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SEGA 3D Classics Collection hitting retail in North America (April 26th, $29.99)
- Thread starter L~A
- Start date
Ahh, they wanted the parralax backgrounds. That makes sense, but at that point they should have just ported a different game...
They talk about how popular AB is on VC and the internet and stuff... Thats just because it was the pack in game for so long... It truly is a bad game lol.
They made that decision on purpose, because the MD / Genesis version of Altered Beast had added layers of parallax scrolling backgrounds that were not in the System16 arcade version. M2 felt this was good, combined with the 3D effect.
M2 actually added additional background layer(s) for 3DS port of the console version. I noticed this right away on the last level. Might be on other levels I missed, haven't played it for awhile. They also spent time adding more 3D effects in certain places.
http://blogs.sega.com/2013/12/05/sega-3d-classics-–-3d-altered-beast-interview-with-developer-m2/
Dividing single image backgrounds into raster layers, and adding stereoscopic 3D!?
– So, this has been on my mind me since we talked about it in our last interview. Can you talk about how the GigaDrive[4]-related components are included in 3D Altered Beast?
NH: We’ve made some pretty fundamental revisions to the GigaDrive at this point. Every time we try porting a new MegaDrive title, we gain insight into what kind of features and specifications we need for it, and we put more work into the 3D so that it works better with the Gigadrive, beyond what we had in previous iterations.
An example would be how we added support for vertical parallax scrolling, etc. How can I put this… Basically, the GigaDrive spec I showed to you guys last time was from its initial development stage. Once that was in play, our team members had lots of feedback about how it should function as we go forward. Maybe that’s how building real hardware works? Anyways, Altered Beast more or less uses the same v1.0 hardware draft that Sonic used. So it wasn’t so much the GigaDrive components, but more making the game itself work with the Gigadrive that we wound up focusing on.
YO: Originally, we intended to wrap up Altered Beast with a bit less effort, but once we finished 3D Sonic, there were a lot of things we wound up obsessing over. We started going out of their way to look for more spots we could squeeze more 3D in. (laughs)
NH: A lot of them were in these really ordinary but very detailed spots. Like how we wound up adding 3D to stage 3 when that wasn’t in the original plan.
YO: Some of these 3D touches would be hard on the eyes, so we’d have the designer toss the changes out and revert back to the original. We also made the sky in the last stage 3D, right?
NH: That was probably the most extreme fix for this game. In the original game, the sky was a single graphic. But it was just screaming to be broken up and raster scrolled. And so we fed it to the GigaDrive’s stereoscopic 3D. Now the original MegaDrive version we’ve made uses parallax raster scrolling as well. Too bad there’s no way to show it to people though. (laughs)
YO: Multi-layer scrolling effects were added when the arcade version was ported to the MegaDrive, and when we ported this version to the GigaDrive, we wound up adding even more. (laughs)
Edit: while decided what part of the interview to post, I was beaten by patrickthehedgehog
Focusing only on Nintendo platforms - the System16 arcade Altered Beast is, or was, available on Wii Virtual Console Arcade, in addition to the MD/Genesis version on the normal Wii VC.
How that works, or doesn't work with Wii U, is another matter, I have no idea about Wii VC / VC Arcade compatibility, or lack of it, on the current console.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf_qMouRKZI
http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2009/06/altered_beast_virtual_console
Beer Monkey
Member
The whole release *is* the Japanese version. They didn't even rebuild it, they just changed the region.
EDIT: Ah, it's unlockable by having a save file from the other volume. That may complicate things.
atlusprime
Atlus PR
So, Power Drift was one of the few big Sega arcade games I really do not have memories of. I'd heard about this game coming home to Mega Drive and Mega CD in the early 90s. I did get to see & play it in arcades, like twice, but well after 1988, around the time Sega had gone full polygonal 3D with its coin-ops. I played it in Final Burn and MAME in the early 2000s. I knew it was out on Saturn in Japan, and I did get a CD-R of Yu Suzuki Game Works Vol 1 for Dreamcast. So obviously I did not experience Power Drift, much, other than in not-legal ways. I was more into Galaxy Force II which I played quite a bit in the early 90s in the Chicago area. I imported the Saturn version of Sega Ages Galaxy Force II and was pretty disappointed in the port which was pretty shoddy compared to the rest of the Sega Ages line on Saturn. And Power Drift, while interesting, wasn't often on my mind a gamer, or as a Sega fan. So I never had the Saturn port.
Power Drift arcade flyers.
EDIT: I've tried to gather and include as many instances (in magazines, usenet newgroup posts, etc) where Power Drift was said to be in development (and asked about) for Sega Mega CD (or Mega Drive) during the time-frame late '91 to early '93 or so.
Some USENET newsgroup posts:
Mean Machines #3 December 1990
and in EGM December, 1991:
MEGA PLAY issue 7 - Nov/Dec 1991.
GamePro - January 1992
GamePro - July 1992
EGM January 1993
LOL, NOPE. Never happened.
EGM Feb 1993
http://www.sega-16.com/2005/07/lost-in-the-arcade-sega-games/
How is the Saturn version ?
http://www.seganerds.com/2015/11/16/retro-review-sega-ages-power-drift-saturn/
Pretty good on Saturn, but not good enough - framerate was 1/2 of what it should've been.
What about Power Drift on Dreamcast ? (included in Yu Suzuki Game Works compilation).
It's butter smooth 60FPS although I remember it seemed to be, ehh, actually somewhat higher-res than a 240p Sega arcade game.
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/powerdrift/powerdrift.htm
Edit: more editing to do, things to add, etc.
http://segaretro.org/Power_Drift
Power Drift arcade flyers.
EDIT: I've tried to gather and include as many instances (in magazines, usenet newgroup posts, etc) where Power Drift was said to be in development (and asked about) for Sega Mega CD (or Mega Drive) during the time-frame late '91 to early '93 or so.
Some USENET newsgroup posts:
Mean Machines #3 December 1990
and in EGM December, 1991:
MEGA PLAY issue 7 - Nov/Dec 1991.
GamePro - January 1992
GamePro - July 1992
EGM January 1993
LOL, NOPE. Never happened.
EGM Feb 1993
http://www.sega-16.com/2005/07/lost-in-the-arcade-sega-games/
How is the Saturn version ?
http://www.seganerds.com/2015/11/16/retro-review-sega-ages-power-drift-saturn/
Pretty good on Saturn, but not good enough - framerate was 1/2 of what it should've been.
What about Power Drift on Dreamcast ? (included in Yu Suzuki Game Works compilation).
It's butter smooth 60FPS although I remember it seemed to be, ehh, actually somewhat higher-res than a 240p Sega arcade game.
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/powerdrift/powerdrift.htm
Edit: more editing to do, things to add, etc.
http://segaretro.org/Power_Drift
We getting Volume 1 as Volume 2 over here?
patrickthehedgehog
Member
What do you mean? These games were programmed for the 3DS specifically to make use of the 3D screen.
Yes it is. And it's super simple to unlock.
There's a separate Extras section with the Master System games. Just click on the touch screen in the green part a bit and you'll get it.
Dragoon En Regalia
Member
Gotta say, the two games new to me I've tried (Maze Walker and Power Drift) are worth double the purchase price. Former's a fun, relaxed dungeon-crawl with funky FM jams and jumping, the latter's as amazing as I hoped and deviously stressful if you want to get each of the Extra courses. I love the subtlety to course design in Power Drift, as well as how you can learn to exploit its slight rubberbanding, physics during gear shifts (a la regaining traction in OutRun), and the cars' adherence to the road. And I still have Puyo Puyo Tsu, Fantasy Zone (II) SMS, and the other 3D Classics games I didn't get to enjoy.
It goes without saying, the 3D here, even in games as simple as Maze Walker, is top-tier and feels like the reason I should have bought a 3DS back in 2011 (sadly I got one in mind for Mega Man Legends 3...you win some, you lose some!).
It goes without saying, the 3D here, even in games as simple as Maze Walker, is top-tier and feels like the reason I should have bought a 3DS back in 2011 (sadly I got one in mind for Mega Man Legends 3...you win some, you lose some!).
Dragoon En Regalia
Member
M2 picked out a variety of more skill-based console and arcade games they knew diehard SEGA fans in Japan would love to play not just on handheld, but also with new features and immersive 3D unlike ever before. They actually considered Landstalker and (IIRC) Light Crusader, which are more stat-heavy and closer to Shining/Phantasy Star. Ultimately, despite liking and wanting to do one or two xRPGs, they've stuck with action/racing/shooting out of safety.
Those are both wonderful games, but they're not games with heavy use of scaling & rotation or multi-layered scrolling, and not the best choices for the 3DS' stereoscopic 3D.
The fact that we got Thunder Blade and Power Drift are near-miracles and I'm sure the truly hardcore Sega fans would agree.
The games 3ds menu icon is the bear. The bear is repping Altered Beast. Why.
Just got done trying Fantasy Zone II. Flew around for like 5 minutes before I discovered what I was supposed to be doing then quickly lost my last life! Shooters an 1-hit kill games really aren't for me... but I guess this ones kinda unique in that it lets ya turn around and loop through levels? Dun think that was a common thing in space shooters. Pretty sure this wasn't meant to be played on such a small screen cause baddie projectiles weren't the easiest thing ta notice an I assume later levels only get much busier?
What to try next...
Just got done trying Fantasy Zone II. Flew around for like 5 minutes before I discovered what I was supposed to be doing then quickly lost my last life! Shooters an 1-hit kill games really aren't for me... but I guess this ones kinda unique in that it lets ya turn around and loop through levels? Dun think that was a common thing in space shooters. Pretty sure this wasn't meant to be played on such a small screen cause baddie projectiles weren't the easiest thing ta notice an I assume later levels only get much busier?
What to try next...
Awesome! Thanks for the info.
Beer Monkey
Member
Hmm maybe they also re-coded it to use realtime music if this is the case.
Oh kewl. I haven't tried it yet from the collection.
I'm pretty sure they mentioned that in one of the interviews that may or may not be translated in the near future.
Both the compilations featured tweaks or bugfixes for individual games that for the most part were not patched into the digital versions.
sixteen-bit
Member
tap the bottom left corner of extras to unlock
IronicSonic
Member
I want GP Rider receives the Power Drift treatment
I didn't know anything about it but today I saw it in the brand new Sega Interactive website and it's pretty impressive.
I didn't know anything about it but today I saw it in the brand new Sega Interactive website and it's pretty impressive.
Holy shit, that site looks looks amazing.
GP Rider would be great
-- runs on the same X Board hardware as After Burner II, Thunder Blade (and Super Monaco GP which also needs the 3D treatment)
BinaryPork2737
Unconfirmed Member
Thanks for mentioning this, didn't know about this beforehand.
Can't believe the day is finally here where I'll get to play Power Drift again. So many fond memories of it in arcades. I was so disappointed with the Saturn version due to the halved framerate, and something about the DC one felt off to me (might've been the blurry filtering or something... hard to remember). Preordered this in February, and I think I'm just as excited to play this as UC4 in a couple weeks. LOL
Played Maze Walker for nearly 4 minutes and beat it...'s default high score before dying horribly to the first baddie with a projectile. What a surprise that was! The games name doesn't lie as your character walks at a very leisurely pace lol. 1-hit kills plus losing your powerups when ya die? This is a shooter without the shooting! Yet the slow pace makes it seem playable an compels me to try more~ this one could be a gem!
IrishNinja
Member
was so bummed i never found an import saturn copy of Power Drift for a fair price, so glad i can finally play a better version today!
Really want this for Power Drift but I don't feel like paying $30. Shame they didn't just release it on eShop. I've played the Saturn version but the 3D and 60FPS sounds really great... Honestly though I got more enjoyment out of a lot of these ports than many $60 releases so might as well pick this up.
wondermega
Member
Did my part and picked this up at Gamestop today. First time I've bought a new 3DS boxed game in, uhh, 3 years?
Excited for Power Drift and Maze Hunter! Used to enjoy that game on the OG hardware with the glasses back in the day. I'd be so excited to see more SegaScope reissues on this thing.
Excited for Power Drift and Maze Hunter! Used to enjoy that game on the OG hardware with the glasses back in the day. I'd be so excited to see more SegaScope reissues on this thing.
Dragoon En Regalia
Member
Erring on the side of caution helps a lot, though I find the turrets easier to dodge than the armadillo creatures which can snake you into a corner. There is a trick to get additional lives, however, and it involves grabbing an Iron Bar at the right moment. USGamer calling this game boring and simplistic isn't fair given you have to learn maps and which items are good to carry for so and so maps/areas.
3D Power Drift really shines because of its awesome track design and controls suited to keeping you on the road while letting you battle with other racers. It helps that its audiovisuals, even in a portable arcade-perfect form, are still amazing. Beating Courses is easy, possible even on your first try with improvisation, but mastering each track and then the whole course in 1st place gets tough. Obviously a standalone eShop release would be the best option.
It's unbelievable that Out Runners never came home, properly.
This doesn't count:
I mean this
System 32 is probably too much for 3DS to emulate, but with New 3DS' much faster quad core CPU, maybe. I've heard it said that System 32 is alot less complex than the triple 68000 Y-Board in Power Drift & GFII.
This doesn't count:
I mean this
System 32 is probably too much for 3DS to emulate, but with New 3DS' much faster quad core CPU, maybe. I've heard it said that System 32 is alot less complex than the triple 68000 Y-Board in Power Drift & GFII.
Dash Kappei
Not actually that important
I'm so pissed this won't come out over here... Sega EU is useless
Enjoy it you lucky sobs x_x
Enjoy it you lucky sobs x_x
I felt the same way when there was a PAL release for Darius II on Saturn in the UK and EU, but the U.S. never got it, the only option was to import the NTSC-J Japanese version.
Yeah, North America got Darius Gaiden (every territory did) which was awesome, but never got that Saturn version of Darius II.
PAL / EU / UK:
Beer Monkey
Member
Fun fact: While I had a decent PC Engine / TG16 collection in the 90s, it was being able to play my Space Harrier, Outrun, and yes, Power Drift HuCards on my Turbo Express that motivated me to buy that fantastic handheld. I'm very, very happy to have these superior ports in 2016.
Now we need them all in 60fps for home consoles with 1:1 original assets and no filtering.
Now we need them all in 60fps for home consoles with 1:1 original assets and no filtering.
J
Jotamide
Unconfirmed Member
Homebrew doe.
Beer Monkey
Member
Fukkoku V1 JPN doesn't work fully with the region-free launchers. I'll try to launch this on my EU N3DSXL when I get a chance and report back.
This, yes.
Did you also have the PC Engine HuCard After Burner II ?
I've played it, and found it to be superior to the MD/Genesis version, visually.
I did an online order for in-store pick-up from Best Buy. Went and picked it up but noticed there was a tear through the insert on the front. Asked the lady if I could just exchange it for a different copy on the shelf and she said yes but I'd have to do it as an exchange and the next counter over. I was like, "Alright, that'll be the fastest exchange ever but okay."
So I went and looked and couldn't find any copies on the shelf, so I asked the lady working the game department. She said her computer said they had four in stock, but she came back from the backroom empty handed and said she couldn't find them anywhere.
So back in the parking lot, I was searching through my phone trying to find any other Best Buys nearby that had the game in stock. Only one was 20 minutes away. Drove all the way down to that one just to exchange the copy I had just bought so it didn't have a tear in it.
And that's why I hate myself for being picky about stuff like that.
But then I played Fantasy Zone and Power Drift and Puyo Puyo 2 so I felt better after that.
So I went and looked and couldn't find any copies on the shelf, so I asked the lady working the game department. She said her computer said they had four in stock, but she came back from the backroom empty handed and said she couldn't find them anywhere.
So back in the parking lot, I was searching through my phone trying to find any other Best Buys nearby that had the game in stock. Only one was 20 minutes away. Drove all the way down to that one just to exchange the copy I had just bought so it didn't have a tear in it.
And that's why I hate myself for being picky about stuff like that.
But then I played Fantasy Zone and Power Drift and Puyo Puyo 2 so I felt better after that.
Beer Monkey
Member
I just put the (US) version of the game in an EU N3DSXL and the game did not load with my region-free launcher. Now, my mods are out of date, but it would be worth looking into seeing if there are problems with this compilation and the launcher.
I did verify the launcher works by loading a (USA) Smash card afterwards.
I did not have it. Man, those ports were pretty good though.
Here is a nice 60fps comparison between After Burner II on MD/Genesis (ported by Dempa Shinbunsha, who also did the Sharp X68000 version) and the PC-Engine version (ported by NEC Avenue).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKK-s8OfiLM
Ah man, the two landing / refuel, rearm / take-off-again sequences look absolutely awesome on PCE:
1.) https://youtu.be/WReMDYLk8yQ?t=3m27s
2.) https://youtu.be/23WgY59OSRI?t=8m10s
Dash Kappei
Not actually that important
Thanks doe, but I'm actually GAF's 3ds-HB thread-starter, doe, and afaik this and Theatrhythmn Dragon Quest don't work (and possibly RT+ Megamix?).
dreamcastmaster
Banned
Should have brought a US machine like I did, once you knew it was region locked you and I both know the US will get more stuff and it's cheaper.