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Yesterday, Sega launched their new subscription-based website, PlaySega, where members can play Java ports of Genesis games, some original titles, and two level editors. While I'm not blown away by PlaySega and its anemic catalog, it does have a lot of potential. Hit the link for the full story.
PlaySega tries to be a mix between a browser-based emulator and PlayStation Home. You can play a large handful of first-party Genesis games, though much is missing. Also available are so-so original games, mostly of the puzzle or quiz variety.
Playing a game works very similarly to playing on an emulator. You can use your own USB pad (or keyboard if you don't have one) and map the buttons however you choose. A word of caution to those using the Street Fighter IV pads, though: Certain buttons aren't recognized for one reason or another. You can save or load your progress at any time just by clicking "Menu," "Save," and then choosing a slot. Loading a game has been made very easy since a preview of your progress is shown before being prompted to load.
The games themselves play relatively well. The first time I tried to play a game, the program froze up my web browser so bad that I couldn't even Force Quit it; I had to kill it from the Terminal. Yikes. After switching to my PC, though, things went a lot smoother. Each title - even the new ones - boots up with that Pavlovian "Segaaa" chime - a very nice touch. Games took about 10 seconds to load. There were occasional audio hiccups as well as flickering sprites, especially in Sonic (probably because of the game's speed). Even some of the original games, such as the 80s pop culture quiz and movie quiz, were fun. I was disappointed, though, that my "VIP Pass" didn't include access to the Sonic Level Creator, which is what I want to play the most.
Like I said, PlaySega has some Home-like qualities. Once you're done playing a game, you can collect all the rings (AKA points) you've earned and spend them on customizing your avatar and home. The options are surprisingly vast and the fashion items are remarkably current. Unfortunately, there were some graphical glitches in the avatar creation, but it is still in beta, so that's excusable.
The thing that got me really excited about PlaySega is that USB pad, which is modeled after the Japanese Sega Saturn controller. You may be wondering what the big deal is about a Saturn pad, so let me tell you youngins, the Saturn pad is the best 2D controller. Ever. And best of all, it's free with a 3 month (or more) subscription.
So is PlaySega worth subscribing to? If you already have Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection and don't want that controller, then no. All of PlaySega's Genesis games and tons more can be played on that $30 disk, minus the bandwidth hiccups, and in full-screen I might add. Yeah, the new titles are decent, but they don't justify a $5 per month subscription.
That doesn't mean PlaySega sucks, though. If Sega added all their first-party games from the Master System up to and including the Saturn, then I'd be in. Having all those games at my fingertips would be pretty sweet, even though I'd prefer physical copies.
Until that day comes, though, I don't think I'll be subscribing unless it's simply to get that awesome controller. Decide for yourself, though, by visiting PlaySega.com and signing up for a free - but very limited - trial. And a word of warning for Mac users: Remember the Terminal command "killall firefox-bin."
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