SEGA Ages: Classics Collection features enhanced versions of Fantasy Zone, Golden Axe, Monaco GP, Tant R/Bonanza, Alien Syndrome, Columns, Outrun, V.R. (Virtual Racing), and Space Harrier. Each one of the ten games put on the Sega Classics Collection disc began its life several years ago as one-off budget games produced and published by an off-shoot company of Sega's: 3D Ages. The idea of the 3D Ages project was to delve into Sega's backlog of classic games and revive them in more contemporary 3D engines and designs at a budget price. Games like After Burner II, Alien Syndrome, Golden Axe and other Sega brands were given additional life as new developments on the PlayStation 2.

The problem lies not in the games but in the people. Those who have reviewed this, have seriously undermined this. It's nowhere near as bad as others say. They are some of my favorites. THose who reviewed this are not really Collection experts, merely the opposite.

Sega Ages collection is definitely a solid collection... I recommend it!

5 stars!

If you're a fan of the late 70's-early 80's video games, this is one to add to your collection! I initially bought this for just two of the games on it(Alien Syndrome and Outrun...I dished out TONS of quarters at the arcade back in the day on these suckers!), but the rest of the collection were quarter-grabbers for me, too, so all-in-all, it was a very good buy. Now if I can just find one of the old-style Space Invaders tabletop games.....

Honestly, this is all about expectations. If you expect to play this and have exactly the same experience as, say, playing a VR cockpit model, you'll be sorely disappointed. If you can accept the collection for what it is--excellent remakes of classic Sega arcade games--you'll be satisfied.

I'm definitely a Virtua Racing fan; I probably spent $500 worth of quarters on it when it came out. I'd love to own a VR arcade cockpit but I just don't have room for it, I have too many arcade machines already. Granted, almost any modern racing game has much better graphics and more complex gameplay.

But this remake is very good, and I enjoy VR for its simplicity. This remake isn't perfect; in particular, the voices and music aren't as good, and there's no Bikini Babe. (I was disappointed yet not surprised to see they left her out.) It's just as much fun as the original to play, the graphics and controls appear to be 100% identical with the original and the additional modes are an improvement. I felt right at home playing it.

The remake of Alien Syndrome is awesome. After trying it once I ended up playing it for 4+ hours straight, and I still have this overpowering urge to go back and try to get a better score. I didn't like the original at all, but this updated version is a huge improvement and I sincerely think it alone would be worth the inexpensive price of the collection. (If you're expecting it to look/play like the original arcade version, it doesn't in the slighest. The only thing really in common is the theme. But it's *fun*!)

Fantasy Zone was underrated when it came out and is just as underrated in this collection. (It looks to me like the only emulated game here, the others seem to be primarily remakes.) It's a fun 2D shooter with many nice features (the ability to buy powerups, and a good mix of different areas and monsters).

Golden Axe I don't remember playing in the arcade but this version seems OK. It held my attention for an hour or so, anyway, and I'm sure I'll go back and play it again. The graphics almost certainly have been updated as it looks like a native PS2 game.

The rest of the games didn't do much for me. I was surprised to see Monaco GP, it's not a very good game at all and did poorly in the arcades. Space Harrier is boring. Columns... well, I don't like Tetris either. The others I could do without.

Should you buy this? If you're really looking for emulated versions of these games, I'd suggest getting MAME instead. These are remakes, and I'd say they're (mostly) improvements over the original games. Accept it for what it is, and I think you'll enjoy it.

This is a good classics collection. It contains a good combination there. My favorite games in this collection are Outrun, Virtua Racing and Monaco GP. Especially Outrun, I must remember the good past from 1990. Oh, stunning. For those other non-racing games like Golden Axe, they are okay. So, it is great overall.