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Written by: BoneStormer

As we all know, one of the selling points of DC way back at launch was
that it came with a modem and the promise of online gaming. Sega dragged
its feet with online gaming, but finally almost two years later the online
portion of DC is booming. There are now 17 online games for DC (sorry,
Swirl doesn't count:), with about 6 more coming. This is what people had
hoped for at launch (but never thought it would take this long to get
here). There is a wide variety of games available, from PC ports to arcade
conversions. Below I have listed the top 5 DC online games from my experiences
(based on both actually gameplay and how well they play online). I haven't
played all online DC games extensively, but from the little I've played
of some, I'm pretty sure that even given more time with them they wouldn't
change my list:) And so now, the winners are...

Honorable Mention - ChuChu Rocket

Props for being the first REAL online DC game. This game was a blast
online, lag and all. I say was cause sadly no one plays it anymore. The
lag really changes the feel of the game from the fast paced (lag-free)
offline mode, and while not as cool, it didn't ruin the game. The online
interface wasn't all that great either. The idea behind the lobbies wasn't
bad, but having to switch from the chat room to the list of players/menu
was very annoying. As with any game that lists players wins/loses, cheaters
came to haunt ChuChu; but all in all it was a very tight knit community.
Overall a fun Bomberman-Lemmings cross. I'd still play it today now and
then if others actually stiill played it:)

#5 - Alien Front Online

AFO actually is more than the much ballyhooed voice chat. Ah yes, voice
chat. I mean really, how cool is that! It actually works fairly well too.
Plus there is NO delay in firing your weapons online and the game still
plays at about 60fps. However the manual says, "In order to increase
the response time of this game online, we had to slightly decrease the
consistency of the data transferred across the network." This leads
to four side-effects. 1) Vehicles will 'warp' or jump around. 2) You'll
sometimes hit an enemy over and over and they won't die because shots
aren't counted. 3) Scoring is off (like sometimes it will be 34-35 and
it will call it a tie). 4) Disconnects by the boatload! Maybe if I didn't
get disconnected so much I could actually enjoy this game (not everyone
seems to have this disconnection problem though). The online lobby is
simple, but it would be nice if there was a way to find others online
short of looking in each game (which takes a few seconds to do) since
there is no chat lobby. In the lobby you can make games picking what type
of game, how many players/bots, and what levels are cycled (there are
only 6 though:(. You can earn stars and go up in rank, but it's basically
pointless with so many players going in 1/1 rooms and earning them against
the CPU:( This is an arcade port and so isn't the deepest game you'll
ever play (just pick the fast alien Hov Craft along with the better alien
sub-weapons and you have a nice advantage even before the game begins),
but it is fun. It moves too slow for my tastes (maybe I'm just used to
the faster pace of FPS), and I'd rather have an online version of Battletanx,
but for $30 with a mic I won't complain too much:) A good game, but not
a great game, made popular by the voice chat.

#4 - Outtrigger

This game is all about fragging as many enemies as you can as quickly
as you can, what more can you ask for?:) One of 3 games that actually
uses the DC mouse, and I HIGHLY suggest you take advantage (many complain
about the controls with a controller). The online interface is quite nice.
Very similar to ChuChu's, but vastly improved (ex. you can still see the
chat screen when in the menu). You make game 'rooms' and can setup the
game how ever you like including the number of players, level, teams,
and time limit or target score. It would be nice if there was an easier
way to tell who was on each team before you start besides looking at the
color of the >> next to their chat text. The worst part about the
lobby is that it allows you to join games in progress since the game pauses
when someone tries to join (and the leader can choose to end the game
and let them in or reject them). This can be very annoying if some punk
tries over and over to get into the room. Another big downer is that there
is a significant delay when you fire (~1 second), but you get used to
it fast. They couldn't pull off the same trick as in AFO to mask the delay
since this game moves too fast. At least the framerate stays a speedy
60fps at all times (the graphics in this game are among the DC's best).
This game also likes to disconnect you some nights (but it's not nearly
as bad as AFO). I think this game is so much fun online. It's no Q3A or
UT, but it doesn't try to be. It's something a little different from most
FPS you're used to playing, and that's half the fun. This is another game
that isn't all that deep, but its faster pace I think makes it more enjoyable
then AFO. It's a shame more don't play this game online (since AFO came
out I only see around 30 players on at a time:(

#3 - Phantasy Star Online

Some will wonder why this game is so high, others will wonder why it's
so low. The fact is when it first came out, it kicked ass. Not the best
RT-RPG (Diablo who started the whole genre is still king), but very addicting
nonetheless. A nice online visual lobby, but it can be annoying that each
line of text is so limited. However, cards are so nice. Finding friends
online has never been easier, and you can even talk with those online
but not in the same game as you. I played this game nearly 150 hours within
a month. The problem is I hit a wall when I realized how freaking repetitive
the game gets, and I probably will never play this game again:) Under
it all the game is pretty simplistic, a little too slow moving, and there
is no real competition with other people (only with the CPU). Plus the
game had a number of 'glitches' which could cause it to freeze up and
you could lose all the items you were carrying or worse, everything:(
Add to that the game is now overrun with cheaters, Gameshark users, thieves,
PK and CK'ers. Still a ground breaking console game that some still play
to today (god knows how they've managed to keep their sanity:). I really
have no plans for PSO v.2 either (Pay-to-Play is a downer, especially
since it's not really a new game just an upgrade), and if I ever have
to update this list don't be surprised if PSO doesn't make it. Maybe it's
just that I'm still bitter that the so-called magic users (Force) sucked
since other characters could learn the same spells and my spells never
got powerful enough to keep up with the Spread Needles of the world. Naw...

#2 - Unreal Tournament

I think many DC'ers might put this #1 since it caters more to the console
user. This game is a little slower paced and easier to play (not to say
this game is simple, but easy to jump into), and newbies to the FPS genre
and fans of Rare's FPS games will feel right at home. Not only does this
game control well with a controller, but you are probably better off using
one with the auto-aim feature it gives you. Yes weapons have secondary
functions, but overall they're just OK. They are probably a little too
easy to use, and they don't pack the same punch as weapons from another
online FPS. Nice levels though, and you get a big selection to choose
from as long as you play on the 4-6 player servers too (only a few allow
8 players). Most varied online mode selection with deathmatch, domination,
and CTF all worth playing. However, this game has the WORST online interface
of any of these top games. Well, it may be easier to find someone than
AFO (this game also doesn't have any chat lobby, but just highlight a
game and it lists who's in it), but the small/quick in-game chat text
is unreadable most of the time. Plus what were they thinking when the
only way to change teams is to leave the game and then reenter as a new
one. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad if you could tell who was on each team
before you entered. It would also be nice if every server wasn't set to
a 30 frag target. The delay when you shoot (lag) with 8 players isn't
that bad, but the framerates are horrible (it will drop to single digits
at times). This game allows broadband users, and there is no way to see
ping rates to see who is on one:( I really don't think I've ever gotten
disconnected, but the game has frozen up on me a few times. A top-notch
FPS and a top online DC game.

#1 - Quake ]|[ Arena

My personal favorite. This game in my opinion is still the best for flat
out deathmatch fragging action. It is a more visceral gameplay experience
than UT. Some think the weapons are generic, and while this may be partially
true, they work very well once you learn how to use them properly and
are a nice selection overall. The gap between the best and the worst in
this game is bigger than in any of these other online games. Which is
testament to all the intricacies and strategies required to play well.
Unlike any of these other games listed, Q3A lets you configure your controls
how ever you want them (why don't more console games allow this?). Which
means I can set up my controller/mouse combo as I see fit, a nice plus:)
Also the levels with this game I think have a better "flow"
then any other online FPS. Even though this game is only 4 players online
(only really a downer if you want to play CTF), the online interface is
very well done. Not as easy to find a certain player as UT (no chat lobby
and you have to look into a room to see who's playing and what their ping
is to avoid broadband users:), but at least you can change teams whenever
you want. Plus you can actually read the chat text. Being able to specify
the server you want to play on seems like a small addition, but is a big
plus over these other online DC games. Still much like UT you can't set
game parameters and are stuck with the 20 minute time limit on most servers.
Lag is pretty good too (it's only 4 players afterall), and the framerate
stays high (~30fps) most of the time. You will get "Connection Interrupts"
now and then and sometimes get disconnected, but for the most part it's
a stable online game. In my opinion, this is the best all around online
DC game in terms of gameplay and in online play. It probably also has
the biggest community (well besides PSO), but PC users do help increase
that (plus they can run their own servers which is another plus for this
game, rail server anyone?:). I've played this game by far the most. A
solid title with the only flaw being 4 players online (if that bothers
you just play Tournament which is always 1-on-1:).

I'm pretty sure many of you will disagree with my list, but I am right:).
Once Bomberman Online comes out though it may have to change, scratch
that, it will change. That is unless Bomberman uses the same crappy servers
as these newer online DC games. Sega championed its DC as a great online
gaming force, and while there are a few cool games, it hasn't lived up
to my expectations. It took way too long to get where it's at now, and
too many games lost their online mode or were flat-out canceled. Even
the game Sega showcased to launch its online network, Baulder's Gate,
was canceled. Plus I was hoping for more console games and not just PC
ports. Maybe that's why I see so many people standing around in these
games just talking. Either Sega blew it chances by taking so long to get
the online DC network up, or it over-estimated how much the general public
cares about online gaming today. Hopefully the surviving next-gen consoles
can learn from DC's mistakes. Maybe then more people will jump online
to play games.

Note on 2K's: These didn't make my list. Why? First, I thought
NBA2K1 flat out sucked online (yet WSB2K2 is far worse:(. The lag completely
ruins the flow of the game. NFL2K1 on the other hand was quite enjoyable
for awhile. Still, I never got either for the their online abilities,
it was more of a bonus. Don't get me wrong, I love both of these games
offline (especially NFL2K1), but online I don't have as much fun as with
other online titles. Maybe 45+ minutes is too long for one game against
one other person, or maybe because the 2K online community sucks. Full
of Dricas' punks, those "I only play SegaNet user" punks (hmm,
are they now "I only play Earthlink" punks? HA!:), or crybabies
who quit when they start to lose (man I hated it when an opponent who
was losing would go for it on 4th and 20, I almost wanted to let them
get it because I KNEW if they didn't they were just gonna quit). I wonder
if the 2K2's will be any better... but I really don't think listing people's
quits will help any (what if you have to legitimately quit or if the server
disconnects you?).