CE wrote:So let me get this straight -- you think the major problem with Sega's video games is not the way the game plays? What else do you want; the game to brew your coffee?
It's all about how the game plays. It's not anything about the gameplay.
CE wrote:Non-AM2 Sega stuff has never been about being polished. It's about trying out random shit, that some how ends up being tons of fun. Just look at Crazy Taxi, Seaman, Nights, the Power Rangers Genesis, etc.
From what you say I'm assuming you take "unpolished' as simply some unorthodox new type of gameplay. I'd take that you think Jet Set Radio was also not polished, then, because it was just a crazy random concept.
When I talk about polished I mean how well refined the game feels. The gameplay type can be whatever the hell; if it just plays "right" then it's polished. Likewise, a game could be a by-the-books action game or RPG or whatever, but if it looks and feels like crap, then it's unpolished.
As crazy as Jet Set Radio's graphics and gameplay were, it played near perfectly aside from a control issue or two (why X, Y, and B were unused is still completely beyond me). The graphics were clean and sharp. The skating felt excellent. The music was perfect. The presentation worked. It was a well rounded package. Same thing with Crazy Taxi. And Seaman, as ridiculously weird as it was, and despite an incredibly simplistic presentation, was an entirely competent and highly entertaining game. And NiGHTs, well, I don't have to say much about that.
I'd say that the last well polished (original) game Sega put out was OutRun 2. I say original so Super Monkey Ball Deluxe doesn't count. Maybe Feel the Magic, but I don't know about that. But, Tenchu? Those 2 Worms games? Virtua Quest looked just bleah. Shining Tears is extremely simplistic I repeatedly hear. Most of the games on the Classics Collection look like ass and some apparently play worse than the originals. Matrix Online - no need to say anything. Spikeout has some promise, I'll tentatively say, because I played the original in arcades several years ago and I remember it being great. Oh, and for upcoming - Shining Force Neo... ugh. Crap combat, 6 digit damage? Where the hell is Shining Force IV? Shenmue Online?
Shadow the Hedgehog?
First off, none of these games
look very good. Sure, graphics don't make the game but they sure help make it easier on the eyes. Remember Dreamcast when Sega was making top of the line stuff? Aside from a few exemplary titles like JSRF, PDO, and VF, their games haven't gotten substantial cosmetic upgrades since then.
Also, all those games have gotten resoundingly mediocre reviews from everywhere. Sure, again, individual reviews don't mean much, but when GameRankings shows me a <70% rating for all but one of those games and <60% for half, something about these games is not complete. Here's the actual tally. Note that for multi-platform games (marked with a *), I am taking the platform with the BEST score.
Worms 3D* - GC Avg Ratio: 74%
Worms Forts: Under Siege!* - XBOX Avg Ratio: 69%
Tenchu: Fatal Shadows - Avg Ratio: 61%
Shining Tears - PS2 Avg Ratio: 57%
Sega Classics Collection - PS2 Avg Ratio: 54%
Virtua Quest* - GC Avg Ratio: 52%
Well I have a class coming up in a few minutes, plus I am too lazy to come up with anything else to say, so I'll stop here.