Heavy Metal Geomatrix

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Capcom

The first time I played Heavy Metal Geomatrix, I was a bit disappointed…actually, that’s an understatement. I hated this game. As I've played it on and off over the years, I've come to appreciate it a bit more. While I still don’t find it passable, it’s become a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine that I like to play from time to time. Basically, Heavy Metal Geomatrix is 3D fighting somewhat similar to (but not nearly as good as) Power Stone, but throw in a lot of guns, explosions, and handicap matches. Aside from the basic combat, there is also Chaosmatrix mode, which is basically a bunch of missions to complete, but I’ve never really found it very addicting or fun, to be honest. If you’re looking for something different in your fighting games, Heavy Metal Geomatrix may be worth checking out, but I think most folks that play this will quickly move on to one of the Dreamcast’s many other, better fighters.

Review added: 04/21/2019

The House of the Dead 2

Also known as: N/A

Developer: AM1

The House of the Dead was a solid arcade conversion for the Saturn and House of the Dead 2 continued that trend, providing players the fun of shooting up zombies from the comfort of their living room couch. I'll just get this out of the way right now - this may have the absolute worst voice acting that I've ever heard in a video game. Since I find enjoyment in cheesy, bad acting, I got a kick out of it. There's nothing like seeing someone react to a close friend dying by saying, "Noooooooo," in a monotone, non-emotional voice…or someone calmly thanking you for rescuing them when they just had a zombie's bad-breath-filled mouth two inches from their face. Aside from the voice acting, House of the Dead 2 is pretty solid all around. They added a few modes in to compliment the original arcade mode – a mode that seemed to be converted over from the arcade pretty flawlessly. It was a very solid early release for the Dreamcast, and while a light gun makes everything more enjoyable, it's still very playable with a controller, as well. If you're a fan of light gun shooters, then I think you'll be a fan of House of the Dead 2. It's a very solid game - and may very well be one of the last great light gun games to see release on a console.

Review added: 10/12/2022

Hydro Thunder

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Eurocom

I'm a sucker for racing games that don't involve cars. Maybe it's because I've always enjoyed games that stray from the beaten path, or maybe it's because games like Hydro Thunder are just so dang fun that it makes me want more. Hydro Thunder takes the enjoyable racing-on-water mechanics of Wave Race 64 and adds speed and a more arcade-y feel to deliver an awesome experience for both casual and hardcore fans of racing games. It's not an incredibly deep racing experience – it pretty much just involves you racing at tracks until you can finish high enough to unlock new tracks and boats. But that’s all this needed to be – an adaption of the arcade version that keeps all the fun that made folks in the arcade keep popping those coins in the machine, with a few extras added in for good measure. If you want a nice, solid boat racing game, then Hydra Thunder may be the best that does it.

Review added: 04/20/2019