What is it? - Play as one of three characters - the male barbarian Ax Battler, a female warrior Tyris Flare, or the axe-wielding dwarf Gilius Thunderhead - and take on the evil Death Adder in this classic beat-em-up. Read the full article.

About the Sega Ages version - When people disparage the Sega Ages line, they're almost specifically talking about Golden Axe, which is a total embarrassment. The character models are terrible and the backgrounds somehow look worse than the original game, which weren't really all that pretty to begin with. And despite how chitzy the whole thing looks, it actually has the nerve to slow down in certain spots. Even if you don't mind the visuals, the game just doesn't feel right. Each sword strike gives off a huge explosion, which looks cool at first but just manages to obscure the action. The combos don't feel right at all either.

Golden Axe (PS2)

For whatever reason, there are now cutscenes. Not many of them, and they aren't long, but all they do is to show how ugly your characters are. You know those bonus stages where the thieves sneak into your camp and you beat the crap out of them? Yeah, that's a cutscene now - you don't actually get to play it. You still get magic bottles from beating up thieves in other parts of the game, but you also regenerate magic automatically by pounding on bad guys. Enemies also have life bars now, for all the good that does. The only real plus to this is the arranged soundtrack, which is hardly orchestral quality, but still sounds kinda cool.

Is it any good? - No, please, stay away. Golden Axe is generally remembered as a classic for the same reason people dug Altered Beast - it was fun to watch huge sprites beat each other up. The actual game is still alright, and it's still amusing for some quick fun here and there, but there are generally better beat-em-ups. And yet the designers of the Sega Ages versions somehow took that and made it worse. Shameful, but it's available on the Sega Classics Collection, if you feel the need to hurt yourself.

Links:
Siliconera
Kikizo Games

What is it? - Two-and-a-half games with vaguely related characters and art styles. Tant-R (which includes games from its sequel Ichini no Tant-R) is a collection of mini-games ranging from puzzles to memory tests. Bonanza Bros. is a side-scrolling two player stealth/action game where you play some robbers infiltrating various buildings and stealing treasures. Read the full article.

About the Sega Ages version - These appear to be straight arcade ports, without any major graphical enhancements. The original Bonanza Bros. used high res 2D, and looks practically identical here, although Tant-R has seen a small upgrade. I guess it's better than the previous home versions (Bonanza Bros. appeared on the Genesis, and there were a couple of releases for Tant-R.) There's some arranged music, but otherwise, that's about it.

Is it any good? - I've yet to meet a person that actually likes either of these games, but apparently some higher-up at Sega must have a thing for them. They're not terrible by any stretch and at least they're unique, but there are numerous other classic Sega titles that are more far worthy of a remake treatment. Included on the Sega Classics Collection for some reason.

Links:
The Games Database

What is it? - Sega's attempt to prove that they could make a Tetris clone. Match colored gems and watch them disappear from the field.

About the Sega Ages version - The original mode seems practically identical to the arcade version. I guess the 2D graphics have been cleaned up a bit, but they're so dark it's hard to tell. It also uses the same appalling music as the arcade game. The updated version features a cleaner looking playing field and 3D animated spinning gems, as well as a much better song. There's also a Vs CPU mode, which tries to inject a Puyo Puyo-style story into the game - you play as a young blue haired girl named Culet, squaring off against various Egyptian animals, in a search for the missing museum exhibit named, not coincidentally, Columns. These versus games are still too slow paced to be fun though.

Is it any good? - This was barely worth $30 back when it came out on the Genesis in 1990. The minor additions sure as hell don't make it worth it, although it does come on the Sega Classics Collection.

What is it? - One of the first true 3D arcade racers, Virtua Racing predates textures maps and fills the world with flat polygons.

About the Sega Ages version - This is definitely the closest to arcade perfect as you can get. It's displayed at a higher resolution than the arcade version, and runs at a full 60 frames per second, although I've been told there are still minor graphics glitches. Otherwise, there aren't really any improvements, and the draw distance is still a bit limited. Unfortunately, it lacks a lot of the extras from the 32X and Saturn versions - none of the extra tracks, cars or music have been included. However, there are three brand new tracks made specifically for this version, for a total of six.

Is it any good? - It's definitely dated, but the boxy look has a certain charm to it, and it's still a pretty fun game, even though the dearth of tracks means it won't entertain for long. Still, it's worth mucking with since it's on the Sega Classics Collection.

Links:
Silconera