As a huge fan of Sega's original Bass Fishing masterpiece, I found the sequel to be very disappointing. Bass Fishing 2 tries to be more "realistic" (read: harder) than the first game, but it's mainly just more frustrating. Instead of sitting on the shore, you're now in a boat with a fish finder, and you can steer it around the lake. That sounds awfully exciting, until you realize that you're restricted to a tiny area along the shoreline! What's the point? The scenery is remarkably boring, with a lot of docks, bridges, houses, and trailers. The gameplay mechanics haven't changed much. There are different types of casts (big deal) and there's an additional timing meter required to "bring the fish in". The underwater view is great, with realistic murky water and all sorts of debris lying down there. Unfortunately, the fish don't bite nearly as easily as they did in the last game. They do however tend to congregate around the hook and look like they're just about to bite, but rarely do! They'll follow the hook all the way in, and then turn away when they get within five feet of the boat. C'mon! This is almost as pointless and frustrating as real fishing! Still, the fights are pretty intense, and an undeniable sense of accomplishment is achieved from actually catching a fish. Purists may appreciate the challenge, but novices will grow impatient. The game does have a few nice new features including a "free fishing" mode and the ability to set the month, time of day, and weather conditions. NOTE: I was rather disturbed by the excessive amount of noise this game made in my Dreamcast. The disk mechanism thrashed throughout the WHOLE GAME! Very annoying! Bottom line: There are better fishing games for the Dreamcast. © Copyright 2002 The Video Game Critic.

The first Sega Rally was a landmark title on the Sega Saturn, but this Dreamcast sequel has some serious issues. Like any rally racer, the idea is to employ heavy drifting techniques to maintain your speed through rain, mud, and snow. If you find yourself sliding all over the place, don't worry - it's all part of the game. Hell, even the paved roads are slippery in this game! Sega Rally 2 (SR2) is structured much like the original game, but there are additional modes and the ability to modify your car's performance. The frame-rate is smooth enough, but the scenery looks dark and muddled. The tracks in the original Sega Rally may have been pixilated, but at least they were bright and inviting. Visibility is an ever-present problem in Rally 2, especially on the "Isle" tracks where everything's shrouded in fog and mountains "grow" as you approach. In the rain-soaked "Riviera" stage, you can't even see the road directly ahead on some turns! Predictably, the problem is twice as bad in the split-screen mode. The only tracks I truly enjoyed were the snow stages, with their picturesque evergreens and gently falling snowflakes. The controls are another liability. I'm usually competent at off-road games (damn good in fact), yet I found myself hitting every guardrail and riding every shoulder. Even the soundtrack is a mixed bag, with the cool, jazzy jams offset by cheesy electronic tunes. The heart of Sega Rally 2 is its "10-Year Championship mode", which I'm hoping to complete by 2018. Last but not least, why oh why does this game consume a whopping 87 memory blocks?! Hell, I have to dedicate an entire VMU to this lousy game! Considering the greatness of the original Sega Rally, this can only be considered a massive disappointment. © Copyright 2008 The Video Game Critic.

It always amazes me how game companies continually manage to screw up these "greatest hits" packages. This collection contains 12 excellent old games, most of them from the Genesis era (early 90s). There's something here for everyone, including arcade games (Sonic, Vectorman), fighting games (Revenge of Shinobi, Streets of Rage 2, Golden Axe, Wrestle War), RPGs (Shining Force, Phantasy Star II), puzzles (Columns, Sega Swirl), and even a light gun game (Virtua Cop 2). The wrestling game was formerly only available in the arcade, and Virtua Cop 2 was only on the Saturn. Sega Swirl is a freebee that most DC owners probably already have. If you've never owned these Genesis games before, or don't care to recollect them, this is a nifty little package. The games are fun but not 100% faithful to the originals. The graphics are much crisper than the originals, and the text is easier to read. The controls are fine, but the slowdown that plagued the original games persists. The worst part is the audio, which is borderline awful! Why an emulator couldn't reproduce the primitive Genesis sound is beyond me, but the music sounds tinny and way off-key. It's especially noticeable in Sonic and Streets of Rage 2, which originally had some excellent, catchy tunes. And it breaks my heart that Columns, which had such beautiful, relaxing music, sounds absolutely putrid. The audio really has a detrimental effect on the gameplay, and that's a shame because these titles deserve first-class treatment. Beyond the Genesis games, the wrestling game has nice graphics (for its time) but terrible animation. It's fun to play a few times, but that's about it. Virtua Cop 2 supports the Dreamcast light guns, so at least you have an excuse to dust those off. Overall, Sega Smashpack Volume 1 is sufficient for casual players, but longtime Genesis fans should stick with the originals. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

This 4-disk epic adventure game manages to create a realistic virtual world better than any game that preceded. Your character, a Japanese teenager in search of his father's killers, can walk around town, enter buildings, and interact with people. The graphics are outstanding, and the attention to detail is astounding. There are literally hundreds of people you can interact with, and each has their own personality, voice, and facial expressions. Not only can you explore houses, buildings, and shops, but the level of interaction is unprecedented, allowing you to open doors, closets, drawers, and refrigerators. You can turn lights on and off, purchase items from a store, play juke boxes, and use vending machines. Shenmue is a slow, deliberate adventure requiring you to do a lot of searching and clue gathering, but there are also fighting sequences that feature Virtua-Fighter style gang battles. You'll find several fun "mini-games" in the local arcade, including arcade-perfect versions of Hang-On and Space Harrier! The sound effects are excellent, and the Japanese background music adds atmosphere. The voice acting is well done, although some of the dialogue translation is unintentionally hilarious, like "I'm looking for a place where sailors go". There are a few minor flaws. First, the control is awkward at time, and it can be hard to position your character in front of certain objects. Also, you can only save you place in your bedroom, which means you'll have to hike back to the house all the time. Finally, although the streets are teeming with people, they often appear and disappear out of thin air, hurting the realism. But overall Shenmue is a quality game that really pushes the envelope. It's a bit slow and methodical, but if you don't mind the detective work, you'll find it quite satisfying. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

I played a demo of Skies of Arcadia back in 2000 and thought it was terrific. Little did I know it would be 17 years before I got around to playing the full game! This bright, sunny RPG takes place in a swashbuckling world of pirate ships that sail through the clouds. The game is loaded with likeable characters, exotic locations, and exciting predicaments. The cutscenes are rendered with a cinematic flair and the dialog is thoughtful and fun. Arcadia has a degree of polish that puts most modern RPGs to shame. Its elegant interface is so well designed that upgrading your party with new equipment is practically effortless. While exploring environments you only see the main character Vyse running around the screen but he represents your entire party. You'll want to explore every inch of the floating towns, castles, and dungeons, all of which are artistically rendered. Even the sewers are outfitted with elaborate gothic fixtures. I love how you often see locations on the horizon that foreshadow what's to come. There's a lot of cool special effects including the jarring way the screen shatters when a random encounter occurs. You'll face imaginative creatures like bunny-armadillos, tiki monsters, and zombies with insects latched to their heads. During the turned-based combat it's easy and fun to peruse your wheel of options, offering a wide array of magic, items, and special attacks. I find it interesting how enemies will sometimes flee, making your life a lot easier. The ability to navigate the skies and fight ship-to-ship adds a new dimension, with air battles unfolding like high-altitude chess matches. Skies of Arcadia is a classy game with a soaring orchestrated musical score. The save points are generally well-placed, although there were times I did get nervous during long stretches without one. The game even has VMU support, thanks to a little ghost named Cupil who beeps at you when treasure is near. Easy to play and impossible to dislike, Skies of Arcadia is first-class entertainment for the Dreamcast. NOTE: This game was also released for the GameCube. © Copyright 2017 The Video Game Critic.