Top Five Sega Video Game Franchises

Sega has a strong footprint in the gaming industry whether as a hardware maker or a third party developer. With more than 20 years of experience, their game franchises are diverse and full of quality titles. Even though Sega no longer makes videogame consoles, their fans are as rapid as ever. Here are the top five franchises from Sega.

5. Sonic
While Sonic games may not have been as good as they used to be, the franchise still remains one of the best from Sega. Sonic is all about speed and no other platformers can match. While the 3D Sonic games may not be as good, the 2D ones are generally considered as one of the best platformers ever created. It is no surprise that Sonic is the mascot of Sega.

4. Shenmue
Shenmue was a bittersweet franchise for Sega. While the games delivered a one-of-a-kind immersive experience, both Shenmues were colossal financial failures. Still, they became cult classics due to the engaging story and incredible production values. Fans of the franchise like it so much that they hope for a third game; unfortunately, Sega is showing no interest in making it.

3. Virtua Fighter
Virtua Fighter is probably the deepest fighting game franchise around. What it lacks in flash is made up with perfect fighting mechanics. Not to mention that the games have incredible balance: you can pick any fighter and win with them. In fact, Virtua Fighter 4 and 5 are considered to be some of the best 3D fighters around. Virtua Fighter is probably the most underrated Sega franchise.

2. Phantasy Star
In the early days, the Phantasy Star games were often comparable to the mighty Final Fantasy franchise. The futuristic franchise is home to some of the best 2D Japanese role-playing games ever created. Later on, the franchise evolved into Phantasy Star Online, one of the first and most addicting online role-playing games. Phantasy Star is one of the few Sega franchises that are as relevant today as it is 20 years ago.