Sega Ages

Review by: Dave Zdyrko (Editor)

Sega Ages is a compilation of three classic Sega arcade titles from their famed AM2 arcade division. In Japan, these three titles, Afterburner II, OutRun and Space Harrier, were released on separate discs for the Sega Saturn and sold for pretty close to full price. Now thanks to Working Designs and their Spaz label, U.S. gamers get a chance to get all three games on one CD-ROM that is priced cheaper than what each sold for separately in Japan.

The first game, alphabetically, is an arcade perfect port of Sega AM2's 1987 arcade game Afterburner II. Graphically the game pales in comparison to today's fully three-dimensional fully texture-mapped shooters, but in terms of raw speed and intense action, not many of today's games come close. In fact, if you compare Afterburner II to its 32-bit cousin, Sky Target, Afterburner II easily comes out on top with superior gameplay and faster action. The game also is fully compatible with Sega's 3D analog pad and its analog flight stick for greater control and more intense arcade style action. There are 23 total levels and the game is very challenging, even on the easier difficulty levels, so this game alone should keep gamers busy for a while.

Next up is my personal favorite of the three games, OutRun. OutRun is an arcade perfect port of the AM2 arcade game that was originally released in 1986 and is still one of the top 5 arcade games of all-time according to replay magazine. Before playing it again, I really didn't expect to care for it much as it seems like it would be extremely dated and would pale in comparison to today's realistic arcade racing simulations, but much to my surprise, it is still an extremely fun game to play. The game controls great, especially with Sega's 3D analog pad, and the sensation of speed that you get is comparable to, if not superior to, any of today's 32 bit racing games. The graphics are definitely very dated, but the speed and excitement of the racing is phenomenal.

Of the three games, Space Harrier was the only one that I had never played before in the arcades, so it had the least amount of nostalgic value when playing it. Still, it is one hell of shooter that features some great character designs, some nasty bosses and a ton of on screen action. As with the other two games, the control is fantastic and works best with Sega's 3D analog controller.

The one thing that really stood out with all three games was the raw speed and the intensity of the action. If you are a fan of any of these games or if you want to check out what arcade gaming used to be about in the late-80's, you owe it to yourself to pick up Sega Ages.

RATINGS

Graphics: 5/10
Sound: 6/10
Control: 9/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Replay Value: 9/10

OVERALL: 8.5/10

Back to the Reviews Page