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Dream 64 - Dreamcast: N64 Incognito?

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Written by: BoneStormer

After my previous article showing the obvious similarities between the
Xbox and Dreamcast, I wondered
if other similarities existed between seemingly very different consoles?
Here is a comparison of Dreamcast and N64, while more of a stretch then
Xcast, it does ring true.

Dreamcast: Cancelled Storage Add-on

N64: Cancelled Storage Add-on in the US

The hyped 64DD mass storage add-on for N64 never made it out in the US
(and did nothing in Japan). Games planned for the add-on (like Zelda)
were all reworked. Who knows what ever happened to DC's planned Zip Drive
add-on. Probably in the same trashcan as the 64DD.

Dreamcast: Two expansion/memory card slots on controller

N64: One expansion/memory card slot on controller

I'm sure Sega got this idea from the N64. Just though two would be an
'advance' in the idea.

Dreamcast: 4 controller ports.

N64: 4 controller ports.

Again, something Sega copied from the N64, but never really took advantage
of. Whereas the N64 was known for its multiplayer games.

Dreamcast: Could hook-up with a handheld

N64: Could hook-up with a handheld

The N64 could hook-up with a GBC, and DC with a Neo Geo Pocket Color.
Nothing huge was ever made of either, with each having very few games
that actually took advantage of it.

Dreamcast: Had Vigilante 8: 2nd Offence

N64: Had Vigilante 8: 2nd Offence

I have no clue why this is here... Oddly they looked very similar, but
DC's ran at 60fps where as N64's was more like 10fps. Neither had very
solid framerates.

Dreamcast: Meger 3rd Party Support

XBox: Meger 3rd Party Support

DC maybe had more 3rd party support, but really not that much more. EA
never made anything for DC, and even Konami made more games for N64 then
it did for DC (and this had nothing to do with DC's short life span).
Only Capcom really gave DC full support. N64 of course had very little
support with it's small capacity, expensive cartriage format. DC, well,
for whatever reason never really had much support either. Many games were
planned, but many were cancelled, even before Sega's premature pull out.

Dreamcast: 1st/2nd Party Game Supported

XBox: 1st/2nd Party Game Supported

Except for maybe Soul Calibur and Resident Evil Code Veronica, every
major game or even semi-major game was from Sega. From the Q3A port to
Shenmue, DC survived on it's 1st party games alone. The exact same is
true of N64. There really wasn't any major 3rd party game on the system
except maybe the Turok or Star Wars games. Every blockbuster was a 1st
or 2nd party game.

Dreamcast: Games trickled out near the end

N64: Games trickled out near the end

For the last year, new N64 games were a rarity. For the last 6 months,
the same was true of a new DC game.

Dreamcast: Game Delay Plagued

N64: Game Delay Plagued

An example: MSR was a hyped game for near the launch of DC, but it didn't
come out until early 2001. GoldenEye was supposed to also come out the
first year N64 was out, but was delayed a whole year to the fall of '97.
Some delays are worth it, others are not.

Dreamcast: Game Cancellation Plagued

N64: Game Cancellation Plagued

Many DC games were canceled, and many well before Sega announcing the
DC's death. Examples: Baulder's Gate and Castlevania. Then there was Shenmue
2 that was canceled so it could be instead brought to the more powerful
Xbox. N64 had a number of games canceled like Eternal Darkness, Dinosaur
Planet, and Resident Evil 0. Oddly though all of these were moved to the
more powerful GC in some form.

Dreamcast : Lasted two good years

N64: Lasted five years, but really only 2 good years.

N64's life span maybe was longer at 5 years, but the first can hardly
count with so few games. In the fall of '97 it started to do well with
games like GoldenEye, and continued for another year or two with games
like Zeld in the fall of '98. But fall of '99 and on, once again the number
of really good games coming out dropped dramatically. The last year it
didn't even really exist. DC had two solid years before Sega yanked it.

Dreamcast: R.I.P. circa 2001

N64: R.I.P. circa 2001

Oddly though N64 came out in 1996 whereas DC came out in '99.