http://www.forbes.com/business/busin...tr1375132.html
Not that anybody really cares about Sega after that pathetic E3 lineup....
Hopefully Sammy forces Sega to make new versions of Rally and Daytona for arcade purposes.
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http://www.forbes.com/business/busin...tr1375132.html
Not that anybody really cares about Sega after that pathetic E3 lineup....
Hopefully Sammy forces Sega to make new versions of Rally and Daytona for arcade purposes.
Otogi 2, Outrun 2, and Blood Will Tell were some of the most noteworthy games at the show...Quote:
Not that anybody really cares about Sega after that pathetic E3 lineup....
Everyone needs to stop acting like Sega killed your kitty. The big disappointment over the purported SEGATON announcement wasn't even their doing, it was because exaggerations and falsifications over teh intarnet blew things way out of proportion.
Maybe it'll be for the best.
So sad... It's had to belive that this is the same Sega that kicked so much ass on the DC not so long ago.
I'd say its a good thing. But I guess we wont see the results of it for a while, so who knows?
Sammy paid for GG Isuka, but also for Seven Samurai 20XX. I'd say Sega suits them to a t.
Sammy? I thought Sega was bought by 'suck'.
Yes, disappointment over "teh SEGATON!!!!!!11!!" went a little bit overboard, but even if there were no rumors flying around this E3 showing would still be considered mostly a failure. They had no killer app. Those games you mentioned will probably be great, but they aren't exactly earth shattering. The Matrix Online announcement was just flat out bad.
In the end, this type of thing will never happen again because they are now gonna be run by non-retarded businessmen.
The Bastard: There are always people on these boards that love Sega and will love Sega no matter what they put out.
I agree the "segaton" was blown out of proportion, and there are a few Sega games coming out that could interest some people (altered beast looks interesting, and otogi 2).
Interesting. I never really thought that this was going to happen, even though it's been talked about for months. Sammy is going to own the arcade market. Well...what's left of it.
Owning the arcade market at this point is akin to owning the Montreal Expos...
I thought this was old news or did this just become official? .....like owning the Expos..lol :)
I watched Johnny Nighttrain beat Outrun 2 on Easy, Medium and Hard in one playthrough in 20 minutes. There's nothing to that game, and the first is still better.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bacon McShig
Jesus.... :wtf: :confused: :\ :| :( :cry:Quote:
Originally Posted by omfgninjas
Well, I guess Shenmue is official dead. :cry:
How long this Yu and Naki jump ship? I'm guessing Yu will be first to leave.
I have a bit of interest in Altered Beast and Blood Will Tell should they turn out OK (and even that is questionable), but other than that, Sega's done this year as far as I'm concerned.
Yeah, because it's easy, it's entirely worthless. I mean, a game can't be easy and fun at the same time, that's unheard of. And since there's no multi player or other modes... oh wait.Quote:
Originally Posted by omfgninjas
"I watched Johnny Nighttrain beat Outrun 2 on Easy, Medium and Hard in one playthrough in 20 minutes. There's nothing to that game, and the first is still better"
Time trials. I used to be able to trash the game (the first one) repeatedly, so it's all about getting a better time.
Well, so much for Shenmue continuing on, and I'm more doubtful now that a new JSR/JGR game will come out. Ah well, Sega will probably get into the groove of things as time goes on. I'm still hyped over OutRun 2, as it looks to carry on the legacy of the original rather well.
Well, so much for Shenmue continuing on, and I'm more doubtful now that a new JSR/JGR game will come out. Ah well, Sega will probably get into the groove of things as time goes on. I'm still hyped over OutRun 2, as it looks to carry on the legacy of the original rather well.
They obviously had crack as shwag this year too...Quote:
Originally Posted by Bacon McShig
I assume you mean Naka and neither of them are going anywhere. Sonic Team's games sell so they're not going to change one bit and Yu... does he even make games anymore? The last title he was involved in was Shunmue 2.Quote:
Originally Posted by Videodrone
As for JSR, Sega released an official statement saying the seires was dead and buried. You'd sooner see a Beatles reunion tour than another game in that series.
Come on, let's face it guys. Sega has been sucking lately and they were bought out because they sucked. Sammy isn't going to make them suck anymore because that's impossible. Sammy is going to try to get them to make games that will actually sell.
...which may make the games suck, anyway, being that they're only made to sell.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ammadeau
Although, maybe Sammy can force Sega to finally "remember" what Streets of Rage was so we can finally see part 4.
Let me put it this way. When Nintendo made Wind Waker, a lot of people bitched and moaned that they weren't getting the adult Link they saw in that little promo video. Now Nintendo is giving people what they want in a game that is sure to sell... so do you think it's gonna suck? Because it may be a great game and all, but it was clearly made to sell. Same is true for a lot of continuations of popular franchises because those garner automatic sales, but it doesn't mean they have to be terrible or DMC2. They can be popular and good at the same time. And it doesn't have to be a franchise, it can be the start of one. Bungie did it with Halo and DMC isn't all that old. Sega could come up with something that would make gamers need it. They need to look at how other companies are making popular franchises and not copy the games themselves, but how the companies manage to sell the public on them. That's all. Then they can make whatever shit they want. As long as it's good enough to satisfy the masses.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChaoofNee
It's not just that it's easy, it's just that all you can do is powerslide and see the same three crashing animations and the same three animations of your passenger girl yelling at you when you crash. It doesn't matter if you play it on Live or play for better times... you're still gonna see the same stuff on the same backgrounds that you saw in the first 30 minutes of play. If that's what you like, feel free to like it, but it's hard to be into it when there were so many other better racers out there on the show floor. This should have stayed in the arcade.Quote:
Originally Posted by EightBit
I don't disagree with you that it should have stayed in the arcade. In fact, I firmly believe that this isn't a game that should be brought home at all. I still feel that it's an absolutely wonderful game though, and playing against other people really bring the game into its own. I far more enjoyed playing against my friend than playing solo. It's ten times as intense. There may be better sim style racers out there, but I fail to see a better arcade style racer currently on the market. Save maybe F-Zero, but I don't feel comfortable comparing the two.Quote:
Originally Posted by omfgninjas
I can't play it in the arcade. Besides, I have played Outrun enough times that if each play was a quarter, I could have bought the machine. That game is simpler than this one is.
And I like simple anyway ;p Most games that give you a plethora of tracks usually have only a few that I really like (F-Zero GX is a glaring exception). And those are the only ones I race after I finish a game. I loved NFS3's Atlantica (PSX one in particular). I'd set the game to rain, daytime, 8 laps, and just pwn the track over and over. That was the only thing I'd ever race in that game. So if this game has the 5 minute track I really like, that's cool.
Ya, I ment Naka, sorry. I didn't think Sonic Teams last few titles did very well, did they? Billy Hatcher though a great game had very lack-luster sales, and I've heard very little regarding PSO ep III.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ammadeau
Then again, Naka probably all for somebody telling him the games they need to make, that way he actually has an excuse for not making a sequel to NiGHTs.
Yu is gonna bust open those exit door, the day they sit him down and tell him that due to Sammy interest in making money, they are sending the Shenmue franchise out to the pasture.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ammadeau
Sadly due to the state of the arcade industry in the US, for many of us a home port is the only chance to even try this game.Quote:
Originally Posted by omfgninjas
I hear one more Sega hate comment and Ill kick arses!Sega still kicks ass.
Ive been alking to a Sega man a minute ago and he already explained me bits of Sammy's chiefamn startegy.
Sega will remain independent as far as marketing and developing are concerned...
Thank goodness. Sega's still got the magic, they just don't showcase it as much anymore.
Sega isn't really doing anything for me lately so this news isn't much of a shocker but hopefully they'll give us some cool games after things get better(if they do).
Whatever. Hopefully Sammy just divides the Sega properties among their own development studios and disassembles Sega altoghther. They do nothing but lose money, and I can't imagine Sammy not knowing this. It'll be for the best if Sega just goes away.
MEGATON!
Wait a minute: Matrix Online?
Sega is the biggest third party in Japan. This is news that I have waited for for quite some time :) Now if my extremely biased and irrational thoughts about them having scapped this gen and moved on to to blow us away in the next turn out to be true, I will truly fill my pants with hot manly liquids.Quote:
Sega and Sammy form Japan's top game software firm, bigger than Konami
TOKYO (AP) - Sega Corp., the video-game maker famous for Sonic the Hedgehog, and pinball-equipment maker Sammy Corp. said Tuesday they will integrate their operations under a new holding company that will become Japan's biggest video game software company.
Sega and Tokyo-based Sammy will form the new company by Oct. 1. It will be 72 per cent controlled by Sammy shareholders, the companies announced.
Their combined group annual sales are about 440 billion yen ($3.89 billion US) will exceed those of the current largest Japanese game software firm, Konami Corp.
"By integrating our operations, we will strive to become the world's number one entertainment company at an earliest time," said Sammy president Hajime Satomi, who will head the new company.
Shares of Sammy will be exchanged one-for-one for shares in the new company. Sega shareholders will receive 0.28 share for each Sega share. The companies will reorganize their operations by March 2007.
The announcement came as Sega announced its profit tripled for the fiscal year ended March 31 as arcade-game sales and cost cutting boosted earnings.
The Tokyo-based company reported group net profit of 8.76 billion yen ($77 million), up from 3.05 billion yen a year earlier. Sales inched down three pe rcent to 191.3 billion yen ($1.7 billion) from 197 billion yen as overseas sales slipped 19 per cent.
Sega's sports games did not do well in the United States, a strategically important market, amid tough competition from rivals such as Electronic Arts, it said.
For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2005, Sega is predicting an 8.7 per cent decline in profit to eight billion yen ($70 million) on a 6.7 per cent rise in sales to 204 billion yen ($1.8 billion).
LOL. Good for Sega, they've made some classics this gen, and I look forward to seeing their stuff next gen.
Yep. Good thing you didn't say it was Shenmue II ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Ammadeau
Whatever happened to that heavily JSR-esque arcade skateboarding game they were showing a few months back?Quote:
As for JSR, Sega released an official statement saying the seires was dead and buried. You'd sooner see a Beatles reunion tour than another game in that series.
OMFG is right, btw - Outrun 2 is receiving way more accolades than it deserves. The game's just not that good. If it were called Official Licensed Racefest 2004 or something instead pretty much everyone here would ignore it.
As for Otogi 2, the first one was pretty much the shallowest beat 'em up I've played since 1992. The second one will haver to be a big step up before it can really be considered big news, imo.
What?Quote:
Originally Posted by PaetTD
What don't you understand about cheifamn startegy? ;)
He meant to say "I leik pei lolol." Obviously.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scourge
But it has style! And that's way more important than silly things like "gameplay."Quote:
Originally Posted by StriderKyo
Dude, your ignorance is indicative of the majority of Sega bashing on this board. Sega has been turning a profit since September 2002 ever since they got out of the console hardware business. Heres' the proof:Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Vegetable
http://www.planetgamecube.com/news.c...n=item&id=3711
http://gamiko.com/showthread.php?threadid=2183
------
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/02...s_6087507.html
Believe it or not Sega is making money again. Their ESPN titles are face stiff competitiion from EA, as always, but thy are good/comparable sports titles. The arcade business is still strong in Japan and Asia. Sega is stronger fiinancially now than its ever been and you people ljust want to bitch and moan. Sega hate is nonsensical to me.Quote:
TOKYO--Today, Sega revealed that its profits for the consolidated period from April to December 2003 nearly doubled from the previous year. The company's sales hit 7.66 billion yen ($72.65 million), a 92 percent increase from the 3.98 billion yen ($37.30 million) it made during the same period of 2002. Sega commented that the arcade sector contributed heavily to the company's overall 2003 profit, which is expected to top 9 billion yen ($85 million) for the full year. Together with sales of its arcade cabinets such as Outrun 2, Sega is also profiting from UFO-catcher machines, medal games, and other indoor amusement machines.
Sure, I admit Sega's recent line up isn't OMG AMAZING but give them time to redeem themselves. They are still recovering from restructuring and years of financial losses and retarded decisions. Plus I still see potential in PS Universe and Spikeout!
I am getting tired of comments like these.Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Vegetable
I know it seems like I'm just rationalizing things out, but hear me out for a second. (BTW, let's forget the fact that Sega are actually MAKING MONEY, as opposed to losing right now; this only pertains to their games' and their quality)
Sega started letting go of the Dreamcast in early 2001. It is three years later. They have only had one generation of new games this gen (not counting the DC OR the numerous ports from when they first became first party), while many other third parties have had at least two generations of software or more. Switching ALL your game development from one system to another as Sega did cannot be an easy task as well.
Playing catch-up while trying to create must-own software from a company that as of late doesn't really cater to the mainstream gamer (and is also hemmoraging money) is a tall order indeed. One that I think a lot of companies would not be very successful at, at least short term.
Like some others have said, there HAS to be more games in the pipeline. Their E3 line-up consists mostly of games that we knew were coming, and there are plenty of other games that we know Sega are working on that weren't at E3. Considering how many of their dev teams seemed unaccounted for at the show (and how many games Sega were only publishing, not developing internally), I totally believe that.
So like Andy and a few others have said, I'd say they are either planning to give us one hell of a 2005, or they are hedging their bets for now and bringing out their big guns at the start of the next-gen. I knew that they wouldn't get their mojo back for some time (even though I was hoping it would be quicker rather than later) and that they only needed time to get themselves together. I, being the Sega fan that I am, am still willing to wait.
However if they aren't cool again by the first year of the next generation, then by all means, comments like these are more than appropriate. But for now, I think we're all forgetting how short of an amount of time it has been since DC. Sega are still not out from under its shadow. And I don't think they will return to their former glory until they do.
I could'nt agree more Sonofdoncd!
I didn't say VF4 because he had almost nothing to do with it. The last game in the series he had any real involvement in was VF3. Besides, I'm pretter sure VF4 hit arcades before Shunmue 2 came out.Quote:
Originally Posted by StriderKyo
Arcade only with no plans to port to a home console.Quote:
Whatever happened to that heavily JSR-esque arcade skateboarding game they were showing a few months back?
That sucks. Looked cool to me, but I really don't have the money to spend on a 30min game anymore.Quote:
OMFG is right, btw - Outrun 2 is receiving way more accolades than it deserves. The game's just not that good. If it were called Official Licensed Racefest 2004 or something instead pretty much everyone here would ignore it.
I really liked Otogi, but since Sega is only publishing it in the US, their involvement with it is almost nothing.Quote:
As for Otogi 2, the first one was pretty much the shallowest beat 'em up I've played since 1992. The second one will haver to be a big step up before it can really be considered big news, imo.
Works for the Final Fantasy series.Quote:
Originally Posted by Saint of Killers
I wish all the best from Sega, but they're sinking fast. I will always have fond memories of my Genesis and Japanese Dreamcast, but their quality is sinking a bit, their sports franchises are getting blown away by EA (just like everyone elses), and they need something other than a Sonic game to make both the hardcore and the casual happy.
I know I know! I know EXACTLY what they need! A REAL PHANTASY STAR V!!!! A Phantasy Star in the old PStar2 style, overworlds like FF, and a battle system like the old one had. That would drive Sega back to the masses...question is, do they even know it? Or do they just wanna make another online game? Methinks they just wanna make another online title.
I wouldn't say that their sports franchises are getting blown away. With the exception of Madden vs ESPN Football, the Sega title are just as good, if not better (ESPN is better than Live) than what EA has to offer.Quote:
Originally Posted by DougDaBroadcasta
Sega has sworn for year that they would never release a sequel to the original PS series. Now does that mean they could create an alternate story arc in the PS universe, it's a possibility. I wouldn't count on it though.Quote:
Originally Posted by DougDaBroadcasta
Dude, nobody on earth but the hardcore have any recocognition of the Phantasy Star name- I don't disagree that a new one would be cool and probably win some people over, but PS is not gonna be a title that would bring in the casual gamers, unless it recieved a FF-esque budget (not likely) and had a new installment every year, with numerous sub-installments to keep the brand name out there (damn, now you have me wanting a Phantasy Star Tactics...). I would forecast that the PS name probably wouldn't even make a dent as far as recieving casual gamers' acknowledgement and interest until the hype machine started running on a second sequel, assuming that the first one was generally well-reviewed and liked.Quote:
Originally Posted by DougDaBroadcasta
A new, high-quality Sonic title would be the best game to put them in good stead with all gamers, because Sonic is Sega's most recognized character and casual and hardcore gamers alike have fond memories of the old games.
Sadly, I don't even think most of the mainstream have even played a Final Fantasy game, let alone know excatly what it is...Quote:
Originally Posted by Bacon McShig
Quote:
Customer: Aww, I hate this game! There's no action.
Me: What do you mean? There are fights in there.
Customer: It's all, like, picking something and then waiting, waiting and waiting. *Looks over* Max Payne. This here the shit. When the new one coming?
Me: *Shiver*
Agreed. I'd buy three copies of a new high-quality Sonic (One to open, one to collect and one to stick in my pants). Sadily, I'm begining to lose hope that this will ever happen.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bacon McShig
Far as I'm concern, the last good games that Sega made were Panzer Dragoon Orta, Billy Hatcher and the Gaint Egg, F-Zero GX and Puyo Pop. Everything else has failed to really grab my attention, although I do want to play Shenmue II sometime this life time.
Like it's been said before, Hopefully Sammy gives Sega the kick in the ass they need to get some of their classic magic back. The days of Dreamcast seem so long ago.
word.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeremy
im glad there is intelligent life on this board. (that goes for all of the folks not just blindly bashing Sega because they dont like the current batch of games this gen.)
i dont particularly like Square/Enix games but im not going to jump into every thread about them and start in with the: Square SUCKS. they havent made a good game in a decade. they just need to GO AWAY and stop polluting our consoles!!!11
who cares who you hate? the shit is tiresome.
im thinking this is good news. Sammy is teh smart! hopefully they will do wonderfull things with the future of Sega.
but maybe im just talking from a fanboys persective. :chu: :chunobi: :sonic:
Now, what the hell does this mean? Were all of the dev studios technically not part of Sega this whole time? ...or are they being split up?Quote:
Originally Posted by Teh Magix Bocx
Remember? Around 2001, in an effort to consolidate, Sega split their internal teams into several indepedent affiliates (I guess that's the proper term.)
These smaller companies operated under the Sega umbrella, but were each responsible for their own finances, etc.
That's when Smilebit got its name, IIRC. :)
Ah, right! Now I do.
I guess that's now irrelevent, too...
But is the fact that they're being reabsorbed good... or bad...?
Time will tell, I guess.. depends on how much creative license Sammy lets Sega keep.
And sorry.. not that it matters, but the consolidation occurred in 2000 actually.
Probably a bit of both. Alot of now redundant management will probably be cut, saving money. They'll probably exercise more quality control aswell. Games that wont sell well to the masses will probably get cut more often. While that sucks for me and some others, it would be good to see Sega continue tword stability to where they can take bigger risks.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChaoofNee
I personally like Sammy and the games they put out. Iron Pheonix and Dark Watch both look very interesting. I dont think Sammy will clash much with Sega on terms of game design for the most part. My guess is a reduction in "risky" games and a little more focus on arcade. Probably with a little emphasis on Atomiswave. I just hope Sammy realises the power Sega can have in terms of thier franchises, and will also encourage them to create new ones.
edit: Not to mention that they will probably share more resources. So one division can probably give some code to another to help them say, make thier PS2 game look better.
yeah, OutRun 2 is pretty easy. i saw everything the game had to offer in about 20 minutes or so. great graphics though, and really great power slidding system (it's a lot like the first Ridge Racer).
yeah, the game isn't anything special actually. it's a good sequal, more like a remake actually, but enhancements to the gameplay were made. powerslidding does a lot for the game, but all in all, the original is better.
as for playing for times, it's not really worth it with this game. for the most part, traffic never messes your shit up, the tracks are straight for the most part. if there is a turn, well, you just have to do some dragged on powerslide.
it's a fun game though, but don't expect anything more than one of the most simple arcade racing games ever. with not much to offer.
yeah, all in all though, it's just a fun sinchy game.
oh yeah, and how does everyone feel about all the teams having to mege into one super team?
I don't think they'll be one super team, they will be several teams mixed and matched around all under the Sega name, similar to how they were throughout most of the company's life.Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny Nighttrain
You said this in response to Jemery's post. I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.Quote:
Originally Posted by mrt
Let Sega keep turning a profit, regroup, and then judge them on their releases once they've reloaded. Now might be a good time to buy shares (closed around $2.55 today). I really see the price doing nothing but rising; resulting from the merger and especially if Matrix Online pulls one out and does for Sega what GTA did for Take Two. Probably not going to happen, but either way it's seems like a pretty safe gain.
This Sammy-Sega news may seem sorta insignificant now, but this really could have a tremendous impact on the industry down the line.
NEWSFLASH!
Sega has been turning a profit for TWO FUCKING YEARS! Two years out of a decade long run of red.
And have you seen the size of these "profits" they're making? Pittance.
That isn't "making money," it's an upswing in a downward trend.
Don't call me ignorant ever again. I know more about this than you do. [/snooty bastard that no one likes]
Heh.Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Vegetable
With the teams being merged, what's old is new again, and it should be a sure-fire way to create amazing games with no real exceptions.
I admire your optimism.
I predict that 2005 (and the rest of 2004 as is apperant) will hold no purchace worthy games from Sega. Sammy or no Sammy.
I'd say that's a damned good prediction, Tracer.
What about Eternal Champions versus Guilty Gear?
I'll take a copy of Astro Boy: Omega Factor, Otogi 2, Shining Force, Outrun 2, and Virtua Quest, myself.
Way to waste 250 bucks, don't tell me you're one of those people who can't understan why someone would pay a monthly fee to an MMO.
Give me Last Bronx (make those characters over into 2D) vs. Guilty Gear. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Zerodash
As for the sports franchises, I think Sammy should make Sega give it up on those for the most part.
Streets of Rage? How about Sega teaming up with Arc System Works to make a high quality 2D SoR4. 'Nuff said.
We also need a "Klonoa engine" style Sonic. I don't think Sega would step back to 2D graphics for Sonic, but they should make a "Sonic the Hedgehog 4" instead of another Adventure or Heroes.
You never know...Quote:
Originally Posted by gameoverDude
Quote:
Originally Posted by IGN
SGGG, our resident Sega-slut: how do you feel about Sega's spire into suckage?
This is the way I see it:
Sega was working magic back from Genesis all the way to the DC. The Dreamcast had some of the most gutsy and enjoyable stuff sega put out ever. Once they bailed out of consoles, there was some neat games still, but for the most part the company's magic started to peeter (sp) out.
This year was just the full realization of that; Sega had Outrun 2, Otogi 2, and Blood Will Tell as their 'headliners.' For a niche developer, this would be all well and good, but for Sega? The guys who have a plethora of franchises to tap into? The guys who used to be able to put out some randomness on a platform (read: Rez, JSR, et al), and make it worthwhile?
Screw that - SEGATON or no, even low expectations would've been ruined at E3. It was a big disappointment.
You do know this game is shit, right?Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy
Omega Factor is the GBA game.Quote:
Originally Posted by Roufuss
I swear, it's like acknowledging Japanese games or companies around here instantly makes you a fag. Seriously, I'm probably the biggest proponent of PC gaming and Western games/companies this side of Mech and yourself dude, don't give me any of that. I thought you knew me better than that, Tracer :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Tracer
You do know which game you're talking about, right?Quote:
Originally Posted by Roufuss
No, it's acknowledging shitty Japanese games or companies.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy
As long as I get OTOGI 2, I don't care what happens to SEGA.
Well if anything, this will hopefully bring us some more hi-res 2-D stuff and now that Sammy has SEGA, that will open their vaults as well. I don't see an idea such as SOR4 in hi-res 2-D graphics as such a leap of faith...
Sammy knows its stuff and has been scoring big lately in the arcade and console market, so let's hope it can turn SEGA around and bring t back to its full potential. SEGA doesn't suck, come on, it's one of the founders of my generations love for videogames...but it has gotten a little misguided lately...
I see this merger as a definite step in the right direction...