The top 5 games that could have saved SEGA

SEGA...One of my favorite game companies because of their history of high quality gaming. Unfortunately nowadays they seem kind of lost after losing such geniuses as Yuji Naka and Yu Susuki. The two of them along with the Sonic team and AM2 team are responsible for the greatness that SEGA games had from the Sega Master days up to the Dreamcast era. The very best thing they had was their style. It was a sort of strange style of making games and telling stories. It was full of many radical ideas and sheer awesomeness that was just epic. Their games had this "hook" that kept the players pumped up and eager to keep playing the game. It is difficult to explain but every aspect of their games (sound, graphics, storyline, game play) worked in perfect harmony to the point that the player not only enjoyed the game, they loved it! Because of that, the games that will be mentioned in this article have a great cult following who crave for sequels, prequels or anything that could bring back those experiences.

These games were very strong in their respective time lines, but most of them were swallowed by the fall of their respective consoles. They lived especially in the Genesis, Saturn and Dreamcast eras and boy they were as good as they come. Sad thing is, that most of these games never fought alongside each other to help SEGA win over the competition at the right time. Most of these games were so far away from each other that their light faded as the console sadly died. Lets start the countdown for the 5 strongest games that could have saved SEGA if they were released on the same console (From my tactical point of view the perfect console to them to be present would have been the Dreamcast).

#5: Nights into Dreams (first released on: Sega Saturn)

This game was a really surreal idea, made fun, pretty and amazingly good. The premise of been inside a dream and flying around a dream world was awesome. The feeling of flight and the mood that "Dreamtopia" gave us was one that challenged imagination and was shown in the most effective way possible. The graphics were very good for its time and the music and sound effects kept us with the game's scenario at all times. The game play was intense when it needed to and also calm when we had to explore the place. The boss battles were awesome and epic in the way that we needed to go a little farther to beat those bosses because it was not just a simple task of delivering hits and damaging the creature (for example, one of the bosses is a giant ball like demonic clown which we have to throw trough a maze like stage until we get it to the end where he is finally defeated). The main characters both had their different scenarios and both were realistic situations apart from the dreamworld that seem to be resolved after you defeat the final boss called "Reala" which is an evil version of the hero Nights.

Why this game should have been on Dreamcast?

Dreamcast fans were almost on their knees asking for sequels of SEGA's strongest games to be released on the console. With the direction the console was taking (better graphic, sounds and game play capabilities) Nights on Dreamcast would have been a smash hit (even more if it was launched on that fated 9.9.99 release date). The hardware was there and the fan base hungry for some quality games. Sadly Nights was later released on Wii and it did not meet the high standards the game set when it was first launched on Saturn. Nights returned to the gaming scene but it was too late to cause an impact big enough to be considered a hit.

#4: Phantasy Star IV: The end of the millenuim (first released on: Genesis)

As SEGA's answer to Square's Final Fantasy series (That back in the day was a Nintendo exclusive) SEGA made the Phantasy Star series. It was the best of Sci-Fi with the best of RPG games mixed togheter. The first three Phantasy Star games were good, but the one that was the very best was Phantasy Star IV. This game fixed all the issues the older games had (tedious menus and fight systems) and had an awesome, better, bigger sci-fi story filled with emotions and feelings. The game was fun to play with the newly implemented systems, the dungeons were not as big but nonetheless challenging and fast paced. The cast of characters was interesting and balanced and the villains were also very cool and menacing. The graphics and sound were clean and nice for the time with greatly made anime style drawings for the characters, enemies and cutscenes. The game overall was a very very good rpg experience that competed with Final Fantasy toe to toe while giving the player an alternative from medieval settings that were the rule of the rpg genre at the time.

Why this game series should have continued on Dreamcast?

As we all know, the Dreamcast had few rpgs but those few were good games and engrossing adventures. We had Skies of Arcadia, Grandia 2, E.G.G between some others. A game like Phantasy Star V was the wet dream of SEGA fans of that time. Implementing the same style and game play with the new top notch graphics of the time with an engrossing story. This game would have sold like hotcakes on a cold early morning because it was highly anticipated. I am not saying that Phantasy Star Online was bad because I loved that game, but it would have been even better to had a classic Phantasy Star before going with the online one. I think that would have created an even stronger fanbase and the hype would have been gigantic. As of today the classic Phantasy Star has never gotten the update it deserves.

#3: Burning Rangers (released on: Saturn)

Burning Rangers was one heck of a game. When most SEGA fans saw that game for the first time they were like "futuristic fire fighters? I MUST try that game". It was a risky idea that when implemented worked like a charm. The graphics were awesomely done for its time. the action was hectic and fast paced, the drama unfolded on every stage was very interesting to follow and the main story overall was very good. The anime style video cutscenes and events were awesome and the music and sounds were superb. This game was very challenging but it was the kind of challenge that keeps us going back after we lost to keep trying. Overall a great action game with a fresh new idea. This game was called by many gaming magazines "One of the games that came too late for the Saturn".

Why this game should have been on Dreamcast?

As good as the game was, it was not well known because it came on the last months before the Sega Saturn's faded away. It was one of the last hurrah the Saturn had and because of that not many people actually had the chance to play it (SEGA fans included). Because of this, reintroducing the game, this time on Dreamcast would have been a great opportunity to add up another franchise to SEGA's flagship games. With the enhanced capabilities of the Dreamcast, this game would had look very nice and polished and if the same style of action and exploration was implemented, they had a sleeper hit on their hands.

#2: Shinning Force 3 (released on: Saturn)

My personal opinion about this game is that it is the undisputed king of tactic rpg games. It has superb storyline, very fun strategic fights, nice graphics, great soundtrack and most important of all you could actually move trough towns and interact with other characters instead of browsing trough menus and text. Finding the hidden characters gave the game a good replay value also the relationship system between characters made us try again and again to do different combinations and see the results they had on fights.

Fights were epic and permitted a great deal of strategic actions that made the player feel comfortable and confident of his/her skills. Two more scenarios of this game were released based on the point of view of other characters that appear on the first one, but these were only released in Japan. That I considered to be a low blow coming from SEGA's to us fans. This was another game that came too late to save Saturn along with Burning Rangers and some others.

Why this game should have been on Dreamcast?

Although a Shinning Force IV would have been awesome on Dreamcast. The thing that SEGA's fans wanted most was a bundle. All three Shinning Force III scenarios on one disc (or maybe 2).
All Sega Saturn fans that played the first scenario wanted to play the other two so why not? Maybe they could polish the graphics a little add some new hidden characters to find...They could even make it have an online component where trough Sega Net players could fight each other on epic tactical battles. The possibilities were endless, this would have made extra money of a game series that was finished many years before. Up to this day I ponder about why SEGA didn't capitalized on this chance. Next is the #1 game that should have saved SEGA if they had released it on Dreamcast.

#1: Panzer Dragoon Zaga (released on: Sega Saturn)

This was the best game SEGA had to offer to Saturn owners and was also one of the last games they made for the console. This game was made to compete with the Final Fantasy games that were selling like crazy on the Play Station. The whole game was a complete trance, players that experienced it were hooked from beginning to end succumbing to its surreal, mistical mood. The fights were awesome were you could fight the enemy almost on real time from the front, sides or rear giving fights a new sense of strategy. The game world was a big one and the story was one about empires, wars, mistisicm, spiritualism and the relationship of the main character with his dragoon. It was also cool how the dragoon evolved as you gained levels becoming a more powerful and menacing looking creature. At first I did not believed that the game could come close to Final Fantasy standards but after giving it a chance, I have to say that it really does. For me this was the Saturn last glorious breath before dying.

Why this game should have been on Dreamcast?

This game should have been on Dreamcast for obvious reasons. An engrossing rpg adventure using one of SEGA's most respected franchises with the capabilities of the Dreamcast, it was a match made in heaven. I know that SEGA's development teams were busy making Shenmue, but I think that a Panzer Dragoon Zaga sequel would had been a much better use of resources and it would have given better results. Even a remake of the original Panzer Dragoon Zaga would have been a hit since not many people played this game on Saturn. A game like this on DC would had served to show gamers what the Dreamcast could do and what to expect from SEGA on that generation. Rpg fans would have loved it and I am sure it would had sell to the point of scarcity. This would have been like SEGA standing in front of the competition and saying "we mean business!". A pity that the possibility was never considered.

Final thoughts:

Picture all these games on the same console (Dreamcast). Imagine the profit, the fan base getting bigger, none believers turning into SEGA fans and the game industry acknowledging SEGA as a gaming force to be reckoned with once again. If something like this would had happened maybe today we would be playing on a Dreamcast 2 and SEGA would still be one of the top competitors in the gaming industry. At least there is still hope to see this games on today's big consoles lets just hope that one day SEGA realized what they have been missing. Great games like this don't deserved to be left out and obscured for an eternity. Thanks for reading and see you all on my next article.

Bonus Stage!

I've decided to post some videos of each game so you can get the idea on how these games were.

Nights into Dreams

Phantasy Star IV




Burning Rangers



Shinning Force III



Panzer Dragoon Zaga

Level UP: How to make MMORPG systems better

In the course of my life as a gamer, I have played many games which feature a level and quest systems for character growth. Some were nice and fun, but some were too painful and dull and others were even unfair. In this article the you will see the flaws of most of these systems as well as ideas on how to make this systems evolve to better and more fun schemes for the gamer to enjoy. Without further due, lets go to these ideas that can make these games a more richer experience.

And chuck never leveled up, he just learned and mastered stuff.

Idea #1: Better use of experience points

In most mmorpgs and games in general that use level systems. The points awarded to the player (simulating real life experience in something) are entirely one sided. Lets say you killed a wild animal in X game. You gained 100xp (xp meaning experience points) but they are just that, generalized experience points. That sounds good and simple, but it is fair? I mean if in real life you killed a wild animal you are supposed to learn more than one thing as opposed to gaining an overall generic experience in life. Lets say that your arms got stronger by using them (with your weapon) to hit the animal, your reflexes got better, your knowledge of that type of animal went up a notch, your knowledge of the place were you hunted the animal went up a notch, and psychologically speaking, your self esteem and confidence went up a little too. By now we have 6 different things that have improved when you slayed the wild animal. Most systems give you a generic sum of experience that when you get to level up it only means 2 -4 points added to basic parameters such as strength, dexterity, defense, agility, etc. So that means that by killing countless creatures I gained just that little? As for the levels come this other idea.

This is proof that people rather be enjoying the game than grinding.

Idea #2: Replacing "levels" with something more real and comfortable.

Levels are good an all for some games but for most (especially mmorpgs) they are becoming a nuisance. Oh you can't ride that machine until you are level 50, you can't have a ride until level 30 that type of things make many players frustrated and frankly speaking, they don't make any sense. Now lets say that instead of levels you can have this whole group of skills and traits that complemented with your equipment can enable you to be whatever you want to be (while inside your race native characteristics). Lets say I am an elf on a game where there are no levels and instead they used a "trait" system (Fallout games have part of this system but they included levels altogether which makes it the same as traditional systems). I use my elf and in the beggining I have all the trait associated with this race with some points added in certain basic ones. If I want to be a mage, I know I should train my intelligence by reading or getting to learn new stuff, as for my magic that trait raises every time I use a spell. I should have some dexterity if I want to cast spells faster so I train doing activities that would raise dex. That is a little example of how a completely trait based system would work. Having total freedom over my stats doesn't mean that I can make a god out of my character because there have to be limits based on race and job chosen so balance isn't broken by any smart ass player. Now that we talk about traits and stats what about the HP? How can that be enhanced on a game that uses a trait system? Well see the third idea if you want to know.

Well I have like 500 hp the monsters may hit by...oh whatever here I go! -said minutes before becoming a mangled corpse.

Idea #3: No HP growth, just modify the amount of damage taken.

This idea is quite simple. Instead of having a character whose HP or life is like 1000000 and this becoming a great mathematical calculation to have expectations of life and death in the game, it would be a lot better just to have a small number (like 100hp for instance) and modify the rate in which the player loses hp when fighting. Lets say that in the beggining, with newbie equipment the player can lose up to 3-9 hp per basic attack he is hit with (or even more if he battles stronger foes). but 2 weeks later, after the player has beefed up his stats and traits and now on the same area he just get damage around 1-3 hp making a lot less prone to dying on a fight. His hp is still 100 but his defenses are better so he is dealt less damage. Small modifiers can include elemental damage, magic damage, stab, slash, blunt damage and so on. This is not only much simpler to handle it is even more realistic. Because if I know that the monster over the hill will hit me for about 20 hp per basic attack I would not dare to fight with him. It is easier, more comfortable and it gives a more open insight to a player on how to survive in the game world. Now lets move on to the next idea.

Behold my great ride. I know nothing about horse riding but been lv 30 and doing an idiotic quest made the trick.

Idea #4: Fixing the issue with mounts, travels and pets.

If levels doesn't exist then how we will limit players for mounts, travels, pets, etc? The answer to this question is answered simply by saying that the chances of you doing something depend on your stats and the time you take to build them. So if you want to mount a horse for example you will have to learn how to ride it (unless it is on your race native talents). You may try and try, fall off the horse, not be able to have control over it, until you finally reach that point where you can ride as fast as the wind trough the plains, you just have to take your time to learn the skill before you can use it. The different trait that the player may or may not have will also affect how slow or fast you learn the desired skill. As for travel systems you don't need any level to ride a boat or an airship so the risks you may find in traveling to new places are entirely yours. The game should NOT limit any traveling because it is not only boring and uncomfortable, it is also unrealistic.

What? I've killed thousands, I am feared troughout the land and now you want me to fetch this herb to your grandma?

Idea #5: Not quest, just experiences...

One part of leveling up and doing stuff in most mmorpgs is going quests. These are a good source of game money, items and experience. The thing is, they are boring as hell. Deliver a piece of clothing to Johnny the one eye guy on the other village? Kill a thousand boars and give their skins to chief louis? How about following the ideas of games like Elder Scrolls Oblivion, where are simple quest starts then it develops into something more deep. Like the old women who seems to have a rat problem in her basement and you go there and kill the rats but they keep coming, later you discover that other woman is pouring rat food trough a hole in the basement and that's why the rats keep coming. You then have to trace the woman and either make her stop doing what she is doing by words (charismatic skills) or simply destroy her source of rat food. That is when the quest really ends. If this quest was done by some game standards standards, killing the rats ended the quest and nothing more happens. Why the over simplicity? So now for the rewards they come as you go trough the quest adding expertise to the various traits based on what you do to solve the problem and of course the other rewards will be gold and maybe some item. This is way more fun than dull fetching quests.

The Bottom line:

My last comments on this subject (how to make mmorpgs better) is that maybe this type of system is soon to come. Games like the new Star Wars mmorpg (based on the Knights of the old republic game) are signs that hope is not yet lost. Some day we will play mmorpgs and will develop a character that will become better as a real person does, by learning and improving, practicing and doing different things instead of mindless grinding and boring repetitive quest. Who knows? Some day we could even play a perfect simulation of real life on which we will hardly see the difference. Well folks this is all for today, hope you guys and gals enjoyed this article. See you all soon!