One of the oldest names in the world of gaming is Sega. The company which helped kickstart the arcade revolution of the 1980s also brought the heat to the console world in the 1990s with the Genesis. While their subsequent consoles never reached those heights, Sega consistently pushed video games forward with innovative gameplay in high-end titles.
The true alternative in gaming, Sega was known for arcade-like action that was both frantic and fast. Yet, most of their historic catalog is left in the past. Regardless, we still want to see new entries to franchises we used to adore and we want to highlight the ones we miss the most. Here are 10 classic Sega franchises that need new games.
10 Crazy Taxi
In a way, Sega has kept the Crazy Taxi franchise alive — just not in the way we’d like. The most recent entry released in 2017 with the IOS title Crazy Taxi Tycoon, but that was more of a typical mobile idle game. Before that, Sega released a different mobile entry in 2014, Crazy Taxi City Rush, which played more like Temple Run. You can see where we are going with this.
This Sega Dreamcast (and arcade) franchise blended punk-rock with high octane action where players would pick up different passengers with varying destination distances in an attempt to rack up the biggest pay-day possible. While the basic premise might need an update to work in modern gaming, we deserve another true entry!
9 Sega Bass Fishing
OK, hear us out. Sega Bass Fishing is way cooler than the name suggests. This arcade fisher made for the Sega Dreamcast came with its own reel. The gameplay features four stages across different times of day where players are required to capture specifically weighted fish in a time limit.
While the concept was simple enough, the mechanics were very deep and they strike the perfect balance between real-life physics with arcadey gameplay. Yet, despite this, we’ve only seen one version of the game. Still, it’s been ported to PC along with the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii — so it’s not completely forgotten.
8 Panzer Dragoon
Panzer Dragoon was a fantastic on-rail shooter originally developed by Team Andromeda in 1995 with future five sequels (one of which was developed by Smilebit). Taking the reigns of a dragon rider taking down an evil empire, each game was a master-class in how to build a game in this genre. The gameplay is fluid, the combat is satisfying, and each game looked great for their time. It was so great, in fact, that Sega even experimented with an RPG in the series.
Unfortunately, however, after the release of Panzer Dragoon Orta on the Xbox, Sega stopped making sequels. Now, they are working on remasters of the first two games, so there is hope that there might be more down the line, but after 20 years, we wonder if that will ever happen.
7 Golden Axe
When discussing the transition Sega made from arcades to the home market, it’s hard to ignore how important Golden Axe was. Released in 1989, the same year as the Genesis, this game was the bridge between the two worlds. That said, it couldn’t have been a better way to show that we can get arcade experiences at home. The premise was simple enough, with most games in the franchise working as side-scrolling beat-em-ups with multiple characters to choose from — each of which plays a little differently — Golden Axe has a bit of something for everyone.
Sega did try to revive this series in 2008 with Golden Axe: Beast Rider on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but the transition to the modern world of gaming was rough. Shifting the perspective into the 3D plane, this game was clunky and lacked music the series was known for.
6 Shinobi
Believe it or not, Shinobi was kind of a pseudo-mascot for Sega before Sonic The Hedgehog. Released in 1987 for arcades, the franchise, starring the ninja Joe Musashi, mixed fast-paced sidescrolling action with brawler mechanics, similar to Ninja Gaiden. Spawning several sequels, Shinobi was one of the more hardcore franchises in Sega’s library, but it never quite reached the heights of some of their other monster franchises.
In the PlayStation 2 era, Sega released a new entry, and it was praised for its high production value, fluid combat, and insane difficulty. It spawned a sequel, but it never left Japan. Sega tried again with a much poorer received title on the 3DS in 2011, and since then, the franchise has remained dormant.
5 Beyond Oasis
Beyond Oasis, or The Story of Thor: A Successor of the Light depending on where you’re from — had all the potential in the world to be another one of Sega’s big franchises. Developed by Ancient and released in 1994 in Japan (1995 in North America), the game follows Prince Ali, who happened upon the mystical “golden armlet” only spoken of in legend. Now, he must travel the oasis with said piece of jewelry in an attempt to summon elemental spirits in an attempt to stop an evildoer who found the equally powerful “silver armlet”. Inspired by The Legend of Zelda, this action-adventure feels familiar to anyone who played A Link To The Past or Secret of Mana. It even spawned a sequel on the Sega Saturn.
Despite this, however, after this final entry in the series, Sega has not made another. It’s a shame too, because, as we’ve seen with the titles it took inspiration from, it could make the transition to more modern gaming sensibilities.
4 Gunstar Heroes
While Nintendo fans stood behind Contra (which wasn’t even exclusive to that brand), Sega fans answered with Gunstar Heroes. Developed by a group of former Konami employees, Treasure, Gunstar Heroes is a fast-paced side-scrolling shmup that is considered one of the best games ever.
While technically not a “franchise” — there’s only the one game — it’s been ported enough that we can put it on this list. Considering the game released in 1993, we don’t think Sega has any plans to revive this masterpiece, but in today’s market, there are so many ways it could come back!
3 NiGHTS
Developed by Sonic team in 1996, NiGHTS: Into Dreams is really the flagship title on the Sega Saturn. Iconic for its androgynous lead character, Nights, and its unique gameplay, which mixes side-scrolling action with flying mechanics, this title didn’t get enough love in its release. That was mostly because it launched on Sega’s least popular console, but even with a “killer app” like this, it wasn’t enough.
Sega later revived the franchise on the Wii with NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, but this time, the game lacked a certain polish. Criticized for its motion controls, this comeback was poorly received.
2 Alex Kidd
Before there was Sonic The Hedgehog, Sega’s flagship property was Alex Kidd, with the titular hero acting as the company’s mascot from 1986 until the blue blur ran past our screens for the first time. With several entries in the franchise, these games were high-quality 2D platformers where players would punch and kick their way to boss battles which ended in a game of rock-paper-scissors.
Equal parts fun and bizarre, this franchise had a lot of heart behind it, but since 1990, Sega has had no interest in revisiting the series. Still, we get Alex Kidd In The Enchanted Castle included in ever Sega Genesis collection, and the franchise’s protagonist is included in titles like Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing, so he’s not forgotten.
1 Jet Grind Radio
Unlike other titles on this list, Jet Grind Radio doesn’t have the same historical significance. As a franchise that started on the Dreamcast in 2000, Jet Set Radio is much newer than most franchises in Sega’s library. Despite that, it has a place in many fans’ hearts. Blending gameplay from games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater with Crazy Taxi along with a revolutionary cell-shaded aesthetic and a fantastic soundtrack, this game was unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.
Thankfully, we got a sequel on the Dreamcast and another on the Xbox, but since then, Sega has been a little uneasy with making a sequel. Instead, we’ve received a few different ports, but it’s not the same. Maybe a game of this ambition would be too expensive to produce in today’s landscape, but it really feels like we’re all poorer because of it.
Next: 10 Best JRPG Protagonists Of All Time, Ranked
