SEGA AGES & SEGA Mega Drive Classics

Virtua Racing is out this week in Japan! With online play! When it releases globally we ought to get some face-offs going (it's 1v1 for online, so maybe a tournament board would make sense).

Because of the super high standards set by the 3D classics, and the pixel-perfect fit those games have been on the 3DS's low res display, I haven't been that interested in the games released so far. I did pick up OutRun because...who can resist OutRun...but it's still better on 3DS! But the online leaderboards were neat - since they have records for each route you no longer have to always take the single fastest route when setting high scores.

A very quiet ten months for the SEGA AGES series since fronkhead's last post. Yet with Puyo Puyo 2 and Sonic 2 coming out earlier this week, we're up to sixteen games on Switch now:

https://segaages.sega.com/

That's most of the games that were known to be in development, with Thunder Force AC, G-LOC Air Battle and Herzog Zwei still due to come. 

I'm not sure how much some of these were needed. I'd assume that they'd be the best versions, but how much can you jazz up the two Puyo Puyo games and Columns II? Also, the four billionth re-release of Sonics 1 and 2, Space Harrier and OutRun are a bit scunnering, especially seeing as they're already part of the SEGA AGES line of 3DS games. The others are just about fair enough, but it's not enough for a series that was announced almost three years ago.

Has anybody been playing these, or even paying attention to them? I'm quite downhearted about SEGA AGES, but that can easily be sorted out with a few non-arcade and non-Mega Drive games that SEGA don't reissue all the time.

I think the problem with the SEGA AGES series on Switch is that if I were to pick up any of those titles, I'd probably go for the 3D Classics version on 3DS. That's how I played Outrun, at least.

Can't say I've been that bothered about them as I can easily pick them up in the Mega Drive Classics Collection or the Mini if I really wanted them, sure I've been tempted by Sonic because it's Sonic and I really should play Outrun having never done so but none have felt like must buys. They need to give me more games I can't remember the name of to rediscover.

You can play Outrun in Yakuza 0, incidentally. I put a fair bit of time into that for one of the game's challenges.

I sort view it like Switch Online or what was the Virtual Console, that the Switch can do so much more than just Mega Drive games.

Where's Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, Otogi etc???

Were we not meant to be getting Dreamcast games on Switch at one point?

They really should, the amount of people who have great memories of the Dreamcast alongside those that never played it and are curious about the games must be huge.

It does seem a bit of a sporadic release. I appreciate the love that's gone into the Ages games, but I'd feel happier picking up the Genesis/MegaDrive collection in one bundle, if that makes sense. I don't think that's due to a lack of familiarity - if Nintendo tried the old Virtual Console route of selling NES/SNES games individually, I don't think I'd bite a third time round. If there was a Sega Ages collection, then maybe.

So, that’s that. SEGA have announced that they’re ending the SEGA AGES series and that no more games are to be released under that banner after Herzog Zwei:

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/08/sega_says_it_wants_to_re-release_more_past_titles_on_nintendo_switch

It’s disappointing. These Switch conversions are first rate, and most had enough new content to justify another look. But, I mean, look at this:



It’s all just a bit unexciting, underwhelming and uninspiring, wasn’t it? It’s no wonder that these sold poorly in Japan and elsewhere. SEGA sat on their arses with the stuff people truly wanted and just slowly drip-fed us games that didn’t need a fiftieth update or were just too obscure to catch anybody’s eye. It’s as plain as the nose on your face that SEGA AGES would have been far more interesting and way more successful had they ported games from the Saturn and the Dreamcast. I appreciate that this might have been a financial risk and required more work, but the likes of Sonic Adventure, Crazy Taxi and Daytona USA would’ve been worth the effort much more than Ichidant-R ever would be. These ports already exist as well – those three are all on PlayStation Now and Xbox Store, kicking about on PS3 and 360 for almost a decade now. They could easily have been tarted up, rebranded as SEGA AGES and lapped up at £6.29 on a portable system.

I hope that these find their way to PS5 and XBSX in one big compilation, there’s hee-haw reason why they only need to be on a Nintendo. I also hope that SEGA can move on from the late ‘80s and start paying attention their work of the last twenty-five years. Whatever they do, it doesn’t even need to be an enhanced port either. If they must release them separately, I honestly wouldn’t be unhappy with ROM dumps a la Hamster’s ACA Neogeo series, just so long as it was for games that, you know, folk are actually arsed with.

It’s great that Forever Entertainment are re-releasing stuff like Panzer Dragoon and House of the Dead, but M2 are the masters of updating these old games. It’s scunnering that their work has been undermined by the fact that nobody gives a toss about Gain Ground or Columns II.

I wonder if SEGA keeps going back to Master System and Mega Drive stuff because those were successful and the Saturn & Dreamcast weren't that they think people don't want Jet Set Radio, Sonic Adventure 2, Nights, Burning Rangers on a modern system like the PS4 or Switch (Xbox has a lot due to backwards compatibility).

Then you've got stuff after they went 3rd party such as Otogi which I feel would do very well now being From Software games, Billy Hatcher etc

They're sitting on maybe the second best back catalogue and doing nothing with it

Aye, I've not much interest in going for some of those Mega Drive titles considering I've played a lot of them before or don't have a lot of interest in the obscurer titles, but I'd lap up a port of JSR or Crazy Taxi. Dreamcast on Switch seems like a missed opportunity thus far.

Agree with everything said.

January 2001 was when SEGA made the decision to go third-party only. Not really something to celebrate, but they constantly overlook their 2000s catalogue. They even did a Twitter poll asking what game fans want to see in the SEGA Ages line and completely ignored it. This was two years ago.

I have Jet Set Radio on Steam and it's an excellent HD version. The two Sonic Adventures are available, as is Crazy Taxi and even Soul Calibur (which I know is Namco). Crazy Taxi 2 and 3 are good games, lost to time. Skies of Arcadia. Super Monkey Ball. Virtua Tennis. Classics that could be put out with a HD lick of paint and some fan service. There was a great documentary on Jet Set Radio. They are sitting on a wealth of content. They could even throw some more characters Nintendo's way and put them in Smash. Didn't SEGA have a mobile version of SEGA Ages that was subscription based? I enjoyed SEGA Heroes but it's no longer online now - thank God I didn't actually put any money in it as I'd be super pissed. It's all a bit half-arsed really.

As Cappa said, why oh why aren't the 360/PS3 SEGA games on Switch or PS4?

Right so thinking about it these are the SEGA games I would like to see not from a SEGA Console come to modern hardware

GameCube
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg
Skies of Arcadia Legends

Just the two from the Cube, my main thing from the Cube is why can't we just get Cube games on the Switch in general

Xbox
Gunvalkyrie, Was a decent game which I feel people forget exists
Jet Set Radio Future, Not a lot to say you know what it is
Otogi: Myth of Demons & Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors, I said above these being games from From Software people will want to go back and play
Panzer Dragoon Orta, This is backwards compatible on Xbox One-Series but I'd happy have an HD remaster
Rent A Hero No.1, Port of the Dreamcast game which has never left Japan that it could be a nice surprise
ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth, People likely want to play it

Maybe Crazy Taxi 3 but I don't think its very good and port of the first slightly shinier would be better, maybe also House of the Dead 3 where on Switch you use Joy-Cons to fire

That's about it unless PS2 has something I'm totally missing that's good like Golden Axe  

If we were talking stuff from SEGA systems then loads more like how have we still not had a Knuckles' Chaotix on anything???

There was a bunch of ports on PS2 (Ecco, Headhunter, F355) but Shinobi is a decent title. Not played Nightshade which is similar. Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution is a good 'un but Virtua Fighter 5 pretty much does it all prettier. OutRun 2006 would probably have license issues and maybe SEGA Rally too? Virtua Tennis 2 was on PS2 too but 3 or 4 might be the safer bets given the crowd look less like extras from a WCW N64 game. Rez, Space Channel 5, ... Leave SEGA GT alone. Panzer Dragoon and its on-rails thang feels like a dead genre but would like to see them use the series for something different.

The first two Super Monkey Ball games deserve a proper HD remaster but I'm not sure the Blitz game sold that well.

Considering JSR Future is cel-shaded, it still looks great. They are leaving money on the table with that one.

That's the thing with lot of the other games like Outrun 2006 be licensing issues and stuff like Virtua Tennis might as well get a new one same with Virtua Fighter.

Didn't look at REZ because I think of it as a Dreamcast game which has been ported many a time that it is on PS4.

One for Cappa?