I’ll always associate Sega with the arcades of the Eighties and Nineties. I virtually lived in arcades during this golden period and I’d always find myself drawn to Sega’s games. Instantly recognisable thanks to using cutting-edge techniques like Super Scaler technology, and often featuring bright, vivid colour schemes, Sega’s games instantly stood out and would always capture my attention.
This makes sense, as Sega had had plenty of time to hone its craft, having started off creating electromechanical games like Killer Shark and Rifleman, before moving on to more conventional arcade games like Monaco GP and Heavyweight Champ during the Seventies.
This book, however, will be largely focussing on the Eighties and Nineties, a period when Sega truly began to move away from the pack thanks to innovating in the 3D arms race and perfecting genres like the arcade racer. It was a truly exciting time to be a gamer and fierce competition for your cash meant companies like Sega were always finding new ways to wow you.
So here we have gathered 40 of Sega’s most interesting games, from epic Super Scaler marvels like Out Run and Space Harrier to more esoteric fare like Dynamite Dux and Congo Bongo. How many of them do you remember?
OUT RUN 1986
THE DRIVE OF YOUR LIFE
Originally inspired by the popular Burt Reynolds’ movie The Cannonball Run, creator Yu Suzuki changed his mind when he realised just how empty the roads of America were. He instead headed to Europe, and the end result was Out Run, one of the most impressive racers of the Eighties thanks to its stunning visuals, gorgeous soundtrack and multiple routes that resulted in five distinct endings. Yu Suzuki’s game continued to build on Sega’s Super Scaler technology, and proved a hot property on home computers and consoles too. Sadly, all of US Gold’s home-computer ports were largely terrible, failing to capture the speed and excitement of the arcade original. Numerous sequels and spin-offs have appeared over the years, with the most recent being an excellent Switch offering by M2 for its Sega Ages range.
HEAD ON 1979
LIVE FAST, DIE IN A CRASH
Taking control of a basic-looking race car, your aim is to drive around the simply constructed maze, collecting all the dots as you go. An opponent (typically controlled by AI) is doing exactly the same thing,
