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Sega AGES coming to Switch (by M2, eShop, 15+ classic titles starting this summer)
- Thread starter Hero of Legend
- Start date
I notice that there's a lot of people that don't know who M2 is, what the Sega Ages are, what additions they bring to the table. These Sega Ages titles will be better than any Genesis Collection ROM dump. An the Sega Ages series is not only about Genesis games, they have released a lot of Arcade titles too before.
I've never played the Phatasy Star or Shining Force games. I wasn't into Sega due to lack of RPG focus, but I'm excited for Star, I hope shining force comes too :o
For those not familiar with Sega Ages and M2:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Ages
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/M2_(game_developer)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Ages
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/M2_(game_developer)
If I can play Phantasy Star IV on my Switch, I will be a happy lady.
Also wouldn't mind some Monster World, Fantasy Zone, or Last Bronx.
Also wouldn't mind some Monster World, Fantasy Zone, or Last Bronx.
We need ultra requested arcade classics never released like:
- Daytona USA 2 and 3
- Scud Race
- Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder
- Planet Harriers
And so many others lost gems...
- Daytona USA 2 and 3
- Scud Race
- Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder
- Planet Harriers
And so many others lost gems...
For those who aren't familiar with them, M2 made the excellent Sega 3D Classic ports on 3DS, as well as a number of Sega arcade ports for some other consoles. I am a huge fan of theirs, and I'm extremely excited to see they're handling this. They don't just simply port the games, but often add features/options that weren't present in the original games.
One and done! Was just about to use the exact same "bargain bin DVD vs. Criterion" analogy. It blows my mind some people would try to argue paying for the same bland, rehashed Genesis rom dump collection for the hundredth time is more attractive than M2 perfectly porting a mix of Genesis, Master System AND actual Sega arcade titles. M2's Sega Ages on PS2 and their Sega 3D Classics line were absolutely top shelf. M2 is meticulous when it comes to getting everything down to visuals and music perfect and also stuff all these releases with tons of amazing customization options no other company would think of adding. You're talking about a company that was willing to create a brand new custom version of Fantasy Zone 2 for Master System using the original game's arcade hardware. They added arcade cabinet "tilt" on some of the 3DS ports, I could go on forever. Buying an M2 Sega port = pure value, absolute quality and attention to detail and accuracy in classic game porting that is second to none. Anybody skeptical of them needs to read some of their interviews where they describe what lengths they go to in order to make sure their ports are faithful.
And for anyone who likes shmups, make sure to check out their ShotTriggers line on PS4 and XB1.
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I don't think Sega Rally 2 ever got a 60fps home version.
A definitive port of Outrun 2 (perhaps without the Ferrari license) would be fantastic too.
Dynamite Cop would be neat, too.
Assuming Fantasy Zone II DX comes to this, that will be the real star of the entire lineup.
Fantasy Zone II DX is a modern sega system 16 game. It was made in 2009 on real sega system 16 hardware. I have a real Sega System 16 board with Fantasy Zone II DX on it.
Fantasy Zone II DX is a modern sega system 16 game. It was made in 2009 on real sega system 16 hardware. I have a real Sega System 16 board with Fantasy Zone II DX on it.
A US release of Turbo Outrun too. I never had the chance to play the 3DS jap version. :(
Is Sega just stupid or is the Micheal Jackson thing still the reason why Taxman cant do Sonic 3?
Hell yes to these. I was JUST actually thinking about Scud Race & was trying to remember its name. Saw some footage & looked kind of cool.
Imagine if they included online for Revenge of Death Adder & gave it the same treatment Capcom did to the D&D arcade games.
If that is the reason, they really should just replace any tracks that are causing the issue. I love the original music, but a release with a new soundtrack is better than no release.
I see you're a man of culture.
The 3DS port of II DX with the added Link Loop Land is straight up one of my favorite games ever. So glorious.
Not that I disagree but I imagine the stupid backlash something like a Sonic 3 release without IceCap Zone music would spark and it ain't pretty.
If you like that, you owe it to yourself to track down the PS2 Sega Ages collections. Thats where Fantasy Zone II DX comes from, actually. It was the last release.
But one of the first releases, that everyone seems to overlook, was a full remake of the original Fantasy Zone using cell shaded graphics. It's one of the very few Sega Ages games to come to the US, in the Sega Ages collection on the PS2.
It's AWESOME, because not only is it a full remake of Fantasy Zone I, it adds 4 new levels, a ton of new playable ships, and doubles the size of the shop. What's best is all these features slowly unlock the more you play them.
The two fantasy zone games in the Sega Ages collections are, hands down, the best Sega Ages has ever been.
Shame Fantasy Zone I will assuredly not come to the switch, though.
The Dreamcast's Sega Rally 2 port is 60 FPS, but it has so many slowdowns it makes me very sad. There's even a secret code that removes certain graphical features from the game in order to make it run better, but still not a solid performance. I have a legit copy here, I`m a huge Dreamcast fan.
..they did that before. The release with the new tracks is absolutely despised.
I will add that the PAL version was running at 50HZ :(
So its performance was even worse.
I blame Microsoft and the crappy Windows CE version used to port this game, as a showcase of the operating system.
A showcase and a demonstration to the developers, yeah: that Windows CE should never be used again in a Dremacast game.
The original logo for the series way back on the saturn was animated to show ages being sega rearranged.
Add to this list the amazing System 18 'Shadow Dancer' :)
Don't get me wrong: I absolutely love the Megadrive version of 'Shadow Dancer'. A completely different game, with superb level design and one my favorite sound drivers, with a distinctive soundtrack.
But it's crazy to think that we never got a port of the original 'Shadow Dancer'. At least, not a faithful and accurate port, because I will not count the downgraded Master System version.
Which version was that?
Maybe they just need to do better replacement tracks.
Oh for sure! I'm a huge fan so I went through the trouble of importing the PS2 collection and later bought it digitally for my PS3 through the japanese PSN as well, haha. I still need to get the FZ1 remake though, I was a bit discouraged because you're pretty much the first person I see that gives it praise.
Why do you think FZ1 won't be re-released though? The relatively recent 3DS port by M2 was awesome, it added an Upa Upa mode (with his own, new theme song!) and even the Master System exclusive fish boss. It only missed wide-screen support due to time constraints.
I'm guessing the original PC port.
The original PC release of Sonic 3
and considering Ice Cap Zone is one of the most iconic tracks in all of Sonic, I just don't think any replacement will do. Any replacement will receive extreme backlash. It'd be like replacing 1-1 from Mario with a generic knock off. People would undoubtedly complain.
Doesn't help that the original replacements were terrible though:
EDIT: I specifically mean the PS2 remake of fantasy zone, to clarify
Cause it's not emulation (which is what M2 specifically does) and it wasn't made by M2, but rather D3.
I dunno who told you to avoid FZ1, but it was universally considered the bright spot in the US release of the ages collection, and was usually the go-to recommendation for the original line until Sega stopped using D3.
The Amiga port of Shadow Dancer is super faithful and accurate. It is, hands down, the best home port.
Oh you meant the remake, yeah it's a shame it's trapped on the PS2, I don't think it got a PSN release as a PS2C either.
Honestly all I ever see is negativity toward the first, remake-based AGES volumes so maybe I just assumed it was hated too, but an import store near me has a copy so I'll secure that ASAP! Thanks for the recommendation.
A great Mega Drive version indeed, Shadow Dancer was the first game I booted in my console in 1993. Fantastic times!
It's a really good remake. Some of the neater bits are that, when you beat a boss now, you get a 20 second special stage that is based off of the cancelled Space Fantasy Zone for the PC Engine:
And as I said, the new levels are really fun. One of them has such a hard boss, too. New power ups for Opa-opa as well, like devil wings, or big shots from Fantasy Zone II.
Great version, probably my favorite version of the original fantasy zone.
Yeah, the Fantasy Zone PS2 remake went well above and beyond pretty much everything else in that polygonal remake line. Kinda jarring, actually.
There actually was a Dragon Force 1 Sega Ages rerelease in 2008, handled by M2. but it never got an english translation.
I'm trying to imagine an 'Out Run' version running at 60FPS, with a gorgeous CRT shader and nice scanlines in a perfect recreation of the look of an arcade monitor, and with an use of the HD rumble as advanced as the one seen in 'Fast RMX'.
And I need this 'Out Run' version like yesterday.
And I need this 'Out Run' version like yesterday.
That version of outrun has existed for years. It's called CannonBall:
http://reassembler.blogspot.com/p/cannonball-open-source-outrun-engine.html
It's to Outrun, what Taxman's Retro engine is to Sonic the Hedgehog. a modern, completely accurate remake of the Outrun engine, released entirely as freeware. It's been used in some really, really kickass projects:
But yes, everything you asked for, Cannonball can do.
EDIT: Once inquired about how much that Force Dynamics rig cost -- it's $30,000. Totally worth it.
But the 'Out Run' version that I was describing, is an 'Out Run' version that I can afford without going to bankruptcy :)
Cannoball is free. You don't have to hook it up to a $30,000 motion simulator. You can play it with a normal gamepad, and it has all sorts of advanced rumble options.
To quote the project page:
http://blogs.sega.com/2015/01/23/sega-3d-classics-developer-interviews/
In case anyone wants some detailed reading of the care M2 puts into recreating these classic games and designing new features, these interviews on the 3DS releases are amazing. This is why people that care about playing the best versions of these games should be more excited about these releases than the classic collection releasing on other platforms (though that is a worthwhile endeavor for getting people that don't care as much about the emulation to play some good games).
In case anyone wants some detailed reading of the care M2 puts into recreating these classic games and designing new features, these interviews on the 3DS releases are amazing. This is why people that care about playing the best versions of these games should be more excited about these releases than the classic collection releasing on other platforms (though that is a worthwhile endeavor for getting people that don't care as much about the emulation to play some good games).
