I had a Dreamcast at the time it was in production and whilst the graphics were amazing at the time, I remember feeling that all I had to play were arcade ports aside from Sonic Adventure and a handful of other games(Shenmue had not yet been released). Even at the time of Shenmue's release, it was panned by many for simply being too boring and mundane, the QTE's were also criticized. Now some treat the game  as a classic up there with Ocarina of time, MGS and Super Mario 64. I just don't get how the Dreamcast now is looked at so fondly. I thought it had very few actual exclusives that were engrossing on the level of Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Super Mario 64, Goldeneye etc. I acknowledge the arcade ports were great and the 2D fighters were amazing but am I missing something here? What Dreamcast game/s were up there with the aforementioned classics that makes it so resonant among hardcore gamers??

every old console is looked upon fondly it seems.

Yeah, Its a good console, but its far from one of the best ever made...

Yes i think its a very overrated console, most of its games were ported to other consoles now with better performance. There are view exclusive games left who werent successfull enough like shenmu1 or D2, and a couple of definitive console versions from ps1 like dino crisis who speak for owning this console.

I also dislike how the dreamcast requires a very very expensive vga box to get the best videoquality from your dreamcast on a PC monitor instead just using component cables who could be used on any hdtv. This device costs you 100€.

Was literally posting this the other day in that Dreamcast sales thread.

Then again, most console tend to get revered after they stop production.

I would agree with you here but component cables for the Gamecube are around $250US!!! To make matters worse Ninendo(in their infinite wisdom) stripped out the component support in the actual disks for the GCN in PAL territories but left in the component port in the back!! It was cheaper by far for me to simply buy a Wii that plays GCN games, a Wii component cable(cost me $35US)and simply import the NTSC versions of the GCN games to enjoy the improved picture quality.

Best launch games of any console ever.

It is over-rated for all the reason you gave. Because of a short lifespan and lack of support, the Dreamcast is not on par with the PS1 or PS2. But still, in term of arcade game it's the best console ever, and forever (arcade was still relevant and up to date, and it gave the long awaited arcade perfect port). The end of this era, and the end of Sega add it to the hype. And personally, Soul Calibur remains one of the most impressive 1st generation game, and perhaps the best considering it was the first console of its generation (compared to the GC/SNES). It was just the most beautiful game I had ever seen at this time, while even the overpowered Neo Geo took time to deliver an impressive game. Even Ready 2 Rumble was super impressive with the dynamic models/textures. NFL also blew me away, that was the first time I saw a realistic sport game .

The launch titles were amazing but I feel it fizzled out after that. Definitely the best launch titles out of any console though.

No way. Still play my Dreamcast more than even my PS2, and that console has the benefit of two generations of titles. People will balk at the claims if they've never owned one, but the DC, GCN, and, now, the Wii U have offered up the best experiences of their era and are failing hard in sales.

It's a trend that extends into all facets of the arts. Think about the last pop album that made you think, "Wow, that's really the pinnacle of musical achievement..." - for me, I'd have to go back decades.

It's easy as pie, however, to find an excellent game that sold 100-500k LTD. Unfortunate but true...