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The Scary Side of Sega
"The Dreamcast's Scariest Games!" - by Retrovertigo
Halloween is right around the corner, and what better way to honor some of Sega's scariest games than a list of some of the most frightening games for the Dreamcast
We've compiled a list of the Dreamcast's scariest games and our thoughts on them.
House of the Dead 2, by Sega
Genre: Light Gun Shooter
Many years ago, when you'd go to arcades and play the light gun shooters, chances are you were shooting at Wild West outlaws, criminals, or space aliens. House of the Dead 2, sequel to the first House of the Dead, went a step further than the other arcade shooters that were out at that time. Sega included some gory, green zombie blood splatter action! The game used polygon models that allowed for deformable zombie characters that would blow apart depending on where your shots hit.
HOTD2 was also a launch title for the Dreamcast, but it was unfortunate that Sega did not release its official first-party light gun accessory in the U.S. The third-party light gun that I purchased, was less than stellar on all three of the Dreamcast light gun games, especially during the calibration process.
Most frightening aspect of the game:
Even more horrendous than the green zombie blood and guts are the atrocious unemotional voiceovers! (FYI, the other good light gun shooter Confidential Mission has similar scary voice talent.)
Carrier, by Jaleco
Genre: Survival
This was the first survival title for the Dreamcast, and takes place aboard a plant-infested aircraft carrier. Of course, these are no ordinary periwinkles - unless ordinary periwinkles kill and mutate crewmembers and turn them into mindless killers.
Carrier was a pretty decent game on its own. However, when compared to Resident Evil: Code Veronica, the game is visually inferior, and the gameplay isn't as good. If it wasn't for RE:CV's month delay in early 2000, Carrier may have gone completely unnoticed.
Most frightening aspect of the game:
The weird slowdown. Some locations in Carrier suffered from slowdown that I can only describe as a "walking-in-molasses" type of slowdown, and the environments weren't even really that big or detailed, which could be a result of bad optimization.
Resident Evil: Code Veronica, by Capcom
Genre: Survival
Carrier was definitely the first must-own survival game for the Dreamcast, but when Capcom's Resident Evil: Code Veronica was released a month later, it was very apparent that Capcom knew how to properly tap the power of Sega's console.
RE:CV plays a lot like the earlier Resident Evil games but seems to focus less on the Night of the Living Dead brain-eating zombie storyline, and is a little more psychologically disturbing along the lines of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho." However, there are plenty of zombies and weird creatures to whoop up on.
Most frightening aspect of the game:
The weird subject matter of the game is pretty strange. Wesker's secret is also a little unconventional for a video game, and was a good twist. Oh, and co-protagonist Steve's whiny voice talent was quite grating on the ears at times.
D2, by Warp / Sega
Genre: Survival / Action
D2 was perhaps one of the most bizarre gaming experiences I've ever had. The game takes place in the snowy Canadian mountains, after a plane crashes after being hijacked by some loony cult members. You play Laura Parton, the mysterious mute heroine, who somehow manages to walk around the snowy landscape in a mini skirt.
D2 features a mix of Resident Evil like exploration, with elements of RPG-leveling up and arcade action shoot-'em-ups. D2 is very bizarre and even contains some adult subject matter that is quite disturbing. The cinematic during the first monster encounter was edited slightly for the U.S. release, which caused a little controversy.
The most frightening aspect of the game:
The game as a whole is just completely bizarre and creepy, the setting, characters, and subject matter is just plain weird - and I loved it! I'm still wondering how Laura walked around in the snow in a mini skirt without getting frostbite on her legs. Now that's weird!
Next: More Scary Dreamcast Games
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