| Sega Ages | |
|---|---|
 Logo for the Nintendo Switch series | |
| Developer(s) | Sega, M2, 3D Ages, Sims |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Platform(s) | Sega Saturn, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Switch |
Sega Ages[a] is a series of video game ports, remakes, and compilations published by Sega. It consists of Sega arcade games and home console games, typically those for the Sega Genesis and Master System. The series was launched on the Sega Saturn in 1996. Entries were published for the PlayStation 2 as Sega Ages 2500, a reference to its bargain ¥2500 price point. The series later came to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as Sega Ages Online, and finally to the Nintendo Switch as simply Sega Ages. The name Sega Ages is a palindrome, with "Ages" being "Sega" backwards — this was previously used by Sega in European marketing strategies from the late 1980s to early 1990s.
The Sega Saturn and PlayStation 2 releases usually feature a singular game alongside extras such as remakes or developer info, and sold at a low price point.[1] Most of these releases were exclusive to Japan. Three games in the Sega Saturn series - Space Harrier, Out Run and After Burner II - were selected for Sega Ages Volume 1, released in Europe in 1996 and in North America in 1997. Several games in the PlayStation 2 series were released in Europe and North America as part of the Sega Classics Collection compilation in 2005. The PlayStation 2 series was initially developed by 3D Ages, a collaborative effort between Sega and D3 Publisher, but Sega would soon develop the games in-house following the departure of D3 Publisher from the project.
Games
[edit]Sega Ages (Sega Saturn)
[edit]The first Sega Ages series was released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn in Japan and concluded in 1998. Although the majority of the titles in this series remained exclusive to Japan, three games from the line - Out Run, Space Harrier and After Burner II,[2] would be compiled into the video game compilation Sega Ages Volume 1,[1] released in Europe in 1996 by Sega itself and Sega Ages released in North America in 1997 by Working Designs under their Spaz imprint.[2] Despite the title, no additional volumes would be released in these territories. Due to development technicalities at Working Designs, they had to make a sacrifice to Out Run by removing the original arcade music from the disc so that all three games could fit. The game would still contain the arrangement version of the music. Reasons for the removal are explained in the developer / translator notes at the back of the manual.
| Title | Release date | Included games |
|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1 Syukudai ga Tant-R | Puzzle & Action: Tant-R, Quiz Syukudai wo Wasuremashita | |
| Vol. 2 Space Harrier† | Space Harrier | |
| Vol. 3 Out Run† |
|
Out Run |
| Vol. 4 After Burner II† |
|
After Burner II |
| Vol. 5 Rouka ni Ichidant-R |
|
Puzzle & Action: Ichidant-R, Quiz Rouka ni Tattenasai! |
| Vol. 6 Fantasy Zone |
|
Fantasy Zone |
| Vol. 7 Memorial Selection Vol. 1 |
|
Head-On, Pengo, Flicky, Up'n Down |
| Vol. 8 Columns Arcade Collection |
|
Columns, Columns II: The Voyage Through Time, Stack Columns, Columns '97 |
| Vol. 9 Memorial Selection Vol. 2 |
|
Samurai, Monaco GP, Star Jacker, Sindbad Mystery, Ninja Princess |
| Vol. 10 Power Drift |
|
Power Drift |
| Vol. 11 Phantasy Star Collection |
|
Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III, Phantasy Star IV |
| Vol. 12 Galaxy Force II |
|
Galaxy Force II |
| Vol. 13 I Love Mickey Mouse: Fushigi no Oshiro Daibouken/I Love Donald Duck: Guruzia Ou no Hihou |
|
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, QuackShot |
† = Released in North America as part of Sega Ages and Europe as part of Sega Ages Volume 1.
Sega Ages 2500 (PlayStation 2)
[edit]The second series was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2003 and concluding in 2008, known as the Sega Ages 2500 series - this title comes from the ¥2500 price point the game had.[4] The series was created from Sega's interest in the success of D3 Publisher's Simple budget-title video game series, which features low-budget games at a low price point. This interest would lead to Sega and D3 Publisher forming a new subsidiary company in 2003, known as 3D Ages (スリーディー・エイジス/3Dエイジス, Surīdī Eijisu), with the sole reason to create games under the Sega Ages 2500 series.[5] Later in 2004, D3 Publisher would leave the project and give Sega complete control of the company.[6]
The main focus of the series was to remake older Sega video games with 3D visuals, alongside improved sound and gameplay. Following the departure of D3 Publisher, the series would soon shift into featuring compilations of other Sega video games alongside remakes of these games.[6] The series officially concluded in 2008 after 33 entries, although several other Sega Ages 2500 games, featuring games such as Streets of Rage and Alex Kidd, were planned for release.[6] 3D Ages was disbanded in late 2005 and absorbed into Sega.[6]
Due to complications with Sony Computer Entertainment America, Sega was disallowed from releasing the games individually outside Japan.[6] Instead, nine of the games in the Sega Ages 2500 series would be compiled into the Sega Classics Collection compilation for the PlayStation 2, released in North America by Sega in 2005 and in Europe by Conspiracy Entertainment in 2006.[4]
| Title | Release date | Included games |
|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1: Phantasy Star Generation: 1 |
|
Remake of Phantasy Star |
| Vol. 2: Monaco GP† |
|
Remake of Monaco GP |
| Vol. 3: Fantasy Zone† |
|
Remake of Fantasy Zone |
| Vol. 4: Space Harrier† |
|
Remake of Space Harrier |
| Vol. 5: Golden Axe† |
|
Remake of Golden Axe |
| Vol. 6: Ichini no Tant-R to Bonanza Bros.† |
|
Remakes of Bonanza Bros. and Puzzle & Action: Tant-R |
| Vol. 7: Columns† |
|
Remake of Columns, built on the engine of Columns '97, with a Vs CPU mode similar to the single-player mode of Columns III. |
| Vol. 8: Virtual Racing FlatOut† |
|
Remake of Virtua Racing |
| Vol. 9: Gain Ground |
|
Remake of Gain Ground |
| Vol. 10: After Burner II |
|
Remake of After Burner II |
| Vol. 11: Hokuto no Ken |
|
Remake of Hokuto no Ken |
| Vol. 12: Puyo Puyo Tsuu Perfect Set |
|
Puyo Puyo 2 |
| Vol. 13: Out Run† |
|
Remake of Out Run |
| Vol. 14: Alien Syndrome† |
|
Remake of Alien Syndrome |
| Vol. 15: DecAthlete Collection |
|
DecAthlete, Winter Heat, Virtua Athlete |
| Vol. 16: Virtua Fighter 2 |
|
Virtua Fighter 2 |
| Vol. 17: Phantasy Star Generation: 2 |
|
Remake of Phantasy Star II |
| Vol. 18: Dragon Force |
|
Remake of Dragon Force |
| Vol. 19: Fighting Vipers |
|
Fighting Vipers |
| Vol. 20: Space Harrier Complete Collection |
|
Space Harrier, Space Harrier (SMS), Space Harrier (GG), Space Harrier 3D, Space Harrier II, Sega Mark III error screen demo |
| Vol. 21: SDI & Quartet: Sega System 16 Collection |
|
SDI, Quartet |
| Vol. 22: Advanced Daisenryaku: Deutsch Dengeki Sakusen |
|
Remake of Advanced Daisenryaku |
| Vol. 23: Sega Memorial Selection |
|
Head-On, Tranquilizer Gun, Borderline, Congo Bongo, Doki Doki Penguin Land, remakes of said games |
| Vol. 24: Last Bronx - Tokyo Bangaichi |
|
Last Bronx |
| Vol. 25: Gunstar Heroes Treasure Box |
|
Gunstar Heroes, Gunstar Heroes (GG), Gunstar Heroes (prototype version), Dynamite Headdy, Alien Soldier, Dynamite Headdy (SMS), Dynamite Headdy (GG) |
| Vol. 26: Dynamite Deka |
|
Remake of Dynamite Deka |
| Vol. 27: Panzer Dragoon |
|
Panzer Dragoon, remake of Panzer Dragoon |
| Vol. 28: Tetris Collection |
|
Tetris (Sega), Bloxeed, Flashpoint, Tetris New Century, Flashpoint (prototype) |
| Vol. 29: Monster World Complete Collection |
|
Wonder Boy (ARC, SMS, SG-1000, GG), Wonder Boy in Monster Land (ARC, SMS), Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair (ARC, SG), Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap (GG, SMS), Monster World III (SG, SMS), Monster World IV |
| Vol. 30: Galaxy Force II: Special Extended Edition |
|
Galaxy Force II, Galaxy Force II (SMS), Galaxy Force II (SG), Galaxy Force Neo Classic |
| Vol. 31: Cyber Troopers Virtual On |
|
Remake of Cyber Troopers: Virtual On |
| Vol. 32: Phantasy Star Complete Collection |
|
Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III, Phantasy Star Gaiden, Phantasy Star Adventure, Phantasy Star IV, Phantasy Star Text Adventures |
| Vol. 33: Fantasy Zone Complete Collection |
|
Fantasy Zone, Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa, Fantasy Zone: The Maze, Super Fantasy Zone, Fantasy Zone II DX, Fantasy Zone Neo Classic, Galactic Protector, Fantasy Zone Gear |
† = Released in North America and Europe as part of Sega Classics Collection. Alien Syndrome was removed from the European release to lower the game's rating.
Sega Ages Online / Sega Vintage Collection (Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3)
[edit]The third series was released for the Xbox 360 that was both introduced and concluded in 2012.[7] This series consisted of releases from the Sega Vintage Collection series, originally released in North America and Europe, from 2007 to 2009, as well as re-releases of games from the Sega Ages 2500 series - the latter games were only released on the PlayStation Store for the PlayStation 3 and had the Sega Ages 2500 name stripped from the title.[8] The games were developed by M2 as opposed to being made in-house by Sega.[7] Ten releases were made in total, making it the shortest of the Sega Ages series.[9]
| Title | Release date | Platform | Included games | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Classics Collection |
|
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 | Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Revenge of Shinobi, Super Hang-On | Released in North America and Europe as Sega Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co. |
| Monster World Collection |
|
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 | Wonder Boy in Monster World, Wonder Boy in Monster Land, Monster World IV | Released in North America and Europe as Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World. |
| Golden Axe Collection |
|
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 | Golden Axe, Golden Axe II, Golden Axe III | Released in North America and Europe as Sega Vintage Collection: Golden Axe. |
| Bare Knuckle Collection |
|
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 | Streets of Rage, Streets of Rage 2, Streets of Rage 3 | Released in North America and Europe as Sega Vintage Collection: Streets of Rage. |
| Dragon Force |
|
PlayStation 3 | Remake of Dragon Force | |
| Dynamite Deka |
|
PlayStation 3 | Remake of Dynamite Deka | |
| Gunstar Heroes Treasure Box |
|
PlayStation 3 | Gunstar Heroes, Gunstar Heroes (GG), Gunstar Heroes (prototype version), Dynamite Headdy, Alien Soldier, Dynamite Headdy (SMS), Dynamite Headdy (GG) | |
| Sega Memorial Selection |
|
PlayStation 3 | Head-On, Tranquilizer Gun, Borderline, Congo Bongo, Doki Doki Penguin Land, remakes of said games | |
| ToeJam & Earl Collection |
|
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 | ToeJam & Earl, ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron | Released in North America and Europe as Sega Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl. |
| Phantasy Star Complete Collection |
|
PlayStation 3 | Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III, Phantasy Star Gaiden, Phantasy Star Adventure, Phantasy Star IV, Phantasy Star Text Adventures |
Sega Ages (Nintendo Switch)
[edit]The fourth Sega Ages series was released for the Nintendo Switch in September 2018, available through the Nintendo eShop storefront. This series was developed by M2, with lead producer Rieko Kodama from Sega.[10][11][12][13] Although Sega said that games from the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast would be made available later on,[14] the series concluded in Japan in August 2020 and concluded elsewhere in the following month without these, although Sega stated their intention to continue re-releasing older titles in other ways.[15]
Reception
[edit]The first Sega Ages volume was a best-seller in the United Kingdom.[30] Next Generation rated it three stars out of five, and considered it better than the Namco Museum series.[31] GamePro gave it a negative review, saying that the three games in the collection "were never all that good to begin with", believing that the collection should have added other Sega games.[32] The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly unanimously contended that the three included games were outstanding and praised their arcade-perfect recreations, though they felt the collection should have included more games and historical info, as other retro compilations of the time did. They gave it a 6.5 out of 10.[33] Sega Saturn Magazine gave it a 91%, likewise praising the three included games and the quality of the conversions. Though they criticized that After Burner and Space Harrier were somewhat wasted since they had already received excellent ports for the Sega Mega Drive and Sega 32X, they felt the compilation was worth getting for Out Run alone.[34]
See also
[edit]- Sega Forever - similar series of releases made for iOS and Android devices.
- 3D Classics - similar series of releases made for the Nintendo 3DS.
Notes
[edit]- ^ Japanese: セガエイジス, Hepburn: Sega Eijisu
- ^ Some additional features such as Kids mode were ported from the Sega Saturn version.
- ^ The Hiragana/Katakana mixed mode was ported from the Sega Saturn version.
- ^ Some additional features or musics were ported from the Sega Genesis version and Nintendo 3DS version.
- ^ Some additional features were ported from the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 version.
- ^ Some additional features were ported from the Sega Genesis version.
- ^ The port is based on the Nintendo 3DS version which ported "Haya Oh" boss from the Sega Master System version.
- ^ The port of Columns I is based on the PlayStation Vita port which was included in Ryū ga Gotoku 0: Free to Play Application for PlayStation Vita.
- ^ The Sega Genesis port of Ichidant-R includes the Quest, Compe and Free modes, all exclusive to the console at the time.
- ^ Some additional features were ported from the complete version of PS2 and the Nintendo 3DS version.
- ^ In the original release, Knuckles in Sonic 2 could only be played by locking-on the Sonic 2 cartridge to a Sonic & Knuckles cartridge.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "The Return of Old Games: Part 3". Maximum: The Video Game Magazine (6). Emap International Limited: 125. May 1996.
- ^ a b "Next Generation" (33). September 1997: 33.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b "Software List (Released by Sega)". セガ 製品情報サイト (in Japanese). Sega. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- ^ a b Bramwell, Tom. "Sega's 3D Ages series for Europe". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 23, 2003.
- ^ Gantayat, Anoop (August 29, 2003). "Inside Sega Ages". IGN. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Kalata, Kurt. "Sega Ages". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
- ^ a b Kazutaka, Toyotomi (June 29, 2012). "セガ、PS3/Xbox 360「セガエイジスオンライン」インプレッション". GAME Watch. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ^ Spencer (August 20, 2014). "Phantasy Star Remakes Re-released On PlayStation Network In Japan". Siliconera. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Koshiro, Yuzu. "『セガエイジスオンライン』シリーズ、プレイステーション3とXbox 360で配信決定！". Famitsu. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ^ ニンドリ９月号：SEGA AGESシリーズに込められた"想い"を追いかける連載スタート！. Nintendo Dream Web (in Japanese). July 16, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
- ^ "Sega AGES Is Officially Coming to Nintendo Switch In The West - Nintendo Life". April 16, 2018.
- ^ "A Ton of Classic Sega Games Are Coming to the Switch". April 16, 2018.
- ^ Craddock, Ryan (September 12, 2018). "The Second Batch of Sega AGES Switch Titles Will Include Sonic 2, Out Run And More". Nintendo Life. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
- ^ McFerran, Damien (April 16, 2018). "Alex Kidd And Gain Ground Join Sega's AGES Line-Up On Switch, Saturn And Dreamcast Games Coming". Nintendo Life. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
- ^ Doolan, Liam (August 26, 2020). "Sega Says It Wants To Re-Release More Past Titles On Nintendo Switch". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- ^ SEGA AGES（セガエイジス） (in Japanese). Sega Japan. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
- ^ 「SEGA AGES」インタビュー Part1 帰ってきた"こだわり復刻チーム"！ (in Japanese), Impress, September 19, 2018
- ^ a b 「SEGA AGES」インタビュー Part2 "じゃあ、シネパックをキレイにするところからだっ！" (in Japanese), Impress, September 20, 2018
- ^ 「SEGA AGES ファンタシースター」インタビュー (in Japanese), Imress, October 31, 2018
- ^ 「SEGA AGES アウトラン」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, November 29, 2018
- ^ 「SEGA AGES アレックスキッドのミラクルワールド」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, February 21, 2019
- ^ 「SEGA AGES ぷよぷよ」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, March 28, 2019
- ^ 「SEGA AGES バーチャレーシング」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, April 25, 2019
- ^ 「SEGA AGES ワンダーボーイ モンスターランド」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, May 29, 2019
- ^ 「SEGA AGES スペースハリアー」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, June 26, 2019
- ^ a b c 「SEGA AGES コラムスII」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, August 7, 2019
- ^ 「SEGA AGES イチダントアール」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, September 25, 2019
- ^ 「SEGA AGES SHINOBI 忍」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, October 30, 2019
- ^ 「SEGA AGES ファンタジーゾーン」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, November 27, 2019
- ^ "Sega Retro Pack: Round Two". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 18. Emap International Limited. April 1997. p. 12.
- ^ "Finals". Next Generation. No. 33. Imagine Media. September 1997. p. 134.
- ^ Special K (November 1997). "Saturn ProReview: Sega Ages". GamePro. No. 110. IDG. p. 153.
- ^ "Review Crew: Sega Ages". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 96. Ziff Davis. July 1997. p. 51.
- ^ Leadbetter, Rich (January 1997). "Review: Sega Ages". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 15. Emap International Limited. pp. 74–75.