Saturn Survival Tactics
The Dark Falcon
dfalcon@concentric.netSigh...I'd love to say I'm a happy Saturn owner and nothing's wrong with my little virtual world contained within it, but, sadly, this is not the case. Working Designs, Eidos, Shiny, and others have dropped out of Saturn development quicker than Hugh Grant drops out of L.A. brothels, and Sega themselves can think of nothing but hopes and dreams for the 64-bit Dural. Well, I have put together some steps for Sega to take heed of that may give Saturn a little more of a fighting chance on the market. Damned if they'll actually care to take them under advisement (I've written Sega three times, and no reply on-line or with private mail), but I need to get this off my chest or I will go postal. So, here's my suggestions...
1. LOWER SYSTEM PRICE- If there was ever a time Sega needed to lower the price of the Saturn to $99, this is it. With Sonic Jam, Duke Nukem, and others waiting in the wings, wouldn't it be an added bonus if you only needed to pay a cool hundred bucks to pick up the hardware to play them? I mean, they waited so long to do a price downgrade, and, at that point, they only matched their competitors. They need to swallow their costs and just do it to win new gamers over to their playing field.
2. GATHER MORE EXCLUSITIVITY FOR SATURN- Right now, what Saturn needs are more exclusive games. Note that Sony is doing this rapidly these days, what with Tomb Raider 2 and Final Fantasy VII being bought. At this point, Sega needs to work on their own exclusive library. Granted, picking up Quake and Duke Nukem was smart, but more work needs to be done. If there was a time to go after Street Fighter III, this is it. If there was a time to produce more Japanese hits like Silhouette Mirage and Grandia, this is it. If there was a time to really bust balls and show the gamers that they really care about giving them what they want in terms of originality, this is it.
3. IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE. I must have called 800-USA-SEGA like eight times in the last month, and every time, a recording would come on telling me to call back at a later time. No on-line menu, no Saturn hook-up instructions, just a "please call back later, or call 900-SEGA for quicker assistance". I'm sorry, but I'm not about to pay $1.50 a minute just because Sega is too cheap ass to hire more operators. Sega needs to bring back the on-line menu for their 800-USA-SEGA phone number, and they also need to hire more helpful operators (not these "Well, thanks for calling Sega, dude!!" people), update their information (NO INFO on Duke Nukem- not even a release MONTH), and actually take some bad mail on their Sega web page. Too many "good" things are posted at sega.com, and, personally, it's almost as sugary as an episode of that Amazing Discoveries infomercial. Blech. If Sega can't improve any of this, chances are they'll have less Dural owners than Saturn owners...a big no-no.
4. APOLOGIZE TO WORKING DESIGNS AND OFFER MORE HELPFUL DEVELOPMENT KITS. This whole E3 shenanigan with Working Designs is going to cost Sega dearly unless they just fess up and apologize to Vic and his crew. Whose fault is it? Who cares? The point is it's over, and Sega needs Working Designs, no matter what. So just say sorry or issue an on-line letter, whatever, because, if they don't, they'll be sorry when WD is gone. As for Shiny and Eidos, offer up better development kits and perhaps even an incentive or two...don't just go "so you won't develop anymore...whatever". If Sega really wants to make their Saturn skyrocket, they have to work to get the games, and not just rely on themselves.
OK, in conclusion, I am not one of the "I Hate Saturn" bunch. I love my Saturn for such titles as Virtua Cop 2 (with two stunners) and the awesome Sonic 3D Blast. So let it be known that I'm not about to bash it to pieces with a crowbar, OK? However, let it also be known that I am sick of Sega acting like their customers (or products) aren't as important as the next big thing, Dural. Wake up, Sega, and back up some of your promises. Otherwise, Sony and Nintendo will leave you buried in the mud after they walk all over you. GAH!