Kotaku 
Enter your username and password.
Denver, 3:48 AM
Fri Nov 27
28 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip us:
Editor-In-Chief:
Brian Crecente
| AIM | Twitter
Deputy Editor:
Stephen Totilo
| AIM | Twitter
Senior Editor:
Michael McWhertor
| AIM | Twitter
Senior Contributing Editor, Japan:
Brian Ashcraft
| AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, East Coast:
Michael Fahey
| AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, Oceania:
Luke Plunkett
| AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, Weekends:
Owen Good
| AIM | Twitter
Correspondent, San Francisco:
AJ Glasser
| AIM | Twitter
Columnist:
Leigh Alexander
Columnist:
Tim Rogers
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
07/15/09
hmmm, ok?
still waiting to see something like this at the end of a Sony/MS summary and we'll be all set.
07/15/09
Pouring ten million dollars US into building a FMV studio was not.
07/15/09
We at SEGA think Nintendo are Commies. Because of this, we urge the West to buy SEGA products only.
07/15/09
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.
07/15/09
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.
07/15/09
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.
07/15/09
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.
07/15/09
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.
07/16/09
I am certain that if they'd have another system to support right now, their games would once again be top notch.
07/15/09
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.godpleasesaveusyusuzukiandyuji...">godpleasesaveusyusuzukiandyuji.......us
07/15/09
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.
07/15/09
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.
07/15/09
Sad to say, but it is the truth.
07/15/09
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.)
07/15/09
07/15/09
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..
07/16/09
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?
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/17/09
07/15/09
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.
07/15/09
07/15/09
I wouldn't say Sega has gone casual, but watching them bastardize franchises like Sonic and NiGHTS isn't exactly fun.
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
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.
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
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.
07/15/09
But I'm a bit confused, I wasn't saying the dreamcast had bad games, so what are you agreeing with that comment!?
07/15/09
07/15/09
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.
07/15/09
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.
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
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.
07/15/09
07/15/09
The Sega CD and 32X hurt Sega with it's core, but the Saturn was the death blow with retailers.
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
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.
07/16/09
07/15/09
On another note, if Sega were to make another console I would go and buy it without a second thought!
07/15/09
EDIT: or think that it would actually sell too
07/15/09
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.
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
Games such as this just don't have a market anymore.
07/15/09
07/16/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
<__<
>__>
*nods*
T___T
Glad to see you back on :D
07/15/09
07/15/09
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
07/15/09
I do miss the Sega systems. Such fond nostalgia of the Genesis days.
07/15/09
07/17/09
Will do, I was contemplating it ... but definitely will.
07/15/09
07/15/09
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
07/15/09
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.
07/15/09
07/15/09
07/15/09
It's a smart move, I'd say. Now I can just reminicse on the golden years ,D
07/15/09
07/15/09
Come on now. SA I can understand because it is actual decent but SA2??
07/15/09
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."
07/15/09
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.
07/15/09
Am I missing the point of these self descriptions? Please tell me I am.
07/15/09