sega dreamcast

Mascots and Messages

  • Reading time:16 mins read

by [name redacted]

Part four of my ongoing culture column; originally published by Next Generation under a different title; something like “The Problem with Mascots”. Somewhere between this article’s completion and its publication, one of my more vocal “fans” started a forum thread about Sonic the Hedgehog. He felt a few of the points were similar; I think something in my description of Sonic. Considering this is one of my least favorite articles, I sometimes wonder if it was worth the bother. Still, here it is again.

I wrote a while ago that there’s maybe one good Sonic game for every two flops. At the time I was halfway kidding, setting up the premise for a silly “top ten” list. Where I wasn’t kidding, I was speaking from a historical perspective rather than a contemporary one. As much as I have loved the guy, I’m aware that Sega hasn’t done too well by Sonic for a long time – to the point where he’s now the butt of dumb jokes on semi-respectable business websites. Since the Genesis we’ve seen, what, one truly great Sonic game?

When Sonic and Sega came back with the Dreamcast, they did it with a collective bang. Everyone cheered at his return, and at Sega’s. Then came a less interesting sequel. Then Sega went out of the console business, and suddenly there didn’t seem much point to Sonic anymore. More games kept coming out, each worse than the last, each building on the least compelling parts of Sonic Adventure. People stopped caring about the character, then started mocking him. Sega tried to address the problem with Shadow: a grittier, cooler answer to Sonic. Without even playing the game, people immediately wrote off the character, Sega, and everybody involved with the franchise.

The problem wasn’t really Shadow, or his game – even the concept behind it, for what it was worth. Heck, people didn’t even have to play it to dismiss it. The problem was that it didn’t seem like Sega knew what the hell it was doing anymore.

Gaga Import

  • Reading time:1 mins read

I unwrapped my copy of Segagaga. And I just stared at it for a while. It’s my first game to have one of those “extra-thick” Japanese cases, to accomodate for the somewhat large manual. The manual is, of course, gorgeous. The case is white (as with my copy of Vampire Chronicle for Matching Service). It’s also my first game with a real Hitmaker logo on it. But there’s really not much to look at, if my Dreamcast doesn’t want to work. It’s too subtle.

Also to mention: my Altered Beast and Ghouls ‘N Ghosts cases (I’d forgotten how beautiful these are — these were my first two Genesis games) are in perfect condition, and the manuals are still inside. The Altered Beast case even still smells like a new Genesis. Even that is pristine. But no games. I thought I had my name on the cartridges as well, but I suppose it’s probable and likely that they were sold or given away or something.