Summary
Comingoff the Sega Saturnand given how fan-beloved theDreamcastis, you’d think the games for the console would be ludicrously expensive. However, it’s a pleasant surprise that the prices aren’t too bad.
The rarest games are still hundreds of dollars, but the library here is little league compared to the big league prices of Saturn or the PlayStation 2. The Dreamcast didn’t even last two full years in North America, so the library’s rather short, and the Dreamcast did sell well in this region, likely leading to lower prices.
All values are based onPriceCharting’scomplete price at the time of writing.
8Seaman Mic Bundle - $185
The Oddest Dreamcast Game
Outof all the Dreamcast exclusives, none stick out quite like Seaman. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind title with a strangeness that can’t be matched. It also explicitly uses the Dreamcast microphone to communicate with the fish, and while you can buy this game separately, you’ll probably want the Seaman Mic Bundle, as it’s unlikely you’ll have a spare Dreamcast mic lying around.
This Mic Bundle is close to $100 over the price of the regular Seaman game, which is about accurate, considering the market value of the mic itself. With Seaman’s cult following, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s nearing the $200 range.
7Resident Evil 2 Classic - $189
The Hardest RE2 Around
There’s a reason many were happy when the original Resident Evil trilogy got released on GOG: the OG titles were getting pricey. The preferredGameCube versions were over $100in price, but the Dreamcast ports are also pretty expensive. The main selling point of the Dreamcast version ofResident Evil 2is harder difficulty modes, as you have an Expert mode and Nightmare mode.
Nightmare definitely matches the difficulty of Hardcore from the remake, as you may die from just two hits. It’s a great way to spice up the experience if you’ve played through it so many times. These difficulty modes were also in the PC port, and when it drops on GOG, it’s very likely this Dreamcast version will drop in price.
6Tech Romancer - $190
The First Of Many Rare Fighting Games
Fighting games are one of the best genres to play on the Dreamcast. There’s an unbelievably good amount of them, and heck, even Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is still played today on Dreamcast in tournaments. Capcom had a lot of stellar offerings, one of them being Tech Romancer.
It’s an incredible mech 3D fighter and one of the best of its kind. Sadly, it’s a Dreamcast console exclusive, with the only other version being the Arcade port. Capcom hasn’t rereleased many of these 3D fighters, so the prices will likely stay high.
5Project Justice - $211
The Hidden Sequel
Project Justice is another 3D fighting game by Capcom, and it’s actually a sequel to the 90s cult classic 3D fighter Rival Schools. That title has quite a bit of notoriety, so its sequel is sought after. Project Justice got great reviews, as did most 3D fighters on the console, and it’s once again a console exclusive.
At least the first Rival Schools was rereleased on the Japanese PSN store, but no luck for Project Justice. A reason why a lot of these games were released for the Dreamcast is that the Sega Naomi arcade board used in these fighting games has a very similar architecture, making them easy to port over.
4Speed Devils Clean Cover - $231
A Rare Variant
It’s surprising to see a rare variant on a system that didn’t even last two full years, but one exists. The game is Speed Devils, a rather by-the-numbers racing game, but an issue occurred during the title’s first printing. The devil that’s supposed to be in the middle of the game’s logo is absent, and this was found out by the game’s distributor.
As such, they put a huge sticker covering the entire box art on top of it, which looks awful. Most will peel that sticker off. The game’s second printing completely fixed this issue, and so the original clean cover is hard to come by.
3Illbleed - $251
The Rarest Dreamcast Horror Game
The most fan-beloved exclusive horror game on the Dreamcast has to be Illbleed. With a horror-themed amusement park, B movie vibe, unique gameplay systems, and wild scenarios, it’s another one-of-a-kind experience. Produced and written by the late great Shinya Nishigaki, Illbleed launched just a few months after the Dreamcast was discounted in April 2001.
Ironic, considering the whole reason this game was made was because of the success of Blue Stinger, a Dreamcast launch title. The developer probably didn’t think Sega would throw in the towel by the time their next horror game came out in two years. Console games released near the end or even after their lifecycle tend to get pricey, and Illbleed’s no different.
2Giga Wing 2 - $299
Another Late-Era Title
Shmups were big in the late 90s and early 2000s, withso many excellent, phenomenal titles to pick from. The original Giga Wing was already a lot of fun, but Giga Wing 2 pushed things even further. It’s one of the best shmups on the system, but it sadly got released in North America in May 2001.
Most people have probably traded in their Dreamcast at that point to get a PS2 since Sega announced the console’s discontinuation in January. Thankfully, if you want to play this game, you can buy the Japanese version, which only costs about $100.
1Cannon Spike - $309
One Big Capcom Family Reunion
Named after the infamous DP move from Cammy’s move set in Street Fighter, Cannon Spike is a multi-directional shooter in the same vein as Robotron 2084 or Dead Ops Arcade from Call of Duty. What sets Cannon Spike apart and what adds a lot of fun is the roster.
You have a Capcom all-star cast featuring Cammy and Charlie from Street Fighter, Mega Man, Baby Bonnie Hood from Darkstalkers, Arthur from Ghosts ‘n Goblins, and a few knock-off characters they couldn’t directly use, probably due to licensing issues. It’s a great time, but not worth $300. It’s not on the same artistic level as something like Haunting Ground, where you could argue the over $300 price is worth it.
