sega

A few days ago, blogger Don Reisinger made the bold declaration that the Super Nintendo was the greatest video game system of all time. The SNES was indeed a great console with lots of great games, but it's still a leap to call it the greatest system ever made. In an industry that's over 30 years old, that's seen dozens upon dozens of home video game systems, simply calling out Nintendo's second console as the best ever seems simplistic.

To a certain extent, though, Don is right. The Super Nintendo could be considered the greatest console … Read more

Over the past few months, I decided to go back in time and relive the days of old. Instead of wasting my day doing things that just weren't productive, I decided to get all of my old consoles out (NES, Genesis, SNES, 3DO, 32X, Sega CD, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, Playstation 1 and 2 and the Nintendo 64) to finally make the decision on which console is truly the best of all-time (so far).

And while the decision was a difficult one -- it's tough to beat Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. -- it seemed almost too simple to declare the SNES the greatest console of all-time.… Read more

Excuse our lack of productivity today--we've got a hedgehog in the office. Sonic the Hedgehog, that is. Sega's 16-bit classic has made its way onto the iPod games section of iTunes (link) this morning and can be had for a mere $4.99. In comparison, the Wii version of the title, which launched just a month ago runs nearly twice as much at 800 Wii points ($8).

The controls use the circular iPod touch wheel as a four-way d-pad, with the center button acting just like the original ABC buttons from the first Genesis controller. They take a … Read more

After writing a quick little something here on The Digital Home about my hopes for a second Dreamcast by 2009, a flood of news and rumors hit the Web about the future of Sega.

First, it was discovered that Sega filed for a "renewal of brand" on the Dreamcast name and that was quickly followed with rampant speculation that Sega may be planning on bringing back its venerable console. Unfortunately, the company quickly responded by telling Gamedaily that it "has no plans to get back into the console business" and that the company is "very happy being a platform agnostic company and have moved up the ranks the past three years from #11, to #9, and now stand at #6 in terms of our market share by units among third-party publishers. We like our current strategy and have no plans to change in the middle of this outstanding growth."

Huh?

Am I the only person who thinks this makes absolutely no sense? Sega is proud to be the sixth-largest game developer in the world and wouldn't want to do anything else? Does this company realize that it's competing in an extremely competitive environment and due to the recent merger between Activision and Vivendi, its chances of owning more shelf space are dwindling by the minute?

Sure, Sega has been successful in its software endeavor, but if it really wants to make a dent in this industry again, it should forget about its sixth-place spot on the software side and create the Dreamcast 2. If it doesn't, look for this company to flounder amid the rest of the small developers just waiting to get gobbled up by Activision-Vivendi or EA.

Do you want to know how to "move up the ranks", Sega? Let me explain it to you.… Read more

In a slight departure from my regular tone here on The Digital Home, I wanted to share an experience with you that has helped me regain my love for old video games and force me to reconsider my thoughts on what video gaming should be.

And although it wasn't one of the most welcome consoles in the history of video games, I truly enjoyed my Sega Dreamcast. Was it perfect? Certainly not. After all, this is a console that was advanced when it came out and disgustingly obsolete once the Playstation 2 hit store shelves just one year later.

But for all of its bad (can you say Sega's awful business practices?), the Sega Dreamcast was one of the greatest consoles of all-time.

Success in this business isn't always measured in sales and revenue, sometimes it's measured in what it does for the average person. And while Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo left Sega in their wake, the Dreamcast provided an experience that acted as the forerunner to many of the consoles we enjoy today.

Simply put, the Sega Dreamcast was great when it was released on 9/9/99 (in the US) and I'm a firm believer that Sega should release Dreamcast 2 on 9/9/09.… Read more

Imagine that you're strapped down in a full-scale Toyota Trueno, Subaru Impreza WRX or Mazda RX7, sweaty palms glued to the steering wheel. Your eyes are fixated on what's beyond the windshield, desperately trying to "drift" your way through the narrow Japanese countryside roads. Yes, we are referring to the Japanese cult anime Initial D. Now Sega is redefining the arcade gaming experience with its life-sized Initial D Arcade Stage 4 Limited system.

This giant motion simulator has all three of the aforementioned vehicles lined up in front of a movie projection screen and installed with … Read more

You've probably already played through Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Super Paper Mario. Super Mario Galaxy isn't coming out until next month, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl has been pushed back to early 2008. Still, there's no sense in letting your Wii collect dust while dozens of classic titles sit waiting for you on the Virtual Console. Here are the ten top downloads you can get for the Wii, and at $5 to $10 a pop they're a steal. Even if you grabbed all ten of these games (at 9500 Nintendo Points), they'd still cost … Read more

With a rumored $399 40GB Playstation 3 on the way, a cheaper device hitting shelves in Japan and UK, and announcements of an all-out price blitz this holiday season, is Sony really as desperate as it looks?

By just looking at news from the last week, it's quite easy to see that Sony is grasping at anything that will make the PS3 stick. Whether it's a new color, a cheaper price, or a rumbling controller, the company is hoping we will like something that make us spend our hard-earned money. I can't blame Sony for trying--the PS3 is hands-down, the most important device Sony is selling right now. Not only is it the harbinger of Blu-ray, it represents one of the most economically stable divisions of the company over the past decade.

But once again, Sony has it all wrong. The company is a victim of its own self-image and there is no stopping it with the current management in place. Simply put, Sony sees itself as a hardware company and in this business, that's the last thing you want to do.… Read more

Talk about expanding your horizons--Sega has an incredibly diverse lineup at this year's E3 convention. We've already covered what's in store for Nintendo, so now let's take a look at what we can expect for the other consoles.

When the Xbox 360 launched in November of 2005, the horror action game Condemned: Criminal Origins was regarded as one of the top launch titles to go along with the new console. At this year's E3, Sega will show off the sequel, entitled Condemned 2: Bloodshot, set to release for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in February … Read more