SEGA 3D Classics Collection - Nintendo 3DS

I became a fan of Sega the first time I laid eyes on the Space Harrier cabinet in the arcade I frequented as a kid. The entire unit moved on hydrolics, and the graphics, gamplay, and excitementcwere miles beyond other games of the time. This high level of quality persisted with other 80s classics like Hang On, Out Run, After Burner, and Shinobi, and continued into the 90s with classics like Daytona USA. While Daytona and Shinobi have yet to appear on 3DS, the others mentioned are on the previous cart, only available in Japan, or individually on eshop.The titles on here, while not as well known, should keep fans occupied for hours. Here's a quick breakdown on what to expect:Thunder Blade - a helicopter shooter similar to After Burner, but with environmental hazards (buildings, caves, and the like) to deal with, in addition to the planes, tanks, other choppers, and other enemies determined to take you down. It also features top-down segments, which, unlike many, MANY other top down shooters at the time, allowed you to change your altitude and used innovative sprite techniques to suggest depth. Levels end with a battle against a screen-filling boss. It's the sort of title made for 3D, as it not only makes it look cooler, but makes it easier to avoid obstacles and enemy fire by making spatial relationships more evident. Its biggest weakness is its short length - four not very long stages, followed by a lame ending..Power Drift - Five years before Mario treaded the turf, this go kart racer came on the scene While it lacks weapons, it features colorful racers and wild, rollercoaster-style tracks which broke new ground in using sprites to suggest 3D. Unlike Out Run and Hang-On, you're not racing the clock, but doing lap races, competing with the other racers, not random drivers who solely exist to serve as obstacles. Instead of the traditional timer, the game ends if you don't place in the top three. The 3DS not only makes everything look even more amazing, but it's easier to judge turns in the road and distance from other riders. I find it hard to control, frustrating, and am not a fan, but it won a poll Sega conducted as to which game they next wanted to see receive the 3D treatment, so evidently it has its fans, so maybe it'll grow on me.Puyo Puyo 2 - Of all the games to receive the 3-D treatment, this would be near the bottom of the list of games that would benefit from it, but it's still a fun puzzler that most of you have played in at least one of its many forms, such as Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine on Genesis, Kirby's Avalanche on SNES, or, in stripped down form as a minigame in the 3DS Hatsune Miku title. This is the version that started it all, and was a huge hit in Japan. The 3-D has good depth, though its only used between the playfield and the very plain backdrop, and the score overlay is a little raised. The A.I. opponents are an eclectic mix of devils, angels, animals, mermaids, skeletons, and other weird things you usually only find in Japanese games. They provide a god challenge for beginners, and scale nicely, with the higher level ones requiring combo chaining and other advanced techniques. Unfortunately, an expert will quickly blow through them, and this game earned its popularity through versus, which is local only, just like all these releases. It desperately needs online.Altered Beast - Based on the Genesis version, not the superior arcade original. They likely chose this due to the parallax scrolling, which the arcade entirely lacked, so we're stuck with the second best version available. The 3-D severely lacks depth; by far the worst use by any of these Sega 3D titles, but I can't say it looks bad, just disappointing. The game is as fun as ever, however.Fantasy Zone II W - The W stands for "What If". Since the original Fantasy Zone II was essentially the Master System version with a few extra features, like a map and radar to locate objectives, it didn't use their most powerful hardware available at the time, and as a result was inferior in many ways to the original arcade release, so the developers created a new version 20 years later, using the actual System 16 hardware, so they had the same limitations as they would have back then.The result is this strange, chaotic shooter with awesome 3-D that helps enemies and projectiles stand out from the backgrounds, and massively enhances that trippy, psychedelic vibe they were going for.Galaxy Force II - Arguably the pinnacle of the Super Sprite Scalers, with scrolling surrounding your ship. Plays like an outer space After Burner, with the environmental obstacles of Thunderblade, taken to the next level. The best use of 3-D on these games thus far, it also uses the visual enhancements of the PSX version, with textures 4X the resolution of the arcade original (the unenhanced original is included as an unlockable). The crown jewel of this package.Sonic - It's the game you know and love, now in 3-D and with the spin dash introduced in the second installment that was absent in the original release. The 3-D does little to enhance the gameplay, but looks nice, especially in the bonus round.Maze Walker / Hunter (bonus game) - Shows how ahead of its time Sega was when it came to 3-D back in the Segascope days. Never played the original, but reviewers say this is indicative of what they could pull off back then, and it's pretty impressive. The game itself is a timed maze game with a slow character armed with a weak weapon that has a short range, accosted by slow, easily avoided enemies that kill with a single touch. A nice history lesson, but when you learn this was one of the best of the nine Sega Scope titles released, it's easy to understand why the format didn't go very far.Fantasy Zone II Master System version (bonus game) - Shows the base game before the W treatment, so you can see how much better the newer version is, particularly what a difference a radar system makes. The 3-D still looks like the put some effort into it, even though they developers probably figured this game will be like the extras on DVDs; people will probably play them once and never touch them again.So, those who remember playing these in arcades should enjoy this trip down memory lane, but for those who don't know what an arcade is . . . . well, the original Sonic earned its place in video game history (though its been surpassed by its sequels), but except for Puyo Puyo 2 in certain circles, the others in this collection aren't regarded with the same caliber of timeless classic, so for those who don't like "old" games, this likely won't convert them, though at least they'll know the games we were playing back then were more advanced than they thought.

He loves it. It’s a great gift and it’s worth the money and time. Definitely gives the 3D vibes!

Fun with some challenging games, the Sonic one is one of the easiest, I have it on my Nintendo DS and also on the Nintendo Switch for my Nintendo Switch Lite. I've always loved Sega games.

The downloadable Sega 3D Classics series was the main reason I decided to upgrade to the New 3DS, as the fast action in the majority of those games made it almost impossible to play in 3D using the original 3DS model. This collection finally brings some of those already available downloadable games in physical format (albeit with no manual...), as well as a handful of Sega classics that had never been released before.As is now par for the course for developer M2, all the games here have been lovingly reproduced, with a myriad of options to adjust screen size, region, controls, etc. This is really a classic collection done right, and Sega needs to be commended and supported for releasing this and giving us the pleasure to play such gems as Power Drift, Puyo Puyo 2 and interestingly enough, an obscure SMS title I remember from my childhood, Maze Walker, which although more of a curiosity piece, still shows off the spirit of innovation that Sega has always been known for.Also, there are actually 10 games here, as the Master System version of the original Fantasy Zone is also available as a hidden game.This is an essential purchase for any real gamer that owns a 3DS, and should be reason enough to upgrade to the more stable 3D experience that the New 3DS provides.

This collection contains an interesting selection of games, including:Power DriftPuyo Puyo 2Sonic the HedgehogGalaxy Force IIThunder BladeFantasy Zone 2 (both the original Master System version, AND a new version made in the style of Sega's 16-bit arcade games)Altered BeastMaze WalkerEach game makes use of the 3DS' display to enhance the sense of depth, and really makes the parallax pop when the 3D is enabled. If you're playing on a *NEW* 3DS or with a Circle Pad Pro, you can take advantage of the extra controls in some of these games. Each game has a wide set of options, including display modes, controls, difficulty settings, region, and even optional FM sound for the Master System games. A few even have a built-in save state feature.These are all good versions of these games, but that doesn't guarantee that you'll enjoy them all. Some have aged poorly, while others remain compelling even today. I think Fantasy Zone and Puyo Puyo alone make it worth owning, but Sonic is also still decent, while the others are just okay. The only actual complaint I have is that there is no Download Play feature, so you will need a second copy of the game in order to play against another person.

Lacks most of the games I would identify Sega with, but that might be good rather than bad. Hold onto your other Sega collections because this one is likely to have games you do not have on the others like Galaxy Force, Thunder Force, Fantasy Zone II W, and Power Drift. So lie back, eat a twinkie and enjoy the ride with some unfamiliar yet unforgettable Sega gamrs,

M2 has done a great job on this release -- every game feels like it is being played on original hardware, and the sounds are surprisingly great coming from a handheld. This collection is unique in that M2 figured out how to modernize these games enough to place 3D effects while keeping the original sprite charm that's true to the classics. My only complaint is that it's missing some key Sega games, but you can buy the rest on the eshop for 6 dollars each. This isn't necessarily bad, because I ended up playing some games that I probably never would have discovered on my own otherwise (Power Drift).