Sega 3D Classics Collection

Genre: Compilation / Arcade

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local Wireless)

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Review:

Sega 3D Classics Collection is a Compilation of multiple games that were released separately on the Nintendo 3DS eShop (although the Nintendo 3DS versions of a few of them were previously only released in Japan). All of these games are updated with new features and stereoscopic 3D.

Here is what I thought of each of the games in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Grade	tl;dr
3D Altered Beast	Action-Platformer	1-2 Co-Op (Local Wireless)	C	Altered Beast has you fighting through hordes of enemies until you’ve “power up!”-ed enough to fight each level’s boss, having transformed into a monstrous form. An arcade classic to be sure, but it’s a bit rough by today’s standards, with slow character movement, stiff controls, and some enemies it’s unclear how you’re supposed to fight.
3D Fantasy Zone II W	Shmup	1	C	Fantasy Zone II is a Shmup originally released to arcades in 1987, and some parts of it have aged pretty well, like its presentation. Other parts of the game, like its promising but frustrating upgrade system… not so much. The Nintendo 3DS port is a solid port of this game, not only offering a good selection of features, but a new endless mode. However, even so, most players may want to look for a better game within the genre.
3D Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa	Shmup	1	C	The original version of Fantasy Zone 2 from the Sega Master System has a good amount of old-school charm, but all of the same issues as the rest of its series, with impermanent power-ups and a deceptively high difficulty for such a colorful, cartoonish game.
3D Galaxy Force II	On-Rails Shooter	1	B	Galaxy Force II is an On-Rails Shooter that uses faux 3D graphics for a game style similar to the Afterburner series. Unlike the lackluster Sega Genesis version of the game, this release is based directly on the original Arcade game, and it’s surprisingly how much they were able to stretch the faux 3D graphics in this release. It’s still overly-difficult and can’t hold up to the likes of Star Fox 64 3D, but this is nevertheless a surprisingly good On-Rails Shooter well worth owning on Nintendo 3DS.
3D Maze Walker	Top-Down Action	1	D	This Top-Down Action game is extremely slow-paced and dull. Not sure what else I can say about it.
3D Power Drift	Arcade Racing	1	C	This Racing game was definitely ahead of its time, attempting to create a sort of gameplay almost like a 3D Kart Racer before the onset of polygonal 3D, and before Mario Kart. The results are somewhat mixed, though, with this game’s 2D elements approximating 3D in a way that is occasionally bizarre, and with the frustratingly high challenge level of Sega’s Racing games at the time. The result is a game that’s interesting, but not one you’re likely to want to play for very long before moving on, especially since it lacks multiplayer.
3D Puyo Puyo 2	Falling Block Match-4 Puzzle	1-2 Competitive (Local Wireless)	B-	Puyo Puyo 2 is a Match-4 Falling Block Puzzle game that’s… well, it’s Puyo Puyo. It’s decent as this sort of game goes, but it’s lacking an endless mode.
3D Sonic the Hedgehog	Platformer	1	A-	Sonic the Hedgehog remains a classic platformer, and this release is a solid port of the game with some good features. It’s nothing you can’t get on pretty much every other game system on the market, but it’s a great game nonetheless.
3D Thunder Blade	On-Rails Shooter	1	D	Thunder Blade is an On-Rails Shooter where you fly a helicopter taking down enemies. This is a good port with a decent selection of options, but that hardly matters when the underlying game is so terrible, with frustrating controls, an obscured view of exactly where you need to be looking, and enemies who can take you down with one hit. Don’t bother with this terrible game.

In short, the best parts of this package are clearly 3D Sonic the Hedgehog, 3D Galaxy Force II, and 3D Puyo Puyo 2. Or, if you’re a Nintendo Switch owner looking for games you can’t play on that platform, you’re looking at Galaxy Force II (which is the excellent Arcade version and not the sub-par Sega Genesis version), the two versions of Fantasy Zone II, Power Drift, and Maze Walker. Or, if you’re looking at the games you can’t get separately on the Nintendo 3DS eShop, that’s Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa, Power Drift, Maze Walker, and Puyo Puyo II.

All of these games include extra settings and options, like save states, sound and display settings, and various control options. However, these features differ from game to game.

Okay, so let’s get down to the big question: Do I think you should get this game? Honestly, no. While this Compilation does offer a few games you can’t get separately, only one of those games is a highlight here, and that’s Puyo Puyo, a game you can get on Nintendo Switch, or easily replace with another Puyo Puyo game (or simply get Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, which is largely the same thing). In fact, of the three games worth playing here, only one of them, Galaxy Force II, has not yet been brought to the Nintendo Switch (at least this version hasn’t), and that one can be purchased separately on the eShop. The only reason you’d want to get Sega 3D Classics Collection is if you’re a completionist looking to get all of the Sega games on Nintendo 3DS. Otherwise, you have better options.

tl;dr – Sega 3D Classics Collection is a Compilation of stereoscopic 3D versions of classic Sega games, most of which were made available individually on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. Unfortunately, most of the games here are lackluster, and of those that are worth playing, the only one that’s not offered separately on the Nintendo 3DS in Puyo Puyo 2, which you could easily replace with… well, virtually any other Puyo Puyo game. As a result, the only ones who should be interested in this package are completionists.

Grade: C

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