Sega: the Aftermath (Redux)

The first time I stepped out of the shadows at GameGO was in a thread called "Sega: the Aftermath." ECM started the topic to argue that Sega's third-party status would result in a string of major compromises, as the company aimed for the lowest common denominator to increase its sales and keep itself afloat financially. I argued that Sega would stay true to itself and continue to take the risks it is famous for.

I kicked ECM's ass in that thread, though he never admitted it. q:

A year after that thread and a year-and-a-half after Sega left the hardware business, I pose thise question to you:

Has Sega sold out to maximize sales, or is it still the quirky yet brilliant company it was in its earlier days? Is it inching ever closer to EA-like conservativeness?

By the way, if anyone has that thread saved, let me know.

Jet Set Radio: Future alone speaks to Sega's integrity. Inspite of the original's poor sales in the States, they've released it's sequel, and remain adamant in their position toward it. They are proud of it. And anyone be damned if they don't as well.

Panzer Dragoon Orta is a classic reborn. Again, staying close to Sega's roots and previous risk taking.

Gun Valkyrie, Gun Grave, and Super Monkey Ball as well.

I'd say that Sega is definitly being true to themselves, and their fans.

Damn Capt., it seems like Smilebit is staying true to sega's roots. :)

Since the dev teams split up to be indpendent, Sega's whole style has changed. This was happening while the DC was still alive, so I don't think it has to do with them exiting the hardware business. Now it is just a matter of which Dev team is still in line with the Sega of old. There are so many styles of games being released under the name Sega that it is hard to pin down. It has definately changed, but with JSRF, Gunvalkyrie, & REZ released & PDO, Spike out, & Shinobi in the works, there is still plenty to applaud coming from Sega.

JM

How could I have forgotten REZ, SC5, and SC5pt.2?! Good call on REZ, JM

Yup, A friend of mine came down from washington for a vacation recently & I made him play REZ. I had the lights turned off & the Stereo cranked up. He was totally blown away. " Dude, I have to buy this!" I have been telling him to get it for months, but he doesn't buy many games. One play was all it took though.

He also tried out Halo & JSRF for the first time while down here. Now he is getting an xbox too. I think the trip got more expensive than he thought it would be. =)

JM

The question:

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Originally posted by Nick
Has Sega sold out to maximize sales, or is it still the quirky yet brilliant company it was in its earlier days? Is it inching ever closer to EA-like conservativeness?

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I say no, though it is a possiblity in the future. I'm not going to say Sega is true to thier word - they say and have said that they are commited to delivering the best most original content and will continue to push the boundarys of what is considered possible in videogames. The have held to this for years, even in their most turbulent periods (which I would think this time is not one of those). To be frank, just because they are a 3rd party doesn't mean they are after a diffrent kind of money, they still want to make it just as before - and it seems they are comfortable with the direction they are taking right now. While games like NFL2K put money in thier pockets, games like Jet Set Radio Future puts their name on the core audiences lips and in the minds of magazine editors constantly - with those games they are seen as creative pioneers and are always thought of as a very important figure in the game industry. 3DO had a console, but they aren't seen in such a light.. EA is bigger, but they too aren't held in the same esteem by gamers be they fans or critics of Sega. It's not just because of the Genesis or the hoopla over DC and what have you, it's thier creative studios that nearly everyone knows is entirely unique and unparalleled.

The examples of this are listed before this post.

ºTracer

I dunno...

on one hand, Sega isn't milking sports.

on the other, Sega has decided to 'play it safe' with rehashed DC games

on the other hand, we do get quirky games that don't have that 'mainstream' appeal.

then again, Sega seems to be making 'formula' quirky games - either something irrisitably cute, or 'hardcore badass dark and gritty action.' Think Gungrave vs. Super Monkey Ball. I haven't seen anything like Skies, Planet Harriers, or the like that adopts the 'original, yet non-extreme' aesthetic.

A lot of the most anticipated games are basically the sequels everyone has dreamed of: Panzer, T&J, JSR, and Shinobi. This is fine and all, but doesn't speak much about Sega's run of niche titles on DC.

Oh, and even though they don't milk sports, they do make sports games...and the number seems to slowly march higher.

So overall, I think the Sega we saw during DC's days is dead to the new Sega that plays off of old franchises, 'extreme' niche titles, and sports. I doubt we'll ever see anything like Rez, Samba de Amigo, Space Channel, Skies of Arcadia, or Jet Set Radio again...unless it's the actual sequels to such games. Whether that's a good or bad thing is your call - personally I'm happy that old Sega staples are coming back. Then again, this may turn into something horrible.

I hope I'm wrong.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Nick
Has Sega sold out to maximize sales, or is it still the quirky yet brilliant company it was in its earlier days?

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The very fact that Rez, Space Channel 5 part 2, and Jet Set Radio Future exist put that question to rest.

There are some really points in this thread. At this point, I would say give it some time and we will see the SEGA we all know and love re-emerge.

I mean they came from near bankruptcy and now are doing very well on all platforms. Right now they are probably focusing on making what they know will sell (which includes ports of DC games and sequels to successful series) so they can get ahead in the gaming market.

I think the majority of games SEGA is producing are excellent titles and once it gains more stability as a software developer only, we will see the kind of ingenuity that we are all used to.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Freeter


The very fact that Rez, Space Channel 5 part 2, and Jet Set Radio Future exist put that question to rest.

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With the exception of JSR:F, those were originally DC games.

Not to mention Future is still a sequel, and not entirely original. I hope I don't sound too nitpicky about this.