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House of the Dead 2

"Sega of America, Inc."
Direct from the arcades to the Dreamcast, Sega has a sure-fire smash on its hands with this near arcade-quality translation of popular zombie shooter House of the Dead 2. Most fast-action gaming fans will immediately dive into the basic premise of this game: shoot and destroy the zombies that have invaded the creepy haunt known as the Curien Mansion.
For what it's worth, however, House of the Dead 2 does contain a pretty intriguing plot that moves beyond the simplistic point-and-shoot genre. In addition to the fast-moving action, there are several subplots that shed light on the darker secrets lurking within this eerie, zombie-infested environment. Gameplay can be set to accommodate several skill levels, including easy, medium, and hard game settings.
Even if you manage to master this game, there are several alternative plot and game paths that will keep you coming back for more. Your shooting patterns and on-screen actions will determine the plot path and gaming areas that you can explore. Skilled shooters and well-trained zombie slayers will be rewarded with secret game areas and unusual plot twists.
By saving the lives of innocent bystanders, you will usually be able to take a shorter path to the end of the game level. In addition, you'll often gain health bonuses that enable you to play longer. If you complete the game without allowing any hostages to die, you'll even unlock a secret bonus room.
A few years ago, Sega disappointed some hardcore fans with its less-than-perfect home translation of the original House of the Dead game. With House of the Dead 2, Sega has fully redeemed itself. The Dreamcast is the only home game system with the processing power to do the arcade game justice--and it shows. We just about drooled over the graphics, which have to be seen to be believed.
The home version even expands beyond the arcade gameplay with exclusive new levels, including a training mode that helps you practice your shooting skills before you enter the game. There are also several never-before-seen secret game areas that were developed exclusively for the Dreamcast.
The only disappointment here is Sega's decision not to include the light gun accessory with this title. You can play with a basic Dreamcast controller, but the game was designed with the light gun in mind. Without a light blaster, it's just not as fun. It's a good thing that third-party companies, such as InterAct, are already offering light guns that are compatible with the Dreamcast. We highly recommend purchasing this separately sold light gun accessory; it makes the game infinitely more enjoyable and, frankly, some of the harder areas of the game are almost impossible to beat without it. --Brett Atwood
Pros:
- Near perfect arcade-to-home translation
- Multiplayer support with a second Dreamcast controller or light gun (sold separately)
- Exclusive levels developed only for the Dreamcast
- Multiple game paths
Cons:
- Gameplay suffers without optional light gun accessory
Quake III Arena
Fur Fighters

Acclaim Entertainment Inc.
Spec Ops:Omega Squad DC

South Peak Interactive
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Rogue Spear

Red Storm
Bangai-O

SPIG
Fighting Force 2

Eidos Interactive
Similar to Syphon Filter for the PlayStation, Fighting Force 2 puts players in the role of a cyber-enhanced cop of the future that is trained to infiltrate evil research and development facilities, destroy their work, and clear out any and all opposition.
Fighting Force 2 has some of the biggest levels around, giving main character Hawk Manson the opportunity to explore multiple floors, smash through walls, and break almost anything in search of keys to new areas. Levels are filled with enemies whom Hawk can defeat with one of 20 weapons including rifles, knives, and sledgehammers. Weapons can be attained through the destruction of cabinets, soda machines, and crates.
Originally a PlayStation game, the transition to the Dreamcast hasn't exactly been a smooth one. Frankly, Fighting Force 2 has been transformed from a good game into an average one due to this version's poor player controls. Improved graphics are welcome, but now it's harder to position Hawk for a fight. The PlayStation version is definitely the more desirable of the two. --Robb Guido
Pros:
- Improved graphics over the PlayStation version
Cons:
- Mucky controls take away from what was a good game
MDK 2

Interplay
Playing MDK2 is like riding a roller coaster or watching a good action movie. In fact, fighting aliens has never been this much fun.
You begin the adventure as Kurt, a human in a Batman-like suit equipped with some loopy but lethal accessories. Kurt packs a powerful chain gun and a built-in parachute for gliding around levels. Kurt also has access to a simple-to-use sniper mode that allows you to smoothly zoom between multiple magnification levels (1x to 75x) for long-range kills. As the game progresses, you'll eventually be able to control Kurt's six-legged dog, Max. This is no ordinary housebroken pet. This not-so-cuddly creature can carry up to four guns at once for immense firepower. In addition, Max uses a jetpack to fly around (à la Boba Fett of Star Wars fame). Finally, there is Dr. Hawkins, who uses his scientific skills to combine common household objects into weapons of mass destruction. The diversity (and strangeness) of these characters adds a unique twist to the otherwise conventional gameplay.
Most of the environments you'll encounter in MDK2 are rendered in dark colors--perfectly suited for showing off the game's outstanding lighting effects. The graphics overall are crisp, incredibly detailed, and brimming with personality. Numerous cut-scenes are rendered using the game's 3-D engine, which lends much drama (not to mention comedy) to the storyline. This is one of those rare games that is as fun to watch as it is to play, and it belongs in the library of any action fan with a Dreamcast. --T. Byrl Baker
Pros:
- Impressive 3-D graphics
- Varied gameplay
- Intuitive controls
Cons:
- Very challenging
Unreal Tournament

Infogrames

What could be better than launching a rocket down a corridor as a computer-controlled opponent runs for cover? Answer: using an impact hammer on a friend. Unreal Tournament, the award-winning, multiplatform gem of first-person mayhem, has finally come to the Dreamcast. The game features more than 70 maps designed specifically for the old Swirl, as well as 10 very powerful weapons. The game's multiplayer mode allows you to take on up to six other players over the Internet, or go against a buddy in your own home via split-screen display.
Soldier of Fortune

Soldier of Fortune is a conversion of an 18-certificate PC game infamous for its politics and excessively violent nature, a first-person shooter straight out of the Quake II school. Four nuclear warheads have been stolen by a terrorist organization; they have to be retrieved and the people responsible eliminated, and thus you must make your way from A to Z, hitting switches, opening doors, and laying waste to a near endless supply of henchmen. The visuals are solid if unspectacular, but offer a variety of locations and environments. One level may not differ greatly from another, but it's thoroughly entertaining stuff, and atmospheric as well thanks to some moody background audio. Surprisingly for a console FPS, the joypad actually gives a tight, intuitive control (keyboard and mouse are also supported).
There are drawbacks that stop this title short of greatness. The enemy AI is lacking and can result in soldiers standing motionless while their comrades are shot down around them. Slowdown does occur towards the end when the terrorists throw everything they have at you (including a helicopter gunship), and long loading times between levels don't help the cause either. There's no online play, but the lack of any multiplayer options at all is a more severe omission--this would have given longevity to a game that's absorbing but lacks true replay value. --Jonathan Winter
Fighting Force 2

Eidos Interactive
Similar to Syphon Filter for the PlayStation, Fighting Force 2 puts players in the role of a cyber-enhanced cop of the future that is trained to infiltrate evil research and development facilities, destroy their work, and clear out any and all opposition.
Fighting Force 2 has some of the biggest levels around, giving main character Hawk Manson the opportunity to explore multiple floors, smash through walls, and break almost anything in search of keys to new areas. Levels are filled with enemies whom Hawk can defeat with one of 20 weapons including rifles, knives, and sledgehammers. Weapons can be attained through the destruction of cabinets, soda machines, and crates.
Originally a PlayStation game, the transition to the Dreamcast hasn't exactly been a smooth one. Frankly, Fighting Force 2 has been transformed from a good game into an average one due to this version's poor player controls. Improved graphics are welcome, but now it's harder to position Hawk for a fight. The PlayStation version is definitely the more desirable of the two. --Robb Guido
Pros:
- Improved graphics over the PlayStation version
Cons:
- Mucky controls take away from what was a good game
Armada

Metro 3D, Inc.
Top-down space shooters, so popular in the late '80s, have gone the way of leg warmers and Mr. T. With the influx of richly textured 3-D worlds and interactive environments, old-school shooters aren't exactly in massive demand. But Armada for the Dreamcast boldly bucks that trend by giving gamers more than just a rehashed shooter. Armada takes the addictive formula of breakneck shooting action and melds it ingeniously with role-playing game (RPG) elements such as involved character interaction and a growth system based on experience points.
As a member of Allied Command, you must annihilate the destructive Armada whose reign threatens all humankind. But behind this simplistic premise lies a deep gameplay system, where you travel within an enormous galaxy filled with space stations, supernovas, planets, and a battery of Armada ships. Although you are assigned primary missions, there are plenty of secondary objectives, spaceship tweaking, and status building during the nonlinear gameplay. In this way Armada cleverly interjects rapid shooting action with involved strategy elements to create a unique experience. Throw in four-player simultaneous play--with up to four people onscreen at once--and Armada has plenty of multiplayer fun as well. --Sajed Ahmed
Pros:
- Loaded with elements of sci-fi, fast shooters, and tactical play
- 6 distinct races to choose from
- RPG-like credit system, where you earn credits to spend on tweaking your ship
- Create and name your own character
Cons:
- The environments are muted
- Gameplay can become monotonous
Maken X

"Sega of America, Inc."
First-person shooters--the kind of game where you run around shooting everything in sight from a first-person perspective--are commonplace on most gaming consoles, except (for some odd reason) on the Dreamcast. Maken X is one of the few first-person shooters for the system, but it is so unconventional that it ultimately deserves a category all its own.
In this game you play Maken, which is best described as a futuristic sword that has the power to possess people. The characters you control run around the graphics-rich levels, slashing their way through countless bizarre enemies as the plot unfolds. As the game progresses, Maken can "brainjack" some of the other game characters, and that ability to possess others and play the game from their viewpoint is Maken X's real draw. Another strong point is the game's capacity for multiple endings. The conclusion is determined by the character that you choose to follow, which allows you to play through the game several times without the gameplay feeling stale.
Characters are very easy to control, which is a big plus given that most combat takes place within sword range of an enemy. At times, it feels like the game would play better from a third-person perspective, but the first-person gameplay is easy to get used to. --T. Byrl Baker
Pros:
- Beautiful graphics that are free from slowdown
- Multiple endings
- Unique gameplay
Cons:
- Horrendous voice acting
Confidential Mission
Cannon Spike

Sega Dreamcast

Battle a group of terrorist robots as one of seven characters from popular Capcom games, like Mega Man and Cammy. Other familiar characters include Charlie from Street Fighter, Arthur from Ghosts 'n' Goblins, and B.B. Hood from the DarkStalkers series. New characters include Shiva, an ex-snowboarding champion, and Simone, a fencing champion. The action-shooter gameplay contains both shooting and hand-to-hand combat, and features an isometric view. Players fly around by using "motor boots," and strategically avoid enemies' projectile attacks while counterattacking.
Mars Matrix

Taking the '80s art of 2-D space shooters and melding it with 21st-century technology, Mars Matrix fills the screen with intricate backgrounds, dozens of independently moving objects, and intense arcade action. Your tools in dealing with an onslaught of bullets from all directions are a fairly standard laser gun, a powerful pulse weapon, and a special attack that can allow your spacecraft to inhale incoming fire and return it in a fierce volley. Old-schoolers will be pleased to know they can recover the spoils of defeated enemies in power-up form, and go to a weapons shop where they can upgrade their rigs.
StarLancer
Hidden & Dangerous

TalonSoft
Saving the world from Nazi tyranny on the Dreamcast has never been this interesting or complicated. However, it's not the World War II goose steppers of Hidden and Dangerous that are the worst of your troubles. Rather, it's the high learning curve and general lack of intelligence of the men under your command.
As a leader of up to four of the finest fictional soldiers in Great Britain's Royal SAS, you must outfit and lead your men deep into enemy territory, fulfilling mission goals that rely more on stealth and speed than a quick trigger finger. By the way, your men can be picked off with one bullet, so watch where and how you step.
Since you are leading four individual troops, you might guess controlling them would be problematic. You'd be right. Every button on the Dreamcast controller is used multiple ways, and it will take a while to get used to controlling your troops. Thankfully, most controls can be accessed via a Dreamcast keyboard, which lessens the control problems. If you survive learning the interface, you'll find that Hidden and Dangerous's movielike musical score and atmosphere (thanks to nice graphics) make it quite absorbing, especially compared to the similar Rainbow Six.
Oddly, your men have a tendency to become trapped in corners, get run over by trains, and react very slowly when getting shot at. Occasionally, they'll float on nothing at all. These are all bugs that were in the PC version and should've been squashed before being released on the Dreamcast. Such sloppiness really does hurt the overall fun in Hidden and Dangerous. Instead of bringing home the Congressional Medal of Honor, the game scores a Purple Heart. --Mark Brooks
Pros:
- Interesting plot and nice graphics
- Soundtrack sounds like an old Hollywood WWII film
- Once you get used to the interface, Hidden and Dangerous can become quite absorbing
Cons:
- Ludicrously steep learning curve--unless you have a Sega keyboard
- Subordinate troops lack adequate artificial intelligence
- No improvements over the PC version
Army Men: Sarge's Heroes

Unknown
Silent Scope

Konami