Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity Confirmed.

[Green Gibbon!]

Are the Sonic Drift games actually first-party? I've always doubted they were myself, but I can't trace them to Aspect or anything.

[Frieza2000]

Moby Games says SEGA Enterprises Ltd, but they might've gotten the information from you for all I know.

I did find this though. It's more entertaining than the actual game was.

[Radrappy]

Christ have you guys seen this?

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/co ... 964132.htm

It's highly depressing so read at your own risk.

Highlights:

"It really was a paradigm shift at the top at Sega Sammy," Jeffery says. Although the Japanese old guard wanted to reenter the hardware business, he says, "There really had to be an absolute flushing out of that old way of thinking."

Under Jeffery, the company has refocused on developing the slam-bang action titles that have been so popular in the West.


Jeffery is looking beyond Sonic, which he says is "an amazing recruitment vehicle" for younger gamers but "loses its cool factor when you get about 12 years old." To compensate, Sega has focused on developing games for more mature audiences.

[Double-S-]

I don't really see what's so depressing about it. For the most part, it's like Sega of America is signing deals with western developers to make these licensed games and their other original "western" games like The Club, Space Siege, Condemned, Universe at War, etc... Meanwhile Sega of Japan's development studios are still technically free to make their traditional style games. That's what it seems like, anyways.

And if these western games are successful enough, it should give Sega more breathing room. The only way it could go wrong is if it is incredibly successful and Sega switches entirely to western-style games. But yeah, I don't really see that happening.

Or I suppose they could flop horribly and Sega could die. But not like that wasn't already happening.

[Locit]

They pretty much had to do those things to even survive. If they'd tried to reenter the hardware market there would've been catastrophic, inevitable failure, so I'm quite glad they didn't try. Hell, they've even made their way up to being the sixth largest publisher in the industry, which is pretty good all things considered. Besides, the article is actually pretty optimistic, so I don't really see the the problem.

[Ngangbius]

Jeffery is looking beyond Sonic, which he says is "an amazing recruitment vehicle" for younger gamers but "loses its cool factor when you get about 12 years old." To compensate, Sega has focused on developing games for more mature audiences.

The only reason why Sonic loses its "cool" to '12-year-olds' is because the games are so mediocre enough that they could be classified as the same shovelware that attract 6-11 year olds who buy Spongebob, Bratz, and Shrek games.

[Shadow Hog]

Further evidence that Sega has no effing clue as to what they're doing with the franchise anymore. No wonder every <i>Sonic</i> game since <i>Heroes</i> - EVERY <i>Sonic</i> game - has been littered with cringe-worthy dialog and cutscenes filled with morals about the power of friendship and pinky swears and about running when you're worried and nice smiles and all those Eggman's robots and so on and damn fourth chaos emeralds and special races to see who's the fastest and... God, I could go on.

[Radrappy]

Sorry but I have always looked to sega for innovation. Not jumping on the bandwangon. I dont give a damn if they become the number one publisher in America if all they're going to make are games like these in the future.

[One Classy Bloke]

Well, i've just developed a profound hatred of Simon Jeffery.

Sega should always be looking to get back into hardware, but certainly for a long time. At least 10 years I reckon.

[Oompa Star]

The technologically advanced Dreamcast was warmly welcomed by gamers, but the popularity of Sony's PlayStation 2 forced Sega out of the hardware business in 2001.

Has this ever bothered anyone else here besides me?

[Radrappy]

It only haunts my every night and day.

[Frieza2000]

What is this longing for Sega consoles besides another car on the ever growing nostalgia train every 20-something year old kid and his mother seem to have boarded in recent years? What would Sega bring to the industry besides another compilation of the latest hardware components and unnecessary multimedia add ons? We already have two companies doing that, which I think is more than enough. Sony and Microsoft could join forces, make a machine that lives longer than a hamster, and save us all a month's salary. I don't get the impression that Sega's machines were ever known for their quality either; both my Genesis and Game Gear broke more than once, and I've heard that dying Dreamcast motors and corrupted VMUs are commonplace. And their little innovations were never successful. What do you want from a Sega system besides a familiar face?

[Radrappy]

a place to call home?

[Isuka]

I already expressed my thoughts on a theoretical new SEGA system, but that was only if it happened to be something like the Dreamcast (that is, clearly a game system with it's multimedia capacities focused in gaming and with great titles at launch). Frieza's scenario is quite more realistic.

Almost back on topic, today I've got the strangest surprise in my entire 7~8 months at work; we just sold a new PC on display and had to replace it with another. It arrived yesterday at night, it's a Dell Optiplex 320 and is loaded with (among others) Virtua Tennis and Sonic Riders.
I may say that, unlike Adventure DX and Heroes, the PC port of Riders includes both voice tracks, which makes me think it's based on either the PS2 or the first XBOX instead of the GCN.

[gr4yJ4Y]

a place to call home?

It would be nice to have all the Sega games on one system. Otherwise I've always thought people are fooling themselves when they talk about a possibility of a new Sega system, post Dreamcast era.

All of Sega's little innovations are too risky for current day Sega. We wouldn't see anything monumentally different as the VMU or a built in modem were in 1999. It'd probably be pretty generic compared to the other two/three.

[One Classy Bloke]

Sega's console would take us to the next level.

[Arcade]

And finally kill Sega once and for all, Ilike the idea^_-

[DackAttac]

- Board Snatch: this trick allows you to take another rider's Board from under their feet - on ground or in the air!

This one sounds great, but only if we keep the air meter mechanic. Say, if you steal someone's board you'll have the same amount of air that the other player had at the moment you grabbed it, so you could get a nasty surprise if you "do it wrong".

I'm not sure if you get to use it, since not all boards were equip-able by everyone. And furthermore, what happens to the victim? Just has to complete it on foot, Cool Runnings style? I can see myself pulling out a decent amount of hair if the computer pulls this bitch a lot.

[Isuka]

Oh, I thought that the snatch would work more like a form of "exchange"; like in Shit, I've got no air left!, some unfortunate rider passes by your side, you change gears and the tables turn upside down.

[Ritz]

Concerning the whole "Jeffery thinks Sonic is totally square" deal.

Of course, the true subject of this post is the fact that Simon Jeffery actually responds to personal e-mails (Simon.Jeffery@segaamerica.com). Start bitchin'!

[FlashTHD]

And if you tell him the Sonic Rush games are the way to go, then may you be struck down by a stray bullet.

Man, when I think about it, i'm almost as afraid of what the fans would do with the series compared to Iizuka or Nishiyama or other hacks.

[Opa-Opa]

I know. They would put Princess Sally in it.

[Ritz]

And if you tell him the Sonic Rush games are the way to go, then may you be struck down by a stray bullet.

While I echo this sentiment, do note that the letter hails from Dark Sonic, of SSMB infamy. He also posts on the official Sega boards.

[DackAttac]

Concerning the whole "Jeffery thinks Sonic is totally square" deal.

Of course, the true subject of this post is the fact that Simon Jeffery actually responds to personal e-mails (Simon.Jeffery@segaamerica.com). Start bitchin'!

And when a bunch of forumers email him telling him he's incorrect because they spend their spare time on the internet emailing suits over their press releases, his first thought is going to be "Ooh, these people must know what's cool in their age bracket."

[THEbigLANDMAN]

Now it is officially confirmed