The Sega Ages line for the Nintendo Switch officially ended in August with the release of Herzog Zwei.
So, what were the most popular games in the end? According to the Sega Ages team (courtesy of a translation by Oni Dino), in addition to sales, Virtua Racing got the "greatest response" of the lot in Japan, although the two Puyo Puyo games were also well-received.
Overseas, it was mixed - but in terms of sales, Sonic the Hedgehog was "by far" the biggest. Out Run was this region's second favourite (particularly in Europe) and Virtua Racing was also quite popular on social media.
Notably, Fantasy Zone proved to be more popular than Virtua Racing, in terms of the number of tweets it generated.
In the end, a total of 19 games were added to the Sega Ages line. While there's been no mention of a follow-up series of sorts, in an interview dating back to August, Sega's Yosuke Okunari said the team hoped to continue re-releasing past titles on Switch.
Tsuyoshi Matsuoka (on behalf of M2) has also previously mentioned how the emulation experts still have "a lot of other titles" to port and how he would like to personally see Sega's "entire history of interactive games" make a return.
What's your favourite game in the Sega Ages line on the Switch eShop? Leave a comment below.
[source nintendoeverything.com]
Comments 70
Virtua Racing was my favourite of the line, as so much work was put in to make it the best version of the classic. A gorgeous bit of nostalgia for me.
I hope they keep going.
Fantasy Zone, Phantasy Star and Virtua Racing for me. Can't believe how much Sonic still sells. Don't we all have at least 4 copies by now?
Great, can we get a physical collection of all the games now?
Sonic is good of course. Phantasy Star 1 was great - the addition of an in-game map basically fixes the biggest issue with playing it in modern times.
Puyo Puyo might be considered unnecessary because of all the other Puyo options available, but its SEGA AGES release was the first time the mysterious, elusive and bizarre English Arcade translation has been released for real, so it was significant to Puyo fans at least.
Outrun and virtua racing were my personal favourites and I really enjoyed Thunderforce AC but I think they should have included Thunderforce lll as there are enough differences between the 2 games to warrant its inclusion would have liked to have had super hang on and turbo outrun I always feel sega neglect their amazing back catalogue
I would really like to see a Virtua Fighter entry on the Switch. Oh and Crazy Taxi. I think both would really suit.
Shinobi is a great Ages release. Still plan on picking up Virtua Racing one of these days when I’m in the mood for a racer.
Really hope they focus a bit more on the more popular Sega games out there. Shadow Dancer probably at the top of my wish list
Phantasy Star without a doubt for me. I wish they would re-release those Phantasy Star remakes that were on the PS2 in the 2000s.
The Phantasy Star 1 port was amazing in the way they turned a borderline unplayable game into something really fun. The on screen map helps so much and the helpful on screen UI and item descriptions being easily available does wonders in making it much more palpable, my ears also very much appreciate the japanese soundtrack as opposed to the ear grating master system original.
I didn't get a lot of them because I already have all the 3d versions on 3ds, Virtua racing, ichidant r, Herzog zwei, phantasy Star and g-loc are the only ones I bought in the sales.
I really wish they'd expanded and released more uncommon arcade titles like SegaSonic specifically
Why not bring back the sonic advance games as well while they're at it?
These games are great value in the sales - £3 for sonic, outrun or virtua racing you can’t complain with that!
Shame Sonic 3 has had legal issues with the soundtrack as that is the best of the original triology
If only the line continued: Perhaps we could of seen SEGASonic The Hedgehog make it’s home console debut, Sonic The Fighters with an on-screen moveset cheatsheet, Altered Beast from the Arcade with some of the luxeries of the Genesis version’s 3DS remake, and so much more.
The best I can hope is that we could end up seeing SEGA start loading out more compilations ala SEGA AGES 2500.
Can't blame Sega for not wanting to put more money and effort in to the Sega Ages range when its titles like Sonic that generate the most sales regardless of great responses and popularity on social media.
I'm still a bit sad that they never finished the Sonic trilogy. Replacing the soundtrack would have been a fair compromise in my book.
My personal favorites from the recent AGES series have to be Phantasy Star and OutRun. Both excellent (definitive?) versions of each game with some very welcome bonuses.
And i would have loved to see a release of Galaxy Force 2, my all time favorite "Super Scaler" game.
Phantasy Star. Because of the sega ages release I played through all 4 PS games this year. My first time playing through an entire RPG series.
So that shows that the Number of Tweets just doesn't matters for Sales.
I'll agree with the others above. Phantasy Star was my absolute favorite. Made the game playable without pulling your hair out. Which was fine back in the 80's, these games had to last us months. But M2's conversion makes an RPG classic eminently playable.
Just make a deal with hamster and let them release your classic arcade games.
This article should provide an explanation for all the people who moan "Why release Sonic again when they could dig deep and release obscure gems?!". Sadly, it's because lots of people go out and buy Sonic and no one buys the obscure gems.
I bought Virtua Racing. Out Run will eventually be bought. I thought Virtua Racing was an absolute triumph.
@PhilKenSebben I've got Sonic 2 on...
Genesis
Android
Xbox
3DS
Nintendo Switch
So yep, 5 copies, and still haven't beaten the game legit...
EDIT: 7 if you include the Sega Collection on Switch, and Sega Collection on Xbox 360.
All great games man.
Virtua Racing got me the most excited. Though I still don't understand why Sega Ages ended. I was really hoping they would continue and release Sega Rally 1 and 2, along with Daytona USA.
I guess they wouldn't be Sega if I wasn't constantly bewildered by their decision making.
Of the Sega ages games I downloaded my favorites are Virtua racing, Shinobi and Sonic 2.
I also got Monster World, Phantasy star and Out run but haven't played with them in a while. I lost interest in phantasy star very quickly.
Phantasy star is great, but no Gain Ground people here? I've played that game again and again with multiple friends in co-op. The planning, pacing, and dumb nicknames one uses on the fly, for the absurd number of heroes to solve the various levels, is such an extraordinary combination for me.
Got Virtua Racing and Outrun, would love Daytona and Sega Rally to join them!
I want Sub-Terrania.
And Comix Zone, obviously...
Yep it was always going to be virtua racing!
Now let’s bring the rest of the racing legacy. Manx TT, Rally, Daytona, Scud, Ferrari...
I really like the Phantasy Star port. They did an amazing job of keeping the original game and adding modern upgrades that help and not hurt the release.
I was hoping so much for more Ages. It is a big disappointment that they have stopped.
They did a people survey, and totally ignored it. Why not let Arcade Archives take on the Coin-Ops
Would have loved Daytona, Sega Rally, Virtua Fighter, Virtua Cop, Manx TT, Ferrari F355, Super Monaco GP, Golden Axe, Afterburner, Super Hang On, Power Drift, Turbo Outrun, Galaxy Force, Rad Mobil, Shenmue, Chu Chu Rocket, Crazy Taxi...........I could go on forever
Thunder Force AC and Outrun are my favourites.
However, what i really want is seeing them finally move away from that late 80's/early 90's stuff.
I want their Dreamcast/Naomi/Atomiswave stuff.
I actually bought Phantasy Star just yesterday. I guess I got hooked on the series after I finished beating Phantasy Star IV on the Genesis Mini.
I picked up Virtua Racing, Phantasy Star and Lightening Force.
Overall, I was pretty underwhelmed by the SEGA Ages line with Virtua Racing and Phantasy Star being the exceptions. It really didn't help that SEGA hyped up the Ages line by claiming that Dreamcast and Saturn releases were possible (like they did with SEGA Forever on mobile).
It's also a real shame that Arcade 1-Up gets games like Outrunners and Golden Axe Revenge of Death Adder (if you're willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a cabinet). Why didn't these games get an Ages port?
@shonenjump86
Enjoy Phantasy Star 1! It's a true classic. When playing it, please keep in mind that it released almost on the same date as Final Fantasy 1 in Japan (and before Final Fantasy 1 in the West). It's pretty ancient by today's standards but it was groundbreaking for the time.
Really glad you enjoyed PSIV as well, it's the best of the bunch by FAR. Phantasy Star II is another game that was revolutionary for its time, but very, very rough by today's standards. You might want to wait until it gets the Ages treatment before giving it a shot.
PSIII is the black sheep of the series. It has a few neat ideas, but it's entirely skippable.
@RushDawg I’m not a big RPG guy but I can get down on a few of them. I’ve known of PS for years but never really gave it much thought to them. So after playing a few games on the Sega Genesis Mini I just decided to mess around with PSIV. I really got into. I know the original PS game is real old school coming from the Sega Master System and all but I find that part of its Charm. Once I done with this I might move onto II and III on the Genesis Collection game.
I'm still mad they didn't release the Christian Whitehead ports of Sonic 1, 2, and CD. Is this a licensing thing with Apple and Android?
Sonic All Stars Racing Transformed is criminally underrated...
My personal highlight was/is Phantasy Star. The enhancements they made are just perfect. And the game has so much style.
Virtua Racing was easily the biggest highlight for me but what they did with the original Sonic was also great. Honestly I simply enjoy having the whole collection, it's classic Sega gaming done right.
@shonenjump86 That's cool. I'm also not a big RPG guy, but Phantasy Star 4 really resonated with me and it's my favorite RPG. Interesting to hear that my experience is not unique. I've always thought there was something special about the presentation and pace of that game. It's almost like Sega infused a bit of their arcade expertise into PS4 so it always moved at a brisk pace and never felt like it dragged. The music was excellent as well, which goes a long way. I had Phantasy Star on Master System back in the 80s, so it was cool to see the references to it in PS4, including in the musical score. Good luck with your journey through the series.
I always wished they would add Rad Mobile.
Many of them are on my wishlist, but IIRC I've only got Phantasy Star for now, to complete the tetralogy on Switch.
I know it’s been said before but SegaSonic The Hedgehog would have been amazing, especially if they gave us a bunch of fun/different control options. Could anyone imagine using a joy on to simulate the track controls? Motion control haters would’ve hated it, but that would’ve been kinda fun for a bit (before likely switching over to a more usable control scheme)
@bluemage1989 absolutely a lot of people seem to think that social media is a good representation of popularity. In reality it's very black and white companies know what's up they will make remakes/sequels to games if they're certain it will be worth the time/money otherwise the just won't.
I think it means that a future Sega Ages “Switch 2” Line will include Sonic and Puyo Puyo.
@Toshiro_Baloney Nah, the 3D Ages version of "Virtua Racing" still has too little content to be the best version. The best version of that classic is "Virtua Racing Deluxe" on the 32X.
I really wish this series would come back. Would love to see Sonic 3 or SegaSonic Arcade get the Ages treatment.
The collection is great, and I own most of the titles. I'd still love to see Virtua Fighter, Golden Axe, and Turbo OutRun if they bring any more arcade classics to the Switch.
@Kiwi_Unlimited I am a massive fan of Gain ground it's an awesome Megadrive and Arcade game
@NotoriousWhiz I finally beat "Sonic 2" by using an underflow glitch to get 255 lives. Is that legit? I never would've had enough lives to give up before finally beating the boss of Wing Fortress Zone otherwise. That thing is much harder than even the Final Boss, even considering you get no rings for the latter fight.
The Sega 3D Classics range on 3DS was the pinnacle of this stuff as far as I'm concerned. These classic games just look sooo cool in stereoscopic 3D.
I wish they'd actually release them for play in VR too, where they could show them in a cool retro Sega-themed room/cinema or whatever and display the games in all their stereoscopic 3D glory on a giant screen and in a way that does them full justice.
Why is it only I ever seem to be the one smart enough to have these ideas that would just rake in relatively easy money for these companies and also just be brilliant experiences for gamers too. I mean, I can already play these games exactly as I'm describing via the Citra emulator running in BigScreen on my Oculus Rift CV1, so it's clearly not that hard to get this kind of thing up and running (all they'd need to add for VR is a cool Sega-themed 3D environment for the user to sit), and they look and play great.
Come on Sega, and Nintendo too for that matter, get a clue and start releasing these games on the next gaming platform, and one that will make them feel almost new again, and even slightly magical, which is impressive considering they'd be coming out as much as 20-30 years after they first released.
@AJDarkstar That was the 3D Classic I was waiting for on 3DS; and of course it never happened...
@sdelfin yeah, the music really hooks you in PSIV. And it just has a good Sega Genesis feel to it. My journey will be a long one, so thanks.
Out Run is amazing. Improved on the original arcade machine while completely retaining what made it great in the first place.
Love to see Enduro Racer get a release.
Phantasy Star was a loveletter to the game. They did such a great job with the QoL fixes and stuff like that. I always recommend people play this version of the game.
Honestly all of the TechnoSoft games were given some great love. Thunder Force IV had some great extras and ThunderForce AC was really good too. And then Herzog Zwei was a great port too considering how hard the game is to find.
Virtua Racing was so cool playing on one screen with 8 players. I just wish i had 8 people to play with.
@AJDarkstar Not understanding SEGA is something we have in common; I still don't understand their decision not to localize Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax: Ignition here in the West. Love playing the vanilla version on the Vita.
I can at least hope for Sonic Mania 2.
Some of their release choices were baffling when they should have gone for the sure thing or released something like The Revenge of Death Adder, but it was still a solid series that will likely enjoy regular discounts on the eShop
Virtua Racing was successful partially because it's not on the 3DS. Most of the other games in the series were released on the 3DS, so tons of people already had them and had little reason to buy them on the Switch.
@PhilKenSebben good choices there. I would say the same with Phantasy Star being the best. I think the Sonic being the top seller is some sort of lie! Who the hek looks forward to playing Sonic again?
@Toshiro_Baloney They've officially ended.
@AJDarkstar At least "Sonic 3 & Knuckles" is included in "Sonic Mega Collection" for GameCube, PS2, and X-Box for anyone who still wants to track down a legit copy of the game. Of course, if you're going retro, there are the original Genesis/MegaDrive games, as well.
We need more Sega Ages on Switch.
I NEED Comix Zone to be re-released. There's been a whole generation that's never heard of it, and that should be criminal!
Continue the SEGA AGES line with Saturn and Dreamcast Games!
Sonic 1 & 2 are actually my favourite of the AGES games but it's still great to have games like Alex Kidd, Fantasy Zone and Outrun on there.
Will definitely be getting Phantasy Star and Virtua Racing after people's comments above.
This SEGA AGES project was the best thing SEGA was doing since the Dreamcast but someone decided to end it, for some reason...
I have picked up Virtua Racing and Space Harrier and have loved both, especially Virtua Racing. It is hard but enjoyable and I have never really played Space Harrier on a home console until recently. Probably grab Fantasy Zone in the near future. Well worth the price IMO.
I haven't bought many Sega Ages games because I have more than 50 Genesis titles on Steam. Yes, M2's emulation is peerless, but most of these titles I just want to play in a "good enough" state.
@PhilKenSebben I own Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Genesis, on Switch as part of the Sega Ages line, on Steam in the Sega Genesis Classics collection, and I have Taxman's remastered version on my phone, so...yes!
Outrun for sure was my favorite release along with Virtua Racing. Matter of fact, I assumed with the release of Virtua Racing I thought for sure would finally be the start of seeing more “newer” Sega arcade games like Power Drift, Virtua Cop 1&2, Crazy Taxi, House Of the Dead, Sega Rally Championship, Virtua Fighter series, and Sooooo many more but obviously not going to happen right now! Still scratching my head over this decision to pull the plug at a mere 19 titles! Cmon Sega!!
And now everyone knows why Sega acts like Sonic 1 and 2 are all they’ve ever accomplished.
Wonder Boy in Monsterland, Fantasy Zone, Shinobi and Thunderforce were my picks (In that order).
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