What is it? - The sequel to the Sega's classic RPG, originally released for the Genesis, featured many more playable characters (eight total) and a much longer quest, thanks to the expensive dungeons and brutal difficulty. Play as a young man named Rolf/Eusis as he discovers why the planet's computer systems are going haywire.

About the Sega Ages version - The graphics in Phantasy Star generation:2 have been redone in the same 2D high res style as the first game. The Genesis game used a spartan blue grid for the background of all its battles, which have been replaced by actual backgrounds this time, although you can still use the grid if you'd like. I'm not sure I like Nei's redesign though, as those frills on her outfit go a little too far, and her ears are a bit freaky. Many of the other additions have carried over as well, including the ability to talk amongst party members, the elemental affinities, the faster walking speed (no more running though) and mid-dungeon saves. There's none of the stupid extra fetch questing from Generation: 1, and the difficulty here is much closer to the original - which is to say, extremely brutal. The American release of the Genesis version came with a small strategy guide - something like that here would've been nice too. The arranged music is slightly better, but still not quite in faithful in tone as it should be.

Phantasy Star generation:2

The battle system has been slightly upgraded to allow manual targeting of enemies, although there's still the Auto battle function. There are now three levels of attack, determined by how long you hold down the button - higher level attacks do more damage but are more likely to miss. You can also block attacks by timing button presses right before an enemy hits. Also included are limit break style special moves exclusive to each character that build up as your party takes damage. You're graded on performance after each battle, which determines experience points bonuses.

Additionally, Phantasy Star II was notable because a pretty major player character is killed partway through the game, long before anyone had ever heard of Aeris. This remake fulfills all kind of fanboy fantasies by allowing you to resurrect them - but only if you have a completed save from the first Phantasy Star remake, and go through a long process of tedious steps. There's a guide on GameFAQs if you're curious. Finally, if this remake somehow offends you, Sega included an emulated version of the original Mega Drive game. It's the Japanese version, naturally, which used slightly different drum samples in its soundtrack.

Worth it? - Hell yes. It still might be too brutally difficult for most novice RPGers, but the graphical facelift, quicker walking speed and slightly faster battles definitely makes this superior to the original. The quest is mostly the same as the Genesis game too, so the language barrier shouldn't be a problem if you use a guide.

What is it? - Sega's classic strategy game for the Saturn. Unlike the Tactics Ogre-style tile-based strategy RPGs that have dominated the scene for years, Dragon Force focuses on single large scale battles fought in real time, where unit types and battle formations will lead the way to victory.

Dragon Force

About the Sega Ages version - The Saturn version used 2D Sprites on 3D, so it's not like there's much to enhance visually. It does look a tiny bit better though, as everything appears to be filtered to look less pixellated. All of the story segments have been redrawn, along with the character portraits, although you can choose to use the old ones if you'd like. There's also a ton of voice acting and some slightly enhanced music. Finally, there are a few new characters - mostly notably a winged warrior named Harseld, and a duo of young Japanese girls named Ayame and Matsuri.

Worth it? - Yes, but with a bit of caution. This is one of the few non-arcade style games in the Sega Ages line, so that means you'll need to wade through plenty of Japanese menus. If you've played the English Saturn version enough to be comfortable, then you should be okay, but otherwise, it will definitely be too much for most newcomers. Also, while the Japanese Saturn version can be had for dirt cheap, the American Saturn version is quite expensive on the used game market, so this is definitely the cheaper alternative if you're comfortable with the language barrier.

This game was also released on the Japanese PlayStation Network under the title Dragon Force. Was the first Sega Ages title to be released for the download service.

Links:
Siliconera

What is it? - Another 3D fighting game using the Virtua Fighter engine, except with a faster battle system, enclosed arenas, and some really retarded looking character designs. Also allows you to destroy character's costumes/armor, for all the good that does.

About the Sega Ages version - Once again, the Saturn version was pretty decent, so this release is questionable. Thankfully, Fighting Vipers doesn't suffer as badly from the same issues as the Virtua Fighter 2 port, as the graphics are much brighter. They're still a bit blurry, but compared to the Saturn release, the models are definitely a bit better looking and the 3D backgrounds are back. So yeah, it's definitely pretty close to arcade perfect, and offers the same resolution and frame rate options as VF2. However, the Saturn port had a bunch of nifty extras, including additional costumes colors and a couple of bonus characters, most notably Pepsiman (Pepsi's Japanese mascot, who got his own ridiculous game for the PSOne - he was removed from the American Saturn version.) None of these bonuses made it into the PS2 version, although there's still Pepsi advertising everywhere.

Worth it? - It's better than the Virtua Fighter 2 port, but the extra features tips the scales in favor of the Japanese Saturn version.

Links:
Kikizo Games

What is it? - This collection includes the original arcade version of Space Harrier (as opposed to the earlier 3D remake in the Sega Ages line), along with the Master System home version (the Game Gear version is hidden - highlight the Mark III version and hold Right until it unlocks), as well as Space Harrier 3D (for the Master System) and Space Harrier II (Mega Drive). Read the full article.

About the Sega Ages version - This is where Sega picked up the slack with its emulation quality. The emulators used for these are fully featured, including the option for resolution changes (480i, 480p or 240p), plus the option to change filters. They're not quite perfect though, as the sound in Space Harrier II is a bit off, and Space Harrier 3D suffers from some flickering images. There are also extensive galleries, including scanned manuals from both the English and Japanese versions, plus artwork from all territories (including sheet music for the main theme), as well as some super play recordings showing Space Harrier being beaten by a master.

The arcade Space Harrier has seen numerous near perfect ports (including in the Saturn Sega Ages version and in both Shenmue games), but this one is probably the best, if mostly because the PS2 analog provides superior control without requiring any weird flight sticks, although it supports those too. You can turn off the 3D effects in Space Harrier without playing the game (it originally required entering a code that necessitated playing a few minutes of the game), but it also includes an option to play with red/blue 3D glasses, and even includes cellophane and a cardboard cut out to help make you own. (They should've just supplied pre-made ones, but oh well.) There's also a stereogram mode which shows both screens next to each other. Unfortunately, both Space Harrier 3D and Space Harrier II suffer from the same problem - their systems just couldn't handle the scaling, and the scrolling is pretty choppy compared to the original arcade version. There's also a demo of an error message built into the BIOS of certain Japanese Master Systems, which has a scrolling checkered field and the Space Harrier theme playing in the background.

Worth it? - Only if you're a big fan. As mentioned, Space Harrier can be found in perfectly serviceable forms elsewhere, and the other entries really aren't that great.

Links:
Siliconera
Game Set Watch