Video Games : Categories : Other Platforms : Dreamcast : Type of Game : Arcade & Platform Games

Shop Categories

...Type of Game

Sonic Shuffle

Sega

Based on the idea of strategically running around a board collecting precious stones, Sonic Shuffle might be a bit hard going on those looking for the action-packed high thrill rides that we've come to expect from our little blue friend.
Needless to say though, with almost 50 mini-games packed in, and the chance to play Sonic, Tails, Amy and Knuckles, those looking for a more sedate Sonic might just enjoy this title. Couple this with five huge gaming boards and you've got a game that offers cute graphics with a loveable character.
As you would expect from the Dreamcast, the game offers up to four players the chance to play at once in the versus mode or, if you happen to be home alone, then you could just carve your way through the story-based levels, tackling the computer and the mini-games as you go. Great thinking fun rather than high-speed thrills.--Frances Barber
Super Magnetic Neo

Crave

When one used to talk about the platform game, it would normally involve a conversation about sonic or Mario in the good old days. Recently the idea of running a character across a bright and colour screen, collecting, bouncing and generally having fun, whilst solving simple problems has been non-existent. Well, that is until now.
In steps Super Magnetic Neo, a hapless title styled on a sonic-meets-Mario-meets-Crash-Bandicoot sort of affair. With colourful graphics, a gamestyle that sees you running into the screen in a puesdo 3D-esque landscape, this game just oozes fun.
The Wacky, if not different plot, revolves around Pinki a naughty toddler who whittles away her time working out ways to sabotage Pao Pao Park. To stop her mischievous activities, the Professor sends out his robotic creation--wait for it--called the Super Magnetic Neo to battle against the evil Pinki. You control Neo, and it's your task to return Pao Pao Park back to the pleasant state that it used to be in.
This game is basic and simple, with the tried method of playing, dying, playing some more, dying and then eventually getting to the end of the levels being used. To put it simply, Super Magnetic Neo just has that je ne sais quoi that Crash had when it first made it onto our screens.--Stuart Miles
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Dreamcast)

Avalon Interactive
Fur Fighters

Acclaim

A cross between to Rayman 2 and Sonic Adventure, Fur Fighters from Acclaim puts you in charge of a group of fur balls avenging the kidnapping of their families by the evil General Viggo who is planning to take over the world. Your band of furry critters consists of Roofus, a great digger allowing you to each new area; Juliette, a seductive feline who can scale walls; Tweek, a new-born dragon who can glide from high places; Chang the firefox, who is a bit on the small side and can therefore fit through ventilation shafts; Rico the penguin who can swim underwater; and Bungalow, a kangaroo who can jump higher and further than the rest of them.
The controls are styled similarly to a first person shooter on the PC, with one control to look and another to move. And they can be tricky to use. While Fur Fighters lacks the spark of gaming greats like Rayman 2, it does have some advantages, like the multiplayer levels, where you and three friends get to battle it out in the good old traditions of Quake, and rather than being stuck to one character, the game lets you change into another via the transportation pods--a great tip for tricking friends as to your identity. --Stuart Miles
Spider-Man (Dreamcast)

Activision
South Park: Chef's Luv Shack

Acclaim

Hello, children! Are you ready to join Chef for some game-show fun, South Park-style? No, don't let the name fool you. This game isn't about, in Chef's words, the "mattress mambo". It's a multiplayer party game for up to four contestants, crammed full of trivia contests and South Park-themed mini-games. Playing as Cartman, Kenny, Kyle, or Stan on Chef's game show, contestants must dig deep into their memory banks to demonstrate their knowledge of worthless information. In addition, players face less mentally demanding mini-games that challenge reflexes and hand-eye coordination. In Rodeo, players try to keep Cartman on a mechanical bull for the duration. Bad Kitty is an unleashed Donkey Kong-style platform game. Players, as Kitty, avoid Cartman's angry barrage of bouncing balls, and jump over obstacles on a quest to consume his pot pies.
South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker came up with new tastelessly hilarious sound bites for the game, and Isaac Hayes, the voice of Chef, contributed his smooth voice as the game's star host. No surprise to anyone that this game carries a Mature rating, so it's probably best to leave it in the box during Johnny's 10th birthday party. But South Park fans are sure to fall in swee-e-et luv with this game. --Eric Twelker, amazon.com
Toy Story 2

Activision

Film favourites Buzz Lightyear and Woody are back in action with their latest video-game offering, Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 2. The cowboy Woody is in trouble in a game that closely follows the plot of the hit computer-animated flick. Although the game is obviously aimed at luring fans of the movie of the same name, it does contain gameplay that will appeal to a wider audience. Toy Story 2 is not a perfect game, but it captures the playability and humour of the film, and also has movie-quality animations and graphics.
Woody finds himself kidnapped by Al, the evil toy collector, and it's up to Buzz to save the day--with a little help from the other toys in owner Andy's room. Buzz must venture outside Andy's house and into the local neighbourhood. Game environments include a perilous construction area, a toy barn, and a sky-rise apartment. Ultimately, Buzz will confront his arch nemesis, the Evil Emperor Zurg--but getting there is half the fun.
During his journey, Buzz must collect missing parts for Mr Potato Head. He also calls on his buddies Rex, Slinky Dog, and Hamm the piggy bank for helpful tips and directions. Controls are varied but can be confusing to master. Buzz can climb, do a "super foot stomp," fire his laser, and perform a Space Ranger spin attack to help him get through the various levels.--Bill Hutchens
Worms Armageddon

Hasbro

Do you ever wonder what all of those worms squirming around subterranean tunnels are scheming? We do, too. As it turns out, according to Worms Armageddon, our wacky segmented friends have a stockpile of crazy weapons and are waging a war big enough to turn the world into a heaping compost pile. Who knew?
Worms Armageddon brings the humorously addictive gameplay of the very popular Worms series to the Dreamcast for the first time. The strategy-based gameplay is as unique as the premise. Commanding a team of worms, players wriggle and shoot through 30 missions and 14 training levels. Players take turns moving a worm warrior into position and then firing at the opposing team, using an arsenal of weapons ranging from mines and kamikaze attacks to the more traditional exploding sheep attack and banana bombs. Naturally, the commander who best combines strategic moves with creative attacks wins the worm war.
Join the throngs of fans of this unique game series and you'll never look at a grinning, gun-toting earthworm in the same way again. --Stuart Miles
Planet Ring (Dreamcast)

Sega
Rez

Sega

Rez is a stylish blend of the film Tron and the arcade classic Space Harrier. Your character continually flies forward while being attacked by a barrage of enemies that can be despatched by targeting them and unleashing guided laser beams. Each explosion triggers a sound--destroy a chain of up to eight and the resulting notes blend seamlessly with the background music. The sedate pace soon picks up, making the game a constant riot of light and sound.
Graphically, Rez is gorgeous. Wire-frame cities, valleys and pyramids rise up as you pass and colours melt all over the screen as you dispose of your opponents. End of level bosses are ingeniously designed and jaw-dropping. Blue power-ups can help evolve your character from the simple humanoid you begin with to various more sophisticated forms--too many hits though and you regress to a basic spheroid shape. Red power ups fill up your overdrive gauge (smart-bomb to you and me), which will eliminate everything on screen. Another nice touch is added by the synchronisation of the thumping techno beats of the soundtrack with the rumbling of the controller.
Rez isn't going to be to everyone's taste: it may be too abstract and the action may be too relaxed for some. There are only five levels but you can unlock a myriad of different modes, views and colours to enhance a game that despite being short is certainly not short of replay value. It is as superb to watch as it is to play. --Jonathan Winter
Bust-A-Move 4

Acclaim

Though maybe not as well known as Mario or Sonic, Bub and Bob have nevertheless been around for many years. First appearing in the arcade classic Bubble Bobble, they now make an appearance in traditional puzzle fashion in Bust-a-Move 4.
Dreamcast graphics make this Bust-a-Move more pleasing to the eye than in previous outings, but the classic gameplay style is still intact, keeping the challenging and addictive elements that make you return, hoping you can burst an ever-larger number of bubbles. Not unlike Tetris in theme and style (you have to group bubbles of the same colour together to get them to burst and give you points) it is different enough to attract a similar gamer looking for a new challenge. Veterans of the Bust-a-Move series will not find vast changes to the original, though its arrival on Sega's latest machine should please Dreamcast owners everywhere. Quite simply, this is one of the best puzzle games around (rivalled possibly only by Chu Chu Rocket) and with an ELSPA minimum age of 3, it is one the whole family can enjoy together. --Robert Hyde
Donald Duck: Quack Attack

Ubisoft

Donald Duck needs no introduction. In his debut 3D action game, Donald Duck Quack Attack he is pitted against a wicked baddie who has kidnapped -- er, I mean ducknapped -- Daisy. Your job is to guide Donald through the 24 levels of the game in order to rescue Daisy. The levels are based across four worlds, and you'll have to keep a weather eye on Donald's temper, which gets wilder and wilder if he isn't successful.
It's a furious frenzy of action, with Donald behaving in typical fashion. As a bonus you can play in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch. --Sandra Vogel
Mr Driller

Avalon Interactive
The Grinch

Konami
Stupid Invaders (Dreamcast)

Ubisoft

The adventure of the Stupid Invadersbegins after five aliens decide to go out on a space picnic. Things go horribly wrong when their spaceship crash-lands on Earth and is in need of repair. They hide in a disused house, biding their time to mend their ship. However, Dr Sakarin, an evil extra-terrestrial-collecting scientist, has learnt of their whereabouts and hires bounty-hunter Bolokto capture them at any cost...
Aimed at the console market's more mature users, Stupid Invadersis a RPG, using the point-and-click method of gameplay. Ported from the PC, this game takes advantage of the Dreamcast's analogue stick, making the game translation smooth and accessible to fans of the genre. Ubi Soft have decided to give the game a cartoon feel, from which it benefits as a lot of the humour is of a cartoonish nature. Many of the jokes on display would not have worked in a more realistic environment. The game opens with a gripping rendered sequence outlining the plot and these graphics are continued in the game's cut-sequences. In-game graphics are good and the sound is reminiscent of horror films of yesteryear, which adds atmospheric tension.
In terms of gameplay, the learning curve of this game quite steep and often unbalanced. The first puzzles to be solved are simple enough. However, after five solutions, they become much more obscure and often lead to frustration rather than cerebral deduction. Also, the obligatory inventory screen could've been more helpful by displaying the names of the items within, instead of making the player remember what was what.
Nevertheless, Stupid Invadersis a worthy effort to introduce a genre of game usually associated with the PC into the console market. There are many positives and, with perseverance, this 2-disc game is worth every penny. -- Alex Leung
Wetrix +

Take 2 Interactive