Composing a list of ways sega has screwed foreign fans

[Naros]

Yo! :)

This needn't be a nasty discussion, but for the sake of posterity, I'd like to collect a list of reasons foreign fans feel SEGA has let them down, both recently and in distant memory.

I feel like this is a worthwhile task and topic, as collectively we can evaluate the validity of our unhappy feelings towards SEGA over their current and past activity and perhaps objectively examine why they may have acted in such a manner.

This thread will act as a SNOPES (rumor check) of discontent surrounding SEGA. We'll sort out the valid complaints from the misunderstandings.

Please comment and I'll add to he list as we go. Please be as concise as possible, as I will be copy and pasting the essential part of your message to add to the list.


Current areas of interest (please comment):
-I've heard claims that the Dreamcast was doing well in the US, but SEGA axed it due to being a failure in Japan. Can anyone verify this and link us to a source?


LIST:

[Blitzkommando]

Well, they continued to sell the Dreamcast and new games were published for it after sales ceased in the US. It died in the US, in part, because EA gave the platform the bird and went with the competitions' platforms.

As for disappointments Sega is to games as George Lucas is to movies. They reel you in with something wonderful only to retcon the whole thing to hell and back with sequels and prequels and put out rehashed 'reimaginings' (that is to say, they continue to port the games indefinitely that end up with minor changes each time). Thus we have fifty different variants of Sonic Adventure now on fifty different platforms that are all 'pretty much the same' but 'different'.

Sega's American branch isn't the problem so much as Sega just being Sega.

[Polly]

Sega of Japan hates Sega of America. It goes all the way back to the '90's. This is the only how and why. Everything in the middle is just the result of that dumb, prideful grudge.

[CelestialBlade]

Sega of Japan hates Sega of America. It goes all the way back to the '90's. This is the only how and why. Everything in the middle is just the result of that dumb, prideful grudge.
To add to this truth, Sega of Japan does not give a fuck about anything outside of its Japanese market. If they're going to pool money into anything, it damn well better have some level of payback for Japan. They don't give two fucks about Sega of America or anything outside Nippon.

[Nitro Vordex]

If they'd pull their head out of their asses, they could see the market over here.

Your first post is basically a "y u mad" thread?

[Atbar]

Spikes in Sonic games.

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130304122441/sonic/images/d/d3/Spikes_in_Sonic_the_Hedgehog_4.png

What, you wanted me to take this seriously?

[Naros]

I couldn't agree more about ignoring the value of foreign markets, but can you guys cite specific examples?

[Emp]

I can cite examples of how english versions have been worse than jp.

[Naros]

I can cite examples of how english versions have been worse than jp.

That'd be good. Could you concisely outline which games have been seriously delayed or had worse features than their JP counterpart?

[blace]

To name a few, Phantasy Star Portable for its western release was stripped of it's DLC content, Phantasy Star Portable 2 had DLC content for Japan and Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity was never scheduled for release outside of Japan.

[jooozek]

out of curiosity, what dlc content? surely not some licensed franchise stuff?

[Mike]

out of curiosity, what dlc content? surely not some licensed franchise stuff?
All of it: licensed promo content and original game content. Portable 1 had a number of downloadable missions. A number of end-game weapons were only obtainable from these missions and the lack of these missions meant the weapons weren't available without cheating in the English version since the drop tables weren't changed. Portable 2 had new weapons and costumes available on the Playstation Network Store in addition to download missions available from Sega. Portable 2 even had a two Maximum Attack events! The English version got nothing. The drop tables were changed and the first Maximum Attack mission was included in the data to make sure everything in the game was actually obtainable though. Some licensed content (Toro/Kuro, Moba Yubi?), despite being included with the game data, was also cut. I've probably left something out but I think that's the gist of it.

[Kierto]

Sega hate America, but they love Europe! <3

[blace]

From what I do remember, SoA had created Sonic 2 which had been improved over Sonic 1 and SoJ saw it as a dominance related issue. They soon took the reins and basically shoved game development out of their hands and assigned them translation and localization of products as well as forcing several console ideas onto SoA, effectively backlogging them with work.

The ironic part is that Sega started as an American company to service arcades and started taking root in Japan due to pachinko parlors needing their machines serviced.

[Emp]

Sega hate America, but they love Europe! <3

I dont recall Europe getting infinity. Rofl.

[Randomness]

With regards to the online, it's SoJ screwing SoA.

[ShinMaruku]

Foreign fans are screwing themselves supporting a game outside their region too.

[Naros]

These are some good replies. If you could find a news article or other source to back up what you're saying, that'd be really helpful. That way, we'll have a list of infractions and proof thereof.

Thanks

[Nilkemios]

Foreign fans are screwing themselves supporting a game outside their region too.

Truer words have rarely been spoken. Sadly, they either don't realize that or don't care.

[Akaimizu]

I dont recall Europe getting infinity. Rofl.

But at least they still have Phantasy Star Portable 2 still in their PSN, and with that, Vita compatibility. Once the US version was taken down, nothing was ever done to bring it back.

As of right now, it seems Sega only has Sonic as anything they seem deemed for Western Markets. Anything else is just some joint 3rd party project needing Sega as a publisher.

[Emp]

But at least they still have Phantasy Star Portable 2 still in their PSN, and with that, Vita compatibility. Once the US version was taken down, nothing was ever done to bring it back.

As of right now, it seems Sega only has Sonic as anything they seem deemed for Western Markets. Anything else is just some joint 3rd party project needing Sega as a publisher.

PSP2 was compatible with the Vita in Europe? o.o WTH

[blace]

PSP2 was compatible with the Vita in Europe? o.o WTH
I've read different and that all versions of PSP2 is not compatible.

[Varric]

Spikes in Sonic games.

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130304122441/sonic/images/d/d3/Spikes_in_Sonic_the_Hedgehog_4.png

What, you wanted me to take this seriously?

Disregard other posts. Listen to this.

[Powder Keg]

The entire company just needs to be rebuilt from the inside out. They need new management since the company clearly has no direction or drive for business, role clarity for employees so that jobs stop getting eliminated (that's management responsibility, again), marketing, and fan appeal. They currently lack all of these things, and very much so. The role clarity and management could be a problem with Sega of America...I couldn't tell you, but I see no evidence of SOJ trying to push anything outside of their territory.

[Mystil]

Discontinuation of the Dreamcast is all you need on your list. That's where everything Sega changed from that point forward. And it wasn't good changes.

[Scrub]

The reason the Dreamcast was discontinued is because it was a hunk of shit that was killing the company. The fact that the Dreamcast was created at all is a better indication of Sega's idiocy and failure to understand actual business.

[ShinMaruku]

Sega could have had a console with PlayStation and Saturn titles they turned that down. You will learn to doubt Sega.