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"Big" Sega Game Update for 2003 (1 Viewer)

Romier S

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yet half the games they've churned out since abandoning the DC have ranked between mediocre and absolute garbage, while they don't make sequels to games like Nights and Streets of Rage.
I'm not going to bother debating the strengths of the games that Sega has released. I will say I disagree with that assesment. Sega I think is completely shooken up by the disappointing numbers of thier sports line and thier software sales in general.
Its a question on thier minds of "Why should we?" when they have produced good quality games and take chances no one has bothered to take notice. Jet Set Radio Future? 80,000 copies sold. Rez? A piddly 20,000 in the US alone if I remember correctly. Thier Sega sports line did not sell to thier liking but it has received critical acclaim and in the quality department can go toe to toe with EA's offerings. Believe me James I do agree Sega has churned out some stinkers in the past year or so but part of the problem is also no one is taking chances on the good titles they make.(Admittedly they are on the "niche" side but I digress)
Now thats not to say that the blame lies soley with gamers because that would be totally and completely unfair. Part of it is Sega's fault IMO for not realizing that they need to stop allot of this exclusivity nonsense they have going on. You want to be a third party? Then be one. There is a reason EA is #1 in the world.
Games like Virtua Fighter 4 should be on EVERY console. The PS2 version sold great, I can just imagine how well VF4 would sell on fighter starved systems like the GC and Xbox! Even better imagine a PS2 online and Xbox Live enabled version of VF4?
A game like Crazy Taxi 3 (which was one of those stinkers mentioned) BELONGS on the PS2. The Xbox was purely the wrong system to release that for IMO. Crazy Taxi was a proven seller on the PS2 and if Sega was intelligent they should have released that first and foremost on the PS2 and from there ported to the Xbox. (It still would have been a less than desirable game but hey that never stopped people from buying crap before).
Shinobi is yet another example. I've been playing it for days and its fooking phenominal but its something that I think should be moved at the very least the Xbox as well as the PS2 as that system is also within the intended audience for that kind of game. Even better strike while the iron is hot for Ninja Gaiden and give the Xbox'ers something just as great to hold them over with! I'm sure the Gamecube audience would love in on the NInja action as well!
The smartest thing Sega did from day one was pair Sonic with Nintendo's consoles. Its a union made in heaven and the sales of Sonic Advanced and Sonic Adventure 2 have proven that! I have a feeling Skies of Arcadia will be a big seller for the RPG starved cube crowd. Its these kinds of intelligent decisions that Sega needs to make right now more than ever.
Panzer Dragoon I think is the perfect fit for the Xbox console. Its a game thats very hardcore and very "niche". Its not a game that you can easily choose a platform for because honestly its dificult to make a million seller out of it no matter where you put it. However Smilebit knows the Xbox and with the great buzz the game is getting I am hopeful that Xbox fans will take to the game.
Even more important than choosing the proper platform to release and port games to.... MARKET FOR GODS SAKE! Sega has lost all ability to market. I think thier marketers have fallen completely asleep at the wheel. Its one very big component Sega is missing in every respect IMO. It doesnt have to be a huge ad campaign for every game. It can be as simple as BrianB's previous suggestion of placing ads and music samples in trance publications to promote a game like Rez. Its elementary my dear Sonic!
Of course the next comment will be:
"But Romier MS paid Sega for those exclusives, Sony is probably paying for those exclusives"
Listen, I don't pretend to know whats going on behind the scenes. Lord knows I wish I did at times but frankly at this point I don't care. You know what? Up until *this point* the payoffs are not getting Sega where they need to be so maybe its time Sega rethink its business strategy.
I'll be honest I'm more than happy to hear about those Sega classics being released on the PS2. I think its great that they are doing it and I'll be lining up to get them. BrianB was COMPLETELY on the up and up with his suggestions about Chu Chu rocket et all. Not too mention I think its great Sega is licensing the SNAP middleware to Sony and Nintendo.
Those are the kind of things Sega needs to do to get its butt in gear.
However I'm extremely disappointed to see nonsense like Blue Stinger being rereleased when Sega has DC titles such as the original Shenmue which at this point even has a built in audience on the Xbox! The original Jet Grind (again same situation) and many more marquee titles that they could be releasing on all of these systems and garnering decent sales for little porting efforts (the same porting efforts they are wasting on Illbleed and Blue Stinger).
How about they actually go and port or redo Panzer Saga and release to all of the players that have not had the oppurtunity to experience that wonderous game!?I mean come on.
I mentioned earlier there is a reason EA is #1. They whore the market. They PORT PORT PORT PORT PORT! People bitch and moan that its not taking advantage of the hardware but you know what a majority still buy it right up. EA has made thier money and they continue to secure thier spot as #1. If Sega truly wants to compete they need to follow this kind of effort but one-up it. Do a bit of low cost restructuring to take advantage of some hardware strength (as they did with say NFL2k3). It doesn't have to be huge, but enough to let people know that they care about player concerns. Possibly include extras in the ports to entice the consumer into buying it yet again on another console.
I do agree with you however James that Sega needs to start going DEEP into thier catalogue. How about an online Golden Axe MMORPG on Xbox Live? (Servers are already there for the love of god!). Streets of Rage 4 for all three Next Gen consoles! A true Phantasy Star sequel to rival the likes of Final Fantasy released first and foremost on the PS2 (with its RPG hunry LARGE userbase) and then ported to the other two consoles for extra revenue. Hell go back even further!
There was an article recently dont by a buiness site that featured EA's success and thier similarity to Disney. In it EA speaks of its intellectual properties and how thier use of those properties has propelled them to be what they are today. I can't believe for the life of me that a developer the likes of Sega with the ASTONISHING game catalogue it has and being the very defintion of intellectual property alongside Nintendo can be so flippant with its releases.
I'm starting to agree with Dave F here, it's almost like they WANT to go under.
 

Eugene Esterly

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I am very happy to hear that Sega is porting some of their older games to the PS2 (I own a PS2) since I never got to play thoses games since I never owned a Sega system. I believe that I played Golden Axe somewhere but I can't remember.

Now, if only Sega would bring out the Sonic The Hedgehog games to the PS2 then I would be a very happy gamer. Sega should also port Phantasy Star Online to the PS2.
 

Michael St. Clair

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Let us not forget these comments from Sega's COO a couple of weeks ago:
“From here on in, our key franchises cannot reside on just one platform as the market is too fragmented,” stated Kayama. “Franchises such as Virtua Fighter and the Sonic series must be released across the board.”
...
Interestingly, Kayama mentioned that several Xbox exclusive titles will be released for GameCube and PlayStation 2. Although no games were specifically mentioned, speculation spread like wildfire that Panzer Dragoon Orta will be ported to PS2. Further gossip hinted again that the looming Virtua Fighter Evo will be released for Xbox.
...
It was also mentioned that Sega realises its last batch of Sports titles were not marketed adequately in the US.
It is obvious that Sega is going to cut way down on exclusivity. It is logical to assume that the price that MS/Sony/Nintendo will have to pay for guaranteed exclusivity just went up substantially.
There is a decent chance that some of these recently announced 'vintage' titles will cross platforms and they haven't announced it yet (or are waiting to see how they sell on one platform before they risk greater losses on multiple platforms).
It's also likely that we won't see the exact same lineup in the US.
I hope these titles sell well, I'd love to see more recent and ancient classics on the modern consoles.
 

Morgan Jolley

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The PS2 version sold great, I can just imagine how well VF4 would sell on fighter starved systems like the GC and Xbox!
Well they're making a spinoff for GameCube.

What I think is the problem is that Sega is trying to do what they're good at (make games that are replayable because they're either short, offer lots of extras, or just plain fun) without expanding. Square is good at making long, cinematic RPGs, but that didn't stop them from trying racing games, fighting games, and other genres.
 

BrianB

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And look where it got Square. Sega already cover all of those genres! AND they cover the hugely expensive to develop RPG genre.
 

Dave F

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The death of exclusivity could be the rebirth of Sega. If they have a great game, put it on all the consoles! Shiny silver turds like Blue Stinger should be left in the closet. Marketing a new version will just erode their image.

-Dave
 

Morgan Jolley

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And look where it got Square
The movie screwed them up, the games is what's saving them. Sure, the games from other genres sucked, but the people who like their FF games, Vagrant Story, FF Tactics, etc. are pretty damn happy with how they're going.
 

Jon W H

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Sure, the games from other genres sucked, but the people who like their FF games, Vagrant Story, FF Tactics, etc. are pretty damn happy with how they're going.
That's a pretty blanket statement. Squaresoft lost me after FFVIII. Considering that VII was my all-time favorite and that I bought their movie on DVD, that's something to think about.
 

Romier S

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I hope these titles sell well, I'd love to see more recent and ancient classics on the modern consoles.
Agreed! I can't get enough of Sonic Mega Collection. Konami recently released a PC collection that includes the original three Castlevania titles along with Contra and Super C for 19.99. Nice little collection that I just had to go ahead and buy! I'm all over these classic releases on the PS2.
 

Jeff Kleist

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I just noticed there's an Alex Kidd game on the list. I'm overjoyed that they're reviving that franchise, but is it ACTUALLY an update of Alex Kidd in Miracle World? Man that was one of my ALLTIME favorite Master System games!
 

JasonK

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Ahhhhhh Alex Kidd. I remember one of his games could be played just by turning on the Master System without a cart in. That game was great.

And to echo the sentiments of what's been said, I'd love for Sega to dig into the archives and release some updates of the classics on all 3 systems. I'd love a new Golden Axe or Streets of Rage. And a new offline Phantasy Star would be terrific, too. As much as I love PS Online, I'd like to see what Sega could come up with for an offline version.

I saw Bonanza Bros in the list as well, now there's a game that I hadn't thought about in a while. I liked that one.
 

JamesH

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I much prefer exclusives. I hate seeing cross platform games designed around the lowest common denominator. What if Panzer Dragoon Orta was designed with the PS2 limitations in mind? I'd rather see games taking full advantage of the hardware and completely get rid of the "which port should I buy?" question.
 

Morgan Jolley

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JamesH-

They're doing it with Wreckless (making it for X-Box, then porting) so why can't Sega, arguably the biggest 3rd party developer out there, do the same with their games? Sure, the game degrades in quality a bit, but it busts the market for a game open to just about everybody.
 

Michael St. Clair

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Rayman 2 on the Dreamcast certainly didn't seem contrained, though it destroyed the PSX and N64 versions that were developed concurrently.

It's really in how you develop.
 

Jon W H

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They're doing it with Wreckless (making it for X-Box, then porting) so why can't Sega, arguably the biggest 3rd party developer out there, do the same with their games? Sure, the game degrades in quality a bit, but it busts the market for a game open to just about everybody.
Then Sega becomes EA in terms of cross-platform quality, and I will have a big problem with that. I want it designed for the highest denominator, then downgraded wherever necessary for the following platforms. Everyone loses with the idea of designing with cross-platform first and foremost in mind.
I'm with JamesH, here. Let each game take advantage of each platform that it will be on.
The only problems with this, are: 1) More development time. 2) More costs involved. 3) Saturating the market. 4) Not guaranteeing quality across the board if different teams are used. Coordination is not an easy task in the gaming industry.
 

Eugene Esterly

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Actually, I believe that Sega is better off going multi-platfrom (aka cross-platform) because this way, all 3 consoles get the games. IMO, going multi-platfrom will probably make more money for Sega.
 

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