Review

Retro gaming has started to take over the world. There are magazines devoted to it, new developers trying to capture the feel of old classics and countless compilations filling the shelves, begging for our money. Sega, so far, have only graced the retro scene with Sonic titles, but thankfully for a company with such a rich arcade heritage we now have Sega Classics Collection.

All the titles included have previously been available in Japan and the US as part of the excellent Sega 3D Ages series. This series took the arcade original and gave them a 32-bit polish, some of these were far more successful than others

Columns
This first appeared when the puzzle game was at its peak thanks to Tetris and this is just as addictive. Simply arrange falling Columns of gems so that you line up three of the same colour, be it horizontal, vertical or diagonally. Sounds simple, but it gets fast quickly and can require split second reactions, especially in the two-player battle mode! There are better games around now though.

Fantasy Zone
The only game on the compilation of which I had no prior knowledge, Fantasy Zone is a cutesy update of Defender. Pilot your ship left or right and blast pretty much anything you can see. The excessive use of pink in the colour palette may prove off-putting for some but if you can see past it then it’s an enjoyable little shooter but not really the best of its kind.

Golden Axe
In its day Golden Axe was a genuine classic, something which appears to have been lost on the conversion team. They’ve turned a hugely enjoyable hack and slasher into a tedious mess. Virtually free of a challenge this is without question the worst remake on the disc.

Monaco GP
Think SpyHunter without the guns and you’re on the right track (no pun intended) to understanding Monaco GP. There are two versions on offer: one graphically spruced straight port of the original and another with circuits to race around using the shoulder buttons to steer. It’s a very fast and vaguely entertaining diversion but I doubt you’d load it up more than twice in the grand scheme of things.

OutRun
Perhaps the most celebrated of all Sega’s arcade machines PS2 owners now get to experience OutRun goodness. Most of the appeal of the arcade original was that you were speeding along in an open-top Ferrari, I’m not sure what car it is now but it’s definitely not a Ferrari! This is probably due to licencing issues though. Apart from this however, this is a decent remake that does justice to the original. It’s damn fast, easy to play and, most importantly, has all the tunes from the arcade version.

Space Harrier
Along with OutRun, one of the most beloved Sega titles I ever played Space Harrier was a brilliant, good-looking shooter. However, this is immensely disappointing. In the original it was never possible to fly too high to shoot but it is here, and where you shoot is now directly ahead of your character rather than the 3D effect of the original. I almost cried when I loaded it up and I probably won’t ever again!

Tant R. & Bonanza Bros.
Both of these titles were included on the Sonic Gems disc in Japan but were strangely missing when it arrived on our shores. So their appearance here is most welcome. Bonanza Bros is one of my favourite MegaDrive titles where you control a pair of thieves who must steal selected items from an assortment of buildings. It could be viewed as a precursor to the stealth games we see today and has lost none of it’s fun factor. Tant R on the other hand is virtually pointless as a single player game. Basically it’s a collection of two-player mini games and can prove fun for a few minutes once in a while.

Virtua Racing
The only title on the disc that was 3D to begin with and unfortunately this only serves to show how much it has aged. Even when it first appeared this was more of a technical demo than a game and Sega soon produced some far better 3D titles. It’s an interesting curiosity, and deserves its place in gaming history, but is practically unplayable by today’s standards.

Verdict
This is a real mixed bag but there is enough quality in OutRun, Bonanza Bros and Fantasy Zone to warrant spending £20 on. Just remember that Golden Axe and Space Harrier are woeful versions and the inclusion of Virtua Racing is a bit of a mystery, especially when you consider that the likes of Hang-On and Shinobi not getting a look in. Maybe they’re being saved for volume 2!

About the Review

Platform

Sony Playstation 2

Developer

SEGA

Publisher

SEGA

Released

3rd February 2006