It’s done. After years of hunting, haggling, and tinkering, I’ve finally completed my full US Dreamcast retro collection. Every single game released in the States for Sega’s swan-song console is now sitting on my shelf—or, more accurately, in a carefully organized storage bin because, let’s be real, I don’t have that much shelf space. The feeling? A wild mix of fun, excitement, and now… a bittersweet sadness. The chase is over, and while I don’t play most of these games as much as I thought I would, the journey to get here? That was everything.
The Hunt Was the Heart of It
This all started with two dusty Dreamcasts I found buried in a box in my attic. I’d forgotten I even had them—relics of a younger me who’d moved on to newer systems. One look at those sleek, white boxes with their iconic orange swirl, and I was hooked again. From there, it was a full-on treasure hunt. Thrift shops became my weekend haunts, their cluttered shelves hiding gems like Sonic Adventure or Crazy Taxi for a couple of bucks. Garage sales were hit-or-miss goldmines—sometimes I’d walk away with nothing, sometimes I’d score a pristine copy of Power Stone for a fiver. Friends and family chipped in too, passing along duplicates or games they’d outgrown. And of course, eBay and Facebook Marketplace filled in the gaps when I needed something specific, though I’ll admit I winced at some of those shipping fees.
The thrill wasn’t just in the games themselves—it was the stories behind them. That beat-up copy of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 from a guy who swore it was his college dorm MVP? Worth every penny. The Shenmue I snagged from a thrift store with a handwritten “Happy Birthday, Tim!” note tucked inside the case? A little piece of someone else’s history. Every find felt like a victory, a step closer to the finish line.
Modding and Playing—My Way
Those two Dreamcasts I started with? They became my guinea pigs. One got modded with an SD card reader so I could load games digitally and play them on my old Sony CRT. There’s something magical about that fuzzy, warm glow of a CRT screen—the way it softens the jagged edges of retro graphics and makes games like Ikaruga or Bangai-O feel like they were meant to be played that way. The other Dreamcast I hooked up to my 85-inch modern HDTV. It’s a different vibe—crisp, sharp, and honestly a little surreal seeing Jet Grind Radio’s cel-shaded skaters blown up that big. I love both setups for different reasons, and switching between them keeps things fresh.
My favorites in the collection lean heavily into Sega’s strengths. The Sega classics like Sonic Adventure 2 and Virtua Tennis never get old. The fighters—Street Fighter Alpha 3, Dead or Alive 2, Soulcalibur—are pure adrenaline, especially when I rope a friend into playing. And the shoot-em-ups? Oh man, Giga Wing, Mars Matrix, and Triggerheart Exelica are my go-tos when I want to zone out and dodge bullet hell. I don’t play everything, though. Some games—like the sports titles or quirky oddballs—were more about the collecting than the playing. And that’s okay. The hunt was the real game.
The Post-Victory Blues
So why am I sad now that it’s over? I think it’s because the journey gave me purpose. There was always another game to track down, another deal to chase, another “what if” to explore at the next flea market. Now that I’ve got them all, the Dreamcast chapter feels closed. Sure, I can pop in Resident Evil: Code Veronica or Skies of Arcadia anytime, but it’s not the same as the anticipation of finding them in the wild. It’s like finishing a great book—you’re glad you read it, but you miss the feeling of being in the middle of it.
What’s Next? GameCube Awaits
The good news? I’ve got a new quest on the horizon. My GameCube collection is close to complete, but I’m still about 20 games shy of the full US set. I’ve already got the heavy hitters—Super Smash Bros. Melee, Metroid Prime, Animal Crossing—but there are some elusive ones left, like Cubivore and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. I can already feel the itch starting again: scouring local listings, digging through bins, maybe even modding a GameCube for that sweet SD card life. The Dreamcast journey was incredible, but it’s time to turn the page. The GameCube hunt is calling, and I’m ready to dive back in.
Here’s to the next adventure—and all the thrift shop victories yet to come.