Sega is celebrating their 60th anniversary this week, and the staff of Destructoid has marked the occasion with a look back at some of their favorite games from the publisher.
The list is pretty evenly split between Sega’s halcyon days as a consolemaker and their current status as a premier third-party partner to Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. There’s even a few fond memories of Sega’s brief tenure as an arcade powerhouse.
CJ Andriessen kicked things off with a loving ode to The House of the Dead: Overkill, Sega’s grindhouse-inspired light gun game that launched for the Wii in 2009 (and was eventually re-released over the years for the PS4 and PC). Overkill was a great pick to start this retrospective, as everyone loves just how over-the-top and nasty it is, and for how it’s a fitting finale to the House of the Dead franchise… even though, chronologically, it comes first.
The rest of the staff each highlighted a different game from Sega’s history, and with each one falling into a different genre
Like Nintendo, Sega never let themselves be pigeonholed into a specialized niche, and their wide-ranging library includes titles that fall into every genre and subgenre, and the rest of the Destructoid staff picked games that reflect the company’s penchant for trying anything once:
Jonathan Holmes selected Panzer Dragoon Saga, one of Sega’s epic RPGs from the Saturn era.
Adzuken got behind the wheel of Out Run, Sega’s sunny arcade racer.
Anthony Marzano confessed his love for Crazy Taxi, Sega’s kooky chauffeur simulation.
Jordan Devore opened up about Yakuza 0, Sega’s sixth gangland tale from Japan.
Josh Tolentino picked Sakura Wars, the first game in Sega’s anime-inspired strategy series.
Patrick Hancock got colorful with Jet Set Radio, Sega’s dystopian graffiti game.
And Chris Moyse stepped inside the circle for Virtua Fighter, Sega’s first attempt at a 3D fighter.
But as I said, Sega’s library is large and full of unique treasures. So be sure to dip into the comments at Destructoid for even more suggestions to celebrate Sega’s anniversary.
“Not all who wander are lost.”
The road to a finished product is long, and inspiration can often come from the weirdest places. But if you follow that muse, you’ll often come up with something amazing. And even if you run out of gas, you’ll always have people wondering what could have been.