As much as love new IP’s like Bayonetta, it’s nice to see some if the more classic IP’s make a return. Sega president Mike Hayes talked with VG24/7 about some of their popular IP’s and how they go about deciding which one’s to go back to.
We carefully look at each IP and every month, we review the locker of IP and think, ‘how could we release those and if so, what are we going to? Will it be a big game, digital, free-to-play?’ We constantly look at it. What I can say is that you will continue to see a reinvention of classic Sega IP coming to various platforms over the next three-five years.
All I can say to Mike is, JETSETRADIOJETSETRADIOJETSETRADIOJETSETRADIOJETSETRADIO!!
Full article can be found here.
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Sega has such an epic back catalogue of IPs, I prefer bringing back old ones to creating new ones. The trick to bringing back an old IP is to keep it in the same genre as the original. Golden Axe: Beast Rider failed because A.) it was sucky, and B.) it wasn’t anything like the original. Sega found the perfect balance with their most recent efforts to use an old IP. Sonic Generations and Shinobi 3DS modernize the new graphics and some slight gameplay tweaks, but at their core, they’re still side scrollers. Sega can explore the realm of modern gaming with their new IPs, but keep the old school games, ya know, old school.
Sega was at its peak during the Genesis days so I think those are the most recognizable IPs. Games like ToeJam & Earl, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Vectorman, and Comix Zone would all do well if they made new games in the series that didn’t stray too far from the original concept. There’s a bunch of Saturn and Dreamcast IPs that would be cool too like Nights, Panzer Dragoon, Jet Grind Radio, and Crazy Taxi. And bring these games to ALL systems please Sega.
(Would it be cool to see Streets of Rage 4 in 3D with something like the Arkham Asylum combat system? Ya, but what are the chances that turns out well?? If they went half/scrolling, half/3D…ok, now we have a chance to make a worthy successor)
It’s possible to modernize Side scroller gameplay in 3D.
The trick ith copy past western gameplay like arkham and to make automatic generic system beat em all and not to see good ideas in modern games.
_Streets of rage’s 66 (forward forward) could be replace by a Run button.
_Sonic could have his crouch postition back.with the same button as the stomp (like mario’ Z trigger) THEN you could perform the spin dash.Or roll in hollows using inertia like sonic 1(and metroid prime
morph ball.)keeping the same feeling from classic Sonic.(even Mario spin roll during alking in Odyssey but not Sonic anymore)
_Shinobi had very interesting ideas with kunoishi(Night shade) :Lock on guard breaks;air dash; double jump spinning shurikins; air combos. Dive kick like Shinobi 3. If Only the game was as graphicly as beautifull as Ninja gaiden it will be a killer app. The sytem was better.
_Bayonetta introduced also good ideas for modern beat em all. Even for a more realistic game
Very ineresting lock On + front direction for a stiletto (to replace Forward forward for instance.)
Lock on +Back for a launcher then you could do Axel’s SoR2 super combos. Virtua fighter and bayonetta’s PPPk; PPKK etc…
But People imagine Bayonetta system only possible for Gigantic magical super moves … Its lacking of imagination . There are tons of ideas so continue to hope sequels of your old beloved IPs my friend..! 🙂
And make sure SEGA read these ideas and new ones!
That’s great, as long as they don’t get outsourced to mediocre developers who’s track record are movie tie-ins.
Shenmue 3 please?
SEGA smash bros or sega fighters or whatever you wanna call it! 😀 for wii and other things but make sure there’s wii :3
That’s all fantastic and dandy but the really important thing is that they do it at a high standard… Nobody wants a return of Classic IPs if its done poorly.
Sega have been hit and miss about bringing back classics… Sega Japan seem to do it faithfully mostly. Things like Outrun 2 and AfterBurner Climax were amazing returns of 10/20 year old series.
But Sega west has not been nearly as faithful… Golden Axe was a complete mess. NiGHTs:JoD whilst very pretty completely missed the mark in gameplay, gave NiGHTS a voice? why? The new Shinobi, whilst at least faithful to the originals isn’t exactly blowing anyones mind either…
As much as I think Mike Hayes is one of the best presidents Western Sega has had in YEARS, the concept of Sega West doing classic Sega games is more than worrying… I’m yet to be convinced that they can treat the classics with the respect they deserve.
But if they can get it right, I can’t tell you HOW many people are waiting for Shenmue, Skies of Arcadia, Jet Set Radio, Panzer Dragoon, RiStar, Streets of Rage, Comix Zone…
My self? I want all of the above preferable developed by Sega Japan… I’d love to see a new MonsterWorld/WonderBoy and Alex Kidd on the Hedgehog Engine!
JET SET RADIO!!!
@SHARKY
Quality is definitely the #1 priority. I wouldn’t care if it was full 3D or side-scrollin if I could guarantee quality. The other biggest factor for me to make a great update on an old IP is Nostalgia Factor. All the Sonic games they’ve been making recently that had people begging for the return to sidescrollers is b/c they didn’t have either of those 2 factors. All you do is run really fast and jump occasionally. It’s not really a true platformer anymore. I always thought the best way to modernize Sonic would be Super Sonic Galaxy. Set it up exactly like Mario Galaxy where you run around the outside of huge 3-dimensional locations, but have Sonic move about 3 times faster than Mario does in those games. They woulda got close if Sonic X-Treme ever came out. The problem I have with Shinobi for PS2 isn’t quality. It’s a great game. But it didn’t really have any connection to the original game for me. The story didn’t match up and the character design was too different. When Tecmo brought Ninja Gaiden to Xbox, they kept the character design almost exactly the same as the NES Ninja Gaiden. AND they had the original games as unlockable. You gotta pay a lil homage to the original game that made us love it in the 1st place. Otherwise just come out w/ a new IP.
-facepalm-