Sega has a long history of building up cool franchises and then ignoring them like a dead orphan. Here is the rundown of franchises that would still make money if Sega wasn't retarded:Alex Kidd- The awesome Master System and early Genesis had some good games going for it. Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, and Alex Kidd in Shinobi World (I miss Shinobi too) all hold a special place in my oldschool gaming heart. These games were nice platformers with enough charisma to compete with any Mario game. Too bad Sonic came along in the early 90's and Alex Kidd (Sega's initial mascot) was tossed to the side in favor of the blue hedgehog and his "Blast Processing". He has made a small comeback recently in a kart racer and Sega tennis game, but Alex has not starred in his own title in a long time. I think the time is ripe for Alex Kidd to return. Give him a new 2-D XBLA or PSN title...better yet call it Alex Kidd in Golden Axe World.
Phantasy Star- I know we get online Phantasy Star games all them time, but I am talking about the original series. Phantasy Star started as an awesome space adventure RPG on the Master System. The series ended with Phantasy Star IV on the Genesis, which happens to be the best RPG on the system and a strong contender for best RPG of the 16-bit generation, only behind the phenomenal Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI. Sega re-releases this series regularly on it's collection disc, so why not give it another shot? A new Phantasy Star could become the JRPG to beat Mass Effect...or at the least the horrid Star Ocean series.
Streets of Rage- The Streets of Rage series is the pinnacle of beat em ups. I loved Final Fight, but where was the kickass music? In Sega's SOR, that's where. I don't know when walking around punching 500 dudes in the face or kicking crazy trannys in the nuts got old, but it is time to bring it back. Also what other series let you do those cool things with a freakin' kangeroo?
Shenmue- The Dreamcast is my favorite retro system. Shenmue is one of the reasons it means so much to me. Ryo Hazuki, young karate student, has his father murdered right in front of him by a Chinese gangster known as Lan Di. Ryo then travels around Japan and China to find the bastard and uncover a plot about some magic mirrors along the way. The series stopped at the second game however, and Sega doesn't seem to care about finishing the plot since they lost a ton of money on the original two. I read in a recent issue of RetroGamer, that the rights to Shenmue are being offered by Sega to any company willing to finish the series. I hope someone takes them up of this offer. I hope even more that the company to pick it up is Bioware.
Golden Axe- Golden Axe: Beast Rider doesn't count as a new game in the series, I don't care what Dave Halverson has to say about it. Golden Axe was the essential Conan ripoff. It had brutal violence, scantly clad women, swords, and sorcery. I also loved kicking the crap out of little gnomes to get more magic. Here is some advice for Sega: Re-release Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder on XBLA or PSN, it will make you alot of money and make gamers happy.
Hopefully one day Sega gets their shit together and makes a return to the glory days. Bayonetta was incredible and Sonic 4 looks like it will be tons of fun; these are both steps in the right direction. If Sonic can make a comeback, then I have faith the franchises above can be revived as well.
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