Dreamcaster supersonics the hedgehog

COURTESY SEGA Go Dreamcaster, go!

For many of us who nightly thrust our noses into our Yale-prescribed books, it's easy to forget how fun it was to be a player. Super Mario and Mega Man developed our childhood consciousness as much as Mr. Rogers. They grew up with us, forging ahead into new sequels and game systems just as we moved into new grades and new schools. And now, just as we begin to question the value of mindless entertainment, Sega offers us the CD-based game system Dreamcast, and with it, a chance to bring all those old joys back.

The video game industry is a pretty full bed. Dreamcast is merely another warm body nudging its way into the pile. Fortunately, this body is hotter than most. With 128 bits of power to Sony Playstation's 32 and Nintendo's 64, Dreamcast sports a pretty impressive package. Its sound system is crisp and lively and its graphics are nearly flawless, with a clarity and attention to detail that push all other competitors firmly into the second tier. The console itself is endearing: a petit white box with four controller ports, traditional topwise loading, and not much else. If Playstation and Nintendo 64 are generic candy bars, then Dreamcast is a $200, delectable, white-chocolate bon-bon.

The system's elegance stops short of its user interface, however. Instead of Nintendo's ingenious phallic symbols, Dreamcast's controllers are merely competent. A giant hole where an add-on memory card should be stares the user in the face, admonishing him to give Sega another 25 bucks. The six buttons are well placed, but the presence of both four-way and analog thumbpads makes things a bit cluttered.

Of course, in some ways, more is better. Selection-wise, Sega has come roaring out of the gate with 31 available titles, reasonably priced between $40 or $50. Sega favorites Virtua Fighter, Sega Rally, and Sonic the Hedgehog are all here in Roman-numeraled incarnations, but Dreamers also have their pick of sports games like NBA 2K and fighters such as Marvel Versus Capcom. And because the Dreamcast's engine is based on the Microsoft Windows operating system, game developers will have an easy time converting computer games for Dreamcast.

Then again, who wants to play rehashed PC games? Who likes anything to be rehashed, or even hashed for that matter? Gamers, that's who. Since Playstation's introduction of 3D, no company has noticeably altered its polygon-based style of play, and Dreamcast is no exception, despite the sheen of dynamite graphics. Like its soon-to-be-contemporary Playstation Two, Sega's new effort suffers from the creative stultification of the gaming industry.

That said, this souped-up system is pretty friggin' cool. As anyone with a prosthetic limb will tell you, technology sure helps. Sega, especially in its flagship Sonic Adventure, creates worlds that are engrossing in their spectacle. Facial expressions and architectural nuances are rendered with jaw-dropping detail. But on the whole, Sega doesn't try to prove anything because it doesn't have to.

That's what gets you about Dreamcast. It evinces a certain surefootedness that Sega has not seen since the Genesis. They know they have something here, and are moving full tilt with what promises to be one of the major players in the new, elevated video game wars. If confidence is sexy, this system is indeed a turn-on.

But somehow, even after hours of messy electronic fun, the thrill of performing Sonic's 3D super-jump merely echoes Sonic's now-uncool 2D normal-jump. We've been to this new world before. Even in the heat of enjoying what Dreamcast offers us, it's hard to shake that image of mom looking at you sternly as you parade up and down the supermarket aisle with candy bars in one hand and your allowance in the other. As you reach for that last bit of chocolate, she inevitably asks, "Are you sure you need another one?"

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