Retro Game SuperHyper

If you haven’t seen the M2 documentary on YouTube by My Life In Gaming, watch it first, then come back for this article. Also, make sure to hit the Like button and subscribe to MLIG to show your appreciation! If you have seen the doc, read on!

Wasn’t that great?

For years, gamers have raved about the work M2 has done in bringing arcade games to home consoles with amazing accuracy and a wealth of added options, customizations, and assorted bells and whistles. And now, thanks to this new documentary, we know a little more about who is behind all that meticulous work: A bunch of crazy hardcore game nerds, that’s who. My kinda people! …and if you’re reading this, probably yours too.

A few things really stood out in the feature: One, that M2 started way back in the 16-bit era, and that they had wanted to port R-Type Leo to the Mega Drive. (I guarantee you, if they made it now, everyone who saw this would buy it.)

Another was, of course, the method M2 employed to create the faux-arcade version of Fantasy Zone II for the Sega Ages 2500 release, by actually developing and running it on a Sega System-16 PCB. Seriously, who does that?

And when they described the lengths they went to to create the depth effects in their Sega titles for the Nintendo 3DS (which I hadn’t realized they developed), I thought, “that’s it – I’ve gotta pick up that Sega 3D Collection.”

So I did, and it is absolutely stunning! I actually always found the “super scaler” games like Power Drift, Galaxy Force II, and Thunder Blade a little hard to play because of the fast speeds and big, chunky graphics, but with the incredible 3D effect on this collection, I actually find them much smoother and easier to play. And needless to say, I’m totally hooked on Fantasy Zone II.

The doc touches on all of M2’s notable projects, including Konami’s ReBirth series on the Wii, which I have unfortunately never played (pretty sure a collection of those three games would be a hot seller as well, if anyone in a position to do so is paying attention).

And of course, the ShotTriggers series of shootemups, with their seemingly endless ways to customize the experience, should all be part of my collection as well.

Being partial to physical media, though, I haven’t downloaded them — I do own the import of Ketsui, and I’ve got the Limited Run release of Battle Garegga on the way, with the hope that more such editions are in the future for us Western fans. (I heard a rumor that if Garegga sold well enough, that Limited Run might do Dangun Feveron next. They can just take my money for that RIGHT NOW.)

The other M2 release I’d really like to play is the latest version of the original Phantasy Star — unfortunately it’s only on Switch right now, so I either have to buy one of those or wait for it to be released on PS4.

Anyway, I kind of veered off there — the whole point is, My Life In Gaming put together a wonderful film giving us insight into the hard work, dedication, and pure fandom that goes into M2’s releases, and I for one am happy to have “met” the people behind it through the documentary. It helps us all feel a little closer as the line between users and developers is blurred a bit, knowing that the folks at M2 love this stuff just as much as we do — if not more!