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You know, sometimes I think we American gamers miss out on some of Japan's gaming offerings. Like when Capcom released their Classic Generations series in Japan but not in the US. But there are also many times when we Americans get a far better deal than they do. Sega Classics Collection is one of those times.
In Japan, this offshoot of Sega called 3D Ages made bunches of 3D remakes of classic Sega games. All were sold separately, usually with budget pricing and budget quality gameplay. Sega took a handful of those and put them on one disc for the US market. You can really tell these were separate games in Japan. I certainly would have felt cheated if I paid 20 bucks for only one of these games but it's a good deal for what you get here. The title is a little misleading though. These are 3D remakes. You don't get the original emulated games at all. I really would have rather had the original games on here, but I won't complain too much since the collection was only 20 bucks. So let's look and see what's on here... OutRun OutRun was an arcade racing game from 1986 where you raced with your girlfriend in a Ferrari. You chose from multiple paths to complete the course. It's kind of funny that this comes out while there's this super cool OutRun 2 game on the Xbox. In this remake, the cars are 3D, as are the backgrounds, and the framerate is smoother. Since this is a budget title, the graphics aren't too spectacular though. There's quite a bit of polygon pop-up. It looks like they're quickly building the bridge as you drive across it! Other than that, it still plays like the old OutRun arcade game. I like OutRun. It's just a simple little driving game. I like it when you crash. You and your girlfriend are INDESTRUCTABLE! Space Harrier The original Space Harrier was a pseudo 3D arcade shooter that came out about the same time OutRun did. Everything here is 3D, too, and I think they added some powerups. Other than that it's the same game. The 3D graphics make things run smoother but the colors are muted and bland. The old game had much more personality with the scrolling sprites and bright colors. The only other problem with the 3D Space Harrier is that your guy is so big he blocks your view of what's coming up next. Other than that, it still plays like the original. Golden Axe Many other game reviewers say they mangled up the 3D update to this game. While I can't say I disagree with them, the game itself isn't THAT bad. I don't really have any special memories of playing Golden Axe, though. To me it was just another beat em up. These were a dime a dozen back then except Golden Axe had a medieval setting instead of an urban one. I'd rather have the 2D sprite based Golden Axe on here but the 3D one is still fun. If anything, it's so bad it's good. The 3D graphics are laughably ugly. I've seen better on PSOne. The dinosaur ride-ons are useless in this one. I didn't see any play control issues, but it was funny to see your character do the throwing animation when there wasn't an enemy to throw. The game slows down immensely when more than four characters are on the screen at once. You can tell this was a budget title. But if you can look past all of this, you'll still have a fun time. The music is pretty good. It's all epic and heroic sounding. Yeah, definitely some problems, but I had fun playing it with two players with my little brothers anyway.  Virtua Racing The first ever 3D polygonal racing arcade title. This was so cool in the arcade. At least, I remember it being cool. Then Ridge Racer blew Virtua Racing out of the water. Namco rocks. The home version of Virtua Racing is just like the arcade as far as I can tell. Control is a little wonky since you're using the controller instead of a steering wheel. 3D graphics don't age too well here. Those Lego pine trees crack me up. Monaco GP I think this is the oldest game on here. Didn't the original Monaco GP come out in like, 1979 or something like that? (It was released in 1980. ﾖed.) It was a very basic top-down racer, where passing cars and getting points was more important than getting first place. This 3D remake works exactly the same way. The original mode has you going straight forward but there is also a Grand Prix mode with actual tracks. You turn on these tracks by hitting the L1/R1 buttons for a 45-degree turn, and the L2/R2 buttons for a 90-degree turn. It sounds hard, but it's really not. Also on these tracks are stars that act like coins in Mario Kart. Collect a bunch to go faster, and if you collect a combo all at once, you're invincible. You can also get powerups like Mario Kart, but they don't seem so useful. You can also unlock cars but they just look the same with different colors. It's very basic, but still kind of fun. Tant R Aside from Bonanza Bros., this is the best game on here. The game plays almost just like WarioWare except two people can play at the same time and the mini-games are a bit longer, like 15 seconds. I don't think it ever came to US arcades (Nope. Japanese only. ﾖed.), but it sure is fun. On the 3D Ages label in Japan, this and Bonanza Bros. were on the same disc. I couldn't figure out why at first, but now I know. Both games have the same 'Kubrick'-ish art style and cops and robbers theme. In this one you're the good guys, a Sherlock and Watson pair chasing after the bad guys, playing mini-games to catch up to the leader. It certainly has a level of Japanese quirkiness about the whole game. I love it. Very fun. Bonanza Bros. As far as I can tell, this is the only game that didn't get a 3D facelift. It looks exactly like it did in the arcade. Yes, there was an arcade where I lived that had it. It was a small cabinet, back in the corner. Everything else at this time was a Street Fighter clone, so I played Bonanza Bros. a lot back then at this arcade. In this one, you're the robbers. Mobo and Lobo are their names in the instruction booklet. Two players can play. You have to go into 2D houses, steal stuff, and get out in the time limit. You can shoot cops and jump, but it's best to use sneaky tactics like hiding behind corners, slamming doors on sleeping cops, and not slipping on banana peels. If a cop sees or hears you he'll call more cops, which means you're in trouble. I really like the visual style in this game. Columns Well, it's Columns. Match up falling rows of colored jewels. I never really liked Columns, mainly because I was never very good at it. I'm good at most puzzle games, especially Tetris, Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo, and Puzzle Bobble, but not Columns. It certainly looks better than the Genesis version, but I don't see any big 3D improvements or anything. There's a story mode. I liked the first Game Gear pack-in Columns game because you could change the shapes to fruit so it looked like a Pac-Man puzzle game. If you want a really good Columns game, try the GBA version called Columns Crown. Fantasy Zone YES! This is another good one. Fantasy Zone is a 2D shooter with cute characters and pastel graphics and REALLY REALLY catchy music. Dooo, dooo, doo-doo, doo doo! The only 3D parts of this game are that it zooms in on your character when you start, the title picture is done in 3D (what's with the flower?), and there are bonus stages where you fly forward in 3D space while collecting coins from the nearly defeated boss. It's no big deal, really. In this one there's the normal 3D mode, an arcade mode that takes out all the 3D effects, and a challenge mode. Challenge mode is kind of neat. You take one stage and collect as many coins as you can without dying and you can use those coins to buy stuff like a sound test, new levels, continues, and such. If you destroy a monster and it drops a red coin and you get it, that character will be put in a gallery of sorts. Fantasy Zone always reminded me of one part Defender (you could go left and right) and one part Aquatron, a game that I had on my Apple ][+ that played like this. You know, before Sonic, Opa Opa was Sega's mascot for a time. Opa Opa is the spaceship with wings in Fantasy Zone. Opa Opa would make cameos in other games like Zillion on the Sega Master System. Another one of Sega's pre-Sonic mascots was a bird named Flicky, who also appears in a lot of Sonic games, too! Oh yeah, and Fantasy Zone is really, really HARD! I actually have better memories playing a Sega Master System game called Fantasy Zone: The Maze, which was like Pac-Man with shooter elements.  Alien Syndrome Last one. I never really got into Alien Syndrome when it came out, but I can see why people would've liked it. It certainly had a creepy atmosphere for its time. It plays like Smash TV, and you have to go around a spaceship infested with aliens and rescue a given number of hostages and find the exit before the time runs out. You then must beat a boss before going on to the next spaceship. The 3D remake retains the classic gameplay really well. It's also fun with two players. The aliens in the first stage look like sausages, though. The remake still has that creepy atmosphere with the music and whatnot. That's all the games! I recommend this collection to anybody except those who are really picky about their classic games. Nothing here is exactly like what you remember in the arcades, but for 20 bucks, it's still a bunch of fun. 
Even though most kids won't remember these classics, all the games here are easy to get into and figure out the controls and how to play, so it's a great game for kids. You do shoot police in Bonanza Bros. but you only knock them out for a few seconds, you don't kill anyone. Some of the aliens and monsters in Alien Syndrome and Golden Axe might be slightly scary for very young children, but other than that, everything is kid friendly. Many games offer two-player support. It's definitely a good deal.
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