Random Gaming Thoughts

[Ack]

I can't get too down about how the mighty Japanese developers how fallen because there's still so much unexplored (for me) retro content out there. Take Capcom and Konami for example - I still have yet to play most Mega Man titles and the only Castlevania game I've ever finished is SotN. And of course there are still plenty of retro systems I have yet to own, like the MSX.

I suppose I benefit from playing games at such a slow ass pace.

That, and you tend to stick to an golden age era with a ton of excellent material all around and a lot of content to try out.

[pierrot]

- Sega is always nearly out of business and does best when they publish on Nintendo machines

So, it seems crazy to me that this is such a commonly held belief. Sega hasn't been in financial trouble for years. In the past four years they've posted earnings of roughly $200M in 2012, $300M in 2013, $300M in 2014, and net loss of roughly $100M this past fiscal year, which prompted a response from Sega. They're revenues the past two years have been on the order of $3+ billion dollars each year. To put that somewhat into perspective, Nintendo over the last four years has operated at a net loss of roughly $400M in 2012, net gain of $50M in 2013, net loss of $200M, and finally a net gain of $400M this past fiscal year, with revenues over the last two years around $5+ billion.

Sega is no more "nearly out of business" than Nintendo headquarters is burning to the ground.

Also, I disagree with the idea that their business is in any way meaningfully tied to Nintendo's consoles.

I think we must accept that Capcom, Konami, Squaresoft and Sega are no longer vested in game development, they all scrapped most of their development studios years ago and decided to focus on publishing or gambling.

This is ultimately the reality of former big name Japanese studios. (A little more so Sega and Konami than Capcom and SquareEnix, though.)

[Flake]

So, it seems crazy to me that this is such a commonly held belief. Sega hasn't been in financial trouble for years. In the past four years they've posted earnings of roughly $200M in 2012, $300M in 2013, $300M in 2014, and net loss of roughly $100M this past fiscal year, which prompted a response from Sega. They're revenues the past two years have been on the order of $3+ billion dollars each year. To put that somewhat into perspective, Nintendo over the last four years has operated at a net loss of roughly $400M in 2012, net gain of $50M in 2013, net loss of $200M, and finally a net gain of $400M this past fiscal year, with revenues over the last two years around $5+ billion.

Sega is no more "nearly out of business" than Nintendo headquarters is burning to the ground.

Also, I disagree with the idea that their business is in any way meaningfully tied to Nintendo's consoles.

Sega is a financial shambles and any good financial news has to be viewed through the lens of how they are organized. Their Games division can post gains (which it rarely does) but when the rest of the company sucks any division that posts a profit dry, it's not a net gain. The difference between Sega and Nintendo is that Nintendo can afford to write off a few bad years and can justify losing some money to R&D on products that actually materialize.

[Nemoide]

To me, Sega's swan-song was on the original Xbox. After the Dreamcast was dead, I wasn't sure which console to turn to but Xbox had Jet Set Radio Future, Toejam & Earl III, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Shenmue II, and GunValkyrie.
...And sadly I'm pretty sure those were all flops. :/
Since then, Sega has released good titles from time to time; the All-Stars Racing games are both great. But not consistently enough to keep me following their releases.

As for Konami, I'm holding out hope that they'll keep working on Bemani titles. We'll see how that pans out; there's a new Beatmania IIDX out this year but there hasn't been a console port for over five years and that's not looking to change.

I honestly don't get how much people trash Capcom for neglecting Mega Man. I mean, there are SO MANY GAMES IN THAT SERIES. There's the main series, the X series, the Zero series, the ZX series, the Legends series, the Battle Network series, and MANY MANY SPINOFFS. I mean, has anyone played all the Mega Man games out there? Do these people want really just want more???
I feel like there's enough Mega Man out there. And I recognize the irony of saying this right after expressing a desire for more Bemani games since that series probably has even more games in it...

[BoneSnapDeez]

Any fellow CNN nerds notice this besides me?
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/07/minecr ... s-anchors/

[pierrot]

Sega is a financial shambles and any good financial news has to be viewed through the lens of how they are organized. Their Games division can post gains (which it rarely does) but when the rest of the company sucks any division that posts a profit dry, it's not a net gain. The difference between Sega and Nintendo is that Nintendo can afford to write off a few bad years and can justify losing some money to R&D on products that actually materialize.

What are you even talking about? Did you look at the numbers? Yes, Nintendo's coffers are about three times more full than Sega Sammy's. I gave a four year sample size, in which Sega Sammy as a company has posted positive earnings of ~$700M, while Nintendo has lost ~$150M in that same time. The comparison wasn't to say that they're both folding; only that they operate in comparable figures, and that Sega Sammy has posted better earnings over that four year period. They're both billion dollar companies. Neither is going anywhere anytime soon.

Also, Sega Sammy's games division is accounted for as a subdivision of their amusement division. Sega Sammy's focus is pachislot, and has been for a decade; It's what carries the company. Their most recent earnings reports are even attributed to pachislot. I'm curious if you can substantiate the existence of this 'sucky company' in spite of the numbers.

[Flake]

Maybe the part where their stock is just barely above their historic low seen in 2005 and their Pachinko division (which as you noted, holds up the company) is reporting losses? In particular, I'm talking about Sega's Games division whose financials can really not be defended, though.

Sega re-organizes their company to obscure their situation, robs Peter to pay Paul as losses in other divisions eat up profits, and fails to make any actual money. Their stock is barely worth 17% what Nintendo's is, despite having more diverse holdings and business ventures. Sega creeps along, hoping to stay alive until the next share holders meeting, with no hope whatsoever of making it big again. The moment the Japanese get bored of Pachinko (and that day is coming, there's little the younger generation has in common with the bored salarymen that raised them) Sega is going straight into the toilet.

If you want to look at what Service Games ended up becoming and compare it to what it was in the 90's and see no problem, that's fine. That's your read of the same data. I see it very differently. At least we can have hope for the Chinese mobile phone software company that is undoubtedly waiting in the wings to pick them up when the executives finally decide to bail.

[Damm64]

Should i be happy or worried that resident evil 2 is gettin remade?

[Flake]

Should i be happy or worried that resident evil 2 is gettin remade?

Special Day 1 DLC: Play as the Tofu with new character skins (firm, silky, and medium)

[BoneSnapDeez]

I can't imagine this could be any worse than the original game.