Sega Arcade Gallery (GBA)

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Alienblue

Sega Arcade Gallery (GBA)

Postby Alienblue » August 7th, 2011, 12:57 pm

SEGA ARCADE GALLERY/ GBA / A-

Thanks snakeboy, I needed this game!

While there are only four games on this little GBA cart - we've become spoiled to expect Aracde compilations to have 20 or 30 titles these days - they are all Exceptional home versions. Afterburner is better then the SMS edition, with 16 bit quality graphics-not suprising since the GBA is basically a portable SNES. Outrun could have looked a little better, but is still the great, fun racer it always was. Space Harrier is about midway between the SMS version and Genesis Harrier 2, but on the small screen it looks good. Only trouble is the controls are weird......press down to go up and vicey verses. Finally, HANG ON is the best of the four games, looking somehow BETTER then the Genesis edition, and with four great tunes to select from. Hell, this would be worth it for HANG ON alone.

The only minus aspect is, the four games all seem so SIMILIAR. They are all first person racers/shooters. Had Sega included a couple of really different games like Fantasy Zone or Columns, it could have shot to A+. But this is still my curent favorite GBA game.......you know, the one we keep in our Dslite's GBA slot 24 hours a day! Great old school fun!


Leo1
Posts: 2325
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Sega Arcade Gallery (GBA)

Postby Leo1 » August 7th, 2011, 5:06 pm

Glad my recommendation panned out for you. I was worried after suggesting Sega Arcade Gallery to you a few times that you'd end not caring for it if you ever got a copy of it.

I thought Afterburner was lousy on it and I hate all versions of Space Harrier. But the portable versions of Outrun and Super Hang-On have been getting consistent play from me for half a decade now. The Outrun port is close enough. And on my little GBA SP2 with its excellent screen, it's like a childhood dream come true to have such a well done port of it in the palm of my hands.

And while there have been more accurate versions of Outrun available for years prior to this release, I think the GBA port of Super Hang-On blows away earlier home ports of it. Makes that slow, choppy, sluggish Genesis port seem pretty lacking now. 

The only thing better would be the arcade original itself, which Japan actually got on it's Wii Virtual Console last year. Hopefully they bring it stateside eventually.


Julio III

Sega Arcade Gallery (GBA)

Postby Julio III » August 10th, 2011, 2:57 pm

I thought the OutRun port was poor but agree Hang-On is fantastic!

Leo1
Posts: 2325
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Sega Arcade Gallery (GBA)

Postby Leo1 » August 10th, 2011, 6:14 pm

[QUOTE=Julio III]I thought the OutRun port was poor[/QUOTE]

Any reason in particular?

I thought they did a pretty decent job given the hardware. The gameplay seems intact, the game runs smoothly, much of the graphical detail is intact (Although some stuff isn't there), the audio is largely intact (Although I think all the songs have been shortened). The experience is pretty good on my SP2 (Not quite as impressive on the big screen with the GBP, all the games are a bit pixelated then).

My biggest complaint where Outrun and Super Hang-On is concerned is the lack of a save battery. I sure wish it saved high scores.

Julio III

Sega Arcade Gallery (GBA)

Postby Julio III » August 11th, 2011, 3:38 pm

It doesn't play the same as the arcade and other home ports. It is far too easy. I reached the goal on my first attempt which I've never even managed on any other version. 

Leo1
Posts: 2325
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Sega Arcade Gallery (GBA)

Postby Leo1 » August 11th, 2011, 5:19 pm

[QUOTE=Julio III]It doesn't play the same as the arcade and other home ports. It is far too easy. I reached the goal on my first attempt which I've never even managed on any other version. [/QUOTE]

I don't disagree with this, the time requirements are far too relaxed.

I'm not sure why that is the case these days, but the modernized version of Outrun on the Sega Classics Collection, Outrun 2, Outrun 2006, and Outrun Online Arcade all had a very generous timer that all but guaranteed a player reaching a goal.

But to me at least, I never thought of that as a game killer.


Alienblue

Sega Arcade Gallery (GBA)

Postby Alienblue » August 12th, 2011, 12:46 pm

You guys must be practiced drivers.

I can not get past the second stage of this GBA OUTRUN, and yes, I got to the end on Sega classics and 2006........and I beat the easy course on SUPER HANG ON on this collection.

The problem is the controls. I cannot stop crashing into the obstacles and cars. With Super hang on, you can adjust your speed by easing up on the turbo button.......but on Outrun, forget it. And yes I start in low and move to high after 100 mph. Maybe I'll get better but I dunno. Super Hang on is the reason to buy this (or trade up). That game alone leaves every other version in the dust. The other three games are just okay in comparison.


Julio III

Sega Arcade Gallery (GBA)

Postby Julio III » August 12th, 2011, 2:33 pm

It's been years since I played the GBA release - but I seem to remember there is a steering sensitivity in the menu. That might help you. It might be for one of the other games on the cart though.

And Leo: I don't know what you mean about the modern versions of Outrun having a generous timer, the emulation on XBox Outrun 2 and Dreamcast Yu Suzuki's Gameworks/Shenmue 2 has hard time restrictions. I've never completed it. And there isn't an Outrun port included in 2006 and Online Arcade.

I think the thing is, with the GBA port, I want to be playing the same game on my handheld that I am playing on my console or arcade - that is what I mean by quality of the port. For example, you get this whether you play Outrun 2006 on the PSP or on the PS2 (or on the xbox/360/ps3/arcade releases of 2SP). Its the same game with the same level of challenge. I played the GBA port and didn't feel satisfied that I got that far because I know I can't get that far on any other version. I don't care if the graphics are changed, but want the gameplay to be accurately ported.

Leo1
Posts: 2325
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Sega Arcade Gallery (GBA)

Postby Leo1 » August 12th, 2011, 6:54 pm

Racing games are my favorites and constitute at least a third of my collection, Alienblue. So something that's easy for me isn't necessarily going to be for someone that doesn't play them as often. You couldn't get anywhere close to the goals in the Sega Classics Collection version a while back and it now sounds like you can, so practice makes perfect and I'm sure you'd find this version easy after a bit more time with it.

Edit - If you want an idea of what we're talking about, I just did a quick run using the left route all the way until just before the last stage where I diverged to Goal B (Bumped into a car at the fork of the road that sent me veering off towards the right instead of my planned route). Had several other minor mishaps and one mistake where I came to a complete stop. Ended the run with a very generous 29 seconds left on the clock. With those mistakes, on the arcade game, I'd of been lucky just to make it to the end goal with no time to spare, yet I did it on my first run after months away from it.

[QUOTE=Julio III]And Leo: I don't know what you mean about the modern versions of Outrun having a generous timer, the emulation on XBox Outrun 2 and Dreamcast Yu Suzuki's Gameworks/Shenmue 2 has hard time restrictions. I've never completed it. And there isn't an Outrun port included in 2006 and Online Arcade.[/QUOTE]

I actually wasn't talking about modern console ports of the original Outrun (I use port since I don't believe we've ever seen Sega release a product that actually emulated it, so far). The original arcade game has a pretty tough timer, and that's accurately reflected, just like you said, in ports of it like Sega Ages for the Saturn, the unlockable game in Outrun 2, and the Dreamcast/Xbox releases you just mentioned.

I was talking about the actual Outrun 2 game, not the hidden unlockable. Sega's timers when they produce a Outrun title from scratch in modern times is always a bit too generous with the timer, if you ask me. This 3rd party recreation of the original (I really doubt THQ, or whoever it was that produced this project, went back to the original source code at all with this GBA game) follows that modern tradition with a timer that provides the player with far too much time.

Heck, I think I reached a goal the very first time I played a Outrun 2 cabinet years ago before the Xbox saw the first port of the title (So I didn't go in experienced with the home version). Yet even today, I still find I'm running out of time on occasion with the original arcade game from 1986. But their philosophy these days seems to be to relax their timers to the point where it's largely a non issue to the player after a bit of practice. So I don't think this GBA cart is unique in that area.

[QUOTE=Julio III]I think the thing is, with the GBA port, I want to be playing the same game on my handheld that I am playing on my console or arcade - that is what I mean by quality of the port. For example, you get this whether you play Outrun 2006 on the PSP or on the PS2 (or on the xbox/360/ps3/arcade releases of 2SP). Its the same game with the same level of challenge. I played the GBA port and didn't feel satisfied that I got that far because I know I can't get that far on any other version. I don't care if the graphics are changed, but want the gameplay to be accurately ported.[/QUOTE]
 
I understand and don't disagree, I was just curious earlier what your problems were with it. I wasn't out to prove you wrong for being less than pleased with it.

Leo1
Posts: 2325
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Sega Arcade Gallery (GBA)

Postby Leo1 » August 14th, 2011, 4:09 am

[QUOTE=Alienblue]Space Harrier is about midway between the SMS version and Genesis Harrier 2, but on the small screen it looks good. Only trouble is the controls are weird......press down to go up and vicey verses.[/QUOTE]

Checked for you earlier and there is an option to switch this. At the title screen, press down on the d-pad to cycle to the options menu and select control option B (I think I owned this cartridge for a couple of years before I realized each game had an options menu and a sound test).

Then you'll get what you want instead of the inverted airplane style controls of the arcade game.


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