The Fight Isn't Over Yet!

by Cameron Thang

Frank Provo's editorial, "Has Sega Mismanaged its Promotion of the Saturn", was spot on.

We can spend hours listing the issues that Sega Of America has either 'mis-managed' or simply 'mis-fired' since the launch of the Saturn in USA. Many of these issues have already been raised by Frank. But there are 2 more I would like to add.

Firstly, the launch price of the Saturn was way off. $399 was simply the wrong price point considering what Sega had done with the 32X. There was/is a general perception that the Saturn is technically inferior to Sony's and Nintendo's next-gen system anyway. On paper at least, this last point is hard to refute.

Secondly, there were not enough quality games available for the Saturn during the crucial first few months of its launch. DAYTONA was rushed, CLOCKWORK was all looks but no substance, and VIRTUA FIGHTER only showed off a small fraction of the Saturn's powers. The Nintendo 64 has done exceptionally well with only 2 launch games because of 3 very important weapons: Mario, 64bit tech specs to drool over, and a $199 price tag. What did Sega have in comparison?

But credit must go to SOA for not only realizing their mistakes, but taking steps to learn from them. The recent 3-game pack-in promotion is an excellent example, boosting sales by huge numbers in the process. Without this promotion, I suspect that the system would be dead and buried in the US before you could spell J-A-G-U-A-R. Despite official words to the contrary, recent management changes at SOA must surely be seen as attempts to inject new life and hope into the system's future. The NetLink should do well if the correct marketing is done and enough games are released, as Frank has pointed out. Lastly, one only has to look at the games lined up for the Christmas holiday season to see that Sega IS really trying. Just look at DAYTONA USA CCE, FIGHTING VIPERS, NiGHTS, SF ALPHA 2, TOMB RAIDER, VIRTUAL ON, DOOM, MARVEL SUPER HEROES, and a dozen others.

We all know that Sega will do whatever it takes to win the fight. This time around though, there are 2 opponents. So what does Sega need to do from this point on to triumph once again?

Having done exceptionally well with the recent pack-in promo, I believe this needs to continue until the Saturn has been fully established as a formidable player. Of course, this will mean until such times as the hardware sales figures are at least very close or equal to its nearest rival. Consumers need to know that they are getting both quality AND value for money. (How about a Saturn price drop in the new year, Sega?)

One area that Sega needs to perform much better if it wants to be #1 is 3rd party support. At the moment, the quantity and quality is not where it should be. You would think that after knocking the SNES off the top spot that developers would be clamming to produce games for Sega's 32 bit machine. But what happened? Sony stormed to the top, that's what happened. Sega must improve on this situation. However, there is hope yet. High quality licences such as TOMB RAIDER, DOOM, X-MEN Vs STREET FIGHTER, RESIDENT EVIL 2 (subject to confirmation), and QUAKE are either scheduled for release or at least in the planning stages. I can only wonder where Sega would be now if they had Squaresoft, Enix, Namco, and a host of others producing Saturn titles.

One area that I cannot comment on is the Saturn advertising campaign for the US purely because I live in Australia. Can someone fill me in on this issue? Are Sega pushing the Saturn in the correct direction and with guts and determination? I certainly hope so.

Like Frank Provo, I love my Saturn. I sympathize with all the Saturn fans out there who may be feeling a little insecure with the system's future. You had good reasons to feel this way. But you have even better reasons to feel that Sega is doing all they can to make Saturn the #1 choice for gamers. Even today, as the tide is beginning to turn, I have a very strong and positive feeling for the Saturn's future. Happy gaming, and here's to a wonderful future for the wonder machine we all know as Saturn!

Have a great Christmas,
Cameron Thang