Well I am sure you have seen a quite a bit of Dreamcast coverage, but I finally had a chance to play with a Dreamcast first hand. So was I impressed? Sort of. It's funny. I remember the first time I played Mario 64 at a Blockbuster a while before the N64 was released. I just about soiled myself. Between the controller, the systems power, and the game, I was absolutely astounded. Plus I knew I was going to purchase the system. The Dreamcast has interested me in a way. I like Sonic, and most of the Sega arcade titles would make any video game freak interested in this system.. I was even thinking of importing one of these puppies (especially since the price has dropped considerably). Now that I have actually been able to play these games would I do it? No. And here is why....

First off, Sonic was the game that I really wanted to see. The graphics were, as said before brilliant. Very crisp, very clean, and FAST. Sometimes too fast. Sometimes while trying to get one of the rings or whatever, Sonic was so fast, I would miss my target. Maybe since I haven't played the system that much...but still. Mario had that "oh so tight" feeling. There also was a lot of collision problems. I went through a couple walls that I wasn't supposed to and died. Not only that but, well there was this slight problem with not knowing Japanese....All in all, I'd say the game was rushed. Definitely not yet a triple A title like Mario 64. We'll have to see what it's like when it hits the US this fall.

I also got to play Virtua Fighter 3tb. Now I have to admit that I am not the biggest fighting game fan in the world, but this really impressed me. Probably since there hasn't been any exceptional fighters for the 64. Graphics, control, and everything really seemed to be there. I only played this for about 10-15 min, but from what I saw and heard I liked it. Plus there wasn't any Japanese!

Overall I have mixed feelings for the Dreamcast. Graphically and aurally everything I have experienced was very nice. The controller is average. As far as what I have seen so far there really isn't any reason to import as far as I am concerned. Too much Japanese in Sonic...blech. Unless for some reason you have a lot of money burning holes in your pockets. I am looking forward to seeing the release list for the US launch though. Sonic was fun...needs improvement, but it was fun to play Sonic in 3D. I guess what was really cool about all of this is, is that if the graphics of the Dreamcast were this delicious, how great will the N2000 be? :)