Sega Ages

Sega Ages[lower-alpha 1] 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.

Sega Ages
Logo used 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

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 Vol. 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, however Sega would soon develop the games in-house following the departure of D3 Publisher from the project.

Games

Sega Ages (Sega Saturn)

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 Vol. 1,[1] released in Europe in 1996 by Sega itself and 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.

Title	Release date	Included games
Vol. 1 Syukudai ga Tant-R	JP: May 12, 1996	Puzzle & Action: Tant-R, Quiz Syukudai wo Wasuremashita
Vol. 2 Space Harrier^†	JP: August 6, 1996	Space Harrier
Vol. 3 Out Run^†	JP: September 20, 1996	Out Run
Vol. 4 After Burner II^†	JP: September 27, 1996	After Burner II
Vol. 5 Rouka ni Ichidant-R	JP: December 27, 1996	Puzzle & Action: Ichidant-R, Quiz Rouka ni Tattenasai!
Vol. 6 Fantasy Zone	JP: February 21, 1997	Fantasy Zone
Vol. 7 Memorial Selection Vol. 1	JP: February 27, 1997	Head-On, Pengo, Flicky, Up'n Down
Vol. 8 Columns Arcade Collection	JP: October 30, 1997	Columns, Columns II: The Voyage Through Time, Stack Columns, Columns '97
Vol. 9 Memorial Selection Vol. 2	JP: November 27, 1997	Samurai, Monaco GP, Star Jacker, Sindbad Mystery, Ninja Princess
Vol. 10 Power Drift	JP: February 26, 1998	Power Drift
Vol. 11 Phantasy Star Collection	JP: April 2, 1998	Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III, Phantasy Star IV
Vol. 12 Galaxy Force II	JP: July 20, 1998	Galaxy Force II
Vol. 13 I Love Mickey Mouse: Fushigi no Oshiro Daibouken/I Love Donald Duck: Guruzia Ou no Hihou	JP: October 15, 1998	Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse, QuackShot

^† = Released in North America and Europe as part of Sega Ages Vol. 1

Sega Ages 2500 (PlayStation 2)

The second series was released for the PlayStation in 2003 and concluding in 2008, known as the Sega Ages 2500 series - this title comes from the ¥2500 price point the game had.[3] 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.[4] Later in 2004, D3 Publisher would leave the project and give Sega complete control of the company.[5]

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.[5] The series officially concluded in 2008 after 33 entries, although several other Sega Ages 2500 games, featuring games such as Streets of Rage, Alex Kidd and Sonic the Hedgehog, were planned for release.[5] 3D Ages was disbanded in late 2005 and absorbed into Sega.[5]

Due to complications with Sony Computer Entertainment America, Sega was disallowed from releasing the games individually outside Japan.[5] 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.[3]

Title	Release date	Included games
Vol. 1: Phantasy Star Generation: 1	JP: August 28, 2003	Remake of Phantasy Star
Vol. 2: Monaco GP^†	JP: August 28, 2003	Remake of Monaco GP
Vol. 3: Fantasy Zone^†	JP: August 28, 2003	Remake of Fantasy Zone
Vol. 4: Space Harrier^†	JP: September 25, 2003	Remake of Space Harrier
Vol. 5: Golden Axe^†	JP: September 25, 2003	Remake of Golden Axe
Vol. 6: Ichini no Tant-R to Bonanza Bros.^†	JP: August 28, 2003	Remakes of Bonanza Bros. and Puzzle & Action: Tant-R
Vol. 7: Columns^†	JP: January 25, 2004	Columns, remake of Columns
Vol. 8: Virtual Racing FlatOut^†	JP: February 26, 2004	Remake of Virtua Racing
Vol. 9: Gain Ground	JP: February 26, 2004	Remake of Gain Ground
Vol. 10: After Burner II	JP: March 25, 2004	Remake of After Burner II
Vol. 11: Hokuto no Ken	JP: March 25, 2004	Remake of Hokuto no Ken
Vol. 12: Puyo Puyo Tsuu Perfect Set	JP: May 24, 2004	Puyo Puyo 2
Vol. 13: Out Run^†	JP: May 27, 2004	Remake of Out Run
Vol. 14: Alien Syndrome^†	JP: July 9, 2004	Remake of Alien Syndrome
Vol. 15: Decathlete Collection	JP: July 9, 2004	Decathlete, Winter Heat, Virtua Athlete 2K
Vol. 16: Virtua Fighter 2	JP: October 14, 2004	Virtua Fighter 2
Vol. 17: Phantasy Star Generation: 2	JP: March 24, 2005	Remake of Phantasy Star II
Vol. 18: Dragon Force	JP: August 18, 2005	Remake of Dragon Force
Vol. 19: Fighting Vipers	JP: August 28, 2005	Fighting Vipers
Vol. 20: Space Harrier Complete Collection	JP: October 27, 2005	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	JP: October 27, 2005	SDI, Quartet (video game)
Vol. 22: Advanced Daisenryaku: Deustch Dengeki Sakusen	JP: February 23, 2006	Remake of Advanced Daisenryaku
Vol. 23: Sega Memorial Selection	JP: December 22, 2006	Head-On, Tranquilizer Gun, Borderline, Congo Bongo, Doki Doki Penguin Land, remakes of said games
Vol. 24: Last Bronx - Tokyo Bangaichi	JP: December 29, 2006	Last Bronx
Vol. 25: Gunstar Heroes Treasure Box	JP: February 23, 2006	Gunstar Heroes, Gunstar Heroes (GG), Gunstar Heroes (prototype version), Dynamite Headdy, Alien Soldier, Dynamite Headdy (SMS), Dynamite Headdy (GG)
Vol. 26: Dynamite Deka	JP: April 27, 2007	Remake of Dynamite Deka
Vol. 27: Panzer Dragoon	JP: April 27, 2007	Panzer Dragoon, remake of Panzer Dragoon
Vol. 28: Tetris Collection	JP: June 28, 2007	Tetris (Sega), Bloxeed, Flashpoint, Tetris New Century, Flashpoint (prototype)
Vol. 29: Monster World Complete Collection	JP: August 3, 2007	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	JP: August 26, 2007	Galaxy Force II, Galaxy Force II (SMS), Galaxy Force II (SG), Galaxy Force Neo Classic
Vol. 31: Cyber Troopers Virtual On	JP: October 25, 2007	Remake of Cyber Troopers: Virtual On
Vol. 32: Phantasy Star Complete Collection	JP: March 27, 2008	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	JP: September 11, 2008	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)

The third series was released for the Xbox 360 that was both introduced and concluded in 2012.[6] This series consisted of releases from the Sega Vintage Collection series, originally released in North America and Europe, 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.[7] The games were developed by M2 as opposed to being made in-house by Sega.[6] Ten releases were made in total, making it the shortest of the Sega Ages series.[8]

Title	Release date	Platform	Included games	Notes
Sega Classics Collection	WW: May 23, 2012	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	WW: May 23, 2012	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	WW: May 30, 2012	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	WW: May 30, 2012	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	JP: July 25, 2012	PlayStation 3	Remake of Dragon Force
Dynamite Deka	JP: August 22, 2012	PlayStation 3	Remake of Dynamite Deka
Gunstar Heroes Treasure Box	JP: September 19, 2012	PlayStation 3	Gunstar Heroes, Gunstar Heroes (GG), Gunstar Heroes (prototype version), Dynamite Headdy, Alien Soldier, Dynamite Headdy (SMS), Dynamite Headdy (GG)
Sega Memorial Selection	JP: October 17, 2012	PlayStation 3	Head-On, Tranquilizer Gun, Borderline, Congo Bongo, Doki Doki Penguin Land, remakes of said games
ToeJam & Earl Collection	WW: November 7, 2012	Xbox 360, PlayStation 3	ToeJam and Earl, ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron	Released in North America and Europe as Sega Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl.
Phantasy Star Complete Collection	JP: December 19, 2012	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)

The fourth Sega Ages series is currently being released for the Nintendo Switch, available through the Nintendo eShop storefront. This series is being developed by M2, with lead producer Rieko Kodama from Sega.[9] It was first announced in August 2018, with ten titles announced for the series.[10][11][12][13] Sega has since stated that games from the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast would be made available later on.[14]

Title[15]	Original system	Japanese release	Worldwide release
Sonic the Hedgehog	Sega Genesis/Arcade (Mega Play)[16]	September 20, 2018
Thunder Force IV	Sega Genesis[lower-alpha 2][17]
Phantasy Star	Master System[lower-alpha 3][18]	October 31, 2018	December 13, 2018
Out Run	Arcade (OutRun)[lower-alpha 4][19]	November 29, 2018	January 10, 2019
Gain Ground	Arcade (System 24)[17]	December 27, 2018	March 28, 2019
Alex Kidd in Miracle World	Master System[lower-alpha 5][20]	February 21, 2019
Puyo Puyo	Arcade (System C-2)[lower-alpha 6][21]	March 28, 2019	August 22, 2019
Virtua Racing	Arcade (Model 1)[22]	April 25, 2019	June 27, 2019
Wonder Boy in Monster Land	Arcade (System 2)[23]	May 30, 2019
Space Harrier	Arcade (Space Harrier)[lower-alpha 7][24]	June 27, 2019	August 22, 2019
Columns II (Columns is also included[25])	Columns II: Arcade (System C)[25] Columns: Sega Genesis[lower-alpha 8][25]	August 8, 2019	October 17, 2019
Puzzle & Action: Ichidant-R	Arcade (System C-2)/Sega Genesis[lower-alpha 9][26]	September 26, 2019
Shinobi	Arcade (System 16)[27]	October 31, 2019	January 23, 2020
Fantasy Zone	Arcade (System 16A)[lower-alpha 10][28]	November 28, 2019
Puyo Puyo 2	Arcade (System C-2)	January 16, 2020	February 20, 2020
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Knuckles in Sonic 2 is also included)	Sega Genesis[lower-alpha 11]	February 13, 2020
G-LOC: Air Battle	Arcade (Y Board)	March 26, 2020	April 30, 2020
Thunder Force AC	Arcade (System C-2)	May 14, 2020	May 28, 2020
Herzog Zwei	Sega Genesis	TBA

Reception

The first Sega Ages volume was a best-seller in the United Kingdom.[29] Next Generation rated it three stars out of five, saying it "holds up better than the Namco Museum series, and at a mere $40, these three games should be worth giving the ol' CD a spin."[30] GamePro gave it a negative review, saying that the three games in the collection "were never all that good to begin with. ... They all have their strong points, but lack those special qualities that make certain games forever great."[31] 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.[32] 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 Mega Drive and 32X, they felt the compilation was worth getting for Out Run alone.[33]

See also

• Sega Forever - Similar series of releases made for iOS and Android devices.
• 3D Classics - Similar series of releases made for the Nintendo 3DS.

Notes

1. Japanese: セガエイジス Hepburn: Sega Eijisu
2. Some additional features such as Kids mode were ported from the Sega Saturn version.
3. The Hiragana/Katakana mixed mode was ported from the Sega Saturn version.
4. Some additional features or musics were ported from the Sega Genesis version and Nintendo 3DS version.
5. Some additional features were ported from the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 version.
6. Some additional features were ported from the Sega Genesis version.
7. The port is based on the Nintendo 3DS version which ported "Haya Oh" boss from the Sega Master System version.
8. 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.
9. The Sega Genesis port of Ichidant-R includes the Quest, Compe and Free modes, all exclusive to the console at the time.
10. Some additional features were ported from the complete version of PS2 and the Nintendo 3DS version.
11. 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

1. "The Return of Old Games: Part 3". Maximum: The Video Game Magazine. Emap International Limited (6): 125. May 1996.
2. "Next Generation" (33). September 1997: 33. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
3. Bramwell, Tom. "Sega's 3D Ages series for Europe". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 23, 2003.
4. Gantayat, Anoop (August 29, 2003). "Inside Sega Ages". IGN. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
5. Kalata, Kurt. "Sega Ages". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
6. Kazutaka, Toyotomi. "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.
7. -, Spencer. "Phantasy Star Remakes Re-released On PlayStation Network In Japan". Siliconera. Retrieved August 20, 2014.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/04/sega_ages_is_officially_coming_to_nintendo_switch_in_the_west
11. https://kotaku.com/a-ton-of-classic-sega-games-are-coming-to-the-switch-1825293548
12. http://www.japanesenintendo.com/post/177838286484
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. SEGA AGES（セガエイジス） (in Japanese). Sega Japan. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
16. 「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
17. 「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
18. 「SEGA AGES ファンタシースター」インタビュー (in Japanese), Imress, October 31, 2018
19. 「SEGA AGES アウトラン」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, November 29, 2018
20. 「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
21. 「SEGA AGES ぷよぷよ」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, March 28, 2019
22. 「SEGA AGES バーチャレーシング」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, April 25, 2019
23. 「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
24. 「SEGA AGES スペースハリアー」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, June 26, 2019
25. 「SEGA AGES コラムスII」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, August 7, 2019
26. 「SEGA AGES イチダントアール」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, September 25, 2019
27. 「SEGA AGES SHINOBI 忍」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, October 30, 2019
28. 「SEGA AGES ファンタジーゾーン」インタビュー (in Japanese), Impress, November 27, 2019
29. "Sega Retro Pack: Round Two". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 18. Emap International Limited. April 1997. p. 12.
30. "Finals". Next Generation. No. 33. Imagine Media. September 1997. p. 134.
31. Special K (November 1997). "Saturn ProReview: Sega Ages". GamePro. No. 110. IDG. p. 153.
32. "Review Crew: Sega Ages". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 96. Ziff Davis. July 1997. p. 51.
33. Leadbetter, Rich (January 1997). "Review: Sega Ages". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 15. Emap International Limited. pp. 74–75.

External links

• Sega Ages Online official site (Japanese)
• Sega Ages (Nintendo Switch) official site (English)
• Sega Ages (Nintendo Switch) official site (Japanese)