10 Rarest Dreamcast Games in the World

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Dreamcast is one of those video game consoles that made a considerable mark in people’s childhood. Regrettably, due to low demand and fierce competition, Sega, the company behind Dreamcast, discontinued its production. Its lifespan was relatively short, which ran from 1998 to 2001.

After Dreamcast was concluded, more than 600 games were released for the console. Most of these games can easily be found, but there are those games that are extremely rare. Thus, they are valuable in the eyes of avid gamers and collectors.

In this post, you will find 10 of the rarest Dreamcast games, what they are, and what made them special.

10. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Rarity: Scarce
Year released: 1998
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting
Mode(s): Single-player and multiplayer

Jojo’s Bizarre AdventureImage source: Wikimedia.org

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is starting off our list, which looks similar to Street Fighter. This should not be surprising because the same team of developers worked on both games.

Released in 1998, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure comes with colorful characters, sophisticated visual effects, and detailed graphics, which were highly rated then.

In 2012, the game took a facelift as a high-definition version was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Did you know?

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is a game based on a manga with the same title. Hirohiko Araki wrote the manga that inspired the game.


9. Gunbird

Rarity: Rare
Year released: 2000
Developer: Psikyo
Genre: Scrolling shooter
Mode(s): Single-player and multiplayer

Street Fighter III Third StrikeImage source: Wikimedia.org

Gunbird is a popular 2D scrolling shooter game initially produced as an arcade game in 1998. Later, as it became popular, Psikyo, the game developer, produced a Dreamcast version.

Like other games in the scrolling shooter genre, you would need to shoot down enemies in Gunbird while evading their bullets. In the Dreamcast version, you can choose between Morrigan Aensland or Aine.

Did you know?

Gunbird has seen a revival of interest in the game. With the rise of smartphones, the game was morphed into a smartphone game for both iOs and Android in 2016.


8. Street Fighter III Third Strike

Rarity: Rare
Year released: 2000
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting game
Mode(s): Single-player and multiplayer

Street Fighter III Third StrikeImage source: Wikimedia.org

Street Fighter III 3rd Strike is part of the greater Street Fighter series by Capcom. After a year of success as an arcade game, Capcom released the Dreamcast version in 2000. Later, the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions were released, causing the demand for Dreamcast’s Street Fighter to drop.

What sets apart Street Fighter III from its predecessor is the addition of five new characters, most notably Chun-Li. Aside from that, the existing characters were further improved and refined.

Did you know?

Street Fighter is the most popular game ever developed by Capcom. First released in 1987 as an arcade game, Street Fighter inspired other fighting games and led many to create sequels and spin-offs of the game.


7. Resident Evil 2

Rarity: Rare
Year released: 1998
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Survival horror
Mode(s): Single-player

Resident Evil 2Image source: Wikimedia.org

Resident Evil is perhaps the most popular survival horror video game that hit the gaming industry. So, it is not difficult to see why Capcom, the game developer, would release different subsequent remakes. One of these remakes is Resident Evil 2.

Resident Evil 2 wasn’t just available for Dreamcast but also on other platforms such as Playstation, Nintendo 64, Windows, Game.com, and GameCube. Other platforms were more popular, so Dreamcast’s version of Resident Evil 2 wasn’t too popular.

As a result, Dreamcast’s Resident Evil 2 became somewhat rare, and not many copies survive.

Did you know?

Resident Evil 2 isn’t that different from the original Resident Evil game in terms of its script. The storyline follows the same trend as the two players, Leon and Claire, would go through their own respective versions of the game.


6. Illbleed

Rarity: Very rare
Year released: 2001
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Survival horror
Mode(s): Single-player

IllbleedImage source: Wikimedia.org

Illbleed is one of those survival horror games inspired by actual horror films in the United States. During the game, you follow a group of horror movie fans primarily led by Eriko Christy.

There are six haunted houses in the game. You would need to go through each of these houses while defeating enemies, removing hidden traps, and successfully coming out of the horror house.

Since the Illbleed was released after Sega’s announcement to discontinue Dreamcast, the game didn’t take off as more and more people weren’t interested in the game console.

Did you know?

Illbleed was developed by Crazy Games, formerly known as Climax Graphics. Under the former name, they developed Blue Stinger, an action-adventure game designed for Dreamcast.


5. Project Justice

Rarity: Very rare
Year released: 2000
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting game
Mode(s): Single-player and multiplayer

Project JusticeImage source: Wikimedia.org

You’re right if you think Project Justice looks the same as Rival Schools. Project Justice is a sequel to the said game. Thus, you’ll see that the game’s full name is Project Justice: Rival Schools in Australia, Latin America, and Europe.

Capcom already knew that Sega would discontinue Dreamcast in 2001. Since Capcom had started developing the game, they decided to push through. As a result, only a few copies were sold since people knew that customer support for Dreamcast would soon dwindle.

Did you know?

Project Justice’s main difference from its predecessor is the Story Mode and Free Mode. The United by Fate version only has a story mode if you select characters from the same school.


4. Giga Wings 2

Rarity: Very rare
Year released: 2000
Developer: Takumi Corporation
Genre: Manic shooter
Mode(s): Single-player and multiplayer

Giga Wings 2Image source: Wikimedia.org

Released in 2000, Giga Wings 2 is a vertical-scrolling shooter arcade game that was first developed for the NAOMI arcade system. Later, it was then developed to be compatible with the Dreamcast console.

The Dreamcast version of Giga Wings 2 has features not found in the arcade version. For example, the Dreamcast Giga Wings 2 added gallery mode, 4-player mode, attack mode, and online ranking features.

In Japan, Giga Wings 2 was once considered to be the most beloved game for the month of March 2001. However, the Dreamcast version didn’t receive the same enthusiasm.

Did you know?

Giga Wings 2 isn’t just about games. It is also about music. Giga Wings 2 features a soundtrack composed by Yasushi Kaminishi. The game developers released the orchestral soundtrack on CD.


3. Cannon Spike

Rarity: Extremely rare
Year released: 2000
Developer: Psikyo
Genre: Multi-directional shooter
Mode(s): Single-player and multiplayer

Cannon SpikeImage source: Wikimedia.org

Dreamcast games released in the year 2000 and beyond are usually the ones that are rare because of the low production of copies. Cannon Spike is one of those games released in the 2000s.

If you have played Commando and Smash TV before, you’ll soon feel that Cannon Spike looks familiar. However, the main difference is that Cannon Spike’s gameplay includes more fighting with big bosses.

You can use and play different characters, including Arthur, Cammy, and Mega Man.

Did you know?

Cannon Spike is the last Dreamcast game released in Europe. Bigben Interactive published the game; people can only buy copies from Game outlets.


2. Border Down

Rarity: Extremely rare
Year released: 2003
Developer: G.rev
Genre: Horizontal scrolling shooter
Mode(s): Single-player

Border DownImage source: Wikimedia.org

Border Down is another rare Dreamcast game. G.rev developed and published this horizontally scrolling shooter game in 2003. The publisher produced the first version of this game for the Sega NAOMI hardware, which was later developed to be compatible with Dreamcast.

Border Down is about human beings who have colonized Mars. However, life wasn’t perfect after that since aliens tried to attack and invade the newly formed colony. The game aims to defeat the aliens and ensure the safety of the human race.


1. Karous

Rarity: Extremely rare
Year released: 2006
Developer: Milestone Inc.
Genre: Vertical-scrolling shooter
Mode(s): Single-player

KarousImage source: Wikimedia.org

Karous is the rarest Dreamcast game today because of the limited copies produced during the launch date. This game came into the market after Sega discontinued Dreamcast production. As a result, there was no actual demand for the game, and the publishers didn’t see the need to create more copies of the Karous.

During the game, you take on the role of the pilot, whose name is Karous. As a vertical-scrolling shooter game, your fighter plane shoots down enemies while you try to dodge their bullets. There are special bombs, shields, and weapons that you can activate during the game.

Did you know?

Karous is the final licensed game of Dreamcast. This game was initially developed for the Sega NAOMI arcade platform.

rarest_alvin

Head of Content at Rarest.org

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