We're finally here, at the fiftieth Retro|Spective thread and the first of the subset of threads dedicated to a Development Team rather than a game franchise. Every tenth thread will focus on the releases and history of a particular developer allowing us to look back at titles that were often one and done releases and so wouldn't normally be covered by the normal thread entries. This will also be the last R|S thread for a couple of weeks. This first time out we look at one of the numerous arms Sega once held:
Retro|Spective Developer Focus : AM3-Hitmaker
History:
Born from Sega's AM3 department in 2000, the studio ran for a short while before being merged with Sega Rosso. Headed by Hisao Oguchi, Mie Kumagai and Kenji Kanno when initially spun off in '00, the studio built on the arcade led heritage of its AM3 years when it was one of the key research and development arms of the company. The studio was later spun back deeper into Sega under the moniker of AM3 until it ceased to exist in 2004.
Releases:
- Dynamic Country Club
- D.D Crew
- Rail Chase
- Dark Edge
- Title Fight
- SegaSonic the Hedgehog
An isometric arcade title, this oddity of a release introduced the characters Ray and Mighty who have most recently re-emerged in Mania Plus. Using a trackball to control their character, players are tasked with escaping an island whilst collecting rings. The game remains something of a franchise oddity after its control scheme made it too difficult for Sega to produce a home port making it a title few have experienced given the era of gaming it harks back from. Despite this it was well received upon its release.
- Jurassic Park
- Cyber Troopers Virtual On
- Decathalete
- Sega Rally Championship
With four courses and three cars even in its fullest form, Sega Rally was a slight arcade experience whether in the home or not but it didn't stop it becoming one of the most beloved racing experiences of the 90's. Based around beating the clock to the end of the stage, the game used a drifting mechanic at the core of its gameplay and proved to be such a hit that it would be a fixed fixture in many arcades for well over the next decade that followed and spawn several follow ups.
- Rail Chase 2
- Baku Baku Animal
- Manx TT Super Bike
Sega was looking for another arcade racing hit after the success of Daytona and AM3 had this waiting to be released, a motorbike racer based on the Isle of Man races, another game that would stay in arcades for years. The game only features two courses but one of them is a recreation of the real TT course. Sega took a gamble and outsourced the Saturn version but it defied those concerns to go on to be well received and a commercial hit for the system.
- Last Bronx
Never shy to change genres, AM3's next game was their take on the 3D fighter. A motion captured weapon based fighting game, Bronx is based on street level fighting in a version of Tokyo were gang warfare rules. The gameplay adopts Virtua Fighters button system and follows a very typical fighting model for the time including ring out victories. Ten years later Sega ported the arcade edition to PS2 for its anniversary.
- Daytona USA Deluxe
- Gunblade NY: Special Air Assault Force
- Daytona USA Championship Edition
- Sega Touring Car Championship
- The Lost World: Jurassic Park
- Winter Heat
- Star Wars Trilogy Arcade
- Cyber Troopers Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram
- Sega Rally 2
- Virtua Tennis
One of the big success stories the studio ever made was the popular Tennis series that started with this 1999 release. Taking the form of traditional tennis play, the simple to pick up arcade nature meant that players were quick to warm to the games charms. Players would work through five matches and if successful would take on the games equivalent of a boss though the home port added a campaign mode.
- Crazy Taxi
And straight into another arcade mainstay title that was around for a long while when it first came out. Racing against an ever diminishing clock, the player would pick up passengers and deliver them to the required location to win back some more time. The better you played the longer you kept going and the more your score rose until you could successfully lap the games town location. The game spawned a run of follow ups and a couple of knock offs too, they even planned on online version for a while under the rather likeable and sexy name of Crazy Taxi Next.
- Toy Fighter
- Confidential Mission
- Virtua Athlete 2000
- Star Wars Racer Arcade
- NASCAR Arcade
- Virtua Tennis 2
- Crazy Taxi 2
- Cosmic Smash
- Segagaga
The famed Dreamcast oddity, a Sega management simulator title. Allowing players to manage Sega at a time when Sega itself was mismanaged, the game was wonderfully self-aware of the Dreamcast's failure but sadly remained Japan exclusive. It featured a host of Sega's characters as well as randomly the Karate Kid. The game contained all sorts of odd moments including a fun short 'em up finale defeating each of Sega's consoles.
- The Maze of the Kings
- Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller
- Cyber Troopers Virtual On: MarZ
- Astro Boy: Omega Factor
- Initial D: Special Stage
Made as the last game they worked on, this PS2 incarnation was based on the Ver.2 instalment of the arcade game. It was broadly a faithful adaptation adding in a story mode though requiring the downgrading of the arcade visuals to fit the host console.
Share your thoughts and memories of AM3's releases
Retro|Spective Developer Focus : AM3-Hitmaker
History:
Born from Sega's AM3 department in 2000, the studio ran for a short while before being merged with Sega Rosso. Headed by Hisao Oguchi, Mie Kumagai and Kenji Kanno when initially spun off in '00, the studio built on the arcade led heritage of its AM3 years when it was one of the key research and development arms of the company. The studio was later spun back deeper into Sega under the moniker of AM3 until it ceased to exist in 2004.
Releases:
- Dynamic Country Club
- D.D Crew
- Rail Chase
- Dark Edge
- Title Fight
- SegaSonic the Hedgehog
An isometric arcade title, this oddity of a release introduced the characters Ray and Mighty who have most recently re-emerged in Mania Plus. Using a trackball to control their character, players are tasked with escaping an island whilst collecting rings. The game remains something of a franchise oddity after its control scheme made it too difficult for Sega to produce a home port making it a title few have experienced given the era of gaming it harks back from. Despite this it was well received upon its release.
- Jurassic Park
- Cyber Troopers Virtual On
- Decathalete
- Sega Rally Championship
With four courses and three cars even in its fullest form, Sega Rally was a slight arcade experience whether in the home or not but it didn't stop it becoming one of the most beloved racing experiences of the 90's. Based around beating the clock to the end of the stage, the game used a drifting mechanic at the core of its gameplay and proved to be such a hit that it would be a fixed fixture in many arcades for well over the next decade that followed and spawn several follow ups.
- Rail Chase 2
- Baku Baku Animal
- Manx TT Super Bike
Sega was looking for another arcade racing hit after the success of Daytona and AM3 had this waiting to be released, a motorbike racer based on the Isle of Man races, another game that would stay in arcades for years. The game only features two courses but one of them is a recreation of the real TT course. Sega took a gamble and outsourced the Saturn version but it defied those concerns to go on to be well received and a commercial hit for the system.
- Last Bronx
Never shy to change genres, AM3's next game was their take on the 3D fighter. A motion captured weapon based fighting game, Bronx is based on street level fighting in a version of Tokyo were gang warfare rules. The gameplay adopts Virtua Fighters button system and follows a very typical fighting model for the time including ring out victories. Ten years later Sega ported the arcade edition to PS2 for its anniversary.
- Daytona USA Deluxe
- Gunblade NY: Special Air Assault Force
- Daytona USA Championship Edition
- Sega Touring Car Championship
- The Lost World: Jurassic Park
- Winter Heat
- Star Wars Trilogy Arcade
- Cyber Troopers Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram
- Sega Rally 2
- Virtua Tennis
One of the big success stories the studio ever made was the popular Tennis series that started with this 1999 release. Taking the form of traditional tennis play, the simple to pick up arcade nature meant that players were quick to warm to the games charms. Players would work through five matches and if successful would take on the games equivalent of a boss though the home port added a campaign mode.
- Crazy Taxi
And straight into another arcade mainstay title that was around for a long while when it first came out. Racing against an ever diminishing clock, the player would pick up passengers and deliver them to the required location to win back some more time. The better you played the longer you kept going and the more your score rose until you could successfully lap the games town location. The game spawned a run of follow ups and a couple of knock offs too, they even planned on online version for a while under the rather likeable and sexy name of Crazy Taxi Next.
- Toy Fighter
- Confidential Mission
- Virtua Athlete 2000
- Star Wars Racer Arcade
- NASCAR Arcade
- Virtua Tennis 2
- Crazy Taxi 2
- Cosmic Smash
- Segagaga
The famed Dreamcast oddity, a Sega management simulator title. Allowing players to manage Sega at a time when Sega itself was mismanaged, the game was wonderfully self-aware of the Dreamcast's failure but sadly remained Japan exclusive. It featured a host of Sega's characters as well as randomly the Karate Kid. The game contained all sorts of odd moments including a fun short 'em up finale defeating each of Sega's consoles.
- The Maze of the Kings
- Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller
- Cyber Troopers Virtual On: MarZ
- Astro Boy: Omega Factor
- Initial D: Special Stage
Made as the last game they worked on, this PS2 incarnation was based on the Ver.2 instalment of the arcade game. It was broadly a faithful adaptation adding in a story mode though requiring the downgrading of the arcade visuals to fit the host console.
Share your thoughts and memories of AM3's releases
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