Game Review: Sega Ages Vol 1 - メモリアルセレクション VOL.1
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| Release Date: |
Febuary 1996 |
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| Number of Discs: |
1 |
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| Packaging: |
Standard Case |
| Number of Players: |
1 |
| Simultaneous Players: |
1 |
| Languages: |
Japanese |
| Controllers: |
Standard Pad |
| License: |
Commercial |
| Publishers: |
SEGA |
| Developers: |
SEGA |
| Genre: |
Compilation |
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All the featured games were billed as being 'Arcade Perfect'
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Mini Review |
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Main Review Written by <neptune>
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This compilation released to the Japanese market in 1997 features four titles from SEGA's arcade past, not their recent past either, these games are old, and are not what you'll have bought your Saturn to play, but they do offer a slice of SEGA's history.
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First up is Head On: This was an early arcade title and is quite simplistic. You control a racing car around a maze, from an overhead perspective. There are breaks in the maze where you can change the path of your car. So far so simplistic, the challenge comes from the computer contolled car which is determined to drive into you 'head on', thus causing you to lose a life. Simple, and addictive, for at least ten minutes. This game is interesting from a historical point of view, but not a reason to buy this compilation.
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'Flicky' is also not a reason to buy this disc, but it is the one game here that most will have come across before.
Flicky was released on the Mega Drive, and has since been relesed on a number of AT Games plug in telly devices. The difference between those pug in games and the Saturn version is that here the emulation is spot on, without the garish over bright colours and grating sound of the poorly emulated plug in games.
Flicky involves collecting little birds in a chain over a simple rolling playtform stage. Again this title is interesting from a historical point of view. The Flickies returned in Sonic 3D on the Saturn, and the game copied the gameplay mechanic from this title.
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The third game here, Pengo is genuinely enjoyable.
Like a cross between Pac-Man and Mr Driller, you shift blocks around to crush the enemies that continously follow you. Levels generate randomly upping the challenge, risk and reward is the key.
Do you attack or evade? I'm sure I have recollections of a Game Gear port of this title, but if you've never played it then its worth a play. Pengo is cheery frantic and has that 'one more go' quality in abundance.
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The final game in the package is Up 'n' Down, a driving game that I'd never heard of where you press up and down to move your buggy.
The aim is to capture 10 coloured flags. Capture all of them and you clear the stage.
Rival cars and obstacles get in your way. Car's can be negotiated by jumping and landing on them.
Like the best classic games this is a score attack game, and beating the high score is what will keep you playing. At least it would if you had the option to save your score.
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And this is the real problem with this memorial compilation. All four games are 'arcade perfect', with fantastic emulation. You can change the screen settings to play the games horizontally or vertically, and the presentation is fine, but you can't save your highest scores. Not to the internal memory, nor to a back up cart. There are just four games here, all incredibly dated and simplistic. The only way to get any longevity from the is to challenge your highest scores. Here you can't, and there is no reason at all why this should be the case. By overlooking a simple feature SEGA completely ruined this collection. |
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Gameplay: |
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6/10
Simple games, but up 'n' down and Pengo will hold your attention. |
Graphics: |
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2/10
Terrible, but faithful to the original games. |
Sound: |
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4/10
Annoying bleeps, but noticeable that sound in Flicky is substantially better than in other versions you may have played. |
Longevity: |
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1/10
No high score saving destroys any longetvity. |
Originality: |
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7/10
Original from the point of view that most of these games aren't readily available elsewhere. |
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Overall Score: |
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4/10 |
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