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What grade would you give Microsoft as Sega's replacement?

J

JaxJag

Banned
So back years ago I was a part of an online Dreamcast community called Dricas World. It was a ladder site for various Dreamcast titles. I ended up meeting a lot of people on there, and 13 years later I still continue to play with a lot of those people.

The vast majority of that site migrated from the Dreamcast to the Xbox, and now the 360... I know it's purely anecdotal, but it seems for a lot of Sega fans the Xbox platform became to spiritual successor to the Dreamcast, especially with Microsoft's focus on online gaming while the other platforms showed very little interest in online.

I know I'm rambling a little, but basically Microsoft has replaced Sega over these past 12 years as one of the big three... I want you to grade Microsoft based on whether you believe Microsoft has been an adequate replacement for Sega as a platformer holder.
 
They have only replaced SEGA as a platform holder.

As a publisher it isn't even close. It's hilarious how bad they are compared to SEGA.
 
Xbox 1: Suitable. It continued, and improved upon, the Dreamcast's foray into online, and it had its fair share of unique and quirky titles, while having some fantastic AAA ones too.

Xbox 360, particularly of recent years: Horrible.
 
c+

Both Xbox and 360 are good consoles with great games but they focus on other stuff after a few years down the road. Also they will never replace Sega as a platform holder.
 
Xbox 1: C+
Xbox 360: F

Aside the brief period where Sega set-up shop on the Xbox 1, they couldn't be any further apart on the spectrum. During the DC days, Sega produced really unique, quirky arcade experiences, with a decidedly Japanese flavor (obv). Xbox's output today is the most westerny western output there ever existed, excluding PC. You need only look at the 360 Amazon Top 100 to get a sense how different.
 
raziel said:
Xbox 1: C+
Xbox 360: F

Aside the brief period where Sega set-up shop on the Xbox 1, they couldn't be any further apart on the spectrum. During the DC days, Sega produced really unique, quirky arcade experiences, with a decidedly Japanese flavor (obv). Xbox's output today is the most westerny western output there ever existed, excluding PC. You need only look at the 360 Amazon Top 100 to get a sense how different.
Click to expand...

To be fair, so is PS3's. Changing markets.

It is a criminal shame though. I really miss the diversity of Sega's offering on the Dreamcast. And the shear amount of first party titles was incredible too. Although rising game budgets would have put an end to that even if Sega was still making consoles.

I'd give Microsoft a high rating for bringing downloadable console games to the masses with XBLA. That saved this generation for me, and pushed Sony to compete and improved their downloadable output too. Without downloadable games, I likely would have given up on console gaming a long time ago altogether.
 
Owned every Sega machine. Dreamcast still collects dust in the garage.

Xbox B-

Xbox 360 A- (plus a lot of the Sega classics made it to the 360)

Xbox 720 ??? (I'm guessing they will reach A to A+ status)
 
Xbox: A. they filled the void quite nicely and had a nice supply of sega games like gunvalkyrie, crazy taxi 3, and panzer dragoon orta

Xbox 360 early years: B. games like dead rising, kameo, and the first gears of war were nice. There was still some push for innovation and carving a niche.

Xbox 360 later years: D. They rested on their laurels and the only good thing they still have going is XBLA thanks to stuff like Dust, Bastion, Limbo, shadow complex, hydro thunder, etc.
 
Right after the Dreamcast died, OG Xbox didn't inherit of Shinobi and Virtua Fighter 4 from PS2. Same with Super Monkey Ball, Billy Hatcher, the Sonic Adventure ports from the Gamecube, and dat talent behind F-Zero GX, which could have gone to an Xbox exclusive instead. But aside from that yeah, Xbox was pretty much the Dreamcast 2, with titles like Jet Set Radio Future, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Shenmue 2, Gunvalkyrie, Crazy Taxi 3, Outrun 2, Segat GT 2002 and publishing Japanese flavored and unique Otogi series.
In general I think Sega was one of the big contributors to the soul and personality of the OG Xbox with typical Japanese flavored console games (along with Tecmo/Team Ninja)
So I give it a B+ as a worthy Sega flagbearer. But XBOX 360? With what games exactly?
 
Dorimukyasuto said:
SONY did a better job. If that even makes sense.
Click to expand...

Sony really replaced Nintendo and that's what they set out to do after Nintendo fucked them over in the early 90s

Microsoft essentially replaced Sega. It was essentially dreamcast 2.0 backed by a bigger more financially stable company. Even some sega people switched over to run the division like Peter Moore.
 
Dreamcast and Mega Drive were better than Xbox 1 but 360 is better than any Sega console. Hard to grade them though because I don't really see the similarities here.
 
As a sega replacement? F.

Simple, if they actually did a decent job then I wouldn't wish SEGA to re-enter the console market 10 years after they left.
 
Their hardware is fine (excepting the shoddily manufactured early 360s and the original duke controller), but I generally don't care about the games they've published. I'd much rather have Sega's output in terms of software. So by that subjective standard I'd probably give them a low C or high D. That said, I can at least appreciate their impact on the Western market, even if the content isn't my bag.
 
ASIS said:
As a sega replacement? F.

Simple, if they actually did a decent job then I wouldn't wish SEGA to re-enter the console market 10 years after they left.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what, as a hardware maker, Microsoft can be seen as doing that is inferior to Sega. They took online and ran with it and revolutionised what a console OS should be.

As a first party they don't have shit on Sega, but not being a first party isn't preventing Sega from making good games.
 
Anticitizen One said:
Xbox: A. they filled the void quite nicely and had a nice supply of sega games like gunvalkyrie, crazy taxi 3, and panzer dragoon orta

Xbox 360 early years: B. games like dead rising, kameo, and the first gears of war were nice. There was still some push for innovation and carving a niche.

Xbox 360 later years: D. They rested on their laurels and the only good thing they still have going is XBLA thanks to stuff like Dust, Bastion, Limbo, shadow complex, hydro thunder, etc.
Click to expand...

Completely False no matter what the detractors say.

They released the most expensive game in Xbox history only 6 months ago.

Far cry from resting on their laurels.
 
Nothing close to the level of fresh incredible software the Dreamcast exhibited, and hell, even the early Xbox thanks to Smilebit.

Maybe if Microsoft had just bought Sega, but then might not have got the only 2 things worth a shit from Sega in recent years: Yakuza and Valkyria.
 
breakfuss said:
ta ta, 360's market share would like a word with you.
Click to expand...
Huh.
Since when were we talking about market share? It's about replacement of an older brand, even if they had 99% of the market share if someone thinks [insert company name] replaced them better then it's their opinion.

Hardware and features: B- (I'm on my 6th 360 ffs..)
Software: D (OG Xbox was awesome though)
 
As Sega's replacement? F-

Sega in their prime made some of the best games ever, MS has never really been known for vast amounts of amazing first party games. Their skill has been in developing their OS, online gaming and pushing XBLA games, with a few big exclusives like Halo. MS strength has never been games like Sega and Nintendo, but they do really well in things surrounding gaming

As a competitor that replaced Sega i would give Microsoft B+

They certainly gave Sony a run for their money this gen, and are really strong in North America, while doing just fine in Europe.

I do question whether MS will ever win the prestigious and revered "console warz", or are they destined to be number 2-3 forever, just like Sega was. Without Japan it handicaps them, even if Japan is not as important as it used to be, even with a year headstart and much cheaper console than the PS3, they just got or about to lose second place to a competitor that made every mistake possible, all because they have no presence in Japan and main Europe got lost.

Despite the constant aruging between the sides, MS is a lot more like Sony than they are like Sega/Nintendo. Both MS and Sony focus on vast amounts of third party titles, multimedia functions, with a few big first party exclusives. They target the exact same audience

However if they really focus on Europe and NA this upcoming gen, then they have a chance to dominate
 
Sony had an earnestness and passion about them with the PS1 that helped them destroy Sega, as Sega at that point were arrogant and bloated and pretty much helped kill themselves. Sega got that earnestness back for the DC but by that point they were beyond help.

Sony got arrogant. MS came along and as others have said, with the original Xbox, they had a similar earnestness and the machine itself was fantastic.

My prime console ownership from 95' onwards has been PS1 > DC > Xbox 1 > 360. However I think we're going full circle. I still love my 360 but MS seem arrogant at this point and Sony seem to be making the right noises about having that earnestness back. E3 will be very interesting.
 
I really like both the Xbox and the 360. But come on, this isnt even close. If I had to grade them it would be an F. NOTHING of today can compare to the Sega of old.
 
Hardware wise they have done a good job, but MS don't support their platform in the same way as Sega did theirs, most of the time they rely on 3rd parties to sell their platform.

Which for me is not a good thing, Sony are in the middle and Nintendo are the polar opposite to MS.

Edit:- I would say that Xbox 1 was a good substitute but only because Sega released a lot of good games on that system :P
 
As much as I love the Saturn and especially the Dreamcast, MS have proven to be a strong force in gaming, much more than Sega were in their latter years, so I'd give them a B.

They need to invest in more first party studios as well as fostering some good second party studios and not really so much on third party titles with a smattering of first party titles in safe, established franchises that are starting to lose their appeal.
 
Last good game SEGA made (while in the console business) was Sonic The Hedgehog 2. Microsoft hasn't at least matched that?
 
breakfuss said:
Last good game SEGA made (while in the console business) was Sonic The Hedgehog 2. Microsoft hasn't at least matched that?
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