A Sega fan’s wishlist to bring the big blue back to power

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There was a time when Sega had 65% of the gaming industry’s market share in North America – the time when Sonic the Hedgehog was a lot cooler than an Italian plumber, the time when Yu Suzuki was comparable to Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto. Arcade fans spent countless hours getting the fastest time in Hang-On, perfecting the act of not killing civilians in Virtua Cop, and trying to beat in Virtua Fighter.

It’s sad to see one of the most influential companies in video game history struggle in today’s tough competition, but we have to admit that Sega’s presence is not as strong as it was before – not as strong as it should be. Some credit this to the losses that came with Dreamcast‘s fall, while some point fingers at lackluster games in recent years. What we can be certain about is that fans want to see Sega in its former glory.

A quick look at Sega’s upcoming and recent games line-up reveal familiar titles for young and old, most on multiple platforms. Where’s the problem, then? Pretty much every gamer is part of their target market, especially since most of Sega’s established franchises are aimed at the biggest audience possible, so why is the company not doing as well as other publishers?

Without having to nitpick on quality of particular titles that didn’t experience warm reception, let’s just put up a battle plan that would rile up Sega fans while giving the former champ a good chance of propelling to the top. In other words, a Sega fan’s wish list.

Read the entire article right after the jump!

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Originally posted Sept 27, 2007 at 01:30PM

There was a time when Sega had 65% of the gaming industry’s market share in North America – the time when Sonic the Hedgehog was a lot cooler than an Italian plumber, the time when Yu Suzuki was comparable to Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto. Arcade fans spent countless hours getting the fastest time in Hang-On, perfecting the act of not killing civilians in Virtua Cop, and trying to beat Dural in Virtua Fighter.

It’s sad to see one of the most influential companies in video game history struggle in today’s tough competition, but we have to admit that Sega’s presence is not as strong as it was before – not as strong as it should be. Some credit this to the losses that came with Dreamcast‘s fall, while some point fingers at lackluster games in recent years. What we can be certain about is that fans want to see Sega in its former glory.

A quick look at Sega’s upcoming and recent games line-up reveal familiar titles for young and old, most on multiple platforms. Where’s the problem, then? Pretty much every gamer is part of their target market, especially since most of Sega’s established franchises are aimed at the biggest audience possible, so why is the company not doing as well as other publishers?

Without having to nitpick on quality of particular titles that didn’t experience warm reception, let’s just put up a battle plan that would rile up Sega fans while giving the former champ a good chance of propelling to the top. In other words, a Sega fan’s wish list.

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Shenmue

Let’s start off with Sega’s groundbreaking project, the Dreamcast’s last hurrah: Shenmue. The project, according to producer and director Yu Suzuki, took US$ 70 million to make. It was ahead of its time in terms of production values, and attempted to introduce an entirely new genre called Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment (FREE) by Suzuki. Unfortunately, it was also a wild gamble that didn’t pay off. To break even, Shenmue had to sell two copies to EACH Dreamcast owner – something that never happened.

Sounds like a disaster, you say? While the early demise of Sega’s console and Sony’s dominant PlayStation brand suppressed whatever success Shenmue could’ve received, it still created a following of fans who were blown away. Interest was also there, as news of a third game for the series surfaced not long ago. Shenmue Online, which was canceled for reasons unknown, is a clear statement that Sega’s got some love remaining.

You should get the drift by now; If Shenmue III (a direct third sequel, not a spin-off) sees the light of day, Sega will not only prove that they listen to their fans, but also possibly make a blockbuster hit amidst the craze of FPS, RPG, and casual games that seem to dominate the market. If the next Shenmue game follows the spirit of its predecessors, which touched as much genres as possible offered so much immersion like never before, then Sega’s going to have a hard time counting the greens.

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Jet Set Radio
The original Jet Set Radio never attempted to joust Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater off its throne, but it was still in a league of its own. Sega proved to be ahead of its time once again as the game introduced, or at least popularized, cel-shading to mainstream gaming. It also offered online service, allowing players to upload or download user-created graffiti tags.

Beyond all the gimmicks, Jet Set Radio was a solid skating game that had all the right elements. It would take some effort to find remotely bad reviews from credible critics.

Players had to put graffiti all over town while avoiding the police and nailing tricks. Jet Set Radio Future appeared on the Xbox, but it was more of a refurbished version of the original than anything. There was also Jet Set Radio Advance which was a good handheld distraction.

What we from Sega needs is a full-blown Jet Set Radio sequel utilizing the power of today’s consoles. Either they decide to put the game on the most powerful machine, or create a brand new experience by using the Nintendo Wii’s motion sensing controls, another one of this classic could sway gamers away from big skateboarding titles in the market.

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Skies of Arcadia
Much lauded as the best RPG on the Dreamcast, Skies of Arcadia was hit or miss; either you love it, or you hate RPGs. Reviews were so favorable that it was rare to find anyone tagging Vyse’s adventure a score below 90%. Pure hype, you say? Not if you experienced what the game had to offer.

Finding flaws in this classic is like the worst scavenger hunt – even much effort won’t lead to anything substantial. On the other hand, a lot of good things can be said. Characters full of personality, various places to explore, well-paced combat, outstanding graphics, lengthy story that never feels repetitive; what more can you ask for, especially from a game that isn’t Final Fantasy?

Calling Skies of Arcadia Legends for the GameCube a full sequel doesn’t do the original justice, but it was still among the best RPGs Ninty’s cube can offer. As if a remake gathering spectacular remarks isn’t good enough, Sega should take the hints from fans and make that sequel.

There are enough consoles available in the market to choose from – Xbox 360 for Achievements, allowing players to gain prominence as pirates; PlayStation 3 for the most processing power, bigger storage format to pack more islands in; Wii for innovative controls, unique gameplay and mini-games that the original had in good numbers.

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Panzer Dragoon
The last time we saw Sega’s masterpiece in flying colors was in Panzer Dragoon Orta for the Xbox which garnered much praise from critics. From its humble beginnings in 1995 on the Sega Saturn, Panzer Dragoon has become one of the best rail shooters we’ve seen.

With all the consoles available today, another installment to the series with high production values could give Sega a better footing. Aside from Lair, there really isn’t much alternative for those who want to take control of a dragon and engage in epic battles.

Orta didn’t put thousands of soldiers on the screen in real-time or put other elements to push for realism, but like its predecessors, it was packed with fast-paced action in every turn. Without the plague of abysmal controls, a Panzer Dragoon done well could be a smash hit. Motion sensing could also lead to player immersion, but classic buttons coupled with outstanding game design to revitalize series will make people look up to Sega again.

Segata Sanshiro
Ever heard of this Japanese martial arts master? If you’re a bit younger, chances are you’ve never seen Segata Sanshiro scare children to play video games instead of baseball. Actually, saying such doesn’t do him justice – he also crashed parties in nightclubs to send adults home for some quality Sega Saturn playtime.

Unfortunately, he died a hero to save Sega’s office where development for the Dreamcast was being discussed. We last saw him exploding in space as the Sega Saturn’s life ended to give way for the more powerful machine. Segata Sanshiro was a Japanese pun telling people to play the Saturn, which won’t make sense if used today with the console nowhere in sight.

What Sega could do, however, is do a marketing push similar to Sanshiro. He wasn’t Mario, but seeing amusing TV spots actually work. If we could gather testimonies, we’ll get plenty of stories about how gamers back in the day bought something under the Sega brand after Sanshiro commanded them to stay home and play nice.

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