Here's a random question, but myself and a group of friends were wondering what happened to Data East? If you don't remember them, a popular game they did was Shadowrun (SNES and Genesis). This game, in particular, had promise, especially with the internet-gaming business steadily climbing in popularity amongst gamers of the Americas as well as in Japan. Seriously, think about it: Shadowrun Online, with the whole feel of the Shadowrun environment and classes unlike most others. It would be a hit, if you ask me. I know you're busy, so if you don't reply, that's udnerstandable, but any information would provide closure on my curiousity. Thanks.

The only reason that makes sense to me for Sega to put it's biggest eggs in one (possibly leaky) basket is that they are currently wading in a big pool of money. It would frankly make more sense for Sega to work with all three Systems, playing them off of each other to get fatter contracts. However, Sega is still in very rough shape financially and couldn't wait for Sony and (especially)Nintendo to give them wads of cash. So in comes Bill and suddenly, Xbox actually has a game that I want to play.

Does this change my mind on the purchase of Xbox? Not unless the Xbox drops to $100. I frankly would rather play Nintendo's best and/or Sony's 3rd party games. Sega may have more money now, but if the Xbox fails (a distinct possibility given the problems of producing the hardware, and even Microsoft admits that Xbox is primarily to gain a foothold in the console games market) Sega will have alienated Sony and Nintendo (ask Square about Nintendo's ability to hold a grudge...)

The battle lines have been drawn. It's Microsoft/Sega. Sony/Square. Nintendo/Capcom. With the mercenaries and undecideds being Namco and EA. Look at the names and realize that this is going to be one hell of a war. It's about bloody time.

-Michael Chan

What the hell was Sega thinking? I've been a loyal fan, but I've recognized their poor marketing from the get go, and it's still showing despite the fact that they're third party now.

Why is it that the PS2 is only getting ports of games we DC owners have already played, and the XBox, which hasn't even been released, is getting all the new stuff. If Sega really wants to get their titles out to the public, their first batch of new games should at least be truly multiplatform. I loved Jet Grind Radio and Shenmue to death, and now the sequels are going to be on a suspect system that hasn't even got an established installed base like the PS2. I know I'm just ranting, but (insert whiny 4 year old voice) I don't wanna pay $300 for another system. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. Being a broke college student is a bitch when gaming is your hobby.

-Jonezy63 (Who had just started to play through Shenmue 1 again to prepare for the release of part 2 the day before the announcement. AUGHHHHH!)

It may be wrong, but I feel good about Sega's games showing up on other systems. It's great for me to get a second shot at games I'd been resigned to never playing since I'd have to shell out for a Dreamcast first. But now both Grandia II and Skies Of Arcadia will be available to PS2 owners, and anything interesting-looking in the future (i.e. Shenmue II) will end up on one or another of the still-viable platforms.

I do feel for Dreamcast loyalists, though. Sega pretty much screwed you over by denying you a last set of great DC games. I guess how you feel about that depends on how much you think loyalty should be worth in the gaming industry.

-Toma Levine

Hi Drew,

I'm starting to get the feeling that Sega HATES its fans. Using the newest technology available and my ninja army, I have sneaked into Sega HQ and planted a listening device. Let's see what they're up to...

Sega Exec #1: So did the scheduled PSO outages work?
Sega Exec #2: Of course! They are at our mercy!
Sega Exec #1: Now, with the cancellation of Shenmue II, we are one step closer to completely alienating our fans!
Sega Exec #2: So, want to go to smoke crack off a hooker's belly with a hundred dollar bill? Sega Exec #1: Do I ever!

Interesting. Very.

-Rune, supreme eater of Cuban sammiches

One word describes my feelings on the whole Shenmue II/X-Box thing and that one word is "Heartbroken".

I defended Sega on EVERYTHING. People would put down the 32X, Sega CD, Saturn, Dreamcast I defended it all! I suppose I still can't blame them I guess. They've played the money loosing console game for too long if Microsoft is giving them mass amounts of cash money and its helping them get back on their feet I guess its ok. I do believe its part of Bill Gates' evil plot to rule all forms of business and anal ream the video game fans, without protection, so that either you'll be playing a Microsoft console or your flame for gaming DIES!

Shenmue was supposed to be the Dreamcasts last hurrah. Showing the world the beauty it was capable of delivering if it were running at full power, showing the world the sheer GENIOUS of the Sega game developers, and giving us the Sega fans ONE LAST CHANSE to say, "Hey! You see that game? You see how beautiful that is? How cool that is? THAT’S A SEGA CONSOLE GAME! How do you like that?"

But alas that’s not to be and I shed a tear for all the fans, including myself, who were cheated out of this experience. I cry.

-Nekura -not sure how he feels right now-

Hello Droo!

I doubt I'm wrong if I say that the DC's success relied heavily on Sega's very loyal fans. Anyone I know who bought a DC was a major Sega-supporter. Even tho I often argued with them that the DC would die soon after the PS2's release, I still respected Sega for putting out so many original and fun games out there, on hom consoles and in the arcades. Sega has something Nintendo and Sony have. They have a wide range of games that simply define what the company itself is.

But sadly, for some very strange reason (probably a very very large amount of money), Sega decided to screw their very fans, and not all of them either (which would have been more respectfull). Instead they screwed their American fans. Why? Because Microsoft doesn't want American DC owners to play Shen Mue 2 on their DC, they want you to buy an X-Box to finish playing the game you started. They want to sell X-Boxes. But no, I can't blame the developers for accepting a good deal, so I won't blame Sega for what happened with Shen Mue 2.

So where's the problem? It's that Microsoft has been pulling that very king of moves again and again since the X-Box was announced, Munch being the first game in that line. If this is how MS will introduce itself in the gaming market, then they get even less respect from me. If all they can do is secure the rights to games that were popular on other consoles, or for sequels, or licensed games such as A.I. Racing, if all they can do is find games in development for other consoles that seem to gather a large amount of interest among gamers and strike an exclusive deal, then how can -anyone- respect that?

Back when the PS2 was announced, I thought that maybe we would end up with a "console war" including Sega, Sony and Nintendo, or simply Sony and another company. The latter being what I hoped for while I wouldn't have minded the competition between three companies that prooved that had an identity of their own, whom prooved that they were dealing with the videogame industry as an entertainment industry. Now there's a player that is just causing havoc in what could be the best years in videogame history to date by throwing cash round and struting his stuff like a damn pimp. Maybe I sound too rude, too biased, but I'll say it anyway: MS is a stumbling block to originality and the development of the videogame industry because all they have been doing is mimic others and delay games that were originally in development for other consoles. And like I said earlier, I just can't blame developers for going for the money, but it doesn't change the facts about Microsoft whom I cannot respect for one cent.

-Phil

I personally have venomous feelings towards MS bullying its way into an industry I have enjoyed since I was 5. Now I am a negative person by nature and I hope my opinions of society being a large mass of idiots is totally off base, and I hope nobody falls for MS's shit. I see everything they do(lying about details, faking screenshots, ungodly hype, mafia tactics with stores, childish remarks such as that they see games as art whereas Nintendo sees them as just toys) as evil and having no place in MY idea of video games. Where the hell was Microsoft 13 or so years ago when I was playing Wall Street Kid and SMB2 and Kid Icarus? Hell, where were they five years ago when I was playing Wave Race and Mario 64? At least Sony made console games(although they sucked) and were brought into the industry by Nintendo. Microsoft merely sees that now there is a multi-billion dollar industry and is bringing its shady, monopolistic practices to dirty an industry it has no business being in. I hope to God it is the hugest fucking bomb in video game history. It is EVIL. But then again I am a fairly negative person. Either way it is a big ugly bully with no games I want to play so maybe it will fail on its own.

-achilleszero, Wall Street Kid ruled