Only on his new job for about two and a half weeks, Mike Hayes is the man who now oversees Sega West, the combined domain of Sega of America and Sega of Europe and the man who I asked yesterday to define, if such a term is possible, "Sega-ness."

Hayes, who formerly had been running just Sega of Europe and years before that was at Nintendo, was taking meetings in New York on the penthouse floor of a midtown Manhattan hotel. Based in London, he was paying the territory added to his portfolio a visit. Around him, in adjacent rooms, a line-up with a diversity that make even Sega's innovative line-ups of its old Genesis and Dreamcast eras look homogeneous was illuminating TV screens. A few doors in one direction were Aliens Vs. Predator and espionage role-playing game Alpha Protocol. In the other, beyond more than half a dozen other distinct games, were Daisy Fuentes Pilates and a Sonic kart-racing game.

Is there an essence of Sega that unifies the company's games? Something that a gamer unaware of the company logos on game boxes might still sense as a unifying aspect of Sega's games?

"In some cases, but not all," Hayes said, answering this early question with the thoughtfulness and lack of diplomatic self-censorship with which he'd field all of my questions. "When we are trying to do core games like Aliens Vs. Predator from Rebellion, I don't think you'll find any Seganess in that. However, there are a lot of games that we do do — whether it be particularly with our old intellectual property, like Monkey Ball, like with Mario and Sonic and … things like Let's Tap — it's that kind of slight risk-taking that Sega was renowned for as innovators that we still do and we still intend to do."

Such a publisher winds up having to field from an outlet like this one questions as wide-ranging as the fate of its Aliens license, its Sonic line and its heritage as a hardware maker. More on some of that later this week, but here's our first batch of updates.

Aliens is one of the murkier Sega topics. The company announced in 2006 that it would publish three games based on the famous chest-bursting movie monsters. Sega showed Aliens Vs. Predator at this event, demonstrating how games can play as a human marines or a Predator. Still under wraps is what playing like an Alien will be like. But this game wasn't expected to be the first Aliens game from Sega. That was going to be the Gearbox-developed Aliens: Colonial Marines shooter or the now-canceled Obsidian-developed Aliens RPG.

"The Gearbox project was moving along," Hayes said, recalling when the decision was made to take Colonial Marines out of the lead position. The game wasn't as far along as Aliens Vs. Predator, which originally wasn't backed by Sega. It was being made by Rebellion for publisher Vivendi, until that support ceased following Vivendi's 2008 merger with Activision. "There was an opportunity for us to take that." Its development progress put Gearbox's game into the second slot, to be released "a good period after" AvP, according to Hayes. The RPG won't be third because "it just wasn't coming along to the plan that we thought."

Might the newly announced, Ridley Scott Alien prequel project be a source of Aliens inspiration for Sega? "We're quite excited about that and buzzing from the news of that," Hayes said. But of the third game, Hayes would only say, " We'd like to think we'll be doing a third project but at the moment we haven't confirmed what the third project will be."

Another hyped grouping of Sega games has been its trio of Wii games targeted to the demographic of gamers that prefers a good headshot or chainsaw kill to an interactive sit-up routine: House of the Dead Overkill, MadWorld and The Conduit. Hayes views their fortunes as mixed. Sales reports don't show blockbuster numbers for any of the games, but, Hays said, "I just don't think, categorically, that you can therefore concludes that mature games won't work on Wii."

Hayes deemed profane Grindhouse-style in-rails shooter House of the Dead: Overkill a "big success in Europe," even though it performed less spectacularly in America. Hayes said the game's budget-priced Wii predecessor, which compiled two earlier games in the series, continues to do well, suggesting there's a future to this line. "We're still very keen on the House of the Dead franchise."

Conduit can also be deemed a success, Hayes said, qualifying its performance as a solid one in a summer that has seen a pre-Holiday Wii hardware and software "dip." The company has shipped 300,000 copies of the game worldwide and sold through more than half of them to gamers, about 100,000 in the U.S., according to figures from Segaof America v.p. of marketing, Sean Ratcliffe who attended our interview.

It is the mostly black-and-white, hyper-violent MadWorld that Hayes dubbed a "disappointment" for reasons he can't yet nail down. "It could be the consumers didn't like the art style," he said. "It could be the consumers had enough Mature-rated games to play on 360 and PS3 and didn't need a new experience on Wii."

Hayes sums up the mixed success of those titles with a sanguine recognition that any grouping of games will have its hit, its flop and some in-between performers. "That's video games," he said. And it's not the end of this Wii gamer narrative from Sega. " You will see more — I wouldn't say Mature as in M — but you will see more definitely more hardcore games from us on the Wii platform."

MadWorld was part of a second grouping of Sega titles, those developed by Platinum Games, the company led mainly by former design stars at Capcom. Bayonetta, now releasing in early 2010 in the U.S. will be the second, along with DS game Infinite Space. Hayes said there will be at least two more Platinum Games titles published by Sega beyond that, but wouldn't provide details nor confirm if either of those is the previously-announced game being developed by heralded Japanese game maker Shinji Mikami.

One of the biggest hits for Sega in Japan has been its Yakuza series, a line of story-driven brawlers set, mostly, in modern Tokyo and crafted with the help of a Japanese crime novelist and Toshihiro Nagoshi, the classically eclectic Sega developer who also dreamed up the kid-friendly Super Monkey Ball. Yakuza may be the Japanese series that most closely matches the urban antisocial vibe of the Grand Theft Auto series, but its two PlayStation 2 releases in America have sold poorly. A third PS2 Yakuza was not brought to America. A current-gen game, Yakuza 3, made its mark in Japan in February. The third is absent from Sega's announced U.S. release schedule. "We're looking into it," Hayes said, remarking that it would require "massive localization" work and that, yes, he's aware of the dedicated fans here clamoring for its release.

Hayes answered that Yakuza question outside of our interview, truth be told. We'd wrapped up. I was at the other end of the penthouse, preparing to play Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympics after commandeering Luigi on bobsled I saw Hayes and had to ask. Imagine the ability to transition from playing character-mascot Olympics to a discussion of a crime-filled city adventure, all without leaving the same publisher's demo hotel suite: Maybe that is the definition of "Sega-ness"

Something Fluidesign, who did some work for Sega designing the box art for House of the Dead: Overkill, know all too well. Interestingly, the company have thrown open their Flickr account to show off the unused concepts that were drawn up for not just the game's front cover, but some logos, websites and t-shirts as well.

This is a highlight reel of the best stuff, but you can see the lot of it at Fluidesign's Flickr page.

[via GameSetWatch]

But that doesn't mean SEGA has given up on mature Wii titles.

"You have to push boundaries and explore," says SEGA Europe's Gary Dunn. "I think whilst MadWorld commercially didn't sell what we were expecting I wouldn't say it's game over for mature Wii titles from Sega."

Continuing Dunn adds that the company is looking at its resources it has now. "We've got money to invest in development," he says, "we're just considering where to invest it next." But is there an audience for mature Wii titles?

Sega: It's not game over for mature Wii titles [Games Industry]

Despite a respectable Metacritic score of 82 percent, the M-rated MadWorld didn't exactly explode off of the shelves when Sega released it last month. The stylishly violent first offering from Platinum Games only managed to push 66,000 copies. Not a huge number, but still higher than Sega's other M-rated title, House of the Dead: Overkill, which saw 45,000 copies sold in its debut month. Still, Sega seems pleased with the results, telling Venture Beat:

House of the Dead has done very well and has absolutely met our expectations. The first set of data for Mad World is very encouraging, as well.

I suppose when you are releasing an M-rated title on a console that's been embraced by the American family you've got to keep those expectations realistic.

Wii's M-Rated MadWorld Sells 66,000 in the U.S. [Gamasutra]

Weighing in with 189 uses of the F-bomb is The House of the Dead: Overkill. That works out to more than one rhymes with duck per a minute, or three percent of all words spoken in the game.

"This record category pre-existed for movies, music and television, but The House of the Dead: OVERKILL is the first video game to be awarded the title in the Gamer's Edition," said Video Games Records Manager for Guinness World Records, Gaz Deaves. "It's a mark of the times."

Jonathan Burroughs, writer of The House of the Dead: OVERKILL, sounds proud.

"It is a dubious honour to receive such an accolade working in an industry where so often the fruits of your labours are derided and dismissed for being puerile or irresponsible, but in the case of The House of the Dead: OVERKILL a little puerility was the order of business," he said. "Parodying the profane excess of grindhouse cinema was Headstrong Games' objective and I am flattered that this record acknowledges that we not only rose to that challenge, but entirely exceeded it."

The trailer is chock full of jazzy music and gore, along with quotes from various publications heralding the disgusting fun to be had. Seeing as this is the UK trailer for the game, we get quotes from UK Magazines, like the Official Nintendo Magazine, Nuts, Loaded...and the Official Nintendo Magazine again. Huh.

With review scores so far heavily leaning on the positive side, you'd think they wouldn't have to double up, or use the hackneyed "Be afraid. Be very afraid" quote. Still, it looks like Sega and developer Headstrong could have a winner on their hands, so we'll excuse the odd marketing eccentricity.

Of course, this isn't the first M-rated game for the Wii. Seventeen titles have gotten it for "Blood and Gore" even. But it's definitely a departure from the stereotype, especially for a Wii exclusive. Given House of the Dead's long legacy as an arcade shooter, it's probably the only machine for which this type of game could be developed. It'll be curious to see how this does against Dead Rising: Chop Til You Drop.

House of the Dead: Overkill: The Experience Doc [Gametrailers]

According to Lead Designer Alastair Halsby: "We have done our utmost to ensure that it feels like playing an arcade machine — albeit an arcade machine that is out to entertain a paying customer, instead of one that is trying to lever money out of players. Our players have already paid their money, so it's also our job to make sure they have a thrilling ride."

What we've seen from this title appears great so far. And that 1970's pulpy grindhouse look? Love it.

Wii Fanboy Interview: Headstrong talks House of the Dead: Overkill [Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

“Prelude to an OVERKILL” gives us the backstory that led Agent Washington and (ahem) Varla Gunns (who sounds like she is fresh off a Vivid Video contract) up the grim path the the titular House.

The book will be packaged with the game in a special slipcase. Amazingly, there is no mention of a 'making of' DVD or 'art book', which makes a refreshing change. The Collector's Editon will be available as a pre-order bonus when the game is released on the Wii in the new year.

Update: Eric M. Bush wrote to tell us that the pack has been confirmed for PAL territories only. Sorry, NTSC peoples.

News: House Of The Dead Collector's Edition! [N-Europe]