Sega Ages Columns II

From Sega Retro

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SegaAgesColumnsII Switch TitleScreen.png

Sega Ages Columns II
System(s): Nintendo Switch
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Genre: Puzzle

















Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code
Nintendo Switch
JP
¥925 (999)999i[1]
CERO: A
Nintendo Switch
US
$7.997.99[2]
ESRB: Everyone
Nintendo Switch
EU
€6.996.99
PEGI: 3+
Nintendo Switch
DE
€6.996.99
USK: 0
Nintendo Switch
UK
£5.995.99
PEGI: 3+
Nintendo Switch
AU
$10.9510.95[7]
OFLC: General (G)

Sega Ages Columns II (SEGA AGES コラムスⅡ) is a re-release of the Sega System C arcade game, Columns II: The Voyage Through Time developed by M2 as the eleventh entry in the Sega Ages lineup for the Nintendo Switch.

Gameplay

Modes

Sega Ages Columns II features four gameplay modes to the player: Arcade Mode, Infinite Jewels, Columns I and Online Match. Extra features include the ability to save and load game progress, and save replays of the player's sessions in the any of the gameplay modes.

The player may also configure additional options in the Setting Menu. Turning "VS Mode" on will configure the game to use the cocktail table configuration, which is recommended only when playing with the Switch system in tabletop mode. The player can also increase input precision to make the game easier to control at the risk of causing minor display anomalies to occur, and set the jewel style to use only the style from the original Columns game.

Arcade Mode
Arcade Mode is the original version of the game as it was originally played in arcades, complete with "Flash Columns" and "VS Columns" for one or two players. The player can also enable two helper options to make the game easier to play:
  • "Stage Select": Allows the player to select their starting stage at the beginning of each game.
  • "Skull Smash": In addition to enabling "Stage Select", skulls are removed from gameplay.
Infinite Jewels
Infinite Jewels is a brand new 'endless' mode specially created for this re-release. Gameplay is mostly identical to "Flash Columns" in the original game, but with a number of changed rules: at random intervals, a new row of jewels will be added to the bottom of the screen, and clearing a flashing jewel will remove all jewels of its colour. Skulls will also not appear in this mode.
Columns I
Columns I is a port of the original Columns game, based on the Sega Mega Drive version with multiple changes. Only Arcade Mode is available to play in single player, but the player has the ability to select which song they would like to play when selecting their difficulty. All gameplay rules are the same as in the original game's Arcade Mode.
Online Match
Online Match enables the player to battle against other players online in "VS Columns". The player can choose to either engage a random opponent in a battle, or create a private room to play with anyone added to the player's friend list.

The Jewel Case

One feature added to the game is the Jewel Case, which tracks the player's progress in "Flash Columns". For every five stages cleared, a character from another Sega game is unlocked serving as the role of a ring girl/ring boy, giving the player an incentive to clear stages. These characters also appear in the intro sequence for every game in the Sega Ages series.

Progress can be reset by holding L and R together.

Stages Character Description
START Nei Appears in Phantasy Star II. Gained popularity as a tragic heroine.
01-05 Princess Kurumi Appears in SEGA Ninja. A tomboy princess who snuck out of her castle.
06-10 Mieu Appears in Phantasy Star III. An android who transcended time to protect the protagonist.
11-15 Alex's Girlfriend Appears in Alex Kidd in Shinobi World. Constantly kidnapped and without a name, she is truly the damsel in distress incarnate.
16-20 Lucy Appears in Dynamite Dux. Master of the Duxs, but she gets abducted.
21-25 Ramaya Appears in Arabian Fight. A strong-willed yet graceful girl from Arabia.
26-30 Flicky Appears in Flicky. Entrusted with safely escorting the Chirps home.
31-35 Zana Keene Appears in Arrow Flash. A solitary girl who pilots her battle mech Luciphon.
36-40 Mary Appears in Quartet. On a mission in space to retrieve the late Queen Cynthia's casket.
41-45 Stella Appears in Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars. A girl traveling with Alex on a quest to collect the miracle balls.
46-50 Wi Wi Jumbo Appears in Space Harrier. A psychic warrior to be feared and a nemesis to Harrier.
51-55 Genie Appears in Dark Edge. A woman who confronts the world governed by a mega computer.
55-60 Masami Appears in Value Games in a Can. "I said it's not the Z button, silly."
61-65 Tao Appears in Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention. Don't let her cute face fool you – she ruthlessly burns her enemies with fire magic.
66-70 Rika Appears in Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium. A spunky girl who hails from the Newman race.
ALL CLEAR Goddess Appears in Columns. A goddess shrouded in as much beauty as mystery.

Production credits

  • ORIGINAL GAME DEVELOPED BY: SEGA
  • DLC VERSION DEVELOPED BY: M2
  • Directors: Naoki Horii, Takaaki Hashimoto, Tsuyoshi Matsuoka
  • Planners: Tsuyoshi Matsuoka, Takaaki Hashimoto, Yujiro Yamamoto
  • Programmers: Jumpei Isshiki, Koji Ando, Tomohiro Takahashi, Makoto Harashino, Hiroyuki Sawai, Nobuhisa Shinoda, Minoru Kubota, Hiroshi Yoneyama, Youichirou Watanabe, Kengo Takagi, Tetsuya Abe, Masayuki Fukui, Masaki Goto, Akira Saito
  • Graphic Designers: Takuya Watanabe, Naoki Takahashi, Keisuke Koga
  • Sound Designers: Tatsuhiko Kasuga, Sakuoki Kudo, Jane-Evelyn Nisperos
  • Library & Tools: Jun Okada, Toshinori Yuuki (WAMSOFT), Go Watanabe (WAMSOFT)
  • Opening Animation: Harukaze Namikai, Jane-Evelyn Nisperos
  • Project Manager: Takehiro Kawachi
  • Special Thanks: Kazuki Kubota, Takayuki Komabayashi
SEGA
©SEGA
Presented by: SEGA
Source:
In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: Sega Ages Columns II/Magazine articles.

External links

References



Games in the Columns Series
Columns (1990) | Columns II: The Voyage Through Time (1990) | Columns III: Revenge of Columns (1993) | Stack Columns (1994) | Super Columns (1995) | Columns '97 (1996) | Hanagumi Taisen Columns (1997) | Columns Arcade Collection (1997) | Columns GB: Tezuka Osamu Characters (1999) | Hanagumi Taisen Columns 2 (2000) | Columns Crown (2001) | Columns Jewel (2005) | Columns Deluxe (2008) | Jewelpet Kira Kira Mahou no Housekibako (2009) | Sega Ages Columns II (2019)
Columns Taisen Mode Tsuki (1991) | Columns (Mame Game) (1997) | Columns (Pocket Boy) (1997) | Columns for Zaurus (2001) | Columns for Clié (2002)
Unlicensed Columns games
Sega Master System
Super Columns (1990)
Columns Related Media
Music
Columns・Columns II (1991)
Book
Hanagumi Taisen Columns Official Guide (1997) | Hanagumi Taisen Columns 2 Perfect Guide (2000)



Games in the Sega Ages Series
Sega Saturn
Shukudai ga Tant-R (1996) | Space Harrier (1996) | OutRun (1996) | After Burner II (1996) | Rouka ni Ichidant-R (1996) | Fantasy Zone (1997) | Memorial Selection Vol. 1 (1997) | Columns Arcade Collection (1997) | Memorial Selection Vol. 2 (1997) | Power Drift (1998) | Phantasy Star Collection (1998) | Galaxy Force II (1998) | I Love Mickey Mouse/I Love Donald Duck (1998)
Sega Ages: Volume 1 (1997)
Sony PlayStation 2
Vol. 1 (2003) | Vol. 2 (2003) | Vol. 3 (2003) | Vol. 4 (2003) | Vol. 5 (2003) | Vol. 6 (2003) | Vol. 7 (2003) | Vol. 8 (2004) | Vol. 9 (2004) | Vol. 10 (2004) | Vol. 11 (2004) | Vol. 12 (2004) | Vol. 13 (2004) | Vol. 14 (2004) | Vol. 15 (2004) | Vol. 16 (2004) | Sega Classics Collection (2005) | Vol. 17 (2005) | Vol. 18 (2005) | Vol. 19 (2005) | Vol. 20 (2005) | Vol. 21 (2005) | Vol. 22 (2005) | Vol. 23 (2005) | Vol. 24 (2006) | Vol. 25 (2006) | Vol. 26 (2006) | Vol. 27 (2006) | Vol. 28 (2006) | Vol. 29 (2007) | Vol. 30 (2007) | Vol. 31 (2007) | Vol. 32 (2008) | Vol. 33 (2008)
Xbox 360
Sony PlayStation 3
Monster World Collection (2012) | Sega Classics Collection (2012) | Golden Axe Collection (2012) | Bare Knuckle Collection (2012) | ToeJam & Earl Collection (2012)
Nintendo Switch
Sonic the Hedgehog (2018) | Thunder Force IV (2018) | Phantasy Star (2018) | OutRun (2018) | Gain Ground (2018) | Alex Kidd in Miracle World (2019) | Puyo Puyo (2019) | Virtua Racing (2019) | Wonder Boy in Monster Land (2019) | Space Harrier (2019) | Columns II: The Voyage Through Time (2019) | Puzzle & Action: Ichidant-R (2019) | Shinobi (2019) | Fantasy Zone (2019) | Puyo Puyo Tsuu (2020) | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2020) | G-LOC: Air Battle (2020) | Thunder Force AC (2020) | Herzog Zwei (2020)
Sega Ages related media
Music
Sega Ages Sound Track The Best Plus (2004) | Space Harrier II: Space Harrier Complete Collection Original Soundtrack (2005) | Sega Classics Collection (2006) | New Century (2006) | Bare Knuckle Original Soundtrack (2012) | Sega Ages OutRun: Music Collection (2019) | Sega Archives - M2 Music Memorial - (2023)