Back in the 90s, gaming found itself in a whirlwind of revolution. Right after the 16-bit wars came, along came 32-bit systems like the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation. Then came the Nintendo 64 and everything changed again, thanks to games like Goldeneye 007 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. But then came the Sega Dreamcast, which would turn out to be the company’s final foray into hardware (for the time being). And it was amazing.

The Dreamcast may not have had the longest lifespan on the market, but it certainly had one of the most memorable runs when it came to software and features. And the thing is…not many people understand why it had so much staying power. What was it that made it such a huge draw compared to, say, the Sony PlayStation? What was it that kept players coming back?

It’s simple. Innovation. And in this quick and easygoing editorial, I’ll happily explain the main aspects in which the classic hardware truly leaped forward.

Yup, The Sega Dreamcast Games — and Arcade Perfect Ports

For the first time, the Sega Dreamcast actually made it possible for an arcade experience to be replicated at home. That’s not to say every port was a huge success. But the ones that hit, well, they hit hard.

The above Virtua Tennis immediately comes to mind. An awesome, simple experience for up to four players, it became an absolute addiction. For that matter, Crazy Taxi did amazingly well, to the point that Sega followed up with a wicked cool — and original — sequel for home play. And The House of the Dead 2 was good stuff as well, despite the lack of the company’s official light gun being playable here. (Fix that, guys!)

Capcom was in a league of its own on the Dreamcast as well. Along with pixel perfect ports of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, the company also made way for lesser known fare to come home. This included the thrilling shooter Cannon Spike, the hardcore shmup Mars Matrix, the Project Justice sequel and even the Power Stone games, in a league by themselves.

Of course, Soul Calibur from Namco stands out on its own. The launch title for the Dreamcast continued to be its greatest accomplishment for years. And to this day, people still think its port is on another level. Imagine if the system got a Tekken game of this, um, caliber.

Let’s be honest, Sega knew how to handle arcade ports. Even somewhat flawed works like Daytona USA 2001 and Sega Rally 2 still hit well enough to keep fans happy. I was only hoping we’d see more, like Super GT and maybe even Motor Raid in a certain way. But, hey, we can’t really complain about what we got, right?

That leads us into another area…

Original Games? The Sega Dreamcast Scored

Indeed, the Sega Dreamcast was home to some truly awesome original fare for its time. One of the games leading this charge? Shenmue.

Yu Suzuki’s masterpiece continues to be heralded for its inventiveness today, even if it isn’t everyone’s speed. Its involvement is story was really something, and there was a lot to do — even play classic video games. The formula still lives on today, with rumors that a new Shenmue announcement is around the corner. Fingers crossed.

Let’s not forget the sports arena, either. It’s the Sega Dreamcast where NBA 2K first called home long ago, under the watchful eye of the developers at Visual Concepts. It still rages strong today as one of 2K’s best selling series. And then there’s NFL 2K, which became a serious contender for the crown against the Madden franchise with its blazingly fast gameplay and sharp presentation. (In fact, some could say EA simply won by default by using their wallet.)

Other games flourished as well. Ubisoft’s Rayman 2: The Great Escape looked bonkers on the hardware; Resident Evil: Code Veronica entered a new phase of success for the ongoing franchise; and of course, it’s hard to overlook the music rhythm madness of Samba de Amigo and the captivating RPG Skies of Arcadia. Everywhere you looked, something new.

And it was glorious.

Ladies and Gentlemen, SegaNet

Finally, let’s look at the technical aspects of the Dreamcast. It had plenty of sweet gameplay with its slick controller, and its features were nicely built into the hardware. But then there’s SegaNet, the company’s devoted online network in which to connect with other players.

Was it perfect for its time? Not entirely, since there were quirks here and there. (Dial-up, amirite?) But for the most part, it did exactly what you wanted it to do. And connecting in games like NFL 2K1 was a snap, mainly thanks to the way Sega stayed on course with the network.

In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if SegaNet inspired Microsoft to do something with its Xbox Live network, which has easily grown into something on its own over the years.

If It Isn’t Sonic!

Finally, it wouldn’t be a Sega console unless it had Sonic the Hedgehog, right? And, fortunately, we got plenty of him on the Dreamcast.

The original Sonic Adventure really pushed the series forward in ways not imaginable. Its 3D approach was a bit on the wild side, but it still worked. Not to mention the music was spot on (the soundtrack is still heralded to this day — Crush 40!), and the visuals pop across the screen like crazy.

Of course, the sequel followed, and did pretty well in its own right. And it would later inspire some of the great Sonic fare we’re seeing these days, including Sonic x Shadow Generations.

Let’s just get right to the point here. The Sega Dreamcast had its special innovations that are hard to overlook. It really propelled the game industry forward and created the sort of vibes that consoles these days just can’t recreate. Not to mention that Virtua Tennis never gets old. Damn it, Sega, bring that franchise back!

Need more retro vibes for your Friday? Check out our review of Angry Video Game Nerd 8-Bit!