I have always seen that Sega had a lot of potential, perhaps as much as Nintendo. When placed out of their element though, they tend to suffer. Under this new Sammy deal, or heck, WITHOUT SAMMY, I see them doing very well in Japan. They are returning to their Arcade gaming roots, while keeping a small, yet Atomic Ant (Think small, yet able to lift towers and throw at enemies), home lineup which includes the likes of Sakura Taisen, Sonic, Lets Make a..., and their Shining series.
Yet, in America, the only thing that has generated any kind of attention for them was the massive hype for Virtua Fighter 4 and the Sonic titles. Sega does not have the luxury of having a strong-selling sports franchise. Their brand, ESPN, even prefers Madden over their own namesake titles! Very depressing indeed. Sonic has always sold well, but never record-breaking since the Genesis days. Mario has also fallen off, as has a host of Mascot-driven titles. In these days, I would say that the only two mascots that really matter anymore is Sonic and Mario, and even then they aren't really conveying new fans (Console wise. Mario has quite a gain on Handheld for obvious reasons). Sonic has a chance to, with the newfound multiplatform options, have an increased fanbase.
As for Virtua Fighter, as a landmark and long-running series, I felt that Virtua Fighter 4 has really hit the target, but as Arcade-like fighters begin to falter, I fear similar fate for my beloved VF4.
Seg... ahem, ESPN Sports has been failing, but I attribute that to horrible advertising, planning, and timing on Sega's part.
I'm not sure what to think of Europe. Sega just landed a great deal to publish all further Manager games which have been a proven seller there, but I still do not know enough about Europe to judge.
So is Sega doomed to obscurity in the US? What are your thoughts on the matter?
I feel that if Sega Legacizes their 'Virtua' namesake with a host of titles that they could perform well. While Virtua Fighter could well and away be the biggest name in this franchise, a Virtua-On could sneak up and sell for profit. I would definitely advise them to stay away from the obscure games unless it's a concentrated effort to push that game. JSRF had some potential, but the game itself was way to obscure for American tastes and was not hyped well. General public passed that game because it was under their radar. The origional, not aided by being a launch title or a then-piracy free system, sold over 300 thousand copies though. Definitely a miss by Sega.
So far, ESPN brand has been bombing. If the games had been completed earlier, with more impressive graphics than it's competitors' counterparts and a signifigantly larger advertising budget (The difference in release should give them a small time of Madden-less advertising time) then the series could have really become something. There is also an added obscurity factor with it being on only 2 systems of the 3,, therefore less visibility than Madden. They also are missing out on a treasure chest of cash for not releasing the game on PC. On PC, ia game selling over 100K copies at 40 dollars yields a great profit.
Sonic needs to go back to the roots of being a Graphical and gameplay masterpeice. Simplicity is divine, yes, but what caught mainstream audiences eyes with Sonic, aside from the massive advertising budget, was the eye-popping graphics. Sonic Team has deviated from that, and so has EAD with their Mario product, which is why they begin to fade into obscurity. While Gameplay catches the Hardcore gamers' eyes, mainstream gamers are very prejudice on a title based on it's graphics.
Again, Sega should cut down on the GunValkyries and Rez's unless they hold some kind of Arcade appeal, or develop them for profit and not spend lavishly upon them.
This is all my opinion! Please be sure to add yours!
Yet, in America, the only thing that has generated any kind of attention for them was the massive hype for Virtua Fighter 4 and the Sonic titles. Sega does not have the luxury of having a strong-selling sports franchise. Their brand, ESPN, even prefers Madden over their own namesake titles! Very depressing indeed. Sonic has always sold well, but never record-breaking since the Genesis days. Mario has also fallen off, as has a host of Mascot-driven titles. In these days, I would say that the only two mascots that really matter anymore is Sonic and Mario, and even then they aren't really conveying new fans (Console wise. Mario has quite a gain on Handheld for obvious reasons). Sonic has a chance to, with the newfound multiplatform options, have an increased fanbase.
As for Virtua Fighter, as a landmark and long-running series, I felt that Virtua Fighter 4 has really hit the target, but as Arcade-like fighters begin to falter, I fear similar fate for my beloved VF4.
Seg... ahem, ESPN Sports has been failing, but I attribute that to horrible advertising, planning, and timing on Sega's part.
I'm not sure what to think of Europe. Sega just landed a great deal to publish all further Manager games which have been a proven seller there, but I still do not know enough about Europe to judge.
So is Sega doomed to obscurity in the US? What are your thoughts on the matter?
I feel that if Sega Legacizes their 'Virtua' namesake with a host of titles that they could perform well. While Virtua Fighter could well and away be the biggest name in this franchise, a Virtua-On could sneak up and sell for profit. I would definitely advise them to stay away from the obscure games unless it's a concentrated effort to push that game. JSRF had some potential, but the game itself was way to obscure for American tastes and was not hyped well. General public passed that game because it was under their radar. The origional, not aided by being a launch title or a then-piracy free system, sold over 300 thousand copies though. Definitely a miss by Sega.
So far, ESPN brand has been bombing. If the games had been completed earlier, with more impressive graphics than it's competitors' counterparts and a signifigantly larger advertising budget (The difference in release should give them a small time of Madden-less advertising time) then the series could have really become something. There is also an added obscurity factor with it being on only 2 systems of the 3,, therefore less visibility than Madden. They also are missing out on a treasure chest of cash for not releasing the game on PC. On PC, ia game selling over 100K copies at 40 dollars yields a great profit.
Sonic needs to go back to the roots of being a Graphical and gameplay masterpeice. Simplicity is divine, yes, but what caught mainstream audiences eyes with Sonic, aside from the massive advertising budget, was the eye-popping graphics. Sonic Team has deviated from that, and so has EAD with their Mario product, which is why they begin to fade into obscurity. While Gameplay catches the Hardcore gamers' eyes, mainstream gamers are very prejudice on a title based on it's graphics.
Again, Sega should cut down on the GunValkyries and Rez's unless they hold some kind of Arcade appeal, or develop them for profit and not spend lavishly upon them.
This is all my opinion! Please be sure to add yours!
