Back To The Noughties
Nick’s time machine is settling down in February 2001. Will you join him?
The hot topic on everyone’s lips this month was the state of Sega and its Dreamcast, with rumours swirling that the company was ready to pull the plug on its home console hardware. “Is the DC on life support?” asked Andrew Dixon in CVG’S Mailbag. “It would be a surprising capitulation by Sega,” remarked Michael Lowry-philips in a letter to Video Gamer. “Personally 2000 was… well… maybe the less said the better,” said Sega’s Toshihiro Nagoshi, in his column for Edge. The Official Playstation 2 Magazine even claimed that Acclaim had already signed a deal to bring Sega games to Sony’s console, starting with Crazy Taxi. But no magazine was prepared to go on the record and say that the Dreamcast was finished – except one.
Video Gamer claimed to have spoken to an anonymous source within Sega, who claimed that, “Sega has decided to concentrate on what they do best – produce and develop great games.” The claims were officially denied by both Sega Europe and Sega Of America, the latter stating that,
“We reconfirm our commitment to Dreamcast and the continued support of Dreamcast – not just in software, but hardware too.” However, according to the leak Sega would be making an official announcement on 30 January (just as the magazine went on sale), stating that the Dreamcast production line would shut down in March but that software support would continue throughout 2001 and beyond. Sega would simultaneously announce its intention to develop for all other formats, as well as a deal with Pace to integrate Dreamcast technology into cable and satellite set-top boxes.
Initial responses from industry figures contacted by Video Gamer were broadly positive. Sarah Chudley of Bizarre Creations said “It’s got to be positive news for gamers, as Sega’s strength has always been its games,” and a spokesperson from Sony in
Japan said “This is a welcome move for Playstation 2. Sega has excellent technology, and a pool of popular games software.” The magazine speculated that the PS2 would soon see NIGHTS Into Dreams, Ecco The Dolphin, Virtua Fighter 3, Space
Channel 5 and Jet Set Radio, while the Game Boy Advance would receive versions of Power Drift, Streets Of Rage, Sakura Taisen, Sonic and Outrun.
When the date rolled around, everything happened exactly according to the leak, effectively ending Sega’s 18 years in the console hardware business. Major news outlets picked up on the story, and the numbers outlined by the BBC showed the necessity of the move. Sega had sold 2.32 million Dreamcasts from April to December, missing sales targets by 44 per cent, and was forecasting a loss of 58.3 billion Yen – a massive £340 million. Caught out by print deadlines, the rest of the gaming press would have to wait to pass comment.
The biggest game in for review this month was easily Square’s hotly anticipated Final Fantasy IX. The latest instalment in the long-running Japanese RPG series felt like a throwback to older games in the franchise, as it favoured fantasy over the sci-fi themes that had become prevalent in the last few Playstation entries. CVG’S Maura Sutton offered it the full five stars, claiming that, “There are plenty of moments here that you will still be talking about in years to come.” Less successful was Sony’s rival entry into the Playstation RPG market, Legend Of Dragoon. It wasn’t a bad game – just one that “wants so badly to be Final Fantasy VII” according to Video Gamer’s Mike Jenkins, who awarded it 7/10. CVG’S Johnny Minkley awarded three stars, opining that the game required “superhuman patience” and that “the sheer dedication required at first, may put many people off.”
Dreamcast fans who hadn’t immediately binned their systems were also treated to a delightful Japanese RPG, Grandia II. Edge offered it 7/10, saying,“while it doesn’t exactly forge its way into uncharted territory, Grandia II pushes all the right RPG buttons,” while CVG gave four stars, claiming that there were, “enough well-scripted twists and turns to keep you glued to the screen”. Importers looking for something that doesn’t involve turn-based combat would have been interested in Edge’s 8/10 review of Guilty Gear X, a beautiful 2D fighting game. Interestingly, the reviewer claimed that “the fact that it is not Street Fighter is the bait that should entice most fighting disciples” – make of that what you will.
Playstation 2 owners were served with a conversion of the PC multiplayer hit Unreal Tournament, which received 8/10 in Official Playstation 2 Magazine. This was despite reviewer Jamie Sefton’s warning of serious framerate issues, where he noted, “After playing a copy of Unreal Tournament on a two-year-old P266 PC with a rubbishy 3D card we found it still runs smoother – not what you want to hear if you’re the owner of a shiny new PS2.” PC gamers also finally got the long-awaited Giants: Citizen Kabuto, a quirky game which blended shooting and strategy and had been doing the press rounds since the first issue of Arcade back in 1998. Video Gamer awarded it 9/10 and Edge 8/10, with the former calling it, “An contender for the best game of 2001.”
Check back next month for more news, reviews and juicy stories from the Sega fallout.