Sega 3D Classics Collection Review

Power Drift: This game, while not really a "classic" is certainly fun, and interesting in how it presents its pseudo-3d tracks. It's really an interesting looking game, with plenty of variation and verticality in its track design. At the same time, the extreme speed combined with moving through a 3D area on sprites and with hazards also being sprites, the hit detection is really strange at times. Prepare to fall through bridges you appeared to be mostly on and slide through trees you directly drive into.



Altered Beast: I hate altered beast, and as such could not bring myself to play it for this review. Do note that this is the arcade version, however.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Nothing really needs to be said about Sonic 1, but I'll do it anyway. It's a game that is definitely overshadowed by its sequels, but it's a nice addition to the collection.

Thunder Blade: I am immensely grateful this is the arcade version, and not "Super Thunder Blade" for the genesis(or even worse, the port for the master system). It is a devilishly difficult game, complete with one hit deaths. Luckily for yours truly, there are multiple difficulty settings. It being called a classic is still... subjective, but i had fun playing it. After beating it you unlock another mode that I really don't understand how it works. :\

Galaxy Force 2: Also glad it is isn't the genesis version. The easiest parallel to make would be with Star Fox, but entirely sprite based. However, I feel the game loses some charm by being entirely first person. All in all, it's really only OK in my opinion. That said, it is definitely one of the most graphically complex games in the pack.

Puyo Puyo 2: The fact it isn't fully translated is an annoyance, but the game is still very playable. However, I am truly terrible at it, so I really can't judge anything beyond the very surface elements. Everything I did see seemed pretty good for what I expect a puyo puyo game to do. I don't think the 3D adds much of anything though.

Fantasy Zone II W: Strange name, mostly same game. It's an arcade version of Fantasy Zone II on the Master system. It's also much harder. I'm terrible at it...

Bonus Games:

Maze Walker: No.

Fantasy Zone II: I like Fantasy Zone 2, but I'll admit I'm not that good at it. Very often enemies come at you from angles you can rarely shoot back at, making surviving difficult. Despite having an actual health bar, I find it more difficult than Fantasy Zone (the first one).

SUPER SECRET WHY IS IT SO HIDDEN GAME:

Fantasy Zone: Man, this game is great. It's easier than II, and a lot simpler. It won't blow your mind, but I liked it. One thing to note is that in the collection all the fantasy zone games add in an optional radar, which I found immensely helpful. Also, the ending to this game is amazing.

The collection itself: The 3D is well done, sometimes including options for it to pop out and push in to the screen. Usually every game has options for region, difficulty, and many more things. It really felt like M2 spent time looking over every aspect of these games in terms of their emulation. This is truly high class stuff. I honestly feel like these are some of the best versions of these games you can get, aside from playing on original hardware.