Sega has a long list of original IP that they haven’t touched in years, which is sad because they have plenty of excellent games. In more recent years they shifted their focus to what they called their “three pillar games:” Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War, and Football Manager. Recently, the SEGA Sammy group released their “Road To 2020” document,which revealed plans to bring back older IP, and for any long-term Sega fan it’s a reason to get excited. So let’s dig back into all those great game libraries of old, from the Dreamcast back to the Master System, and speculate on some of the games they should bring back.
Dragon Force
Dragon Force only appeared on the Sega Saturn in America but saw both a sequel and re-release in Japan. This strategy-RPG featured 100 vs 100 battles, generals launching special moves at each other, negotiating and recruiting more generals, and kingdoms vying for control of the land. To modernize this concept, they should look towards the newer Fire Emblem entries for inspiration. Adding deeper connections with your generals and offering more customization options while bringing the series onto new consoles would add for bigger and more dynamic battles.
Baku Baku Animals
We could always use more puzzle games. There hasn’t been a new Bejeweled or Puzzle Fighter in years and with the recent release of Puyo Puyo Tetris, now would be the perfect time for a new Baku Baku Animals. It was released on the Saturn and never received a sequel, but its simple play, similar to Puyo Puyo’s matching, is both welcoming to newcomers and offers enough depth to keep players entertained for quite some time. It wouldn’t even need to be on a console—given the proliferation of smartphones it would make a great mobile game.
Jet Set Radio
Praised for its dope soundtrack, cartoony visuals and excellent character designs that are still unique to this day, the only thing that hasn’t held up are the controls. To be honest, the controls weren’t exactly stellar back then but the world was enough to keep us entertained. It would be neat to see this game again but as a rhythm-action game. Racking up a score by doing tricks while hitting the beats of the song would give the series something fresh to cling to while keeping the spirit of its predecessors.
Virtua Cop
In the year of our Lord, 2017, we have virtual reality headsets, motion tracking cameras, motion controls, and even augmented reality, AND YET, beyond some shooting gallery type games, there hasn’t been a resurgence in the light gun. Of course, HD TVs have rendered the technology obsolete, but I’m sure modern science can find a way. With the release of the Nintendo Switch and the versatility of the Joy-Con, a new Virtua Cop or a remake of the original three games would be welcome.
Fighters Mega Mix
The last time a Virtua Fighter game was released was 2012. Other than that its characters have gone on to appear in the Project X Zone games and even Dead or Alive 5. It would be great to get another entry in the series but I propose we bring back all of Sega’s fighting games. The original Fighters Mega Mix was the last time we saw any of the Fighting Vipers and I would definitely pay for another chance to play as Hornet, the Daytona USA car. It wouldn’t even need a gameplay update, just a graphical one. And they could expand the roster into other Sega games. One of the Virtua-On robots vs. Baoh. Football Manager vs. Jackie Bryant. Billy Hatcher vs. Knuckles. The possibilities are endless!
Skies of Arcadia
Of any older JRPG, Skies of Arcadia is the one that would benefit most from a sequel. The original was already an ambitious and well-liked game with engaging characters and story, two different combat systems for on foot and airship battles, and plenty of secrets to be found in the open world. A new one wouldn’t even have to have the same characters—to have the same setting and spirit would be good enough. And it’s not like Sega has forgotten about this game, as characters like Vyse have appeared in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and both Vyse and Aika popped up in Valkyria Chronicles.
Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage 2 is my favorite Genesis game and I would love a new one. On one hand, it should get the Double Dragon Neon treatment of becoming a parody of its time period. On the other hand, I think it would be neat for it to be a lite version of the Yakuza games. Turning it into a 3D open world game and having the stages translate into various parts of the city could give more personality to the neon city. Defeating a boss could deal a blow to Mr. X and every boss you take down makes the final conflict easier. They could take a note from that fan-made Streets of Rage remake and have a large varied cast. Regardless, Sega, please gives us a new Streets of Rage.
Toy Commander
I’ve always had a penchant for games where you play as a smaller thing in relation to the larger beings in the world. Giant Land in Super Mario Bros 3, Micro Machines and even Rocket League to some extent all scratch that itch. Remember those awful Army Men games by 3DO? Toy Commander was like that but if the designers actually gave a damn. You’d use various toy vehicles to solve puzzles and fight other toys like a mechanized teddy bear. The game also included a multiplayer battle mode with the kind of car combat that’s rarely seen nowadays. A sequel would be a great downloadable title and with the prevalence of DLC, it would give an excuse to return to it every few months.
Shinobi
I know invoking the name of Platinum Studios to do their take on an action game is fairly rote but if there is one series that calls for Platinum’s touches, it’s Shinobi. Whether it’s a resurrection of the older Shinobi games starring Joe Musashi or a sequel to the PS2 Shinobi, all I would want from this game is the swordplay from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Combining Raiden’s slicing-and-dicing with the Musashi ninjutsu spells while cutting a bloody swath through a rival ninja clan sounds like a good time to me. It could even retain the weird, almost copyright infringing boss fights against Not-Batman, Not-Terminator and Not-Godzilla from Revenge of Shinobi.
Crazy Taxi
The Dreamcast was very good at translating arcade titles for home releases. Crazy Taxi was one of those games with its timing-based levels and wild driving speeds. My only request for an update would be for more levels and maybe more than four Offspring and Bad Religion songs. (Or just maybe no Offspring songs at all? I’d be fine with that.) While the original games are fairly barebones on content, adding a competitive multiplayer and leaderboard would add some necessary bulk to the otherwise slim game. I, for one, am ready to make some crazy money once again.
Phantasy Star
These days, I would guess most gamers would think Online or Universe when it comes to the Phantasy Star series, and seeing as the original mainline RPGs haven’t been seen since 1995, that’s not surprising. Within the past few years Sega acquired Atlus, who makes the Shin Megami Tensei series, which would be a great template for a new Phantasy Star single player RPG. Seeing as it’s been nearly 30 years since the original, a remake to familiarize videogame fans wouldn’t be the worst idea.
Gunstar Heroes
Out of all the games on this list, Gunstar Heroes is the one I’ve heard more people clamor for a sequel. With the rise of local co-op games in the past few years, and the Switch making local co-op easier than ever, a new entry into the series would be more than welcome. Both Treasure and the original director, Tetsuhiko Kikuchi, are still making games, and (if you don’t count the Virtual Console and compilations) the game has been rereleased twice, for the Game Boy Advance and 3DS, with improvements on the formula both times. Even just an HD remake would suffice.
Terence Wiggins is the co-host of the podcast Whatever We Call It, the creator of the videogame online zine We <3 Video Games, the cookie wizard behind The Black Nerd’s Baked Goods, and the Internet’s best friend. He’s on Twitter @TheBlackNerd.