The Vindication of Sega
Once upon a time, Sega were the second largest video manufacturer in the world. They vied with Nintendo with their Master System versus the NES, and their Mega Drive versus the SNES. Their mascot - their Mario, really - was Sonic the Hedgehog: a punkish blue creature who could curl up into a ball, and hurtle at ridiculous speeds around a landscape of ramps and palm trees.
While Nintendo was cutesy and for all the family, Sega represented something altogether more rebellious a surly teenager to Nintendo's toddler. Then something happened. While Nintendo continued to produce original and highly lucrative systems to release their inimitable games on, Sega struggled to maintain the same level of savvy and quality. With the arrival of Sony's Playstation and Microsoft's X-box came Sega's final death-knell. The gaming giant was gone.
At least, that's what it seemed like. Except that Sega never really went away. Sure, they bowed out of the race to produce next generation consoles, but in hindsight, that seems like a wise move. Instead, they shifted their collective talents to the production of games for other systems, even their old sparring partner, Nintendo.
Sonic lived on in every conceivable guise, serving as a reminder of Sega's continuing presence on the gaming scene, and, potentially as a warning to those who would aspire to such levels of hubris. Most interesting, however, is Sega? foray into the world of free online games an area that is only just beginning to come to fruition. Playsega.co.uk is a wonderful site filled with free gaming experiences of every flavour; from arcade games to puzzle games, and all the while served up under the banner of the old and faithful name of Sega.
So, while other developers focus on the new slew of hyper-realistic graphics, or plastic baton-twirling Sega have seemingly plumped for innovation without the million-dollar price-tag that gaming development usually requires. Understanding what made Sonic the Hedgehog so playable all those years ago is the key to the universal appeal of online gaming: short, exhilarating bursts of action that are extremely easy to pick up, and very, very difficult to put down. On their new website, there are enough top quality distractions to ensure a return of those late nights and lost weekends filled to the brim with gaming.