Sega Rant: Where Are The Games?

Written by Daniel Pelfrey on July 19, 2001

Special: Bring on the Dreamcast games, and gimme those classics!

I had planned on bringing you a review of the Atari Anniversary Collection this week. Since I couldn't find a copy of the game, I give you this rant instead. Enjoy.

Okay, so Infogrames released a brand new Dreamcast game last week. Being the old school gamer that I am, I was more than interested in picking up a copy of the Atari Anniversary Collection when it released (in case you have been living under a rock for the last few months, Infogrames bought the Atari brand). The game reportedly has 10 old school arcade recreations and retails for only $15. That is a bargain in my book. Included on the disc are such classic games as Pong, Asteroids, Missle Command, as well as two personal favorites: Breakout and Tempest.

So, out I go to get this game. First, I travel to my local Funcoland (I know it changed it's name to Gamestop, but the sign hasn't changed yet) to see if it is in. It's not there. No big deal. Not every store gets games the same day (unless it's Gran Tourismo 3). So then I travel to my local Fred Meyer (a department store here that focuses more on УstuffФ than clothes) and this store doesn't have it as well. I'm starting to get a little bit upset after venturing to Electronics Boutique and Toys R Us at the mall fruitlessly. All in all, I travel to eight different places, including a Best Buy and two separate Target stores, and nobody has the game! What is going on?

It seems that not only did Infogrames ship limited amounts of a game that isn't getting much advertising, but stores aren't carrying any new Dreamcast games unless they are AAA titles, like Sonic Adventure 2. The amount of shelf space dedicated to the Dreamcast is the same as that for the N64. There is something very wrong with this picture. The N64 has one (ONE!!) game set for release Ц Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2. The Dreamcast has a heck of a lot more than that coming out. So why aren't Dreamcast games getting the shelf space? Simple. The Saturn.

Sega is still feeling the burn of failed hardware from years ago. Unfortunately, the gaming public has not forgiven Sega, and with Dreamcast sales slowing down to a crawl, the amount of shelf space for a seemingly dead product is a waste. Sadly, these same retailers don't do the same for Nintendo, because Nintendo still commands a large portion of the videogame pie, even if their home console is truly dead. I recently purchased a copy of Spiderman for the Dreamcast. I had to go to 3 different retailers to find it. Why? Because nobody has it in stock, and no further copies were planned for purchase. There were of course enough copies of the N64 version to go around.

УWhat is the point of this rant?Ф you may be asking yourself at this stage. It's this: with Nintendo not even supporting the N64 anymore, it commands more shelf space than the Dreamcast. Retailers Ц the Dreamcast is not dead yet. Why do you relegate the console to the back room and discount bins? There are some truly amazing games coming out for the system. Yes, Gamecube and Xbox are coming, and the PS2 is beginning to pick up steam, but Sega still has some love for you. Finding a Sega game should not be this hard.

UPDATE: I finally got his hands on the Atari Anniversary Collection and will be bringing us a review next week.