The GHZ Forum

I'm currently bidding on a Dreamcast bundle I may or may not get, but I will get one eventually. I trust most people's opinion here, so you know the drill: recommend me some games. I already have SA1 and 2 for the Gamecube and I plan on getting Shenmue and Jet Grind Radio. Import games are also welcome.

On a somewhat related note, has anyone played the Legacy of Kain series? The Blood Omen games look like ass, but I remember hearing good things about the Soul Reaver games.

If you haven't played them elsewhere, pick up Skies of Arcadia and Grandia 2.

The Power Stone games are also very good.

Crazy Taxi is also a must-have.

DYNAMITE COP.

Bo wrote:Crazy Taxi is also a must-have.

Get the Gamecube version instead. Much less frustration from the controls, probably shorter load times, and better voicework (I think). Crazy Taxi 2 only came out on the DC, but where the first one is a great time, the second spends a lot more of that time being as painful to play as possible. Avoid.

Daytona USA is killer provided you get a good controller. My analog stick groans and squeaks like mad when I push it and doesn't want to let me make small precise movements without a fight, so if yours is something like that, then, combined with the default steering sensitivity...oooog. The western versions added sensitivty options, but take it from me, they don't do shit to help and can potentially reverse the steering if you mess with it too much.

I only recently got a copy of Soul Reaver and enjoyed it from what I played. Approach it with caution as it's very dated, but you may be pleasantly surprised.

I don't know how its PS2 port holds up, but MDK2 is quite fun and always good for a laugh. Likewise, the Wii version of Samba de Amigo will probably be better than the original and includes all the old songs (I think), but it might be worth looking into. And finally, Space Channel 5 is awesome, but you might be better off finding the PS2 version which includes Part 2.

As far as games that haven't been ported, Record of Lodoss War, if you can find it, is great. Re-Volt is an interesting and fun take on racing games. Soul Calibur is still my favorite out of the SC series, partly thanks to the mass of unlockable artwork. Hell, what else hasn't been ported? Sega Swirl?

And I really can't recommend Skies or Grandia II enough. If you took Skies and added Grandia's battle system you'd have the perfect RPG. Jet Set Radio is also one of my favorite games, but it also may seem very dated, so be careful.

If you can find it Bangai-o is really fun and hilarious. It probably is not that expensive but it may only be able to find it online.

I'm kind of looking for stuff that hasn't been ported to other systems since I own or would rather get those versions. Except for Grandia II, since I hear the PS2 version is inferior.

Also, how's the Ecco game? Or Blue Sting and Cannon Spike? I also remember reading somewhere that burning games and playing them doesn't take much effort. What all do I have to do for that? I'm thinking of doing that for rarer games like Bangai-O and Project Justice.

Fur Fighters.

Sonic Shuf- *shot*

Samba De Amigo is a load of fun (and I hear the Wii version doesn't control so well, so yeah), Chu Chu Rocket is rather unique, and Grandia II is awesome, but don't play it on PS2. That port is terrible.

You know, at the time, I thought Sonic Shuffle was alright. It has some fun mini-games, and I had some decent competition. There were load times, but eh. When I went back to play it more recently, though…. Yeah. Let's just say I saw more wrong with it. :P

The minigames of Sonic Shuffle were fine. They just needed to ditch all that board game crap. could've easily just made up some silly storyline to string the minigames together, like maybe, Eggman opening a massive carnival and plans to destroy the earth. Beat a bunch of minigames at his carnival to get to final battle with Eggman.

I'm not sure what the general consensus on Floigan Bros was, but I had some fun with it. Toy Commander,
Power Stone 2 also come to mind. Everything else has been mentioned.

I actually like the card thing the Sonic Shuffle boards had going on as opposed to the dice in Mario Party. Nice change of pace.

I know it's also on PS2, but do find a way of getting Marvel vs Capcom 2. I hear the first one is good too, but not as over-the-top and with controls more suited for an arcade stick than a Dreamcast controller (which worked great in MvC2).

Get the PAL version of Shenmue II to experience the oddity of Chinese characters speaking Japanese with English subtitles. It's also on Xbox, but the graphics don't look very good for an Xbox game, yet look great for Dreamcast. I hear there's some minor extras in the Xbox version, but it's all dubbed in akward English.

Chu Chu Rocket is really fun, especially with 4 people.

I'd personally recommend Tony Hawk 1 and 2, eventhough most other people here wouldn't. The DC version of THPS1 has the best graphics of all the versions. The Xbox version of THPS2(X) is probably better looking than the DC one and has some minor extras. If you've played any of the newer games in the series, you know the basics, but back during the first games they had you jumping over hobos instead of sharks. THPS2 is still my favorite in the series (with THUG in second), just before it went downhill with 3.

Grandia II and Skies of Arcadia are worth mentioning again. Try and find a copy of Grandia II with the free soundtrack. You might want to look into Skies of Arcadia Legends if you have a Gamecube. I'm not sure which version is better.

Dead or Alive 2 is great on DC. The Xbox version (in DoA Ultimate) is the only version superior to the Japanese DC director's cut (of which I can't think of the name for right now).

I've owned a copy of Ecco for 6 years now and have never played past the second level. It's beautiful, but boring. Eventhough it has a lot less action, you might find more fun in Endless Ocean (Wii).

gr4yJ4Y wrote:You might want to look into Skies of Arcadia Legends if you have a Gamecube. I'm not sure which version is better.

I think the 'Cube version is there way to go there. The load times are better, the toned down the number of random battles you get pulled into, they added new discoveries, and they added new side-quests, and a little more background on one of the characters. On top of that, all the download stuff is on the 'Cube disk, and I don't think you can get it on Dreamcast anymore.

On the up side for the Dreamcast, the longer loads mean you get to see all of the battle fades, which are sometimes cut short on GameCube. ;P

I heard that the dreamcast version of skies has better sound quality then the gamecube one but I personally haven't ever been able to compare the two.

Majestic Joey wrote:I heard that the dreamcast version of skies has better sound quality then the gamecube one but I personally haven't ever been able to compare the two.

It does. The DC had ADX files or somesuch for its music, while the GameCube version is some MIDI variant. Now, they sound very similar (the instruments for the GC version really sound like the DC version's instruments), but if you listen hard enough you can hear it cut off here and there where it shouldn't have and so on.

I'd still probably recommend the GC version, though. The random battle rate seemed spot-on there, and I really fear for the player's sanity if it had been any higher.

I played through both versions of Arcadia. The Cube version has more stuff, but most of it is pretty obviously tacked on and doesn't add much. I'd get the Cast version for purity's sake, but I'm told I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to things like that.

Mars Matrix, Giga Wing 2, Oratorio Tangram, Project Justice, the single almost completely perfect port of 3rd Strike. I also heard Red Dog was quite good too.

Isuka wrote:Mars Matrix, Giga Wing 2, Oratorio Tangram, Project Justice, the single almost completely perfect port of 3rd Strike. I also heard Red Dog was quite good too.

You just listed all the DC games I want, but don't yet have.

House of the Dead 2 is easily the best of the HotD franchise. Assuming you don't have the Xbox or Wii port, this should be an instant buy.