Now let’s get something out of the way right up front: I was a Nintendo kid growing up. I owned every Nintendo console and not much else. I got the original Xbox when it came out and that was my very first non-Nintendo console. this was a huge deal for me back then. I was DIEHARD Nintendo. Then… I realized that maybe I was missing out by blindly following Nintendo wherever they went. So, I started to branch out just a little. I got another Microsoft machine and got an Xbox 360 (of course I got a Wii as well). But then something new for me, I got a PSP. This was my first Sony console. I loved my PSP (if you look at my other reviews, you know that I still love my PSP dearly). This really solidified something I had been thinking: I’m not a Nintendo fan, I’m a video game fan. My loyalty was gone. I was not going to pick a side in the ever-raging console wars, I was going to play every side. And reap the benefits I might add. No longer were the days of “Xbox has better graphics than Nintendo” or “Playstation has the best exclusives” or whatever other arguments you can make. I was going to just take the best (and the worst) of every console.

But… There is one thing that I have always missed out on. The Sega consoles. Believe it or not, my first Sega console was a Sega Game Gear when I was nineteen years old… in 2011. That’s it. I played Lion King on it and that’s about it. Until THIS year. 2021. I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy the newest, hottest console: the Sega Dreamcast.

Now, I do not own that many games yet. In fact, there are couple games that I am actively hunting down for my Dreamcast. But, the games I do have really have shown me what I have been missing out on. With my Dreamcast, I bought Jet Grind Radio, Virtua Tennis, Crazy Taxi, Shenmue, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, and NFL 2K. I have played each of these games and they have given me enough of an insight to make a judgment on the Dreamcast.

IT IS AMAZING! I cannot believe how good this console is. Every game has been so incredibly fun so far. I honestly cannot believe how much fun I’ve been having with it. I own a Playstation 5 and an Xbox Series X, but I’ve played my Dreamcast more than both of them this month. These games are incredible. I knew that I was going to enjoy Crazy Taxi and Tony Hawk Pro Skater, but I have been blown away by some of these sleeper picks. Specifically Virtua Tennis. I got this game because it was five dollars. But I have played it so much this last month. You can totally feel yourself getting better at the game and it is HARD. There are so many cool little moves to do in that game and I’m addicted to mastering it. Plus it has four-player doubles!? I can play this amazing game with my friends!? I honestly cannot believe how much fun I’m having with this game. I also got the amazing Jet Grind Radio. This game is so stylized and just fun as hell to play. I swear, every game I’ve played on my Dreamcast has just gotten better and better. Even with my small selection of games, I’m having a blast.

As for the hardware itself, the Dreamcast is a tight little piece. By that I mean it is a pretty small console all things considered. It runs amazingly and fits perfectly in my entertainment center. Plus it just looks good. It’s quiet and loads quickly and just runs great. I don’t know how else to say it. It’s a wonderful console. I also really love the VMU’s. For those of you that don’t know, the Dreamcast has a very interesting way of storing memory. It uses a memory card called a VMU (Visual Memory Unit). The VMU has a little screen on it that is visible through your controller. The screen will display things like your score in Tony Hawk Pro Skater or your in-game avatar. It also makes little sounds when you pull off a sweet combo or do other things in game. It’s really cool and it’s really fun to see what each game does with the VMU.

But, that brings us to the one thing that is not perfect about the Dreamcast: the controller.

For how tight the console’s design is, the controller is huge and clunky. Most of this is probably because of the VMU, but it’s just too big. It also feels cheap? That’s not really the word I want… Maybe fragile? The controller feels like it’s one sweaty-handed drop away from breaking. I’m sure they are more resilient than I’m imagining, but they just don’t feel solid. They also don’t feel all that comfortable in my hands. The cord comes out of the bottom, then wraps around to the front. It sort of gets in the way of your fingers, which really makes playing some of these games uncomfortable. I will say that the triggers on the Dreamcast controller are perfect though. They feel amazing and I cannot believe that these triggers came before most modern triggers, and it does them so much better. Probably the best example of early-shoulder buttons on controllers.

Overall, I give the Dreamcast a 3.5 out of 4. The game selection on this thing is incredible. The console runs wonderfully and was so incredibly ahead of its time. Really the only downfall is how big the controller is, and it’s not even that bad! I love my Dreamcast and am addicted to finding new games for it. I am so excited to see what hidden gems I can uncover. I just wish I would have gotten one sooner.