Has it been ten years already?   I remember when I scored Sega’s little white box in 1999 and proceeded to play the living crap out of Soul Calibur.  After that it was full-on Sega-support as I bought everything from Tech Romancer to Shenmue to 18 Wheeler ProTrucker.

Sure, it may not have been “thinking,” but taking a look at the software library, as well as the cutting edge things it brought to the console market (online play, controllers that were not made for human hands), it’s easy to see why gaming fans hold the console in high (ish) esteem.

I was a big fan and the PlayStation 2′s steamrolling of the box (buttressed by a nauseating media hype machine) led to a feeling of Sony resentment that just recently dissipated with Casino Royale.

Anywho, in honor of this important day, a list of some of my favorite games after the jump.

Soul Calibur–Well, duh.  Talk about a generational graphic leap.  Has any launch game so trumpeted a new console’s power than Namco’s masterpiece? The answer is no by the way.  This game still holds up today.

Jet Grind Radio–The kind of quirky game that the Dreamcast was known for, Smilebit’s action/psychedelic/rollerblade/graffiti simulator was giant fun, powered by dope cel-shaded graphics, a killer soundtrack and tight gameplay.

Power Stone 2–The first was a revelation, as Capcom introduced the concept of TRUE 3D fighting.  But the follow-up added four-player gameplay, near limitless item creation, bizarre, interactive stages and a dainty woman in a summer dress with a parasol who could crucify you.

Starlancer–This was nothing new to PC gamers, but Holy Cow did I have an epic good time with this space dogfight simulator.  Sweeping music, money controls, heatseeking missiles and a decent story.

Gunbird 2–And on the other end of the space dogfight simulator spectrum is this bat@#$% insane vertical shooter.  You could beat the game in ten minutes (not hyperbole), which was good because the “storylines” were so nuts for each character, you wanted to run through it to see them all.  The final boss–a giant stuffed animal that hands out pills, straight from my nightmares.

Quake 3 Arena–Unplayable today because of its antiquated control scheme, but my friends and I burned through a lot of this back in the day.  Fast, twitchy and rail gun-riffic, this console shooter proved a welcome next step from the multiplayer fragfest of Goldeneye.

Project Justice–Yet another quirky fighter from Capcom, Justice drew its character base from a high school.  Want to team up the gym teacher with the diving isntructor and the school paper photographer?  Go for it–and dominate!  Awesome special m0ves.

Mars Matrix–Another vertical scrolling shooter, but a very good one.  It was also near-impossible.

Dead or Alive 2–Another revelatory fighting game experience.  Tecmo’s jigglefest was user-friendly, especially with regards to the counter system and played like a dream.  Sequels somehow managed to make the female fighters more bosomy.

Typing of the Dead–No best-of Dreamcast list is compelte without this insane modification on the House of the Dead.  Instead of lgiht guns, you’re armed with a keyboards, foced to type words that flash on screen to thwart the oncoming zombie hordes.  Still present–the worst voice-acting ever crafted for a video game.