Strictly Limited Games, alongside ININ Games, have announced that they’ve acquired the rights to publish Westone Bit Entertainment’s Clockwork Aquario for current gaming platforms. For those not in the know, Clockwork Aquario was a cancelled SEGA System 18 board arcade title from Westone Bit Entertainment, best known for their work on the Wonder Boy/Monster World franchise. The modern ports of the game will land before the end of the year, with both a limited physical run and a general digital release. Currently mooted platforms are Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
Gematsu have the full press release, which goes into the details of how Strictly Limited got their hands on the game; and how they signed a deal with LAT and SEGA to get it released, 27 years later. Westone Bit Entertainment’s former staff, including Ryuichi Nishizawa (generally cited as the creator of Wonder Boy) have also been involved with the new release.
It’s very exciting when lost arcade titles pop up, and even moreso when they get official releases. We’re very excited to get our hands on this gorgeous looking title!
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
A new selection of merchandise and hardware have been added to their respective sections on the website. See below for the full list of additions and direct links to each entry:
The Japanese SEGA Ages website has been updated to reveal that the next SEGA Ages port for Nintendo Switch will be Thunder Force AC. If you’re unfamiliar with the title then Thunder Force AC is the arcade version of Technosoft’s Thunder Force III. The Thunder Force series is a collection of fantastic shoot-em-ups and Thunder Force AC marks the first time the series switched to a solely horizontal scrolling presentation that was carried through to the series’ end with Thunder Force VI in 2008.
Thunder Force AC will launch in Japan on the Nintendo Switch very soon for 999 yen via the Nintendo eShop. This new port promises a low difficulty ‘Kids Mode’, online rankings and graphical filters that mimic the game’s arcade cabinet. The port also features the new stages that were added to the console’s Mega Drive port. Development duties are once again handled by M2.
SEGA has now confirmed the Feburary 20th release date for Puyo Tsu in the West, with another surprising detail – Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s AGES release will launch on the same day!
This is the first time an AGES release has had it’s Western release in-line with the Japanese versions since launch, so it’s great news. AGES Sonic 2 will include the extra modes from the 3DS version, as well as Knuckles in Sonic 2 and the Drop Dash from Sonic Mania.
ORIGINAL STORY
Back in January, Puyo Puyo Tsu joined the SEGA AGES lineup on Nintendo Switch over in Japan. The good news is Western players won’t have to wait much longer to get their Puyo fix; as the port will be coming westwards on February 20th.
The information comes from a listing on the Nintendo eShop’s “Coming Soon” section, stating the ‘planned release’ date is 20/02/2020. For those unaware, this is a port of the arcade version, with a slew of extra features including online multiplayer, an endurance mode in which you fight every single opponent in a row, and even options to assist colourblind players. It’ll be £5.99, as with the other AGES ports.
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
One element of SEGA’s origins that doesn’t get too much attention is there pre-video arcade developments. SEGA used to have pedigree with the development of electro-mechanical arcade games and in this video we take a look back at a selection of these games and discuss how they could be archived for future generations:
The most recent games in M2’s SEGA AGES lineup for Nintendo Switch, Fantasy Zone and Shinobi, finally have Western release dates. You’ll be able to get your hands on them on January 23rd.
Both games will cost £5.99, and include a slew of upgrades over their original incarnations. Fantasy Zone has all of the added content from the 3DS version, as well as an overhauled HUD akin to M2’s ShotTriggers lineup. Shinobi has a rewind feature that’s been improved over its implementation in previous AGES titles, and the AGES mode has benefits such as Joe being able to take more than one hit, and use his melee attack with a button rather than context-sensitivity. He also has his white garb from the later titles, as a cool nod for longtime fans.
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
For the first time since its original 1992 arcade release, Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder is receiving a port. Arcade1Up are releasing a home version of the arcade game complete with 4 player cabinet. Also included in the package are ports of Shinobi, Altered Beast, Wrestle Wars and the original Golden Axe for good measure.
If you’re unfamiliar with Arcade1Up, they produce near full-size, licensed arcade cabinets for the home. They can be bought with extras like risers and stools to make them closer to their full-size counterparts. Due to the size of the units and their robust build quality, they often retail for around £300.
While there is currently no release date for the cabinet, the unit has been shown at the latest Computer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The next game to join the SEGA AGES lineup for Nintendo Switch will be the arcade shoot-em-up Fantasy Zone.
As expected, this release of the game will include the extra content introduced in the 3D Classics release of the game, such as Upa-Upa Mode (which lets you switch between power-ups freely, charging you for ammo rather than for each weapon), a ‘Coin Stock’ that accumulates over your playtime (so you can jump into the game with a loaded inventory of coins if you want), and bosses from the Master System version implemented as extra bosses in the arcade version. As you play and accumulate more coins, you’ll also unlock more options, such as increased power-up ammo, and the ability to change how many coins enemies drop when defeated.
There’ll also now be a time attack feature that gives you infinite lives, HD rumble support, the standard replay and ranking functions of the other AGES releases, and a massively overhauled HUD. The HUD is notable, as it’s actually very in-line with M2’s separate ShotTriggers line of shmup ports.
There’s no solid date on Fantasy Zone’s Switch release right now, but we’d expect it to show up within the next two weeks. Over here, it’ll probably launch alongside the recently released Shinobi port.
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
SEGA has revealed its next offering for the SEGA AGES line on Nintendo Switch, and it’s the arcade party game Ichidant-R. Somewhat similar to Namco’s Point Blank, the game sees you playing a variety of minigames to progress.
There’s a slew of new features for this release, such as a Helper Mode to make casual playthroughs more feasible – but most interesting is the Mega Drive Mode, which brings over the various additional features that port had. The RPG-style Quest Mode and Free Mode for practising the games are included here, as well as a Competition Mode that supports up to 4 Players (something the arcade version previously couldn’t do). To go along with this, there’s also Netplay support for the Arcade version.
Key for Western players though, is that the previously unreleased English localisation of the game is also included, a la Puyo Puyo’s AGES release.
There’s currently no solid release date for Ichidant-R, but we’d expect to see it pop up in Japan over the next two weeks, as was the case when Columns 2 was announced. Meanwhile, tomorrow Western players will be able to get their hands on Puyo Puyo and Space Harrier, which have been available in Japan for some time.
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
Columns 2: The Voyage Through Time is joining the SEGA AGES for Nintendo Switch lineup in Japan this week, bringing with it a slew of bonus features.
As previously reported, extra content includes a Endless Mode, an unlockable gallery featuring the art used in the SEGA AGES series’ cameo-rich intros, netplay, and even a single-player version of the original Columns. This marks the first time Columns 2 has seen an international release, too!
SEGA AGES: Columns 2 will launch on Thursday 8th August, so about 4pm UK time on Wednesday 7th August. It’ll be 999 JPY.
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
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