The Video Game Critic

I just stumbled upon this on Amazon and I wonder if it would be worthwhile:

http://www.amazon.com/SEGA-3D-Classics- ... s=3ds+sega

It kind of bothers me there are only 9 games (counting the two "bonus" master system games).
For $30 I would have expected them to go all out.

Read some of the developer interviews that were done for almost every one of their conversions, which are all available at this site that I've linked below. Here's a sample for Galaxy Force II, one of their more challenging endeavors.

http://blogs.sega.com/2013/12/12/sega-3 ... eloper-m2/

Not only are they interesting to look through, you'll get a lot more respect for this if you end up reviewing it. This is much more than a lazily done Genesis emulator with a handful of titles converted for 3D. Many of the games here in fact are actually arcade titles, converted for 16:9/60 FPS with a host of options.

While 3D Outrun sadly isn't in this retail volume and remains a digital exclusive on the 3DS here at home, here's an example of one of these widescreen conversions. Note the extra area to the left and right of the 4:3 image to adapt it for 16:9. No stretching or merely cropping the 4:3 image and zooming it in here. It's true 16:9 for a 1986 arcade classic.

3D Outrun in original 4:3...


3D Outrun in 16:9...


And thanks to M2, this is one collection that I can say not only perfectly recreates the source material, it improves upon it.

Not only will you not find the arcade games on something like an AtGames portable, the 3D Classics release on the 3DS is often the first time that they've been done justice to at home in the West. And at least one game here, Thunder Blade, never saw anything released at home in Japan that remotely came close to the arcade original (Remember the awful Super Thunder Blade on the Genesis?).

And isn't it worth some points for being a physical collection of a good number of standalone digital downloads that I think cost folks $8 a pop? We all complain about digital downloads, yet we complain when they're bundled in retail form at a discounted price? Doesn't seem quite right...

And while I'm legally blind and can't see it for myself, the Super Scaler arcade conversions in Sega's 3D Classics lineup are reportably some of the best showcases of 3D on the platform. Thunder Blade, Power Drift, and Galaxy Force II in this collection all should be a treat to see for anyone that enjoys the stereoscopic 3D effect on this hardware (As would Outrun, Afterburner, and Space Harrier which all sadly remain digital exclusives for now).

VideoGameCritic wrote:I just stumbled upon this on Amazon and I wonder if it would be worthwhile:

http://www.amazon.com/SEGA-3D-Classics- ... s=3ds+sega

It kind of bothers me there are only 9 games (counting the two "bonus" master system games).
For $30 I would have expected them to go all out.

Critic, what till Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 1 & 2 Double Pack gets released in America as SEGA 3D Classics Collection 1 & 2 Double Pack with 18 games for $30 instead.: http://www.gamefaqs.com/3ds/181553-sega ... -pack/data

Sonicx9 wrote:

VideoGameCritic wrote:I just stumbled upon this on Amazon and I wonder if it would be worthwhile:

http://www.amazon.com/SEGA-3D-Classics- ... s=3ds+sega

It kind of bothers me there are only 9 games (counting the two "bonus" master system games).
For $30 I would have expected them to go all out.

Critic, what till Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 1 & 2 Double Pack gets released in America as SEGA 3D Classics Collection 1 & 2 Double Pack with 18 games for $30 instead.: http://www.gamefaqs.com/3ds/181553-sega ... -pack/data

There's no evidence that we're going to get the double pack. In fact what we're getting isn't even Volume 1 from Japan, but the recent Volume 2. They skipped over the earlier one that featured Outrun entirely and instead went straight to Volume 2 with its inclusion of a Sonic title. And they didn't even bother to subtitle this one as Volume 1, which doesn't bode so well for their intentions...

The chances of a follow-up rests on how well this sells. And there's every chance that even if we end up getting the first collection that Japan received earlier, that there won't be a retail bundle of both in North America. Yet if we do get a follow-up release that brings Japan's Volume 1 to our own shores, I guarantee that there would be a standalone option.

At best, you might save $5-10 by playing the waiting game and that's far from a guarantee.

I don't know if that Gamefaq story is true(I don't go there), but this is totally worth it if you don't already have them downloaded. Add up all the games in the eshop compared to what you're getting here. Plus, it looks like the only way to play Power Drift and Puyo Puyo 2 in NA, because it's not in the eshop.

2 bonus SMS 3D games and bonus features galore. I have most of these. Best arcade conversions of these Sega classics ever.

Looks pretty good to me. Only 9 games for $30 ain't great, but my 3DS is in desperate need of some retro games. Seems like an odd bunch of games to put together. Hopefully we'll see Golden Axe and Streets of Rage. I'd love an updated Shining Force collection.

Tron wrote:Only 9 games for $30 ain't great

This collection is the very definition of quality over quantity. I think most fans if they see the TLC that went into these conversions would gladly always accept the small game count in exchange for the effort evident in these conversions.

Weird that people criticize this but Megaman Legacy and Ultimate NES Remix get off scott free. MML only includes the NES games for the umpteenth time. NES Remix doesn't even let you unlock the full games even though they're already there.

These are quality conversations. Not poorly slapped together emulations like the VC. Maybe if they removed the name "Sega", there would be more interest.

It seems... Ok to me. I will buy it simply because I don't have a physical version of Puyo Puyo 2 or Fantasy Zone II W. I'll get it for that, but it's obvious that this could be a lot better.

@SilveryFire - I don't think anyone is getting off "Scott free" here. This forum has been very vocal for years and the opinion seems to be unanimous; we love retro gaming collections. If it doesn't have quantity, better have quality. That's probably why you don't hear a lot of complaining about the Megaman Legacy collection. They're six of the best platformers of the 8 bit era. Yes they've been released once before-- unsure where you're getting "umpteen" NES Megaman collections from-- but the quality of the emulation is better and allows you to play them on a high def screen. Sega 3D Classics has neither quantity or quality. If you're selling 9 games for $30, they should all be winners. We don't have all winners here no matter how you look at it.

Besides, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection is pretty much revered as the greatest retro gaming compilation of all time. I know of no one who slammed that collection just because it was released by Sega.

I wish they'd included all the games; it seems unlikely we will get a volume 2. Regardless, had I not already bought 4 of the games in this collection in the eshop I would get it for $30. I might still get it if I find it cheap in the future. The 3d is very well done, and the options added to the arcade games make them more playable to me (read: easier). Really, I turn the 3d off for pretty much all my 3ds games except Mario 3d Land and the sega 3d classics.

I also like having the level select in Sonic because I rarely play long enough to beat more than a couple levels, so I have played the last levels far less than the early ones. Now I can skip straight to the Star Light Zone or the Scrap Brain Zone.