My OperaSo long Old Faithful
Friday, September 12, 2008 7:23:08 PM
Tragic news friends, my best friend, the guy who's kept me sane since I left school has dies, just 2 weeks before his 9th birthday.
Granted he wasn't in the best of health, he quite often needed his pins cleaning, sometimes bending into/out of position. There were times when he wouldn't even recognise that I was trying to play with him and I'd have to turn him on all over again.
I am of course talking about my Dreamcast, Sega's box of wonder that has been by my side since launch day. The greatest console of all time, staggering game after staggering game, and the supplier of so many great gaming memories.
I'll never forget the struggle I had getting you online, but you supplying my teenage years with access to free porn just when I needed it. And the time I had saved a doctored image of Britney with a milk bottle in her fanny, not realising that you'd pick an image from my VMU to use as a screen saver. It was hard to tell whether my dad was angry, embarrassed or amused when I wandered back into the room to find him stood there. Great times.
I remember heading into Chester with mates, nipping into Game just to kill a bit of time and noticing an extraordinarily long que, puzzled I scanned the store and its customers, why was there such a freakish que? Of course it was because Shenmue had broken street date, I immediately snatched a copy and joined the hordes, sharing nervous looks with a fellow Dreamer praying this wasn't some horrible trick. Shenmue itself provided its own memories, my brother and his mate watching as I played the epic masterpiece, not wanting to play only to watch. I was on holiday from work at the time, but because I was heading towards the final breathtaking moments I called in sick on my day back just so I could finish the game uninterrupted.
You became something of a communal ritual, epic Soul Calibur battles were a given, as was getting destroyed by my button mashing brother. Before football every sunday a friend would come round just so we could tear through House of the Dead 2 to get us 'in the mood'. The hilarity of the ninja roping escapades on Worms, twitch gameplay in one of gamings slowest genres. I'd take on all comers on Streetfighter Alpha's dynamic fighter mode, granted I'd feel a bit cheap when I'd unleash a super-move if my friends looked like they were going to beat me, but I always knew you were routing for me.
Long after your official passing you stayed with me, heading to University and holding your own against he PS2, Gamecube and Xbox. How could they compete when you were offering 4 player Virtua Tennis, Project Justice and Guilty Gear. Ikaruga was daily for an entire term and I found new love for old classics like Berserk and Jet Set Radio.
Even at a non-geek student party one of your cousins was set up to keep us entertained. The host had been killing time till his guests arrived by trying to finish the crazy box in Crazy Taxi. Everyone took a turn trying to beat the last box, a mad race to the finish. The controller was handed to me just as I reached the optimum blood alcohol level familiar to pool players everywhere. I ended up defeated too, a mere second away from crossing the finish line to the giddy groans of my peers. I was forced to have another go but alas I'd tipped over the edge and was now far too drunk to show any crazy skills, only to pull and then later projectile vomit.
Up until your untimely death you were in use, with peripherals regularly being slotted into you, and you can't say I didn't keep you well fed with new games!
To quote Frightened Rabbit "I wish we'd never met then met today". Farewell my beautiful brother, though I may buy another Dreamcast, you will forever be my Drizzle Sizzle.
Granted he wasn't in the best of health, he quite often needed his pins cleaning, sometimes bending into/out of position. There were times when he wouldn't even recognise that I was trying to play with him and I'd have to turn him on all over again.
I am of course talking about my Dreamcast, Sega's box of wonder that has been by my side since launch day. The greatest console of all time, staggering game after staggering game, and the supplier of so many great gaming memories.
I'll never forget the struggle I had getting you online, but you supplying my teenage years with access to free porn just when I needed it. And the time I had saved a doctored image of Britney with a milk bottle in her fanny, not realising that you'd pick an image from my VMU to use as a screen saver. It was hard to tell whether my dad was angry, embarrassed or amused when I wandered back into the room to find him stood there. Great times.
I remember heading into Chester with mates, nipping into Game just to kill a bit of time and noticing an extraordinarily long que, puzzled I scanned the store and its customers, why was there such a freakish que? Of course it was because Shenmue had broken street date, I immediately snatched a copy and joined the hordes, sharing nervous looks with a fellow Dreamer praying this wasn't some horrible trick. Shenmue itself provided its own memories, my brother and his mate watching as I played the epic masterpiece, not wanting to play only to watch. I was on holiday from work at the time, but because I was heading towards the final breathtaking moments I called in sick on my day back just so I could finish the game uninterrupted.
You became something of a communal ritual, epic Soul Calibur battles were a given, as was getting destroyed by my button mashing brother. Before football every sunday a friend would come round just so we could tear through House of the Dead 2 to get us 'in the mood'. The hilarity of the ninja roping escapades on Worms, twitch gameplay in one of gamings slowest genres. I'd take on all comers on Streetfighter Alpha's dynamic fighter mode, granted I'd feel a bit cheap when I'd unleash a super-move if my friends looked like they were going to beat me, but I always knew you were routing for me.
Long after your official passing you stayed with me, heading to University and holding your own against he PS2, Gamecube and Xbox. How could they compete when you were offering 4 player Virtua Tennis, Project Justice and Guilty Gear. Ikaruga was daily for an entire term and I found new love for old classics like Berserk and Jet Set Radio.
Even at a non-geek student party one of your cousins was set up to keep us entertained. The host had been killing time till his guests arrived by trying to finish the crazy box in Crazy Taxi. Everyone took a turn trying to beat the last box, a mad race to the finish. The controller was handed to me just as I reached the optimum blood alcohol level familiar to pool players everywhere. I ended up defeated too, a mere second away from crossing the finish line to the giddy groans of my peers. I was forced to have another go but alas I'd tipped over the edge and was now far too drunk to show any crazy skills, only to pull and then later projectile vomit.
Up until your untimely death you were in use, with peripherals regularly being slotted into you, and you can't say I didn't keep you well fed with new games!
To quote Frightened Rabbit "I wish we'd never met then met today". Farewell my beautiful brother, though I may buy another Dreamcast, you will forever be my Drizzle Sizzle.
