31 Days of Monster Mania: Day 6: Dr. Chaos (NES)

Written by Stu Cooper

It's Day 6 of Monster Mania and I've decided to take a different route today. Today I will be talking about a horror video game called "Dr.Chaos" for the Nintendo Entertainment System. This was of course a decade before South Park made it's debut, so unfortunately you do not take the role of Butters, but I assure you it's almost as cool. "Dr.Chaos" was released for the original NES in November of 1988. In Japan the game was known was "Dr.Chaos: Hell's Gate". So it's obvious right off the bat, this is probably a horror game. The cover art is also some of the coolest cover art I've ever seen on a game, but as veteran gamers know, great cover art does not equal great game-play.

"Dr.Chaos" is the story of two brothers trying to reunite after a catastrophic event takes place. One of the brothers is a mad scientist named Dr.Ginn Chaos and he has come up with the brilliant idea to create a device that can open up a gateway to other dimensions. This idea immediately backfires on the scientist and he is sucked into another dimension. Now the gates between dimensions are open and monsters are coming in and out of them. You take the role of the mad scientist's younger saner brother Michael. Michael is on a journey to find out what happened to his brother, and retrieve him from whatever hellish dimension he is stuck in. This game certainly has an interesting story, and it's one that may sound familiar to you. H.P. Lovecraft wrote a story called "From Beyond" that was about almost the exact same thing. A man creates a device that allows people to see and visit other dimensions, he tries the device himself and ends up losing control of it. This results in scary entities traveling between dimensions. For a story written in the 1920's, that is quite imaginative and petrifying. Lovecraft was kind of good at that sort of thing!

Now that we know the story is pretty cool, what about the gameplay? Well unfortunately the gameplay is not on par with the story. You start out the game as Michael, wondering around a haunted house, trying to find places to warp into other dimensions, which basically serve as the levels. The only problem is that the game gives you very little in the way of guidance and you could find yourself wondering around the house for an hour trying to figure out what the hell you're suppose to do. Not only that but you have a series of re-spawning bats and rats constantly coming towards you, slowly draining your life.

In order to advance through the game, you enter doors in the haunted house. This is when the game switches to a first person perspective. While in the first person perspective you navigate different rooms, gathering items and ammo. This part of the game can also be confusing because what the gamer doesn't know is that in order to advance to stages, you must punch random parts of the walls in these rooms, and you will find random portals that suck you into levels. The levels you get sucked into are much cooler than the haunted house, and thankfully more fun. But if you don't have the instruction manual or any access to the internet, it may take you ages to figure all of this out. One cool thing about going into all these random rooms is that sometimes the room are full of boogey men! You will run into some pretty freakish looking creatures, ranging from Slimer looking demons, to giant incarnations of Frankenstein.

Once you figure out what you're suppose to do, you progress through a series of dimensions and fight a boss at the end of each dimension. After defeating a boss, you are given some type of device that will assist you in the game. Once you gather every device you need, you get a laser which you can use, and then of course you find your brother. In terms of weaponry I will say the variety is pretty nice. You get access to a knife, handgun, machine gun, grenades, and a laser! You also get power ups like rocket boots. So there is certainly a lot of depth to this game, it's just an incredibly confusing game.

I would compare it to something like "Goonies 2" for the NES if you have ever played that. A lot of trial and error, and a lot wondering through random rooms. I do give the game credit for also trying to add depth by making it a side scroller AND a first person perspective, so it gives you a sense of really being the character of Michael, at least it did in 1988. The game also features some pretty decent music with some halloweenish effects. The opening title screen is also something that will give you nightmares. For a children's console, this game could be considered rather scary. It's actually scarier than the "Nightmare on Elm Street" game that was put out, but not quite as fun as the "Friday the 13th" game. If you want a retro game to play during the Halloween season, this one might not be a bad choice. My only warning is that you must have a lot of patience, and you may have to take some time to figure out what to do. That's a common problem with some retro games, but thank god for the internet. If you see this game, you should pick it up. It only cost me about 8 bucks, and I'd say it was worth it.

31 Days of Monster Mania: Day 5: Joy Ride

Written by Stu Cooper

We are barreling through the month of October at breakneck pace, and in honor of that speed, today’s entry is all about the film “Joy Ride”. “Joy Ride” is a 2001 American thriller written by the now iconic J.J. Abrams along with Clay Tarver. Before LOST, before Cloverfield, before possibly ruining Star Trek movies, J.J. was in the horror business! I must say this is actually my favorite project J.J. has ever worked on.

“Joy Ride” stars Paul Walker and Steve Zahn with appearances by Leelee Sobieski, and Buffalo Bill himself Ted Levine. Paul Walker plays Lewis, a college student who is involved in some type of long distance love affair with a girl named Venna (Sobieski). They stay up late at night talking on the phone, wishing of more adventurous days. It’s through this wishing that Lewis comes up with the idea of taking a road trip to see Venna and finally getting himself out of the friend zone. Lewis cashes in all he’s got and buys a pretty decent clunker (71 Chrysler Newport), complete with an old fashioned CB radio. Almost as soon as his road trip begins he receives a call from his brother who is in jail and needs bailing out. Being the good brother he is, Lewis arrives to bail his brother out. His brother Fuller (Zahn) is clearly the less responsible of the two, and really has nothing to his name. He begs Lewis to take him along for part of the trip, and with some hesitation, Lewis allows it.

The two brothers embark on the road trip and to kill the boredom they start using the CB Radio. The brothers begin chatting it up with local truckers, mostly to find out cop locations and incoming weather. While doing this the two notice a particularly creepy trucker named Rusty Nails is monitoring the channel. Fuller, being the goofball he is, decides to mess with Rusty. Fuller begins to pretend he is two different truckers, a male and a female. He communicates back and forth with the two personalities and tricks Rusty into thinking these are two separate people. Almost immediately Rusty becomes attached to the female trucker that Fuller is voicing. Fuller finds this hilarious, while Lewis is the logical apprehensive one. This leads to Fuller crossing the line and setting up a fake meeting between Rusty and “Candy Cane”, which will have devastating results. Fuller gives Rusty the room number of a rather rude fellow the two had met earlier in the movie, thinking it will produce hilarious results. Unfortunately for the brothers, this prank triggers a homicidal maniac and Rusty soon figures out who’s behind it.

For the remainder of the movie the brothers are chased by Rusty in his semi-truck and have many close calls. It’s very similar to the film “Duel”, another car horror classic. After pleading with Rusty through the CB radio, the boys think it’s over, but Rusty subjects the boys to a series of mental games, and exacts his revenge. At one point Rusty even involves Lewis’s beloved Venna in his games. The entire film is pretty much a nonstop tense car chase and the scary vibes rely heavily on the eerie voice of Ted Levine. I can’t think of anyone better to play Rusty. Levine’s voice is so unsettling and the things the character says will send chills down your spine. The final confrontation is also quite intense and not quite what the viewer expects.

The film itself is shot beautifully and the use of colors are pretty unique. You will notice a green tint to the hotel they stay in, which provides a sense of discomfort, and then at the end it switches to red lighting to match the intensity of the climax. The cinematography and the voice of Rusty are really the two best things about this film. Eric Stoltz and Eric Roberts also auditioned for the role of Rusty, but after watching this film several times, I could never imagine that. I believe the casting director made the best choice possible. Paul Walker as Lewis is fine, and Steve Zahn as Fuller is quite lovable. Fuller has many shining moments where you really feel for his character and the distance he has from his own family. If you weren’t a Steve Zahn fan before this film, you will be after it. The film also features a lengthy alternate ending, so if you are unhappy with the ending on the DVD version, you can probably youtube the alternate one.

Overall “Joyride” provides a more detailed perspective on the classic horror film “Duel” and shows just how scary being on the open road can be. The idea that the guy in the car behind you could easily be a homicidal maniac is disturbing to think about, but entirely plausible. The film was popular enough that it’s actually spawned 2 straight to DVD sequels, though I would not recommend those.

31 Days of Monster Mania: Day 4: The Craft

Written by Stu Cooper

It's Day 4 of Film Enigma's Monster Mania and things are about to get real! Real Wicca that is! Today's entry is about the 1996 film “The Craft”. If you grew up in the 1990's then you most likely remember the surge of horror that took place from 1995 to 2000, in which we saw tons of teen angst horror like “Scream”, “Disturbing Behavior”, “Urban Legends”, “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, and “Phantoms”. Okay...so maybe not everybody saw that last one, but you get the point. “The Craft” hit theaters in May of 1996 and has been remembered ever since. I'm going to dive into the film and talk about why so many of us Generation X kids remember this movie, and if you haven't seen it, maybe you will give it a chance.

“The Craft” is a suspenseful film that revolves around a group of high school girls that are exploring the powers of witchcraft. The film features Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Rachel True, also future 90's slasher stars Neve Campbell and Skeet Ulrich. The main character is a troubled teen named Sarah (Robin Tunney) who has moved into a new city with her father and when she arrives at her new school she immediately grabs the attention of 3 fellow students who sense that there is more to Sarah than meets the eye. The three girls consist of a timid bookworm named Bonnie (Neve Campbell), a swimmer named Rochelle (Rachel True), and Nancy (Fairuza Balk) who acts as a Gothic leader to the group of girls. The girls have formed their own coven but they realize they need a fourth witch to complete their group, and that is where the new girl Sarah comes in.

Sarah is befriended by the group and starts spending a lot of time with them. You quickly pick up on the fact that these girls are quite rebellious and may not be the best candidates for mystical powers. Nancy in particular is quite unstable but thankfully the others in the group seem to just be along for the ride and don't quite share Nancy's insanity. The coven convinces Sarah to join after catching her using her powers. Since Sarah has quite a troubled past, she goes a long with It and seems happy to be a part of a group, despite not practicing witchcraft as much as the others. It's not long until the girls begin playing with spells that create trouble and this leads to more lust for power within the group. The leader Nancy becomes obsessed with summoning a god named Manon, while Bonnie uses her powers to cure a terrible skin condition she has, and Rochelle uses her power to exact revenge on a school bully. Sarah, who I'll refer to as “The Good Witch” seems apprehensive about using her powers to serve herself, but gives in to peer pressure and casts a love spell on a high school football player (Skeet Ulrich).

The spells and lust for power begin to corrupt the members of the group, except for Sarah. The others start to show personality changes and continue to add spells to their lists, never being truly fulfilled with the power they already have. Sarah stays true to her morals tho and begins distancing herself from the activities of the coven, realizing that they are using magic for the wrong reasons. This is where the main conflict of the film comes from. Nancy has basically brainwashed the coven at this point, which leads to the coven inflicting all sorts of pain and chaos on fellow students. Sarah “The Good Witch” becomes a target once she vows to no longer be involved. It then becomes Sarah vs. The Coven. Without spoiling the rest of the film, I will say that this conflict leads to some pretty spooky scenes and a Good vs. Bad witch fight between Sarah and Nancy that is quite unforgettable.

“The Craft” is a memorable film for several reasons. The film features a young cast with lots of talent. Fairuza Balk as “Nancy” shines as the villain and the scenes where she lets loose are incredibly unsettling. It may have something to do with the fact that the actress actually does practice Wicca in real life, and she truly believed in a lot of the things her character was doing. If you've seen her in “American History X” then you are probably familiar with how insane and creepy she can be. Robin Tunney does a good job as the lead Sarah, tho she has a wig on the entire film because she shaved her head for the film “Empire Records” and had not yet grown it back. So you may get a bit distracted by her odd hairline. She does a good job playing the innocent girl who gets mixed up with the wrong crowd. Neve Campbell, Rachel True, and Skeet Ulrich all do a good job in their supporting roles.

One thing you may notice if you revisit the film is that it has a lot of parallels with the film “Mean Girls”. I'm not sure if the writer of “Mean Girls” drew any influence from this film, but it does seem almost identical in some parts, minus the comedic tone. The one negative I will say is that the 90's tone of the film does make the film feel a bit dated. There are some pretty outrageous wardrobes, but the music is top notch and gives you a great 90's horror feel. If you are a fan of 90's horror/suspense, you can't go wrong with this one. I would put “The Craft” above films like “Urban Legend” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer” because it's less by-the-numbers horror and tells a story that you don't see too often.

Just to add a little extra spook factor to the film, the cast reported having some serious issues during the film, possibly because of the subject matter and the fact that they used REAL spells. During the scene where the coven is on the beach trying to summon Manon, the cast said that bats swarmed them and caused the candles to blow out, the ocean waves got more aggressive, and the crew actually lost power. So add “The Craft” to films like “The Exorcist” and “Poltergeist” that caused real life fear and drama amongst the cast and crew. I will also note that while the spells that the characters used were real, the writers made sure to change a few details so that people would not be encouraged to practice potentially dangerous spells. Again blurring the lines between entertainment and reality. I would encourage horror fans to revisit this film, and if you haven't seen it at all it's actually available on Netflix this month. It's the perfect film for the Halloween season.

31 Days of Monster Mania: Day 3: The Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue

Written by Stu Cooper

It's October 3rd and it's time for another installment of Film Enigma's Monster Mania! For Day 3 I thought I'd change it up a bit and dig up something that you may have seen if you've ever made your way down to Orlando, Florida. If not, then you're in for quite the surprise. If you've ever gone to Universal Studios you know that the theme park is based around films, and rides or shows based on those films. We all know the classic rides like JAWS, Back to the Future, and King Kong. But what about the stage shows? Well as a child I vaguely remember seeing the Ghostbusters stage show, and it was somewhat entertaining, but I had no idea there was actually other stage shows going on as well. The one I'd like to discuss today is "The Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue" or "The Beetlejuice Mash-up" as it's now known.

The Beetlejuice Revue debuted at the theme park in 1992 and took the place of the CONAN The Barbarian stage show (which I would have loved to have seen). The show used a castle theater as it's backdrop, which was apparently leftover from the Conan set. The show featured a Beetlejuice impersonator coming out and riffing with the crowd. He makes some jokes, does a little bit of stand-up (which changed based on whatever was hip in pop culture at the time) and then he introduces some of his monster friends. Since the show took place at Universal Studios, all of the monsters were the classic Universal creatures. You had the likes of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf-man, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Phantom of the Opera. This is where the show gets weird. For whatever reason, Beetlejuice convinces all of the monsters to form a rock group, and perform music. The remainder of the show is then each monster singing their own song. The songs each creature sings have changed throughout the years, but were usually just random pop songs that had little to do with the character. It's not until the new 2014 version that the songs actually reflect the characters. I was a bit stunned when I watched a 2013 version that featured Dracula singing Van Halen...for whatever reason. The show itself is quite goofy and really has very little to do with the Beetlejuice universe, so don't expect to get any Tim Burton vibes. Beetlejuice is merely the host of what is essentially a monster musical.

The show has undergone a few cast changes throughout the years. The original line-up featured The Phantom of The Opera, but he was swapped out for "The Mummy", who is later swapped out for some undead cheerleaders that sing back-up. The newest version features the Phantom's daughter Fantasia, and bizarrely also features Cleopatra. I must have missed the Universal horror film about that menacing Cleopatra! But regardless of how goofy the show is, it's pretty cool to see the character of Beetlejuice continue to live on. But just remember he won't do two shows a night babe, he just won't do it.

Checkout some incarnations of the show I found:

31 Days of Monster Mania: Day 2: Star Trek The Original Series: "Catspaw"

Written By Stu Cooper

It's time for Day 2 of Film Enigma's 31 Days of Monster Mania! Today's choice is something that I hold near and dear to my heart. Those who know me personally know I am a massive Star Trek fan. As a Star Trek fan I always wanted to see a Halloween special the likes of Roseanne or Home Improvement. While they never did any official holiday specials, there was an episode of the original series with a very strong Halloween theme. The episode was entitled "Catspaw" and involved all sorts of iconic Halloween traits.

The crew of the enterprise beamed down a landing crew consisting of Sulu, Scotty, and a red-shirt named Jackson to a seemingly uninhabited planet called Pyris VII. When the crew is unresponsive, the crew grows concerned when the red-shirt beams back up to the Enterprise and is apparently dying. Before he dies he warns the crew that they are now cursed! The crew responds the only way they know how, by beaming down to the planet to check things out. When Kirk, Spock, and Bones beam down to the planet they are immediately confronted with haunting imagery starting with screaming ghost like creatures. The screaming ghosts warn the crew members, but Spock is not alarmed because when he scans them, he realizes they are not real. Soon after this, Kirk notices a black cat that is wondering around the planet and the planet is covered in fog, creating a very familiar horror like environment. The ghostly environment only gets creepier as the crew stumble upon a castle! The castle is obscured by fog and looks like something straight out of Dracula.

The crew follows the black cat into the castle and encounters a wizard like man that looks like something straight out of Flash Gordon. The wizard begins talking to the black cat as if it understands, and the crew is quite confused. The crew also learns that the Wizard appears to have control over Sulu and Scotty and has put them into a zombie like state. The zombie crew members appear to be under the wizards command. So now not only do you have ghosts, a foggy castle, a black cat, but also zombie crew members! After Kirk, Spock, and Bones continue to investigate they realize that the wizard Korob is some type of alien that can control imagery and create illusions. To make this episode even more scooby doo-ish, the Wizard Korob uses a magic wand to do this.

After being held hostage by Korob, the crew witness the black cat turn into a human looking woman named Sylvia. Sylvia reveals herself to be in charge of the Wizard, and tells the crew that they serve a higher purpose, and are merely creating images that they've read about in human culture. Kirk and Bones make references to "Trick or Treat" which puzzles the Vulcan Spock. Kirk challenges Sylvia's powers and she demonstrates her magical powers by turning the enterprise into a toy, and threatens to burn the toy, which would of course kill the entire crew. After talking Sylvia down, Kirk is able to reason with Sylvia even if only for a brief moment. Sylvia then takes control of Bones, and adds him to her zombie army. Now it's up to Kirk and Spock to figure out how to stop Sylvia, and save their zombified friends.

After being held captive in a dungeon, Kirk and Spock are able to talk their way back into the good graces of Sylvia and the Wizard Korob. Kirk uses his powers of seduction to show Sylvia what it is like to experience a man's touch. We then learn that Sylvia is not humanoid, and actually has no understanding of sensations, sexuality, or power. Kirk uses his sexuality to show her a sample of what sexy sensations feel like, and of course Sylvia falls for Kirk. Sylvia tempts Kirk by showing him that she can transform into any kind of woman. Kirk appears to be interested in this but of course it's all a trick! Kirk is able to trick Sylvia and figure out that the magic wand is the source of her power. After taking her source of power, Sylvia turns into the cat, except this time, it's a giant cat! The cat goes on a rampage, and the Wizard Korob decides to stop Sylvia, sacrificing himself in order for the crew of the enterprise to get away. After a very goofy chase with a giant cat, the crew is able to escape and get back to the ship. Soon after this, the crew finds out that Korob and Sylvia actually aren't even powerful beings, they are merely tiny prawn like creatures. That's right, space prawn trick the crew into entering an imaginary haunted house. The crew would study these prawn, but unfortunately without their power, the prawn die, and the enterprise pretty much forgets about them and flies off into the great beyond.

"Catspaw" is known for being one of the most ridiculous Star Trek episodes and rightfully so. From the first scene the episode is just absolute insanity and comes off like a "Star Trek Meets Scooby Doo" special, which is great for the Halloween season, but in terms of good Star Trek, you could certainly do a lot better. The episode works as a goofy Halloween Special but the effects are pretty awful, and when you find out the aliens are basically prawns who are apparently huge Edgar Allen Poe fans, you can't help but laugh. The chase with the giant cat is also one of the more ridiculous scenes in Star Trek history. So if you're looking for a really hammy Halloween feeling episode of Star Trek, this is a good choice. Don't expect to be scared, but expect to get some serious Halloween Scooby Doo vibes. Unfortunately no crew members sneak off to indulge in scooby snacks, but the ga-ga-ga-ghost scares are riddled throughout this one. If you're looking for a Star Trek episode to give you the October Halloween feel, this is the one for you.

Checkout the full episode here:

Star Trek-Catspaw by Supercylon

31 Days of Monster Mania: Day 1: TUSK

Written by Stu Cooper

Ladies and Ghouls it's time for the 2nd annual Film Enigma MONSTER MANIA! I will be blogging about horror and horror films for 31 days in a row in honor of my favorite month. There is a lot of horror out there, so let's dive right into it.

Day 1 will be about a newer film that I actually just saw less than 24 hours ago. That film is Kevin Smith's bizarre new horror comedy “TUSK”. The film was written and directed by Kevin Smith and was apparently based on an episode of his podcast. The film stars Justin Long, Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez, and Johnny Depp. The trailer of the film indicated a goofy concept with a rather scary tone, but unfortunately the film doesn't deliver as a horror film or as a horror comedy, it's really just a mixed bag.

Justin Long stars as Wallace Bryton a snobby conceded pod-caster who hosts a show with his best friend Teddy (Haley Joel). The show seems to revolve around demeaning others and discussing viral videos, which reminds you of all those annoying shock jock shows you probably hear on your local radio every morning. As part of the show, Wallace plans to travel to Canada to interview a guy from one of the viral videos with the intentions of belittling him. Despite his friend Teddy's discouragement, Wallace is dead set on making the trip. When Wallace arrives however the guy from the video had actually committed suicide, possibly as a result of the ridicule he received from being a viral celebrity. Wallace shows zero remorse and solidifies the fact that he is a pretty bad human being. Since Wallace is now in Canada, he is determined to find an interview, which leads him to an older gentleman named Howard Howe (Michael Parks) who apparently has many stories to tell.

Wallace locates the man and begins to talk with him about his very adventurous life. This is actually where the film shines the most. I felt the stories and moments between Long and Parks were very compelling and interesting. I could have listened to Parks talk all day long. He was definitely the highlight of the film, and brings a lot of gravitas to his role. Soon after this, the plot of the film is revealed and Wallace begins to realize he is part of a master plan that Howe has. That plan is to transform a man into...a walrus.

The tone of the film is very eerie and somewhat scary up until this point. You really feel like you are watching something truly warped and twisted, despite the dick jokes being thrown in every 5 minutes. Unfortunately this tone does not last, and after the first 30 minutes or so, the film decides to flip into full clown mode. As Wallace's girlfriend and best friend Teddy search for their missing pal, they partner up with a retired detective played by Johnny Depp. At first glance, that sounds awesome right? Wrong. Depp plays one of the most awkward, stupid characters you will ever see. The detective seems to be channeling “The Pink Panther” throughout the movie, which becomes frustrating when the film is going through serious moments. The character also constantly makes poop jokes, which fell flat with the audience.

After “the big reveal” the film becomes nothing more than a series of dick and fart jokes, riddled with ridiculous imagery. You can see a lot of influence from films like “Human Centipede”, but I feel like “Human Centipede” stuck to one tone, whereas “TUSK” is all over the place. Another issue I had was that the film plays up the idea of being a horror comedy, but the comedy is not smart and not funny. Films like “Tucker and Dale vs. Evil” and “Cabin In the Woods” are great examples of how this kind of concept can work, but “TUSK” really falls flat especially in comparison of films like that. This was not Smith's first try at horror, if you remember the film “Red State” which also had some tone issues. I feel like both that film, and this film had the same issue. That issue being a great idea, a great build up, and a terrible third act. There is even an audio clip that plays during the end credits that is Kevin Smith basically telling the audience how stupid the idea is, and how ridiculous it is that it could be a film, which felt like a giant slap to the face. As if to say “Haha I got your money now, you saw a movie about a walrus man, idiot!”

I would say overall this film is entertaining and sometimes beautiful, but uneven and full of lame jokes. The saving grace of the film would be the powerful acting of Michael Parks, and the gorgeous eye candy Genesis Rodriguez. I would say if they put it on Netflix, give it a shot. If not, this one is passable.

Dreamcast Anniversary: Top 10 Dreamcast Games

Written by Stu Cooper

Today marks the Anniversary of the Sega Dreamcast launch and I thought I'd take the time to think back on this wonderful system. The Sega Dreamcast was a true underdog console that actually revolutionized gaming in several different ways. The console was released September 9th, 1999 which was just a few months before the Playstation 2 release. The Dreamcast had some stiff competition ahead of them not only with Playstation but Xbox and the Gamecube. With that said, I won't be focusing on why the system failed, I want today to be about the positive things the console left behind.

The console featured the ability to get online which enabled owners the ability to surf the web and play games online. I remember playing around on the internet at a friends and having my mind blown because it wasn't AOL! When the console was first released Sega created the Dreamcast logo and decided to put that logo on all the boxes instead of the Sega logo. This was because of the huge commercial failures Sega had with the 32x and Saturn. Sega attempted to disassociate themselves with those consoles and wanted a fresh start with the Dreamcast. The system was very user friendly, and was very compact. The size is nice when compared to systems like the Playstation 2 and original XBOX which are extremely bulky and heavy in comparison. Almost immediately after the launch developers started releasing some pretty fun games. Some of the games like Crazy Taxi and WWF Royal Rumble were direct Arcade ports, while other games started with the Dreamcast and eventually moved to the PS2 or Xbox. Let's run down some of those remarkable games. I will be counting down what I consider to be the best Dreamcast games out there. There are quite a few gems, so choosing just 10 proved to be difficult.

10. Sonic Adventure

If there is one character that every Sega fan is familiar with, it's Sonic. In Sonic's Adventure you got to play as Sonic but you also get to play as 5 other characters throughout the game. The game was one of the first fully 3-D Sonic games and that provided some pretty intense chase sequences, even one with a giant killer whale. That level makes you feel like you are in Indiana Jones and you're running away from the giant ball! Of course the main enemy of the game is Dr.Robotnik...why won't he just die?! The game breathed new life into the Sonic character and opened the box for more 3D sequels.

9. Power Stone 2

Power Stone 2 was 4 player fighting game that was ported from the Arcade to the Dreamcast, like several other titles. The game featured the ability to have 4 people fighting on screen at once as opposed to the normal 2 characters. The game also featured the ability to pick up items and use them on your opponent. You could pick up chairs, tables, rocks, etc. The game also features the ability to interact with stages, like hopping into cannons that you can use to fire on your opponent. To add more chaos to the mayhem, you can also pick up weapons like a hammer,axe, and flame thrower! With four people playing at once this game is some good ole fashioned arcade fighting fun.

8. Jet Set Radio (Jet Grind Radio)

Jet Set Radio is a beautifully fun skating game with a twist. In the game you play a young punk who is part of a gang in Tokyo. Instead of unleashing gang violence you skate around town and tag parts of the city with graffiti! You will encounter rival gangs, police, and bosses throughout your journey. The game is strangely addictive and kind of feels like an anime version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. The art style is absolutely unique and I think that's a big part of what makes this game so memorable. This is a must have for any Dreamcast owner. In fact, most people I knew that had the system, owned this game as well.

7. Ready 2 Rumble Boxing

Ready 2 Rumble was an over the top boxing game developed by Midway. It was an arcade style boxing game like Punchout, but instead of being one single character, you are able to pick from a variety of personalities created for the game. The more memorable ones were guys like Afro Thunder, Boris the Bear, and secret characters like Michael Jackson! The game also featured the voice and appearance of world famous announcer Michael Buffer, which gives it a cool official vibe. Each player would have a special move they could use whenever their rumble meter was full. They were often unrealistic crazy movies, almost fatality level. It was a great game and a lot of fun if you have a buddy over.

6. Resident Evil Code Veronica

The fourth game in the Resident Evil series saw a slightly different approach. The completely 3-D backgrounds made for a crisp and beautiful experience. Some actually consider this one of the better looking games in the series. The game focused on Claire Redfield who was the main character in Resident Evil 2. This game was remembered for it's intense difficulty and badass villains. The villain that gets the most attention is a creepy terminator-esque Tyrant man named Wesker. If you can some how make it to him in the game, I suggest playing him with the lights out! If you want a good zombie survival experience on this console, you can't beat Code Veronica.

5. Typing of the Dead

Speaking of awesome Zombie related things, this game is an absolute gem. "House of the Dead" is a very popular arcade series where you shoot zombies with a light gun as fast as possible. Well "Typing Of The Dead" was a sequel that used a keyboard instead of a light gun. Sounds weird right? Well It was actually a blast! You would have to type words to defeat enemies and sometimes even full sentences. The further you got into the game, the more awkward the words get. Boss fights are especially rewarding because you have to type as fast as you can, and the AI will throw some bizarre sentences at you. I highly recommend picking this one up. It's an odd and addicting game.

4. Soul Calibur

Soul Calibur is the second in the now famous Soul series. The game was developed by Project Soul but produced by Namco. It started out as an arcade exclusive but then it was ported to the Sega Dreamcast with updated graphics and a bigger roster. The game was basically a 3-D weapon fighting game. It was like Tekken with weapons. The game featured many interesting characters that would later become iconic as the series continued. My personal favorite would have to be the boss of the game "Cervantes". The story is kind of hard to pick up on in the game, but it apparently is all about possessing the "Soul Edge" sword, which is held by Cervantes and eventually turns another character into "Nightmare". The gameplay was almost identical to Tekken except for the inclusion of weapons. The weapons would provide a deeper element to the moves. This game is about as fun as it gets and if you grew up going to Pizza Hut, you probably played this in their lobby at some point. You can't go wrong with a "Soul" game.

3. Crazy Taxi

In the game Crazy Taxi you play a taxi driver who likes to play things close to the edge. You are basically in some type of cartoon world where you can drive like a maniac, get outrageous speed and high jumps, and above all else you get to pick up random people. You will be tasked with delivering certain people to certain places in a short span. This is what causes you to amp things up. Not only is the driving a blast, but the world you play in is also a lot of fun. The range of people you pick up are endless. It's quite funny when the passenger comments on your driving skills, or in some cases their brush with death. Another big highlight of this game would have to be the soundtrack! It's mostly a bunch of Offspring songs that mesh PERFECTLY with the tone and pace of the game. The main track is stuck in my head as I type this.

2. Shenmue

Perhaps one of the most beautiful titles of it's time, Shenmue was a game that many instantly fell in love with. It was an action adventure game that featured nonlinear gameplay that would allow you to walk and do whatever you wanted. This was executed beautifully in the game, but it would come at a cost. The game was one of the most expensive in history! It cost 47 million dollars to produce, which is about 65 million adjusting for inflation. Unfortunately while there was a sequel, the game creators never got to complete the trilogy, most likely due to financial losses on the game. I had heard somewhere that almost every dreamcast owner would have to buy 2 copies of Shenmue for them to make their money back. It's quite sad because it really was a remarkable game that opened the door to many other games like it. I think it was really before it's time.

The gameplay revolved around a young guy named Ryo who is trying to solve the death of this father. You escalate the story by traveling around the city and finding different items. In terms of combat it has a nice 3-D RPG feel to it, as you fight the Yakuza and street thugs, then eventually you solve the mystery. It was a very deep game for it's time and it was very easy to get immersed in it. Fans of the game are still hoping and praying that someday we will finally see the completion of the series.

1. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes

Now I know this may be a controversial pick for number one, but I just had to do it. I've dumped countless hours into this game, and I've got the thumb blisters to prove it! This game is possibly one of the best sequels in gaming history. The original Marvel vs. Capcom was your basic 2-D fighter but featured comic book characters squaring off against characters owned by Capcom. It was quite a cool idea and it allowed fans to live out dream matches. The sequel took this idea and increased the roster ten fold. You get to pick a team of 3 characters and you battle your way through some pretty epic combinations of characters.

The game became famous on the arcades and was eventually ported to the Dreamcast, then later on other consoles. Many consider the Dreamcast version to be the definitive version and the one that reminds people the most of the arcade. Not only was the gameplay an absolute blast, but the competition was also very steep. The game became so popular that it spawned a series of gaming tournaments, where the best face off. I never was one for playing against strangers in the arcade, plus if they know combos you're probably going to lose anyways. To top the game off, it features an extremely catchy menu select song which I'll post below. All of these things combined with the adrenaline rush of fighting as fast as you can, make for the perfect Dreamcast experience!

Honorable Mentions:

Well folks that wraps up our list for today, but please comment and tell me what were some of your favorite Dreamcast games? Do you agree with my list?