Wednesday, 21 June 2017

Sega Forever brings retro games to iOS and Android for free

GisthubArena


Sega Forever brings retro games to iOS and Android for free


Sega is bringing a collection of its finest retro video games to iOS and Android devices via a new service called Sega Forever. Unlike its past mobile releases which include the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog and Football Manager.

The entire Sega Forever lineup is free-to-play and supported by ads. Players can optionally remove the ads via an in-app purchase for £2 (~$2.50).

There are five games in the Sega Forever launch lineup, consisting of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, RPG Phantasy
Star II,
beat 'em up Comic Zone, plat former Kid Chameleon, and the original Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) pack-in game Altered Beast. An iOS and Android version of the classic Dreamcast game Crazy taxi launched in May, which is also free-to-play. Additional games are promised to launch every two weeks.



Sega's previous retro catalogue has been largely well-received on mobile, but some games have suffered from performance issues. This is largely down to the use of emulators which mimic original hardware and play Mega Drive ROMs rather than ports made specifically for Android and iOS devices. For instance, an early emulated version of Sonic the Hedgehog was replaced by a superior port in 2013 alongside a port of Sonic CD. Christian Whitehead, the fan game developer behind the ports, has since moved in-house at Sega, developing the upcoming Sonic Mania for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

Update: Sega Forever "will include both official emulations and ported games that span all Sega console eras." Sega has confirmed to Ars Technica that SG-1000, Master System, and Mega Drive/Genesis games will be run via an emulator, while Saturn and Dreamcast games will be direct ports.

The first set of Sega Forever games launches shortly on iOS and Android. Further games will launch every two weeks.

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