Square/EA Needed on Dreamcast?

Written by Nick Schmidt on October 03, 2000

Square/EA Needed on Dreamcast?: Dreamcast gamers don't need any Final Fantasy Football with Madden

Before the launch of the Dreamcast in North America, many were speculating what major third parties would be supporting the infant system. Soon we would find out that many of the big guns would indeed be supplying top-notch titles; like Capcom and the incredibly stubborn Namco. Capcom wasn't really that big of a surprise, considering they support every system with at least a handful of games. What really, really shocked me was that Namco, which was pretty much Playstation exclusive at the time, decided to port their best game, Soul Calibur, to a relatively new machine accompanied with a small user base.

But alas, not all was grand in the land of Dreamcast. While the developers and publishers eagerly lined up with anticipation of massive profits, one company in particular, or two companies semi-united rather, would not support the system. I think we all know the culprits: Square/EA. Yes, Square/EA, otherwise known as devil, the root of all evil, and of course, "the bitches of Sony" according to certain hardcore Sega fans. But the question I would like to bring up this fine evening is none other than the infamous "Does Sega really need Square/EA?" For the most part... no, they don't need the ultimate, mega-corporation. Is this really surprising? Again, no, not really. It's true that in the past, mainly the Genesis days, Sega and EA (no Square/EA at that time and Square was Nintendo only) did have a great relationship on a business level. Many of the premiere sports titles by EA were specifically developed for Sega's 16-bit wonder, and then shortly ported to other systems with mixed results. Things couldn't seem better. That is until the 32-bit wars erupted and consequently changed all that we knew about games. With the launch of the Saturn and rival Playstation, companies quickly shifted perspectives and jumped ship to develop for Sony's next best thing. This included Sega's long time companion, Electronic Arts. Mainly known for their sports lineup, they tried something new and came to an agreement with the RPG masters, Squaresoft, to publish their games in the U.S., and vice-versa with EA games in Japan. Not only did this create an even greater gap from Sega, but tightened the leash on the Sony/EA relationship. I'm not saying they're Sony exclusive, they do still make some sports games for the N64, but it's painfully obvious there is some alliance of some sort. Flash forward a few years later with the announcement of Sega's newest console, which was originally supposed to be powered by a 3Dfx graphics card. EA expressed much interest in this prospect, and claimed they would begin development shortly after kits were sent. Fortunately, Sega opted for a more powerful graphics processor to give us a more vivid gaming experience. Frankly, this pissed off EA to the point of just flat out not developing for Dreamcast at all.

But who needs Square/EA anyways? Certainly not I. And truthfully, I really don't think the games they produce are that great anymore. Sure Madden still plays good and looks halfway decent on the aging Playstation (wait till you see the PS2 version though, hot damn!), but I for one certainly think Madden's sparse and repetitive comments should die a horrible, appalling death.

And as for Square, they too have been lacking in the good game department. The latest waves of RPG's from the supposed "King of RPG's" have been uninspired to say the least (except for the amazing Chrono Cross). Games like Threads of Fate, Legend of Mana, and Chocobo's Dungeon 2 all received lukewarm results with the press and fans alike. As for Final Fantasy 9, I've heard that it's good, but overly the same as before. After spending many hours playing FF8 and being disappointed with most aspects contained within those four CD's (especially the battle system, stupid GF's), I really don't care much for that series anymore.

Don't get me wrong, but I love Square. After all, Final Fantasy 7 was on my top ten games list, but I don't like their current business trend. Something is wrong when you announce two Final Fantasy games (referring to 10 and 11 here) at the same time and something definitely is wrong when you try to get them out in the same year, 2001. I don't know if the current dates have changed, but spring 2001 for 10 and winter 2001 for 11 is just a bit too much Fantasy for me. It seems Square just wants to make a quick buck now, with sequel after sequel. I know this has kind of been a rant, but there is a point that I want to stress; Sega doesn't need Square/EA at all. Personally, I'm glad they haven't littered our beloved system with crappy PC ports of their overwhelmingly average products. Sega has it's own sports games thanks to the fine folks over at Visual Concepts and Blackbox that, I think, are the best on today's crowded market. Just look at NFL 2K1. Probably the greatest football game ever to grace a console in history, and was it made by EA? No, they wouldn't have the balls to compete against such a successful and superior product.

As for RPG's, we've got them. Well, we've got them coming up at least. I'll admit the current selection of role-playing games on DC is extremely limited and, well, pretty crappy for that matter. But just wait, oh yes, just wait. In the coming months, some of the best RPG's will soon see the light of day spinning in your Dreamcast. Games like the stellar Grandia II, the staggering Skies of Arcadia, and Sega's online wonder Phantasy Star Online. With a selection like that, how could you go wrong? You can't. And that's a fact. No, really. Okay? Okay.