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With Wii U all but dead now: What had the better life, The Dreamcast or Wii U?

Trojita

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
One system ended up being the last console a major game maker ever made, the other one is a system confused for a previous systems peripheral and won't have a notable new game released for almost a good year. Both systems have some classic games that were overlooked due to a low sales and an early console death.

For the Wii U, there's no game except for Zelda scheduled to come out after Tokyo Mirage Systems. Zelda has been pushed to 2017 at the earliest with a likely better NX version releasing the at the same time.

Dreamcast
Sonic Adventure - Sonic's first real 3D platformer. Might not hold up the best today, but it blew me away when I first played it.
Soul Calibur - An awesome 3D arcade fighter that came to the Dreamcast like I was playing it at the arcade.
Crazy Taxi - A near arcade perfect version of the Craaaaaaaaaaaaazy Taxi arcade game.
Jet Set Radio - An artistic game full of spraypainting fun.
Phantasy Star Online - A MORPG based on the fan favorite Phantasy Star Franchise. Ambitious internet connectivity that in many ways is a grandfather to the console internet games we play today.
Power Stone - A 3D arcade brawler.
Resident Evil: Code Veronica - A solid entry to the original Resident Evil Franchise.
Skies of Arcadia - A great RPG full of flying ship pirate fights.
Shenmue - One of the most ambitious games for its time I've ever played.
Sonic Adventure 2 - Sequel to Sonic Adventure. lot of Sonic Pals.
Shenmue II - Sequel to the ambitious Shenmue. Never came to the US! Came out on Xbox later in the US.
Marvel vs. Capcom II - A classic fighter. All that has to be said is that It's Maaaaaahvel Baybee. Where ya' curley mustache at?
Grandia II - A sequel to a beloved PS1/Saturn game. Had a lot of fun playing it.
Sakura Taisen 3 - A game that never came out in the west. One part each mech rpg anime dating simulator visual novel.

Wii U
New Super Mario Bros. Wii U - Good game. Crappy music
Super Mario 3D World - A good entry in the 3D Marios. Similar in vein to its 3DS predecessor.
Mario Kart 8 - A Great entry to the Mario Kart Franchise
Super Smash Bros. Wii U - Solid Entry to the Smash Franchise. This time it is playable on 3DS as well.
Super Mario Maker - Fun to be had making your own Mario levels and sharing them. People had been doing this themselves with Rom Hacks for years.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - A great return of the SNES classics.
Splatoon - Probably the one game that started on the Wii U that will shine for future years.
Xenoblade Chronicles: X - The Wii U's RPG (#FE comes out soon here). Good to mixed reviews. Has mechs!
Bayonetta 2 - A solid crazy action game. A game we were lucky to get.
Captain Toad: - Capitan Todd
Hyrule Warriors - A Zelda Musou. 3DS version came later.
Pokken Tournament - A pokemon fighting game that is actually good!
Lego City Undercover - A sleeper hit.
Pikmin 3 - Miyamoto's wild crazy gardening world in HD!
Zelda: Wind Waker Wii U - Pretty deep overhaul of the original game to make it shine with the graphics of the Wii U. Emphasis on the shine.
Zelda: Twilight Princess Wii U - A semi-decent upgrade to the original.
The Legend of Zelda Wii U - Not out yet. Won't be out till 2017 at the earliest.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions - Apparently a decent to good RPG. Confusing for fans of the varying properties as to who it is for.

I'm probably missing some titles for both especially for the Dreamcast. There's varying degrees on what people would consider notable or quality. The Dreamcast had a lot of good sports games as well.

Which system had the better life?
 
S

shandy706

Member
The Dreamcast had Shenmue.....It's hard to find any exclusive short of a masterpiece that would leave an impression on me above that.

As for overall life....I still pick Dreamcast.

Trojita said:
Dreamcast
Sonic Adventure
Soul Calibur
Crazy Taxi
Jet Set Radio
Phantasy Star Online
Power Stone
Skies of Arcadia
Shenmue
Sonic Adventure 2
Shenmue II
Marvel vs. Capcom II
Grandia II
Metropolis Street Racer - Added this as it's one of my favorite games all time.
NFL 2K!!! - Almost forgot!

Wii U
New Super Mario Bros. Wii U
Super Mario 3D Land
Mario Kart 8
Super Smash Bros. Wii U
Super Mario Maker
Splatoon
Bayonetta 2
Pikmin - I added this one
Captain Toad - I added this one too
Donkey Kong Countr:TF - ...and this one
Click to expand...

^^All of the above are the games I own(ed)/played. I added some you didn't have.
 
R

RK128

Member
Dreamcast hands down. Nintendo's first party line-up is great, but SEGA went on all cylinders with the Dreamcast.

We got the first 3D Sonic game ever made, great arcade ports like Crazy Taxi, groundbreaking titles like Shenmue and some really amazing SEGA games like Space Channel 5, Samba De Amigo, and Skies of Arcadia. Not to mention 3rd party support with Capcom (Power Stone, RE Code Veronica) and Namco (Soul Caliber).

The Dreamcast was and still is an amazing console. Wii U is a good one with some fun Nintendo games.
 
Toadthemushroom

Toadthemushroom

Member
Both Dreamcast and Wii U had their respective platform holders put everything behind them, which is great.

I'd have go with the Dreamcast, because the market at the time meant it was possible for that system to garner a bunch of third party titles (many of which are remembered fondly) which were likely profitable for their platform holders.

Wii U competed in a space where we now have dozens of other platforms, where the video game has become more commoditised. This prevented it from receiving bespoke titles that really shone on the format. Stuff like Affordable Space Adventures was the exception rather than the rule, the market has changed too much for the Wii U to ever seem like a format worth developing and publishing on for the majority of developers and publishers.
 
V

VendettaRed07

Member
The WiiU lasted longer. But the delays and long waiting between games harms the over all experience with the system honestly.

Dreamcast didn't stop delivering right up until it died.
 
N

NinjaCoachZ

Member
Dreamcast was Sega at their most crazy and experimental. Tons of creative, cult-hit new IPs and an absolute goldmine of high-quality arcade ports and arcade-style experiences from Sega and third-parties.

Splatoon and Mario Maker captured the same feeling on Wii U but overall it was otherwise just a console with good Nintendo games. The best Mario Kart, DK, and Smash Bros. games, franchises like Bayonetta, Xenoblade, and Star Fox getting a new lease on life, but otherwise it wasn't the same level of innovation and freshness that the Dreamcast had.

So I would say the Dreamcast for its superior diversity and originality. The Wii U is more like the North American Saturn if anything - even has the parallel of not getting its own exclusive entry in a premier franchise (Zelda and Sonic), but instead ports and spinoffs.
 
P

Pop-O-Matic

Banned
They were both honestly kind of ass, but at least the Dreamcast showed Sega the light and made them drop out of the console race. All the Wii U has succeeded in doing is wasting time and money.
 
D

DICKS AHOY

Banned
Considering both Sonic Adventure games are listed for the Dreamcast I'd sure as fuck list Tropical Freeze for the Wii U.

Criminally underrated given how fantastic it is and I hope Nintendo attribute its mild reception to the console and outside forces and not the quality of the game/IP itself.
 
SmokedMeat

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Wii U by far. Simply due to Nintendo's first party output being so much better then virtually anything Dreamcast had.
 
J

Jackano

Member
Both had good games anyway, but I will point out that at the "love" level they get from gamers, even only from Sega fans / Nintendo fans, Wii U is nowhere near DC.
In retrospect years from now, I don't think Nintendo fans will look back at it with strong nostalgia, unlike Sega fans with the DC (there are other reasons for that, too, I know).

Like the other thread says, Splatoon only is far from being enough. Wii U will not even get an exclusive Zelda title, that's the hard truth.
 
T

TheAngryMonkey

Member
I would add Pikmin 3 to your list of Wii U games, it was excellent.

I never owned a Dreamcast so by default I have to go with Wii U. Wii U would have been an amazing console if it came out when the Wii did. In the current climate, it's just too far behind.
 
N

nbnt

is responsible for the well-being of this island.
Dreamcast and it's not even close. Shenmue alone is enough, there's nothing on the Wii U on the same level.
 
Sapiens

Sapiens

Member
Shenmue 2 - no game on the Wii U gave as much of a damn as that classic. Sega gave it their all with DC.

It feels like Nintendo is holding back with the Wii U, imo for the sake of the NX (i'll be proven right).
 
Ceallach

Ceallach

Smells like fresh rosebuds
The Wii USA has higher highs than the DC, but the DC was more consistent.

Nothing on DC was as classic as Smash 4, 3D World, Pikmin 3, tropical Freeze, etc but Dreamcast had much more volume of good to great games.
 
J

Jon

Member
I *love* the WiiU, but I still have to go with the Dreamcast. Aside from the games you listed there was also the 2K sports series, which was likely the best early iterations of NFL and NBA games.
 
S

Supermanisdead

Member
Dreamcast no doubt about it. Apart from a few great exclusives like Bayo 2 and W101, Wii U isn't that great unless you are already invested in the Nintendo brand.
 
V

ViciousDS

Banned
Dreamcast had Shenmue,JSR, PSO, and Skies of Arcadia......not mention it brought over the Tokyo Xtreme Racer as well....not listed must not be a huge plus for some folks lol..........Dreamcast no doubt. They were all new to me as I never owned a Sega console prior. Nintendo.........I think Splatoon was the only thing I got sucked into. Xenoblade the game I bought the system for last holiday was such an insane let down it destroyed all my liking of the console :(. It now gathers dust while my Dreamcast still is used once every other week to slowly catch up on Shenmue.
 
B

bigkrev

Member
Dreamcast had a higher quantity of first party games, and had the best versions of multi platform games-Soul Reaver, Tony Hawk, Dino Crisis, Street Fighter Alpha 3 were all significantly improved from there PS1 versions.
 
O

oneida

Cock Strain, Lifetime Warranty
Dreamcast had VF3

tumblr_o47jjcUkvY1slig2vo1_400.gif

tumblr_o47iymirJy1slig2vo1_400.gif

tumblr_nwp786CKrW1slig2vo1_400.gif


boy do i love VF3
 
LQX

LQX

Member
You would have to be the most insane to say the Wii U. Dreamcast had way more quality releases.
 
M

maxcriden

Member
N.Grim said:
Wii U

You forgot the best game of this generation, Pikmin 3.
Click to expand...

For real. You also forgot these gems:

Nintendo Land
New Super Luigi U
Tropical Freeze (how?!)
Captain Toad
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
Yoshi's Woolly World

BTW, it's SM3DWorld. Land is for 3DS. :)
 
CollectedDust

CollectedDust

Member
Dreamcast. For me, it's not even close. Purchased both at launch, and played the key games discussed in this thread. The Dreamcast was something special for its time. The WiiU is fine, but it feels like just another Nintendo console to me.
 
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