Topic: Sega to Scale Back M-Rated Wii Games

[Peachylala]

I just realized something.

Sega Studio. How many development studios does Sega of America have internally? If this is the case, then why the hell are we getting bent out of shape over this well, most of us are not but still.

I pray that this doesn't piss Nintendo fans off enough for them to boycott Monkey Ball Step & Roll.

[Stratos]

Does Sega even produce 'mature' games internally anymore? I thought they merely published them.

[broodwars]

Considering that Sega's M-rated "experiment" has turned out mediocre at best so far (however pretty Madworld is and simple fun Overkill is), I can't say I'll shed a tear over this.  I'm more concerned about the ripple effect on other 3rd parties, because it's clear that those games didn't fail just because they were M-rated.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I just realized something.

Sega Studio. How many development studios does Sega of America have internally? If this is the case, then why the hell are we getting bent out of shape over this well, most of us are not but still.

I pray that this doesn't piss Nintendo fans off enough for them to boycott Monkey Ball Step & Roll.

Does Sega even produce 'mature' games internally anymore? I thought they merely published them.

So what both of you are saying is that this could be the biggest non-news of the year so far!?

[Peachylala]

Third Excuse Maker trolling is not news, it's whining on Facebook levels.

Seriously, WHY DEAD SPACE ONRAILS?! WHY?! Are third excuse makers seriously desperate for excuses on why they don't want to develop for the Wii?

Hope you have enough money for those Highly Dramatic projects Sega.

[NWR_DrewMG]

Just out of curiosity, how many of you actually played Dead Space Extraction?

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Definitely not I -- the product does not perform a job I want done, so my interest had evaporated.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I played it. Payed full price too.
would be more satisfied if I had waited till $20.
It did have a few glitches and needed more polishing.

[ShyGuy]

I played Dead Space Extraction. Was it pretty? Yes, the prettiest. Did it have good sound? Yes, the soundiest. Were the overall production values excellent? Yes, the valuest. Was it a good rail shooter? No.

House of the Dead Overkill and Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles are both better games. DS:E suffers from pacing issues which make ineffective at horror and ineffective as a carnival ride. It sure is slick looking though. Half the weapons are really good and most of the enemies are good too.

[ThePerm]

ok, this is a business decision from a guy working at SEGA.....

I remember right before Shenmue 2 was about to come out they decided to not release it in North America and release it on Xbox because Microsoft would advertise for them, well Sega fucked up because I don't remember any Shenmue 2 xbox adds. Also, considering the type of game mechanic that Shenmue has was some similarities with Zelda, wouldn't you think it would be popular with the Nintendo crowd. I'm sorry, but these companies don't understand that Nintendo fans can't be sold on looks and popularity...gameplay is what trumps all.

[Kairon]

I played DS:E, bought at full price, and I enjoyed it very much. Co-op mode with my brother, no bugs, and we even stuck around to watch the motion comics we'd unlocked by beating the game! I don't think it has serious flaws as a rail shooter, we found it engaging, fast-paced, and VERY interesting to follow.

That said, I have to admit that I would rate Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles as the better "game." Dead Space Extraction was newer, more unique, and more fresh, but in terms of just gameplay it didn't involve the player with "game" elements like purchasing level upgrades or looking for secrets.

Still, my brother and I couldn't put down DS:E once we started playing it. I really am saddened to hear that a lot of people were disappointed in it. I happen to LOVE Rail Shooters, and the Wii's been very good to me in this regard. I'm still waiting for a port of Area 51, but until then I'll be replaying both games. A friend just bought his own copy of RE:DC, and I'll be bringing my own copy of DS:E for him to try out.

[broodwars]

Just out of curiosity, how many of you actually played Dead Space Extraction?

I certainly have and still own it, actually.  I'm currently trying to decide whether it (along with New Super Mario Bros. Wii) will be a sacrifice at the altar of Bioshock 2 in a month, but I did like the game.  It has a truly abysmal number of easy user path bugs, many leading to crashes, pacing issues and a complete lack of extras (on top of a very short runtime) that mean you'll never want to replay it...but it is a good game.  It's completely blown out of the water by Darkside Chronicles, though.

[Stratos]

Definitely not I -- the product does not perform a job I want done, so my interest had evaporated.

What Pro said.

I bought more interesting 3rd party games instead like Shattered Memories and Modern Warfare Reflex...games where you are not trapped on rails.

Just out of curiosity, how many of you actually played Dead Space Extraction?

I certainly have and still own it, actually.  I'm currently trying to decide whether it (along with New Super Mario Bros. Wii) will be a sacrifice at the altar of Bioshock 2 in a month, but I did like the game.  It has a truly abysmal number of easy user path bugs, many leading to crashes, pacing issues and a complete lack of extras (on top of a very short runtime) that mean you'll never want to replay it...but it is a good game.  It's completely blown out of the water by Darkside Chronicles, though.

Interestingly enough, while Extractio does little to move me to a purchase in the end, Darkside is a more interesting game to me that I do want to pick up eventually. Maybe it's because I find RE2, Leon Kennedy and RE in general better and more interesting games, I really cannot tell you why for sure, but my interest in Darkside has always eclipsed Extraction. Maybe what Kairon and others have said about Darkside being a better 'game' is was did it in.

[KDR_11k]

Just out of curiosity, how many of you actually played Dead Space Extraction?

When we're discussing sales, isn't it enough to know that everybody thinks it's ****? We're the "hardcore" audience, we're the people who are supposed to know what's awesome and what's not and when even we think a game is bad how in hell's name do they expect it to sell? We're the audience they're trying to reach and utterly failed to reach.

I'm saving the money for Shattered Memories because I like exploring more than rails (and want to hit Aonuma in the head with a sign stating that).

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

I believe SixthAngel is with me on this one, but it's not the "rail shooting" i'm interested in, it's the physical TARGET PRACTICE that I want, using calibrated line-of-sight aim; a simple firearms simulator.  All of Sega's Wii shooters succeed in this regard.  My whole attraction to arcade shooters has everything to do with wielding some "toy" gun and applying a high level of hand-eye coordination and a little shoulder stamina.  My aim is my own, not some glorified presentation pointer.

All those other games are just dumbed-down arcade games that have to rely on other gameplay/presentation elements to distract you from the fact you've always got training wheels: the screen tells you where you're pointing at!  (srsly, how can I take anyone who doesn't use the Zapper for Link's Crossbow Training srsly?  It's called Crossbow Training, use the fucking "crossbow" you fat babies!  The game already tells you where you're aiming!  Play games with dignity and decency for once!)

There's nothing inherently wrong with the existence of these casual shooting gallery games, but the heart of this niche market is largely pathetic, given birth primarily thru the purpose of offering dumbed-down spinoffs from more robust gaming experiences (Zelda, RE, DS; anymore?)

ON THE OPPOSITE END, I have little to no problem with RE4: Wii Edition being what it is:  a character-based action adventure that WAS originally designed for gamepad values then enhanced with pointer functionality.  The game doesn't make the jump to being some kind of Leon The Gunman simulator.  But all those "rail shooters," with the character movement element taken out, are automatically viewed from the Arcade Gun Game end of the spectrum.  DSE spectacularly fails at both ends, without clearly carving its own path.

[BlackNMild2k1]

guided first person adventure......

[NWR_Neal]

Man, this poor guy is probably getting so much **** for an off-hand remark.

1UP's idea of getting industry people on their podcast might not end up as the best thing in the world - especially when this stuff comes out.

[SixthAngel]

I believe SixthAngel is with me on this one, but it's not the "rail shooting" i'm interested in, it's the physical TARGET PRACTICE that I want, using calibrated line-of-sight aim; a simple firearms simulator.  All of Sega's Wii shooters succeed in this regard.  My whole attraction to arcade shooters has everything to do with wielding some "toy" gun and applying a high level of hand-eye coordination and a little shoulder stamina.  My aim is my own, not some glorified presentation pointer.

150,000,000 %.

I finally saw Zombieland and understood your reference from the other post.  Talahasee don't use no cursor!

[decoyman]

I haven't played it. When it was announced, I was excited – I'd heard good things about the original game, and was anxious to play this one. Then I found out that it would be an on-rails shooter, and many things which made me excited about the original game would be gimped or gone completely.

At that point, I wrote the game off. Regardless of a cool story or big scares or pretty graphics or "soundiest" sound (haha), I'm just not a fan of on-rail shooters, I can't help it.

P.S. - In my other post in this thread, I was callling the Sega guy a nincompoop, not anyone in this thread. jsyk

[NWR_DrewMG]

Getting away from Dead Space, which I agree was probably not a particularly good argument for him to be making, I will be very curious to see how Silent Hill does.  I know the game hasn't received much marketing, but it's a well known and well loved franchise.  On top of that, it's really fantastic.  If this game were on Xbox 360 or PS3 it would sell well, I am convinced of that.  I can't seen to find data on how well Silent Hill Homecoming did, but I did find a page on the internet (so it must be true) stating that Shattered Memories sold 47K in it's first week, which was in line with Homecoming. 

[Peachylala]

Shattered Memories has flaws, but it is very enjoyable. Not bad for the first entry (and a re-imagining) of the very first Silent Hill game.

[NWR_DrewMG]

Well, every game has flaws.

[Peachylala]

Except for one problem, the supposed 'flawless' games that receive tens get a majority of the sales and I found those games to have several flaws that hinder my enjoyment. In fact, in my top twenty five games list, none of the games are perfect, they are ENJOYABLE.

The only game that has come close to being perfect this generation is Super Mario Galaxy and (IMHO) New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Flaws present? Yes. Enjoyable and has replay value? Yes and yes.

[NWR_DrewMG]

Just because a game gets a 10 doesn't mean that it's flawless.  I don't think anyone would argue that fact.

[D_Average]

Its tough to blame Sega on this one. They spent a lot of time on three quality games, threw them at the wall, and couldn't get one to stick. Wii sales are just odd. Some great games tank and some games that should tank sell great. Galaxy is an interesting case study. While it's sales are certainely good they should be much higher. There are millions of Wii owners ignoring this title. Is it that they don't know about it or are they just not interested in 3D platforming?  With the userbase at the size it is now it'll be interesting to see how Galaxy 2 performs if this new userbase see advertising for it. 

So considering giants like Galaxy are clearly not meeting their sales potential it makes sense for publishers to be weary about new Wii investments. Especially after three earnest attempts.