What Sega Franchise Revival Do You Most Want?

Next week marks the 20th anniversary of the second game in the Jet Set Radio franchise, Jet Set Radio Future! Sadly, there was never a third. So we’re thinking about Sega franchise revivals we’d like to see! What long-dormant series do you most want given new life?

Three words: Skies of Arcadia. It was the JRPG to play on the Dreamcast and even now costs a pretty penny if you’re hoping for a copy. Everything about Skies of Arcadia resonated with me during what was a pretty turbulent time in my life. It was also one of the only games to really make use of the VMU. I took my VMU with me everywhere, burned through a few batteries, and made a lot of very handy gold. I’d love to see a proper remake for current-gen consoles and have Pinta’s Quest as a companion app on my phone. — Annette

I’ll admit: I’ve been lucky with Sega stuff in recent years! Puyo Puyo Tetris brought Puyo back to the audience it deserves. Valkyria Chronicles 4, though I hope it’s not the last one, revived a strategy franchise like no other. And it wasn’t quite ideal, but the Apple Arcade ChuChu Rocket! game at least shows someone’s thinking about it. But how about we give it a real effort! Major platforms, precise gamepad controls, competitive online multiplayer. Let’s see it! — Graham

There has not been a new Shinobi game released since the 2011 3DS title. The action game series has a long history that started in the late ’80s. However, I had the most memories with the PlayStation 2 game and its sequel Nightshade. I still remember how exciting it was to slash many enemies and end them all with a flashy finisher. I’d really like to see Sega remaster these games for current platforms or even make a new game based on them. — Kite

I want a proper Phantasy Star game! Phantasy Star Online is popular and profitable. The Phantasy Star Portable Monster Hunter-likes did well. But I miss the traditional JRPGs from the Master System and Genesis eras. I wholeheartedly believe Phantasy Star 3 is the reason I like games with dating sim elements. Also, Phantasy Star 4 is the game that really made me fall in love with JRPGs. A return to form would be lovely. — Jenni

Personally, I would love to see House of the Dead return in some way, shape, or form. With the resurgence of survival horror, and with first person titles like Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 7 proving these games can succeed, I’d love to see a House of the Dead title in that vein. It would be awesome for Sega to revive that franchise, or take it in an entirely different direction. — Kazuma

I would love for Sega to continue the franchise revival it has currently ongoing, which is to say I want them to keep trying to make Sakura Wars happen! The most recent game wasn’t the best one in the series, but it was a good inroad. Unfortunately, beyond the sad passing of the Sakura Revolution mobile game and Sakura Wars units appearing in Super Robot Wars 30, there hasn’t been much activity game-wise.

With awareness of the brand outside Japan much higher now than it was any time before the Dreamcast era, this would be the perfect time to announce ports and localizations of the earlier games to current platforms. The environment is just right to accept a colorful strategy game with romantic elements, and Sega should jump on that opportunity. — Josh

What Sega franchise revival do you most want to happen? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter! And read our other handy roundtables for more thoughts from the Siliconera team.