source :http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=27141 "With the continued push out of our global development initiatives, R&D costs were above the comparable period’s levels, and with major titles slated for release in the second half, many costs were recognized in advance during the 1st quarter leading to an operating loss in the segment," the company said in a statement." mmmmmm R&D..... :110: hehehehehehehehehe well,,,, better if i don't dream....
Name 5 good Sega games from the past year. Virtua Fighter 5 ...and I'm stumped. There's probably one or two more, but it's 2:30am and I'm tired.
I haven't tested VF5 yet, but yeah Virtua Tennis is about the along game worth from SEGA. The whole idea of subcontracting game development to 3rd party studio in the US and Europe is great but the games are shit AfterBurner Black Falcon is crap, Alien Syndrome looks boring and the list goes on. And since the demise of the Dreamcast the Japanese studio are not producing anything worthwhile h:... I have good hopes for the new Sega Rally, but if they don't make any profits, I don't see SEGA being around much sadly... Sabre
VF 5 is the only one really apart from sammy doing the Guilty Gear games theres nothing else at all. There just doing the same old crap they have done for the past 2 years and beyond.
Agreed they do look good, so why don't ported these instead of getting a cheap Afterburner on the PSP, even the old Afterburner is much better. Sabre
Well, Sega now focuses mostly on games for PSP, DS, etc etc etc Personally i think that most of those games are just crap by nature. Ok ok, SEGA nowadays doesn't have the old vibe mostly. yes . i agree. but some good things look at the horizon... VF5 and Virtua Tennis 3 kick ass.. and there are really high hopes for the new GOLDEN AXE... i hope that game rips the scene the way is meant... Oh, if Saturn or Dreamcast have got a decent 3d golden axe.....
Over the last year not even Virtua Fighter 5 has interested me that much, being little more than a high definition upgrade of its predecessor. In my opinion, VF5 was a dilution too many of the better elements from VF3, which isn't too surprising as this also marked the point where Yu Suzuki handed over control of the series' direction. These days, any new VF is merely a better-looking version of the last with only basic gameplay revisions. At least VF is still leagues ahead of rival titles, although its lead may shrink if the inevitable fifth sequel ends up sacrificing true evolution (pun intended?) for a quick cosmetic touch-up here and there. As for the upcoming year, NiGHTS is the only really big thing on the radar, so why can't we all just face up to facts and accept that Sega has changed beyond recognition since the Dreamcast era? No longer focused purely on creative output, these days Sega is forced to rely on its once groundbreaking past to secure enough sales from loyal fans to keep the proverbial wolves from its corporate door - with recent Sonic efforts spectacularly failing to rejeuvenate Sega, not even Shenmue III would be enough to save this doomed ship from sinking into an eternal retrospect now!
Yes, seems SEGA is a little doomed... well... i think the only thing that can save SEGA is put 5 star quality games. Most of the hopes are on the new NIGHTS and GOLDEN AXE... a decent new SHINOBI, ALEX KIDD, etc would me more than welcome...but in a great shape,, not just mere crap. I agree with Anthaemia in the fact that Virtua Fighter sequels are nothing more than a mere "better-looking" versions... they should need Yu Suzuki to recatch the series.. For first time ever, they can take advantage of Tekken, because next Tekken effort is gonna be Tekken 6.. and Sega for first time in it's life can wait to put Virtua Fighter 6 after Tekken 6 and surpass it.. well.. it's only my viewpoint. Mmmmm but personally, i think it's not only nearly over for great Sega games. Look at Nintendo, nowadays, their franchises are nearly pure crap. Killer Intinct, Donkey Kong, Mario, Zelda .. that's what is left of Nintendo, and despite the big sales of Nintendo Wii because it's casual shape, the old Nintendo flame is extinguishing also... Seems that the future of Videogames are gonna be the next Rockstar, Microsot or Sony crap. Then, let that be the future of videogames, people wanted it.
My problem with Virtua Fighter is that the series has grown increasingly dependent on taking steps backwards and even sideways as opposed to the huge leaps forward that it once used to, such as the jump from the original game to its sequel and then the revolution that was VF3. With the departure of Yu Suzuki, undulating terrain and even a character were torn out of the VF formula book, leaving something more like a refinement of VF2 as opposed to a direct third sequel. In terms of graphics, gameplay and sheer anticipation, there hasn't been anything like VF3 for me, even if it didn't become quite the commercial success that it deserved to be. Sega's decision to hold off a domestic conversion ultimately hurt its chances as well, since more advanced fighters were on the way by the time of VF3tb's release as a Dreamcast launch title in late 1998/early 1999 (dependent on where you live). Even a scaled-down Saturn treatment - as was planned - would have been less an act of damage limitation and more an opportunity to capitalise on VF3 while it was still fresh in the minds of many gamers, but as with most things Sega did the final business decision proved to be the wrong one. More recently, the long wait between VF4's arcade debut and its appearance on the PS2 could have been lessened - therefore increasing its overall success - if AM2 had ported this game directly to Dreamcast instead, though supposed technical limitations and corporate disorder at the time prevented this from happening. Quite what changed so radically within Sega between the Saturn and Dreamcast periods is something I've yet to figure out, as AM2 seemed quite content to promise a Saturn conversion of VF3 that would have compromised graphics for gameplay, so why couldn't they do the same on Dreamcast if that really had to be the only way such a game was possible? As I regularly say to like-minded videogame playing friends, the history of Sega can very easily be summed up in just a few short words that really could be applied as the company's unofficial motto... and that phrase is: Hit And Miss!
Speaking of Sega. Does anyone have any idea when or if they are going to be releasing the Yakuza sequel in the US?
Well seems i finally will pick some games for the xbox360 my little brother got. ahaha! golden axe and virtua fighter 5. I have very BIG hopes for the golden axe ... look at the video that's in youtube of the e3! it's not the best video in the world but damn! it's old schooled 100% golden axe!
Chromehounds got excellent reviews, but mostly for its online functions. I have great affection for Phantasy Star Universe, but I don't know if that counts as a game from the past year or not. Sega's Total War series has its share of devotees as well. None of these games is what you call a mainstream success though.
The only good games from Sega anymore are the ones they publish (and even then its only some of those). Or I guess their ports/remakes.
Well If I had to get SEGA out of the financial hole it is now I would do the follow: 1-make some console MMRPGs based on both Golden Axe, Shinobi and the old Phantasy Star. 2-get more indie and small studios on board, since they arent in a position to ask for more benefits and sometimes they come up with great idea. 3-create a portable platform of sorts, either hardware or software (like the new ngage) and get other companies on board to make it. Nothing too fancy, just casual-oriented like the Wii. All this is made from a business standpoint, since the point is to maximize profits, not create a good product. And thats the problem: when you get such an amazing piece of work destroyed by a (at the time) mediocre and crap console like the PS2 you really start thinking about what is good and what is bad in this industry. Making a great game is a risk financially speaking, but whoring a franchise or cloning another game, that (seems) to be a sure bet nowadays.
The PS2 is still a horribly designed console. It's got the most confusing architecture ever, it only has 2 controller ports, it's a bitch to emulate, its large (the early ones at least), noisy and draws so many damn jaggies. The DC, while not as powerful, was clean, simple, small and cheap, just as a game console should me. Hell, it even has 480p across the board, compared to the PS2's abysmal HD support.
