There is nothing Custom SEGA tech inside either Lindberg or RingEdge , that the simple truth of the matter. However the GPU inside the STV-V and Saturn was SEGA and Unique to SEGA , and while boards like NA@MI II , Model 3 , used off the shelf CPU’s, their GPU were far from that (in NA@MI II case its (Geometry Processor). Panzer Dragoon Orta it is still one of the best looking X-Box games ever made , and all running at a near perfect 60 fps , not many games came close to Orta , it was pushing and using the X-Box to its fullest .
NCL started out a Card company , companines move on and Adapt , they just have too, what did SEGA start out as , becasue it wasn't Consumer or Arcade Videogames that's for sure.
The like of Id/Epic wouldn't lower them self to work on consoles a few years ago , so would many PC developers , now they're all on the next gen systems SEGA Needs to use all the best bits from its Arcade teams , and wake up to making game engines on PC's and then ported them down to consoles , and making far better use of Multi Thread CPU's , not just for this gen , but the next gen too
And as for the last part, I don't really like Mass Effect II , but its characters and in-game animation is way ahead for Yukuza's, never mind Heavy rain .
When one 1st saw Shemmue or to a point Yakuza 1 , it was Truly breath taking to see that many characters on screen and a world so detailed ,
But now we’re in age of GTA IV, Mass Effect II , Assassin's Creed II ECT , all witht Mass Open worlds , lovingly detailed , and populated with a huge number of characters . The teams just need to do far better , and really push the bar . Sonic Team will , to a point so can AM#2 , but the rest of the Consumer Teams really need to start using the power of the next gen far better , and push the PS3 or 360 as much as their Teams can push the like of Lindberg
And I 'll leave it at that