Did Sammy improve Sega?

[joelcool7]

Is Sega better now that Sammy took control?

As we wrap up the current generation nobody can deny Sega's impact on it. Sega molded this generation introducing the first successful online program and introducing us to the best Physics engine available. The Sega Dreamcast went beyond simple 3D gameplay offering different variations of sunlight and Fog offering realism that had yet to be seen by us average gamers. Sega's biggest impact on this generation was when it announced that after nearly 20 years in the industry it was going down and ditching its console division. So the question Im going to look into today is, Has Sega improved or has Sega gone down hill since being acquired by Sammy?

If you've read any of my prior threads you know they are a good long read, If you don't like reading or debating facts than this thread is not intended for you. This thread is for the gamers who legitimately care about the gaming industry and games as a whole.

Alright I have three different ways to analyze and find out if Sega has improved or slipped up by selling out to Sammy. My first check is launch titles of current Generation versus this Next Generation How has Sega's launch line-ups changed from Dreamcast to X-360?
my second look is at Sega's business plans and how Sega operates now opposed to when it was independent. And my third topic is Franchises and how Sammy has changed Sega's Franchise policies and the franchises themselves.


Sega's Launch line-ups (Sammy V.S Sega)

Alright first off I must remind everyone that I wont say Sega or Sammy was better that is up to each individual to decide I will give an unbiased outlook on the X-360 Sega launch titles versus the Dreamcast Sega launch titles.

Sega Dreamcast
Sonic Adventure
Virtua Fighter 3D
House of the Dead 2
Flag to Flag
NFL 2K

X-Box 360
Condemned
ChromeHounds
Full Auto
Sonic Next-Generation
Phantasy Star Online (X-360)

So how has Sega changed since the beginning of this generation ?
Alright first look at launch titles, Sonic was very present at E3 1998 and Sonic Adventures was the Gem in Sega's crown however we look at E3 2005 and Sonic Next-Generation was shown behind closed doors to a select audience. Sega has definitely changed priorities as this time round we don't see many if any of Sega's franchises in fact other than PhantasyStar and Sonic all of the other 360 launch titles are brand new. Sega has sold out its entire sports division no longer making any 2kSports or SportRacing titles. Instead of titles such as Flag2Flag and NFL 2k we see FullAuto which pretty much is the most sporty game at the beginning of this new generation. SegaSammy however advanced into this new Generation dropping cult classics like HouseOfTheDead in favor of a new thriller franchise Condemned and while many love condemned we see Sega loosing the very essence that made Sega Sega. At least Sammy carried one Dreamcast game over to this next generation (PhantasyStarOnline) a great MMORPG that truly was one of the best Dreamcast titles to utilize Sega's online potential on the Dreamcast. But this next generation holds some new positives not seen current gen we get a killer title in the form of ChromeHounds. SammySega decided to take on the likes of MechAssualt and mechWarrior who basically dominate the Mech genre and not only will Sega meet them in battle but actually beat them to the battlefield (X-360). So this new generation its up to you has Sega improved since having Sammy take over or do you miss the old Sega with Virtua Fighter 3D ,House of the Dead 2, Flag to Flag, NFL 2K ?






Sega business Changes


Sega has changed over the years, since the dropping of the Dreamcast we have seen many changes in corporate Sega.
Alright now everyone knows that since the fall of Sega from the Console industry a ton of frame work has occurred to try and improve business and sales through Sammy. First move of course was the firing of all remaining hardware development staff and spoke people this included the uber famous Microsoft exec Peter Moore. Sega liquidated a few of its offices and restructured its operations. Since the merger Sonic has been used in both Gambling machines and Pinball machines who would have thought five years ago that Sonic would be used to encourage gambling ? SegaSammy's goal has been to focus on game development more than holding onto its power as a huge developer. SegaSammy has done collaborations with Nintendo already in titles such as F-Zero and unofficial statements have already hinted Sega wanted its little blue Hedgehog SOnic placed in the next installment of SuperSmashBrothers. As a company SegaSammy has been bringing profits back up and Sega is beginning to recover, while it will most likely never reach the status it once had as a lead console creator it has already taken the second spot behind EAGames as most prosperous third party publisher with an excess of 2-Billion dollars. With Sega having restructured its operations it seems Sega may once again be on the rise to stardom once again. Its up to you to decide did you like when Sega was a console and game company first or do you like the new expansions of gambling and pinball machines, do you like Sega or SegaSammy better as a corporate business ?


Sega's Franchises

In this section I will talk about what SegaSammy has done to those franchises we were all so dear too. Has SegaSammy improved these franchises or have they really messed them up ? Its all up to you but I will now begin my look at some of Sega's biggest and most memorable franchises.


Under SegaSammy Sega has stopped building their strong franchise Sonic. SegaSammy halted Sega's expansions of Sonic when they took over. This generation Sega had numerous Sonic games SonicShuffle (Party) and SonicAdventure series as well as the rumor that another SonicRacing was in the works. However once Sammy took over Sega , Sonic has quickly halted all advancements as Sammy takes advantage of Sega's past success rather than building much new. SegaSammy release SonicMegaCollections and SonicGems enabling them to make as much off of the past success as possible. Sega however ported all of the Sonic games from the Dreamcast era except SonicShuffle and when I emailed them they stated that Sega had no plans to expand SonicShuffle as a franchise.It seems that Sega has taken Sonic down a new path, Sega was supposedly planning a true SonicAdventure sequel for the GameCube however after Sammy took over Sega's operations the project was cancelled and a title named SonicHeroes replaced it. Nintendo and Sega fans have been waiting for a true sequel to SonicAdventures and Sega has yet to make one. SegaSammy started many polls on their website Sega.com asking fans what they wanted in their games such as would a gun be useful in a Sonic game and which character should get their own game (Ex.Shadow/Tails/Amy..Etc). after the results were found Shadow received his own game to the dismay of many fans. As fans were outraged by Shadow wielding firearms worries that Sammy had taken the poll to seriously and ruined the Sonic franchise began. However as the next generation begins Sega has shown a Sonic title for the X-360 and PS3 that looks like it could possibly be the long awaited sequel with hints everywhere that Nintendo Revolution will receive an exclusive version of the game it seems Nintendo and Sega fans may finally get something they've been waiting a long time for , A true sequel to SonicAdventure2.


As we move forward one thing is evident some franchises will remain barely changed an one of those would have to be House of the Dead. SegaSammy granted fans a sequel to the cult classic HouseOfTheDead II when they created HouseOfTheDead3. Sega hoped to take a market position it once held an un-opposed position in the industry. So Sega launched HouseOfTheDead3 for the X-Box where ResidentEvil didn't pose a threat. HouseOfTheDead3 really didn't improve anything from HouseOfTheDead II in fact some thought the title was rushed and not done up to standards. HouseOfTheDead3 got bad reviews and failed to survive as a standard House hold name to the end of this generation. SegaSammy also licensed out the franchise to be made into a film also titled (HouseOfTheDead). The film did alright and never made it big with many other Zombie movies like DawnOfTheDead and ResidentEvil killing its chances to be highly successfully.



Sega's VituaFighter long ruled the genre of fighting. VirtuaFighter was a huge success back in the day taking on the likes of Tekken, Mortasl kombat and DeadOrAlive. VirtuaFighter made Sega millions and quickly became a common sight in arcades world wide. Sega's VirtuaFighter is arguably the second largest and most successfully Sega franchise in its history. However when Sammy took over Sega Sammy saw that the RPG market was rapidly changing and that titles like PaperMario were able to successfully take one Genre and convert it to another. SammySega got down to work on their new VirtuaFighter game this time it would be called VirtuaQuest and was supposed to be a huge hit. SegaSammy unveiled it fully at TGS 2004 and released it in January 2005 the game sold fairly well to the VirtuaFighter fanbase who anticipated VirtuaQuest to stand up to the VirtuaFighter legacy. Many fans were disappointed in VirtuaQuest which got very bad reviews and was practically thrown out the window.

However SegaSammy did manage to produce a fairly successfully sequel named Panzer Dragoon Orta which was over looked by most people. Panzer Dragoon Orta for the X-Box was a great game and held true to its classic fan base. Among some of Sammy's forgotten franchises GoldenAxe and Nights both failed to make a fresh appearance after Sammy took over with simple rehashes found on a Sega collection for the Playstation.

So the question is
Has Sega improved Since Sammy took over , or are you disappointed

[Omega]

I don't think they've really improved that much, but at least they've managed to evolve out of a bad situation and stay afloat.

[D3adcell]

My general response is going to be no, they have declined. We have seen some good things lately, but not the stellar constant lineup of original and fun games we saw on the dreamcast and earlier consoles. Ryu Ga Gotoku looks awesome, but is it coming to the states?

Sammy also kind of cut shenmue 3 . Same thing has happened with alot of games. I haven't seen anything about another jet set radio and panzer dragoon. I'm just not seeing the constant flow of good titles we have seen from sega in the past. Although thats just a matter of opinion.