How Sega Has Described Itself From ‘89 To ‘09

@Crash__Man:

he was just being polite, y'know?

A 2d Sonic for a next gen system would be brilliant. Give it graphics like maybe the recent new Street Fighter game (which had those amazing 2D cel shaded graphics) and it will be brilliant.



Check out the DS sonic games, i think their is 2 in the series, they are 2D and made of win.



The 2D sonics on the DS are brilliant and in fact as good as sonic 2 or 3

@Crash__Man: Don't stay mad. I almost think he did that just for you.

@shouryuuken: That is also a problem. But I think that is because they no longer have a system to support. thus they don't feel the need to put as much effort into their games anymore. They don't have as much at stake anymore like they used to.



I am certain that if they'd have another system to support right now, their games would once again be top notch.

Ferkner

Sega Enterprises Ltd. is do different from any of your other childhood memories. Once we were a great, or at least seemed so to you, yet today we are a hollow shell of disappointment. Our best titles are developed by other studios and published by our own. We lead the industry with innovation, propelled far ahead by our ability to create yet another Sonic the Hedgehog universe character that you won't see in a new game. If you wish to receive more information, please jump in a time machine and go back 15 years.

@Kobun:EA's still willing to make a new Mirror's Edge tho.

@shouryuuken: Thanks for the clarification on that; there are so many names to keep track of in the industry, both past and present.

Chris Morrison

@shouryuuken: This is a valid point, although I feel that Capcom's position as a third-party dev throughout the years gave them a different development philosophy. Without Sega's own hardware to make games for, I don't think there's as much urgency for Sega to create as many AAA titles as there was when they were competing against Nintendo.



As for Capcom, they have a great history behind them, but things haven't been all roses, either. When was the last time you played a Mega Man game that didn't feel phoned-in?

Chris Morrison

SEGA of America, Inc. Sonic Poop

Sonic the Hedgehog is, by Yoshihisa Hashimoto. Sonic Team? by SEGA games

I Know did cool!

@Chris Morrison: yet games like smash bros, little big planet, and even stuff like warioland shake seem to do okay with kids. kids play ds games all day.. and new super mario bros will probably sell millions.. 2D is not dead, and younger generations appreciate good 2D games.



why do we say the 2D sonic games were better? because they simply were.. they had charm, amazing soundtracks, and overall fun gameplay. while the 3d games are just meh..



its not retro goggles for me.. i loved sonic adventure when it first hit. thought it was amazing like the old games, but if i go back and play it today... its not all that great. but take mario.. sure mario on nes and snes were great, but mario 64 and mario galaxy are not only my 2 favorite mario games (non portable), but also 2 of my favorite games of all time.. and theyre 3d.

@Chris Morrison: it was tom kalinske. he said himself that he went to japan and told them to stop packing altered beast in the genesis because it sounds like a game about "devil worship." then he told them to drop the price and add sonic.. which wasnt even complete yet.



the boardmen went wild. they were furious.. but then the president of soj agreed because they were desperate.



the sega cd wasnt that big of a problem in my opionion.. the 32x on the other hand was a horrible decision. sega of japan became jealous of the huge success of sega in america (europe too). the megadrive wasnt even as popular as the pc engine over there.. and we all know that we only knew one kid with a turbo grafx 16 lol.



but the pride thing caused a rift.. and the communication stopped. soj decided to go ahead with the saturn.. while soa thought extending the life of the genesis was a better idea. so pretty much.. they didnt really even know what the other side of the earth was doing.



sega angered their dedicated fans by cutting support of the genesis shortly after the saturn arrived.. while nintendo made snes games for a couple more years. i could see that logic if the genesis had failed.. but in 1993.. sega had 65 percent of the american market share. then the saturn comes out 2 years later.. the 32x in fall of 94.. and the saturn will be dead in 3 years (while it will go from 94 - 2000 in japan and prove to be japans most successful sega console).



bernie stolar is the one to thank for the disapproval of the cool games on the saturn that never came out of japan. but, we can also thank him for releasing the dremacast at a lower price here in america and adding the modem attachment for free.



anyways..



sega alienating the fanbase, oversaturating the market with too much hardware, not letting developers and retailers aware of their release plans, and not being able to keep their heads in their international corporate structure is what ultimately killed the dreamcast.

@excel_excel: madworld and house of the dead arent sega games at all to me. i loved the hotd series before and own the dreamcast and xbox games.. but on the wii.. the focus on over the top violence and tons of cursing was a turn off for me.

@Knoxximus ver. 5.66: "Sega: Being too innovative for their own good from '86 til '02" fixed.

@Chris Morrison: the problem with this is the multigenerational statement is that capcom was a close 2nd place for my favorite company as a kid.



guess whos first place in 2009 for me? capcom. theyve managed to evolve pretty well.. yet not lose much of their fanbase. they manage to please the masses with stuff like dead rising, lost planet, sf IV, dmc 4, and re 5 (which are all games i dig), to making excellent niche stuff like bionic commando rearmed and tatsunoko vs capcom.



but sega? its all about the west.. smaller devs in the west that arent known for great games. none of the studios at sega really do all that much anymore..

"I could now ask you readers how you would describe Sega, but that might be asking for trouble."



hmmm, ok?



still waiting to see something like this at the end of a Sony/MS summary and we'll be all set.

Crash__Man

@Ferkner: well you have to remember that sega doesnt really even develop the vast majority of their current releases.



i cant really think of anything recent besides virtua fighter 5, yakuza, and valkyria chronicles (im blocking out sonic) thats been actually MADE by sega.



thats the problem right there i believe.

Although there are gems on the Dreamcast, a percentage of Dreamcast owners bought the console to play MGS, Tekken 3, and GT2 on Bleemcast.

FiveSpeed

"Sega Enterprises is a lame company runned by incompetent managers who can't recognize a good franchise when they have one. Sega Enterprises stopped making entertainment systems in 2002 because the last one was too brilliant for the good of the company."

@Kobun: They have put out some good games, but their ratio of good games to not-so-good games is nowhere near what it used to be when they were putting out games for their own systems.





@Chris Morrison: What exactly is a "core" game? You mean a game targeted towards a traditional gamer? What does "core" mean otherwise?

Ferkner

@GameBuddy - Doesn't like tomatoes on his sandvich.: Besides maybe Nintendo, no one made better games than Sega when they were supporting their own consoles. They certainly put out a heck of a lot more games than Nintendo did. They seemed passionate about making great games for their consoles. But when they went third party, that passion seemed to disapear. Their track record for good games dropped. It seems that since they have no vested interest in any of the consoles, they don't put as much effort into the games themselves nor into the premises of their games. Sure, they'll have a critically acclaimed hit once in a blue moon but this is a company that put out AAA titles month after month during the 16-bit days.



Without their own console to support, it seems like a big part of their effort to make top notch games died with their console business.

Ferkner

"Sega, Japanese for mediocrity"

slamdance

What do I think of Sega? Pull up a chair, we may be here awhile >=)

@Nitrokart: If this is true, than I have more hope for the future of our planet than I had previously.

Chris Morrison

@Foxstar is in love with Kotaku's two Brians.: The $399 price point was a major sticking point as well; that's why I have such a hard time understanding Sony's approach to the current generation. If $399 was considered too much for a Saturn over a decade ago (and the 3DO launched with a price tag at or above $599), I'm not sure what made them think that those prices were okay for the current market.

Chris Morrison

Fuck SEGA for leaving SF.

The Great Aussie Evil

@Nitrokart: People will still pirate regardless of price. Pirates don't steal because something's too expensive; pirates steal because they believe the world owes them a living.

Chris Morrison

@Soldier_CLE: To a significant degree, in fact. Consider that a good many of Sega's home hits were ports of arcade titles; with the arcade all but dead in the US, I think a good degree of their ingenuity is lost.

Chris Morrison

@GameBuddy - Doesn't like tomatoes on his sandvich.:



That depends on how you look at Yuji's relevance.



Personally, I enjoyed some of the products that Yuji had helped develop in the past, from the legedary (at least in some circles) Burning Rangers, the SEGA Saturn classic NiGHTS into Dreams (which I've carried a copy of with me in many locales since 1996.), the umpteenth 2-D Sonic games, etc. etc.



The man has long since been referred to as YU2, often regarding him as innovative as Yu Suzuki; a man who is still revered to some degree even after the failure of the Shenmue series.



As for Let's Tap... I've owned a copy of the JPN edition for about a year now, and I', still entertained by it, even as simple as it is.



The comparison and contrast of Miyamoto

is a strawman to the point that Yu and Yuji having made great strides for (then) SEGA Enterprises, Ltd. of the past, and being reduced to nothing more than "mothballed"

(In Yu Suzuki's case), or off to their own renegade faction in semi seclusion (as in Yuji Naka's case.)

@Chris Morrison: If there is anyone who is aware of multi-generational gaming, it'd be me. I can relate with the Pong crowd to present, but can also recognize when SEGA's relevance today, compared to yesteryear had dwindled significantly.



Sad to say, but it is the truth.

@Chris Morrison:Don't forget that suprise launch caused Kay-Bee Toys to completely strip all of their stores and warehouses of Sega project which they would never carry again till the launch of the Dreamcast. It also really -really- pissed off Wal-mart who responded by giving extra shelf space to Nintendo and Sony.



The Sega CD and 32X hurt Sega with it's core, but the Saturn was the death blow with retailers.

Pico was kick ass.



Pouring ten million dollars US into building a FMV studio was not.

@Chris Morrison: I'm sure there will be plenty of kids now, and in the future, who will discover the original Genesis Sonic games and consider them better than their current Sonic games. Hell, I'm 15 and I managed to discover The Beatles, music from over 40 years ago and consider it better than the music today. Same thing.

Can we get an article like this for Sony? "How Sony Has Described Itself Since the Beginning of Time Until Just a Few Seconds Ago."

@Chris Morrison: I agree with you on Stream. If for some reason there absolutely needs to be DRM on a game, I'd want it to be Steam's DRM. I think they've said that if Steam were ever to cease to exist, they would disable the DRM. But hopefully publishers will get out of this DRM phase. There's been pirating for years, and putting a lock on legit customers won't help much. I'm glad iTunes has stopped using DRM - the biggest music retailer has realized that DRM isn't necessary.



But I would think that offering a great game at a great price is a great way to fend off piracy. We get too many sub-par games at full price (*cough*Madden*cough*) and yet, publishers still wonder why people pirate. Instead of taking the blame, they decide to punish their paying customers. :/



You knew all that already, but I just had to get that out.

@Chris Morrison: Thank you for using the term "RetroGoggles". =D



I think that's the biggest reason the newer games are so overblown. The vast majority aren't bad, they're just different. If ya don't like it, don't play it, but don't act like SEGA purposefully wanted to piss you off.

@excel_excel: DB has excellent character writing for the characters, but it IS a Sonic RPG, if that concept doesn't bode well, then don't bother. The music and sound effects are also really, well, weird.



I personally loved it for the story and characterization, but then again, I still think video games should be measured for how much fun they are, not how much they compare to games I played 15 years ago.



So what do I know? =P

@Soldier_CLE: Haha, what did Yuji Naka actually do for the company besides program the original Sonic, produce, and drive a development team to near death because he didn't want them to use his NiGHTS code?



Kidding aside, the man is no Miyamoto in terms of business talent and the only game we've seen from him personally is Let's Tap, and while I'm sure it's good clean fun, it's not exactly mind blowing.

@elmorepow: If you count the Tanooki suit or FLUD as Were-Mario, then Nintendo has already done all of that. =P



I think SEGA really bit themselves on their own arse with Sonic 2006. They hyped it up as a brand new beginning to Sonic games, and they release an Alpha stage game. That opened the floodgates for everyone and their mom to point out the things that they thought were wrong with the franchise and think their word was fact because ONE game was of abysmal quality.



I don't buy the majority of the hatred because the games are still fun to me, but I do agree that SEGA needs to realize that quality game development comes from structured teams that know what their ultimate goal is.

@Chris Morrison: Sadly, as far as the major companies are concerned, that's probably true. When the riskier titles such as GunValkyrie or EA's Mirror's Edge fail to perform well at retail, it just makes for another reason for developers to go the safe, bland route of assured sales and a happy mean. You'll have to get your experimental and creative stuff primarily from the independent studios. Quite similar to the movie industry when you think about it.

@Rozzlit: Innovative, yes, but I'm not sure how much of a success it was.



On one hand, it did last four years, at $15 a month. That's not a small feat.



On the other, every time a game that was exclusive to Sega Channel gets brought up (like Pulseman), it usually gets blank stares and confused reactions. I had a Genesis in the nineties, and I had no idea Pulseman even existed. Judging from the comments here and elsewhere on this week's Virtual Console announcements, I'm not alone.

spiderweb1986

@elmorepow: "- Sonic talks"



You've never played any of the Mario Advance games, have you?



As far as old-school Sonic, the closest we've had recently has been the Sonic Advance and Sonic Rush games for the GBA and DS, respectively. They're not quite up to the level of the Genesis titles, but they're solid, 2D Sonic games.

spiderweb1986

@EnigmaNemesis: Pick up Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection; it's an amazing panacea and worth every dollar of its $29.99 asking price.

Chris Morrison

@Dark_Mirage: Aha, yes...I think I remember something about this. I think the man you're referring to was the rather outspoken Bernie Stolar.

Chris Morrison

@Mommar:



Lets not forget that a few retailers in the States refused to carry their product early on because Sega made a number of promises they never kept. They also made terrible development decisions regarding their consoles. Then there's the excruciating price of their gaming systems (The Genesis thrived in the states because an American marketer they hired slashed the price of the console and included Sonic, something Sega of japan was HORRIFIED by but somehow agreed to meet him in the middle. He basically made the system happen, and I doubt he was ever acknowledged for it). There were also internal debates with companies like Intel, (I believe it was Intel) accidentally announcing one of the Sega platforms early because they were developing the tech for it. So Sega gave them the finger and delayed the system and developed their own tech. That's just a start. There was also enormous friction between the Japanese and American counterparts of the company.



If anyone bothers to do anything resembling research, there are tons of stories like this in the companies past. Basically, Sega was full of arrogant, xenophobic managment that suffered from a horrible lack of communication. They brought ruin upon themselves. It just took a little time for everything to bubble to a head.

@RyuuzakiBjorn: Again, this is where I have to just come out and say that Sonic is no longer for you; he's been handed over to the newer generation of gamers who don't have RetroGoggles to look through.



Consider this: Perhaps we consider Sonic 1-3 as the best Sonic games ever. Now, after playing the current crop of Sonic games, do you honestly believe that modern kids would find Sonic 1-3 as being superior than say, Sonic Adventure, or even Sonic Unleashed? I for one don't believe so. Gaming tastes have evolved and changed so much over the last twenty years that I'd be hard pressed to believe that most modern kids would pick the older Sonics as being better than the newer ones.



"Where's the 3D?"

"Why can I only move left to right?"

"So all I can do is jump on them? Lame."

Chris Morrison

@ThisCharmingMan: This is kinda why I have no real issue with DRM in the market. Yes, it needs to be fixed because it does too much to punish legitimate users, but the pirates need to be stopped. Hopefully a decent solution will be found; Steam seems like a step in the right direction.

Chris Morrison

@Soldier_CLE: The thing to remember here is that what you might consider forgettable are the gaming experiences modern kids will talk about decades from now.



One of the things we seem to forget is that gaming is multigenerational, and a lot of the sour grapes I typically run across in these sorts of discussions are the result of people forgetting that the world changes around us every day. Even the games of Sega's past simply wouldn't measure up in the modern market, i don't believe.

Chris Morrison

SEGA is blue. Very blue in fact, in order to show our opposition to Nintendo, who you may notice are red. Red and supplying a console in vast numbers to the working masses.



We at SEGA think Nintendo are Commies. Because of this, we urge the West to buy SEGA products only.

I love Sega, they are a great company, quality games and consoles.



Its a shame really, I'd love another Sega console, something along the lines of an in house arcade machine. Not a multimedia centre like the PS3 or 360.



Sega still make good games VC and VF5 are 2 perfect examples.



I also wish that the Saturn wasn't looked at as a blip, I think if we look at it games wise (as we should, it is a games console) it had some amazing games on it.

Unique, varied, and solid games;



Guardian Heroes, Sega Rally, Virtua Cop, Dragon Force, Athelete Kings, Story of Thor, Die Hard Arcade...



The list could go on and on.



I would describe Sega as being a head of the curve and being the only company to get bitten in the ass by it.



I would also call them the company with the greatest back catalogue. No contest!

@Kobun: The greatest core game Sega produced that nobody ever played was GunValkyrie (Xbox). The game had a learning curve that was absolutely devastating (leading to many poor reviews citing the game as too hard), but once mastered was the most amazing videogame ballet ever created.



Games such as this just don't have a market anymore.

Chris Morrison

When I look at the 'featured' comments. I see way too much excel_excel.



Not to say that he doesn't have a point in there... and he is using elite powers very well. Star power!



Sega pretty much spoiled the Sonic franchise for someone who used to love Mega-Drive / Genesis Sonic games. There is just way too much in that universe right now, that they have lost the focus. Why do we need to have fighting werewolf Sonic, when Sonic games should be about speed and platforming. For me, Sonic was and icon very similar to Mario. Some of the things Nintendo would never have their icon to do:



- Sonic talks

- Sonic laughs evil laugh *

- There is realistic humans in Sonic games! WTF! *

- Sonic is a werewolf



I have a feeling if Sega took fresh development team of professionals and dedicated them to create Sonic game - it could turn out to be good. Something that would honor the original games for their innovations and gameplay.

@Chris Morrison: And I never thought about EA not supporting the system. Thats a massive reason.

@excel_excel: Yeah, most of the best games on the system came from Sega themselves.

Chris Morrison

@Chris Morrison: It also didn't help that the DC was so easily pirated...

As much as it pains me to say this (being a long-time former SEGA fan):



SEGA of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, the bitch of Sammy Corporation under the umbrella of SegaSammy Holdings, a worldwide leader in dropping the ball in interactive entertainment oppotunities both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes all but forgetable interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Most of SEGA of America's products are located at the end of the five Dollar bargain in retail shops everywhere.



www.sega.godpleasesaveusyusuzukiandyujinakahelp...">godpleasesaveusyusuzukiandyujinakahelp.......us

@excel_excel:



But God how awesome does a fourth console entering the arena sound? More the merrier, no?

GretzkyR99

@Chris Morrison: Sorry god, I meant third party exclusives! /me stupid

@Mommar: A good point, though I think it was more the inherent confusion at the end of the Genesis' lifespan with the introduction of the tragically undersupported 32x and SegaCD.



Now, the Saturn was an entirely different animal altogether. I remember at the very first E3 in 1995 when the Saturn was 'surprise launched' during the show for what I believe to be a $399 price tag...this seemed to be, for most of us present at the show, a knee-jerk reaction to the unveiling of the original Playstation. Just walking through the displays and seeing the vast difference between the games that would be available for both systems, it was clear to most of us in attendance that the PS was both technologically superior and would have the lion's share of games that people were going to want to play. The Saturn looked absolutely pale by comparison.



From its inception, the Saturn was doomed to be an enthusiast gamer's machine; it appears that the DC followed very closely in its predecessor's footsteps.

Chris Morrison

Listen folks, Sega made the Sega Channel which was the single greatest invention of the 1990s.

Rozzlit

@excel_excel: Edit Edit: Or that they themselves would actually buy it.

Rozzlit

@excel_excel:

I will NEVER forgive Sega for not releasing the 2nd and 3rd parts of Shining Force 3 in North America.



Never.

Rozzlit

@excel_excel: Piracy is always an issue; holding out for the PS2 is a point I brought up (and as far as I'm concerned is the biggest factor, which is a shame considering Sony's questionable and rather unimpressive launch lineup). As far as the Sega brand slowly being eaten away, I don't understand this point because Sega was at the top of their game with the DC...but nobody cared.



As far as no exclusives titles are concerned, I have to wonder where you've been: Sonic Adventure, Jet Grind Radio, Skies of Arcadia, Powerstone 1 and 2, Daytona USA, Wetrix, Chu-Chu Rocket, Space Channel 5, Heavy Metal: Geomatrix...the list goes on. I'd even venture to guess that there were more exclusives than cross-platform titles available on the DC, though I haven't scientifically validated that line of thought.



One of the big issues that likely killed the DC early on was EA's refusal to support the system; conventional conspiracy theories seem to indicate EA being in Sony's pocket that entire time. Whether true or not, it certainly has contributed to EA's industry reputation as being a soul-stealing corporate monolith interested in only the bottom line; it likely is also a contributor to the current spate of anti-Sony rhetoric making the rounds.

Chris Morrison

Sega 2009: Died by boring games since the dead of dreamcast, looks like michael jackson

I was part of the fanbase who barely could take it when SEGA abanded the ONLY Game machine which such a great library that Chuck Norris still plays it to this day 24/7! :D :(



No but serious. It was a disaster when I read it in February 2001. But if I knew then what would happend to the company I would still have the same feeling then as I feel now: relieved. I can now appreciate the Dreamcast for the DREAM-MACHINE it really is wihtout having to think about all the games that would have had occupied it if it hadn't been put down.



Long live SEGA, Master System, THE Megadrive/Genesis and Dreamcast!!! (Wasn't that big of a fan of Saturn)

Dennis Pousette

@Mommar: exactly. Sony had delivered with the playstation wheras the Saturn crash and burned. As I said various reasons :P

@Chris Morrison: ah yes I agree. But Valkyria Chronicles, Madworld and House of the Dead are games they would have made back then. Not to mention the awesome Sonic DS games.

But I'm a bit confused, I wasn't saying the dreamcast had bad games, so what are you agreeing with that comment!?

@jazzBRO:

I can tell you exactly why. In the US they backed out on the last two consoles they'd released and often they wouldn't realease the really stellar titles for the Saturn outside of Japan. Thus, people couldn't trust them to deliver and Sony had been dishing the goods for an entire generation before. There was no need for anyone to bother with Sega, they dug their own grave.

Mommar

@VergessenHeld: When the core base has abandoned you, all that remains are the casual. the moves they made may not be popular with core gamers, but really, how many would have bought them anyway? Not many, I'd wager. Sonic and Co are a hard sell in these days of Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty.

Chris Morrison

@jazzBRO: I'm with you on this one; for my money, the DC had the best good-to-bad game ratio of any console of the last decade.

Chris Morrison

@excel_excel:

Not at all; but notice who's buying Sonic games and who's not: largely kids, casuals, and families are still buying Sonic games, whereas those of us who grew up with him are not. Gone are the days when Sega focused on core titles like Jet Grind Radio, Phantasy Star Online, and Skies of Arcadia; to survive in the common market they've had to branch out in multiple directions, which means their focus is divided.



It only made sense for Sonic to get to more of a mainstream tilt, shedding a lot of his core sensibilities for more mainstream accessibility and appeal since that's pretty much where the dollars are these days.

Chris Morrison

@jazzBRO: I don't know them all. Piracy, people holding out for the Playstation 2, lack of exclusive titles, the Sega brand slowly being eaten away.

Sega: Being too innovative for their own good since '89.

@MetroRyushi: More that Sonic 1 and 2?? MORE?!

Come on now. SA I can understand because it is actual decent but SA2??

@excel_excel: "Various reasons"? Care to articulate this a little more?

jazzBRO

@Kobun: Yeah I agree. Sega are a strange one when it comes to having games all over the place. you'd think that they'd try have all games multiplatform but for the most part its their Sega character and Sonic games that are multiplatform, not games that could actually properly benefit from multiple platforms such as Madworld and Valkyria Chronicles.

@(Zombie) Goldwings: ha thanks :P glad to see you back!......what the bloody 'ell is this? I hearted you yonks ago but its clear now...man this system is confusing *clicks heart again*

@VergessenHeld: No the reason they lost with the dreamcast was because for various reasons, not exactly to do with the games.

@excel_excel: I think his point is that we can't really blame Sega for deciding to make the games they do these days. They tried hard to win gamers back with the Dreamcast, failed, and decided that they might as well make some money the easy way.



I wouldn't say Sega has gone casual, but watching them bastardize franchises like Sonic and NiGHTS isn't exactly fun.

VergessenHeld

@excel_excel: SA1+2 are some of my all time favorite Sega games and my favorite Sonic games. :(

@excel_excel: Despite what the haters say, Sega's actually put out a number of great games since the death of the Dreamcast. I just think it hurts when all those games are scattered over a multitude of systems and watching its output dry up to anemic levels when compared to its output when Sega had its own hardware to support. There still are too many beloved franchises languishing in purgatory and still no sign of a completely fantastic Sonic game, but Sega hasn't become a lost cause, just a mismanaged one.

@RyuuzakiBjorn: I've never played any Sonic games that came after the Megadrive/Genesis era. Thus I don't PERSONALLY know how shitty Sonic has become.

It's a smart move, I'd say. Now I can just reminicse on the golden years ,D

@excel_excel: OutRun Online Arcade could be categorized as a casual game...

twinturbo2

SEGA is Service and Games.

@excel_excel:

<__<

>__>

*nods*

T___T

Glad to see you back on :D

Ah, Sega, part owner of my childhood, what has happened to thee?

@RyuuzakiBjorn: As much as I enjoyed the 3D gameplay in sonic adventure (which I really, really did), It's about the same time they started geting crazy with his new friends. They have sort of got things right by knocking them out of the equation in Unleashed but it's just not good enough. JUST. SONIC. PLEASE. I think if they realized this, everything else would just fall into place.

SuperSonik

@RyuuzakiBjorn: Aye. Sega seem to think they made a stone cold classic with SA1, but they didn't and trying to emulate it hasn't served them well

@(Zombie) Goldwings: Its ok, come here, its ok. You wanna burn some copies of Shadow the Hegdehog? N'yeah? make ya feel better?

They changed the URL in them 4 years. They recognised that United States are no longer part of America, apparently.

Colonel Burnill

@Vixtro: Yeah but it would be virtual company suicide for Sega to make another console now. Even with all those people begging for a Dreamcast 2 who must be clinically insane to think it would be good.
EDIT: or think that it would actually sell too

@excel_excel: DB is probably one of the only games where I don't really have a reason for hating, but just do. I can't explain it and I know that makes me pretty shallow, but I JUST HATE IT >:(

@Chris Morrison: I don't really understand, are we saying all Sega games are casual games now?

@Outi: I miss the Mega-Drive, but if you look at Sega now, all you can do is describe it with these two works and a Symbol:



WTF Sega


They've ruined the Nostalgia with shitty Sonic, it's like beating an old war Veteran (Which has been done in the UK, which if fucking sick [[Not good, Disgusting]] ) and us still giving them the money to beat it harder. I wish, I wish we could go back to 2D sonic and be done with it, and I wish we have to power to forget ALL of Sonic's 3D outings (even Sonic Adventure) because it just has to be done to ease my forever breaking heart.

@(Zombie) Goldwings: Valkyria Chronicles indeed!! Not to mention HOTD Overkill and Madworld. Well done Sega. Still need to work on the 3D Sonics though

@(Zombie) Goldwings: Ah yeah I loved LOVED Sonic Rush! But I was just generalising brah! I heard DB was good but too short?

@(Zombie) Goldwings:

When Sega WAS making great games (see: Dreamcast), people didn't buy them, opting instead to wait an entire year for the PS2. Is it any wonder they decided to take a mainstream tack instead of appealing to the core gamer?



I think Sega's discovered what Nintendo already knows: the core gamer is never satisfied, so it doesn't hurt to look elsewhere for revenue.

Chris Morrison

I like to think if Sega were to make another console that they would make awesome games again because if you look to the past, all the best Sega games were on their on consoles.



On another note, if Sega were to make another console I would go and buy it without a second thought!

@excel_excel: The DS ones are really good. Not the Dark Brotherhood though.

To be honest, a picture of a boulder rolling down a hill would be best to describe them.

Unfortunately I've never owned a Sega console before and always went with Nintendo. I have fond memories of playing this really awesome Aladdin game and not being able to pass the water levels in Sonic :P



I'd describe the current Sega as "A company that publishes all kinds of different IPs and a great risk taking company for making Valkyria Chronicles, one of my most favourite games of this generation.

Sega is all about Hatsune Miku for me at the moment.

Goooo Sega! Releasing some good games the last few years and still raping Sonic with horrid games!

I could now ask you readers how you would describe Sega, but that might be asking for trouble.



My Kotaku being fair and balanced. My how you grown. Maybe in 10 more years we can get a Sony one and the 20 get a Microsoft one.

I wonder what Segata Sanshiro would have to say about what Sega has become.



Knowing him he'd beat up some kids for not playing enough video game, then kick a homerun.

nekocomet the dejected

@Ted: You get to see Sega evolve like some ass backwards Pokemon.

It should read:



SEGA of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation that is only a shadow of what it was years ago. We are no longer a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive garbage Sonic software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.



SEGA of America's Web site is located at

www.sega.com/weneedhelp

I'm waiting for Daytona USA 3. The JAMMA show better deliver...

twinturbo2

*sniff*



I do miss the Sega systems. Such fond nostalgia of the Genesis days.

At present I'd describe them as a second rate publisher that still thinks Sonic is the best thing since sliced bread.

Sega is a study in contridictions. I just wish they would honor their past more than ape it like they have been in the last few years.

I describe SEGA with two words and a symbol: SEGA Megadrive <3



Had the the console plugged into my TV for the first time when I was 7. Now I'm 23 and it's still plugged in! .D

Ctrl+F. Search: Sonic. Result: Sonic Shuffle.



Am I missing the point of these self descriptions? Please tell me I am.

Actuallly, they DID change something after 4 years...
www.sega.com/usa
www.sega.com/us

I bet it took a heck of a team to pull that off.

Sega have lost their way.... after the colapse of their hardware business they have relied too heavilly on arcade conversions and ports and re-hashes of dreamcast and saturn titles, plus they have done the number one bad thing and destroyed their mascot in the eyes of the public...lets be honest....after the original sonic, any of you would have bought sonic 2...now in '09 would you touch any game on any system that has sonic in the title and expect it to be engaging and good??

They need to be locked in a room and come up with some more concepts and not just publish other peoples products, and sadly ditch sonic et al, or if they really want to hang on to him make a 2d platformer which utilises the graphics and controllers of current machines, if it is good graphics and hd crap dont matter!

SEGA should look back at Sonic Adventure 1, and Phantasy Star Online. Remake those games with better graphics, more content (and in the case of Sonic, Super Sonic should be unlockable outside of one stage).

*Expand* on those games, but don't *change* them.

@shouryuuken: Thank you, sir! ^_^

@Chris Morrison:

Will do, I was contemplating it ... but definitely will.