The Official Dreamcast Magazine (commonly abbreviated as ODCM and formerly known as Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine) was a video game magazine for the Dreamcast video game console published in the United States. It was published by Imagine Media.

History

The magazine's initial issue "0" was released in June 1999, a full 3 months before the launch of the system. This issue featured Sonic the Hedgehog on a black cover, along with the launch date and some of the system's unique features. Upon the magazines release on August 24, 1999, they printed 330,000 copies of the debut issue. The magazine ran for twelve issues from the September 1999 Dreamcast launch to March/April 2001, shortly after Dreamcast was discontinued. Starting with issue 2, each issue came with a GD-ROM with demos of Dreamcast games. The final issue did not come with a disc. This was explained as Sega looking for a new way to distribute demos. The cancellation was apparently unexpected as the magazine promised more information about demo distribution in future issues and had a preview for the next issue where Phantasy Star Online was to be reviewed. Many of the staff went on to work for Official Xbox Magazine. The magazine was published bimonthly, but during the 2000 holiday season, issues were sold monthly due to additional relevant content being available for the shopping season.

Key components, structure, and common features

Games such as Dino Crisis, Resident Evil, Half Life, Record of Lodoss War, and Unreal Tournament seen within the Official Dreamcast Magazines received a rating of M for Mature 17+ on the ESRB scale. On the other hand, games such as Coaster Works, Max Steel, Sonic Adventure, Ms.Pac-Man Maze Madness, and Iron Aces received a rating of E for everyone on the ESRB scale. Most games displayed within the magazines were rated M for mature. This is related to Sega’s goal of targeting the older crowd, rather than a narrow market for younger children only.

Reviews

The magazine used multiple reviewing techniques, including the 24-hour review, where a reviewer would play the game for 24 hours, even if the game was bad. They also compared games to similar ones.

Perception

At the beginning of the magazines start, they were selling more than 250,000 copies, which is similar to Electronic Gaming Monthly's circulation. The magazine's short two year run was initially started to boost the new console the Dreamcast. The Dreamcast console sales reflected the magazine sales. By 2000, Sega was losing money on each console and was relying on games to cover it, they were loosing about 400 million dollars a year. The next year, 2001, the final issue of the Dreamcast Magazine was released.