SEGA rips our hearts out: Bayonetta 2 is a Wii U exclusive

[Nameless 24]

Nintendo is scaring away the casual crowd and betting on an hardcore crowd that is gone since the N64 days.

Wait, what?

They lapped up the Gamecube (as did I, as I think that was Nintendo's Opus Maximus in terms of the sheer amount of games they released for it). They got fed up with the Wii, sure...but not the Gamecube.

As for Bayonetta 2, I wouldn't mind if it indeed became a multi-platform release...but given that Nintendo are funding it....I can understand if it stays on the Wii U.

[Aki-at]

I actually dislike the use of the controller. Played Rayman Origins and after the novelity wore off was just wishing if I could just use a traditional controller instead.

Regardless, they are the only console developer in this day and age that is still dedicated to making fun games for players of all ages that are full of positive energy.  Surely that's not worth spitting on.  Sega used to have a similar philosophy.  Now it's all about games like Binary Domain, Yakuza, and Aliens.

Sony says "Hi!"

And SEGA and Nintendo do not share similar philosophies. If Binary Domain and Yakuza are some strange indication SEGA has lost this positive energy then what would that make games like E-Swat, Shinobi and Golden Axe?

[ROJM]

Please correct me but didn't Goldeneye has a similar situation. The original game being made with nintendo's money by another developer, only years later a game from the same makers ended up on another system. Im not sure if it was a port or not. If it was or whatever then the precedent has been set regarding any possible future platform for BAYONETTA 2 but considering how Sega has kept the YAKUZA series strictly to PS2/3 platforms, i cant see that policy changing.

[MadeManG74]

^GoldenEye didn't get a port to another console at all really. They recently made GoldenEye reloaded or something on Xbox 360/PS3, but it was basically Call of Duty: Modern Bond.

[Ben]

The new Goldeneye game was more or less a re-imagining. It was a bit of a remake in certain respects but it was definitely not a port; they replaced the old Bond with Daniel Craig, for example.

[Radrappy]

And SEGA and Nintendo do not share similar philosophies. If Binary Domain and Yakuza are some strange indication SEGA has lost this positive energy then what would that make games like E-Swat, Shinobi and Golden Axe?

Obviously there are exceptions but when I think of sega I think of strong recognizable brands like

Super Monkey Ball
Jet Grind Radio
Sonic the hedgehog
Skies of Arcadia
Phantasy Star
virtual fighter
Virtual Cop
chu chu rocket
Nights into Dreams
Virtual On
Sakura Wars
Samba de amigo
Outrun
Shining Force
Alex Kidd
Monster World
Shenmue
Space Channel 5

All of which are colorful,  mostly family friendly games that focus on delivering a fun experience above all else.  This is the Sega that I'm interested in seeing today and the one which I feel shares many qualities in common with Nintendo.  In fact during the Dreamcast days, one could say Sega out nintendoed nintendo with a period of creatively ambitious, quirky games.   

Obviously they have a few worthwhile mature franchises under their belt such as House of the Dead and Shinobi, but but for the most part all this grimdark stuff can go take a hike.  Bring back the colors!

[ROJM]

Half the games mentioned are only recognizable to Sega fans and not to anyone else. That's really been the problem, most of the games mentioned are unable to reach an audience beyond a small Sega audience.

[loempiavreter]

Obviously there are exceptions but when I think of sega I think of strong recognizable brands like

Super Monkey Ball
Jet Grind Radio
Sonic the hedgehog
Skies of Arcadia
Phantasy Star
virtual fighter
Virtual Cop
chu chu rocket
Nights into Dreams
Virtual On
Sakura Wars
Samba de amigo
Outrun
Shining Force
Alex Kidd
Monster World
Shenmue
Space Channel 5

All of which are colorful,  mostly family friendly games that focus on delivering a fun experience above all else.  This is the Sega that I'm interested in seeing today and the one which I feel shares many qualities in common with Nintendo.  In fact during the Dreamcast days, one could say Sega out nintendoed nintendo with a period of creatively ambitious, quirky games.   

Obviously they have a few worthwhile mature franchises under their belt such as House of the Dead and Shinobi, but but for the most part all this grimdark stuff can go take a hike.  Bring back the colors!

Why is Virtua Cop on that colourful list? Virtua Cop 3 sure as not colourful...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC1kRT7SpyM

[ROJM]

The new Goldeneye game was more or less a re-imagining. It was a bit of a remake in certain respects but it was definitely not a port; they replaced the old Bond with Daniel Craig, for example.

^GoldenEye didn't get a port to another console at all really. They recently made GoldenEye reloaded or something on Xbox 360/PS3, but it was basically Call of Duty: Modern Bond.

Thanks, ben and MM.

[Radrappy]

Half the games mentioned are only recognizable to Sega fans and not to anyone else. That's really been the problem, most of the games mentioned are unable to reach an audience beyond a small Sega audience.

That's the problem.  But I'm not asking for these brands specifically to make a reappearance, just their spirit. 

Why is Virtua Cop on that colourful list? Virtua Cop 3 sure as not colourful...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC1kRT7SpyM

I've never even seen Virtual Cop 3 and it certainly looks dark.  Virtual Cop 2 was incredibly fun and light hearted though.  It's part of why it was a great title.     

One great thing about House of the Dead is that even though it's gory and violent, it almost NEVER takes itself seriously. 

[mylifewithsega]

I've never even seen Virtual Cop 3 and it certainly looks dark.  Virtual Cop 2 was incredibly fun and light hearted though.  It's part of why it was a great title.     

One great thing about House of the Dead is that even though it's gory and violent, it almost NEVER takes itself seriously. 

I'm sorry, but I knew quite a few parents back then that wouldn't allow their kids to play Virtua Cop's 1 or 2 back in the day since it used a gun and gave you points for making multiple shots to the body. Same with House of the Dead. That mantality has gotten even worse today, thanks to the rediculous amount of shootings here in the US. The games may not take themselves too seriously - Hell, I don't - but parents do.

Jet Set Radio would be removed as well since many parents don't like the fact that it "encourages defacement of private property".

Mind you, I'm not agreeing with these statements. However, SEGA's always tried to cater to a broader demographic. Their philosophy was quite different from Nintendo's then, and it still is now. SEGA injected their games with attitude, along with a youthful defiance toward Nintendo and it's whole "family friendly" image.

That's SEGA to me. That's what SEGA was to my brother. He didn't wanna' play as some plumber with a Sir Galahad complex lost in fantasy land, or as this 'wittle fairy boy....with a Sir Galahad complex....living in fantasy land. He wanted to blow the crap outta' enemy aircraft in After Burner, or kill Xenomorph-like creatures in Alien Syndrom, or killing badass ninjas in Shinobi. SEGA had an edge even then.

[Radrappy]

I'm sorry, but I knew quite a few parents back then that wouldn't allow their kids to play Virtua Cop's 1 or 2 back in the day since it used a gun and gave you points for making multiple shots to the body. Same with House of the Dead. That mantality has gotten even worse today, thanks to the rediculous amount of shootings here in the US. The games may not take themselves too seriously - Hell, I don't - but parents do.

Jet Set Radio would be removed as well since many parents don't like the fact that it "encourages defacement of private property".

Mind you, I'm not agreeing with these statements. However, SEGA's always tried to cater to a broader demographic. Their philosophy was quite different from Nintendo's then, and it still is now. SEGA injected their games with attitude, along with a youthful defiance toward Nintendo and it's whole "family friendly" image.

That's SEGA to me. That's what SEGA was to my brother. He didn't wanna' play as some plumber with a Sir Galahad complex lost in fantasy land, or as this 'wittle fairy boy....with a Sir Galahad complex....living in fantasy land. He wanted to blow the crap outta' enemy aircraft in After Burner, or kill Xenomorph-like creatures in Alien Syndrom, or killing badass ninjas in Shinobi. SEGA had an edge even then.

yes, but it was only a slight edge.  Sonic was edgy but only compared to Mario.  It was still a colorful, kid friendly game that wasn't desperate to be hardcore.  As opposed to say, Shadow the Hedgehog.  Looks like we were just drawn to Sega for different reasons.  When I was a kid I loved the visuals, music,personality, and gameplay of their titles, not the violence.    However, in today's gaming market, sega is no longer considered edgy.  What so ever.  In fact they're mostly just considered incompetent.  A better idea for them would be to focus on the games that everyone loved such as Sonic or Monkeyball.  Because as far as violent mature games go, there are plenty of developers out there who do it WAY better. 

[Aki-at]

All of which are colorful,  mostly family friendly games that focus on delivering a fun experience above all else.  This is the Sega that I'm interested in seeing today and the one which I feel shares many qualities in common with Nintendo.  In fact during the Dreamcast days, one could say Sega out nintendoed nintendo with a period of creatively ambitious, quirky games.

Obviously they have a few worthwhile mature franchises under their belt such as House of the Dead and Shinobi, but but for the most part all this grimdark stuff can go take a hike.  Bring back the colors!   

The bolded can be easily applied to Yakuza, whilst Binary Domain is trying to offer a pure arcade experience with some squad building thrown in. Nintendo and SEGA have never been alike, sure you can make an argument for one of their developer in Sonic Team, but when you add AM1, 2, 3, Team Andromada, Amusement Vision... They really are just too different.

And how is Yakuza or Binary Domain grimdark? Tone? Then so would Phantasy Star... Lack of colours? Yakuza is anything but. Binary Domain? Sure you can make a case but then the creativity is there in the design of the machines and the world in general. I can understand Aliens, but trying to throw Binary Domain and especially Yakuza in the pile seems rather forced.

[mylifewithsega]

yes, but it was only a slight edge.  Sonic was edgy but only compared to Mario.  It was still a colorful, kid friendly game that wasn't desperate to be hardcore.  As opposed to say, Shadow the Hedgehog.  Looks like we were just drawn to Sega for different reasons.  When I was a kid I loved the visuals, music,personality, and gameplay of their titles, not the violence.    However, in today's gaming market, sega is no longer considered edgy.  What so ever.  In fact they're mostly just considered incompetent.  A better idea for them would be to focus on the games that everyone loved such as Sonic or Monkeyball.  Because as far as violent mature games go, there are plenty of developers out there who do it WAY better. 

If I'm reading this correctly, it sounds as if you equate "colorful" with "family friendly". By that reasoning, A Clockwork Orange, Man on Fire and Requiem for a Dream are family friendly experiences. However, those are movies. We'll stick to games. How about Yakuza, as Aki-at suggested? God of War, maybe? I know; Hell Yeah!? Resident Evil 2? They're all very colorful, have great music, and their very own personality.

As for not being attracted to violence, why play Virtua Fighter, Virtua Cop or House of the Dead? That reminds me of a Robin Williams joke. "It's like saying, 'I watch Boxing for the sport of Boxing.' No, you watch it so you can watch someone get the fuck beat out of 'em." Like you, I'm also attracted to vibrant colors, great music, storytelling, gameplay, etc. However, I also enjoy darker subject matter - "darker" meaning tone; not the game's color palette - and SEGA gave me more of that.

[MadeManG74]

Obviously there are exceptions but when I think of sega I think of strong recognizable brands like
virtual fighter
Virtual Cop

*Stares disapprovingly*

As for not being attracted to violence, why play Virtua Fighter, Virtua Cop or House of the Dead? That reminds me of a Robin Williams joke. "It's like saying, 'I watch Boxing for the sport of Boxing.' No, you watch it so you can watch someone get the fuck beat out of 'em."

As someone who plays a lot of VF, I don't think I would really say I play it for the violence. If it were about violence I would play Mortal Kombat or UFC. I play it because it's an exceptionally balanced and fun competitive game that's deep as a well and faster than a Ferrari.