9/9/99. Its a date that will resonate with gamers that are fans of Sega. It's the release of the Sega Dreamcast. 11 years removed and we are still talking about the Sega Dreamcast. A rebirth was asked for by the fans and Sega is finally delivering using digital portals like PSN (Playstation Network) and XBLA (Xbox Live Arcade).
The first release of this rebirth is Sonic Adventure. Back in 99, it was one of the most exciting games to play for the Dreamcast and it was arguably one of its most important (Soul Calibur was another important title). Fast forward to 2010 and the question is whether it's still an exciting title to play? One thing to understand right away was that Sega never indicated that the title is some sort of HD remix similar to the Super Street Fighter II Turbo. Sega was not going to redo the Sonic model, re-work the textures, and fix the glitches seen in the original. The most they promised was 720p visuals, improved sounds, trophy/achievement support, and leader boards. You are getting a port of Sonic Adventure, period!
“The Dreamcast is fondly remembered by a large community of dedicated fans as a console that was ahead of its time in terms of graphics, quality and online gaming” commented Haruki Satomi, VP of Digital Business at SEGA of America and SEGA Europe. “There are few things that are more requested from us than making Dreamcast classics available for download in today’s digital market place. We’re very excited to begin offering gamers our beloved Dreamcast titles again on the current console systems.”
Link to official press release
That being said, what could Sega have done with Sonic Adventure? The first thing that comes to mind is support for 16:9 wide screen. It may very well be true that the original did not support 16:9 and if Sega did proceed to add this feature, it would ultimately stretch the image to fit on an HDTV. Is this a showstopper feature for Sega. One would think not.
For reference here is list of Gamecube games that support 16:9 and Sonic Adventure DX is not one of them. The PSN/XBLA version is based off the PC/Gamecube version of DX.
Secondly, it would have been nice to get the full package for $9.99 instead of paying an additional $4.99 for the Director's Cut. This includes 60 additional missions and playing Metal Sonic in trial mode. Sega should have just kept the deal at $9.99. It at least keeps consistent with 9/9/99.
One begins to wonder what Sega would do for Crazy Taxi's release. Custom sound track support for an additional $4.99 or maybe put back the Offspring sound tracks back in at cost? (/SARCASM)
There certainly is alot of positive reception for putting Dreamcast games on PSN/XBLA. Sega is obviously looking at the profitability of Sonic Adventure/Crazy Taxi before committing on other titles. Here is a list of titles that would benefit this library (Sega only games). Sega, please ask Sony .. like Capcom and Rockstar .. to create a Dreamcast section in the Playstation Store!.
Sonic Adventure 2
Shenmue
Skies of Arcadia
Jet Grid Radio
Grandia 2
Crazy Taxi 2
Chu Chu Rocket
Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future
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