Released in 1999 in Japan and 2000 in North America, the Sega Dreamcast Microphone was a rather unique peripheral for its time that allowed gamers to interact with their games via voice. While it wasn’t the first microphone accessory released for home consoles following Nintendo’s voice recognition unit that was released alongside Hey You, Pikachu!, it certainly had a more lasting impact on industry, as the Sega Dreamcast was the first console to support online voice chat. So, which Dreamcast games support the microphone? Read on to find out!
Marak
![Seaman Sega Dreamcast game screenshot](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFlcSUQ91cy_4wT_8yCYdpiFyF-Zfj9nBOgjfdjHbxv7yGZ2tAMWbh9nnlciXtD118qGgugr4hjXDzpDDWnzvUAHFGLOaKNvDcecavp5bkUGo8nn70nnkXwSSJAsgQqjut52G3xUFmY7pXNVWITH0zaoOyg4s7MxPgxcYMQlBNSZLJW6en5D7aUVRO0nP/w640-h566/Seaman-Sega-Dreamcast.png)
You’ll need a Dreamcast microphone if you want to play Seaman, Sega’s totally awesome virtual pet simulator. If you’re somehow unfamiliar with the game, in Seaman you raise a fish with a human face that you talk to via a microphone. You’ll need to monitor the temperature, air level and feeding times while talking to Seaman and watching him grow. Your Sailor will ask you questions about yourself, offer deep and insightful reflections on life, and generally just be an abusive jerk. It’s like a Furby, but a lot scarier, and the game features narration by Leonard Nimoy. The voice recognition here was really ahead of its time, and it’s a very interesting experience today. This is one of the most unique and iconic Dreamcast experiences and any self-respecting Dreamcast owner should have this game in their collection.
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Stranger’s Front online
![Alien Front Online Sega Dreamcast game screenshot](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IndUfVgD79trx8MRLyZE-9WqBYXhsdnT9_Sx6pZX4V6_p-jSG91WFUYlQ1HjN44587WgvrJ6_v5rNwSYpWbWjjpzklyCLAXVxbhzZVxfM2hmS1z4YC48nM4m7WS1M2NncE2sUe94QYpHgGsGXMJ6mhVUPow7xIsthassZ-TuvWqd5p3d_EA45hlugrMV/w640-h480/Alien-Front-Online-Sega-Dreamcast.png)
Alien Front Online is an arcade fighting game where you control tanks or alien spaceships (depending on which side you choose) and shoot your enemies. As the name suggests, the focus of this game was definitely on the online multiplayer mode with different game modes like capture the flag and basic team deathmatch. The game used a microphone for online voice chat, allowing players to record short voice clips that were then sent to other players. So, it wasn’t real-time voice chat, but it was still pretty cool, and thanks to the hard work of the fans, Alien Front Online multiplayer was revived and can still be enjoyed today.
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The ring of the planet
![Planet Ring Sega Dreamcast gameplay screenshot](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDc_9hCLSmhcofDxsXwoshZPERH6o0a_K_N9bL5oIS2MRRhsevoA0yNBP2JwfjKofbz4YggeZa-vF8wmd_HOI_c5SCbXDiEUZKVwI6v3vPOJETNTa_v8_FNerAV2IvIazmD7ZfjmXvfWv73Mxg9C8gJgtgZOFBYLxyvUAR3N9z9PtgdkDwIgWjm9yp7kya/w640-h480/Planet-Ring-Sega-Dreamcast.png)
Planet Ring was a Europe-exclusive online party game from Sega that aimed to introduce casual players to online gaming and featured real-time voice chat via the Dreamcast’s microphone. The game featured an online community system that allowed you to create your own avatar and explore the game world by interacting and competing with other players in four casual style mini-games. It was a very cool and revolutionary game for its time, and it did a great job of showcasing the unique experiences that could be had through online console gaming. The game became unplayable after the official servers shut down at the time, but the online game has been completely restored by fans, so gamers can enjoy it again today.
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Mr. Buravik
![Screenshot of the game Mr. Driller Sega Dreamcast](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkD8LzdKvu8zDZ6uV6XAYV_bGCK8iyAYHIq9pqTv-1qg2DO6k3kFGlrhSTBpGLVBKqehvHDGWqgAQrS1-K2JVDezsQk9gV3jJbFhp3tMfM3xW5GLe277q9Y9n3qv_I8d0t3lb0Gj81-Epb8Ui1mzsePIOhLFoPc2E_Y5gIB8bRwsTiZYCpHRaBB00lK6d/w640-h480/Mr-Driller-Sega-Dreamcast.png)
Namco’s Mr Driller is an action puzzle game where you strategically drill through blocks to get to the bottom of a stage while trying not to get crushed. It’s a spiritual sequel to Dig Dug, and if you like action puzzles, it’s definitely a good game to play. The game even supports a microphone as a non-advertised feature, allowing you to shout to drill blocks instead of using a button. It’s basically just a fun novelty, but it’s really cool that Namco went out of their way to add microphone functionality to what was otherwise a generic arcade port.
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There were also a few other games that offered microphone support, but those were Japan-exclusive games that would be impossible to play if you couldn’t speak and read Japanese. However, for the sake of completeness, we list them below:
- A fighting beast
- Christmas stamp: Omoi o Tsutaeru Mou Hitotsu no Houhou
- Death Crimson 2: Meranito no Saidan
- Dream passport 3
- Dream Passport Premier
- Heisei Majong Sou
- Jamong
- Gangagan boy Kiteretsu
- Puppet handler 2
- O.to.i.Re: Dreamcast Sequencer
- Sakura Momoko Gekijo: Koji Koji
- Brand: Kindan no Pet: 2001 Nen Taiouban
PAL web browser Dreamkey version 2.0 also supports a microphone, allowing users to send 10-second voice clips to friends online.
Don’t have a Dreamcast mic yet? It was originally bundled with Seaman and Alien Front Online, so full copies of both games should include one (check before you buy), but you can also buy it separately online.
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