My Sega life- part one

Unlike many of my friends and peers i suck at games, just wanted to clear that up before i ramble on! however my suckiness has never dissuaded me from being a gamer, and it’s not hampered my enjoyment of said games i think as I’ve got older most of my mates just find it endearing particularly as they can kick my butt at most games. But how does this tie into my Sega Saturn and equally beloved Sega Dreamcast? What i love about these consoles is the ability they have to perfectly transport me back to the arcades of the 90’s. Being a London kid i was often found in Sega World at the now defunct Trocadero. Sega World was a grandiose arena of gaming opulence, machines spilling out of every square foot, it was a sensory hit of lights and sound and it reeked of the 90’s. Ultimately it failed commercially and like Sega’s ill fated consoles of the mid to late nineties although it was amazing it lost them money, the world was moving on from the arcades, but quite a few of us didn’t want to come, i was led kicking and screaming into the arms of the Playstation 2 and X box as i watched the Sega console empire burn. What this did do was make my passion for the company even more vociferous and i felt it was my duty to keep the flame burning with my Saturn and DC. Although it didn’t always faithfully port classic arcade games i’m not technical enough to notice, i’m just glad the games made it to the systems i love! 

Theres not much i can say about Virtua fighter 1 and 2, Sega Rally , HofD and Daytona that hasn’t already been said ! These games particularly Sega Rally are like 

a great movie you can watch over and over and not get bored, Sega Rally is my Empire strikes back in movie terms unfortunately when it struck back on the DC the sequel left me underwhelmed, perhaps due to the perfection of Sega rally on the Saturn.

Since i’m so sucky at the games i won’t go on about them too much , what i would really like to focus on talking about is the sense of camaraderie that has been spawned out of these supposedly defunct and ailing consoles. I knew the Saturn was special a year or two after it’s release due to the fiercely loyal communities that developed around it, the same can be said of the DC which had an even shorter European lifespan. The Saturn excelled in niche gaming areas it has a fine array of RPGs and Smups and truly was and still is a 2D powerhouse! The very fact that I’m still exploring the gamut of games on offer for a console that ceased productions quite a few years ago is testament to it’s excellent library and unearthed gems of which the good and far more knowledgeable folk in the Sega Saturn and dreamcast junkyard are helping me to dig up! More in part 2!!