The seventh and eighth releases in the Sega Ages catalog sees Virtua Racing and Wonder Boy in Monster Land come to Switch on June 27th. This release is simultaneous with both Europe and North America. Virtua Racing and Wonder Boy in Monster Land were made available in Japan in April and May, respectively. Interestingly, Sega Ages Puyo Puyo released in Japan back in March but has yet to receive a release date. Both Virtua Racing and Wonder Boy in Monster Land will run you $7.99 when they release on June 27th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pd_GxVSS2o
Sega Ages Virtua Racing is a Switch port of the legendary arcade racer. Though not the first 3D polygonal racer, Virtua Racing's original release back in 1992 brought with it an impressive polygonal count for the time, as well as three distinct tracks and four different view modes. Many of the features would later reappear in Sega's Daytona USA, which released a year later to compete with Namco's Ridge Racer. Virtua Racing would later get ported to home consoles for the Genesis, 32X, and the Saturn. The Genesis version was largely unchanged from the original, and the 32X version added just two new cars and tracks.
The Saturn version, conversely, adds seven new tracks and four new cars, as well as a points-based Grand Prix mode. The Sega Ages version of Virtua Racing on Switch is perhaps closest to the arcade original, supporting two-player online play, and eight-player offline play, along with downloadable leaderboards. There's also a Grand Prix mode where you race around for 20 laps, instead of four or five. Obviously, these days, Virtua Racing struggles to hold up against the likes of Gran Turismo and Assetto Corsa, but as far as racing legacy goes, it's hard to find a more influential title than Virtua Racing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysBNd-6jW1A
The other release as part of the Sega Ages collection is Wonder Boy in Monster Land. Released for the arcade in 1986, it is the fifth Wonder Boy game in the series. Taking place 11 years after the events of the original, Tom-Tom is now a teenager and enjoys his peace after defeating the evil King. When a fire-breathing dragon appears and threatens the safety of the lands, Tom-Tom must set out once more in order to restore peace.
Later ported to the Master System, Wonder Boy in Monster Land makes an appearance on the Switch mostly unchanged from its 1988 release. There are now three challenge modes for players to try, as well as online leaderboards and a "Replay" function. Additionally, players can disable a bug that increases the value of hidden gold, if they're looking for a challenge. Finally, if you find Wonder Boy in Monster Land too difficult, there's an option to restart after a Game Over with all of your acquired items. These two Sega Ages releases will come on June 27th for the Switch, and we'll have to wait until July to see what games we'll get next.
