Sega Arcade Classics
Golden Axe is the only game in the collection that has external CD audio (aside from Columns but only the title screen track uses CD audio) and it uses the arcade version's soundtrack. However, it is heavily based on the Mega Drive port with the voices changed to higher quality voices (none of them, besides the townspeople screaming in Turtle Village, are from the Genesis or Arcade version).
Sega Arcade Classics
Despite being the Mega-CD's selling point, only two games have an updated CD soundtrack (Golden Axe in the form of music recorded from its arcade board, and Columns which has a new title theme). This means only a small fraction of the disc is used. In Japan, the Streets of Rage and The Revenge of Shinobi names are used instead of Bare Knuckle and The Super Shinobi, respectively (though Streets of Rage still has Japanese text).
Arcade Classics is a Genesis/Mega Drive compilation of three Atari, Inc. arcade video games: Pong, Missile Command, and Centipede, plus a revised version of each one. It was published in 1996 by Sega. A version was also released for the Game Gear, with Ultrapong replacing Pong.
Arcade Classics was panned by critics. Reviews commented that Arcade Classics includes very few games compared to other retro compilations,[1][2][4] that it fails to recreate the experience the games offered in the arcades,[1][2] that the "enhanced" versions offer nothing but mild cosmetic changes,[1][2][4] and that the overly "busy" backgrounds in the enhanced version of Centipede interfere with the gameplay.[1][4]
** updated many prices on games. Keep in mind that the price guide hasnt been updated since pre-covid.** It has come to my attention that my price guide has been copied and posted on other sites, remember the real price guide is only located at www.arcade-classics.com
(Extremely Ringo Starr voice) Hel-lo, what's this? Sega have announced an Astro City Mini console for this year; based on their extremely popular arcade cabinet, it packs in 36 classic Sega arcade games - and only ten of them have been announced so far, meaning it's here we go again with the speculation!
Yer usual HDMI out is present, and the six-button arcade setup has a micro-switched joystick, which means it should be nice and clicky. My enormous hands may struggle with this setup, though; I hope there'll be an option to use some sort of larger hardware to control it. There are extra USB slots for additional players, so we shall see. At a glance it closely resembles the rather crap Neo Geo Mini, but the quality of the stick and (presumably) not being limited to four measly credits per session makes this a more enticing prospect, not to mention the fact that the games here are less widely available than the Neo Geo library.
What's coming, though? That's the real question. I'd like to see Shinobi, Shadow Dancer and ESWAT, but Sega have such a rich archive of arcade games to choose from. Get Flicky on there - absolute banger, that. Maybe Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars will finally see a re-release, too. The capacity for additional players makes the under-rated Quartet a compelling option. I figure that for various compelling reasons we're not getting Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, but a man can dream. Are driving games off the menu, due to the lack of steering wheel? Is Outrun fun to play with a joystick? I suppose there's no chance of the lesser-known AB Cop without it, but it would be great to see some more rarities. I've no doubt we will, if the terrific Mega Drive Mini is anything to go by; and who knows, maybe this will be hackable too.
KONAMI starts its 50th anniversary celebration with this first installment of the Anniversary Collection series of the all-time classics!This collection includes 8 arcade masterpieces of the 80s, from Nemesis to Haunted Castle.Experience these KONAMI classics in all their retro glory, now enhanced with modern features.
Although North Americans like me were likely introduced to the Puyo Puyo franchise via Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine or Kirby's Avalanche, the original arcade version is where the series really took off in Japan. Dropping simple blocks that consist of 2 coloured blobs in order to match 4 and hopefully start a massive chain reaction to bury your opponent in nuisance blobs is still a ton of fun and the formula hasn't really changed much since. I had a blast working through Arcade Mode while meeting the cast of ridiculous characters which frequently made me laugh out loud. Aside from taking on computer opponents, you can challenge others via online and local multiplayer matches. There may not be many extras in this Sega Ages release but it's a solid offering even without all the bells and whistles.
When you think of classic arcade rail shooters, few games come to mind and Space Harrier will likely be one of them. You basically move your character around the screen as he propels himself forward and you shoot at basically everything in sight. It's action-packed and a ton of fun yet its simplicity makes it lack the longevity that many other arcade classics possess. Plus, constantly getting hit with projectiles, hazards, and scenery from seemingly out of nowhere is very irritating as it's nearly impossible to always react in time as well as keep track of every potential death trap that flies towards you. This is especially true when you consider that objects can conceal projectiles and such. That being said, it's still enjoyable if you're willing to overlook the frustration and relish in the mindless action.
scott_b: Virtua Racing does hold up well as a straightforward racer. From a technical standpoint, the M2 team actually improved on the frame rate of the arcade original, which was nowhere near 60 FPS. Would have been nice if they had been able to include the several extra tracks from the Saturn version. Still, fun to play in short bursts. Hope they tackle other Sega arcade racers.
A.J. Maciejewski (crazyaejay): Yeah, it's great that they improved the framerate so well. I can't imagine it would run this smoothly in arcades back in '92. I'd like to see more Sega racers, too, like Daytona USA and even the Crazy Taxi series again. Those games are super-fun.
scott_b: Crazy Taxi is a favorite of mine. Excellent conversion on the Dreamcast, with some very nice extras (a second "city" to play through, and the wacky challenges). Interesting anecdote, I first saw & played Crazy Taxi at one of the E3 shows back in the 90s. Immediately I knew it would be one of my favorites. That was a great period for Sega. Such a different company in recent years. I occasionally played Virtua Racing in the arcade back in the day. Really impressive at the time. The Genesis version was pretty good considering the limitations of the system though the cartridge had an extra chip to beef up performance. Nowhere near arcade visuals, especially in terms of resolution, but totally playable and enjoyable.
The first thing i think of when i see the name SEGA is, of course, OutRun, for others, it might be Golden Axe, Space Harrier, Shinobi, Wonderboy, Afterburner and so on. All of them Arcade classics/smash hits.
G-Loc is mentioned in the book too, was that a classic? , a horrible game if you ask me. The 360 arcades deluxe cabinet was insanely cool, and i guess that is reason enough for its included in the book. Some really cool info in the book about the game and its ports, i did not know the difference was that big between formats before now.
Afterburner III / Strike Fighter, what? ok, this book is certainly good when it comes to introducing me to new arcade machines. Never heard of it, looks decent enough and yes i would love to try it. I doubt i will ever get to try the arcade itself, but i can always hope.
The following has been edited because it is wrong: Shocking to see Sonic not mention in here, i do understand it as Sonic was never turned into an arcade game so that is the real reason for sure.
I'll start with the worst news: the cabinet has enough space to support a panel as large as 4.625 inches diagonal, in a space befitting the arcade era's typical 4:3 screen ratio, but Sega has opted for a smaller 16:9 LCD panel just shy of 4 inches... and no game in the collection uses that full space. Instead, everything is, at minimum, cropped to 3.375 inches, with either black bars or an optional wallpaper design filling in the rest of the screen.
Blame it on reducing the system's cost, or on how hard it might have been to source a bigger 4:3 LCD panel during a pandemic, but I can't help but wish Sega had offered a pricier, larger 4:3 screen option for fans who wanted it. Horizontal-orientation games are still playable enough with a slightly smaller screen, but the vertical orientation of classics like Gain Ground and Scramble Spirits means the screen has to shrink even further to 2.5" of diagonal screen space, rendering those games nigh unplayable on the included screen.
Thankfully, Astro City Mini owners can connect the system to their HDMI-capable screen of choice at 720p resolution, and this works well enough. You'll have to manage a series of cords (one for power, one for HDMI-out) if you want to use the built-in joystick and buttons to control the system this way in your living room, and I wouldn't blame you for doing so. For nearly every game in the collection, input lag is nil, and the clickiness of this control suite matches its responsiveness well. Quite honestly, I didn't expect horizontal shmup classics like Fantasy Zone and Cotton to feel so awesome (though if you care, know that the joystick is set up with a square gate, not octagonal).
The system includes two USB Type-A ports for additional controllers, for players 1 and 2, but sadly, as of press time, these only appear to work with Sega's brand-new, licensed Astro City Mini controllers. I didn't order any of these, hoping that perhaps my spare Sega Genesis Mini controllers or Xbox One gamepads would work, but ACM applies a restrictive flag check to its USB ports (even though the new, licensed controllers in question appear to offer Xinput options when connected to PCs). With a number of two-player classics in here, I could see myself ponying up for a compatible, Japan-exclusive gamepad before long. 041b061a72