I'll never forget 9/9/99. A tremendous amount of buildup and hype had finally led up to the moment of Sega's next big thing. The Dreamcast. I remember seeing videos featuring Sonic Adventure and Shenmue running at my local Best Buy and being completely blown away. This was unlike anything I'd ever seen! Somehow, I had managed to convince my sister to buy me a Dreamcast on launch day, as long as I'd buy the games myself. I didn't really believe her but when the day came she walked into my room holding a Best Buy bag and my face lit up. I think it was the fastest I have ever unboxed and set up a game console in my life. I didn't have any games to play since I had just blown my money on Final Fantasy VIII, but I must have played that Sonic Adventure demo a thousand times. I'll never forget the first time I saw that Orca chasing after Sonic on the bridge.

Not long after I got my Dreamcast, I was lucky enough to have won $500 in a school poetry contest, and made my way straight to Gamestop to start my game collection. I immediately purchased Sonic Adventure and the better-than-arcade-perfect Soul Calibur. I was set. I was sure I would never need another game console again. In the time I owned my Dreamcast, I had some of the best gaming experiences I can remember. Playing Crazy Taxi and Marvel Vs. Capcom for hours with my best friend, Max. Renting Shenmue and staying up for two days straight so I could finish it before it had to be returned.

 The Christmas morning I woke to find Grandia 2 and Jet Grind Radio sitting under the tree.The absolute horror of the superb Resident Evil: Code Veronica. The time eating, Diablo-esque Record of Lodoss War. I can go on and on. There are so many more gems I haven't even mentioned. The short lifespan of the Dreamcast was tragic and a constant reminder of what can easily happen when a company loses third party support. However, I like to remember all the great games I played while it was in its prime. In this case, I think the old saying rings true: Stars that shine twice as bright are fated to fade away twice as fast.