Gain Ground And Puyo Puyo Join The Sega AGES Line-Up On Switch Next Month

Gain Ground is always fun.

I love Puyo Puyo, but it’s not the same without Tetris.

Kinda pointless to release these when we already got Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Puyo Puyo with the Sonic brand) and Gain Ground on the Sega Genesis Classics Collection. Even worst is that we already got Puyo Puyo crossover with Tetris and Sonic Mania so we don't really need another version to waste space. Dear Sega and M2, give us some Dreamcast stuff already, still waiting here for Jet Grind Radio and Shenmue.

I already have these games on the Sega Genesis Classics collection

Still counting days until Virtua Racing!

I'll buy Puyo Puyo to play a pure arcade version of it, which is something that PPT and Mean Bean Machine (Sega Genesis Classics) wouldn't do for me.

I thought we'd get Space Harrier soon, but those two are nice.

I hope M2 will deliver on some classics which never got re-released like Crusader of Centy.

Does anyone know why it's nowhere to be found? I thought Sega owned Nextech.

Gain Ground is a great game! Meanwhile I wonder why they wouldn’t release Puyo Puyo here in the states as Dr Robotnic’s Mean Bean Machine?? Hmmm 🤔🤔

@joey302 Cause the one M2 is working on is the arcade version of Puyo Puyo, there are no arcade version of Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. The reason why I say it's pointless is that the Puyo Puyo concept was already available elsewhere on the Switch whether through the Sega Genesis Classic Collection as Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (which you could already play online), in Sonic Mania or as a crossover via Puyo Puyo Tetris (which you could also play online or local offline of up to 4-players).

Look. Sega. Seriously. I bought your collection. I don't need Gain Ground. What I need...

SEVERELY

Is Herzog Zwei. Make. It. Happen!

Disappointing to waste two releases for the Sega Ages lineup (well, three-plus counting the Sonic the Hedgehog games) on titles we can get/already have on the Sega Genesis Classics Collection. These are no-buys for me personally.

My question is, why do these previously unannounced games already have a release window when others Sega revealed some time ago (ThunderForce III, Space Harrier, Star Wars Arcade, and Virtua Racing) still appear to be in limbo? I love (most of) what I've seen of the Sega Ages lineup thus far, but in my humble opinion, if it's going to be as limited as they've let on they can't afford to waste time on titles that can easily be acquired elsewhere.

Since the Sega Genesis Classics Collection pretty much sucks, since it's littered with audio and delay glitches, I'm glad M2 is there to provide some real effort for these games.

@Megal0maniac Would had been a better effort to have M2 patch the entire collection than to re-release the same game for a more expensive price. Better yet have M2 release these as physical compilation packs similar to the 3DS ones, I'll buy those instead of the individual re-releases.

Dull. Give me Virtua Racing, Hang-On, Outrunners.

I have no idea what gain ground is but I'll be getting puyo for sure.

Gain Ground was released in Japan last year. We will be 2 months behind already.
Why is it taking Ages ?

I've been looking forward to Gain Ground but I had hoped we'd get Virtua Racing next month. I do wish they'd get a set schedule down for these titles.

@Megal0maniac That's the opposite opinion to all those people saying "I won't buy these Sega Ages games, they are in Sega Mega Drive Classics anyway". As if ALL of them were there.

I'm not particularly attracted to February releases, but I don't rule them out either. The thing is I don't know Gain Ground, screenshots don't make me think it's funny to me, and in Puyo Puyo's case... as 2 was announced too, what's the point? I think I'll pass, like I passed on Puzzle Bobble on ACA Neo Geo knowing that the sequel is already announced and better.

I find it odd that both Sega and Nintendo go with this drip feed approach to retro games. I mean, I'm sure there must be a way to make more money and please the fans rather than give us one game at a time at £6.99 or whatever. I mean for outrun - I spent money in the arcades, mega drive etc, why should I have to buy again? Surely the target market is the people who originally played also, so I can't be the only one thinking this way.

Just give us a pack of games for each console and be done with it - you (sega/nintendo) will make a mass buck that way. E.g. give us 20arcade as one pack, 20dreamcast as another, 20 GameCube etc. Charge £20 for that, make sure in that 20 games there are a couple of gems but spread the gems over many packs. Or even better, give me an option to buy a £20 a month subscription giving me retro game access - then you will get £240 a year rather than perhaps £60 from these packs.
If everyone subscribed, your on to a winner

I'll wait for the Arcade and Saturn releases for this line up, I just want some Panzer Dragoon goodness with Zwei in particular still a regular go to game on my Saturn but Saga is far too expensive 😥

I’m really excited for Gain Ground. I remember getting that game for Christmas one year, when I was a kid. It was one of my most frequently played games. Now if only they’d give me Elemental Masters!!!

Not bothered about these two, but still got Phantasy Star and Out Run to enjoy for the time being.

Gain Ground was my favorite game when I owned a "mega drive" ahah, as a kid, now as a thirty something, I still play I through with my brother from time to time as we know the game by heart. True 16bit nostalgia trip right there. Already have this on my switch though, as it's part of the gensesis collection

Though I've seen these spoken of numerous times, I've yet to play Gain Ground, and though i haven't formally played Puyo Puyo, I have played Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. As a person who didn't follow Sega like that back in the day, the GC and AGES creates a conundrum for me. The only slight thing that's made sense for me is Phantasy Star on AGES while PSII, III, and VI are on GC, but these double ups... really Sega?

Some people may not realise that Puyo Puyo is a very popular series in Japan, so it's not that surprising that Sega would get M2 to release the Arcade versions of Puyo 1 & 2.

The first release is interesting since the sequel (as you expect) is the better version. One reason to maybe get this one is the "Exercise Mod" which just allows you to practice on your own (think how the original Tetris did it). For some reason the sequel admits this. [EDIT: This sentence is incorrect, Puyo Puyo for the Aracde only had VS Modes].

The Arcade version also only used to rotate the beans... I mean puyos to the right. Ports of the game modified this to rotate left or right, and it does look like this version is going to have this option.

The cut-scenes for the 1st one are much better. The characters are animated and have speech bubbles. The second removes this with standard text (although some ports like the SNES version go back to using the first style). Interestingly there is an English release of Puyo Puyo, so I am hoping they will include that as an option.

There is a bug in the first version where if the other controller holds right or left while a CPU is in play, the CPU can't move/rotate the puyos. This bug still exists in the Mega Drive Port and Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, but a V1.1 version of the arcade version fixes this bug. Hopefully this is fixed in Puyo 1.

Of course, playing online is going to be interesting, providing you can easily find people (although the Japanese love this series, so that might not be an issue). Puyo Puyo Tetris / Puyo Puyo eSports make you use the counter "Tsu" system, so it will be fun to play without that rule.

Looking forward to buying both!

There's a lot of people on here saying 'what's the point of these releases?'. The point is, I'm going to be buying them all. M2 pour so much effort into these releases that they're incomparable to your ROM collections (sorry, Mega Drive Classic Collection). For a mere £5.99 a release I'll be snapping them all up.

I'd never played Phantasy Star before the M2 release and I doubt I'd have ever gotten around to it had it not been for the updates they made to improve its accessibility (map, item menus, etc), so I'm eternally grateful to them, as the game is real gem from the 8-bit era. By the way, where is the Phantasy Star review?

Gain Ground is really fun. Screenshots don't do the game justice

Well, I don't think I need the original Puyo Puyo. But I absolutely want Puyo Puyo 2--it's a masterpiece, and the gold standard of Puyo games. I only hope the Ages version is as good as or better than Puyo Puyo Tsu Special for Super Famicom.

Puyo Puyo Tetris is a great game, but it sort of like saying Tetris Effect is the best Tetris game. In one way it's true, but there's a foundational purity and heft to Gameboy and NES Tetris that modern Tetris rules can't match. Puyo Puyo 2 introduced offsetting, making it miles ahead of Mean Bean Machine. And it looks and feels right. Everything about it is beautiful and pure fun. The story tower mode is really scrappy and awesome as well.

... I'm really looking forward to it. Hope it has the 4-player and blob customization from the SFC version!!

This is the arcade release of Gain Ground. Not sure why people are saying we don't need it because its on the Genesis collection. Its a different version. Plus M2.

@retro_player_22 The thing is, M2 are retro gods and their software quality towers over any other studios‘ feeble attempts.
Also, the Genesis collection has some crippling input lag (feels like more than 1 second!), so basically every action game on it is disqualified. M2 >>>> D3t Publisher

I don‘t get why everyone is raving on about the Genesis collection. How can you guys enjoy your games with 1 second input lag? O_o
You won‘t catch M2 trying to pull such crap.

It's not the same games guys. It's the arcade versions, not the genesis ones.

Can't wait to finally play the arcade version of Gain Ground.

@retro_player_22 yes Puyo is pointless right about now. With the huge back catalogue Sega has, you have to wonder who’s making these lineup choices! Tons and tons of other classic Sega games to pick from!! I will grab Gain Ground though!!

Waiting for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Alex Kidd in the Miracle World as previous announcements.

I never expected Sega and M2 to release the original Puyo Puyo in English either way this is great.

I don't think Puyo Puyo 1 and 2 were previously released in English?
(aside from the hidden Puzzlow Kids localization of PP1 Game Gear accessed by putting the game in a western GG)

There is an English Puyo Puyo ROM in MAME but I'm told it's a bootleg version.

@DogResidue Not necessarily. I don’t like Puyo Puyo or Tetris as much separately as I do when they are fused.

So February already ended and there we have a new delay on Sega Ages releases. This time it doesn't even make sense.