12.10.1999
| The Hype | Index
> Will the Sega Dreamcast go against another next generation console in
America by Christmas 2000? If you believe the hype, Sega has already
lost the battle, the next competitor "is here" and it's 25x more powerful
than Dreamcast. The next war is over before it started, or is it???
> Now, in just about every magazine you can read an article detailing Sega's
"failed history" when offering advice on whether to buy or wait.
It's funny how we never seem to find historic articles regarding Betamax,
MiniDisc, Hook (for Sega CD by Sony), overheating, console replacement,
and the percentage of Playstations that are in working order! So
what is one to do?
> Should you risk enjoying 40+ currently available American Dreamcast games
from Sega and a host of third party publishers? Should you wait 12(?) months
for "the most powerful system ever imagined and created", 75 million polygons,
250 games, no modem, insured dominance, and enough emotion to turn you
into a basket-case? Should you wait until Project-X becomes the technological
leader? Should you wait until Dolphin becomes the technological leader
and delivers Nintendo quality? I don't know what's right for you,
but Sega's software has never let
me down!
Good Gaming,
-Necromancer
What do you think? Email
(comprehensible English only)
08.27.1999
| Blame The DFPs? | Index
> I would like to know... If I say that a media source is a DFP,
then does this equate to blaming them for Sega's inability to sell as many
Saturns as Sony has sold PSXs??? Does disagreeing with someone that
claims the Saturn is dead equate
to blaming them for the fact that Saturn consoles are no longer in production???
When I say that playing Sega CD games is fun -- does that mean that I blame
the media for the Sega CD's relative unpopularity??? Does expressing
my opinion that the 32X does have
merit
automatically mean that disgruntled videogame store employees are to blame
for its early demise???
> If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, then I'd like your
side of the story as it seems quite a stretch (to me) that any are
true.
For the record... for complete clarification... so that nobody
that reads this article can slip through the cracks...
> I created the acronym DFP to describe an attitude many media sources
have taken with regards to Sega and its products. Nowhere, at any
time, have I ever claimed to know exactly what effect this may have
on the general gaming public. Obviously, I believe that when they
needlessly
diss Sega consoles that it doesn't do Sega any good. Why? Because
there are too many uninformed people out there that, for
whatever reason, can't seem to properly inform themselves about
the whole truth when it comes to Sega. Whatever the media's
effect is, there's one thing for sure. I can't accurately
quantify
it or record its grip over the long haul among a gameplaying public as
large and diverse as ours.
> Therefore, it is my belief that you are fooling yourself if you
think that the media has no effect on people's opinions, beliefs
and actions. Think about it... If the media had no effect,
then what good would they be to anyone? As a matter
of fact, I happen to believe that Sega is currently enjoying a positive
effect from the media hype about the Uberconsole. I welcome any and
all comments and criticisms on this subject...
Good Gaming,
-Shinobi
What do you think? Email
(comprehensible English only)
08.06.1999
| I Like Options... | Index
> Many people and the media have pushed forth the notion that add-ons for
consoles are a complete waste of time. For instance, Sega has been
verbally and financially punished for daring to provide the OPTION to add-on
the Sega CD and/or 32X to a Genesis. Now the last time I checked...
these add-ons were OPTIONAL. Obviously, not enough people opted to
buy these add-ons in order to create sales figures to match the Genesis.
Remember one thing though... items like the Sega CD, N64 Expansio Pak,
Power Base Converter, 32X, X-Band, NetLink or VGA Box would not be OPTIONAL
if everybody had to buy one in order to use the base console...
> I like having OPTIONS with gaming consoles. Many gamers hail companies
for releasing tons of games for a given console... which provides
them with -- yup, OPTIONS. The PSX2 (at this point anyway) will have
OPTIONAL internet compatibility via 56k modem, cable modem, etc.... as
an add-on. I see nothing wrong with this. Face it, PCs
have nearly unlimited options when it comes to upgrading -- so what's so
bad about having some hardware options for a gaming console? Sure
you can bitch about lack of support or whatever, but anytime you have the
best or latest OPTION you run the risk of not getting equal support.
Think about it... how long did it take 3D cards to get real support
amongst PC developers? I'll bet if you asked around, you could find
a lot of early buyers who saw merit in 3D hardware upgrades even though
support was initially weak. These people liked being "ahead of the
curve" -- by CHOICE, I might add. From a financial standpoint, the
Sega CD didn't light the world on fire, but CD-ROMs have become the standard.
This is the bottom line: I'll take the power of CHOICE and the advantage
of OPTIONS over boring, cookie cutter, everyone gets the same setup mentality.
> This brings me to the intriguing part. Will the DFPs embrace Sony's
effort to provide hardware OPTIONS or will they endlessly question Sony's
decision to provide hardware OPTIONS (as they do Sega)??? Will gamers
embrace Sega for making a 128 bit console which is upgrade-able???
We know that the Dreamcast will get a Zip drive and possibly "when the
time is right" a DVD drive. We also know that it's possible to add-on
hardware to the Dreamcast, change the CPU and the modem. The question
is, will people peacefully allow OPTIONS or will they bitch???
Good Gaming,
-Necromancer
What do you think? Email
(comprehensible English only)
07.21.1999
| Who's Been Forced? | Index
> There is a lot of talk on the internet about whether Sega can succeed
or not based on their history. Many people say they've been burned
by Sega over and over and therefore, refuse to give the Dreamcast a second
look. One thing is for sure -- there are a lot of people out their
that don't like, trust and/or plan to support Sega.
> It's too bad that some people have slipped through the cracks into videogame
hell after buying a Sega console(s). After all, we all know that
the media keeps us apprised of all the strengths and weaknesses of a given
console. Then there's the informed, well intentioned sales clerks
who work at stores that sell videogames -- we know they would never steer
us wrong. I'm sure your friends would tell you their honest opinion
on a given console. So... with all this good information at
one's disposal, just how does someone slip through the cracks???
> Could it be Sega's inadequate marketing strategy that convinced would-be
suckers into their consoles? Could it be the lack of software choices
(in America) that drew unsuspecting gameplayers into Sega's lair?
Maybe some people buy Sega consoles because they know that a more powerful
system from Sega or some other company is always just around the corner?
Many people think Sega consoles have inferior technology -- maybe this
is a selling point???
> I don't know why others buy Sega consoles, but I do know what keeps me
coming back for more. Sega has the largest selection of consoles
and arcade machines. Sega has more total published games for all
these consoles and arcade machines than any other company. Sega has
always been a technology leader in the arcades and at home. Sega
has always made my favorite games. Most importantly, Sega has always
made the consoles which play my favorite games.
> Yes... this includes even the 32X. I like my 32X not because
it has the most games, or the most developers, or the longest retail life,
or the best ad campaign. I like it because it plays some of my favorite
games and nobody can take that away from the system. Imagine this
-- if Final Fantasy VII were released on 32X, would it suck just because
the 32X didn't sell well, or have the most games??? Of course not!
> The bottom line is simple. Nobody in America forces you to buy
a Sega product. Most people would say the media informs people very
well. I strongly suggest you make informed decisions throughout your
life -- including when it comes time to buy any console. If a console
doesn't have the games you want, then don't buy it...
Good Gaming,
-Shinobi
What do you think? Email
(comprehensible English only)
|
