Following on from the local release of Wonder Boy: Monster Land and Virtua Racing, Sega has now revealed the next AGES on the way is Columns II: The Voyage Through Time. This classic puzzle game is priced at 999 yen and is "coming soon" to the Japanese Switch eShop.
The game features an arcade mode, featuring two game types: Flash Columns and VS Columns. The first one requires you to match jewels and the second one is all about creating chains to reduce the size of your opponent's field. Here are some additional features (thanks, Gematsu):
- A stage select feature has been added to Flash Columns, allowing you start from any of the 70 stages.
- A “Skull Cut” option has been added, which stops the appearance of skulls.
- The second player’s field can be flipped 180 degrees to play VS Mode face-to-face when the Switch is placed on the floor / table.
- A “Stage Design” option has been added, which allows you to set the design of the field and jewels to your liking—either “Random” or “Columns I.”
Infinite Columns is a new mode being added to the Switch version of Columns II. Its rules are the same as the Arcade Mode's Flash Columns, except it's an endless-style game. The floor will gradually rise after a certain amount of time, and by eliminating flashing jewels, all of the same-coloured jewels will be eliminated.
There'll also be an option to play the Genesis/Sega Mega Drive version of the original Columns. Each time you boot the game up, you can select from one of three background songs.
*This is the same Columns included with the paid “Game Pack” add-on for the Yakuza 0 Companion App for PS Vita.
Lastly is the Network VS feature - allowing you to compete against players online in Arcade Mode VS Columns. There's also a bonus feature titled Jewel Box. Here you can check the status of the stages you have cleared and view the following:
Depending on your level of achievement, you will be able to see brief profiles for Round Girl and Round Boy, the characters that appear in the opening movies of Sega Ages titles.
Are you looking forward to the release of this Sega Ages title? Leave a comment below.
[source gematsu.com, via archives.sega.jp]
Comments 33
That's a nice tasty little retro release. Wish more companies would copy Sega in this regard.
M2 really needs to fix that screen jitter in Virtua Racing for Switch. It really bothers me right now and makes the game feel incomplete.
But still no Sonic 2...
Love me some Columns! Odd choice for an Ages release, but no complaints from me.
Also, d'awww, chibi Nei from Phantasy Star II down there.
@retro_player_22 Screen jitter? Is it in all single player races? Is it in multiplayer? Maybe the New Super Mario Bros theme from Super Mario Maker 2 infected Virtua Racing with microshimmy : )
Not leading with their heavy hitters is a huge mistake. If one were to compose their list of the 10 best Sega titles across all platforms, things like Gain Ground and Columns II just wouldn't make the cut
This is cute. Still waiting for Herzog Zwei.
Cool, but I need my Fantasy Zone
Yeah sure this isn’t a big hitter but it hasn’t often been released to the home Market other than on a Saturn compilation. (Originally an arcade release)
I am very interested in this since I have never played it before. I love the original Columns for Genesis.
Great, I love Columns. Now let’s see if it’s possible to bring Daytona Racing to the Ages collection.
I absolutely love Columns but for EFFS sake where the hell is shinobi!
@LinktotheFuture this is the same game.
@60frames-please I'm talking about the screen shakiness whenever you hit the accelerator. My pal Jenovi here will explain it better with his comparison video:
That's a nice surprise, having the original (although available in a hundred ways) included. But I'm genuinely interested in this Columns II, an arcade exclusive that I'll have the chance to enjoy once it gets released in the West... and goes on sale, as happens with ALL Sega Ages games sooner than later.
Its weird to me that M2 have a vast library of classic SEGA games to redo and they choose to do this!
These Sega Ages games are way overpriced. Should be cheaper or part of a collection of games like “Sega Genesis Collection”
@sleepinglion so true, Columns isn't bad... but it's no Dr.Mario or Tetris
SEGA has alot of amazing original games under it's name, where the heck is Daytona? SEGA Rally?
In my opinion the prices are fine considering the effort that M2 are putting in to these. Not sure how many times this needs to be said but these games are Not some ROMS running in an emulator like the genesis classics or NES (Nintendo online) . They are inserting new features into these releases.
Maybe the will release Daytona one day but M2 are the company who would rather rebuild it from source rather than compromise and run an emulator... if it’s not perfect they will not bother.
@retro_player_22 What screen jitter? Can't say I've noticed that. I have the Japanese release if that makes any difference.
@Dman10 Disagree strongly.
Cooool..
Columns, AND Dr Mario!
All the bad puzzle games you once hated are coming back for revenge!
The original game and Magical Drop 3 are my favorite puzzle games. I’ll pick this up eventually.
@ClassSonicSatAm I see AGES as a wasted opportunity for the most part. Arcade ports, particularly of more technically advanced titles, could be done regularly. The Saturn and Dreamcast have their fans as well. I'd love to see Sonic 2, because the Genesis Collection on Switch has obvious input lag with the Sonics. The AGES version of Sonic 1 does not
What a waste... Still no Golden Axe Death Adder, Shadow Dancer, Daytona USA, Desert Assault, Sonic Arcade, House of the Dead, Virtua Cop...
I’d love all those things too but I’m not sure we were ever going to see Dreamcast/Saturn/Advanced Arcade straight out of the gate.
perfecting that stuff would take development time and money . (I would hope they are working on it)
I feel they are very focussed on perfection and talked about being able to finally 100% perfect the Sega Model 1 board (Virtua fighter etc) for the Switch etc.
Hopefully we will see more advanced stuff, I want it as much as anyone.
Come on Sega your taking ages to release these titles....get banging them out!
I need golden axe collection.
Sega bass and sea fishing
Virtua cop collection
House of dead collection
Etc.....
@barneygumble Considering SegaSonic the Hedgehog used a trackball controller, I don't ever see it coming to this.
@retro_player_22 Got it. Yeah, I think I noticed that once and just started trying to not feather the accelerator. Also, being someone who exclusively approves of frame rates at 60fps (or higher, but I'm not sure if I've ever seen 80, 100, 120, 144, or any high frame rate like that) I was horrified at that video! If I made frame rates into a religion then John Lineman's Digital Foundry video about Dayton's and "why frame rate has always mattered" would be the Bible and this guy's Virtua Racing video would be Satanism! He actually called 20fps "slightly lower" than the arcade version's 30fps. 30fps is ugly garbage, and anything under that is practically unplayable. I admit that I still play Jumping Flash! That game can get up to 60fps, but it generally jerks around somewhere between 20 and 30fps. It's a PS1 game that looks like crap but is nostalgic for me (and I like the music!). Anyways, it's always interesting to hear new opinions!
@Beatley82 If you had Virtua Racing on your Switch play it and try pressing the accelerator as you race and see if the screen shake up and down. If it doesn't then the Japanese version (which I don't have) of the game may had been the fix version. If it does then M2 needs to fix that and fixing it shouldn't be all that difficult. Like Jenovi mention in his video, all they had to do was add an option to disable it so the people who like that feature can still mess around with it while us gamers who want a silky smooth experience can enjoy our Vritua Racing without it.
@sleepinglion Your not wrong there, I would love to see more The Saturn and Dreamcast, or at least more model 2/3 3D arcade games from the 90s
But it seems like SEGA likes to stick with Genesis/Mega Drive as if it was their only success...
Why put the Genesis version of the original columns and not just use the arcade version? Some weird decisions on these retro re-releases.
These releases have been good, maybe a bit slow, but, Alex Kid, and Sonic 1 are perhaps the best way to play those games.
Street Of Rage and Golden Axe please.
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