Many retro game fans like to theorize and fantasize about what might have saved Sega. Many say that it was the Sega CD and 32X that undermined consumer confidence in Sega. Others say that it was the PlayStation 2’s unparalleled dominance of the console market that killed the Dreamcast, and by extension, Sega itself. Others even say that it was its lack of effort in the handheld space to keep up with Nintendo’s Game Boy to help stave off defeat during the lean years. One factor that most agree contributed is that Sega didn’t really carry the genres that were popular on the Genesis into the next generation on the Saturn, causing a huge backlash of disinterest outside of Japan. READ MORE
10. Persona 4 Arena
Turning an RPG into a fighter is inherently an interesting prospect from a design perspective, since you have lots of things like status ailments, critical hits and different equipments and spells to add mountains of depth to a game. Not many developers have actually stepped up to the challenge to make a game around this concept. Luckily, Atlus and Arc System Works teamed up to give us this fascinating little gem.
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Not often can a game earnestly tout itself as a nigh-perfect package of gameplay, audiovisual presentation and narrative and, even if it can, there is usually some other critical flaw that it faces that sadly mars the overall experience. But, once in a very, very, very great while, some game passes through that gauntlet of development and reaches a state akin to Nirvana amongst games; a place where the true legends thrive and real gaming history is made and its players can count themselves truly privileged to have experienced it. This is where the game can stand with the classics of the other arts in a veritable pantheon of greatness.
One of these games is Persona 4 Golden. READ MORE
The PSP has seen a surplus of off-kilter RPGs in the twilight of its life, even in America, where it is no longer even considered a viable platform in the eyes of the general public. This is due mostly to the fact that Western game companies refuse to develop for the hardware at this point, and thus the only games being made for it at all are from Japanese developers. Games such as Ragnarok Tactics can be released stateside with relatively few resources, and these titles are arguably all that are keeping the system alive now. READ MORE
The delightfully wacky premise, exemplary and addictive arcade gameplay and an overarching sense of style that make Crazy Taxi a crazy-fun game that could have only come out of the bright-burning flame that was Sega’s twilight years. To this day, you would be hard-pressed to find many game players in this generation that have yet to experience the joy of racing around San Francisco in an indestructible cab. It’s a game that leaves an imprint on players. Sega, being on a big digital distribution kick as of late, has re-released Crazy Taxi on iOS and Android. Given roughly a decade of perspective, how does the new port hold up to the original? READ MORE
