partygames
The Best Dreamcast Party Games
Hackerb9's completely biased and unsupported list
Criteria
When ranking party games, the most important question is how much will the audience (the people not holding the controllers) enjoy it? It has to be fun to watch, even for non-gamers, and ideally will encourage audience participation.
Secondary criteria include: How many people can play at one time? Can people pick up the game quickly? Is the action non-stop? Will non-gamers be enticed to play?
The Best Party Games
Without further ado, here are the best Dreamcast games to play at a party.
Samba de Amigo (with maracas)
is a rhythm game played with maracas. It's also the best party game there is. Period. Two people can play at once, but even with only one set of maracas, everybody has a good time.
Chu Chu Rocket
is a must have for parties. It's a four-player 2-D puzzle game where everyone is playing on the same board at the same time. It's chaotic, but easy for non-gamers to get into.
Sega Marine Fishing (with fishing controller)
is a one player game, but is surprisingly fun for the crowd. Perhaps it's the unusual interface, but it doesn't take much prodding to get a non-gamer to pick up the rod and reel. Sega Bass Fishing is also good, but if you have to pick one for a party, go with Marine Fishing as it has more exciting species and a more interesting environment.
House of the Dead 2 (with lightguns)
is a light-gun game that is very easy for novices to pick up and have fun with. It is not as much fun for the audience to watch, but fortunately two people can play at a time. Note: this game is very gory and definitely not for children. After the party has tried House of the Dead 2, try popping in Typing of the Dead (with keyboards). It is the same game, except that you kill zombies by typing the bizarre phrases that appear above their heads. ("I need a hug. Why doesn't anybody like me? Could it be because I am a flesh eating zombie?")
Gauntlet Legends
is a four player, cooperative, 3-D hack-and-slash. Based on an arcade game, the graphics are atrocious by Dreamcast standards, but the game play makes up for it. It is not a deep game, but that's why it's so great for parties. Any guest can just pick up a controller and immediately help the others bash monsters and grab gold.
Wacky Races
is a four player Mario-kart style game based on some 1960's cartoon. The cartoon characters are colorful and the silly weapons are a lot of fun. But I can only recommend it with caveats.
It can be difficult for novices to enjoy. The initial weapon selection doesn't have reasonable defaults. Also it's hard to beat the computer's cars if you don't know the current map's shortcuts or that you can go faster if you press button combos while in a big jump.
Turn down the annoying announcer voice.
Use a big screen TV. I tried it on my 19" monitor and the split screen was too small.
Good buzz, but untested
Here is a partial list of some of the games I've heard recommended for parties, but that I don't own and can't personally vouch for.
Virtua Tennis
Four can play simultaneously. More of a souped-up "Pong" than a sports simulation, this game is easy for novices to pick up. According to iHobo, "Virtua Tennis has the reputation of being an [unrivaled] four player game (doubles versus friends) which people who have never held a joypad before can pick up and play in five minutes." Note, that you might want to get the second version, Tennis 2K2, which features the Williams sisters.
Sonic Shuffle
Four player puzzle game. Features Sonic the Hedgehog playing board games.
Worms World Party
Four can play, but not simultaneously. Each player gets a turn, which can be boring for the other players if they take too long. Still, it is supposed to be great multi-player fun.
PowerStone 2
A four player simultaneous fighting game. I hear you'll need a big screen for this as the camera zooms out to show everybody at once.
San Francisco RUSH 2049
Not just a port of the popular arcade racing game, the Dreamcast version also sports a multiplayer "Battle Mode" which allows you to use various weapons to destroy your friends' cars. Said to be addictively fun.
Good for two players
As the party winds down, you'll have friends who want to play a casual one-on-one or cooperative game. Here are some games that are good for that, but might be too isolating during the full party. Note: The following games can be kind of boring for the audience to watch, so expect a split in your party.
Zombie Revenge
Zombie Revenge is the best cooperative game I have ever played. It's a basic, but fun, 3-D beat-em-up that's not too bad for one player. However, it truly shines when played cooperatively with a pal. You'll find yourself yelling, "You run for the electric drill, I'll cover you with the El Mariachi Missile Launcher!" As with House of the Dead 2, Zombie Revenge is too gory for children.
Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense
Two players (split-screen) drive armed vehicles in 1977, grabbing items, and blowing stuff up with nifty weapons. It features a cooperative quest mode which presents progressively more difficult challenges. Don't bother with the one player mode which is not nearly as fun. Caveat: this game appears to be a port from an inferior system. If you can get past the playstation-quality graphics, poor collision detection, and terrible interface for saving, you and your friend will have a blast. If you don't have a friend that you play Dreamcast games with, this might be the game to motivate you to get one.
Bust-a-Move 4
Classic two-player puzzle game. Cute monsters shoot bubbles up to pop clumps of like-colored bubbles. "A minute to learn, a lifetime to master."
PowerStone
An easy to play two person fighting game. Has lots of fun stuff in the 3-D environment to grab and bonk your opponent on the head with.
Ikaruga
Two player cooperative 2-D scrolling shoot-em-up. Has the nifty feature that you can switch polarities to become invulnerable to certain enemies (and vulnerable to others).
Marvel Vs. Capcom 2
A 2-D fighter that pits Marvel's superheroes ("Spiderman") versus Capcom's video game classics ("Chun Li from Street Fighter II"). Besides being a very easy game to pick up and play, the game has wonderfully cartoony graphics and over-the-top special moves.