February 15–22, 2001

naked city

Arcadia

by Brian Howard and Patrick Rapa

Even in the beginning, you could see the end.

Long before Sega’s mousy gray Dreamcast hit the shelves, Sony’s big black PlayStation 2 was breathing down its neck. The little entertainment system that could didn’t stand a chance, even though it had a slew of innovations that put it far ahead of the current competition (namely the cute-as-a-button cartridge-using Nintendo 64 and the ugly-but-lovable CD-driven PlayStation). Think of it: 128 bits, GD technology (those weren’t CDs, they were gigabyte-discs!), a built-in 56K modem and a relatively tiny, manageable console that still comfortably fit four controllers. But hardcore gamers and casual enthusiasts knew PlayStation 2 was on the horizon and held out for the bigger name and the DVD graphics they figured were right around the corner. (Of course, thanks to various screw-ups, the PS2 still isn’t widely available.) So Sega announced recently that they’re closing up shop on the Dreamcast console, and will put out the rest of the games it’s been developing for it. Then they’ll concentrate on making games for other systems, including PlayStation 2 — guess nobody’s holding any grudges.

It’s video Darwinism. Nintendo did to Atari what Intellivision and Colecovision never could: It devoured the gaming pioneer. Sega Genesis gnawed away at SuperNintendo, opening the door for Sony’s PlayStation to eventually lead the pack. After a short run at the top, Dreamcast is going the way of NEC’s ill-fated TurboGrafx 16 and Sega’s earlier bust, Saturn. But PS2 had better get its act together quickly; before long Microsoft’s bold foray into the gaming world, X-Box (fall 2001), and Nintendo’s GameCube (late 2001), will be nipping at its jugular. To borrow a term from overnight talk radio doomsayers, it’s another example of the Quickening: the predicted rapid acceleration of "things" near the "end." Atari’s 2600 ruled the school for eight years; Nintendo’s NES romped for seven; SuperNintendo and Genesis battled for superiority for four; PlayStation also had four good years; Dreamcast had about one and a half; though doubtful, PS2 could have less than that.

It’s all about product loyalty. Dreamcast and lowly Sonic the Hedgehog couldn’t compete with a name-brand paisan like Nintendo’s Supa Mario or Sony’s hot and crafty Lara Croft. It’s the same kind of knee-jerk response that guarantees the ratings dominance of Survivors 3 and 4 and the eventual presidency of another George Bush to be named later. The Dreamcasts and Ralph Naders of the world, it seems, will always be left standing in the rain, looking in the window with their plastic baggies full of new and better ideas tucked beneath their ever-tattered topcoats.

We weep for what could have been.

But eventually the ideas are adopted, even if their initial champions are kicked to the side. And Dreamcast gave us a bunch. From non-PC Internet gaming (see Quake III and NBA2K1 in which you can take on foes the world over) and voice-recognition soft- and hardware (Seaman, the wonderful and strange virtual pet non-game) to the incorporation of mouse and keyboard (essentially making the unit a personal computer for a couple hundred bucks), Dreamcast was clearly thinking outside of a different box.

In fact, its slogan was "It’s Thinking…" Perhaps Dreamcast’s fatal flaw was that it was too smart, too sophisticated. One of its early titles was Toy Commander, a stylish, unconventional challenge in which you piloted toys around a Dick Tracy-hued house. Besides fun two-player combat modes, there were huge one-player levels devoted to getting a little plane or tank to perform household tasks (like boil an egg). The game felt more European than American. Of course, the American kids were blistering their thumbs for Japanese fighting games like Tekken and Mortal Fricking Kombat. Ah, well. There’s no accounting for taste. That’s what it’ll say on Dreamcast’s headstone.