While Sega has been curiously reluctant to update its existing Wii Virtual Console catalogue for the Wii U and 3DS, it hasn't entirely forgotten its past glories this console cycle. Courtesy of emulation experts M2 we've had some amazing updates of vintage Sega games on the 3DS, each one blessed with auto-stereoscopic visuals and a raft of exclusive features and modes. These have been released one at a time on the 3DS eShop, but sensing the proclivity of retro gamers to purchase physical items, Sega has wisely bundled them together into collectable retail packages. We've only had one of these in the west so far – the superb Sega 3D Classics Collection – but in Japan two compilations have been published, and we now have a third (and, as the title suggests, final) offering to enjoy before Nintendo's handheld is put out to pasture.
Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 3: Final Stage pulls together 11 old-school Sega classics from its arcade, Mega Drive / Genesis and 8-bit eras. Five of these – 3D Super Hang-On, 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2, 3D After Burner II, 3D Streets of Rage 2 and 3D Gunstar Heroes – are already available on the 3DS eShop in both Japan and the west, while the remaining six – 3D Turbo OutRun, 3D Thunder Force III, 3D Alien Syndrome, 3D Columns, Girl's Garden and Champion Boxing – are currently exclusive to this package. As you might expect, the five games already available outside of Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 3 are identical to the versions on the eShop, so if you'd like the lowdown on those, feel free to consult their individual reviews. The all-new games are more interesting for existing fans, and represent a fairly broad mix of genres.
Turbo OutRun is the arcade sequel to the original 1986 classic, and introduces more detailed visuals, a CPU rival who can steal your girlfriend, upgrades, police cars and the titular turbo function which gives your vehicle – in this case a swanky Ferrari F40 – a welcome speed-boost for a short period of time. This is useful for getting a quick start after a crash, and also helps you to deal with the various environmental hazards introduced in the game, such as changing weather (the rain effect is quite striking, especially in auto-stereoscopic 3D) and obstacles in the road. It's certainly a step up from the first title in terms of scope, but Turbo OutRun is perhaps a little too similar to its forerunner for casual players. When you consider the many other underappreciated Sega classics that could have been included here it feels like something of a wasted opportunity – diehard OutRun fans may well disagree, however, and there's no denying that it looks utterly gorgeous in 3D.
Thunder Force III is an altogether different story. Its inclusion has been made possible by the fact that last year, Sega acquired the dormant IP of the now-defunct Technosoft, granting it access to the company's enviable library. Thunder Force III is regarded as one of the best horizontally-scrolling shooters on the Mega Drive, and when displayed in 3D it has even more impact. The game makes judicious use of parallax scrolling and the auto-stereoscopic effect is put to good use to give this effect even more visual depth. Visually and aurally striking even by today's standards, Thunder Force III has also lost none of its aggressive edge in the past three decades; as if to acknowledge the stern challenge, M2 has kindly included a "Kids" mode which not only boosts your attack power and allows you to retain your collected weapons upon death, but also awards you with CLAWs (or "CRAWs" as the in-game voice hilariously states) and a shield when you die, making progress a lot easier than normal.
Alien Syndrome is a top-down shooter from 1987 which was ported to a wide range of systems at the time and more recently recieved a reboot on the Wii. Clearly inspired by the movie Aliens, it shares some visual DNA with Sega's later Alien Storm but keeps things pretty straightforward in terms of gameplay. You have to rescue various crewmembers in each stage and can take down enemies with a wide range of weaponry; once you've saved the required number of crewmembers and unlocked the exit to the level you're thrust into a boss battle with a series of grotesque xenomorphs. A local co-op mode has been included here, allowing you to tackle the challenge with a friend. The 3D effect isn't quite as striking as it is in Thunder Force III or Turbo OutRun, but it's a nice inclusion – especially as many 3DS owners may not be all that familiar with it.
Columns is based on the Mega Drive version, which was billed as Sega's answer to Tetris at the time of release. It's not quite as addictive as Alexey Pajitnov's puzzle classic, but it's a close second and is perfect for portable play. As you might imagine the 3D effect is very subtle here; in terms of visual spectacle this is arguably the least striking offering, yet it's one we found ourselves playing an awful lot. Like Alien Syndrome, it benefits from local co-op play on 3DS.
The final two games – Girl's Garden and Champion Boxing – are only accessible if you already have save data for the previous two Sega Fukkoku Archives releases. The first collection unlocks Girl's Garden (notable for being the development debut of Yuji Naka, who would later co-create Sonic) while the second collection unlocks boxing sim Champion Boxing (another notable debut, this time for OutRun, After Burner and Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki). If you already own the two previously-released compilations then these are neat extras, but they're so basic by modern standards that we can't say it's worth retrospectively purchasing Sega Fukkoku Archives 1 and 2 just to obtain them – unless of course you don't own any of the previous 3D Classics on the eShop already, in which case a handy 3-in-1 bundle is available.
As has been the case with M2's previous retro updates, it's possible to save your progress at any time during gameplay, and some titles allow you to record your performance so you can watch it back later on. You'll also find control editing options, sound tests and screen filters on some of the titles, all of which will be instantly familiar with anyone who has played one of the many individual Sega 3D Classics releases already. One of the best features of the package is a quick menu which allows you to effortlessly jump from title to title without incurring any prolonged wait, and you can also view each game's zany credits sequence from the main screen. It's worth noting that all of the option menus are in Japanese, but they are fairly uniform from game to game so it doesn't take long to figure out what does what.
Sega hasn't confirmed if Sega Fukkoku Archives 3 will be making its way to the west as yet, although the existence of a Miiverse page suggests that it could indeed happen; when that will be is anyone's guess however, because the Japanese veteran was quite slow in localising Sega 3D Classics Collection for both North America and Europe. In the meantime, if you happen to own a Japanese 3DS console then this is a highly recommended purchase – but it's also somewhat bittersweet as it feels like the end of an era. With Nintendo turning its back on auto-stereoscopic 3D with the Switch, the days of Sega's vintage classics being elegantly retrofitted with lush 3D effects are well and truly over.
Thanks to Play-Asia.com for supplying the copy of Sega Fukkoku Archives 3: Final Stage used in this feature.
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Comments (25)
I really hope we get a three in one collection in the west as opposed to just Sega Classics 2. That's means that were not losing out on any of the 3D Sega games.
I really hope we get Sonic 3 someday. Or a 3D version of Sonic CD. Or Sonic Mania on 3DS. I'd be happy for a 3DS port of either game.
If only it had been Thunder Force IV - one of my top two games on the Mega Drive.
Worth buying for Turbo OutRun alone.
I hope they release all of these individually, along with all of the AM2 and AM3 arcade games
But 3D Sonic 1 & 2 already available on eShop so no real point getting this if it came out over here
Having bought a few of the 3D Classics already I just wish they'd release them all digitally. I'd buy Power Drift and Thunderforce 3 in a heartbeat, and probably Puyo Puyo and Columns.
Isn't this supposed to be a family-friendly site?
What I want is a collection of the Sonic games remastered by Christian Whitehead (1, 2, 3&K, CD) AND Sonic Mania, all with 3D support. That would be a perfect package and the ultimate Sonic 2D collection imo.
You actually don't have to save "everyone" in Alien Syndrom, as is evident to anyone who have played it.
Would buy for Thunder Force III alone.
Maybe a Thunderforce bundle for the Switch Sega?
Throw in Hyper Duel and I'll FedEx you a crate of fine wines and Swiss chocolates! (Probably cheaper than getting the game itself).
@AlexSora89 I still keep my hopes high for Sonic Mania on Switch even if they didn't mentioned in the trailer.
It's really sad that they went through all the trouble of doing these 3D Classics and didn't do Sonic 3 & Knuckles. CD would have been great too, but... why stop at 2? At least give us the trilogy.
If they wanted people to buy the physical cart, they needed to make Sonic 3 exclusive to it, at least for a while.
I read alien syndrome, I thought I was alien storm.
I wished it was alien storm.
no Sonic 3 & Knuckles 😕
The very brief moment when the Ferrari from Out Run shows up in Afterburner II is one of my all-time favorite gaming moments. Random, yes. But it is the reason I will be buying this along with blast processing.
https://youtu.be/65weTx0haog?t=554
@AlexSora89 Playstation 3 got an HD version Sonic CD (along both Sonic Adventures and NiGHTS into dreams).It's a shame the weren't released on Wii U.I hope they'll come to switch.
@Simbabbad All these years I've assumed you had to save them all! Have updated the text to reflect this. Clearly not all that evident.
@Billsama
Let's hope so. Any game that comes to Switch is a home console game gone portable, after all.
@Randomname19
There are many exclusives that flat-out make no sense.
Instead of games like Columns, it would have been so cool to see Comix Zone, or Vectorman, Virtua Racing, Eternal Champions, Toejam and Earl, etc.
It's a shame that M2 won't be doing any more. The work that they put in was brilliant!
This is the only SEGA 3D Collection I want. A SHMUP and a sequel to Out Run alone makes me want this so badly. I hope it comes out here. As for the already released Eshop titles, I only have 2, only of which is awesome, so there's a lot of 'new' games in this collection for me.
Sega is overrated to be honest, they only had one successful console among a sea of failure.
Their games on the other hand? Simply fantastic library, even the Game Gear and 32x had solid titles.
The existing games aren't entirely identical to their eShop counterparts. For instance, the annoying border fade-out on the sides of the screen in Super Hang-On was eliminated.
Not sure why M2 ever thought that was a good idea, but they've been eliminating it from the early eShop releases for these compilations as they go along.
@Damo well, you have a big "GO TO THE EXIT" message (with voice) when you've freed enough, and it's pretty clear there are many comrades still imprisoned then.
But I appreciate you edited the article. This detail makes the game more interesting, with a risk/reward element.
@KIREEK ...ha, that's great, didn't know that..would have been funny to have jet blasted them off the road...
...I hope that 3-in-1 bundle eventually comes west, that'd be Fukkokun Awesome..
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