SEGA-AM2 (Company)

SEGA-AM2

COMPANY

Tokyo,Japan

One of Sega's in-house development teams that came to prominence in the mid-1980's. Previously headed by game designer Yu Suzuki, it produced Sega's biggest arcade hits from the mid-80's to the early 2000's.

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Overview

Sega-AM2, short for Sega Amusement Machine R&D (Research & Devepment) Department 2, is best known for developing many of Sega (Company)'s arcadegames, many of which have become highly successful. Previously led by game designer Yu Suzuki (Person), it produced Sega's biggest arcade hits from the mid-80's to the early 2000's. Sega AM2 revolutionized the video game industry in various ways. They played a major role in the transition from 2D (Concept) to 3D, first with the hit "Super Scaler (Concept)" franchises of pseudo-3D sprite-scaling games in the mid-to-late-80's (handling sprites in a similar manner to later texture-mapped 3D polygon games), followed by the hit Virtua (Franchise) and Daytona franchises of polygonal 3D games in the early-to-mid-90's. Other contributions to the video game industry include the motion controls of Hang-On, the analog flight-stick controls of Space Harrier (Franchise), the kart racing of Power Drift (Game), and the QTE's and free-roaming open-world gameplay of Shenmue (Franchise). During Sega's reshuffling in the early 2000's, it was one of the few internal studios that remained mostly unchanged, keeping their name to this day. Their latest games include 2010's After Burner Climax (Game), a downloadable port of one of their best-known games, Daytona USA, and Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown (Game).

Franchises

Notable franchises created by Sega AM2 include:

Developed Games

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Virtua Fighter (Game)

31 December 1993

The first in a long-running 3D fighting game series from Sega's AM2 team. It is best known as the first fighting game where each combatant is rendered using 3D polygons in real-time.

ARC 32X RZON +1

Hang-On (Game)

31 July 1985

An arcade motorcycle racing game that broke new ground when it released in 1985, revolutionizing and revitalizing the arcade industry, with its motion-controlled cabinet and pseudo-3D "Super Scaler" graphics. A port was offered as a pack-in with the Sega Master System console for a period of time.

SMS MSX ARC

Shenmue (Game)

29 December 1999

An action-adventure game set in 1980s Japan that follows one young man's journey to avenge his father's murder. It was praised for its ambitious scope and pioneered several gameplay features such as realistic open-world environments and Quick Time Events.

DC

Virtua Racing (Game)

31 August 1992

The game that popularized 3D arcade racing and kick-started the 3D revolution of the 90's. Released in 1992 for arcades, it was later ported to Sega home consoles.

GEN PS2 ARC +3

Sonic the Fighters (Game)

23 June 1996

Known as both "Sonic the Fighters" and "Sonic Championship", this arcade spin-off of the Sonic the Hedgehog series pits the blue hedgehog and his friends in a martial arts tournament.

ARC PS3N XBGS

Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution (Game)

1 August 2002

The first major revision of Sega-AM2's fourth entry in their signature 3D fighting game series. Along with two new combatants, it updates all fighters' movelists, stages, and soundtracks.

PS2 ARC PS3N

Fighting Vipers (Game)

30 November 1995

From the creators of the Virtua Fighter series comes a unique 3D fighting game with a unique cast of characters, walled stages, and a breakable "armor" system.

ARC PS3N XBGS +1

Virtua Fighter 4 (Game)

1 August 2001

The fourth main installment of the Virtua Fighter series continues its trend of using the most powerful hardware at the time for groundbreaking visuals, while introducing online connectivity for Japanese arcades (allowing players to track their stats and customize their fighters' appearances).

PS2 ARC

Virtua Cop 2 (Game)

30 September 1995

The sequel to the original Virtua Cop. It is a on rails style shooter and allows the use of peripherals, specifically the light gun.

PC PS2 ARC +2

Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown (Game)

29 July 2010

The second major revision of the fighting game Virtua Fighter 5, including a variety of gameplay tweaks and character balance, along with a new soundtrack and new stage visuals.

ARC PS3N XBGS

Virtua Fighter Kids (Game)

29 February 1996

Super-deformed versions of the Virtua Fighter gang precociously battle it out in this adorable spin-off game.

ARC SAT

Virtua Cop (Game)

30 September 1994

A light-gun shooter released by Sega in 1994. It was the first texture-mapped 3D shooter, and went on to have a lasting impact on the rail shooter and first-person shooter genres.

PC PS2 ARC +3

Published Games

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Digital Dance Mix Vol.1 Namie Amuro (Game)

10 January 1997

Produced by Yu Suzuki, it was a music game that consisted of various minigames, including a rhythm game and a puzzle game.

SAT