5 Sega Series That Peaked With the First Game

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Sega is a legendary name in gaming, known for creating fantastic games for many years. They used to be a leading console manufacturer, though their history isn’t without its ups and downs. A recurring pattern is that Sega will release a truly outstanding new game that feels like the start of a major franchise. Unfortunately, the sequels that follow never quite reach the same level of quality as the original.

Here are five Sega series that peaked with the first game.

5) Altered Beast

Released during the height of the beat ’em up genre’s popularity, Altered Beast was a fast-paced, side-scrolling arcade game where players controlled warriors battling through Ancient Greece. While the versions of Altered Beast released for home consoles weren’t quite as impressive, this was common for the time, as consoles simply didn’t have the processing power to match the arcade machines.

The quality didn’t improve as the series went on. The Game Boy Advance game, Guardian of the Realms, wasn’t particularly innovative, even years after its release. The PlayStation 2 reboot of Altered Beast was so poorly received that it was never released in North America. While a movie is reportedly being made, and that might lead to a new Altered Beast game, there haven’t been many updates about it since 2016.

4) Valkyria Chronicles

The original Valkyria Chronicles came out in 2008 for the PlayStation 3 and was praised for its unique blend of role-playing and tactical gameplay. Sega also did a great job with the story’s presentation, making the game stand out. While it didn’t immediately sell a lot of copies, an anime series helped increase its popularity, leading Sega to create more games in the series for the PlayStation Portable.

All of the Valkyria Chronicles games are generally good, except for Revolution, which wasn’t very well-received. However, none of the sequels have quite matched the brilliance of the first game. Thankfully, each new release has sold better than the last, giving hope for an even better game in the future.

3) Alex Kidd

Originally, Sega intended Alex Kidd in Miracle World to be a Dragon Ball game. However, they couldn’t finish it in time before the license ran out, forcing them to create Alex Kidd instead. Despite this, the game remains a well-made and inventive platformer for its time. While it doesn’t quite reach the level of Mario, it was Sega’s best attempt at the genre before Sonic came along.

It’s unfortunate that the other Alex Kidd games aren’t very memorable. Sega kept changing the type of game it was, and while Enchanted Castle is similar to Miracle World, its awkward controls and difficult bosses received mixed reviews. To make things worse, the 2021 remake had many bugs, which damaged the reputation of the original Miracle World.

2) Super Monkey Ball

Super Monkey Ball is a really creative puzzle game. It looks like you control a monkey inside a ball, but you actually tilt the entire maze to guide the monkey to the goal. By carefully tilting, you make the monkey roll around and navigate the course.

The original game on GameCube and in arcades was almost flawless. Later versions were good too, but none quite matched the magic of the first one. While extra challenges and mini-games are enjoyable, there’s a unique charm to experiencing those monkeys carefully navigate a difficult turn for the very first time.

1) Crazy Taxi

The core idea behind Crazy Taxi is straightforward: pick up passengers and race them to their destinations as fast as possible to earn the most money. It’s a really effective and fun game that perfectly captures the spirit of the late 1990s. While enjoyable on any platform, Crazy Taxi was especially great to play on the Dreamcast.

Crazy Taxi 2 built on the original with more drivers, locations, and a new trick called the Crazy Hop. While it’s a fun game, it didn’t significantly improve upon what made the first Crazy Taxi so special. Since then, the series hasn’t really lived up to its potential. I even admit to spending a lot of time with Crazy Taxi Tycoon on mobile, but I wouldn’t call it a great game. However, there’s a glimmer of hope – Sega announced a new Crazy Taxi game in 2023. We haven’t had many updates since then, but hopefully we’ll hear more soon.

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2026-04-11 01:14