10 Sega Dreamcast Games You Really Should Have Played

9. Sonic Adventure

No doubt when Sega first dreamed up their Dorīmukyasuto they considered how Sonic would look on the format. Sonic had been so well connected as the Sega mascot by this point that I'm surprised the Dreamcast didn't actually feature the Blue Hedgehog's wagging finger anywhere on its case. First released in November 1998 (almost a year before the Dreamcast was launched in Europe) Sonic was, quite literally, the Dreamcast's leading title and was also the first game ever created for the format. It's no surprise therefore that, and I can hear the pun's already, Sonic's "head start" meant Sonic Adventure was to become the best selling game on the platform. According to estimates, it beat it's nearest rival for that privilege by almost 1.2 million copies alone, meaning that it was very far ahead in terms of competition. The only downside is that's sequel, released in 2001, came to late to help save the console as Sega had hoped. Set on a fictional island and located within a city, the plot was relatively straightforward, if you know anything in regards to 'Sonic 101' - Doctor Eggman plots to steal the seven Chaos Emeralds and some entity has been released to wreck havoc in the process. Despite the generic plot, the game gives you a chance to witness the full potential of its format, something that is rarely seen so early on in a console's lifespan. There's a triple treat from graphics, gameplay, and soundtrack which leave you feeling overwhelmed by the amount of effort that's gone into the game. And although it's not the first ever 3D Sonic game, it was the first in the Sonic the Hedgehog series to feature free-roaming 3D gameplay. But there's also another reason it makes this list and that's because of the Chao. The Chao was a virtual pet which could be cared for and raised by the player, but if they decided to download the additional Chao Adventure mini game, they could download the creature to their VMU (Visual Memory Unit) and go on the move - essentially taking a small part of the Dreamcast with them wherever they want. This simple - but pivotal - act changed gaming forever and soon console gamers were not simply restricted by the limitations of their physical machines, with modern technology allowing interaction between mobiles and cross platform play on multiple Sony formats.