Quality Sega Games?
Quality Sega Games?
It seems that sega has had a problem with producing quality video games since the dreamcast went under. I know this question has probably been asked a million times...Will sega ever get back into consoles? I really hope they do because the games they produced when they were supporting a console are a lot better than what they are producing now. Yes, I have been a sega fanboy since the genesis days.
I honestly don't know why they would. The headaches and expense to design, manufacture and market a console are immense and the chance of breaking even or even making a buck are long term and risky. And the Dreamcast notwithstanding, they do not have a great reputation for making and supporting great hardware (32X, Sega CD, Nomad, CDX, Saturn). The Dreamcast WAS good, no, it was great, but the general gaming public doesn't know that since they mostly avoided Sega due to past bad experiences and went with the other big three. Many younger gamers probably aren't even aware of how good Sega hardware can be since it all came before their time.
As it stands, they are making money selling mediocre games. The only problem they have at the moment is that they can only market their legacy games so much and for so long and the longer they maintain a reputation of makers of boring and bad games the less likely they will continue to succeed or to have another megahit in the future. They need some killer games in the near future or they will become another also ran like so many others.
AND, if they were to re-enter the hardware waters they would have to cut back or eliminate the games they publish for other (competing) platforms and thus cut the main revenue stream they do have. I don't think anyone at Sega is that stupid unless they've rehired Stolar.
As it stands, they are making money selling mediocre games. The only problem they have at the moment is that they can only market their legacy games so much and for so long and the longer they maintain a reputation of makers of boring and bad games the less likely they will continue to succeed or to have another megahit in the future. They need some killer games in the near future or they will become another also ran like so many others.
AND, if they were to re-enter the hardware waters they would have to cut back or eliminate the games they publish for other (competing) platforms and thus cut the main revenue stream they do have. I don't think anyone at Sega is that stupid unless they've rehired Stolar.
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retro_gammer79
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Re: Quality Sega Games?
WOW, that’s a big can of worms you just opened. Could you please give specific examples of resent games that Sega has made that you dislike and why?kgcarini wrote:It seems that sega has had a problem with producing quality video games since the dreamcast went under. I know this question has probably been asked a million times...Will sega ever get back into consoles? I really hope they do because the games they produced when they were supporting a console are a lot better than what they are producing now. Yes, I have been a sega fanboy since the genesis days.
I highly doubt that Sega will get back into the console seen. The Dreamcast nearly bankrupted their company and with Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo leading the way. It would near impossible for any existing or new company to get into the console race. Not to mention the PC gaming online market that is out there.
I would honestly say that’s since you find the retro game better then what is out now, why not just be happy and stick with that?
The last great Sonic games in my opinon was Sonic Adventure 1 & 2. Sonic and the secret rings and shadow were not as nearly as good. Nights for the saturn was great, but nights for the wii is so-so. I feel that overall sega's games are not as good as they used to be when they had a vested interest in succeding. There are some good sega games that are still good like Phantsey Star Universe and Shining Force.
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Doctor Fugue
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It really is unfortunate that most money is made in software and lost in hardware. Sega has lost key people (Yuji Naka, Naoto Oshima), they are fractured between Sega of America and Japan (witness the beginnings of trouble with the 32X and Saturn), they have diluted or forgotten their main franchises (need we really compare recent Sonic games to the core Mario games? and where is their racing legacy...Daytona, F355, HangOn, Super GT, Virtua Racing, Sega GT).
Most of their current games are made by developers they have absorbed or bought and the quality control is not the best. They lack originality and excitement. They also shouldn't have absorbed their AM divisions, even though some are separate, the AM now have less control. And Yu Suzuki needs to come back from wherever he is and lead the new arcade revolution!
I would love to see Sega make hardware again. It was always well-built and inventive and pushed developers in new directions. Since they are obviously lacking the cash...why don't they team up with Microsoft and make the next Xbox? MS has a lot of good games and Xbox Live is great but the 360 itself could have used another year in testing.
I don't think Sega can come back unless they hire some young talent whose only desire is to return Sega back to the top of the pile.
Most of their current games are made by developers they have absorbed or bought and the quality control is not the best. They lack originality and excitement. They also shouldn't have absorbed their AM divisions, even though some are separate, the AM now have less control. And Yu Suzuki needs to come back from wherever he is and lead the new arcade revolution!
I would love to see Sega make hardware again. It was always well-built and inventive and pushed developers in new directions. Since they are obviously lacking the cash...why don't they team up with Microsoft and make the next Xbox? MS has a lot of good games and Xbox Live is great but the 360 itself could have used another year in testing.
I don't think Sega can come back unless they hire some young talent whose only desire is to return Sega back to the top of the pile.
"Your vessel, your beginning. All that you knew...is gone." - The Guardian of Forever
Actually, in Japan the Saturn did quite well and was, for a couple years, more popular than the Playstation. Ultimately the Playstation won, but the Saturn was a highly profitable and well-regarded venture for Sega of Japan. When I was in Japan in '98 - '99, the fall of '98 being the year the Dreamcast was released (I saw nearly complete footage of Soul Calibur at the spring TGS and was blown away), I saw Saturn stuff all over the place and I wasn't the only one buying, that's for certain.Scooter wrote:And the Dreamcast notwithstanding, they do not have a great reputation for making and supporting great hardware (32X, Sega CD, Nomad, CDX, Saturn).
Yeah, but if you can't also sell well in the US and Europe you are doomed. NEC, SNK, etc., etc.....marurun wrote:Actually, in Japan the Saturn did quite well and was, for a couple years, more popular than the Playstation. Ultimately the Playstation won, but the Saturn was a highly profitable and well-regarded venture for Sega of Japan. When I was in Japan in '98 - '99, the fall of '98 being the year the Dreamcast was released (I saw nearly complete footage of Soul Calibur at the spring TGS and was blown away), I saw Saturn stuff all over the place and I wasn't the only one buying, that's for certain.Scooter wrote:And the Dreamcast notwithstanding, they do not have a great reputation for making and supporting great hardware (32X, Sega CD, Nomad, CDX, Saturn).
I by doomed you mean millions of dollars in profit and a multi-year run of good sales and popularity...
Sega of Japan was profitable up until they delayed too long before releasing the Dreamcast and then fumbled the Dreamcast launch. The Saturn was anything but doomed. SoA and SoE were in the toiled after a bit, but SoJ was happy and healthy.
Same with the NEC PC Engine. The TG-16 tanked here, but Hudson and NEC made lots of money and had many successes in Japan with the system.
Sega of Japan was profitable up until they delayed too long before releasing the Dreamcast and then fumbled the Dreamcast launch. The Saturn was anything but doomed. SoA and SoE were in the toiled after a bit, but SoJ was happy and healthy.
Same with the NEC PC Engine. The TG-16 tanked here, but Hudson and NEC made lots of money and had many successes in Japan with the system.
Yes, Sega made a bunch of money at the time via their hardware in the past too, but where are Sega, NEC and SNK in the hardware end of things NOW?
They couldn't keep up and compete in today's global playing field and all exited the video game hardware scene and lost money in the process. The old original SNK even ceased to exist altogether (though it was reformed, sort of, under the SNK Playmore name). As much as they won in the hardware game, they all lost a good portion of it back in the end. The Saturn, Dreamcast and the PC Engine all proved that longevity can't be solidly built on regional popularity.
SoJ, SoE and SoA are joined at the hip, if one loses money the overal corporation suffers. It's one company with three divisions, not three separate companies.
They couldn't keep up and compete in today's global playing field and all exited the video game hardware scene and lost money in the process. The old original SNK even ceased to exist altogether (though it was reformed, sort of, under the SNK Playmore name). As much as they won in the hardware game, they all lost a good portion of it back in the end. The Saturn, Dreamcast and the PC Engine all proved that longevity can't be solidly built on regional popularity.
SoJ, SoE and SoA are joined at the hip, if one loses money the overal corporation suffers. It's one company with three divisions, not three separate companies.