“To be this good takes AGES.”
Quick ports are a classic tactic by publishers to make some extra dough from their properties. Sometimes, they call them remasters; sometimes, they are republished on the next console generation; and sometimes, they are just emulated copies of nostalgic titles. SEGA isn’t above this. They’ve been rereleasing old titles as far back as the nineties on the SEGA Saturn with the start of the SEGA AGES series. Even to this day, they use this moniker for rereleases of SEGA Megadrive games on mobile phones and the Nintendo Switch.The earliest instance of AGES being used to refer to SEGA I could find was this crass print ad in Viz Magazine
But in 2003, SEGA decided to try a little experiment. What if their AGES series was more than quickly put together emulated ports and were instead full remakes? What if they teamed up with other developers and publishers to make dozens of these new games? What if it was all for the low price of ¥2,500? These questions are what the SEGA AGES 2500 line decided to answer.
Cheap Games and Cheaper Alliances
SEGA decided to partner with another publisher for this series. D3 Publisher was founded in 1992 with one goal: make a ton of cheap video games and get good at it. Over the years, they have contracted small developers to make games for them or directly published their own titles. They are best known for IPs like Earth Defense Force and Onechanbara. While their range of games tends to have low budgets and even lower prices, they are popular with thousands of fans worldwide. They have also seen critical acclaim for titles like Puzzle Quest: Challenge of The Warlords and Bangai-O. D3 may be cost-efficient, but that doesn’t mean they’re second-rate.This wasn’t D3’s first series of budget games either. Starting in 1998, they began a line of games cataloged as the Simple 1500 series. In 2002, they began the Simple 2000 DC line of games for the SEGA Dreamcast. Every series of theirs included the price in the title.
The partnership was cemented by SEGA and D3 forming a separate development and publishing arm owned by both companies, with SEGA owning a slight majority. This was 3D-AGES, a publisher dedicated to the publication of these new games. Essentially, D3 would procure the development teams, and SEGA would fund the production and publication. This system worked well for a while, but SEGA eventually wanted out.
In 2005, SEGA bought D3’s shares in the company and began producing and publishing games without their support. These budget games would continue under the same name, but they would have a notably different focus compared to the first couple of games in the line. SEGA AGES 2500 games after the breakup were what you would traditionally expect from a budget line, just more emulations and compilations.
A Brief Prelude
In total, there were thirty-three games in the SEGA AGES 2500 line, with fifteen of them involving 3D-AGES. I could go over every single one of them individually, but that would be tedious. So, I’m sticking to a highlight reel not because I value your time but because I value mine. I played through most of the series in the lead-up to this retrospective and selected the six that stood out the most to me.Science Phantasy
For the first game in this new line of budget products, SEGA and D3 went with SEGA AGES 2500 SERIES Vol. 1: Phantasy Star Generation: 1. Phantasy Star is one of the longest running SEGA properties. Its first game was released in 1987 for the Master System and has received new games at a moderate pace for the past couple of decades.The original game was developed by a small team created by Kotaro Hayashida and notorious jailbird Yuji Naka. SEGA allowed for the creation of Phantasy Star as they did not have the 3rd party support that Nintendo had for their Famicom. After the release of Dragon Quest II, the higher-ups decided to let the two young programmers strut their stuff in the genre of JRPGs. Notably, the developers had four women working on the game, which is five more than the average team of the era. The game had no director, as the team wanted to focus on creativity without restrictions. Granted, the two that formed the group had notable control over the operation.
The story follows Alis Landale, Arisa in the original Japanese. After she witnesses her brother’s death at the hands of robotic guards, she sets off on a quest for vengeance against the tyrant Lassic. Along the way, she gathers the help of Myau and Odin, two rebels who supported her brother, alongside Noah, an esper with high magic abilities. The team travels across the solar system, encountering Lassic’s underlings. Eventually, Lassic is killed, but it is revealed that he was being controlled by a dark malice called the Dark Falz. The evil force is destroyed, and peace returns to the Algol system.
Here is a rough comparison of the introductions of the two games.
The game is a classic piece of art in the genre called Science Fantasy as it combines Science Fiction and Fantasy. Overall, it is one of the best examples of it. The game was well received at its launch and is beloved to this day. Nearly every review I find lists it in the high 80% to low 90% range.
Phantasy Star Generation: 1 is the start of the series reinvented for the PlayStation 2, and what a start it is. Developed by Japan Art Media Co., Ltd., or JAM, which was one of the developers selected by D3, the game was released for the PlayStation 2 in August 2003 in Japan.
Obviously, the music and graphics are redone, but this game is far more than a surface-level retouching. The game has received a new art style that, in my opinion, makes it lose some of the charm of the original. However, the game also includes cutscenes animated in the style of the splash and puzzle panels from Phantasy Star 4. The game also uses the square button for running and the analog stick on the Dualshock 2 for moving with 360° and speed adjustment.
The story has some added elements. Some extra dialogue here, some extra cutscenes there.
But most importantly, the game includes something called ‘Consult.’ As long as the player is not in a battle, Alis can talk to herself or her other party members by pressing the L1 button or the option in the menu. This will cause the characters to give an extra hint to the story and how to progress the game. Sometimes, these extra slices of dialogue add to the character’s personality or tell you something about their history that you didn’t know before, like Myau’s love of pastries.
The combat mechanics have been retooled. Now the game plays out similarly to Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium, with the characters standing at the bottom of the screen during combat and stepping up to the enemy to attack. The ability to talk to enemies has been removed, but it was never helpful anyway beyond a select few instances. There is also an auto-battle option that simply selects a physical attack for every character.
There are also new items in the form of gems. Gems can be equipped to your characters and they are associated with spells. These will cause certain effects in battle, such as equipping a fire gem to Alis’ sword, which will cause her to do fire damage, or equipping a cure gem to Noah’s cloak, making him immune to status ailments. The character will also get the spell associated with the gem. Not only that but equipping two gems allows your characters to do what are called Combination attacks. Essentially, at the cost of no MP, your character will do an attack that is the combined force of the two gems. There are twenty possible combination attacks, but it’s best to only use them in a pinch as there is the chance that the gem breaks, and these crystals are pricey.
I didn't walk without rhythm, so I disturbed the worms.
Overall, Phantasy Star Generation: 1 is a great start to this lineup, and I would argue that it is better than the original.
Car go Boom, not Vroom
Monaco GP is a racing game for arcades. You play it as a racecar, doing its best to avoid running into other racers on a strip of road. Sometimes, the player will even go under bridges and must use the small cone of light to guide themselves. The player can control their speed and move the car left and right on the road. Other than that, it is a very simple game: Get to the finish line. The only other significant detail is that there was a two-player option.Monaco GP was originally developed in-house by SEGA for arcades and released sometime in late 1979 for the US and Japan. I tried to figure out who was on the dev team for the arcade release, but the best source I could find for the game was SegaRetro, which says it was developed by Minoru Kanari, Hideki Sato, and “3 other people.” This game also is infamously impossible to emulate because it wasn’t designed with a CPU. It was popular enough to receive a port to the SEGA SG-1000 and SEGA Mark III, what the Master System was called in Japan.
SEGA AGES 2500 SERIES Vol. 2: Monaco GP was developed by Tamsoft Corporation, the same company behind OneChanbara. They added two modes to the game, Classic and Arranged. Classic is just a remake of the three levels in the arcade game.
Arranged Mode is far more interesting. Now tracks have hazards like ice, ambulances, and other driver’s crashed cars. There are explosions abound in this mode, only made worse by the addition of power-ups. They can speed you up, add more time to your checkpoint clock, or even make the car invincible so you can crash into anything without repercussions. Also, stars are arranged in straight lines on the track. Collecting them does nothing but build a combo meter. But as the meter grows, you will speed up and not slow down after crashing into the rear of other cars.
A new addition to the controls in the need to turn. Not just left and right to avoid other cars but to twist around the turns of the track. Initially, all tracks in the game were straight lines, but they are proper loops in Arranged Mode. As such, the bumpers turn the car a soft 45° while the triggers turn a sharp 90°.
There are also rivals. Near the end of Arranged Mode, a rival will join you for one level. I never beat the rival because I suck at racing games.
This is another great game, and we are only on the second one. As the series goes on, it must certainly get better and better, right?
A Remake With Flare
Death Adder has stolen the titular axe and begun using it to conquer the world. It is up to two humans and a dwarf to defeat this tyrant. Golden Axe is an arcade game turned home console game that has been made into a long-lasting series. It isn’t as relevant today as Phantasy Star, but it is a staple of any fan’s Mega Drive collection. So why not give it a new life?The warrioress' name is Tyris Flare, like the subtitle, I swear it wasn't a misspelling.
SEGA AGES 2500 SERIES Vol. 5: Gold Axe was developed by SIMS Co., Ltd., a joint venture between SEGA and Sanritsu Denki Co., Ltd. They worked on a very direct remake of the game. So much so that this one has the least to mention.
The only additions are that the magic meter fills with every kill and enemies have health bars. There are fully animated cutscenes of the characters that play in engine. Other than that, there is nothing else worth mentioning. The story is the same, the gameplay is the same, the levels are the same, the characters are the same, and so on and so forth. 3D-AGES don’t need to reinvent the wheel, but it sure doesn’t make any strides like Phantasy Star did.
Sometimes the in engine cutscenes lead to fun like this blue dragon attached to Ax Battler.
“You are Already Dead…”
Black Belt is a classic Master System game from 1986. You play as Riki, a martial artist trying to save his girlfriend, Kyoko. He goes through several levels fighting off bad guys until you reach the final boss, Wang. It’s simple, but like I said, it’s a classic. It ranks high on Master System games rankings and is beloved by fans. Still, it hasn’t had a sequel or rerelease since its first release in the 80s. It makes me wonder if there is something wrong with the game or if there is a dark secret that SEGA doesn’t want to get involved with. Maybe the Japanese version will have an answer.
Oh.
Fist of the North Star, or Hokuto no Ken, is one of the most famous manga series ever. Originally written by Yoshiyuki Okamura and drawn by Tetsuo Hara for Shueisha’s Shonen Jump, it quickly became one of the most popular manga in the magazine. Over time, it has received spin-offs, an anime adaptation, movies, and even a terrible live-action movie in the 90s. Inevitably in this well of merchandising, video games would come. For years, every shonen manga wanted to be just like it, until Dragon Ball was released, and everyone wanted to be just like that.
Speaking of which, Fist of the North Star has seemingly had its own Dragon Power-like localization where all of the original elements of the IP have been stripped out and replaced by legally distinct personalities. That is why the game has never seen the light of day again, it would be too much of a legal burden. As such, it was never rereleased. That was until SEGA AGES 2500 SERIES Vol. 11: Hokuto no Ken.
Kenshiro will kill Shin, no matter what reality he is in.
Developed again by SIMS, the only known developers of the original are Yuji Naka and Katsuhiro “Funky K.H” Hayashi. This is actually the only game in the AGES 2500 line to be made from an outside IP.
You play as Kenshiro, a martial artist trying to save his fiance, Julia. He goes through several levels fighting off bad guys until you reach the final boss, Raoh. The game is actually a full retelling of the events of the manga, just like the original game. However, it is notably more accurate to the story. New level intros tell the story events, and boss stages will have Kenshiro angrily confront his enemy with dialogue before they fight. Additionally, some stages are played as Rei and Toki, two other martial artists from the series. They weren't in the original and they have their own techniques that they use in their stages.
The first game only had the characters punch, kick, and jump. But this remake adds a ton of techniques of Hokuto Shinken, the special martial art of Kenshiro and his allies. At the top of the UI is a Big Dipper constellation that fills as Kenshiro beats his enemies. Shinken techniques are listed at the bottom of the screen and selected with the bumpers. Pressing the triangle will deplete the Big Dipper but activate the technique. Kenshiro can also enter a heightened state with the square button, but only temporarily.
This is the least dirty fight of Jagi's life.
There is also an additional mode titled Battle Mode, in which you can play the boss fights again.
Cruising for a Bruising
OutRun is another arcade racing game. But unlike Monaco GP, this one gives you a girlfriend, which automatically makes any game at least an eight out of ten in my book. I call the game a racing game, but the director, Yu Suzuki, insisted that it is best classified as a driving game since there are hardly any racing elements to it. Speaking of him, he and the rest of the arcade staff were only able to sneak in their names in the form of initials on the high score rankings. So if you ever got a high score in OutRun, you were actively erasing the credits of these hard-working developers, you jerk.Anyway, SEGA AGES 2500 SERIES Vol. 13: OutRun is another remake of an arcade classic done by SIMS, and just like Monaco GP, they didn’t change much. There is still an Arcade and Arranged Mode. New music is added for Arranged Mode. The levels are the same ones from the classic arcade. They are just, well, arranged into a new order.
In general, it is continuing the trend of remakes slowly becoming unsubstantial. So why do I mention it? Because it’s like I said, the game is eight out of ten. Only in this game can you get in a car crash without a roof or seatbelts going 300kph, and the only thing that happens is that your girlfriend chastises you.
It’s a fine remake, but it feels like the 2500 series is really starting to slow down, and not because I suck at driving games. Phantasy Star Generation: 1 was a phenomenal new way to play a classic. However, the series is beginning to fall into a malaise where there aren’t major additions to each game like before. These games are becoming what the 2500 series ultimately was intended to be: 3D remakes of old games.
The Beginning of the End (Of Phantasy Star)
3D-AGES was effectively shut down when SEGA bought all of its stock. After this, the decline in quality became incredibly apparent. Its last game was SEGA AGES 2500 SERIES Vol. 15: Decathlete Collection. However, that does not mean that the 2500 line was entirely dead, nor that they didn’t have some gold left in them. SEGA AGES 2500 SERIES Vol. 17: Phantasy Star Generation: 2 is the last Phantasy Star remake in the collection, though there were possible plans for more.This time, the Algol system is at peace, but not for long. A thousand years has passed since Alis and company defeated Lassic and an era of prosperity has begun due to Mother Brain (No, not the one from Metroid), a supercomputer developed by the government that attends to the needs of every person in the system. It has even terraformed the planet Mota into a lush green wonderland from its Climatrol tower at the center of the world. Yes, thanks to Mother Brain, humanity is succeeding. However, biomonsters are beginning to appear and attack locals. The government has no idea what the beasts are and their mother isn’t willing to give any clues. Therefore, it is up to government agent Rolf to search for answers in the biosystems lab all while being accompanied by the numen Nei. Rolf gathers allies over the course of the adventure and eventually learns the truth of the biomonsters, their relationship with Mother Brain, and what the Dark Falz has to do with all of this.
The new anime inspired designs add to the emotional display.
Developed again by JAM, this one features a similar art style to the first. Cleared save data can also be carried over for bonuses. Notably, changes include the return of combo attacks but without the gems. Instead, spells are set at terminals in cities. Also, physical attacks in battles now have levels. Attacks can be levels 1,2, and 3, increasing strength but decreasing accuracy and speed. As such, it is wise to attack low-health enemies with level 1 attacks and use only level 3 attacks on bosses. Special attacks unique to each character can be used after filling a limit break-esque bar.
You get several party members throughout the game, but can only have four active at a time. This doesn’t matter too much as you can switch out members at Rolf’s house. However, Generation: 2 added activities for your inactive members. They can either train for EXP or develop items to be used in battle or weapons. Either option you choose will only take effect after several battles.
Interestingly, the game requires active participation as a time-defense mechanic appears in battles. Basically, every time an enemy attacks, a small bubble will appear above a playable character. Time the growing white circle right with the bubble, and damage will be reduced. It is a weird mechanic to explain, and very few games come to mind with a timing mechanic during battles like this outside of games like Final Fantasy VIII and Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
Again, all of the enhancements of Phantasy Star Generation: 1 are brought forward with this sequel. It may not be the greatest advancement, but it was a beautiful swan song for 3D-Ages and a beautiful midpoint for SEGA AGES 2500. Everything after, not so much.
The End (Of AGES 2500)
SEGA AGES 2500 would continue for a couple more years without the flair of the first half. Instead of remakes, the line shifted towards basic ports. There was no longer the passion that defined the series initially.The final game came on September 11th, 2008. It was SEGA AGES 2500 SERIES Vol. 33: Fantasy Zone Complete Collection. It is precisely what the name says: an emulated collection of all of the Fantasy Zone games for the PS2.
It is somewhat disheartening to see the series die off like this. From the start, it was clear they had big plans that unfortunately never bore fruit. Two games were canceled with the closure of 3D-Ages: remakes of Alex Kidd in Miracle World and Streets of Rage.
Monaco GP, Golden Axe, and OutRun were included along with other AGES 2500 games in the SEGA Classics Collection and localized for the West. Phantasy Star Generation: 1 and 2 were never ported to anything nor was Fist of the North Star. They remained on the PS2.
D3, SIMS, Tamsoft, and JAM are still making budget games to this day.
In conclusion, was the AGES 2500 line special? Yes. Absolutely. There was clearly a passion for these games just from the snippets that I have experienced. These are definitive ways to play each game, even if they aren’t hitting it out of the park in every instance. I would recommend these games to anyone who loves old SEGA. If it was the early 2000s, the price would be a good deal, too. In August of 2003, ¥2,500 would be roughly the equivalent of $21.42 or, for the semantics of the title, $20. Making them a steal for a game back then. If I had a time machine and a ton of cash on hand, well I would probably invest in Amazon. But after that, I would buy all of these games. Up until Phantasy Star Generation: 2, at least.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Phantasy Star Cave or pscave.com for their information on the two generation games. Not only do they have detailed guides on both of the games, but they are actively working on retranslations of both generation games. Check out the site if you ever want fan news about the series and see the Discord Channel for any news about the translation work.I also want to thank Sega Retro for being one of the best resources of accurate news about these games’ developments. Even if sometimes the best information they have is “3 other people.”
Finally, thank you to macrotrends.net for being the only place that could confirm with me that ¥2,500 is actually $20 in 2003. Seriously, I spent about an hour looking for info and they were the only one. Currency conversion is a surprisingly closed market.
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