SEGA’s latest wave of Vintage Collection titles have arrived, and they have deservingly been very well received by fans. Initially, the collections were nothing more than single titles released to XBLA and PSN. Nothing more than ports of Genesis and SEGA arcade titles with the same basic menus for each release. Not to say that they weren’t good fun, but there was no real personality to the titles aside from the games themselves. Thankfully, SEGA and developer M2 made the latest Vintage Collections as true “collections” filled with the fun expected from classic SEGA titles. On XBLA, each collection touts three games and features a fully 3D menu with recreations of arcade cabinets and game consoles. Other features include a juke box where every sound and song can be played as well as a bevy of screen settings. This week’s Weekly Five will look ahead to future waves and what we hope to see from future Vintage Collections.
SG-1000 games
The SG-1000, SEGA’s first consumer console, is often overlooked but for many understandable reasons. For starters, it was only available in Japan, New Zealand and a handful of other European countries that did not include England. Secondly, it was not a major success. It was not a failure, but never a superstar like the Master System was. The library isn’t huge, but that’s what makes it perfect for a Vintage Collection release. Rather than the standard three games like recent collections, an SG-1000 collection could probably feature a dozen or so titles. Notable games I’d like to see in a collection include: Borderline, Safari Hunting (featured in Dynamite Cop 2 as “Tranquilizer Gun”), Congo Bongo, Monaco GP, Pachinko (for the Shenmue fans), Flicky, Wonder Boy and Zaxxon.
Being out of the console business, it would really do SEGA good to bring back the good ol’ days by releasing collections like these that simulate owning a SEGA console, no matter how old it is. It worked for Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection and it’s sure to work for the SG-1000. Make it happen, SEGA!
Alex Kidd Collection
While the Alex Kidd and Co. collection is a great grab bag of SEGA classics, Alex Kidd really deserves his own collection. Having been the precursor to Sonic, Alex had a number of games. Unfortunately, unlike Sonic, Alex’s games are never collected together to show off the series. A future Vintage Collection really needs to feature: Miracle World, The Lost Stars, High Tech World, Enchanted Castle and Shinobi World, with BMX Trial as an unlockable bonus game. If that game count is too high, then perhaps lose Miracle World, as it is already in a Vintage Collection, as well as Enchanted Castle as it is in the Genesis Collection and title the bundle “Alex Kidd Rarities”. Bonus content could include a gallery of rare art and images as well as maybe a developer interview.
Chaotix and Co.
While not the best spin-off in the Sonic franchise, Chaotix deserves a rerelease and the Vintage Collection is the perfect platform. SEGA could go two ways with this. One idea is a collection of Sonic rarities. Include Chaotix alongside SegaSonic the Hedgehog, that little known trackball game featuring Mighty and Ray. Perhaps the third title could be Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car, if only because the 3D menus would do the game great justice by showing off the car itself. Perhaps there could even be an option to simulate riding in it. Another way Chaotix could be presented is a 32X collection. Seeing as how the 32X library is small, and is even smaller when you take out the non-SEGA owned games, a trio of Chaotix, Kolibri and Tempo would be an awesome way to show off the 32X’s graphical power and excellent music.
Shinobi Collection
Like Alex Kidd, the Shinobi franchise appeared in a recent Vintage Collection release. However, unlike Alex Kidd, Shinobi is still an active franchise with Shinobi 3D releasing just last year. So I was surprised when the latest wave of Vintage Collections highlighted Golden Axe and Streets of Rage, but not the Shinobi franchise. Joe needs more love, and a collection containing Shinobi, Shadow Dancer as well as the two Game Gear titles and the Master System’s The Cyber Shinobi would be awesome. Perhaps slip in a little advertising for the latest 3DS version via a retrospective video and developer interviews from then and now.
Phantasy Star Collection
Probably the most likely, and inevitable, Vintage Collection releases would be a Phantasy Star collection. Just looking at XBLA, only Phantasy Star II is available on the service. So a collection containing the first Phantasy Star from the Master System as well as the third and fourth titles from the Genesis would round out the series. Heck, toss in the second game for the sake of completion and treat the first in the series as a special bonus game. I think Phantasy Star would really benefit from an image gallery, given the scope of the series and all the imaginative artwork. Again, a developer interview would be awesome. Hopefully some of the series creators are still up for sharing some memories.
Some may note that I failed to mention SEGA CD, Saturn and Dreamcast titles in this list, but I did for a good reason: I don’t think games from those consoles would appear in the Vintage Collection. The SEGA CD games that I can think of deserving rereleases would surely be made as standalone titles, like Sonic CD was. Saturn and Dreamcast titles for the same reasons. But I would love to see SEGA give the lesser known consoles, like the 32X, Master System and SG-1000, some well deserved collections. What sort of games would you want to see in future Vintage Collections?
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I think a Tempo Collection would be even better, since there are only 3 games of the series after all.
The SG-1000 certainly didn’t come out in England, but I heard it did come out in Scotland, which is the nation just north of where England is, among several other European countries.
The Master System was notoriously known for being very successful there too, in fact, the European countries is it’s most successful region, I read in 1999 that the success of SEGA in Europe is the reason why Nintendo lost it’s early expansion and why it never had a proper European HQ as big as it’s Japanese and American ones to this day.
Always wondered why SEGA keep changing their logo colour in the west from the light royal blue of their Jap/Euro regions to this dark navy blue in the US why do they keep doing that? I don’t think people really care what shade it is so they may as well keep the same one as the Jap region.
In Japan, Alex Kidd & Co is known as SEGA Classics Collection, the name was changed due to there already being a game called that on PlayStation 2… But seriously, please no more Alex Kidd, the series is dead for a reason. The only other acceptable game in the series is Shinobi World, and that is because it is Shinobi.
Almost every single SG-1000 game had a better version on a later platform, even Zoom got an upgrade. I see no point in a collection of this at all.
I am sure SEGA will put Knuckles Chaotix on XBLA/PSN eventually. A tie in with Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode III makes far too much sense.
Waku Waku Sonic Patrol and SegaSonic though? Those games are seriously not very good at all, the first one is more of a ride than anything.
Phantasy Star Collection would be neat (would buy it in an instance), but I kind of rather them release the SEGA AGES 2500 remakes. A collection of Shinobi games might be neat (Shadow Dancer arcade never got a proper release), but the Game Gear games will be on 3DS VC.
I have spoken with one of the SVC guys (known as SEGA AGES Online in Japan) and he basically confirmed Fantasy Zone Collection is next. I assume it is the first game, Super Fantasy Zone and the remake of 2 they made a few years back. I cannot wait.
But yeah, this new set of games by M2 is seriously fantastic. Too many classics that I want to return to list. I do not think SEGA CD stuff is super unlikely though. A Shining Force Collection with 1, 2 and CD (hopefully all scenarios of SF3 would follow) would be killer, and an Ecco the Dolphin Collection with options for Genesis or CD music would be a bit hard to do, but I could totally see M2 going out of their way for something like that. I would seriously lose my mind over something that cool.
Oh Sanus Sanus… “not very good” this and “better version that”. It’s SEGA history, dude! I love the arcade version of Millipede, but I am all for the 2600 version of the game being rereleased for the sake of being able to play it. Same goes for obscure Sonic arcade titles and SG-1000 games. Can’t push them aside just because Master System had superior sequels or because they’re deemed “kiddy”.
Agreed on the rest though. Fantasy Zone really is a given, since SEGA loves Opa Opa (SASASR) and so do we.
Even if it is history, I cannot imagine many people wanting SG-1000 games, even I rather have different stuff. An extra in some other game would be neat, but eh. I could see M2 doing something like this for completion’s sake though, I mean we got Golden Axe III and there really is no reason for it to be on anything.
I am hoping releases like Monster World IV are secretly ways to get people interested in fairly obscure SEGA IPs to help promote their potential inclusions in Transformed, but not getting my hopes up too high… Still, it is interesting to see so many types of characters return out of the blue, Golden Axe, Jet Set Radio and Skies of Arcadia came out of nowhere, the timing seems too perfect…
Not a big fan of the suggestions featured.
I would like to see a OutRun collection – just arcade versions tho. OutRun, Turbo OutRun(no arcade perfect console release so far) & Outrunners( no arcade perfect release either)
Should also do arcade Wonderboy and WB3
The Sega Saturn ver of Outrun is the closest you can get to an Arcade perfect release of the original.
Can we regard Saturn as “vintage” yet or do we wait until it hits 20 years old?
Well, checking the dictionary I found this as the best definition of “vintage”: “representing the high quality of a past time”
So yes, Saturn is certainly vintage. Shame Guardian Heroes didn’t get the SVC logo on the game.
If that’s the case, I’d love the Shining series to get another chance in this day and age. Especially Shining Force III. I mean, I still have all my original Saturn games (well over 100 USA & Japanese) but the Shining series deserves to be more well known.
A Fantasy Zone collection would be pretty nice. The remaining Wonder Boy titles too.
Agree with the choices, especially the Shinobi one. SG collection sounds fun never played that system and a Chaotixs/32 X collection would be great. Don’t really see a point for the Phantasy Star one though all the games are on Sonics Collection. I would like to see a Space Harrier collection and an Outrun collection, hell even an After Burner collection would be great. Put it this way any releases of any games I don’t have I will buy.
A Disney vintage collection would be really nice that contains the Mega Drive games:
-Castle of Illusion
-World of Illusion
-QuackShot
-Aladdin