Although the Sega Dreamcast was a great console with many revolutionary titles such as Sonic Adventure, Shenmue, Space Channel 5, Crazy Taxi, and more, Sega's previous fumbles led to many consumers losing faith in the company and its products. After releasing many terrible consoles and making some hasty business decisions, the Dreamcast was too little too late, and the company almost went out of business.
Because of all of this, many Dreamcast games have faded into obscurity. While these games may not be as revolutionary as Phantasy Star Online or Jet Set Radio, they are still worth checking out for their innovative graphics and entertaining narratives.
Resident Evil - Code: Veronica
Even though this game has been considered by some to be one of the best Resident Evil games in the entire franchise, the 2000 survival horror game Resident Evil - Code: Veronica is usually forgotten in favor of other mainline titles. Taking place a few months after the events of Resident Evil 2, Claire Redfield and her brother Chris get caught in the midst of another viral outbreak while searching for each other.
Despite the critical praise for the game and the fact that it was the first game in the series to not be on the PlayStation, the game is not as well-known as many of the other titles. But it did sell relatively well compared to other games on the failing Dreamcast.
Skies Of Arcadia
Released in 2000, Skies of Arcadia is a JRPG that, despite its lack of commercial success, has been retroactively considered one of the best obscure JRPGs. In this game, the player controls a teenage air pirate, Vyse, who is actively resisting the evil empire with his childhood friend Aika. After rescuing Fina, who is one of the survivors of an ancient civilization, they go on a journey to find the powerful Moon Crystals before the empire.
With large amounts of critical acclaim for the graphics and beautiful soundtrack, the game is known for its large open world that the player can freely explore. The large selection of interesting characters also makes up for the unoriginal storyline.
Blue Stinger
Although Christmas-themed horror games are not common, they do exist and the 1999 action survival horror game Blue Stinger is one of these games. The game follows Emergency Sea Evacuation and Rescue (ESER) officer Eliot Ballade who is on a boat near Dinosaur Island, which mysteriously appeared a couple of years ago in the same spot where the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs supposedly landed. After Eliot becomes trapped on the island and befriends a magical spirit, he joins several other characters in the fight against strange mutants.
Since the game takes place during the winter holidays, the player battles the creepy monsters while surrounded by typical Christmas decorations. This strange juxtaposition goes well with the bizarre plotline, which will keep the player entertained from start to finish.
Illbleed
Another obscure survival horror game on the Dreamcast is 2001's Illbleed, which follows a young woman named Eriko Christy who must go through a horror theme park called "Illbleed" to save her friends. Each part of the theme park is based on different types of horror films, and they each have different puzzles and enemies. Depending on how many friends the player successfully saves, the player will get one of several endings.
Unlike other survival horror games, the player's health is determined by how scared the in-game character is. As the player goes through the game, they can play as any of the rescued friends, and they each have different abilities. The unique gameplay elements and cheesy B-movie horror tropes has made this game a retroactive cult classic.
Toy Commander
Toy Commander is a 1999 action game that seems to be based on Pixar's 1995 film Toy Story and Hans Christian Andersen's 1838 story The Steadfast Tin Soldier. After a young boy gets a set of army toys for Christmas and subsequently ignores the older toys, his other toys decide to battle the new toys as revenge.
The game has the player control various army toys in order to complete different objectives throughout the house. Because of the game's many unique objectives, imaginative premise, and fun environments, it has received plenty of praise despite the game also having a steep learning curve.
Super Magnetic Neo
Released in 2000, Super Magnetic Neo is a 3D platformer that gives some similar vibes to Crash Bandicoot, one of Naughty Dog's best games, but manages to set itself apart by adding a new gameplay mechanic: magnetism. The player controls a robot named Neo who has the ability to make himself either positively or negatively charged, which the player can then use to attach to platforms and repel enemies.
Neo is traveling through the different levels of an amusement park to stop the evil Pinki and her gang who have taken over the place. Even though the game is extremely difficult, it is still worth a try for its unique art style, interesting gameplay, and challenging puzzles.
Maken X
Considered a spiritual successor to the Shin Megami Tensei series, Maken X is a 1999 first-person hack and slash game that was also one of Atlus' first games to have full voice acting and 3D graphics. The game follows a sentient sword named Maken who has the ability to "brainjack" other characters. After the facility Maken was created in gets attacked, Maken takes control of the main heroine, Kay Sagami, and goes after the people who attacked them.
Similar to other Megami Tensei games, the player will get one of several different endings based on the choices they make, which is determined mostly by who the Maken controls. With smooth gameplay and an interesting plot, this game is absolutely worth a try.
L.O.L.: Lack Of Love
Created by the same company that developed Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, which directly influenced many popular games like Undertale, L.O.L.: Lack of Love is a 2000 life simulation game that is similar to Spore. The player controls a creature on an alien planet, and the only goal is to survive by connecting with other creatures.
This game is based on the Gaia hypothesis by James Lovelock, which says that all life on earth works together to sustain the ecosystem. The main message of the game is that humans should consider how their lives "lack love" for the rest of nature.
Napple Tale: Arsia In Daydream
Developed by a creative staff of mostly women, Napple Tale: Arsia in Daydream is a 2.5D platformer and one of the many best games that have never been officially released outside of Japan. That all changed in 2019 when an unofficial English translation patch was released. This Alice in Wonderland-like game follows a young girl named Arsia who is accidentally transported by a spirit guide named Straynap to a realm between life and death called Napple World.
Over the course of the game, the player will alternate between side-scrolling platforming segments and open-world segments in the hub world Napple Town. With the colorful art style and gorgeous soundtrack, this game is a must-play experience.
Ooga Booga
Released in 2001, Ooga Booga is an online multiplayer battle party game that was inspired by Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 64. Since it was released towards the end of the Dreamcast's life cycle, it mostly went unnoticed despite it being fun and unique for the time.
In this game, the players are "Kahunas" who are battling for the favor of the volcano goddess Ooga Booga, and each of the different types of "Kahunas" has various abilities. The game's unique humor and style is best demonstrated by the fact that one of these characters is literally Abraham Lincoln.