Sega Ages

"Sega Ages, hehe, funny play on words."

Sega Ages is a compilation that contains three of Sega’s greatest arcade hits on one CD. Outrun (released in 1986), Space Harrier (released in 1986), and After Burner II (released in 1987), are all included on one CD. Sega Ages was released in 1997 for the Sega Saturn. SA was developed by Sega and published by Spaz, a subsidiary of Working Designs. The three games included on this CD were released in Japan as a part of Sega's Sega Ages game program. These three games were released at a discount price in 1996, and were included on one CD for U.S. and European fans.

OutRun has some of the most unique gameplay ever seen in a racing game. The game has a simple objective: go from the start to the goal, but getting there is where all the fun happens. The objective just scratches the surface of the overall goal of the game, which is to entertain you, the player, via the game’s lighting-fast gameplay and innovative track ideas. The main innovation this game had on racing games is the non-linear track design featured in the game. There are a whopping 16 individual “stages” to the race. These stages, in their own right, could pass as tracks, you only have to go through five of these stages in order to win the race. Now this might sound like a simple task, but in order to beat the game, you’ll have to beat the clock. You’ll have to reach checkpoints if you wish to have a hope in hell of winning the race. The design of these stages is rather diverse. Some of the stages are full of hilly areas, while others are full of sand patches, each of these nuances in each stage can either make or break a race for you, so be sure to pay attention to the track itself, or you’ll find yourself eating dust. The gameplay, no matter what the stage, is always fast and furious, as well as addictive as could be. You’ll find yourself enamored with each facet of the game as you race through the stages, you’ll notice certain aspects of the gameplay that you’d never notice in other games, and eventually, you’ll become one with the game.

OouRun features smooth-as-silk control thanks to the Saturn’s controller. The control is responsive and does what you want it to do, when you want it done. If you don’t feel like using the standard Saturn pad, you can use either the steering wheel or the 3D Control Pad. The amount of control options you have is really quite staggering when you consider that many modern racing games don’t give you the same amount of control options as a port of a 15 year old game. I’ve got to tip my hat to Spaz for including this many control options in the game.

OutRun’s graphics are among the best of any racing game. The graphics carry a vibrant look throughout them as bright colors splash the screen at an astonishing rate, at times, the colors literally burst out of the screen. The cars in the game look as good as could be expected. The famous Ferrari Testarosa that you drive around in is jam-packed with details such as the horse emblem that adorns all Ferarris. Hell, even the enemy cars are chock-full of details. You’ll recognize Porsches and VW Beetles, among other cars, as you drive through the stages, all the while trying to avoid these enemy cars that will try to spin you out. The stages themselves are littered with tons of details, such as storefronts and billboards; all of them are wondrously detailed. Don’t get too enamored with the billboards, or you’ll spin out and lose time. Sometimes the greatest enemy in the game is the track itself, so watch out. On the whole, the graphics pass the test of time with flying colors.

OutRun is aural bliss, it’s as simple as that. Before the race, the game gives you three songs to listen to throughout the race, each of these songs branches out the farther you get in the race, just like the tracks themselves. Nice little touch there. I really like the ability to choose a song before a race because it hasn’t been used all that much since this game. No matter which of the three songs you select, you’re ears will be in for a treat. Each song is a fast, upbeat tempo that keep you in a fun-loving mindset that perfectly suits the light-hearted nature of the game.

OutRun is chock-full of replay value thanks to its extremely addictive and challenging gameplay. OR keeps you glued to your seat with its high-octane gameplay that will send adrenaline surging through your veins. The multi-pathed gameplay helps to keep the game fresh long after you’ve gotten the high score because there’s a seemingly endless number of path combinations just waiting to be discovered in this game. OR’s difficulty comes more from your capabilities as a gamer, rather than the enemy cars and the level obstacles. You’ll want to be ready for white-knuckle action when you fire up the game. OR does give you four difficulty levels to choose from: extra easy, easy, medium, and hard. Extra easy is a cakewalk if you’re a veteran of the game, but it is useful if you’re new to the game, or you just want to get back into the groove of things if you haven’t played the game in a while. The rest of the difficulty levels are pretty much the same, except for the fact they place stricter time limits on you. The addictive gameplay will keep you coming back for more for years to come.

All in all, OutRun is one of the finest racing games in history. The game introduced the concept of non-linear racing in racing games and managed to find that fine line between innovation and fun. OR set the standard for racing games for years to come. Some have surpassed the game, but no game has been able to blend everything together in such as way as to envelope you in the game quite like this game goes.

Space Harrier

Space Harrier puts you in the role of Harrier, a young man who flies through space in an attempt to vanquish evil. The gameplay in SH sends you careening through space at lighting speeds in a 3D world the likes of which had never been seen before. You speed through space shooting any and all evil creatures that stand in your way. The gameplay is as fast-paced as I’ve ever seen, so be on the lookout at all times. You’ll need an itchy trigger finger and lightning-fast reflexes if want to have even a fleeting chance at surviving, let along attaining victory in this game. The quick nature of the gameplay helps to keep you glued to your seat, the gameplay is, in a word, addictive. Now I know the idea of shooting through levels upon levels of opponents may seem a bit redundant, but believe you me, once you play the game, you’ll be hooked. The game will engulf you into its world. After a minutes of playing this game, you will become Harrier, you will be the one fighting for your life, and you will be the one bobbing and weaving your way out of the path of your enemies’ attacks.

Space Harrier has some of the simplest controls you’ll ever find. You only need to use the D-pad and one button in order to fully control Harrier. This might make you think that the control is limiting, but have no fear, because the control is actually quite deep. There’s quite a bit of strategy involved with the controls in SH. You can go into a level, and just shoot enemies, or you can pick and choose who and what to shoot. You can also mix these strategies around a bit. For example, you can shoot like a nut during certain battles, then take a more defensive route for some other battles. No matter which strategy you choose to use, it will be a snap to execute as a result of the game’s extremely responsive controls that never skip a beat.. It’s really surprising what you can do with the controls in the game. SH is one of the few games that makes the most out of what it has.

The graphics in Space Harrier stand the test of time very well. The 3D effect used in the game, is truly a marvel to behold. The amount of depth in this effect is staggering, as it actually holds up pretty well to the 3D effects seen in many of today’s games. No matter what’s happening on-screen, the game’s ultra-tight engine is there to keep things manageable. Enemies will swarm the screen and the game will never slow down, given the game’s mad-dash gameplay, this is really surprising. The character designs are extremely original and they fit their settings perfectly. For example, the first level takes place over a grassy area that is seemingly ripped from a fairly tale, the same can be said for the enemies that inhabit the levels, dragons, and other fantasy-esque creatures litter this level. The second level takes place over an Egyptian desert populated by stone statues and stone heads that attack you with fire. It is this kind of character design that adds a lot to the game, the attention to detail is fantastic. Each and every character in the game has a crisp look to them that really helps give the game a look all its own. These crisp characters, combined with the lightning-fast gameplay, gives you tons of memories that will stay etched in your brain for years to come.

Space Harrier has some of the most fitting sound of any game. The music in SH is fast-paced, just like the gameplay, and gets you into the mood to play this game. The tunes throughout the game feature a quick tempo that puts you into the perfect mindset to play this game . The music is also stage-specific, for example, the music in the first level has a fantasy-esque tone to it that fits the fairy tale-ish setting. Also, the second level features rather subdued music that really fits the desert setting perfectly. The sound effects in this game are fantastic. While they aren’t as plentiful as the tunes in the game, they do fit their actions perfectly, so it does balance out nicely.

Space Harrier's ultra-addictive gameplay will keep you playing this game for years to come. You might beat the game, but you'll never finish the game. The gameplay is simply that addictive.

Space Harrier features four difficulty levels: extra easy, easy, medium, and hard. Extra easy is perfect for gamers who have never played SH before, or for those who are just trying to get their timing back. Easy is a nice, steady, step-up from from the previous difficulty level. Each of the following difficulty levels are nice, progressive steps-up that don’t cram too much at you at once, well, that is, until you get farther into the game.

Overall, Space Harrier is an amazing title that makes for a fine addition to any gamer’s game collection. The gameplay is fast and frenetic. The control is about as perfect as one could expect. The graphics are mind-blowing, believe me, images from this game will stay burned into your memory for years; and to top it all off, the game’s music does a great job at complementing the fast-paced nature of the game.

After Burner II

After Burner II’s gameplay is virtually identical to that of Space Harrier’s, only instead of flying through space, you fly through the air in a plane, and instead of shooting down out-of-this-world creatures, you shoot down enemy planes. The gameplay is just as fast as Space Harrier’s, but it lacks that x-factor that makes Space Harrier so addictive. The game is still a blast, just not as addictive as Space Harrier.

The controls in After Burner II are more complex than that of Space Harrier, and they’re just as well-done. The control scheme makes sense, and the controls are responsive. There’s a lock-on targeting system that makes the controls a bit easier to manage. All in all, the controls are fantastic.

The graphics in After Burner II are sharp and full of life. The planes are extremely well-defined, with little touches all around them. The game’s environments, all aerial, are a visual tour de force. The landscapes are vast and full of rich, vibrant colors that bring the action on the screen to life. The color depth for everything in the game is beautiful, and it really helps to give the game a look and feel all it's own. This game really shows what kind of high-end graphics were possible during 1987.

The music in After Burner II is a bit too tepid for my liking, but it’s not that bad because it doesn’t really detract from the gameplay. The sound effects used throughout the game pick up the slack for the game’s musical shortcomings; they are top-of-the-line, they fit the game perfectly, and really help to suck you into the game. I wish the music had a faster beat to it, it would have suited the high-octane nature of the gameplay better.

After Burner II's replay value takes a huge hit as a result of Space Harrier being included in this compilation pack as well. The gameplay styles are nearly interchangeable, with very little to differentiate the two. Space Harrier packs the more addictive gameplay of the two games, it's also the most action-packed game between the two.

After Burner II, just like the other games in Sega Ages, has four difficulty levels. The game is rather hard no matter what difficulty you choose, so it would be a good idea to pick the extra easy difficulty level, and work your way up from there.

After Burner II is a fine game, and would have been more than worthy of inclusion in Sega Ages, had Space Harrier not been included in Sega Ages. I think that the gameplay in the two games is far too similar to warrant both games being in Sega Ages. Granted, both games are classics, but they’re far too similar to both be in the same game collection. It’s like including Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man in one collection, and using each game as a selling point in it’s own right. I’m kind of disappointed that another game wasn’t put in the place of After Burner II, but it’s still a fine game in it’s own right. Just a few words of wisdom, keep the shooting games, namely Space Harrier and After Burner II, at the beginning and the end of your play sessions with the game. Keeping OutRun as the middle game in your play sessions will help to keep the similarities between Space Harrier and After Burner II a bit less evident.

All in all, Sega Ages is a fine purchase for all Saturn owners. The gameplay in each game is amazing, although the gameplay is a bit too similar in After Burner II and Space Harrier. These games will give you a new respect for gaming if you’ve never played them before. The only real downside to Sega Ages is the fact that both After Burner II and Space Harrier are on it, there are far too many similarities between both games' gameplay for them both to warrant inclusion on the disc. It makes very little sense for After Burner II to be included when Space Harrier does what it does, only better.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/09/01, Updated 03/15/02