SEGA Arcade Gallery

SEGA Arcade Gallery Description

Now if you're a Game Boy Advance-owning retro fan then August '03 is a good month for you. Not only is Sega releasing Smashpack - a compilation of Megadrive classics - but it's also treating us to a delightful little cart containing four of its most notable arcade games. Entitled Arcade Gallery, it does, Ronseal style, exactly what it says on the tin, delivering pocket remakes of some of Yu Suzuki's finest moments. Pick of the crop has to be Outrun, which is possibly one of the most well known and loved arcade racers of all time. The first date in what was to become a long romance between Sega and Ferrari, Outrun put you behind the wheel of a convertible Testarossa (at the time, THE Ferrari of choice) and pit you against the clock, across a variety of picturesque international stages. Aside from being one of the coolest games ever, Outrun also sported some of the best accompanying music, with favourite Magical Sound Shower still remaining one of the greatest pieces of level music ever. Whilst Outrun alone may be enough for some people (us included), let's not forget the other three, all of which could be found in your local arcade around the same time and all equally worthy of merit. Afterburner allows players to hop into the cockpit of a US Navy F-14 Tomcat (at the time THE fighter jet of choice) and gun their way through endless waves of incoming enemy craft. Yes, we've all seen Top Gun and, yes, we can all see where the inspiration came from. Space Harrier - which originally sported one of Sega's first big hydraulic cabinets - sees players piloting that famous flying gun, as they blast their way through a multitude of weird and wonderful foes on the quest to save dragons. Finally, we have Super Hang On, which originally was the sequel to Yu Suzuki's first ever game (Hang On). A no frills arcade racing game, Super Hang On follows the same lines as Outrun, in that players take command of their given vehicle (in this case a super bike) and race against the clock across a variety of colourful locales. Like the simultaneously-released Smashpack, Arcade Gallery is Christmas come early for the more nostalgic gamers amongst us. Developer Bits has faithfully recreated all four titles - and with limited hardware capabilities at that - to bring us a very worthy purchase indeed. (cue Magical Sound Shower?)