other Nadia games on Famicom and Turbo CD.
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Yu Yu Hakusho Gaiden

(NTSC-J / 1994)
The Yu Yu Hakusho fighting game for the Megadrive is considered one of the console’s better fighters, but it wasn’t the only quality Yu Yu Hakusho game of the era.  Yu Yu Hakusho Gaiden is a JRPG with some of the best anime-styled sequences on the console.  The story is pulled from the anime, and players are asked to pick from a choice of Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, or Hiei.  The story is then presented from their perspective, operating in a similar fashion to a text adventure.  Combat is a strange mixture of a fighting game and RPG, allowing the player to move around to avoid enemy attacks and jump forward to beat the snot out of whatever presents itself.  Overall, it’s…a little odd in terms of appearance, but check it out if you’re a fan or just want to try something different.
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Ys III: Wanderers from Ys

(NTSC-J, NTSC-U/ 1992)
This is the bastard child of the Ys series, mainly because it entirely dropped the top-down perspective in favor of a side-scrolling camera.  While it managed to keep some of the Ys feeling, the large dungeons are gone in favor of practically straight lines, and the side-scroller bit takes some getting used to.  Plus, you will have to spend a lot of time leveling, or don’t even bother trying, because it’s likely the first enemy will kill you in two hits, and the bosses are even worse.  The plot follows red-headed Adol as he follows his friend Dogi to his hometown, Redmont.  There, they meet Elena and Chester.  Chester is attempting to become an evil overlord of the world, so Adol’s got to save the day again.  There’s also a system of rings to collect now to provide various effects or power up the player.  Oh, and I really like the music.
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Arcus Odyssey

(NTSC-J, NTSC-U / 1991)
On its release, this title was written off as a Gauntlet clone, and it’s easy to see why someone would come to that conclusion.  It’s an action RPG with four selectable characters with various similarities to the four selectable in Gauntlet.  Story exposition is generally nil, and it features a generic fantasy plot about an evil sorceress who’s attempting to take over the world again after being defeated so many hundreds of years ago.  With it’s 1991 release date, the title’s also not the most attractive game out there, and its music could use some work.  That said, those four characters feature different styles of play(including different means of attacking), there’s a magic system to deepen gameplay, and levels are huge and filled with respawning enemies, so you will have to stay on your toes to make it through the level.  Overall it’s entertaining, but a little bit grueling as well.  While there is multiplayer, it’s crippled by bouts of slow-down.
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Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday

(NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
So it’s a strategy RPG set in the world of Flash Gordon, from the 1940s science fiction serials shown in movie theaters.  And this game is complex too, to the point the instruction manual’s a book.  Let me just state something now: this game is ugly and the music hurts.  The sound effects are pretty atrocious too.  That said, there’s a lot more to this game than you think.  At the beginning of the game, the player must create a party out of various choices to join the New Earth Organization and fight to protect Earth from the Russian-American Mercantile built up around Mercury.  To do this, you’ll have to fight across various planets or from ship to ship in outer space.  It’s a shame the Genesis version is a watered-down port of this title, missing several selectable races and classes as well as multiple skills.  Still, if you want that far future science fiction strategy RPG, this might well be worth checking out.  Now if only we’d gotten something like a Star Trek RPG…
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Star Trek: The Next Generation – Echoes from the Past

(NTSC-U / 1994)
Score!  Star Trek fans have an interesting little title on their hands here.  The plot sounds like the typical episode, with the Enterprise called to the Neutral Zone to help investigate a report by the Romulans that one of their research ships has gone missing in Federation Space.  Before the game is over, the Enterprise crew will be racing to save their lives and the rest of the universe.  As for how it plays, well…don’t think of this as your typical RPG.  There are no levels, HP, or equipment.  Ah, but there are quests, and lots of open-ended gameplay.  Want to check out a planet?  Send an away team of your choosing!  Romulans attempting to pick a fight?  Choose to escape or to throw full power to your shields.  And yes, the full cast from the show is available.  For Trekkies, there’s also a lot of series-related information to be found.  Still, the game suffers from a lack of variation in the crew, and almost too much emphasis on combat.  If you’re a fan of the series, it’s worth looking into, but non-fans may be turned off by the problems.
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Chiki Chiki Boys

(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1992)
It’s a shame this Capcom game has been lost to time, as this is a direct port of a great side-scrolling action RPG.  King Chiki Chiki, ruler of Alurea, is happy to discover his wife has given birth to twins.  Unfortunately just a short while later, his kingdom his crushed by the invading army of the evil clown Riepohtman.  The king takes his family and hides away for several years, allowing his boys to grow old so that they can take back Alurea and take the clown down.  The game allows the player to pick which of the two boys to play, and with both are similar, one’s better with swords while the other enjoys magic.  The game is obscenely cute, with extremely bright visuals as well as sound effects and music to match.
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Wonder Boy in Monster World

(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
Similar to Chiki Chiki Boys, this is a side-scrolling action RPG, with little plot beyond “save world from monsters,” little animation, and poor sound effects.  Yet the visual images are wonderful, and the soundtrack does a good job of matching up each locale.  There’s also a handful of items to help you fight, including a shield you actually have to pull out to use, and the game’s apparently quite fun.  It’s also pretty short, so don’t expect a major time sink, which is nice for all of us who have other things we should be doing.
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King Colossus

(NTSC-J / 1992)
And another action RPG, though one that was sadly left in Japan.  King Colossus holds many similarities to the Ys series, including a red-headed hero fighting in the top-down perspective.  And that’s a good thing, by the way.  You play a boy who is supposed to guard a magic sword, but doesn’t do his job particularly well.  The sword gets stolen, and your old master makes you go after it, completing all manner of jobs along the way.  There are a few problems with hit detection, and enemies hurt a lot, but the game’s nice enough to allow you to save just about anywhere.  The dungeon design is a bit simplistic, but puzzles aren’t overly complicated, and the game can make for an enjoyable romp.
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Record of Bahamut War

(NTSC-J / 1991)
Sometimes known as Bahamut Senki or Bahant Senki, this strategy RPG bears little relation to Bahamut Lagoon on the Super Famicom.  Instead, it offers the chance to play one of 8 different leaders as they vie for power against each other.  Choices range from typical fantasy fair, such as Imperial humans, Elves, Giants, Barbarians, Demons, and Undead.  While this title leans much heavier towards the strategy side of its genre, options can be adjusted to change battle styles.  So you can play it as a nearly straight strategy game, or closer to the normal strategy RPG, depending on how you like it.  As for visuals, it’s not the prettiest, but for a 1991 release date, it doesn’t look that bad.  Multiplayer also isn’t very well defined, since the game is turn-based.  You merely pass the controller between players when their turn comes up.
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Rent-A-Hero

(NTSC-J / 1991)
Taro Yamada has recently moved with his family to Corja, Japan, so his father can start work at a new job.  While having a house-warming party, he orders a pizza from Sensational Cafeteria(SECA) and instead is given a suit of combat armor that gives him super strength and the ability to shoot energy blasts.  Unfortunately, he’s also given a bill for said armor, so he hires his services out as a hero for the people of Corja.  If that’s not an original premise, I don’t know what is.  Visually the game’s quite good for it’s year, the music sticks to the theme quite well, and the game understands that humor is what it’s going for.  It’s a shame neither it nor it’s remake for the DC and Xbox, never made it out of Japan.
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Exile

(NTSC-J, NTSC-U / 1991)
Exile is the sequel to XZR on the MSX, and is sometimes known as XZR II.  The game continues the story of Sadler, Syrian assassin living during the time of the crusades, somewhere around 1120 A.D. or so.  It is Sadler’s goal to bring about peace by stamping out rebellions and forcing nations to get along, even if he’s got to kill everybody in his path to do it.  There’s drug use, swearing, religious discussion, and even a notable case of censorship where an entire town was removed because it depicted citizens being crucified.  On an even weirder note, it was removed from the Japanese version, not the American version.  Beyond that, the game’s not terribly difficult.  Traversing the world is done in a style similar to a JRPG, but combat is done in a side-scrolling action RPG style.
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Traysia

(NTSC-J, NTSC-U / 1992)
A young man named Roy has always wanted to see the world, but has been stuck in his hometown of Johanna all his life.  But he gets his chance when his uncle, a traveling merchant, decides to pull-up shop and head somewhere else.  Roy’s girlfriend, Traysia, gives him a pendant so he’ll remember her.  It’s a simple idea for a plot, but with beautiful artwork and music, it’s sure to be a memorable journey.  The game plays like a JRPG, though combat is more like a strategy RPG, taking place on a large battlefield that must be maneuvered by Roy and his allies.
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Light Crusader

(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1995)
Here’s a title from Treasure (of Gunstar Heroes and Ikaruga fame) that’s generally forgotten.  That’s too bad, because the game isn’t a terrible action RPG, it’s just not all that groundbreaking and comes off as the most western game they’ve ever released.  Light Crusader goes for the isometric view, incorporates an interesting magic system based around combining elements, and goes heavy on the puzzles, though it does a decent job of keeping them diverse.  While some of its animations are a little strange, it’s an attractive game with decent music.  But it just wasn’t as impressive as the vast majority of Treasure’s games, and it came late in the life of the console as Sega was trying to balance a ton of consoles, and it managed to get forgotten along the way.  The game follows a knight known as Sir David who returns to his home of Green Row to find people disappearing one by one.  He’s sent by the king to find the cause, hidden deep beneath the town.
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Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun

(NTSC-U, PAL / 1992)
Duke Barrik’s entire kingdom is accidentally sucked into some kind of magic vortex along with an invading army of goblins bent on wiping out the humans.  When his people wake up from the trip, they find themselves trapped in a valley under a red sun and surrounded by cliffs.  So Duke Barrik takes his four best men and sends them out to find allies before the goblins can again mount the attack.  That’s where you come in.  First you must pick a party of varying race/jobs and genders, then venture out into the world. The game’s a combination of JRPG(when walking around), tun-based strategy RPG combat a la Traysia, and a dungeon crawler view when inside dungeons.  While the actual world reminds me a lot of Ultima, some of the graphics are reused from the DOS version of Eye of the Beholder, and the view window in dungeons is pitifully small.  Still, the game’s short and not overly complicated, so if you’ve finished the major RPGs on the console, give this one a spin.
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Madou Monogatari

(NTSC-J / 1996)
A bizarre little dungeon crawler that would star the lead of the Puyo Puyo games, Madou Monogatari is more than a little odd in terms of presentation.  While originally part of a series of three games, the Megadrive port is merely the first title, with updated visuals and a slightly altered combat system.  You play as five-year-old Arle Nadja, who must go down into a dungeon and defeat a cockatrice if she wishes to pass her magician test.  There’s no numbers to track stats of any kind, no weapons or armor, and no hit points.  Health is tracked based on the expression on Arle’s face, and experience is tracked by an arrangement of gems on the lower half of the screen.  Combat is also viewed from the side, and fought via spells.  All you do is hold down the ‘A’ button and input a command, and Arle will cast a spell.  Strange, yes, but it’s certainly refreshing.
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Immortal

(NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
Players take control of an unnamed wizard who must venture into an underground labyrinth to find his master, the wizard Mordamir.  It’s a simple enough starting idea for this groundbreaking action RPG, which first brought the isometric view to the genre, and would influence such later titles as the Diablo series.  Along the way you’ll have to navigate traps, fight goblins and trolls as well as giant spiders, avoid some absolutely nasty critters, and make it to the very bottom.  And if you screw any of it up, you’re treated to an absolutely horrific death sequence, of which there are many.  If you kill something, it gets an equally horrific death sequence.  In fact, extra ways to die and kill were added when the game was ported to the Genesis.  It’s not an easy game at all, but that adds to the fun, and the sparing use of music adds to the mood.
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Cadash

(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1992)
This is a port of the arcade side-scrolling action RPG of the same name.  In Cadash, a balrog bent on taking over the world captures a princess to use in a ritual to grant him immortality.  King Dilsarl offers his entire kingdom to any warrior who can go down to Castle Cadash and bring the princess back.  You play as one of those nameless heroes.  Unfortunately, this game didn’t make the jump to Genesis completely intact, as two character classes were dropped, the colors are considerably darker, one boss was removed from the game, and numerous aspects, such as enemy AI, were changed.  While the dark colors add a bit of atmosphere and tension to the title, the music doesn’t really add anything.  There’s also multiplayer for 2 players at the same time, which lowers the difficulty a great deal, so if you’re not so great by yourself, you can always bring a friend.
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King’s Bounty

(NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
This is a port of the computer game of the same name with some notable changes, and a precursor to the Heroes of Might & Magic series.  It’s a strategy RPG, though the console version notable gave up its turn-based roots, so everything moves in real time.  So if you sit too long in one place, a wandering horde of monsters will find you.  The plot follows a nameless hero(picked from one of four classes) who must find the Scepter of Order before King Maximus dies.  To do this, he must collect map pieces, either by hunting down a particular enemy to slay(which also pays, via the king’s bounty), or finding treasure.  Various armies may be recruited, though the player must earn enough gold to keep paying them and must have enough leadership to control them.  Morale also effects creatures’ fighting capabilities.  It’s not all that pretty of a game, and the music is iffy, but if you’re a fan of Heroes of Might & Magic, this one’s worth a look.
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Continue With Page 2

TechnoClash

(NTSC-U, PAL / 1993)
This title is also sometimes written as Techno Clash.  In a world full of magic, a mysterious portal opens, and forbidden machines start pouring through.  To stop the ensuing war between magic and mechanics, the wizard Ronann, along with apprentice Chaz and mercenary Farrg, must venture through the portal into the machine world to find the “Machine Man,” who apparently lives somewhere near Las Vegas.  This action RPG is similar to Chaos Engine in perspective as well as gameplay, where players must pick a bodyguard and have a limited number of spells similar to ammunition.  After each boss fight, health will be upgraded.  It’s got some pretty graphics, and some difficult gameplay, partly due to the large levels.  The sound effects get their point across, though the canned screams do get old after a while.  If you want an action RPG that’s way more on the action side, look into it.
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The Faery Tale Adventure

(NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
Three brothers lose their father to a necromancer that has stolen a talisman protecting their town.  The father’s dying wish is for his sons to seek revenge, and they do so gladly.  The Faery Tale Adventure is an interesting game, ported from the Amiga originally.  It keeps many of the traditional concepts of RPGs, but twists them.  Instead of experience, you gain bravery.  A high luck will bring a fairy to resurrect you upon death.  A high kindness stat lets you talk to animals.  To play each brother, all you have to do is let the current brother die and the next takes his place, though all three have different stats and focuses.  The gameworld is huge, claiming to be 300 computer screens both wide and deep.  On the downsides, the music is limited, I find the game pretty ugly, and there’s no save feature, just passwords.  Also, due to its size, you may want to track down the instruction manual, since it offered a mini-walkthrough.
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Rings of Power

(NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
You must find the twelve Rings of Power to create the Rod of Creation, defeat the evil Void, and bring about the Golden Age.  This game is incredibly open-ended, allowing the player almost immediately to explore the full world, with hundreds of NPCs to interact with, a day/night cycle that affects gameplay, and a combat system entirely reliant on magic spells.  There’s a lot of meat to this game, including various random events and sidequests, though the game itself lacked any kind of quest journal, and while it did feature a map, it didn’t mark locations.  Still, the game came packed with a paper map, so if you can find it, cool.  The game also utilized the isometric view, albeit on a playing field that was cut to look like it was presented on a scroll.  That’s all well and good, but it makes the gameplay feel cramped and claustrophobic to me.  It also doesn’t help that this game is pretty hideous, and the music is pretty bland.
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Battlemaster

(NTSC-U / 1991)
I sometimes see this title written as Battle Master.  This game starts with the player picking a one of 16 leaders spread across four races.  Each leader has different stats and a different party following him, ranging from no followers to four others.  The plot of the game has you attempting to find the pieces of an ancient crown to become the Battle Master, as told in an ancient prophecy.  To do this, you’ll have to traverse the world, wandering from point to point on a big world map and duking it out with the inhabitants of each locale.  It’s typical high fantasy, so expect dwarves, elves and the like.  While it’s not the most attractive game, the music’s actually not bad for its release date, and lading a large squad into battle can be fun.
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Might & Magic: Gates to Another World

(NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
This Amiga port of the second Might & Magic game can be a little intimidating, what with the instruction manual having over 100 pages.  It’s an unforgiving, brutal, and frankly pretty ugly dungeon crawler by the console’s standards.  But what it does offer is an enormous world, numerous quests, lots of spells and even more weapons and armor to find.  It picks up directly after the first Might & Magic, with your party of six adventurers and two NPCs having to find the Orb of Power and the four Elemental Talons for it to save and restore the world.  Characters must pick up various skills along the way to manage the adventure, while fighting off large hordes of monsters.  And don’t take too long, as characters age and die of natural causes around age 75.  If you like dungeon crawlers, are a fan of the series, or just want a challenging game, this one’s something to try.  Just turn the sound off.  Trust me.
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Maten no Soumetsu

(NTSC-J / 1993)
Sometimes called only Maten, this should not be confused with Maten Densetsu for the Super Famicom, as they’re totally different animals.  This is a typical fantasy-based JRPG in almost every sense, with the only real innovation coming in the form of a day-night cycle.  It keeps all the usual trappings of its subgenre, though there is a day-night cycle built into the game.  The plot follows a nameless boy found in the woods by a warrior named Zafan.  When the boy turns sixteen, Zafan dies, but tells the boy to visit the king and follow the way of the warrior before he expires.  So the boy decides to do just that.  Visually, I wasn’t really impressed with the overworld, but monsters and battlefields are very well drawn.  The music is also somewhat hit-or-miss, with certain tracks coming off very well, and some simply grating on the ears.
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Sorcerer’s Kingdom

(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1992)
Known as Sorcer’s Kingdom in Japan, this is a JRPG with strategy RPG combat, with the battlefields taking place wherever the party is currently walking.  Once again, you play a young man sent out by the king to find why more monsters are appearing in the land and threatening the people.  While it’s not a very pretty game, it’s got some great music, and the spell effects aren’t terrible for an early Genesis RPG.  Also, keep in mind that only one party member is allowed a round per turn, versus all of the monsters.  Sure, it isn’t fair, but it makes for a much more challenging game, and considering how powerful certain characters get at the end of the game, you actually kind of need the limitation.
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Blue Almanac

(NTSC-J / 1991)
This is a science fiction JRPG, meant for US release under the name of Star Odyssey but never to see distant shores.  Apparently the plot has you playing a boy named Miyabi who must travel throughout different planets in the Galaxy Union Empire, doing good deeds.  The Blue Almanac in question is apparently a record of his travels.  The game’s got some interesting features, including enemies that level with the player and spoken names for the force effects in the game.  Graphically, the game’s pretty bland, though cities look ok.  Building interiors are pure drivel.  The audio is a mixed bag too, with some music tracks I genuinely like, and some sound effects I can’t stand.  My favorite part of this is probably the intro, where an alien “reads” out loud from the Blue Almanac in what I can only guess to be alien speech.
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Sword of Vermilion

(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1989)
This was Yu Suzuki’s first console-only game.  In the game, players control the nameless son of King Erik V, who must save the world of Vermilion from the wizard-king Tsarkon.  It utilized four different game modes, a Town Mode reminiscent of JRPGs, Battle Mode similar to an action RPG, Dungeon Mode like a dungeon crawler, and Boss Mode, a side-scrolling action RPG.  The game is pretty(especially the boss sprites), the music is good, and the game came with a 106-page hint book.  But with a vast array of palette swaps backing a small number of enemy sprites, poor AI, and combat actions that are, frankly, pretty dull, the game just doesn’t live up to the hype it built upon release.  Sega-16’s review had the greatest line to describe the game ever: “Well, It looked good, but it played like a cardboard saxophone.”
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Super Hydlide

(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1989)
This is actually a port of Hydlide 3 for the Famicom and MSX.  Fairyland is rocked by a sudden explosion as enemies suddenly invade, and it’s up to the hero, Jim, to save the day.  The game’s also generally panned because of the poor graphics.  It offers tiny sprites, limited animation, and a presentation that likely could have been offered on the Famicom(and was).  The game also incorporates an alignment system for monsters.  Killing good monsters drains your MF stat, with rewards for keeping it high and deadly traps appearing if it reaches zero.  There’s also a weight system, and the player is required to eat and sleep, which is pretty amazing for an action RPG of the era.  There are a lot of people who hate this game, so you might want to give it a try before purchasing.
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Fatal Labyrinth

(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
Also known as Shi no Mekyu, or Labyrinth of Death and originally released in 1990 via Sega Meganet, this is a roguelike RPG with poor visuals, but decent music.  There is almost no plot, just a man entering a tower with 30 levels(and no save function) to recover a chalice from a dragon.  The game features a food system(you can both starve and die of overeating), poorly chosen sound effects, and little animation for monsters.  Enemies move when you do, and defeating monsters will earn higher titles, resulting in higher health and defense.  And while levels are supposed to be random, there’s a limit, so after a few runs you’ll likely recognize some of the maps.  And then there’s the gold, which serves only one purpose: the more gold you have, the nicer your funeral when you die.  Seriously.
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Tiger Hunter Hero Novel

(China / 1994)
The title of this game is actually Shuihuzhuan, though it is often referred to as Tiger Hunter Hero Novel.  It’s a Taiwan-only strategy RPG, based off the book of the same name, sometimes known in the west as Water Margins or Outlaws of the Marsh.  In this game, 108 heroes band together to defeat the corrupt Song Dynasty, in the 12th century.  Towns and locales can be explored, though the majority of the game is composed of large battles.  This game is also absolutely gorgeous, it’s just a real shame that not much is known about it in the West.  It should not be confused with the beat ‘em up Shui Hu Feng Yu Zhuan, which was apparently never released.
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Heroic Legend of Sealing Gods

(China / 1996)
Once again, this is a Taiwanese strategy RPG, sometimes known as Fengshen Yingjiechuan, with gorgeous artwork and some nice magic animations.  The plot follows a legend from the Shang Dynasty, where Emperor Zhou fell in love with the goddess of Nu Wa.  When he ordered his soldiers to capture her, they informed him of a mortal woman with beauty to rival Nu Wa’s, and captured her instead.  Unfortunately, she had been possessed by a fox spirit, and this has lead to corruption and problems in the ruling household.  To save China, you must rebel against the royal family.  You start as the hero Lin Yuan, and must find the other 8 heroes to help you on your journey.  The game focuses entirely on combat and story exposition, with a little travel on the world map thrown in.  Once again, it’s a shame so little is known about it in the West.
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Ya-Se Chuan Shuo

(China / 1995)
This one’s a Chinese JRPG, again with some quite nice graphics.  The title is also often spelled Yase Zhuanshuo.  It’s based on the Arthurian legends, though they provide more of a framework than an actual plot.  Some kind of evil force has infected King Arthur’s castle, infecting many of the inhabitants and slowly spreading to everyone in the kingdom.  You play a young boy named Dilo, whose father goes missing one day.  It’s up to you to find out what happened to him.  Once again, not to much is known about this title. Expect the usual fair of turn-based combat and top-down exploration.
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Conquering the World 3

(China / 1995)
This is a Chinese JRPG from Hong Kong, available in both traditional and simplified Chinese.  You play as Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei as the three attempt to conquer ancient China, roughly around 200 AD.  That’s right, if you’re a fan of Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Dynasty Warriors, you’ll have an idea as to what’s going on.  Gameplay is similar to Lufia II in terms of combat, with fights only beginning when you run into an enemy.  The game relies heavily on palette swaps for enemies.  Combat itself is apparently reminiscent of Final Fantasy VI, though with some glitches like damage numbers appearing behind sprites, making them unreadable.  The soundtrack is generally pretty good.  There’s a few other bugs, but the game is still highly playable.
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Barver Battle Saga

(China, Russia / Unknown, though likely mid- to late-1990s.)
This game is sometimes subtitled as The Space Fighter or The Space Soldier.  It’s a JRPG with some nice music and graphics, likely because ultimately it’s a port of Breath of Fire 2 that’s been hacked to Hell and back, with sprites and art from other games thrown in.  If you’re really interested in the game, the entire thing can be watched in a 55-part speed run on YouTube.  The Russian version is known as Barver Battle Final Fantasy: Russian Version.
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Honorable Mentions

For one reason or another, these titles just didn’t make the cut to be put into a list of RPGs.  That doesn’t mean that these are bad games whatsoever, just that there’s some kind of discrepancy that led to their being put here.

Pier Solar (Universal / Not Yet Released)
Ok, yes, this one’s definitely a JRPG.  I’m just putting it here because, as of this writing, it has not been released yet.  Frankly, it looks absolutely amazing, with some incredible audio to match.  To improve the music further, the game will release with am audio CD for Sega CD, providing even higher quality tracks.  I don’t know details of the story, and even if I did, I wouldn’t want to reveal them anyway, since it might spoil the surprise.  But take heart and keep watching their website, www.piersolar.com.  And if anybody from the Water Melon team read this, we’re looking forward to your game and keep up the good work.

Crusader of Centy (NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1994)
This is a pretty cute game, reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.  And much like Link to the Past, I consider it an adventure game, not an RPG.  That said, it’s pretty and the music is nice, and it features an interesting system of using animal companions to help the player get on with their quest.  The story involves monsters showing back up in the world after several hundred years of being stuck underground, and they’re rightly a little bit upset about it.  Unfortunately the game’s not too difficult, and it’s pretty short, but if you’re a fan of action RPGs and looking for a fun little romp, this might be a good one to check out.  The game’s also known as Soleil

Spiritual Warfare (NTSC-U / 1994)
This is a direct port of the NES version of the same name, which was ultimately a clone of The Legend of Zelda(and again, an adventure game to me).  And direct port is correct: nothing was updated, so expect NES-quality graphics and sound.  Also, it’s a Wisdom Tree game, so expect having to convert pagans and answer Bible questions.  You play a soldier in the Army of the Lord, sent to acquire all the pieces of the armor of God.  Truth be told, I enjoyed the NES version(there’s a scene where you have to wander through a gang war that I always liked), but not for the Genesis.  This just feels lazy to me.  Also, the game is saved with a password system, so even that feels a bit tedious.

Starflight (NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
This was a space-based strategy game, originally designed for the computers of its age and ported to the Genesis later.  You must discover the secret of the Crystal Planet, a large object moving through the galaxy that causes stars to flare and destroy entire solar systems.  To do this, you have to recruit a crew of aliens, complete various investigations for the Old Empire, and travel through space doing various kinds of jobs.  Also, you can upgrade your ship, engage in dogfights, explore the universe, and even colonize planets, which you can ride around on in an upgradeable ATV.  As far as space games from the era go, this one’s a real winner, so if you’re looking for something along those lines, find a copy of Starflight.

Syndicate (NTSC-U, PAL / 1994)
This is a real time tactical game, not quite on the scale of an RTS but definitely getting there.  The player is in charge of a corporation interested in completing such jobs as rescuing captured friends and employees, finding scientists and civilian workers to serve it, or conducting assassination missions while killing the agents and destroying the resources of other corporations.  Yep, it’s cyberpunk alright.  To do this, you lead a team of four cyborgs, armed to the teeth and in possession of various mechanical upgrades, through an isometric cityscape.  The graphics had to be toned down a bit from its computer brethren, but the game’s still an enjoyable title, definitely worth looking into.