Sega has been a bit....slow with its releases lately.
The new restructuring and leadership has put Sega in a position they hadn't been for a long time. A position of peace.
Like a slow growing apple tree, with its main structure firmly entrenched in fresh market soil, we can only dream of what fruit will come of this growth process.
For Sega fans, the growth pain is obvious. One can only manage to find enjoyment in Hatsune Miku for so long, and the game drought is worrying for the untrained eye.
However, this wait has brought serenity to the company, giving opportunity for new ideas to flourish and become great games (we hope). There is however another aspect to this time period: the market perception of Sega.
Not long ago Sega used to be all but bashed, regardless of game quality. Sonic was the cover-b..hedgehog for the "disaster that is Sega's management, which is leading the company into bankruptcy". Comment sections were consisted of walls of text listing every Sega failure and every reason possible (and untrue) to believe that Sega has always been "shit and succ my dick".
This is now changing.
For the first time since I was a teen, I decided to actually load up the comment section of a popular "gaming journalism" website (IGN of all places) and was ready to be disappointed with the gaming community once more.
But what's this?
I was always a Nintendo kid growing up. (SNES/NES) But i love me some sega games. Especially those arcade games.
OMG shinobi/streets of rage chiptune composer Yuzo Koshiro is freaking musical genius !
Gotta mention Panzer Dragoon Saga in any great Sega game discussion!!! Best RPG game I've ever played!!!!!
Do you guys remember Sega Channel? That service was truly ahead of its time.
Shinning Force has always been a quality SRPG almost even with Fire Emblem.The Sega Megadrive had FANTASTIC 3rd party support,Sports;Shoot em ups ,a few strategy titles,the prototype first RTS;Herzog Zwei and their own RPG's...but Sega's very own back catalogue of classic games was numerous and wonderful.
You dipsticks list off all the great Sega RPGs without even MENTIONING the one that *IS* the best Sega developed game of ALL time--Though I doubt that any of you have ever played it through to completion: Panzer Dragoon Saga.
Adventure 2 was the best!
Sonic gets most of the nostalgic love, but you could probably come up with a ranking of 50 fantastic Sega games before you even started to consider the Sonic games.
Sega has one of the best back catalogs in gaming - and the best back catalog of arcade/coin-op games, so it's a tough question.
People always complain that Sega doesn't do fan service and they are sitting on their franchises without giving them proper sequels. Actually, Sega TRIED to do fan service but no one bought those games.
And many many lists of favorite Sega games, both famous and obscure.
I firmly believe that people have consensually moved beyond the "SEGA LOL" meme, and are starting to cherish a company that has been through a lot.
Unfortunately, we end in a sour note. As one comment reads,
Sega going third-party was almost indisputably the single greatest disaster and greatest loss for gamers in the history of the hobby.
It's a sentiment I share.
But I believe that, after the rainny spring, Sega will collect its fruits, both juicy and refreshing.
After all, to be this good..takes ages.