I gotta admit that the only reason for me to seek out a rare Dreamcast console back in the day was because I, at the time, saw the Playstation 2 as a
very slight improvement over my beloved PS1 (and funny enough, that opinion hasn't changed much in the many years that followed). Boy, I don't regret that one bit (very far from it, actually) but an easy task that wasn't.
Let me try to explain: I mentioned that console was rare, and that was because not only SEGA had discontinued the thing by the time I started getting involved with it (circa 2006) but also because very few models were popping up in online auctions, as owners knew replacements weren't likely going to be easy to get a hold of, and thus decided they would much rather keep them. The very few that were up for sale were overpriced to a fault, but that's the price one must pay for not living in one of the big markets, I guess.
After a few weeks of -very infuriating- online browsing, I came across a pretty straightforward ad from the capital that claimed to sell a DC with all the required wires (plus one extra controller) for what looked like a, rather salty, but still very much affordable price (plus, the owner set to deliver it herself, so that was a big plus). We set the selling point to be in the vicinity of a friend of mine's family business, where we would be able to test the console's working status just to make sure. I don't think any of us expected what followed.
So, the girl came about at the exact pact time, carrying an over-sized bag and we proceeded to head to the aforementioned building to test it out... it worked flawlessly, as expected. She never mentioned anything about the game she had tried it with (Sonic Adventure 2) being part of the deal, so I asked her about it and she was cool with letting us have it; after all, she saw no need for it. When she left, we realized that there was still a ton of junk left on the bag, even after everything needed for the console to be tried out was pulled out... man, we couldn't believe our eyes!
It was NOT advertised, but the console came jam-packed with goodies:
- Two sealed VMUs + boxes
- Modem + manual
- Modem CD
- Dreamcast official box
- Thirty (thirty!) Dreamcast games. Some pirated, sure, but mostly original.
- And who knows what else.
Man, that purchase alone cemented my love for the console during the 128 bit era. I knew beforehand that games were hard to come by and that I was most likely gonna have to appeal to piracy in order to get the most out of my console... but for it to make the jump and have the most-nourished game library out of all the consoles I owned was much unexpected.
As for the console itself... it was very much worth the steep price paid for it. I had a lot of fun trying out the different games that came bundled with the system and even celebrated the occasion by having my friend sleep over at my house in order to not waste a single moment. We really got the most out of it and were introduced to a couple of franchises that remain all-time favorites of ours to this day (namely, Soul Calibur).
We also got to try the internet on a TV and console for the first time, which blew our minds a little.
But anyway... ever owned a DC? What do you think of it? What was your favorite game for it? Ever bought any add-ons? Share it with us!
