Sega is celebrating their 60th anniversary this week, and the staff of Destructoid has marked the occasion with a look back at some of their favorite games from the publisher.
The list is pretty evenly split between Sega’s halcyon days as a consolemaker and their current status as a premier third-party partner to Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. There’s even a few fond memories of Sega’s brief tenure as an arcade powerhouse.
CJ Andriessen kicked things off with a loving ode to The House of the Dead: Overkill, Sega’s grindhouse-inspired light gun game that launched for the Wii in 2009 (and was eventually re-released over the years for the PS4 and PC). Overkill was a great pick to start this retrospective, as everyone loves just how over-the-top and nasty it is, and for how it’s a fitting finale to the House of the Dead franchise… even though, chronologically, it comes first.
The rest of the staff each highlighted a different game from Sega’s history, and with each one falling into a different genre
Like Nintendo, Sega never let themselves be pigeonholed into a specialized niche, and their wide-ranging library includes titles that fall into every genre and subgenre, and the rest of the Destructoid staff picked games that reflect the company’s penchant for trying anything once:
▶ Jonathan Holmes selected Panzer Dragoon Saga, one of Sega’s epic RPGs from the Saturn era.
▶ Adzuken got behind the wheel of Out Run, Sega’s sunny arcade racer.
▶ Anthony Marzano confessed his love for Crazy Taxi, Sega’s kooky chauffeur simulation.
▶ Jordan Devore opened up about Yakuza 0, Sega’s sixth gangland tale from Japan.
▶ Josh Tolentino picked Sakura Wars, the first game in Sega’s anime-inspired strategy series.
▶ Patrick Hancock got colorful with Jet Set Radio, Sega’s dystopian graffiti game.
▶ And Chris Moyse stepped inside the circle for Virtua Fighter, Sega’s first attempt at a 3D fighter.
But as I said, Sega’s library is large and full of unique treasures. So be sure to dip into the comments at Destructoid for even more suggestions to celebrate Sega’s anniversary.