Continuing on the whole “what the hell is wrong with Sega” train of thought….
I guess it goes without saying that video games have always been a major part of my life, and not just today where it literally pays for me to not only play as many games as possible, but to talk, write, and read about it practically non-stop.
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest in a small town called Lakewood, which is a part of Tacoma, which is just south of Seattle. Growing up, I was pretty shy and didn’t have too many friends. I lived in an apartment complex where there were other kids to play with, but not many my age. And given the type of neighborhood I was in, which was mostly woodland, it was somewhat dangerous to venture out and seek new friends (thought that never stopped me from trying). Plus I had no siblings, so I had to find ways to entertain myself, hence why I embraced drawing, reading comics, watching tons of television, and of course, playing video games.
Some people, when they see old pictures from their childhood, like that one summer they spent at camp or example, get a warm fuzzy feeling in which all the sights, sounds, and smells from that precise moment which come gushing back. As stupid as it sounds, I get the same way when I hear the sound Mega Man makes when he lands, or when I see the blue skies in the first level of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Nothing made me happier as a child then sitting in front of my the TV in my bedroom and spending hours up hours on any given game I had for the NES, SNES, and especially, the Genesis. And I think I was the happiest ten years ago, right around this time. It was the summer of ’94, and I did almost nothing but play Sonic 3, Gunstar Heroes, Ranger X, Lightening Force (Thunder Force 4) and Virtua Racing. I don’t know why I grew so attached to Sega’s 16-bitter; I grew up a total Nintendo nerd and loved all their games with all my heart.
But I also loved the underdog, and Sega wore that crown proudly. You just got the sense that the games for the Genesis tried harder, because they had to. The system was technically inferior when compared to the more colorful and better sounding SNES games at the time. And the end result were games that simply had to be good, there was just no way around it. Perhaps the fact that I also lived in Nintendo country made me want to be rebellious of sorts (pro Nintendo news items were common on the 5 o’clock news).
Though that’s not to say that Nintendo games were not great at the time; if anything, almost everything they released was top of the line, and I enjoyed every bit of it: Super Mario World, Super Mario All Stars, Mario Paint (which is how I sharpened my drawing on the computer chops, not Photoshop) A Link To The Past, Super Metroid, Starfox, and much more. But if a game came out for both systems, I almost always looked forward the Genesis version more, since again, I was rooting for the underdog.
It was a fine time to be embedded in a system war, perhaps the only time actually. The fact that I was a stupid teenage at the time is also, at the very least, a good excuse for such behavior. Though I honestly believe it was the only instance in which the rivalry between Sega and Nintendo really did help to produce positive results which ultimately made things better for themselves, as well as gamers. Things were still, more or less, on an evening playing field; the technology was good enough to produce some truly fantastic games, but there was still plenty left to look forward to (as opposed to today where we’re already at the top of the 3D mountain with realistic graphics, and notion of even more realistic graphics is almost sleep inducing).
All throughout the summer, I would spend each day and night playing mostly Genesis games, and any time in between was dedicated to reading video game mags, in which I would scour every page for any tidbit regarding all the new and wonderful systems that Sega was coming out with, like the 32X and the Saturn, as well as the awesome games that were sure to be a part of them. I handled each page, and scanned each screenshot, with the same level of reverence (and with a watery mouth) as a normal young boy would be when handling a Playboy. I spent hours composing wish lists of games which I knew I wanted, games which I knew were on the way, and weighing the pros and cons between titles and consoles.
“… Should I get the 32X? Maybe I should wait for the Saturn? Or how about both? If so, and a game came out for both platforms, what should I buy for which? Wow, I love Daytona USA, and I can’t wait to play it at home! And I can’t forget about the Genesis; what’s on the horizon for that? I just got Sonic 3, and they’re coming out for another one?! With lock-on technology?! Sweet! The first three Mega Mans are coming out for the Genesis? Holy shit!!! Hey, maybe I should get a Sega CD afterall, if only to play Sonic CD and Silpheed…”
From the games themselves, to the avenues of information, and even to the outlets in which to purchase them, it was simpler times. And video gaming was still pure.
But now, 10 years later, everything has changed. First off, we all know what happened to Sega: the 32X was a failure on multiple accounts which cost them dearly, Nintendo cemented their dominance with Donkey Kong Country, and soon Sony entered the picture and changed the playing field forever. Saturn had some stunning games, but the public was too in love with the PlayStation to take notice, and it was Mario 64 that finally took things “to the next level.” Sega then came out with yet another system, which was both extremely powerful and ready to usher in the future of gaming (via an included modem). The games which came about were part of a creative renaissance that was taking place within the company, and things couldn’t have looked any brighter, yet it simply wasn’t enough to compete in a vastly wider, and far more competitive, gaming landscape. Then desperation took over, and even more poor choices made, until all that was once known as ?Sega? was simply no more.
I think I speak for many people when I say that video games “died” just a small bit once Sega pulled out of the hardware business. I too had hopes that going software would give them a second life, but from what they’ve done thus far, and what they plan on doing, it ?s becoming more and more like a pipe-dream at this point. In fact, many of their current games and decisions borders on the embarrassing. It’s hard to see a might giant fallen when it was one which gave you so many good times. The Sega that I knew is dead.
But that’s just life; everything changes, and most certainly, video games have changed a lot. It’s no longer that thing I enjoyed as a dumb kid. Video games are officially mainstream and “everyone’s doing it”, even (or in some cases, especially) grownups. I knew things were never going to be the same when I told my dad that I had just been hired as a video game designer for Ubi Soft years ago. Growing up, he always got me the games that I wanted and all, but I could tell that he though it was all a waste of time and money. But once he realized that I now had a very well paying job thanks to all the “time wasted”, video games all of a sudden becamse a very good thing. Any search I undertook for a video game with him was no longer a pain in the ass but a potentially lucrative investment.
And many other people’s attitude has changed as well: There was a point where whenever I told any girl I was dating that I designed video games, they would all give me a look, either of confusion or disgust. Now they all think its neat. And the other night, I spent an entire evening playing video games with this one super cool (and super cute) girl, and she was kicking my ass in almost every title!
It’s now ten years later and this summer I find myself doing the same exact thing as before: I play games whenever I have time (or when I don’t) and still read about them (and God know, there’s more to read now than ever), but now, I also get to write about them, and even make them myself, plus teach others everything I know about them. By all accounts, I should be happy. But I’m not, or at least not as much I thought I would. Maybe it’s because I’m an adult and I have adult things to worry about, like taxes and relationships, but I’m still just as into comic, movies, and cartoons as before, and my enthusiasm for all those haven’t waned a single bit. And it’s not like games aren’t good anymore; in fact, I’d wager they’re better now they’ve ever been. Perhaps it’s because video games has become a job for me, it now sometime feels like a job. But again, it’s not a bad job, and I still can’t stand fellow reviewers when they bitch about playing a bad game (“Hey, we get paid to play video games. That’s like every teenager’s wet dream!”).
I guess the thrill is just gone, whatever that means…
