Top 10 Lists: The Top 10 Post-Dreamcast Sega Games

Sega's exit from the hardware business was a bittersweet one. While we said good-bye to nearly 20 years of quality consoles, we said hello to a new generation of titles, some of which were continuations of trusted franchises, while some were completely original games, all of which displayed Sega's commitment to tightly developed, well-designed software reaching across all of today's consoles and handhelds.

The series that helped launch the Saturn returned to wow a new generation of gamers with amazing on-rails gameplay. The veterans appreciated the occasional storyline nods to the previous Panzer Dragoon titles, and the game's design enrichens the wholly original post-apocalyptic world that PD is based in. Bosses were huge, character designs were compelling, and many players developed attachments to Orta and her winged companion. Yes it might have been short, but it was one of the most beautiful games ever made.

If you had to get any EyeToy game, this would be it. In fact, this can be the only EyeToy game you will ever buy and Sony's interactive camera device would still be worth it. Sega dips into their back catalogue to provide a wide variety of physically demanding stages and mini-games in the themes of Space Channel 5, Chu Chu Rocket, and even Billy Hatcher. You can literally duke it out with your favorite Virtua Fighter, have a maraca-free shakedown with Samba De Amigo, and even frantically wave a taxi down in Crazy Taxi. And once again, Sega devilshly teases Sonic Team fans with another peek as to how wonderful a NiGHTS sequel might look like.

The first Jet Set Radio set the design benchmark for all cel-shaded games and JSRF is a follow-up reminder of Sega's envelope-pushing abilities. The tagging might have been simplified, but that at leasts afford you more time to explore this complex fictional Tokyo, which is both futuristic and urban-inspired. Last but not least, the game's soundtrack features some of the best original tunes ever made for a video game.

After more than a decade, VF has maintained the 'Virtua' in the fighting genre. The series' dedication to immensely deep fighting styles, movements, and controls makes it more of a sim, and that's a great thing. If your own skills can't hack it, you can play trainer and train one of the characters from scratch. With your advice, your fighting pupil will be able to tackle the best Virtua Fighters, both human and computer-controlled.

Taking its cues from Wario Ware and Sega's Tant-R, Feel the Magic is a mini-game collection that fully utilizes the touch-screen and mic capabilities of the Nintendo DS. You blow candles, take on death-defying bike rides, kill giant plants, and defeat an army of bulls, all for a girl. Equally impressive is the game's unique design aesthetic, which is visually appealing as it is humorous. Not bad for a DS launch title.

Although poorly-marketed as a sort of 'Metroid-killer', it really is a stretch to compare Gunvalkyrie to any other game. This beautiful action platformer is one of the best-looking 1st generation Xbox titles, with some of the most amazing futuristic environments ever created. One stage is literally an exercise in defying gravity as you take on dozens of enemies while falling down a 3 mile shaft. The controls, using a dual-stick format similar to Virtual On, is both demanding and ultimately rewarding, where the player doesn't get the full grasp of the concept until the game is beaten once. Finally, the setting and story goes for a unique 19th century steampunk premise that pulls off a nice twist to Jules Verne science fiction.

There's never been anything like Rez. Panzer Dragoon's Team Andromeda worked with the Tetsuya Mizuguchi-helmed United Game Artists to make an on-rails shooter with a twist that has to be heard to be believed. As you fire and destroy across multiple wireframe landscapes, every action you take has a musical consequence. You'd think you were creating your own electronica tune with every play session. Rez's legacy can be felt in other Mizuguchi titles such as Lumines and Meteos.

The first official sequel to the Yu Suzuki 1986 classic might not seem relevant in an age of Burnouts and Need For Speeds, but that doesn't stop OutRun2 being a worthwhile purchase. Not only did this series get a proper and thorough next-gen makeover, Outrun2 added a new and addictive gameplay mechanic that involved drifting ridiculous distances. Graphically, this game took great advantage of the excellent Sega Chihiro arcade board which was intended to make Xbox porting very easy. Some of the immense draw distance has to be seen to be believed. It was the U.K.-based Sumo Digital who took on the localization effort and not only gave us an arcade-perfect translation, but created new modes that added at least 20 more hours of replay value, not to mention the original Out Run as an unlockable.

Arguably the most eagerly anticipated Sega sequel of its time, Shinobi for the PS2 brought back Sega's flagship ninja franchise to next-gen glory with a mile-long scarf in tow. Much of the game was rather misunderstood, mostly due to the lack of detail in the environments. Yet what was sacrificed in detail was made up for in immensely tight gameplay. The brilliant stealth-dash and the free-camera movement make up the core of Shinobi's controls and makes all Devil May Cry comparisons irrelevant. You'll die a thousand deaths, and smile the whole way, just like you used to during the 16-bit days.

This Shenmue-inspired adventure game is so good, it's worth importing even though a U.S. release is inevitable. One genre that has been lacking in quality titles in the past 10 years is the street beat-em-up, and Ryu Ga Gotoku brings us one step closer to reviving that genre. It is easily one of the best 3D beat-em-ups ever made, with a simple enough control scheme to maintain an arcade feel, and having enough moves to keep it deep. Moreover, the living world your character runs around in looks darn gorgeous and realistic, where you can bump into anyone, buy fast food, and even play in a batting cage. To top it off, the mature storyline is well developed, thought-provoking and played out in over 4 hours of engaging cutscenes.

With these titles spread across multiple platforms, it's sometimes easy to miss how much quality has come out of one company since the discontinuation of the Dreamcast. It'll be interesting to see what Sega will be like five, ten years down the line. As developers, they've since had their share of misses alongside their hits. As publishers, they continue to take bold steps even with non-Sega developers such as Monolith and Creative Assembly. And classic franchises such as Virtua Fighter, Sonic, Phantasy Star and an eagerly awaited After Burner revival will keep the faithful.

List by normalmode (02/03/2006)