The mascot even got his own toys back in the day — one of which was recently uploaded to YouTube.

The packaging has phrases like "Forever Hero! He became legend." You must watch this video. You must.

Forever Hero: Segata Sanshiro Figures [GameSetWatch]

An ad for Sakura Taisen 2 has been repurposed by television host Conan O'Brien. Watch the original ad here and the compare below:

Segata Sanshiro ad used on Conan O'Brien show [Sega Nerds via GameSetWatch]

1989 Press release announcing executive hiring at Sega of America...

Based in South San Francisco, Sega of America Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sega Enterprises Ltd./Japan, recognized as a global leader in the high-technology entertainment game industry.

Sega's worldwide activities involve the conception, creation and sale of consumer electronics and entertainment products, including coin-operated arcade games and home video hardware, software and electronic toys, and the operation of arcade centers.

1990 Press release announcing Thomas Kalinski becoming president of Sega of America
(Note: Some of these descriptions are for the Japanese home company; others for the American subsidiary)...

Sega Enterprises Ltd./Japan is a 39-year-old worldwide leader in high-tech electronic entertainment systems and toys. Sega, a public company listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is one of the fastest-growing companies in Japan.

1995 Press release announcing Sega's intent to not just support the Genesis and the Saturn, but to start a company called Sega Soft that would "focus on developing content for multimedia PCs and the Internet"...

Sega Enterprises Ltd., is a nearly $ 4 billion company recognized as the industry leader in interactive digital entertainment media and is the only company that offers interactive entertainment experiences both inside and outside the home. Sega of America's World Wide Web site is located at http://www.segaoa.com.

2000 Press release announcing the debut of the Dreamcast game Sonic Shuffle
(Note: Sega's getting more verbose, but it's awkward to see that that company dollar value they cited five years prior has shrunk so much. But check out their better URL. The company would be a third-party developer within a year.)...

Sega of America is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based Sega Corporation responsible for the development, marketing and distribution of Sega videogame systems and videogames in the Americas. Sega Corporation is a nearly $2.5 billion company recognized as the industry leader in interactive digital entertainment media, offering interactive entertainment experiences both inside and outside the home. Sega of America's World Wide Web site is located at www.sega.com.

2005 Press release announcing the development of Full Auto and Condemned: Criminal Origins for the Xbox 360...

SEGA of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes 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. SEGA of America's Web site is located at www.sega.com/usa.

2009 Press release announcing the release of Let's Tap
(Note: I'm sure people are busy at Sega, but did nothing change in four years? There's nothing new to say about the company?)...

SEGA of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes 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. SEGA of America's Web site is located at www.sega.com/us.

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

The History of Panzer Dragoon [Gamasutra]

Please register your interest for Sega of America executives in the comments, but please, no threats of bodily harm.

NiGHTS Into Dreams... "Christmas dream" Collection [Game Watch]

When we finally got a better look at Poison in the infamous Final Fight Revenge—who pole dances in the Saturn fighter—and later in Street Fighter III: Double Impact as Hugo's sidekick, the long-legged street thug couldn't have appeared more womanly. Still, we had our suspicions.

Fortunately, we can now put the rumors to rest. Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono tells EGM in its latest issue "In North America, Poison is officially a post-op transsexual." Well, that clears that up.

"But in Japan, she simply tucks her business away in order to look like a girl," Ono adds. Oh. Well, I suppose there's always Roxy.

So, there you go. Official word that is sure to be popular trivia at your next cocktail party. Hope it doesn't ruin you on that new Poison PVC figure you may have just been shipped.

Sonic Team USA Takashi Iizuka told Games Radar, "I hear there is a lot of demand for a sequel, to bring out Burning Rangers on Wii so... we'll see." If you could, that'd be just great. We certainly don't want you working on another Shadow the Hedgehog game, OK?

NiGHTS team prefer Gamecube pad to Wii-mote [Games Radar]

Good thing, too, as Sega's other Saturn-era remakes released under the budget Sega Ages line were starting to make the PlayStation 2 version of NiGHTS Into Dreams look like a bit of a rip-off. Non-postage stamp sized screens are available at Gpara.

NiGHTS Into Dreams [Gpara]

SEGAROCKS is a SEGA tribute band made up of old dudes singing Saturn-era SEGA songs. They sound like hair metal, and their live performance even has heavy guitar noodling! There are a couple songs from their 2004 Tokyo live performance. The clips came on a DVD that was included with a SEGAROCKS CD. Yes, they actually made a proper studio album! Just check out the track listing. While watching the clips and listening to the guitar solos, keep in mind that these guys are serious. Brian Ashcraft

SEGAGAGA March

Go Go SEGA Rally

SEGA Saturn Shiro

Sega Rox [Insert Credit]

Right before it all ended for Sega Saturn mascot Segata Sanshiro, he was given his own game (Segata Sanshiro Shinkenyugi) for the Saturn, a console that was phased out by the Dreamcast. That console was later killed off by Sega so they could focus on more important things. Things like Love and Berry and Mushi King. Pretty sad! Though, he did get a groovy music video out of the whole deal. Game site Siliconera has a look back at the mascot, who was based on judo pioneer Sugata Sanshiro. The character was in a bunch of zany commercials, which we've posted after the jump. Brian Ashcraft

Remember Segata Sanshiro [Siliconera]

Sega Saturn will be hitting Turner's GameTap PC service this Easter as a little Easter Egg, get it?

Saturn's platform title Bug! is listed as Insect? on the GameTap service. The game's description says that the debut is "...a hidden one-week sneak peek of planetary proportions... Stay tuned for the launch of more games for the Sega Saturn later this year," according to Gamasutra, which spotted the Egg.

That certainly seems to indicate that more Saturn goodness is headed GameTap's way. I've asked for confirmation from the service, but haven't heard back yet. Brian Crecente

GameTap reveals Sega Saturn License, Plans [Gamasutra]

Is this how the Sega console business *finally* ends? Not with a bang, but a whimper? Guess so! While Sega pulled the plug on console production back in 2001 (DC, R.I.P.), games continued to appear on the Dreamcast. Earlier this year saw not one, but two new DC releases in Japan. Sadly, Sega also stopped producing the official format for that game machine earlier this year. That means the only option to get games now is through the homebrew/underground scene.

It gets worse.

Last Friday, Sega Japan announced that on September 28th of this year, it would cease its internal repair service for the Dreamcast, the Saturn and their corresponding accessories. And if you can repair your consoles yourself after that? Well, you're shit outta luck. Brian Ashcraft

No More Fixing [Sega via Sega Nerds]

Still, hope survives in the form of a release list from G-Rev—who just happen to have nothing to do with shmup developers G.rev, who, also unrelated, are responsible for Xbox 360 wet dream shooter-fighter Senko no Ronde as well as Dreamcast faves Border Down and Under Defeat.

The list, linked from the dark and lovely Brandon of Insert Credit and currently roaming the internet, also features another to-good-to-be-true title, NiGHTS for the Nintendo Wii.

But what do we have to go on with NiGHTS for the Wii? Pretty much nil. Sega has done virtually nothing with the franchise since its debut in 1996, but that hasn't stopped every Sonic Team and Yuji Naka hyperfan from putting a sequel or remake on his or her fantasy list alongside every new console release.

Is this just an internet rumor running wild, ultimately showing up on G-rev's exhaustive console listing? That's my guess. With Sega focusing on older IP like Alien Syndrome and After Burner, however, we'll rule nothing out.

I honestly hope this is true and that someone will have the good sense or financial recklessness to release a top-down shooter in the West, but I'm not holding my breath. As for NiGHTS Into Dreams for the Wii? I'm not going to set myself up for disappointment. I'm assuming this, like Shenmue III, will never see the light of day.

Pray that I'm wrong! Michael McWhertor

360 Ikaruga Sequel In The Works? [Kotaku]

1999: GT Interactive releases Unreal Tournament for PC in the US. The game is incredible, receiving deserved praise for strong AI, a variety of game modes and a strong online community of gamers even if some prefer Quake III Arena.

Assault, CTF and Domination offered truly diverse gameplay with a lot of replay value due to excellent map design. I never understood why people still played old versions of Quake religiously until I played the next installment of the series and things just felt different. UT represents a personal favorite game. What do you think? Quake III or UT?Mark Wilson

Have gaming history, trivia, or famous birthdays you'd like to see in TDIG? Drop us a line at tdig@kotaku.com

Is this just an ownership vs. subscription issue? I don't know. Sega Channel offered a ton of gaming compared to WoW. What do you think?Mark Wilson

Have gaming history, trivia, or famous birthdays you'd like to see in TDIG? Drop us a line at tdig@kotaku.com

2004: South Korea's Media Board bans the sale of Ghost Recon 2, saying the plotline goes "way too far". Maybe South Korea disliked the highly unrealistic storyline in which a North Korean dictator redirects humanitarian aid to war programs, and then threatens to blow South Korea up.

North Korea, too, responded to the game, calling it just another way Americans show their hatred for North Korea.

October 9, 2006: North Korea is said to have successfully tested a nuclear weapon.

Does art imitate life, or does life imitate art? Mark Wilson

Have gaming history, trivia, or famous birthdays you'd like to see in TDIG? Drop us a line at tdig@kotaku.com

1994: Sega releases the Saturn in Japan. 10 million units sold worldwide - roughly a third of what the Genesis sold. This from the wiki: "The Saturn was a powerful machine for the time, but its design, with two CPUs and 6 other processors, made harnessing its power extremely difficult." Sound familiar to anyone? If only TDIG were around to warn Sony earlier!

2005: Microsoft releases the Xbox 360 in the US. Is it a success? Microsoft just sold their 7 millionth unit (behind projections), but I'm guessing that number could hit the double digits through the holidays. I love my Xbox 360 so deeply that if it died, my soul would follow just days later after my heart simply stopped beating.

Saturn fanboys, attack the 360 fanboys. 360 fanboys, put down Gears of War and fight back for a change. If you like both systems, pull a Fight Club. Mark Wilson

Have gaming history, trivia, or famous birthdays you'd like to see in TDIG? Drop us a line at tdig@kotaku.com

Destructoid's readers (and contributors) are a tawdry, villainous bunch. As are scoundrels over at The Age blogs, where Destructoid got the idea for compiling a list of gaming sins in the first place.

For my own part, I despise the tendency of gamers to regard the personal tastes of themselves or others as wrong. Liking or not liking something is not immoral, because it has no effect on others. It's not a sin that you didn't finish Halo. It's not a sin that you dig Parappa. And it's most certainly not a sin to hate Sierra adventure games (it's common bloody sense).

Be absolved.

The most sinful confessions from both Destructoid and the Age's threads were often the ones not regarded so sinfully by onlookers, such as the Age's 'Bluie's precocious chirp, "My favourite game is Unreal Tournament (and I'm a girl)and the newer versions just can't beat it." Note here the absence of awareness of the morally repugnant nature of braying about your vagina every time you get a chance to relate it to gaming.

Hit the jump for my favorite sin from the 'Toid, plus personal confessions from myself and Stickypig (who is tired of being called Sizzlepig).

Being a fanboy is also, most certainly, a sin. If I see one more totally console-free comment thread get turned into a ps3 vs. wii pissing match, I'm calling the Pope to come and take you all to hell. And I'm not talking about John-Paul, either.

But my all-time favorite was from Destructoid, and has nothing to do with pontiffs or pussies:

# Xbudz says: September 19th, 2006 at 9:42 am

You guys call those gaming sins? Try this:

I sold my birthday presents for a Sega Saturn during its suprise launch in 1995.
# Chris Taran

For Stickypig's part, during Sega's promotion for Truxton, he missed the deadline by which he had to purchase another Sega game and send in the receipt to get a free copy of the former. But through the intervention of some dark god, S-Pig was struck with the inspiration to manually transfigure the date on a diferent receipt, thus receiving his ill-gotten game in a timely manner.

For my own part, I discovered that the secondary controller would steer the duck in Duck Hunt. I did not tell my friend who was actually manning the light gun, and who suddenly seemed to become far less proficient at the game. Eliza Gauger

Confess Your Gaming Sins [Destructoid]
Gaming Confessions [The Age Blogs]

For your Thursday lunchtime perusal, Next Generation's Eric-Jon Rossel Waugh has posted a decent read for whilst you're otherwise employeed stuffing a sandwich into your craw: "How the Console 'Losers' Really Won."

A curious thing about videogames is that, underneath the bluster, you'll nearly always find that the "losing" platforms - from the Sega Saturn to the Turbografx-16 - are in many ways either objectively superior to or subjectively more intriguing than what "won"; what they typically lack is balance. Like root beers or politicians, typically the top candidates rise to the top not out of pure excellence; they rise because they serve the basic desires of the greatest audience while offending the fewest.

Like many articles with an overarcing thesis, the author (a man with both two first names and two last names) tries a bit too hard at points. Still, he's right that many features inherent in failed consoles were then polished by competition until they shined on their own. Florian Eckhardt

How the Console 'Losers' Really Won [Next Generation]