http://nanasparadox.com/2010/03/the-top-ten-sega-ips-that-need-a-revival/
The Top Ten Sega IP’s that need a revival.
Perhaps more than any other major player in videogames industry, SEGA has a huge catalogue of unique and popular IP which has gone unused for far too long.
I also suspect I’m not alone in the fact that I’m getting rather tired of the usual Sonic updates (although I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward with some anticipation to Sonic 4).
So come on SEGA, take your foot away from the gas of the Sonic gravy train for a bit and give us fans some of the games we really want!
Listed below you’ll find my top ten but don’t forget to let me know what IP you’d like to see SEGA resurrect in the future.
10. Burning Rangers (Sonic Team, Sega Saturn, 1998)
Not to be confused with Blazing Saddles.
Launching towards the end of the Saturn’s short (Western) lifespan, Burning Rangers was largely overlooked by all but the die hard Sega fans. This was a great shame since the game itself was a technical showpiece for the Saturn (it was one of the few Saturn games to use transparency effects) and it still remains one of Sonic Teams best games.
Set in the future where fire is one of humanity’s last real threats, the player takes control of two new recruits to the Burning Rangers elite fire fighting team who must save the Earth from a debris covered spacecraft hurtling towards the Earths atmosphere and threatening to cause catastrophic destruction.
Played in the third person, Burning Rangers is a fast paced action platformer that utilises some great ideas to create a tense game that will truly work the reflexes.
What I want: A full blown sequel.
I’d settle for: An HD downloadable remake.
Don’t go there: Using motion control to extinguish the fires.
Trivial Pursuit: Voice clips from a scrapped 2 player mode can be heard in the games unlockable sound test.
09. Space Channel 5: Part 2 (United Game Artists, Sega Dreamcast/PS2, 2002)
Ulala. Not hard to figure out how they came up with the name...
Style, or as I prefer think of it, Funky Style. It’s the one aspect Sega’s games often have in abundance; a superlative signature that you never find crafted quite as well anywhere else. And as far as Sega’s own games go, they don’t come anymore funky or stylish than the Space Channel 5 series.
At its heart Space Channel 5 is a simple music rhythm game, no more than a digital reimagining of Simon with a new lick of paint.
But quite unlike anything else before it Space Channel 5 excels because of the brilliance of its stylised world and characters; this is a game which succeeds just as much in its visual imagination as it does in its solid gameplay mechanics.
What I want: A Wii sequel utilising motion control.
I’d settle for: A downloadable re-release for the PSP.
Don’t go there: A Sega Ages update. Please, God, No.
Trivial Pursuit: Sega’s trippy rail shooter Rez features an unlockable Morolian evolution.
08. Alex Kidd (Sega, Sega Master System, 1986)
Alex Kidd: unlikely to ever need a hearing aid.
For approximately 5 years Alex Kidd was Sega’s official character mascot, having taken over the reigns from the now even more obscure Opa-Opa (the little spaceship from the Sega arcade shooter Fantasy Zone) before he was ousted in 1991 by the rather more familiar face of a certain blue hedgehog.
Alex starred in some fairly playable platform games back in the day, the last of which was released in 1990 (Alex Kidd in Shinobi World).
Whilst no Alex game has ever been a certified classic, he is one of Sega’s most nostalgic characters, and in that sense alone I’d like to see him return in his own game again and not just as a cameo. He also holds strong early memories for many gamers due to the original games bundling with the Master System console (which was built-in many of them).
What I want: A new 2D platformer for the NDS.
I’d settle for: A Zelda-esque RPG with Janken elements.
Don’t go there: Anything in 3D.
Trivial Pursuit: Alex can be found in the Dreamcast game Segagaga. Working in a video game store he recalls his battles with a *cough* rival mascot and his fall from grace due to Sonic the Hedgehog.
07. Vectorman (BlueSky Software, Sega Megadrive, 1995)
Based on this canned PS2 version, maybe a sequel isn't such a good idea...
Vectorman was an ‘orbot‘ (a robot made up from orbs) who was part of an army of robots tasked with cleaning up the Earth’s waste and pollution whilst mankind searched for alternate planets to colonise.
When Vectorman returns from a routine waste dumping journey at The Sun, he finds that one of the other orbots has gone a tad insane and power hungry having become accidentally strapped to a nuclear missile. Having declared himself Earth’s ruler, ‘Warhead‘ starts to plan for the destruction of any humans who may return to the Earth.
Now if that’s not a great plot for a wacked out platforming shooter, I don’t know what is. Vectorman and its 1996 sequel were both superb to play and look at, pushing the Megadrive hardware to its limits.
A sequel was originally announced in 2003 for the Playstation 2 but was ultimately cancelled with many rumours claiming it was due to the criticism from fans about the proposed move to 3D.
What I want: A new 2.5D platformer for the PSP.
I’d settle for: Orbot Wars (think Advance Wars with the orbots on Earth).
Don’t go there: That 3D game.
Trivial Pursuit: Vectorman looked remarkably similar to Halo’s Master Chief in the artwork produced for the canned 3D sequel.
06. Streets of Rage (Sega, Sega Megadrive, 1991)
May I have this dance?
The Streets of Rage trilogy of games (known as Bare Knuckle in Japan) were Sega’s premier offering in what was a hugely popular genre in the 1990’s – the side scrolling beat-em-up.
Popularised by gaming classics such as Tecmo’s Double Dragon and Capcom’s Final Fight, the genre has all but died out now, perhaps largely due to its simplistic nature.
Despite the obvious limitations, I still feel there’s potential for a Streets of Rage sequel. Whilst Capcom clearly struggled to revive their own series with Final Fight: Streetwise, other devs have managed to capture the genres essence with some aplomb (Viewtiful Joe, The Warriors, God Hand).
What I want: A fully realised 3D brawler taking some inspiration from Bayonetta.
I’d settle for: A 2.5D re-imagining of the 2nd game in the series.
Don’t go there: Streets of Rage Collection PSP (or some other overpriced re-release pap).
Trivial Pursuit: Additional Streets of Rage sequels were originally planned including one that was developed by Core for the Sega Saturn. Sega pulled the plug during disagreements over porting the game to their rival’s formats and the game was eventually released as the game Fighting Force.
05. Skies of Arcadia (Overworks, Sega Dreamcast, 2000)
With 2 girls on board, Vyse looks for the nearest Holiday Inn.
Skies of Arcadia is an original Sega RPG in which you take control of a young sky pirate called Vyse and his adventures in the land of Arcadia.
Skies differed from other RPG’s of the time due to it’s ease of accessibility, the sheer wonderment of its Jules Verne styled world and in some ways just the sheer thrill of travelling in your floating Airship to travel between locales.
Brimming with ideas and a top notch (if predictable) story, Skies of Arcadia is undoubtedly one of Sega’s best RPG’s and a sequel today would for me be far more refreshing than yet another Final Fantasy.
What I want: Skies of Arcadia 2.
I’d settle for: A PSP version of the original game.
Don’t go there: Skies of Arcadia Tactics.
Trivial Pursuit: Vyse Inglebard and Aika Thompson appear as members of Squad 7 in Valkyria Chronicles.
04. Space Harrier (AM2, Arcade, 1995)
Personally my Fantasy Zone looks a lot different to this one.
Space Harrier is at its most basic nothing more than a basic into the screen shooter but to think of it in that way would be missing the point.
Like many Sega releases Space Harrier is full of style and vibrant colour, matched to hectic and challenging gameplay mechanics which were finely honed by none other than gaming legend Yu Suzuki.
The game did receive a sequel on the Megadrive in 1989 (which was essentially more of the same) and also a spin off in the shape of Amusement Visions arcade only Planet Harriers (2001), but the latter never managed to catch the imagination in quite the same way the original game did and thus Space Harrier remains one of Sega’s most untapped IP’s.
What I want: Space Harrier III for the PSP.
I’d settle for: A Planet Harriers port on XBLA or PSN.
Don’t go there: Anything that changes the core gameplay too much.
Trivial Pursuit: The original Space Harrier can be found and played in the Dreamcast game Shenmue. It’s located at the back of the You Arcade in Dobuita.
03. Panzer Dragoon Saga (Team Andromeda, Sega Saturn, 1998)
Dragons: great pets except for clearing the mess in the garden.
Released rather late in the Sega Saturn’s life Panzer Dragoon Saga only saw a rather limited print run in it’s Western (English) incarnation, and as such remains a reasonably expensive title to acquire on the second hand market. It’s not difficult to find but it will set you back a fair few pennies (boxed copies have been known to hit the £100 mark).
It was the third in the Panzer Dragoon series of games for the Saturn but instead of a shooter, Panzer Dragoon Saga was a fully fledged RPG. The game retained the aerial combat (which became a blend of real-time and turn-based combat) and its post-apocalyptic setting.
During the previous decade there were two RPG’s that really etched onto my memory. One was Final Fantasy VII and the other was Panzer Dragoon Saga. Panzer Dragoon Saga remains one of the most interesting and engrossing RPG’s I’ve ever played and if Sega ever wanted to hit the RPG genre with a bang, this would be the title to revive.
What I want: A sequel set after the events of Panzer Dragoon Orta.
I’d settle for: A re-release of the original on Xbox Live.
Don’t go there: Anything which brightens the world up too much.
Trivial Pursuit: Sega has apparently ‘lost’ the games original source code making a port of the game even more unlikely.
2. Shenmue (AM2, Sega Dreamcast, 1999)
Ryo Hazuki: recently seen racing blue hedgehogs for money.
Yu Suzuki’s Shenmue was always envisaged as a trilogy of games and even though Sega has already produced two excellent and pioneering games in the series and produced an enormous amount of material for the third; it looks increasingly likely we may never conclude the adventure of the games protagonist Ryo Hazuki.
Shenmue was a truly ground breaking videogame and attempted to place the player into as close to a real world environment as possible. It simulated day and night coupled to the players need to sleep; had real time variable weather effects and tried to make as much of the environment as interactive as possible.
The original was panned by some as slow but the game had enormous scope for exploration and demonstrated ideas and graphics which were way ahead of its time.
Ultimately the games high production costs and the premature demise of the Dreamcast meant the story has never been concluded. Extremely poor sales of the Xbox Shenmue II conversion did little to help the cause and despite the interest from fans, Shenmue III remains a distant dream.
What I want: Shenmue Complete (the previous instalments plus the third as one modern release).
I’d settle for: Sega (somehow) finishing the story.
Don’t go there: Giving the game to an external developer.
Trivial Pursuit: The development of Shenmue was originally started on the Sega Saturn and was planned as a cross between Virtua Fighter and an RPG.
01. Jet Set Radio (Smilebit, Sega Dreamcast, 2000)
A local finds Beat's designs just too much to bear.
Jet Set Radio first surfaced in 1999 and became an instant videogaming milestone due to its pioneering use of cel shaded graphics (a technique which makes 3D computer graphics appear hand drawn).
Playing as members of a graffiti loving skating gang, the player must ‘tag‘ various areas of each level of Tokyo-to (a futuristic Tokyo where freedom of expression is outlawed) to claim it as their own turf from rival gangs whilst avoiding the ever increasing attention of the local police.
Aside from the graphics the game was notable for its awesome soundtrack which featured some of the funkiest music in gaming combining the genres of J-pop, Hip-hop, funk, dance music and Acid Jazz with aplomb. It remains to this day the only gaming soundtrack I have personally ever purchased and features the work of many artists that are far from mainstream.
A sequel followed in 2002 for Microsoft’s Xbox (Jet Set Radio Future) which carried on the style of the first game wonderfully, but despite excellent reviews the game sold comparatively poorly and it was eventually bundled with Sega GT 2002 and given away free with the Xbox console.
To this day Jet Set Radio and its sequel remain as two of my all time favourite video games. Their combination of style, artwork, music and gameplay remain unmatched by any other title and of all Sega’s IP, this is the one I’d like to see back more than any other.
Sega recently renewed the trademark for Jet Set Radio along with Chu Chu Rocket which has led to some speculation of a sequel or a PSN/XBL re-release, but I sincerely hope its the former they are planning and they have not just renewed them for the characters recent appearance in Sonic & Sega’s All Star Racing.
What I want: Jet Set Radio 3.
I’d settle for: Absolutely nothing else.
Don’t go there: Using the Wii with its balance board…
Trivial Pursuit: Jet Set Radio was shown briefly in No Doubt’s music video “Hella Good”.
