Sega just hasn’t been the same for quite some time. Maybe instead of trying to pump out new IP’s or keep Sonic on life support, they should take a look at their archives and come up with games based on some of their older properties. While I do love Sonic and wish he could hit his peak again, things are looking bleak for the blue hedgehog. I’m hoping that should Sonic Mania go well or poorly, Sega will take a look at some long lost titles that I personally would love to see again on my Xbox One or PlayStation 4. If Sega ever wonders why they should do this they just need to look at the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter. It was incredibly successful and I’m sure sales will surprise us all.
5 – Seaman–Last seen swimming on the Dreamcast in 1999
Not many people had the chance to enjoy this odd little gem when it was released on Sega’s final console. First off Spock himself narrates this game as Dr. Jean Paul Gasse. Secondly you got an amazing virtual pet to take care of and learn about that would even throw shade your way. Your role as the new pet owner is to learn as much as you can from this exotic “Seaman” species. When you first get your “Seaman” he is just an egg and through your love and interaction he will hatch and evolve. You accomplish these tasks by communicating with your pet via the Dreamcast microphone. That’s right. The virtual pet asks you questions and your responses help him learn and grow. Some of his responses can be insulting and some are just plain funny. The game takes you throughout his entire life, which even includes breeding. This title is just Tamagotchi but fully expanded and more defined. Your “Seaman” can die if you neglect him for long enough, so be wary of that when you start this game. You don’t want to kill “Seaman” like you did your fern. I think that this title would work well on the Xbox One. The few people who kept their Kinect could finally have a game to play with it. You could talk into the Kinect and the “Seaman” could be snarky right back to you. You could even use hand motions and such to virtually pet him and feed him. I would play this. I need a pet in my life that doesn’t poop all over the house.
4 – Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg–Last seen incubating on the GameCube
Now I will be honest with you, I have played very little of this game due to my desensitizing of retro games. What I mean by this is the fact that newer games have made me impatient. They’ve held my hand far too long for me to figure out what to do in older games by myself. It takes me considerably longer to get on the right track now in retro titles because of this affliction, but that’s another tale for another time. This game takes place in a peaceful little land called Morning Land where the Roosters caw all the time and everyone is happy. That changes when Dark Raven attacks and shrouds the land in perpetual darkness. Flash on over to our world where Billy is meeting up with his friends only to see a baby chick being attacked by some crows. Billy being a hero decided to step in, save the chick before being whisked away with his four friends to Morning Land. Billy learns that should he not be able to defeat Dark Raven then his world will be next in line for an attack and become shrouded in darkness.
Pretty unique story right? The combat is also quite unique; when Billy finds an egg he almost becomes a god. He can run, dash, jump, attack and so on. All by himself he is pretty useless, so you’ll need to make sure eggs are around you. Team Sonic also made this game, which shows due to the quality and graphics. I couldn’t believe this was a GameCube title. I hope Sega decides to throw their eggs into this basket and make Billy Hatcher an angst filled teenager fighting with eggs against the forces of evil once again.
3 – Sakura Wars–Last seen on dates on the Ps2 and Wii in 2008
This is probably the weirdest title on this list–and I just got done talking about a game where you fight with eggs. Sakura Wars is a tactical role-playing game and dating sim that takes place in an alternate time line 1920’s New York City. What a mouthful right? In this game, you play as Shinjiro Taiga who has been drafted by a musical troupe which is really just a cover for an elite fighting group he will lead. This game has two modes; adventure mode will have you wandering the streets of New York with NPCs and battle mode. I found adventure mode to be the most interesting. While in that mode, you’ll use Live & Interactive Picture System (LIPS) to interact with those NPC’s. LIPS basically just means that you’ll need to decide your actions or comments in real time within a time limit. I would love to see this game again not only due to how quirky it was but also because of how different it was in a landscape filled with so many similar premises. Different is good and it’s about time developers and publishers learn that. It will make gamers happy, too. Just don’t treat the different game like Microsoft treated D4; that was just plain foolish.
2 – Condemned Criminal Origins – Last seen lurking on Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2008
Sega was doing first-person horror before first-person horror even knew it was a thing; I’m looking at you Left 4 Dead, Outlast, Amnesia and Resident Evil 7. In this title, instead of fighting zombies or vampires you are tasked with hunting down a serial killer. You play as Ethan Thomas who works for the Special Crimes Unit in the fictional Metro City. Your first taste of the action happens when you arrive at a crime scene belonging to the serial killer known as the Match Maker. Someone Ethan and the department have been attempting to track down and capture for quite some time. What makes this such a unique survival horror experience is that you must solve crimes as you close in on the Match Maker. The combat was also revolutionary; instead of having briefcases of weapons and bullets, you primarily depend on melee weapons. Occasionally you’ll find guns on the ground or they’ll be left behind by enemies you’ve killed but these instances are rare enough where you’ll always feel incredibly powerful in those brief situations. Another interesting aspect with guns is there was never any ammo to pick up. Instead you find a weapon and once you’re out of ammo, that gun turned into a melee weapon. Monolith developed this title and with the success of Middle-Earth: Shadows of Mordor, there should be no reason why a third entry isn’t being developed for Sega to publish. The sequel may have gotten away from many of the elements that made the original so great but the current horror landscape is perfect for a third Condemned that’s rooted deeply in both survival and horror. Let’s get back on the survival horror bandwagon Sega; it’s looking to be a quite profitable and highly reviewed genre again.
1 – Skies of Arcadia–Last seen soaring on the GameCube in 2002
There really isn’t anyone out there that doesn’t like pirates or JRPG’s. So it truly makes me wonder why Sega hasn’t transformed Skies of Arcadia into a Final Fantasy style franchise since it’s initial release on the Dreamcast. Sega was nice enough to re-release an updated and improved version on the GameCube, but that didn’t take gain any foothold for some reason. I wonder if it was choice of console that ruined any hopes of a future for this fresh franchise. This franchise features sky pirates attempting to overthrow an evil emperor who is hell bent on collecting the Moon Crystals to awaken the planet destroying Gigas. You play as Vyse and with your friend Aika, your first mission features an with encounter a young girl named Fina, who is suppose to find these Moon Crystals and take them somewhere safe with top men. The combat is turn-based which I’m not a fan of, but this game is so great that I still enjoyed it very much. I got a hang of it pretty quickly and became a successful sky pirate. The world is vast and the characters are unique, which only makes it more unfortunate since many gamers haven’t had the chance to experience all this game has to offer.
Did I miss any Sega franchises you may like to see reborn? If so let us know in the comments or reach out to us on Twitter @BagoGames. You can find me on Twitter and what I’m currently playing @SuperJerry13. I’d love to hear your thoughts on these games and any ideas you have for potential sequels in these incredible franchises.
Virtual Fighter! Oh man I miss those games. They had such charm. Let’s not forget Capcom Vs. SNK, Sega Soccer Slam, Jet Set Radio, and the grand poobah; Phantasy Star Online. I know there’s a JP version that’s damn good, but bring it to the states! Or at least the sequel.