Just Got a Package from Sega
So I check my mail this morning and find a large, white, mysterious envelope with no sender information. I'm thinking the government is sending me some claim forms or some sort of other bad news. I open it immediately and find a comic book inside, but think that it's one of my many comic book subs sending me an extra copy out of error. When I get a little more time I decide to check it more thoroughly and find out that it's actually a letter from Sega of America.
See, during the whole Ghost Squad "no Z trigger" scare I got pretty angry and did something most gamers would never do - write and send a letter, on paper, to voice my concern. I explained to Sega that if they, a major company in the light gun genre, were not going to properly support and implement the Wii Zapper then who would? If the people who know how to make light gun games get it wrong then all hope is lost. I also used their own game (Ghost Squad), as an example of how to properly hold the Zapper - if the Ghost Squad use the trigger at the back of their guns then why can't we?
Well, I sent my two page letter, with pics, out to them about a month ago and today they responded with a "Special limited edition premium issue" (yes it actually says that on the cover), of a cheesy Virtua Fighter comic book. They also responded saying:
Thanks for taking the time to write! We always appreciate hearing from Sega fans, and we really do value your input and ideas.
As a small holiday thank-you, we're sending along a limited edition Viruta Fighter comic book with this letter--we hope you like it!
We're glad to hear you're excited about Ghost Squad coming to the Wii, and it means a lot that dedicated gamers such as yourself are so concerned with an authentic gaming experience. We want to assure you that your concerns have been noticed, and we pass along all such criticism & advice to game developers.
Thanks again for your support and interest. It's because of gamers like you that Sega is successful!
You friends at Sega
I found it funny that not only did they spell their own brand wrong (Virtua not Viruta), but they also made it a point to emphasize that the comic is a limited edition. Yeah, the comic might have been a limited edition back when it was published in 1995, aka 12 years ago, but I don't think that matters a whole lot now (saw one on Ebay for $2). It even has the Saturn logo on the front.
The important thing is that they included the Z trigger in the game, and while I'm sure my letter had nothing to do with it hopefully I helped to assure them that they made the right decision. I guess I now need to write another letter and tell them to shorten the effective distance for the calibration of the Wii Zapper in their games.
