The Japanese publisherSegahas been around in the gaming industry longer than most of its competitors. The company was established in the 1960s and got its start making electro-mechanical arcade games for the American and Japanese markets. Since then,Segahas developed hundreds upon hundreds of video games throughout the ages, both for its consoles (during the 80s-90s) and other platforms. Taking that into consideration, it should come as no surprise that there are many Sega games that aren’t exactly easily accessible on modern platforms. Some of the titles that have been published by the company have been stuck on aging hardware, while others have been outright delisted from online storefronts.
Just a few weeks ago,Sega announced that it was removing several of its retro titlesfrom modern platforms, such as Steam and the Microsoft Store. These games, which included iconic classics likeJet Set Radio,NiGHTS into Dreams, andVirtua Fighter 2, were swiftly delisted from all platforms on December 6. Even though the majority of these games can be accessed through other means like emulation, the fact that they were removed from sale is nonetheless a major blow to game preservation efforts. If Sega isn’t interested in keeping its older games available on digital storefronts, then it could at least try putting some of them in theLike a Dragongames.
Sega Should Preserve Its Retro Titles By Putting Them Into the Like a Dragon Games
To the uninitiated, the concept of preserving classic Sega titles by placing them insideLike a Dragongames may sound absurd. However, for fans of the hit beat-em-up franchise, this probably won’t sound that strange. After all, if there’s one thingtheLike a Dragonseriesis known for having besides crazy side quests and gritty crime stories, it’s arcade minigames. Ever sinceYakuza 2, theLike a Dragongames have almost always had explorable Club SEGA arcades that players can visit in-game. These virtual arcades, which are based off of their real-life counterparts in Japan, typically include emulated versions of classic Sega titles, most of which are playable inside the game.
TheLike a Dragonfranchise was known asYakuzain the West, prior to 2022.Like a Dragonis the original Japanese name of the series.
The earlyLike a Dragontitles only featured a few arcade minigames, but recent entries in the series have had many more of them. 2020’sYakuza: Like a Dragon, for instance, includes six retro Sega games, such asSuper Hang-Onfrom 1987 andSpace Harrierfrom 1986. Eventhe 2023 spin-off entry,Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, contains a few classic gems, like 1996’sSonic the Fightersand 1998’sFighting Vipers 2.
The Ocean Hunter is Being Preserved on Modern Platforms Thanks to Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
The next installment in theLike a Dragonseries,Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, is going to continue the franchise’s tradition of featuring Club SEGA arcades. Interestingly, though, one of the retro titles that’s going to be included in this upcoming hack-and-slash game is 1998’sThe Ocean Hunter. This Sega-developed rail shooter was released exclusively in arcades across the world, but it was never ported to any other platform. Therefore,The Ocean Hunter’s appearance inPirate Yakuza in Hawaiiwill be the first time the game will become playable on something other than a 30-year-old arcade cabinet.
Sega should repeat what it did withPirate Yakuza in Hawaiiby bringing other retro games to modern platforms in futureLike A Dragoninstallments. While mostclassic titles from the publisherare better off being sold individually on digital storefronts, there are some niche games that are probably best suited as minigames in theLike a Dragonfranchise. A 90s rail shooter likeThe Ocean Hunter, for example, is probably not something that most people would be interested in buying. However, by adding it to aLike a Dragontitle, the game not only gets preserved on current-gen platforms, it also becomes a selling point for a new entry in the hitSegaseries.
