Stop Romanticizing SEGA

Richard Drummond of Gaming Tech United writes:

"I was a SEGA kid. I didn't own a Super Nintendo , or a NES, I proudly played on the Sega Genesis. It's fair to say that the Genesis was the origin for my love of gaming and one of the big factors in shaping my future as someone who is so deep int he rabbit hole. With that said though, it's time we take a realistic look at the company behind the most famous hedgehog in the world, SEGA."

[FallenAngel1984]

Besides Genesis, every platform SEGA made was a huge disaster. Their regional divisions even had disputes with one another

[GamingTechUnited]

That's what we get at in the article. We actually site some of the sales numbers and they're just not impressive outside of the Genesis.

Genesis – 40 million
Master System – 14.5 million
Game Gear – 11 million
Dreamcast – 10.6 million
Sega Saturn – 9.5
Sega Pico – 3.4 million

[Kingdomcome247]

I've never even heard of the Pico. Did it come with the, "De Gallo", peripheral? Sorry... I'll see myself out now.

[stragomccloud]

Loved your comment Kingdomcome 247

[iplay1up2]

Dreamcast was at the time of its release the most powerful console out.

I remember playing Sonic Adventure and thinking how great it looked compared to,PS1/N64 games.

Back then it was so amazing going from PS1/N64 to Dreamcast, GameCube, PS2, and Xbox. The visuals and controllers (although Dreamcast and Xbox were not nearly as good as Sony and Nintendo's controllers) we're finally fine tuned for gamers. Visually you could see AMAZING differences immediately.

[FallenAngel1984]

Not only does SEGA have consoles that performed badly, many of their franchises besides Sonic died out by the time they went third party.

SEGA was a very creative company, but they have really dropped to a shadow of their former selves in today's age

[Kingdomcome247]

Little did they know that, "Shadow the Hedgehog", would be, "ForeSHADOWing." Okay... I'll actually see myself out this time.

[ShaunCameron]

I wouldn't call the Dreamcast a huge disaster, but the Saturn? HELL YEAH! They didn't fully recover from that.

[Volkama]

Still had some cracking games though. Their hardware was pretty poorly conceived and the business was run into the ground hard, but they had some fantastic creative talent in those days.

Sadly when Sega dropped hardware their creative talent also abandoned ship. It would be interesting to know why that was. Did they jump, or were they pushed?

[3-4-5]

Sega has the Total War series which is good.

[TheKingslayer]

The problem with the author's entire premise is that he's only talking about Sega from a console perspective.

Sega was the best, and to this day prolific game publisher in terms of original IP. That is both on console and in the arcades. Sega was also the pioneer of many of today's biggest genre's of gaming. Add to that the most innovative in terms of use of technology, game design, and experiental marketing. The last one in terms of customize gaming experiences with arcade cabinents, game controllers etc. VMU for the Dreamcast comes to mind.

When people sit back and talk about console game exclusives. Sega created more of that content than any publisher back then or now. Take a look at the Sega catalog. When you look at those numbers for game console sales keep in mind that Sega had little to no support for their consoles outside of the Sega Genesis. The Sega Genesis was responsible for John Madden Football and EA becoming what it is today.

This has got to be one of the worst gaming videos done on a publisher. One can't romanticize enough about one of the best publishers in gaming history. It's not about Sega as a console manufacture, but their sole ability at one time to be the most creative company in gaming...Period.

Sega pioneered online gaming, creating what ultimately became Xbox Live. Do your homework. Sega's contribution to gaming can be measured. Grand Theft Auto in it's open world form exists toady because of Shenmue. You can't mention Gran Turismo without mentioning Moto Cross which Sega made in 1976 the first arcade racer, Monaco Grand Prix, along with Daytona USA the most profitable arcade racer of all time.

No Sega can not return to what it once was, but to suggest there be no romanticizing, celebration of Sega makes you sound like you just got into gaming this morning. Sega's contribution to gaming is overwhelming. From the studios to some of the best game designers in the world. You have got to be kidding. In an age where Konami can just act as if Kojima San's contribution to their company, and gaming is something to sweep under the rug. Gamers had better cherish what has come before, because it ain't coming back again.

In an era where everyone is all about exclusive games make a console great. Sega did it like no one. As much as people run around hating on Microsoft with their few exclusives. Nintendo exists today from doing the same with Mario, Zelda, and a sprinkle here and there of some new exclusives. For the most part Nintendo has been, and still is the king of rehashing franchises.

Here's a brief list of some of Sega's internally created, and self published titles. Notice I didn't even include Sonic the Hedge Hog. SMH...

Vectorman
Phantasy Star
Herzog Zwei
Shinning Force
Virtual On
Virtua Fighter
Altered Beast
Virtua Cop
Hang On
Space Harrier
Jet Set Radio
Alex The Kid
Crazy Taxi
Sega Rally
Out Run
Shenmue
Virtua Racing
Fighting Vipers
After Burner
Burning Rangers
Vermillion
Streets of Rage
Shinobi
Golden Axe
Columns
Wrestle War
ClockWork Knight
Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf
Tommy Lasorda Baseball
Joe Montana Football
NFL 2K
NBA 2k
Castle Of Illusion Staring Mickey Mouse
Comix Zone
Crackdown
Panzer Dragoon
Galaxy Force
Skies of Arcadia

I could do this for a long time...I think I made my point.

[GamingTechUnited]

The entire point of the article was to focus on the console side of SEGA. This piece was focused towards those who are calling for a NEW SEGA system. Simple as that.

[N4g_null]

Such a great game list there.

You can't separate arcade Sega from console sega. This is the source of their hype and even tech. When arcades died a big part of gaming died and so did sega. Really when people bought a Sega console they where thinking about their arcade tech. Which was very high end for its time. They even out paced pc many times. I love arcade sega but played nintendo, neogeo at home. Except for the dreamcast.

Also what is this fixation with the youth and sales. Wait till a system dies hype wise and then see how many people still love it. Much of our hype for games these days are manufactured and almost programmed into the gaming population. If Sega was more like sony pr wise then they would still be around as a console maker. I would rather have them back as opposed to ms or sony right now, simply because they brought new things out that I actually wanted.

[marloc_x]

Love my Genesis and Master system..

Miss the facet of my youth spent in arcades dearly😊

[marloc_x]

I put countless quarters into Sega's machines.

Bubble for a great post!

[Volkama]

Bubble up. I'd love to know where some of that creative talent ended up.

Maybe Sega "pulled a Konami", and set them all to work as janitors in the last-standing arcades.

[MSBAUSTX]

The problem is you can do that for a long time but Sega cant. They fail time and time again at trying to revitalize their old franchises and yet ignore the ones people actually want to get behind. They screwed up a lot of their IPs and refuse to bring back fan favorites.

Virtually all the ones you listed havent seen the light of day in decades and or have been garbage rereleases. Sonic Colors and Generations were great games. But when 3DS or DS even Sonic games are better than your console releases, you have a problem. Need I mention Sonic boom? Sonic Lost World was better than Boom in gameplay!

Where are games like Panzer Dragoon, Phantasy star in the West, shinobi and Shenmue, and golden Axe? Nowhere to be found, just like Sega.

[TheKingslayer]

That's the thing the reason why there is a section of the gaming community wanting a New SEGA system isn't predicated on a console itself. It's predicated on what SEGA has been to gaming.

I agree the Genesis is the most successful console Sega created. It's because they took Nintendo seriously, and had their entire company on board. Sega's internal problems hurt the console side because they were so successful as an arcade gaming company. Their best studios were in arcade development. Yet, even with the horrible console failures. Some of gamings best titles came out then.

Let's take the Sega Saturn for instance. That console was home to Panzer Dragoon. Think about that for a second. One of the most original and impressive games of any era.

What people are asking for really is Sega's originality. People look at the landscape of console gaming today, and no one sees a caliber of creativity that set's consoles apart from the PC. Everything is a carbon copy of something else. It's the experience of playing Jet Set Radio at the time, and seeing absolutely nothing on any console in it's league. So influential that Insominiac had to create a spiritual successor and pay homage to a game play design that would have all been forgotten in "Sunset Overdrive". That's influence. No matter how much a console is or is not successful.

It's the investment in 2K Sports that years later has the brand offering one of sports best franchises in the NBA 2K series. EA had to literally buyout the NFL so we can never get another NFL 2K...That's legacy.

I'm not of the mind set that there should be a new Sega console. What I am of the mind set is taking a real good look at what Sega has meant, and keeping that romance alive with gamers. Beyond any console, but as gamings brightest publisher ever.

[GamingTechUnited]

I don't disagree that SEGA had something special in the creativity department. That's the keyword though, had. They WERE something special. They're not the same SEGA anymore and I don't think that we'll see games like you listed from them again, at least in the near future (outside of those from Atlus).

The "romanticizing" the article refers to isn't that of their creativity and ingenuity, it's the romanticizing of their console creating prowess.

Again, this piece wasn't made to discredit the titles and ingenuity they brought to the gaming space, it was made to open the eyes of those who think that SEGA has a history of console success and could produce another one.

[N4g_null]

The truth is everyone has lost that kind of creativity. Everything now is realism based. We would call today's games sims compared to what we had during the arcade age. Sega represents the arcade age. The youth of today can't possibly understand that now. Every arcade was a 365 day long E3. Imagine that?! Then it all died. It's sega arcade success that people wanted back. You bought sega because it was an affordable arcade knock off. The death of arcades parallels the down fall of sega.

We simply have a deeper understanding of sega and actually what went wrong. You are right though. The sega here is not the same sega of past that had serious tech r and d. Heck you could argue that nintendo is competitive with the ghost of sega now. Yet arcades would have to come back for sega to become a threat again.

[KindaGrump]

It's crazy to see the numbers of their consoles, I didn't know they were so low. I do appreciate the things that the Dreamcast brought to the table, but the market wasn't ready for it I guess.

I think, like all things we enjoyed in life, we look back on certain things with rose-tinted glasses once in awhile.

[MSBAUSTX]

It didnt play DVDs. PS2 crushed it because oft hat one little thing.

[LordMaim]

I don't have to romanticize Sega. They're awesome enough without me gilding the lilly. Don't tell me what to do, website!

[Volkama]

lol I also disapprove of article titles that directly instruct readers on what to think or do.

[Masterofwiiu3ds]

Sega introduced me to RPGs with Phantasy Star. If that were all they did, that would be enough. But then they made me love turn-based strategy (Shining Force), and racing games (Daytona).

They made me fall in love with fighters (Virtua Fighter), as well as flying on Dragons (Panzer 1, 2, and Saga).

And they had the best console for 2D fighters up to that point in time in the Saturn, which didn't sell as well as the Playstation, but crushed it in terms of 2D capability, with arcade perfect ports of all of the Capcom fighters.

I'd much rather see a story romanticising Sega than one made to talk bad about them. Their history was epic.

[pelenow]

How funny is it that Shenmue was developed by SEGA to be a killer app for Saturn before development shifted to Dreamcast. Fast forward to 2015 and part 3 is coming to one of SEGA's former chief rivals console. All Dreamcast had to do was sell a few million more units and all of us would have played the entire Shenmue drama by now. Well, I find it funny anyway.

[yewles1]

This is just silly. If you want to tell them why dreaming up a new SEGA console isn't happening, don't do it by talking up how a good number of these peoples' favorably memorized hardware did poorly saleswise, as the only number they care about from back when were the hours spent on games that helped make them what they are now.

[noksucow73]

I was a sega fanboy through and through. Started with the Master System, and up to the Dreamcast. I owned them all. Sega Cd, 32x, Saturn, etc, except the handheld stuff. I loved all the Sega Consoles, except the 32x, and wasn't crazy about the Sega CD (too much FMV). I feel bad for Sega as a company , as they've given me great gaming memories! I remember spending hours on Panzer Dragoon, Virtua Cop, Dragon Savior, Shinobi Legions, Xmen Children of the Atom (saturn), Shenmue, Jet Grind Radio, Crazy Taxi, Soul Caliber, Dead or Alive, Sonic Adventure 2,nfl2k, Fur fighters, VRally, etc., on Dreamcast. Just too many to name, especially in the Genesis. Long live Sega

[lashes2ashes]

For anybody that wants to know why sega crashed and burned read game over. The stupidity of sega of Japan is overwhelming.

[gamertk421]

Don't tell me what to do.

[BillytheBarbarian]

If it wasn't for Sega of Japan, your ps4 could have been the Sega PlayStation 4.

Sega of America and Sega of Europe pushed Sega of Japan with the Genesis / Mega Drive. Sega of Japan took over with forcing 32x and Saturn and killed the brand. Saddest story in gaming.

[ApocalypseShadow]

What this fool who created this article is saying is that you should separate the console from its games. Unless the console sold in the tens of millions, it was a failure.

That means even if you liked crimson skies and rallisport on the og Xbox, Xbox was a failure because he says so.if you liked the games on GameCube,don't romanticize about it.it was a failure to him. If you liked any console or portable that was NOT the market leader, you should not give it some respect because he says so.even the Ngage deserves something because it was a phone that played games. Now almost every phone plays games.

the author also fails to mention Nintendo's monopoly on the market and its crushing policies on third parties not making games for other systems if you signed with them.or Sony's big money and hardware finess forcing Sega to make poor response decisions against Sony.

But you can't separate the company and its hardware and exclude their games.hardware IS its GAMES.

Try again buddy.you failed.I'll romance all day.even if a system sold once,somebody enjoyed it if they didn't return it.

[N0TaB0T]

Thing is nobody is romancing SEGA, anyone who can think for themselves would understand that SEGA made mistakes like every other company in the Video Games Industry had, they just fell into the black even with great consoles. It was just an eventuality... Sega made mistakes with their hardware expansion add-ons, but even the SEGA CD had cult classics.

Sega went too far with the 32X, and the SEGA CD was a partial hit with a few very solid games. The 32X was just a last ditch effort to redefine the end of a generation, that gone horribly wrong. Nobody idolizes them for that turd.

Nintendo dealt a serious blow to not only Atari, but to Philips and SEGA. They also introduced the sought-after market stink that was the Virtual Boy.

Sony took the market by storm with the PS1, though its earlier units were infamous for premature failures like every other CD-Based console at the time.

Neo Geo's consoles were fun as hell and I admittedly loved the Neo Geo Pocket portable. Just nobody wanted to deal with that price tag except for those who could every once in a while.

Point is there's so much to a consoles success than its gross unit of sales, and no party involved was not without their complications... I don't understand how anyone is romancing SEGA, as they've certainly seen better days.

[WheatBread]

Sega should release hd remastered versions of all of their classic games like they did with Daytona USA on the 360/PS3.

[s45gr32]

Sega still a great publisher . It published the total war franchise, vanquish, bayoneta, etc.

[N0TaB0T]

"Great" is very enthusiastic and far too optimistic in regards to SEGA. Their workforce had pretty much been reduced to bickering heads not attached to their spines, they don't want to end this dark era any time soon. SEGA wants to follow the trend of games that make you pay for what equates to 18x18 pixels on a 4.0'' inch LCD panel.

Those games are effectively whitewashed over because SEGA wants to abandon whatever distinctive resources they can muster. It's a sad excuse for a corporation that specialized in many forms of entertainment and not just home/portable consoles.

[gamejediben]

IMO Sega can go F$%& themselves...

Maybe a lot of you guys don't remember/weren't born yet, but Sega hasn't given a crap in DECADES. Sega has a LONG history of watching their American fans beg, plead and cry out for awesome games from Japan and then whispering "@#$% you, because we're Sega and you'll keep buying our crappy Sonic games anyway, lol!"

Exhibit A: Sega Genesis
Mega Man The Wily Wars,
Alien Soldier,
Pulseman,
Zero Wing,
all the Langrisser/Warsong games

Exhibit B: Sega Saturn
Dragon Force II,
Princess Crown,
Shining Force III (Scenario 2 and 3),
Deep Fear,
Radiant Silvergun,
Battle Garegga,
Policenauts

Exhibit C: Sega Dreamcast
Segagaga,
Ikaruga,
Shenmue II
Border Down
Fighting Vipers II
Rez
Zero Gunner 2

Whats especially raw and contemptible is the fact that Sega went to the trouble of releasing lots of these games in Europe but flipped the bird to us gamers in the USA. It is for this reason that I hold Sega as the single most cruel and vindictive publisher in video game history. And notice that I haven't even mentioned what Sega did to Sonic yet. People forget that the Saturn was a MASSIVE success in Japan but most of the best games never made it to our shores. Sega could have easily beaten Nintendo in the 5th and 6th gens if they just showed some faith in their product and released their great games in other territories.

And so when I hear about Sega refusing to localize Valkyria Chronicles 3, Yakuza 0 or a re-release of Skies of Arcadia, I just remember what Sega did to us faithful fans back in the 90's and I laugh at the rotting husk that remains. Now that Atlus has merged with Sega, many people are saying that Sega is changing their ways. But I don't buy it. Not for a second...

I'm saving a special bottle of Vodka for the day Sega goes bankrupt and gets bought up by some other company.

[Segata]

Author can go fuck himself. SEGA had some of the most amazing games ever in the 80's and 90s. Dreamcast is my fave system ever. I don't give a shit what the systems sold. Sales do not determine how much fun I have. I love my Saturn more than my Wii.

SEGA has not been SEGA in a long time and I understand that. Does not stop that they were once Pepsi to Nintendo's Coke or WCW to Nintendo's WWF. They were awesome then.

[TheKingslayer]

I don't want to disparage the author, because I know how hard, but fun it is to write or make a video about gaming. It takes a level effort that you have to be passionate about. At the same time you have to understand that there is equal passion from the audience you are speaking to.

He acknowledged he was a fan, and that there would be people who get upset. Where he misstep ( I won't use fail, because you got people talking, and ultimately that's where you win) is that the layers to what Sega means to the gaming industry is beyond sales.

I'm among many gamers who pulled their nappy hair from the heads astounded at the high level of fu k up that Sega engaged in at times. So I get the angle that the author is trying to express.

The problem is that Sega's story is gamings story. So it doesn't begin at the console level. There is not one aspect you can think of gaming, and not see Sega's immense footprint. So for those of us who know Sega's story, look for it, played through the eras, we want you to tell it right every time. Don't half us with simple dissections that have more nuance in both the details as well as the big picture.

I agree with many of the points you made, but not your premise. Which is the motivation behind what you want to accomplish in your video. Sega should not release a new console, but they should be romanticized. The consoles they created, and the games from arcade to console translation were feats that pushed gaming, and technology. Add in their original IP creations, and you have one of gaming's most treasured catalogs.

[Rebel_Scum]

I loved my Master System as much as my Megadrive. Using sales figures isn't really something you can use if you're wanting to analyse quality. (I'm not saying the author was trying to analyse that btw)

For a start its subjective and there's too many other factors to consider that shows why their sales weren't crash hot for non-megadrive consoles.