The most famous and of course pioneering Online Sega game is PSO, but SEGA did have many networked games in the arcades since then. And internally, alot of developers actually developed these kinds of games. You could say that, for a while, most of Sega's budget for internal staff, went into these kind of games (and the whole arcade division in general), after the Dreamcast died.
It's funny how really relevant Online, Card and Simulation games are relevant these days, while in the early 2000's it wasn't even ignored. Sega thinking ahead as usual.
Many might be mad that Sega didn't focus on console games coming out in the West, but as it is, these games were and are a huge success.
Derby Owners Club
This horse racing simulator has pretty much become a classic in Sega's Arcade line-up. Still operating today, and has been since 2000. Ports happened on smartphones, and a PC port that operated in Japan for 2 years.
World Club Championship Football
This Soccer-sim game with cards, started the card craze in arcades. Also has been operating since a long time. Since 2002 to be exact, and also a money maker and classic by Sega. Sega is probably the only company with 3 football sims going. Football Manager, Let's make a Soccer Club! and this game.
Mushingking, Love and Berry and Dinosaur King
Mushiking made SEGA
ALOT of money. So much so, that Sega considerss it their last really big financial success (source: their 2013 financial report). All of 3 of these kid based card games, got DS ports.
The Key of Avalon
Sega's first giant cabinet networked game, outside of Sports and Sims. Basicilly an "adult" version of their kids games, it doesn't only have the monster fights but also a Board game. The "Key" refers to the Holder that other players have to get, so a Capture the Flag situation. It got a port similar Derby Owners Club, it was on PC in Japan and operated for 2 years. Operated and got updates from 2003 to 2008.
Quest of D
A PSO-clone pretty much with a middleages or Diablo skin. The loot was basicilly the cards. Operated and updated from 2004-2008
Sangokushi Taisen
Sega took their football card game and put a Dynasty Warriors skin on it. A huge success, and still one of their top earners. In 2009, it turned into
Sengoku Taisen. And went from being Chinese-themed to Japan-themed. Still operating today. Given it's giant success over these years, it got a DS port, a smartphone port, and a PC port was cancelled.
This isn't Sega's first RTS, they did Hundred Swords on the Dreamcast, which also went online. It came out in the UK on PC.
Shining Force Cross
After Sega stopped operating Quest of D, they quickly created the follow-up with using the Shining brand. You can easily look at videos of this, and see the similarity of PSO. If you look closely, t
hey only changed newmen for elves and CAST for birdmen. Still going today.Border Break
Probably the most popular game from all of these. People would like a port of this the most. Constantly updated since 2009, and 2015 they even have a Grand Prix in Japan.
Code of Joker
A monster battle card game with no actual physical cards. It's linked with The Key of the Avalon, with the same developers.
The World of Three Kingdoms
When the Taisen games went into japanese history, Sega did a real time action based on the classic Chinese Novel of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms".
Wonderland Wars
An Arcade MOBA game controlled with a stylus, which is their latest announced game.
Sega continued that trend with various games on the iOS and Android.
Kingdom Conquest is a famous one, that's also been released on the west. Samurai Bloodshow, Demon Tribe, Dragon Coins, Chain Chronicles etc. are other ones. Not to forget The World of End Ecplise from the Valkyria Chronicles developers coming this year. Sega has a lot of games operating on the Arcade on Mobile. While on PC and console, there really only ever was PSO.
Alot of information and depictions of these can't be find on regurarely wikis. So I searched on old articles, smaller blogs and so on.
Article on Derby Owners Club
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/issues/issue_3/17-A-Horse-of-a-Different-ColorArticle on WCCF
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sports-gaming-in-japan-world-club-champion-football/1100-6233603/Blog post on The Key of Avalon from 2004
http://radio-weblogs.com/0118995/categories/gaming/2003/08/16.html#a125A pretty recent article on the DS port of Sangokushi Taisen
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/01/matters_of_import_conflict_is_always_on_the_cards_in_segas_sangokushi_taisen_tenA review of Border Break
http://www.mechadamashii.com/reviews/reviews-border-break-910/Blogpost The World of Three Kingdoms
http://shinjuforest.blogspot.co.at/2013/10/upcoming-sega-arcade-game-world-of.htmlWonderland Wars
http://www.gamesinasia.com/sega-announces-new-arcade-moba-title-wonderland-wars/Also there is a Youtube podcast talks about Quest of D (and also Dragon Treasure, a coin pusher arcade game, which was the base for something like Dragon Coins). Time stamp at 30:43 where they begin to talk about Japanese arcade games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyRitp5-fmE#t=1844Oh, and the OST for these game is easily findable.
So overall thoughts? Overall most of these really never get even aknowledged, it's pretty much the most obscure type of game. Not only are they Japan only, but in arcades only. And unlike most tradional arcade games, they have a language barrier.
Should they be ported and translated, especially with the Free2Play craze and success of PSO2?
IMO with the popularity of MOBAs and 3rd person shooters, Wonderland Wars and Border Break, are games perfect for PC.
