Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this column are those of the participants and the moderator, and do not necessarily reflect those of the GIA. There is coarse language and potentially offensive material afoot. Here to bring joy and smile into the whole world! Don't say we didn't warn you.

You guys must love me, cuz you sent me letters. o^____^o;

I've never played Arabian Fight, and in fact I don't think I've ever even encountered it in an arcade before. Information about it is relatively easy to come by via Google, though, and from what I gather it was a pretty average title. As far as insane quests to track it down.... All I can say is, Sega System 32's been emulated to death.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be - all about the games

Erin, SEGA. I wept bitterly, like others, when I found that they were going to restrict themselves to making games for companies that were, seemingly just yesterday, the competition. In many aspects, this was actually a .... g.... g... (damnit, say it) good idea. Now, that doesn't mean I don't think that they can't make consoles. They do a damned fine job of that, in many instances (specifically Genesis) they have forced Nintendo to bump up their hardware technology in the past. It's sad, in a way, that SEGA is going to be very successful as a third party developer. You see, they are going to make a lot of money with games that don't even appeal to me, usually ones that involve sports or light guns or racing wheels. I think that SEGA is going to be a tremendous force in the industry. They seem to level the playing field. They give consoles sports titles where there were no sports titles before, racing games where there were no racing games, and in some cases (this is where my eyes light up with interest), RPGs where there were no RPGs. Sure, I can hold a grudge against the way they abandoned the 32x, Sega CD, Saturn, and Dreamcast, but that's not going to stop me from loving my GCN version of Phantasy Star Online v2 or Shining Soul on the GBA, and it's not going to keep me from wishing for SEGA to shower even more RPG love upon Nintendo. Hell, I'd even buy an Xbox if they would re-release Shining Force III scenarios 1, 2, and 3 on it. That, or my beloved Phantasy Star Collection. Better yet, both. (Hey, I said I was WISHING, right?) In closing, I'd like to say this. It's all about the games. ~arc

I personally wouldn't sweat over SEGA's interest in mainstream genres like sports and racing. SEGA has always published a variety of games, and I don't think that's going to change in the near future. Sure, funneling developer energy into mainstream areas like sports and racing games seems a financially sound way to go - until you take into consideration that by limiting themselves to just a few genres SEGA would put themselves in sudden death competition with the likes of EA. Better that they proceed along the path of varsatility and supplement their revenue by continuing to corner the market on... uh... monkey balls and such. Which means a continuing supply of quirkiness in the vein of Typing of the Dead for us! Whee!

Screwed

Erin, At first I was pretty pissed off at the fact that they had basically cut off Dreamcast owners at the nether-regions so they could become a 3rd-party developer. However, as the wound has begun to heal with my increased Dreamcast collection from all of the discounted games, I have realized that it's not so bad after all. Many people got screwed out of some truly amazing games that were released for the Saturn because they never bought the system. I can understand to a point, the system died faster than the Dreamcast did and people didn't want to waste the bucks on a dying system. But look at the games Sega did for that system: Panzer Dragoon Saga, Shining Force III, the Virtua Fighter series. Sega knows games. Look at other games on other systems: the Sonic series (omitting the horrid Sonic 3D Blast), Vectorman, Phantasy Star. Now, finally, everyone has a shot at reaping the rewards. It's definitely a good thing in my opinion. And besides, the damn company probably would have gone belly-up in the next couple years if they didn't get the hell out of the hardware industry. Nuff said. -Purple Monkey Dishwasher

I was one of those screwed out of some truly amazing games: Sad but true, this monkey never owned a Saturn. In a time of RPG drought, I bought a PSX and *swallow* B ... Be ... Beyond the Beyond. Man, did I suffer from grass-is-always-greener syndrome for a helluva long time, staring longingly across the fence at the likes of Shining Force as I fought to promote my ridiculous yellow gob of a friend "Tont" to a more prestigious class of yellow gob....

When news first swept the land that SEGA was giving up hardware, I didn't give a damn about their sodomizing of Dreamcast owners everywhere - I rejoiced in the knowledge that Sonic was coming to breakfast. A premier publisher had become accessible without having to fork out for another whole freaking console.

We got your franchises right here, baby

Erin, I have tremendous respect for Sega, but I doubt they will become the number one publisher anytime soon. Certainly they will become a successful multiformat publishers, but I doubt they are going to dominate a major category in the way EA dominates sports. I say major category because there are near dead categories like beat'em ups and side scrollers Sega could take with little effort but little reward (remember the abysmal sales of the excellent Symphony of the Night?). By contrast major categories are very lucrative but highly competitive. The success of Madden, Mario, Gran Turismo and Final Fantasy encouraged a truckload of challengers. What makes anyone think Sega will have better luck than the others? Don't get me wrong, I I think there are some holes in popular genres waiting for Sega to fill them (Sega is apparently the only company on the planet capable of making a quality basketball simulation). However, in categories topped by popular, high-quality incumbents (non b-ball sports games, adventure games, rpgs, kiddie games and racing simulations) Sega is going to find itself ice-skating uphill. Furthermore, I think marketing is irrelevant but incumbency is very relevant. In a world where many reviewers poured praise upon deeply flawed games like the original NFL2K (which lacked a running game) and Legend of Dragoon (which lacked, well, everything), one cannot blame consumers for buying the latest game in their favorite franchise rather than taking a chance on an unknown product (bearing in mind most people buy games from places which only allow the return of games if they are defective). - Mark

But ... but ... SEGA has the franchises! Panzer Dragoon, Shining Force, Phantasy Star.... Hell, the list is endless, really. All SEGA really has to do is wake the hell up and realize what they've got.

Backing the wrong horse

Sega has the potential to be the biggest & mightiest of the 3rd party developers/publishers. But they really must improve their business decisions if they are to make it. So far, I think they are on very thin ice. Sega seems to throw most of their weght behind the Xbox, a new very unsure console. What they should do is support Nintendo and Sony more, especially Sony since the PS2 already has a large userbase. And Sega really need to get over their fear of sequals. Sure, sequels to popular games might not be the most exciting things to develop, but they usually sell good and they deosn't HAVE to be badjust because they are sequels. Where are the sequels to popular games like Nights, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Last Bronx, Phantasy Star and Shining Force? -Rob S

SmileBit is working on a new PD game, although other than a smidgeon of concept art at the TGS, not much has been seen or heard of it. As for Phantasy Star, it seems to be alive and well in online form - which we can only hope will spur them to put out a more traditional installment.

SEGA, hoisting the light and the dark, rises high up in the sky to the still land

Erin, You may recall, from previous letters and this sentence, that I am the guy who appreciates a good appositive. I'll tell you another thing I appreciate: Sega. When it comes to pushing the envelope in the gaming world, Sega is the company that delivers. Can you imagine their brainstorming sessions? "Ooh! I know! What if players have to type a word very quickly in order to kill zombies?" "Yeah! But what about our idea to put monkeys in balls?" "Is Sega destined to rule the third party roost?" Sega's sports titles alone are enough to make them contenders for the third party roost. As long as we have known Sega, we have counted on them to deliver thrilling sports titles. Nevertheless, Sega was never an all-sports company. Everyone knows and loves Sonic, and even though the SNES/Genesis debates of old made it sound as though Sega were not producing rpgs at all, true fans know better. Sega may have brought fewer titles in the genre to its console than Nintendo did, but those few were true gems. By continuing to push the envelope for gaming and reviving old franchises (Sega, where is Shining Force IV for the PS2?), Sega can easily claim the top third party spot. "What...effect do you think [Sega's] multi-platform support is going to have?" I had two roommates when I was an undergraduate; one purchased a Saturn and World Series Baseball, and the other purchased a PSX and Gameday. I waited and watched. As sad as it was to see my friend in some mall Santa's lap begging for the Saturn to regain life, I saw something more disturbing: Sega was dying as a console manufacturer. Now we don't have to argue the merits of Sega anymore. With games like PSO already going multi-platform, Sega is uniting gamers under one banner carried by a blue hedgehog. Sega will continue to produce "A" games for different platforms. They will help gamers feel confident that their choice of console was a sound decision. The gaming industry will have to adapt to keep up, particularly the first-party developers. If Nintendo wants gamers to purchase a Gamecube, they will be forced to create a killer application themselves rather than relying on the laurels of Sega. This applies to each of the systems. The bottom line is that Sega will make the entire experience of gaming better. I can't wait to see what happens next. Danny

Well put. We've lost a competitor in the console market, surely, but who really wanted to have to spread their cash between FOUR systems just to be sure we were where the games were at? Don't think of SEGA as dead - think of them as liberated. Sonic is free to spread peace, love and gaming goodness to a platform near you, undoubtedly raising the bar for quality in quite a few areas along the way.

Restoring honor to the House of SEGA

Erin, Sega may have a goal of being the #1 third party developer, but they are going to need to work really hard to obtain that goal. Their first big step to overcome is getting the US market to even LOOK at their titles again. I'm not a Sega fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I have a lot of friends who are and they are all spitting on Sega's name because of the decision to make Shenmue II an X-Box exclusive title here in the states, while Japan and Europe get it on the Dreamcast. Definitely not a good thing to do to your fan base. And definitely not a good thing to do when you have your sights set on #1. Another big hurdle Sega will have to overcome is finding a successful formula for game development. Most of Sega's off-the-wall titles have literally been off-the-wall in terms of design. And while these titles have generally sold well, the games that they spend more time and effort into developing usually come up short for some reason. The problem here is when you make an off-the-wall title, your basically spitting into the wind. The title may or may not sell well, just as you may or may not have your spit flying back at you in a gust of wind. If Sega wants to be #1, they need to go back to the basics. They need to take a long hard look at what they did right over the years and focus on that. Experimenting is all good and well, but Sega needs to concentrate on making strong entries into the console markets with their franchise titles (i.e. Sonic and Virtua Fighter). If they can bring hard hitting titles based on these two franchises, then they're goal of being #1 will have a little more substance than what it currently is now. Oberon

SEGA's tarnished name may very well be one of the toughest hurdles they'll have to overcome on the road to software greatness. Many were already loathe to get back in the sack with them after the dismal death of the Saturn. Essentially abandoning the Dreamcast has certainly not healed any wounds.

Chaos theory in marketing

I think a Sega exec admitted in an interveiw that Sega knows games, better than it knows gaming business. hopefully this won't continue to be the story for this new era of the company. If you look at the brightest spots in the library of any Sega gaming system the top spots are dominated by Sega games, but who has heard of them? ...Especially the most recent ones. Sega never advertises. They toss out some print ads, and then leave the rest up to fate. No wonder they got beat out of the console business! Nintendo knows business, and they know advertising. They took a lame system with a shoddy library and milked it like pros. (boo! hiss!) When the next Zelda or Pokemon game comes out, every kid in school can tell you about it, but who knew when Virtual On, or Cannon Spike came out? Sega never supports their third-parties, and they almost never advertise. But hopefully this won't continue. They have a new CEO, and it was his idea to cut the hardware side in the first place, so maybe he has more plans on what to do next. Sega's games rock, and now that they are not tied to brick systems maybe they will get more recognition, but Sega still has to put out some more work on the business side of things. tokyoneon the reluctant Sega whore

Personally I think telling Dreamcast owners everywhere "Hell with you!" with Shenmue II's Xbox exclusivity generated some formidable publicity. It was also cutthroat, money-motivated business worthy of Nintendo. Huh. Maybe they're learning.

Game, set, match - EA

Hey Erin, Sega can talk all they want about being number one, but they seem to have dropped the ball right at the start, much like they did with their hardware. Where? Everybody's favorite whipping boy (at least around GIA-land) - sports games. In North America, sports games sell. Especially football and (shudder) wrestling. Two new consoles launch. Sega sports is ... absent. Too busy fiddling with Dreamcast versions of NFL2K2 and NBA2K2. A smart company would have a Cube/Xbox hockey game ready for this year, since no one else has one. The NBA game would be at launch, not in February/March when no one cares. Hell, they're even behind with the football. Result - EA wins, since once again their games have no real competition. Sega's games continue to trail EA and fail to grab significant market share, as EA has now established itself as *the* sports franchise for Cube/Xbox (they've already got the PS2). Sega is not going to dominate the fighter market (Capcom, etc.), or the RPG market (Square + everyone else). Sports was their opportunity to establish their name and franchise once again, and they failed. Sure, Sega makes some quality puzzle/unique games, but that's not enough for top spot. No staying power. No franchises. No sequels (the key to be a dominant player in the market). Nobody is eagerly anticipating Super Monkey Ball 2, Chu-Chu Rocket 2 or even Crazy Taxi 2 (yeah, I know it's out, that's my point). Sorry Paulo, but I don't even see them gaining top spot in the handheld market. If they had all the games you listed ready to go now, then maybe. But by this time next year, people will expect more from the GBA then SNES remakes of old arcade games. An if EA ever gets Madden GBA right, furgettaboutit. EA wins. In North America (and probably Europe). Orin the Lawyer - just spent an hour discussing this very topic on Monday night

I hate when the lawyer writes in - especially when he writes in loudly proclaiming he's polished his argument in a prior debate. It makes me feel all self-conscious and ... oooh ... wibbly.

Never the less, while you have some solid arguments against SEGA claiming the top spot in any one genre, don't you think continuing to churn out decent games in such a variety of genres as they have in the past could put them on top, in a sense? We've all seen that SEGA can do sports, racers, fighters, RPGs, adventure, strategy, shooters, even quirky indefineable stuff. EA is more or less constrained by that "THE sports franchise" spot, and despite forays elsewhere, Square is pretty much synonymous with RPGs.

I guess that ultimately, a lot of this argument boils down to how you want to define "number one third party developer," uh?

Where do YOUR loyalties lie, boy?

Hey Erin! Hmmmm.... I'm not convinced Sega will be the top 3d party developer in the foreseeable future. For one thing, even they have a very varied line-up, they're not more varied than, for instance, Konami or Namco, and people who have grown up with their Sneses and PlayStations will have grown to prefer their Tekken to their Virtua Fighter, their Suikoden to their Skies of Arcadia/Phantasy Star, and their Madden to their NFL2kX. Besides, though Sega makes great games, they're just not for everyone. I've rented a Mega Drive numerous times when I was younger, but I was never tempted to buy one. Same goes for the Saturn. And I only bought a Dreamcast for the third party games (RE, Soul Calibur, Grandia 2 (I of course did play and enjoy Sega's games as well, but they weren't the reason I bought the machine). Fact is, Sega has stiff competition in all the genres they're trying to dominate, and the previous generation's "loyalties" lie with their competitors. Sir Farren, thinks Sega WILL indeed succeed in the handheld arena.

I dunno about your speculation as to where loyalties lie. I know a lot of Phantasy Star die-hards who'd take hits out on key members of the Suikoden III development team if it meant they'd get another, non-online PS in the foreseeable future.

But you have a point: SEGA is a classic jack-of-all-trades, and arguably that could relegate them to the conjoined "master of none" role.

Oi! You're supposed to bring me myrrh 'n stuff

Oi, Erin. Silly me, I gave up reading this column a few months ago, and didn't even realize the DA torch had changed hands. Well, please accept my belated welcome. Formalities aside, let me say this: Buddha be praised for making SEGA realize, "Hey, we make great games, but our hardware sales suck. Let's just make games for everyone else! Yeah, that's it!!" I have been a long-time fan of theirs, and I was quite depressed when the Dreamcast was pronounced dead, since I had just managed to get my hands on one. Hell, I had a Sega 32X. ::[waiting for boos and chuckles to die down]:: The point is (I think I had one somewhere), whether SEGA becomes the 3rd party juggernaut they strive to be or not, they will be putting out great games on every platform in the attempt, and in turn, everyone else will be competing with them and each other, hopefully raising the bar for quality universally. It's a very good (though prohibitvely expensive) time to be the kid who never *grew out* of his NES and Genesis. I hope that letter is decipherable to at least one other person besides me... Cheers ~ Pikafoo

Seems perfectly decipherable to me.

Closing Comments:

And now for something completely different....

In an interesting variation around the free topic day concept, I want everyone to write in with any ideas they may have had rattling about their skulls for a DA discussion. Participants will not only be treated to whatever witty repartee their topic wrests from my poetic soul, but the reader whose topic I arbitrarily deign the most sincere, the most thought-provoking of all, will see that topic fervently discussed in Friday's column.

What more is there to say, then, except maybe "Huzzah!"

-Erin Mehlos, not to be confused with Stephen Hawking's second wife