|
Sega Ages is a compilation
featuring 3 of the biggest arcade hits of the 80's -
Outrun, Space Harrier and AfterBurner. These three
flagship titles had been ported to many home systems
with varying degrees of success. Some conversions were
good (Master System, MegaDrive, PCE) and some were plain
awful (Atari ST and Amiga!). However with the launch of
Sega Ages you finally got the chance to play perfect
versions of these three monster titles in your own
homes!
Right, on to the games. Outrun involves you driving a
red ferrari ...(blah)...(blah)...(blah).... No I'm not
going to tell you what all three games are about because
unless you've lived on Saturn itself for all your life
you already know. The question is how good are the
conversions and are they still fun to play? The answer
is yes, yes and maybe.
I have to confess at this point. Outrun is quite
possibly my favourite game of all time. It brings back
memory of joyful childhood holidays spent in Blackpool
(for those of you overseas it's a kind of a seedy Las
Vegas gone wrong sort of place). I played it death on
both the master System and PC Engine and the fact that
you could supposedly get an arcade-perfect version was
the reason I bought my Saturn in the late 90's. I'm
pleased to say that the version is perfect. It's amazing
that 10 years later from it's original arcade release
the graphics still looked good and acceptable as a
Saturn game. Of course being sprite-based they're basic
compared to Sega Rally and Daytona, but what you can't
deny is the feeling of speed they provide. Then there is
the music. Magical Sound Shower, Splash Wave and Passing
Breeze. Surely 3 of the best in-game soundtracks ever
produced. The Saturn version of Outrun has 5 difficulty
settings for the time limit and 5 difficulty settings
for the number of vehicles on the road which is
identical to the dip-switch settings of the coin op. You
can also play in either European or overseas mode which
alters the layout of the road map. Is Outrun still fun
to play then. Oh yes!
And so to Space Harrier. Another game that brings back
memories of Blackpool. In the late 80's it was
impossible to walk 200 yards up the promenade without
hearing that distinctive bellow of "Welcome To The
Fantasy Zone - Get Ready" every 20 seconds as the demo
kicked in. I actually find the home version easier to
play than the coin op. As the control stick on the
arcade game was so big I always found that the your
character responded just a fraction slow. This was fine
until the game started to get hectic when that split
second delay was the difference between running into the
wooly mammoth or not. The graphics again are simplistic
by modern standard but are still smooth and colourful
enough to pass off as a Saturn title. The music is
superb as ever. Is it still fun to play. It sure is!
And finally Afterburner. Again the version is arcade
perfect. I don't feel the graphics have stood the test
of time as well as the other two games. Anything that is
large is noticeably blocky. There's also not much in the
way of ground objects. The sound again though is
excellent. Great background anthems blast out during the
levels. The music that plays on level 4 is one of my all
time faves. However the real problem with Afterburner is
the game itself. The Arcade game worked because you were
sat down in the hydraulic cabinet, a realistic control
stick in one hand and the throttle in the other. It
actually gave you some form of sensation of flying a
fighter jet which disguised a very limited game. On the
Saturn using the joypad to do everything just isn't the
same. The throttle can't be simulated very well by using
just the X-Y-Z buttons. Personally I feel Afterburner is
by far the weaker of the three titles. Is it still fun
to play? Not as much as the others but still good for
nostalgia kicks.
So there you go. If you liked any or all of the
originals go pick up a copy of Sega Ages. Some people
might have wanted 'souped up' versions of these classics
but that's not always the best way to go. I don't like
the PS2 'Sega Classics Collection' at all. It's a shame
more extras couldn't have been included on the disk such
as older sega console versions of the games, or maybe 3D
model cabinets of the original arcade games to admire.
However, I love it just for that moment when the hairs
on the back of your neck stand up as you drive under The
Gateway at full speed with Splash Wave blasting out.
Heaven!
|
