I am a massive Sega fanboy that owned and loved his Saturn back in the day, and this article sounds like it's trying to candy coat how the Saturn did.
Yes, the Saturn was successful in Japan, but that success came at the cost of Sega losing their foothold in the west.
In the west, the Saturn was a massive failure that lost almost all the customers that bought a Sega Genesis in NA and the Master System and Mega Drive in Europe.
It's easy now to candy coat how the Saturn did by pointing out that it did well in Japan and got such an awesome library over there.
But I watched as my Saturn died a painful death, I watched as Sega bled money as the Playstation juggernaut and a weakened, but still strong Nintendo steamrolled over Sega and the Saturn.
Here's the narrative that should be asked. Why did Sega bungle the Saturn so badly in the west? Why was a new Sonic game not a top priority to push Saturn hardware sales? Why did Sega abandon numerous Genesis-era franchises on the Saturn, even canceling stuff like an Eternal Champions sequel?
The Saturn at the end of the day was a failure in every region expect Japan. Sega sold 30 Million Genesis systems worldwide while the Saturn sold 9 million.
There's a reason why the system is seen as a failure. When you lose a large chunk of your player base between generations as well as your strongest markets, it's easy to see why the Saturn is viewed in the west as a failure.
Because for us, the Saturn flopped against not just the PS1, but the N64 and no amount of import games from Japan will change the fact that losing the western markets with the Saturn is what played a key role in driving Sega out of the hardware business a generation later.
Sega blew a massive chance to make some good money and also beat Nintendo to the market in the mini-console market by being the first company to offer a mini based on an old Handheld System.
People keep talking about a Nintendo 64 mini, but a bigger moneymaker would have been a Game Boy Color mini that was loaded with the best games from the Game Boy and Game Boy Color.
Sega had a chance to make some waves here and offer something to their loyal Sega fanboys like myself.
I would have loved to spend for a Game Gear mini that was loaded with 30-40 games from the Game Gear libary.
They had the right idea by making a Game Gear mini, they just screwed it up by making consoles that had four games and were too small to play!
Come on Sega, you blew a massive chance to make an impact in the mini console market.
It was not the threat of the 3DS, Vita, or mobile gaming that killed this device. All it took was someone remembering that this was not their first venture into Video Games.
Once everyone remembered the 3D0, this project set a new world record on how fast a project in development can be canned.
@BionicDodo I think going the extra mile might have won over some fans who are on the shelf about this system.
Snatcher does have an English Translation on the Sega CD, so why can't they just use that version's English text as a basis for translating the PC Engine version?
Or just do a brand new translation for the game. I can't see it costing Konami that much to do.
Right now, the Turbografix 16 mini looks nice, but the price tag kills it. I don't understand Konami's logic on pricing this system higher than the NES, SNES, Genesis, and PS1 minis.
Those systems were major hits in the west, and they had a good price tag.
The Turbografix 16 was a massive flop outside of Japan, and I would argue its got even less nostalgia backing it up than the Neo Geo.
So, I don't understand Konami's approach with this system at all. Its better then Sony's approach with the PS1 Classic, but I can't shake the feeling of how half-assed it kinda feels with Konami's efforts.
@NinjaAceTrainer Honestly, I think Nintendo plays the least important role in Donkey Kong's History when all things are considered.
I know Miyamoto came up with the idea of Donkey Kong and the first three games, but Donkey Kong faded to irrelevance until 1994 when Rare revived the Donkey Kong franchise with Donkey Kong Country(A game that Miyamoto famously slammed in an interview)
It was Rare's work that revived Donkey Kong in the 90's and was responsible for turning the tide of the 16-Bit console wars in Nintendo's favor(Sega finished the job themselves by focusing more on the Saturn and asine add-ons)
After the DKC games ran their course, and Rare went to Microsoft, Donkey Kong floundered around in half-hearted spin-offs and being in the Mario vs Donkey Kong games as the main villain.
It was Retro who finally brought the ape back with Donkey Kong Country Returns.
In my opinion, Nintendo themselves have done little for DK's legacy in gaming outside of the first three arcade games. It was Rare, and later Retro who have made a much bigger impact on the DK franchise, and helped turn it into one of Nintendo's biggest IPs, even to this day.
It was also Rare and Retro that ensured Donkey Kong never faded away like so many old-school arcade icons, a fate that even Pac-Man to a degree has never avoided.
I have the 2016 model, and aside from the bad sound, I enjoy my little Genesis handheld. Could it be better? Yeah, but for the price I paid, having a device that grants me access to pretty much the entire Genesis library is nothing short of awesome.
As for the sound issue, honestly most games don't sound that off to me. Granted, its been years since I've played the games on a real Genesis, but Quackshot's music sounds like how I remember it, Street Fighter II: Special Championship Edition sounds like it should(Only Ryu's stage sounds off), and most of the other Genesis games pretty much sound ok. Maybe off, but without having the carts running side by side, I would never notice.
The only games that sound off in terms of music and sound effects are the Sonic games.
As for the D-Pad, I can pull of Hadokens in Street Fighter 2, and special moves in the Mortal Kombat games. Is it perfect? No, but most D-Pads are garbage anyway, even on modern systems like the Xbox 360.
My point is, while I understand the issues people have with this little system, I still think it's not a bad value for the money. Its a portable that gives you access to the Genesis library, and barring RPGs, its a fun little device to play when I want to enjoy games like Revenge of Shinobi, both Street Fighter II games, Mortal Kombat I-III, etc without being tethered to a TV playing on old Genesis while hunting these games down at second hand stores, hoping carts that are over 20 years old still work.
Hopefully, Atgames will step up their game in the coming years. Maybe if Nintendo does an NES or SNES classic portable edition, maybe it will light a fire under Atgames' butts and get them to step up.
But for a casual gamer looking to play some games from their youth, its a decent enough option.
I've bought two versions of the Atgames Portable Genesis systems. My oldest one was from 2013, and I upgraded to the 2016 version when it came out(although I should have waited for the 2017 one since it includes both Shining Force games!)
I can safely say I have enjoyed both models and would buy a new one in a few years once they add more features.
After the Ouya failed, I would not be shocked if people are a more cautious with these startup crowd funding consoles. The Ouya never even remotely lived up to its hype.
Plus, 299 bucks is tons of money to ask for given At games is selling retro themed Atari, Coleco, Intellvision, and Sega consoles on a chip for 50 bucks at your local Walmart.
Those consoles do well because they are retro systems. They sell to people like me who want to play a Sega Genesis cart that they have laying around.
But even with that said, I don't want to go back 20 years to carts anymore then I want to trade in my HDTV for a old tube one.
Technology moves forward for a reason, and while I have my issues with modern systems, they do have their perks, including making older games from previous generations(NES,SNES, Neo Geo, Genesis) better due to save states and filters that make the games look better.
If I were given the choice of playing Super Mario Bros 3 on the NES with the original cart or playing it on a Wii U or 3DS with the perks of having it look better, save states, and in the case of the 3DS playing it anywhere I wanted, I would pick the modern versions every time.
@RupeeClock Why would he care? He signed off on the game and got his check years ago. I would be surprised he even remembered signing off on an ET game.
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Re: Is It Time To Change The Narrative On The Sega Saturn?
I am a massive Sega fanboy that owned and loved his Saturn back in the day, and this article sounds like it's trying to candy coat how the Saturn did.
Yes, the Saturn was successful in Japan, but that success came at the cost of Sega losing their foothold in the west.
In the west, the Saturn was a massive failure that lost almost all the customers that bought a Sega Genesis in NA and the Master System and Mega Drive in Europe.
It's easy now to candy coat how the Saturn did by pointing out that it did well in Japan and got such an awesome library over there.
But I watched as my Saturn died a painful death, I watched as Sega bled money as the Playstation juggernaut and a weakened, but still strong Nintendo steamrolled over Sega and the Saturn.
Here's the narrative that should be asked. Why did Sega bungle the Saturn so badly in the west? Why was a new Sonic game not a top priority to push Saturn hardware sales? Why did Sega abandon numerous Genesis-era franchises on the Saturn, even canceling stuff like an Eternal Champions sequel?
The Saturn at the end of the day was a failure in every region expect Japan. Sega sold 30 Million Genesis systems worldwide while the Saturn sold 9 million.
There's a reason why the system is seen as a failure. When you lose a large chunk of your player base between generations as well as your strongest markets, it's easy to see why the Saturn is viewed in the west as a failure.
Because for us, the Saturn flopped against not just the PS1, but the N64 and no amount of import games from Japan will change the fact that losing the western markets with the Saturn is what played a key role in driving Sega out of the hardware business a generation later.
Re: Hardware Review: Game Gear Micro - Go Home Sega, You're Drunk
Sega blew a massive chance to make some good money and also beat Nintendo to the market in the mini-console market by being the first company to offer a mini based on an old Handheld System.
People keep talking about a Nintendo 64 mini, but a bigger moneymaker would have been a Game Boy Color mini that was loaded with the best games from the Game Boy and Game Boy Color.
Sega had a chance to make some waves here and offer something to their loyal Sega fanboys like myself.
I would have loved to spend for a Game Gear mini that was loaded with 30-40 games from the Game Gear libary.
They had the right idea by making a Game Gear mini, they just screwed it up by making consoles that had four games and were too small to play!
Come on Sega, you blew a massive chance to make an impact in the mini console market.
Re: 10 Years Ago, Tech Giant Panasonic Almost Took On The Nintendo 3DS
It was not the threat of the 3DS, Vita, or mobile gaming that killed this device. All it took was someone remembering that this was not their first venture into Video Games.
Once everyone remembered the 3D0, this project set a new world record on how fast a project in development can be canned.
Re: Hardware Review: PC Engine Mini - Still An Acquired Taste, Even After 30 Years
@BionicDodo I think going the extra mile might have won over some fans who are on the shelf about this system.
Snatcher does have an English Translation on the Sega CD, so why can't they just use that version's English text as a basis for translating the PC Engine version?
Or just do a brand new translation for the game. I can't see it costing Konami that much to do.
Right now, the Turbografix 16 mini looks nice, but the price tag kills it. I don't understand Konami's logic on pricing this system higher than the NES, SNES, Genesis, and PS1 minis.
Those systems were major hits in the west, and they had a good price tag.
The Turbografix 16 was a massive flop outside of Japan, and I would argue its got even less nostalgia backing it up than the Neo Geo.
So, I don't understand Konami's approach with this system at all. Its better then Sony's approach with the PS1 Classic, but I can't shake the feeling of how half-assed it kinda feels with Konami's efforts.
Re: Exclusive: The Evercade Handheld Is Getting Earthworm Jim, Clayfigher And Midnight Resistance
I always enjoyed Midnight Resistance more then any Contra game. But 1 game alone won't make me buy this thing.
Midnight Resistance should be on the new Genesis Classic.
Re: Feature: How Mortal Kombat Defined The Console War Between Sega And Nintendo
@iflywright. Mortal Kombat XI is coming to the Switch next year.
As for MK X and Injustice 2, both games came out before the Switch and WB Games was unsure if it would crash and burn like the Wii U did.
WB Games supported the Wii U pretty well during its first couple of years, but they likely lost money due to the Wii U's poor sales.
We're seeing a lot of third parties scrambling to support the Switch now that it is a massive success.
Re: Feature: Shining A Light On Ikegami Tsushinki, The Company That Developed Donkey Kong
@NinjaAceTrainer Honestly, I think Nintendo plays the least important role in Donkey Kong's History when all things are considered.
I know Miyamoto came up with the idea of Donkey Kong and the first three games, but Donkey Kong faded to irrelevance until 1994 when Rare revived the Donkey Kong franchise with Donkey Kong Country(A game that Miyamoto famously slammed in an interview)
It was Rare's work that revived Donkey Kong in the 90's and was responsible for turning the tide of the 16-Bit console wars in Nintendo's favor(Sega finished the job themselves by focusing more on the Saturn and asine add-ons)
After the DKC games ran their course, and Rare went to Microsoft, Donkey Kong floundered around in half-hearted spin-offs and being in the Mario vs Donkey Kong games as the main villain.
It was Retro who finally brought the ape back with Donkey Kong Country Returns.
In my opinion, Nintendo themselves have done little for DK's legacy in gaming outside of the first three arcade games. It was Rare, and later Retro who have made a much bigger impact on the DK franchise, and helped turn it into one of Nintendo's biggest IPs, even to this day.
It was also Rare and Retro that ensured Donkey Kong never faded away like so many old-school arcade icons, a fate that even Pac-Man to a degree has never avoided.
Re: Hardware Review: Sega's Heritage Deserves Better Than The Mega Drive Ultimate Portable
I have the 2016 model, and aside from the bad sound, I enjoy my little Genesis handheld. Could it be better? Yeah, but for the price I paid, having a device that grants me access to pretty much the entire Genesis library is nothing short of awesome.
As for the sound issue, honestly most games don't sound that off to me. Granted, its been years since I've played the games on a real Genesis, but Quackshot's music sounds like how I remember it, Street Fighter II: Special Championship Edition sounds like it should(Only Ryu's stage sounds off), and most of the other Genesis games pretty much sound ok. Maybe off, but without having the carts running side by side, I would never notice.
The only games that sound off in terms of music and sound effects are the Sonic games.
As for the D-Pad, I can pull of Hadokens in Street Fighter 2, and special moves in the Mortal Kombat games. Is it perfect? No, but most D-Pads are garbage anyway, even on modern systems like the Xbox 360.
My point is, while I understand the issues people have with this little system, I still think it's not a bad value for the money. Its a portable that gives you access to the Genesis library, and barring RPGs, its a fun little device to play when I want to enjoy games like Revenge of Shinobi, both Street Fighter II games, Mortal Kombat I-III, etc without being tethered to a TV playing on old Genesis while hunting these games down at second hand stores, hoping carts that are over 20 years old still work.
Hopefully, Atgames will step up their game in the coming years. Maybe if Nintendo does an NES or SNES classic portable edition, maybe it will light a fire under Atgames' butts and get them to step up.
But for a casual gamer looking to play some games from their youth, its a decent enough option.
I've bought two versions of the Atgames Portable Genesis systems. My oldest one was from 2013, and I upgraded to the 2016 version when it came out(although I should have waited for the 2017 one since it includes both Shining Force games!)
I can safely say I have enjoyed both models and would buy a new one in a few years once they add more features.
Re: Retro VGS Crowdfunding Campaign "Dead In The Water" But Work Will Continue
After the Ouya failed, I would not be shocked if people are a more cautious with these startup crowd funding consoles. The Ouya never even remotely lived up to its hype.
Plus, 299 bucks is tons of money to ask for given At games is selling retro themed Atari, Coleco, Intellvision, and Sega consoles on a chip for 50 bucks at your local Walmart.
Those consoles do well because they are retro systems. They sell to people like me who want to play a Sega Genesis cart that they have laying around.
But even with that said, I don't want to go back 20 years to carts anymore then I want to trade in my HDTV for a old tube one.
Technology moves forward for a reason, and while I have my issues with modern systems, they do have their perks, including making older games from previous generations(NES,SNES, Neo Geo, Genesis) better due to save states and filters that make the games look better.
If I were given the choice of playing Super Mario Bros 3 on the NES with the original cart or playing it on a Wii U or 3DS with the perks of having it look better, save states, and in the case of the 3DS playing it anywhere I wanted, I would pick the modern versions every time.
Why would I go back?
Re: Myth Becomes Reality As Atari's E.T. Cartridges Are Unearthed In New Mexico Landfill
@RupeeClock Why would he care? He signed off on the game and got his check years ago. I would be surprised he even remembered signing off on an ET game.