It’s easy to forget nowadays, but there was a time when SEGA developed several games from various franchises. Although now it seems like they only focus on making Sonic the Hedgehog and Like a Dragon games, when they were console makers they had their own collection of exclusive franchises that made the public want to buy their devices, such as Golden Axe, Shinobi, Crazy Taxi and many more. Fans have been asking for years for them to bring back all these intellectual properties, but it seemed that the company wasn’t listening to them… until now!
It all started a few days ago: the new edition of The Game Awards was approaching when, suddenly, numerous influencers, streamers and Youtubers received a mysterious letter from SEGA saying “New Era, New Energy. Tune in to the Game Awards,” which left everyone speculating. On December 7, the awards show aired, where there were lots and lots of new announcements and trailers. Including a special video from the company.
SEGA will bring back Jet Set Radio, Streets of Rage, Shinobi, Golden Axe and Crazy Taxi!
Entitled POWER SURGE: SEGA REVEAL TRAILER this amazing video gave us a glimpse of 5 new video games that are part of the company’s initiative to revive classic franchises loved by fans. First, we got to see a new installment of Jet Set Radio, the roller skating and graffiti game franchise that takes place in colorful urban settings. This new title seems to keep the essence of the saga, but with beautiful stylized HD graphics.
Then, Streets of Rage, SEGA’s classic Beat ’em up, appeared. This time, it will have scenarios and characters modeled in 3D, but the unbridled action will not be missing. It is likely that this new installment will have cooperative multiplayer, but there was nothing in the video to indicate that.
Next, we saw the biggest surprise of the whole announcement: a new Shinobi game, SEGA’s 2D ninja action franchise, but with a completely different graphics that make the game look like a traditional painting and with hand-animated characters throughout. This title looks very interesting, and we could already notice some references to previous installments of the saga.
The next returning franchise is Golden Axe. This used to be another series of Viking and monster-themed Beat ’em up games. But, unlike Streets of Rage, it looks like the new installment of Golden Axe will switch genres, looking more like a Hack & Slash similar to God of War or Devil May Cry. Although, like the previous games, you will be able to tame and ride terrifying monsters. It’s worth noting that SEGA had already tried something like this with this IP in 2008 with Golden Axe: Beast Rider, which was received so negatively that it basically killed the franchise for years. Hopefully this time they will get it right.
Finally, we got a glimpse of the new Crazy Taxi, the crazy car game saga that many of us got to experience in the arcades so many years ago. These video games were noted for their crazy pace, exaggerated sense of humor and memorable music. Based on what little we saw, it looks like this new installment will retain all of those features, but the HD graphics and fast performance of modern consoles give it the potential to feel even better and more fun.
Sega did not announce the release date or consoles for any of these new games, but only confirmed that they are currently in development. So we would not be surprised if we still have to wait a little longer to try them. But something interesting is that in the trailer all these franchises were named and at the end it said “And more!”, which means that we may see the return of other intellectual properties of the company in the near future, such as Alex Kidd, The House of the Dead, Nights into Dreams, Skies of Arcadia and many others.
This is a new era for Sega and we are all more than excited to see where this bold new path takes them. All of these new video games look great. Which one caught your attention the most? Are you happy to see the return of these franchises?
©SEGA. All Rights Reserved.