Dave Smith: People are going to buy their games BECAUSE they aren't on the Genesis, Saturn, or Dreamcast. Duh.
Seriously, Sega's going to do fine. Anybody with sense will agree that it's been hardware holding the company back, not software. Hardware's been losing the money, hardware's been keeping the company's games from reaching a wider market.
It even happened in the arcades -- Virtua Fighter 3 would have walloped Tekken thanks to the all-important eye-candy factor if it weren't for the fact that no ordinary arcade operator could afford the Model 3. Same thing happened at home. Sega's games, even if they could compete, failed by default because the hardware that was supposed to get them out to a wide audience was a failure.
You think Sonic's not going to wow people on Gamecube? It's the perfect platform for the character and his kind of game, and it's going to introduce him to a whole new audience of culties. Virtua Fighter on PS2 will go toe-to-toe with Namco's games and probably stack up pretty well. Sega Sports will certainly be competitive -- Visual Concepts' games should be able to hang with EA as far as looks, and they offer a distinct brand of gameplay that should find its own fans on a system where people are used to having a choice.
Seriously, Sega will be tearing it up a year from today. It'll go into the next E3 as one of the biggest third parties.
Will Dave's Sega Saturn Page return?
Dave Z: More people are going to buy their games than they did on Dreamcast, that's for sure.
Tal Blevins: I think Sega made the right move. I don't know why their systems didn't do better than they did (I loved my Saturn, and the Dreamcast still kicks ass), because Sega has some of the best games out there. They're the only ones who can give EA a run for their money when it comes to sports titles, Panzer Dragoon and Phantasy Star are both great RPGs, and I'd love to see more Shinobi titles in the future on a variety of different systems.
I think Sega has a chance to be right up their with EA as far as number and variety of titles goes, and I think they'll do much better as a third party software developer than they have in the hardware biz.
Jeremy likes Xbox.
Jeremy Conrad: I agree with Tal in that Sega can give EA a run for the money in sports, but I also believe that Sega can give EA a run for the money in just about every other area.
Before Sega announced their plans to become a third party, EA was sitting at the top of the heap as one of the largest third parties in the world. What happened when Sega made their announcement? EA took pot shots at them trying to say how hard a time Sega would have in this new environment. The only explanation to that was that EA was scared.
Sega has some of the best development teams in the world, and now that they don't have hardware costs to worry about they can focus on making great games. By tooling the right titles for the right platforms the best possible audience will be exposed to each of Sega's best franchises. Games such as VF4 on the PS2, Sonic Team (Sonic, duh) and Amusement Vision (the team behind such titles as Monkey Ball and the underwear-soiling Planet Harriers) on GameCube, Panzer Dragoon and SmileBit on Xbox, and Visual Concepts probably going to everyone Sega will get tons of exposure. With that, their games will probably sell better than they did on their own hardware.
Chau likes Sega characters.
Fwan Miwabella III: Now that Sega is an independent third-party software developer, how will the creator of Sonic do in the competitive console marketplace? Will people buy its games even though they won't be on a Genesis, Saturn, or Dreamcast? And how will Sega's fabled games perform head to head against competitors in sports, RPGs, and in other areas?
Everyone is already feeling this energy field that's been casted since Sega announced its "platform agnostic" stance. The editors here around the office from IGNpocket, IGNcube, IGNPS2, and IGNXbox were and still are eagerly awaiting to see which of Sega's warchest of either arcade classics or console classics their console will get.
The fact of the matter is, when Sega announced it's multi-platform stance, it was like being let into the treasure vault. Sega's worth as a talented software developer is priceless. Now that Sega's doors are open, everyone gets their stake from that treasure vault.
In the case of the PS2, it seems they get VF4, in the Case of Xbox they get Panzer Dragoon, and for GameCube...well, they have the announced Sonic Team.
And, what I'm getting at is people are indeed excited about the franchises, and Sega's support in general. The lifeblood of the industry is great software, and that is something that Sega has always made. I think its decision to drop the anchor -- that is hardware vending (eg. Dreamcast 2) -- has really set it free.
This absolutely makes Sega extremely competetive. Sega's name is still bigger than EA's, Capcom's, Ubi Soft's, or any of the third-party developers. They have the added advantage of having a very successful piece of hardware, that being the Genesis. Their franchise power is what will aid them in their quest for the #1 publishing spot. Sonic, alone, is always guaranteed to go multi-platinum.
Its sports lineup, though, while popular is definitely going to have to accomplish a lot to compete with EA's very well known Madden and FIFA franchises. And, as for RPGs Sega definitely doesn't have the same franchise power that Square has here in America. So, those are definitely two areas it's going to have competition.
But, that's where Sega really stands to benefit from -- they're not JUST a sports company, or RPG developer. It has its hands in EVERYTHING. Sega can also do a heck of a job at promoting its products.
Anyhow, I think E3 is going to be very telling. Sega will finally be showing off its support for each respective hardware vendor.
Peer likes Sega.
Anthony Chau: Always the innovator, and always the underdog in the hardware biz, SEGA finally makes the move in becoming a third party software company. The timing couldn't be better with three major gaming platforms, all with major funding. It looks like the perfect time for SEGA to wallop the third party market, but at the same time, it could also go very bad if SEGA makes poor decisions... and we all know SEGA has made many in the past. To become the major third party powerhouse, SEGA has to look at the one company that followed a similar trail from being a major console powerhouse to a third party software company. Hopefully they won't disappear like the way Atari did.
Yes, remember Atari? They thought they could do no wrong, but they went from being the biggest console player, to a somewhat mediocre software developer to basically nothing. I really doubt SEGA will follow Atari's path, especially since SEGA has so many appealing software properties.
However, in order for SEGA to be successful, they're going to have to "dumb down" some of their titles to make them more accessible to the market. Whether this is making games easier or going for a license, SEGA is going to have to go more mainstream in it's product lineup. That sounds bad, but it could also be a good thing; we could finally have really good licensed brand name video games that are actually FUN to play if they're being developed by the wizards at SEGA.
I'm not saying SEGA should stop the innovation and "sell-out" in their products, but they should balance out their titles so there's the mass-market appeal titles along with the hardcore games for the enthusiasts. Of course, this is SEGA we're talking about here, so I'm sure they'll be able to find a way to create a hardcore title with mass-market appeal. Still, it doesn't hurt if SEGA somehow got their hands on major movie license or something. And personally, SEGA would make a better movie licensed title than half of the developers out there.
I'm really looking forward to seeing the SEGA titles on all the platforms because I think if there's any company that can bridge the gap between mainstream and hardcore appeal, it's SEGA. Sure, there have been companies in the past that have done this before (Tony Hawk Pro Skater, anyone?), but I think SEGA will be able to deliver a much larger and even more appealing product lineup than most of the third party companies out there. Those third party companies saying they're not worried about SEGA will probably be saying something a whole lot different next year.
Chris knows Sega will do fine.
Peer Schneider: I think Sega will give EA a run for its money. Sega has always made great games -- but all post-Genesis consoles were failures. Imagine what Sega will be able to do when it actually has enough money to market its titles properly. No more losses on hardware sales, no wasted cash on hardware ad campaigns -- it's all going to the creation and promotion of games.
Think about all the great franchises Sega has to offer. Okay, you don't need to think about them. Here's a quick list of some of the big-name titles that come to mind: Afterburner, Daytona, Crazy Taxi, Hang On, House of the Dead, OutRun, Sega Rally, Sonic, Space Harrier, Panzer Dragoon, Virtua Cop, Virtua Fighter, Virtua Racing, Virtua Striker, Virtua Tennis, Virtual On, Chu Chu Rocket, Confidential Missing, D2, Ecco, Arcadia, Floigan, Phantasy Star, Sakura Wars, Shenmue, Space Channel 5, Columns, and all the more recent Sega Sports titles.
NFL2K1 impressed many sports fans, even die-hard Madden players to the point where they couldn't choose one game over the other. I'm curious to see what happens when NFL2K2 directly goes up against Madden -- on all platforms. Before you say that the Madden name is enough to outsell any other football game, remember that the crappy Quarterback Club for N64 managed to hold its own against Madden a few years back... Sure Madden lacked the NFL license back then, but don't forget that Sega's titles are likely to include network play before EA's as well.
As far as RPGs go, I doubt Sega will be able to keep up with the likes of Square and Enix if chooses to bring RPGs to PS2 -- but it could fill an important void on Xbox and GameCube, for example.
In the end, it all boils down to what titles Sega chooses to bring to what platform. Sega GT is better off where it doesn't have to compete with GT3, for example, but Sonic is different enough from Mario (not to mention famous enough) to really appeal to the Nintendo audiences. From what we've heard of so far, I think Sega is making the right decisions. I'm sure our readers will agree when they hear all the details this Thursday.
Sega on Nintendo: Thumbs up!
Chris Carle: 'Tis pity she's a whore... for all the Sega fanboys out there. For the rest of us, we are getting the best of both worlds.
Don't get me wrong. I love the Dreamcast as much (and maybe a lot more) than the next guy. Throughout its short lifespan, I preached its merits from any pulpit I could find. But what I found was that nobody wants to be converted. Everyone who is into Sony or Nintendo will continue being into them. This isn't necessarily bad, but it does suck for Sega in terms of console sales. And it definitely sucks for those who want to see Sega keep producing next gen consoles. Moving to third party production only was a tactical move--one that very likely saved the company. Now, will they be able to compete? This is like asking "Do gaming editors masturbate?"
Of course. (Like banshees.) Those who can no longer play their Sonic or their VC sports games on a Dreamcast will seek the franchises elsewhere. Sega won't have to create expensive, difficult-to-market hardware, and they can cash in on their many licenses over a wide array of consoles. Even the dying PS1 market could use some Sega infusion, a fact that is not lost on our favorite hedgehog merchants.
As far as platformers are concerned, Sonic is just behind Mario in terms of innovation and success. In the RPG category, Sega has the competition (with the glaring exception of Square), licked. But what RPG fan doesn't want to play both Final Fantasy XI and Skies of Arcadia 2 on the same platform.
As far as sports games go, the Sega Sports team are the only ones out there who can give EA a run for their money (all apologies to NFL Fever). Some of the Visual Concepts games released for Dreamcast had me wowed out of my jock. And if you ask anyone here, I'm a dyed-in-the-wool EA fanboy. Competition can only be good.
Instead of this being a period of lamentation for Sega fans, it should be a time of rejoicing. Instead of having the public randomly reject their great consoles, we can watch as everything from Sonic's XBox Adventure to NFL2K3 (GC) are embraced by the masses.
Craig Harris: This is what Sega should have done since the Saturn -- they touched upon it with PC titles, but they should have gone all-out with becoming a third-party publisher and developer.
But then again, a lot of key Sega titles popped up in the Dreamcast era -- Samba de Amigo, Crazy Taxi, Shen Mue...so bringing out the Dreamcast was beneficial for Sega's line-up. Shame the system cost the company more than it brought in.
Sega is going to kick serious ass on other consoles, simply because it doesn't have to target their excellent software line-up to the few die-hard Sega fans who picked up their systems -- they can hit all the systems and consumers that don't know what the heck a Dreamcast was.
Matt Casamassina: Peer just came over to my desk and demanded that I post. So, rather than make an intelligent argument, I am going to spew forth Nintendo propaganda and somehow tie Sega into this madness, as follows.
Sega obviously had troubles as a hardware manufacturer. But as a strictly software company, I foresee it as the major player to contend with. Let's face it, Sega and Nintendo's games are the best in the world. Now that Sega can deliver its content to multiple platforms, I wouldn't be surprised if its status and popularity rose hugely, probably allowing it to nab the number-one or two spot as top software publisher in the world.
The irony, of course, is that EA ignored Sega's Dreamcast platform and helped contribute to its untimely demise. Now, a newly reborn, software-focused Sega is poised to bitch-slap EA up and down the court in the action and sports arenas. It's more than a little amusing.
And as we're all likely to see at E3, Sega's support will stretch far and wide, bringing major games to every console. Not only does Sega gain from this effort -- the industry as a whole gains. And while I'm sorry to see the often under-valued Dreamcast bow out, I'm delighted to have one of my favorite software houses in the world creating software for all next-generation platforms, including Nintendo's own.
What's your take on Sega's new role in the gaming industry? Post your feedback now!
