How many Sega Classics can you think of?

There are many prolific software houses in the history of videogaming, but it’s arguable that any come close to Sega’s incredible past. Early arcade outings like Turbo and Up ‘n Down, while playable,  did little to stand out in the crowded early eighties arcades. Lessons were quickly learned, and the groundbreaking Zaxxon proved that innovation was the key to gaining arcade fans. From there the company went from strength to strength, Pengo, Choplifter, and Shinobi kept the company at the top of the arcade charts. The mid-eighties saw the introduction of elaborate cabinets, like the “ride-on” motorbike for Hang On and Enduro Racer, and the groundbreaking hydraulic Space Harrier cabinet. Outrun became the king of all racing games in 1986, and with help from After Burner and Strider, helped Sega push aside US giant, Atari Games, in the race to be the arcade number one. The early nineties brought Virtua Racing, and Virtua Fighter, and one of the greatest multi-player arcade games of all time. Even now, visit a busy arcade, and you are unlikely to get a seat easily on a four player Daytona USA machine. The arcade classics continue to this very day, and it is without doubt, that this amazing arcade heritage helped Sega secure the home market.

Gone but not forgotten

With the demise of the Dreamcast, the hopes of Sega making it big under your TV again have all faded. But unlike Atari, Sega still survive, bringing original games to modern formats. Sega is still maintaining it’s position at the top of the arcade manufacturer tree, and as the arcade scene gets ever more shaky, you can bet Sega will be bringing even more exciting games for home consoles. Rumours continue that a buy out is imminent, with Nintendo and Microsoft both hot favourites to take over the famous company. Whatever the outcome, you can bet that Sega will be allowed to continue to design and create games they way they always have.  Long live Sega!!