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I saw a video for Space Channel 5:part 2 and it looks FANTASTIC, the original is still on the way with a direct port to the PS2 but with the new games sega are making them for the dreamcast and specifically for the PS2 (no port). It puzzles me why people dismiss these great titles because they really are some of the best around.
(forgive me if this topic seems a bit sloppy Ive just been out for a meal an had a bit too much wine)
and crazy taxi for gc didn't do that well....
for a start 18 wheeler got a low score anyway when it was released on the dreamcast....cos it was far too short....if the developers for hte ps2 version had any brains they should have added more stuff in....but i guess they were far too lazy...
loads of the dc versions were returned pretty soon after they had been bought cos it was SO short!!
as for crazy taxi...when it was first released on the dc...it was GREAT....cool music, great graphics for its time and was deemed even at that time SLIGHTLY shallow....but fun nonetheless...now two years after the dc release you would expect hte gamecube version to obviously have better graphics and possibly even more features...it got totally rinsed by gamespot because frankly it was a lazy conversion.
i fear space channel 5 part 1 could go down the same lane as the two games above...this was one of the first releases on the dc (i think) and was and still is GREAT....however it was frankly too short....now if they have ANY brains they will lengthen the game by adding more stages (original only had 5 i think)...or alter the gameplay slightly.
space channel 5 part 2 though i think will rock
headhunter is gonna be good -only just released on dc and is supposed to be great (i don't have it yet -though i will get it soon)
virtua fighter 4 -need i say more
I've seen video footage of it on one of the magazine DVD's, and I'd say 3/10 was about right.
The trouble with the majority of Sega's games is that they're pretty shallow. Before anyone jumps on me and labels me anti-Sega, let me explain.
Yes, Sega's games may be highly addictive, but that's due to their nature - they're arcade games. In their prime, Sega were kings of the arcades - no doubt about that. As a kid, I spent hours and hours, and large sums of money, playing their games in arcades.
But the purpose of an arcade game is to liberate you from your money, so they are made intentionally simple. Very easy to learn, and very simple game mechanics - making them initially addictive. But in an arcade, you can't get a good 'run' at the game - just as you start getting used to it, you either run out of money or have to leave it to let someone else have a go. This adds to the 'just one more go' feeling, because if you just had that little bit more money or time, you're sure you could do it.
Unfortunately, arcade games don't translate very well to home consoles (my personal opinion). Okay, they may look, sound and play the same as the arcade machine, but at home, when you can play as often and for as long as you like, you'll either complete the game quickly, or if it's too hard after repeated play, you may well give up on it. Either way, the game's lasting appeal is far more limited.
Just as a quick example, take Crazy Taxi. It's never appealed to me, but I know many people love it. Now look at GTA3 - it has most (if not all) of the elements of Crazy Taxi, and so much more besides. I've done taxi missions in GTA3 because I've had to, but that particular aspect soon became boring. Had it been Crazy Taxi, it would have been a waste of money for me - but in GTA3, it's only a very, very small part of the game. Which for me makes Crazy Taxi a bit of an embarrassment.
I'm not disputing its playability, merely questioning its lastability. As another example, even at 20p a game, as a boy I pumped much more than £40 (the price of todays games) into the arcade version of Nemesis. I thought it was great when they released it for the Commodore 64, but after I bought it (£9.99 I think it was), I soon became bored of it. Why? With all the time I wanted, I completed it quickly and it lost its appeal.
Sega's attempts at longer-lasting games have been good - just look at how well Shenmue was received - but they didn't produce enough of them.
I can't speak for everyone from my generation of gamers, but the sales figures (or lack of) for Sega's last two consoles would seem to support a theory that as we have grown up, we generally want more from our games than a typical arcade game offers. Basic gameplay is not an issue, but depth and lastability is.
Even todays younger generation of gamers seem to want more from their games; after all, it could be argued that if Sega games were so appealing, everyone and his dog would have rushed to buy a Saturn/Dreamcast, and Sega would still be in the hardware business.
There's little doubt that arcade videogames are a dying breed, with many of the globally renowned companies closing down their arcade divisions and either concentrating on the home market, or going out of business. I think there are three main reasons for this:
1. They've priced themselves out of the market. Where it used to be 10p or 20p to play a game at the arcades, the last time I went to one, it was a minimum of £3. That was a few years ago - I dread to think what it is now.
2. The hardware. It used to be that you'd get a very basic, cut-down version of your favourite arcade game to play on your home computer or console. These days, the home systems are more powerful than the arcade systems. Sega have their Naomi board which is similar to the Dreamcast, and the Tekken 4 arcade machine actually uses slightly modified PS2 hardware.
Quite simply, people want more from their games. As far as arcade games are concerned, people object to paying £3 (or more) for just ten minutes or so. And as far as home consoles are concerned, a quick-fix arcade game is fine if you have ten minutes to kill before you out somewhere, but in general I feel that gamers want more entertainment for their money - especially when there are far more involving games around for the same price.
Still, im rather glad i own Crazy Taxi and Resident Evil Code V X as there great games. Maybe the mags should ease up on them a little.
I saw a video for Space Channel 5:part 2 and it looks FANTASTIC, the original is still on the way with a direct port to the PS2 but with the new games sega are making them for the dreamcast and specifically for the PS2 (no port). It puzzles me why people dismiss these great titles because they really are some of the best around.
(forgive me if this topic seems a bit sloppy Ive just been out for a meal an had a bit too much wine)