Sega's contribution to videogames are incredibly underrated

[arnold_the_bartender]

HAL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nintendo that acts as one of several research and development arms of the company. Their accomplishments belong to Nintendo as much as AM2's accomplishments belong to Sega.

Couldn't have said it any more clearer myself.

[equalsign]

More of a Nintendo person myself, but after I got a Dreamcast I started going through Sega's other systems and really enjoyed what I found. I think the thing that impressed me the most about Sega was that they were incredibly brave. They have so many different and interesting franchises that they didn't milk or run into the ground and they seemed to constantly make new ones. Many of their games only have 1 or 2 sequels, and quite a few never had a sequel at all. They were risk takers and way hardcore.

[Original_Name]

The point about Nintendo getting all the attention because they're a more relevant name today (and while Sega isn't dead persay, it's unfortunately much more difficult and depressing to trace a line from the current Sega to the past Sega than it is for Nintendo) is absolutely correct. I will say that although the reasoning behind why Nintendo gets so much praise and Sega rarely does is understandable given the current state of video games, I don't think that really makes it right. I always make it a point to give praise to Sega (or properly qualify praise given to Nintendo) when the opportunity arises, just because they deserve so much more than they get.

What I mean by qualifying praise to Nintendo is that, for instance, The Legend of Zelda's gameplay was NOT as revolutionary as "gaming historians" make it out to be: games like Elite and Ultima took many of the gameplay features celebrated as "innovated" by Zelda much further than that game years before its release. While Nintendo deserves praise for banking their future on motion controls, it's not like the idea just came out of thin air. Console motion controls as we know them today were introduced on the Dreamcast with Samba de Amigo and the Sega Fishing series -- the fact that the Fishing Rod Controller has full functionality with other games, such as Virtua Tennis, adds a whole new dimension to this. Not to mention the fact that the history of motion controls have strong roots with arcade games controlled with the body, such as Hang-On and R-360 by Sega. Plus, although it never reached retail, this is always fun to bring up: http://www.qj.net/qjnet/wii/eerie-resem ... llers.html

On top of Sega's massive contribution to motion controls, the company was probably the biggest contributor to 3D gameplay and presentation in video games: games like Moto-Cross (in 1976!), Turbo, and Tac-Scan were among the first to ever use sprite-scaling in order to simulate 3-dimensional gameplay (that is to say, Sega is among the founding fathers of the Z-axis in games); Sub-Roc 3D was the first game to ever use stereoscopic 3D; Virtua Racing and Virtua Fighter were the biggest contributions in the development of fully-polygonal 3D gaming.

While they weren't the first to have an online-capable console, they were the first to bundle a modem with a console, and to have a fully-formed international on-demand online service for a game console with SegaNet (Sorry, Satellaview).

To me though, their biggest contribution to gaming was their maturity and willingness to go to new places and say new things through video games. Throughout their history, they created or produced games which, speaking in terms of conceptual-design, philosophy, and application, are still more sophisticated than the majority of games released today. These include Phantasy Star (environmentalism; government corruption; melancholy aesthetic; death of a major character), Ecco the Dolphin (bizarre new-age naturalist approach to story-telling), Panzer Dragoon (minimalist presentation of a fully-realized world as later popularized by Team ICO's games; considers post-apocalyptic themes; considers humanity of droids), Shenmue (perhaps still the greatest example of applying "hyper-realist" artistic principles to a video game; a deeply Eastern approach to dynamically exploring a Hamlet-style narrative), Seaman (singularly focused on simulating communication with a non-human partner; a life-simulator that literally says "I think, therefore I am" and makes you totally reconsider what it means to be a living being), and Rez (synaesthesia; the world, culture, and life as the manifestation of vibration; evolution; spiritual and physical emigration; euphoria; the human condition). Even games like Sonic the Hedgehog (environmentalism; humans as ego-maniacs destroying the natural world and warping it into their own image), Jet Set Radio (It's basically "Renegades of Funk: The Game" and Segagaga (the most meta game ever made) hold a unexpected amount of conceptual depth.

The way I see it, Sega was at the root of the biggest topics in gaming today: motion controls, all forms of 3D, online gaming, and games-as-art all owe a massive debt to the company. Not to mention, the VMU seems to be making a comeback with the WiiMU.

[CFFJR]

I was waiting for Original_Name to show his face in this topic.

I wasn't disappointed.

[Original_Name]

I was waiting for Original_Name to show his face in this topic.

I wasn't disappointed.

Only problem is, FlamePanther seems to be really good at kicking my ass with this kinda stuff, so we'll see what happens.

[flamepanther]

Only problem is, FlamePanther seems to be really good at kicking my ass with this kinda stuff, so we'll see what happens.

Wow! I am sincerely flattered. I'm afraid I may have to deny you such an attempted ass kicking this time though, as I agree with everything you just said except for the first sentence.

Even if Nintendo passed out of existence after the N64, we would still see Gunpei Yokoi's work in every conventional gamepad that gets made. When we play 2D or 3D platform games, we would still think of Mario. We would still know where "Metroidvania" games have their roots. Every hand-held console would still elicit comparisons to Game Boy. Nintendo's unfair advantage is that that so many of their contributions (wholly original or otherwise) have made deep and lasting ripples in gaming that still reach from their past into our forseeable future--and these are influences that are plainly visible. Sega's lasting influence has been more subtle, and therefore easier to overlook, even if both companies were defunct.

[o.pwuaioc]

More of a Nintendo person myself, but after I got a Dreamcast I started going through Sega's other systems and really enjoyed what I found. I think the thing that impressed me the most about Sega was that they were incredibly brave. They have so many different and interesting franchises that they didn't milk or run into the ground and they seemed to constantly make new ones. Many of their games only have 1 or 2 sequels, and quite a few never had a sequel at all. They were risk takers and way hardcore.

Then they decided to make money and hence every Sonic after Knuckles Chaotix.

[Presbytier]

SEGA's lack of recognition in recent years is do to their lack of innovation and over reliance on established IP's. This problem is only compounded upon when you also take into consideration their propensity to pump out terribly derivative Sonic games. Much of this has led to their current tarnished image and has cast a cloud on their legacy. Even though I am excited about Sonic Generations I also realize it is the same old stuff they have been pushing for awhile now.

The best thing for SEGA to do is to completely shut down SEGA of America (so we never have to suffer through another bad Marvel licensed game) and put all projects by Sonic Team on hold until they can come up with something original for a change. These may not be popular suggestions but SEGA has lost its focus all together. SEGA needs to look down the street at their old arch rival Nintendo and realize that innovation and out of the box thinking is what has kept them afloat for so long.

[flamepanther]

^I don't think we're going to see any of that happen under Sammy's ownership.

[alienjesus]

SEGA's lack of recognition in recent years is do to their lack of innovation and over reliance on established IP's. This problem is only compounded upon when you also take into consideration their propensity to pump out terribly derivative Sonic games. Much of this has led to their current tarnished image and has cast a cloud on their legacy. Even though I am excited about Sonic Generations I also realize it is the same old stuff they have been pushing for awhile now.

The best thing for SEGA to do is to completely shut down SEGA of America (so we never have to suffer through another bad Marvel licensed game) and put all projects by Sonic Team on hold until they can come up with something original for a change. These may not be popular suggestions but SEGA has lost its focus all together. SEGA needs to look down the street at their old arch rival Nintendo and realize that innovation and out of the box thinking is what has kept them afloat for so long.

And yet Sega have published a whole host of new IPs lately, even if they haven't developed them. We've had Valkyria Chronicles, Bayonetta, Condemned, The Conduit, MadWorld, Infinite Space, Project Rub/Feel the Magic. I don't think Sega have slipped as far as everyone says. Sure they may pump out far too many Sonic games, but honestly, their output since they left the console market really hasn't dwindled as much as everyone says. I still think they're a great company. They certainly took some risks publiushing some of the IPs they have lately, that not many other companies seem to want to do.