A direct rebuttle to Jon

by Al Solomon

>>Okay, given what little we've seen of the Dreamcast, I think it's a little early to say this, but I think it will ultimately DESTROY the PS2... First off, Namco has already struck HARD with Soul Calibur, quite possibly the BEST bar-none fighting game of the year! Sega strikes back with Midway's Ready to Rumble... another sure win in the fighting-genre... AND Sonic Adventure is the BEST Sonic game in current memory (Okay, we both know 3D Blast was the breakoff engine for this game, but I don't consider that a Sonic game because I personally HATED it!) And with a Phantasy Star in development, Dreamcast CANNOT be stopped.<<

Yes, Soul Caliber is awesome. It's a Namco fighting game, after all. But what ELSE on the Dreamcast is awesome?

Not much.

First, I would like to rebuke the Sonic Adventure part of this. I'll give you that it's definitely the best Sonic game, but what else is it? A new 3D Platformer on a new system. The only reason that people are going ga-ga over this game is because it's a new Sonic. If it had the best STORY and GAMEPLAY out of the current 3D Platformers out there, I'd say that Sega has got it made. But Sonic Adventure is not the king in those categories. I personally believe that to be Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. Think about it. Would you rather have pretty pastel colors, animals for characters, the usual Sonic Vs. Villain, and the thing that separates the game from others be speed? Or would you rather have realistic characters, a dark, decaying world to explore, a grim story of revenge with plenty of originalities, and two different planes of existence that almost doubles the amount of area and enhances the way puzzles are done? My point is, Sonic is still the same old Sonic, 3D or not.

Next, Ready 2 Rumble. There isn't much to say about this. It's a boxing game, and a good one at that. So... why don't I care? Because the only thing different about it from the plethora of other boxing games is superior graphics. It's the same-old-same-old, just prettier.

Also, Phantasy Star is fine... but what of those who don't have an interest in it? It's not going to make the Dreamcast invincible just because it's popular. I certainly wouldn't care if DC had it or not.

>>Okay, now I'll discuss this further by comparing release times. By the time the Dreamcast was already selling in Japan, Sony was barely even CRAWLING with the PS2, that's one factor. Second, the DC's CD-Speed is enough to cream a bloody DVD ROM drive. I personally know, because I have one, that the DVD-ROM's at this point only have about a 6x speed... where as the GD-Rom on the DC goes 12x... plus, there ARE no games for the PS2 to fall back on at the moment, while Sega released at LEAST 12 games on its release date! Now it's your turn to do the math... PS2 or DC... it's your choice.<<

While you have a good point about release times, you fail to mention two things.

First, Sega rushed the US release, probably to get the DC out at the same time as FF8 so they wouldn't lose customers. In my opinion, it wouldn't have mattered, but that's another topic. My point is that a substantial amount of DC games were burned incorrectly because of the rush, and if you're missing a part of the game that you have to go through to finish it, I hope your retail store has a good return policy. Add to this that some of the CDs are actully BLANK! I really don't care how much sooner the DC comes out. I care if I have to go through Hell or High Water with Babbages/EB/any retail store to get a game. I care if Sega cares about making good games rather then getting their games out first to make money. Remember the Saturn?

And that brings me to my second point. Sega is doing the same thing they did with the Saturn. They rushed to get it out first so they could make more money sooner, and as a result, quality is compromised. I personally have had enough of Sega after being a devout follower since the Genesis. They screwed up with the Sega CD, with the 32X, with the Saturn (albeit in different ways,) and they are doing it again with the DC just to make money faster without thinking for the long run.

Also, you compare the DC's CD speed with a DVD to show how fast it is. That's all well and good, but so what? I'm more concerned with the fact that the PSX2 can push 5 times the polygons of the Dreamcast, and that translates into real-time graphics that are as good as FMV in Final Fantasy 8. And this has been shown already, ala Squaresoft's demonstration of the FF8 dance scene rendered in real time on the PSX2.

Finally, the games issue. That's what it all boils down to, really. The games are what sell the system. Sure, the Dreamcast had 12 games at release, but only 2 of them are worth buying (Sonic Adventure and Soul Caliber.) You have to remember that PSX2 is not near completion and as such the games will not be either. Game COMPANIES can be felled back upon by Sony if need be, although some people don't go for that. But for instance, Squaresoft has announced that they have no plans to develop for the DC but they WILL develop for the PSX2, and if you have Squaresoft, you have me. Again, that is an example only, as it is my opinion.

Please do not think or accuse me of being a "Sony Freak" or other like terms. I've already stated that I loved Sega, but they screwed up one to many times. I think they have been given to many second chances and I will consider buying a Dreamcast ONLY when they prove that they are not pulling another Saturn.

Original Editorial: Dreamcast will beat out PS2