Hey kids, remember when Sonic still starred in cool games and had a shred of credibility?  No?  Well, he did once, and that credibility was used to endorse Honey Nut Cheerios.  Yes, Cheerios do seem like the perfect fit for a blazingly fast rodent.

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Remember the good old days of learning to type?  You didn’t need an Internet connection!  All you needed was Mavis Beacon’s smiling face telling you to type something about a quick brown fox who jumped a lot over canines.

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It was a little disturbing for many gamers a few years back when Sega went third-party and their franchises started popping up on Nintendo’s consoles.  It almost felt kind of dirty, like something you knew just wasn’t supposed to be.  It feels just as weird today seeing the parade of Sega games appearing on the Wii’s Virtual Console, including this week’s two additions.  It’s like cats and dogs living together.

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The Wii is getting some new Virtual Console games. “Alright!” cry the fanboys, who run to their Wii. Will it be some-school SNES or N64 games? Nope. How about some rare Sega Genesis games to hold us over until Mario Kart? Nope. The new Virtual Console games are going to be Sega Master System games.

Most don’t remember the Master System as it was Sega’s first attempt at a home console, in 1986. Graphically superior and more powerful then the NES it sold well in Europe and South America, but sold poorly in North America and Japan, due to Nintendo’s hold on the market.

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Sonic the Hedgehog has grown a little tired. Actually, that may be putting it nicely. After his last PS3/Xbox 360 outing, Sonic has grown infirm. That doesn’t mean Sega will stop trying to bring him back.

Sonic Unleashed is their newest offering, which is still somewhat clouded in mystery. What is known is that the new title will apparently be a 2.5D outing that appears to be running on the PS3/Xbox 360. The game will also focus on series mainstays Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles instead of all the side characters. (more…)

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Sure, rumors that the iPhone was prepared to take on Nintendo and Sony may have been scoffed at in the past, but is anyone laughing now? Sega recently premiered a demo of Super Monkey Ball (perhaps their best creation post-Dreamcast) running on Apple’s iPhone. Developed using the iPhone’s new software development kit (SDK), the game is controlled using the tilt function of the device. Wait, so the iPhone is basically a Wii and DS in one? Uh oh.

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If you happen to own Midway stock, now would be a good time to sell it. In fact, about a year ago probably would have been the best time. Despite a huge loss in 2006, Midway could not course correct in 2007 and bled another $97.4 million. Things do not look good for the house that Mortal Kombat built.

Things aren’t going to be getting any better anytime soon, either. Midway expects another loss for the first quarter of 2008. Yes, this is starting to get into Atari and Sega territory. But, despite all the doom and gloom, Midway is trying to put a positive spin on things. David F. Zucker, president and CEO, said of the future of the company (more…)

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How the mighty have fallen. Then gotten back up, dust themselves off, and fallen again. But yet, gotten up again. That’s basically the story of Sega over the last seven years or so as the once mightily publisher has flipped and flopped about, eventually merging with Sammy. Yet, despite all of this, they have no interest in joining forces with anyone else.

Sega’s Dreamcast was, in many minds, the last great old school console. The games were a mix of arcade ports and Japanese styled classics. When it died many hoped that Sega would bring its superb blend of games to other consoles as a third party. They did go third party, but the great games didn’t come with them. Instead, Sega as a third party basically drove itself out of business before Sammy stepped in and saved it. (more…)

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Valkyrie of the Battlefield, the Sega developed tactical RPG, has been renamed Valkyria Chronicles for the USA and Europe. Most notable to anyone who has seen the game is the artistic take on the graphics. Not content to produce another humdrum looking RPG, Sega has used the power of today’s consoles to turn out a truly beautiful game. How will it play? Well, that’s always more nebulous than looks alone, but it’s a good first step for Sega, a company that has been stumbling as of late. Click on the image for a full sized version.

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Sega is one of the great tragedies of gaming. Just a console generation ago the Dreamcast was flying high with high quality arcade ports and original titles. Now, just one generation later we see what may be the end to one of the great names in gaming as they are hit with 400 layoffs.

The downfall began with the death of the Dreamcast. At the same time, Sega announced their move full-time to third party developer. While many assumed this would turn them into a powerhouse on the level of Electronic Arts, it instead quickly ended them up in the red and in a merger with Sammy. That new combined company has done little to rescue Sega’s profits and may have contributed to the decline of their game quality. The Sega we see today is sadly a mere shell of its former glory. (more…)

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