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10 |
Sonic Adventure 2 |
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| Excellent sequel that was a lot more polished than its predecessor. Like the original this has you playing with multiple characters, with the main campaign being split between three different game types; Sonic's high speed platform stages, Knuckles' exploration stages, and Tails' shooting and platforming levels. All three modes are fun (though there are certainly a couple of dud stages), with Sonic's twisty, turning paths, gravity changes, set-pieces and rail grinding creating a lot of exhilaration, and Knuckles' big open, atmospheric levels being memorable to explore (meteor herd and the Mario Galaxy-reminiscent Mad Space being the standouts here). The game has lots of replay value as you're graded on your competence and given nice extras for full A-Ranks, and there's also a plethora of fun multiplayer options and even a "Virtual Pet" mode that has you raising and leveling up the game's cute "Chaos" creatures. A good GameCube port of the game is also available, but there's some tradeoffs between the two versions (GameCube has higher polygon counts but worse lighting, more multiplayer race maps but downgraded Chao gardens etc). | |||||
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9 |
Metropolis Street Racer |
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| Brilliant racing game that is pretty much the prequel to the highly rated Project Gotham Racing series. The game has you racing around tracks based on London, Tokyo and San Francisco, but the big difference here is its incorporation of a system based around "kudos". Essentially you not only have to win races, but you have to win them with style by taking risks, skidding around corners, and avoiding collisions. Whilst very similar to the later PGR titles MSR still retains some personality of its own, its a harder game for one, and its soundtrack from Sega Stalwart Richard Jacques gives it a very different, bright and breezy atmosphere. Other features such as a real time clock that changes the time of day in the game based on what the actual real-world time is are also welcome, and likeable ideas. | |||||
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8 |
Resident Evil: Code Veronica |
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| Getting the eagerly anticipated "next gen" Resident Evil game was a real coup for Sega at the time, with the game creating its fair share of hype. Happily it didn't disappoint, Code Veronica was the longest and most ambitious of the older Resident Evil games. It was a huge undertaking, with lots of emphasis on storyline and tons to do, cinematics were impressive for the time and the game represented the series' first foray into true 3D backgrounds as opposed to the earlier 2D backgrounds. For anyone searching for a meaty adventure to sink their teeth into. | |||||
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7 |
Ikaruga |
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| Very clever vertical shmup from Treasure where your ship can swap between two different colours at the press of a button; you can absorb enemy bullets of the matching colour whilst the opposite colour will kill you. This leads to some nifty navigation and colour swapping to make it through the tougher sections of the game and is a cool idea that breaths some new life into the genre. Outside of the gameplay mechanics we have the usual hallmarks of the genre, lots of action, lots of dodging, lots of set-pieces, and memorable boss fights, all complimented with great art design that creates an epic feel. | |||||
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6 |
Chu Chu Rocket |
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| This definitely has to be one of the best, and most elegantly designed puzzle games of its era. The key to a good puzzle game is in creating a simple and accessible concept with layers, and Chu Chu Rocket achieves this effortlessly. The game has you leading mice to your base by placing three arrows on the ground at a time (during the puzzles there are often other limitations), whilst making sure to lead cats away from your base (and preferably into your opponents bases). Every now and then a rule change will occur forcing you to adapt to the new status quo. The 4-player here makes for an excellent party game, with friends vying for top place, re-routing each others careful planning, and disposing of cats in enemy bases. | |||||
5 |
Skies of Arcadia |
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| The Dreamcast didn't have a hell of a lot of RPGs during its short lifespan, but luckily this excellent steampunk RPG from Sega's Overworks team (the makers of the Phantasy Star games) was a real standout in its day. Skies has you playing as a band of pirates who fly airships to and from floating islands. The game's battle system is respectable, giving you both on-foot battles and memorable, large-scale ship to ship battles, but its the exploration elements and excellent dungeon designs and clever puzzles that are the real success story. As usual presentation and storyline are also top notch, with likeable characters and well done music. | |||||
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4 |
Jet Set Radio |
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| This is a very stylish platform game which has you forming your own gang of graffiti artists and then competing with rival gangs in tagging the city. At the beginning of each area you are given a map showing various points, the aim is to reach these points and spray out some art whilst avoiding police and keeping stocked up on spray cans. The game is a ton of fun, is a unique experience, and helped to popularise Cell-Shading with its superb art design and presentation. | |||||
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3 |
Rez |
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| Yet another Dreamcast game with beautiful art design where you can really feel the love and attention to detail that the developers have heaped onto it. I'm not going to try to ramble on about "synesthesia" here, so I'll just say that this is a brilliantly artistic rail shooter that combines audio and video perfectly to create an exciting, imaginative, and unique experience. Every true fan of gaming should try this game out at some point. | |||||
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2 |
Soul Calibur |
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| One of the most stunning games of its time, Namco went the extra mile with this critically acclaimed arcade port from their Soul Blade fighting series. The game has you fighting 1 on 1 with melee weapons in a 3D arena, like all such games you need to learn each character's specific combo's and work out the best tactics. Not only did Namco improve the graphics here from the arcade version, but they really packed this with content and extras, there's an astonishing amount of modes available, characters to unlock, and things to do here. | |||||
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1 |
Shenmue II |
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| After the groundbreaking Shenmue Sega came back with this, an even more big and ambitious game. Shenmue II eschews the more laid back hometown of the first game and throws you into a huge, bustling city full of crime and intrigue, with gangs and opportunistic individuals around every corner. The main gameplay here is similar to the original, being largely about information gathering, mini-games, 3D fighting and quick-time events, but it feels more focused, and does a better job of pushing you in the direction you need to go (which could be considered a good or bad thing depending on the player I guess). Like its predecessor the game really excels at immersing the player in its world, and characters. | |||||
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