3D Classics

3D Classics is a label applied to certain remakes of old games for the Nintendo 3DS, with added stereoscopic 3D functionality and updated features while retaining their original art style and graphics. So far, there are two (otherwise unrelated) series: a first-party series of NES/Famicom and arcade games, and a Sega-published, M2-developed set of classic Sega games, mostly from Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and Sega arcade hardware.

Development

The first set of games in the series was developed by Arika and published by Nintendo. These releases were directed by Takao Nakano from the Special-Planning & Development Department of Nintendo.[1] Development on this set of games began in 2009, starting with Namco Bandai Games' Xevious. They underestimated the amount of work required to add stereoscopic 3D to a 2D game, requiring much more work than a simple port. Arika attempted a 3D Classics version of the NES/Famicom game Tennis because the background had perspective, but found it looked unimpressive in 3D while requiring re-coding collision detection almost from scratch.[2][3]

Games in the series published by Sega are branded as "Sega 3D Classics" and are developed by M2. Many of the Sega 3D Classics are remakes of games that originally used Sega's "Super Scaler" technology, which created a pseudo-3D effect by rapidly rotating and scaling large numbers of sprites.

Some of the Sega 3D Classics provide options that try to emulate the arcade experience, such as option to enable motion controls or show the screen tilt in games like After Burner II and Super Hang-On. 3D Sonic the Hedgehog allows players to switch between the Japanese and international versions of the game. Some Sega 3D Classics introduce new features altogether, such as "Super Dolphin" invincibility mode in Ecco the Dolphin and the Spin Dash in Sonic the Hedgehog (which is a technique originally introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 2).[4]

While the games are usually advertised as being based on the NES/Famicom or Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version of the game, the developers often take inspiration from the arcade version when adapting the game.[2]

Release

The 3D Classics were originally announced shortly before the Nintendo eShop launched, with Excitebike being free for a limited time only before becoming a paid download.[3]

Eight of the Sega 3D Classics comprised the retail title Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives, released on December 18, 2014 in Japan.[5] It has not been released outside Japan, although the titles it is composed of were released on the Nintendo eShop internationally throughout 2013 and 2015 (all the component games had been released in Japan prior to the release of the compilation).

The second group of Sega 3D Classics were released in Japan starting in December 2013; in the West, they were released in 2015, with one of the five coming out each month.[4] In Australia, after the release of 3D After Burner II, all remaining SEGA 3D Classics were delayed indefinitely;[6] while many of the games were classified by the Australian Classification Board much earlier,[7] they were not released in Australia until July 2, 2015.[8]

Reception

Modojo's Chris Buffa criticized the Arika-developed 3D Classics for being remakes of uninteresting games, commenting that the 3D Classics line should focus on major titles such as Donkey Kong and The Legend of Zelda.[3]

The Verge's Sam Byford complimented the Sega 3D Classics for making stereoscopic 3D "a feature", calling the 3D Classics "the most impressive use of 3D on Nintendo's console to date". Byford also commented that the added depth perception makes some of the games easier to play.[9]

GamesRadar's Justin Towell praised the conversion of Super Hang-On to stereoscopic 3D, but noted that the 3D effect seems "a bit uneven in the far distance", and criticized the optional screen-tilt feature (which attempts to emulate sitting on a bike in an arcade) as pointless. Towell complimented 3D Space Harrier for its various screen modes and control options (especially the touch screen mode), as well as the new time trial mode. He also enjoyed the CRT TV simulation displayed in 3D Sonic the Hedgehog and 3D Altered Beast, although he found the effect fuzzy in Altered Beast due to the slow pace.[10]

List of games

The games are sorted by title. To sort by other columns, click the corresponding icon in the header row.

Nintendo 3D Classics

All Nintendo 3D Classics were published by Nintendo and developed by Arika.

Title Original system Original release Japan North America Europe Australia
Excitebike[lower-alpha 1] NES 1984 June 7, 2011 June 6, 2011 June 7, 2011 June 7, 2011
Kid Icarus[lower-alpha 2] NES 1986 January 18, 2012[lower-alpha 3] April 19, 2012[lower-alpha 4] February 2, 2012[lower-alpha 5] April 12, 2012[lower-alpha 6]
Kirby's Adventure NES 1993 April 25, 2012 November 17, 2011 November 17, 2011 November 17, 2011
TwinBee[lower-alpha 7] NES 1986 August 10, 2011 September 22, 2011 September 22, 2011 September 22, 2011
Urban Champion NES 1984 July 13, 2011 August 18, 2011 August 18, 2011 August 18, 2011
Xevious Arcade 1982 June 7, 2011 July 21, 2011 July 21, 2011 July 21, 2011
  1. Available for free to users who logged on to the 3DS eShop between June 7, 2011 and July 7, 2011.
  2. The Famicom Disk System version, on which this 3D Classic is based, wasn't originally available in North America or PAL regions. The original NES version had been previously released on the Wii Virtual Console in both North America and Europe.
  3. Available early for free to users who registered any two Nintendo 3DS titles on Club Nintendo between October 1, 2011 and January 15, 2012. The download codes could be used starting December 19, 2011, ahead of the paid public release.
  4. Previously available as a pre-order bonus (at select stores) for Kid Icarus: Uprising on its release day March 23, 2012, ahead of the paid public release of the 3D Classics title.
  5. Available early for free to users who registered two of a selection of Nintendo 3DS titles on Club Nintendo between November 1, 2011 and January 31, 2012. Download codes were emailed starting January 5, 2012.
  6. Available early for free to users who registered two of a selection of Nintendo 3DS titles on Club Nintendo between November 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012. Download codes were emailed starting January 17, 2012.
  7. The Famicom version, on which this 3D Classic is based, wasn't originally available in North America or PAL regions. The game had never originally been released, outside of Japan.

Sega 3D Classics

All Sega 3D Classics were published by Sega and developed by M2.

Title Original system Original release Japan North America Europe Australia
After Burner II Arcade 1987 December 18, 2013 January 15, 2015 January 15, 2015 January 15, 2015
Alien Syndrome[lower-alpha 1] Arcade 1987 December 22, 2016 Unreleased Unreleased Unreleased
Altered Beast Sega Genesis 1988 May 29, 2013 December 5, 2013 December 5, 2013 December 5, 2013
Champion Boxing[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] SG-1000 1984 December 22, 2016 Unreleased Unreleased Unreleased
Columns[lower-alpha 1] Sega Genesis 1990 December 22, 2016 Unreleased Unreleased Unreleased
Ecco the Dolphin Sega Genesis 1992 June 26, 2013 December 12, 2013 December 12, 2013 December 12, 2013
Fantasy Zone: Opa-Opa Bros. Arcade 1986 March 19, 2014 February 12, 2015 February 12, 2015 July 2, 2015
Fantasy Zone[lower-alpha 3][lower-alpha 4] Master System 1986 December 23, 2015 April 26, 2016 November 4, 2016 November 4, 2016
Fantasy Zone II W Arcade 2008 July 16, 2014 April 16, 2015 April 16, 2015 July 2, 2015
Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa[lower-alpha 3] Master System 1987 December 23, 2015[11][12] April 26, 2016 November 4, 2016 November 4, 2016
Galaxy Force II Arcade 1988 July 24, 2013 December 12, 2013 December 12, 2013 December 12, 2013
Girl's Garden[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] SG-1000 1984 December 22, 2016 Unreleased Unreleased Unreleased
Gunstar Heroes Sega Genesis 1993 June 24, 2015 August 20, 2015 August 20, 2015 August 20, 2015
Maze Walker[lower-alpha 3] Master System 1988 December 23, 2015[11][12] April 26, 2016 November 4, 2016 November 4, 2016
Out Run Arcade 1986 April 23, 2014 March 12, 2015 March 12, 2015 July 2, 2015
Out-Run 3-D[lower-alpha 5] Master System 1988 December 18, 2014 Unreleased Unreleased Unreleased
Power Drift[lower-alpha 6] Arcade 1988 December 23, 2015[11][12] April 26, 2016 November 4, 2016 November 4, 2016
Puyo Puyo 2[lower-alpha 6] Arcade 1994 December 23, 2015[12][11] April 26, 2016 November 4, 2016 November 4, 2016
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master Sega Genesis 1993 August 7, 2013 December 19, 2013 December 19, 2013 December 19, 2013
Sonic the Hedgehog Sega Genesis 1991 May 15, 2013 December 5, 2013 December 5, 2013 December 5, 2013
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Sega Genesis 1992 July 22, 2015 October 8, 2015[13] October 8, 2015[13] October 8, 2015[13]
Space Harrier Arcade 1985 December 26, 2012 November 28, 2013 November 28, 2013 November 28, 2013
Space Harrier 3-D[lower-alpha 5] Master System 1988 December 18, 2014 Unreleased Unreleased Unreleased
Streets of Rage Sega Genesis 1991 August 21, 2013 December 19, 2013 December 19, 2013 December 19, 2013
Streets of Rage 2 Sega Genesis 1992 April 29, 2015 July 23, 2015 July 23, 2015 July 23, 2015
Super Hang-On Arcade 1987 March 27, 2013 November 28, 2013 November 28, 2013 November 28, 2013
Thunder Blade Arcade 1987 August 20, 2014 May 14, 2015 May 14, 2015 July 2, 2015
Thunder Force III[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 7] Sega Genesis 1990 December 22, 2016 Unreleased Unreleased Unreleased
Turbo OutRun[lower-alpha 1] Arcade 1989 December 22, 2016 Unreleased Unreleased Unreleased
  1. Exclusive to Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 3: Final Stage
  2. Secret unlockable game in Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 3: Final Stage
  3. Exclusive to Sega 3D Classics Collection
  4. Secret unlockable game in Sega 3D Classics Collection
  5. Exclusive to Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives
  6. Exclusive to Sega 3D Classics Collection outside of Japan.
  7. Developed by Sega and Technosoft
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See also

References
  1. "Nintendo eShop - A Place to Go for No Particular Reason". Iwata Asks. Nintendo. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  2. "Nintendo eShop - Classic Games in 3D". Iwata Asks. Nintendo. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  3. Buffa, Chris. "3DS 3D Classics: One Big Disappointment". Modojo. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  4. Whitehead, Thomas (November 4, 2014). "SEGA Confirms Second Batch of 3D Classics for the West". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  5. alba (September 25, 2014). "Sega 3D Classics Collection Announced For Retail Release In Japan". My Nintendo News. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  6. Lite_Agent (9 March 2015). "Australia: the remaining Sega 3D Classics delayed". Perfectly Nintendo. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  7. Koneko, Kirara (23 March 2015). "Sega 3D Classics are given ratings in Australia". Nintendo Everything. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  8. Doolan, Liam. "3D Out Run, Thunder Blade And Fantasy Zone I & II Now Available On The eShop In Australia". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  9. Byford, Sam (December 19, 2013). "Sega's stunning 3D Classics are Nintendo's best-kept secret". The Verge. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  10. Towell, Justin. "Sega's 3D Classics on 3DS are here: Which should you buy?". GamesRadar. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  11. TrackerTD (September 9, 2015). "SEGA's 3D Classics Return this Summer with SEGA Genesis Games for Nintendo 3DS". Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  12. Roberto Magistretti (September 11, 2015). "Sega Classics 2: Power Drift arriving and Puyo Puyo 2!". Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  13. SEGA [@SEGA] (September 28, 2015). "3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will be available in the Nintendo eShop on October 8th!" (Tweet). Retrieved September 28, 2015 – via Twitter.
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