Something went wrong. Try again later
    Follow

    Sonic Gems Collection

    Game » consists of 6 releases. Released Aug 16, 2005

    Sonic Gems Collection is a compilation of Sonic games, featuring Sonic R, Sonic CD, and Sonic the Fighters. Various unlockable games are also included.

    loopy_101's Sonic Gems Collection (PlayStation 2) review

    Avatar image for loopy_101

    Face it, you only want this for Sonic CD...

    Face it, the only reason you're curious about Sonic Gems Collection in the first place is because of Sonic CD. Had Sonic CD not been included, the collection otherwise would of been a mediocre list of half-decent Sonic releases heralded no less by two of Sonic's most disappointing spin-offs: Sonic R and Sonic the Fighters. But does that mean Sonic Gems Collection is still worth your hard earned dough?  In a word no. None of the games featured in Sonic Gems Collection have stood well against the test of time. And while any retro gamer might scoff at the thought allow me to retort. The gameplay has long since been overshadowed and put to rest. The thing about these titles, such as Sonic the fighters in particular, is that they resemble only the expectations that the 90s had of the poor blue mascot.


    As expected though, Sonic CD is absolutely fantastic. It is a rapid, intense entry into the loco 2D platformer series. With a varied set of levels and the ability to travel in time, Sonic CD did alot for the Blue Blur in it's heyday. There really isn't anything that has to be said otherwise. It is Sonic as you know him, without Tails, ripping apart Robotnick's robots piece by piece. However there is one minor issue with the game otherwise. Had you been fortunate enough to have played the Japanese or European version of Sonic CD for Mega CD, you'll know it featured a funky electronic music that was influenced by the dance scene led by Chemical Brothers and Prodigy of the time. This worked well alongside the rapid intensity of each zone in Sonic CD, including the mode 7 designed minigame. It is a shame then that the Japanese soundtrack was replaced in Sonic Gems.


    Moving on, Sonic R, as any Sega fan would know, was Sega's half-arsed effort to atleast bring some kind of Sonic gameplay to the 32-bit realms. The long overdue Sonic Xtreme was going nowhere by that point and fans continuously pestered Sega for a 3D Sonic after being teased with the 3D world featured in Sonic Jam. Sonic R provided the gamers of the time with a seemingly solid attempt at Mario Kart, with exploration playing a major part to its core.  these days it plays as a very casual, slow and frustrating racer that has a saving grace only in its bizarrely enjoyable R&B soundtrack. On Sonic Gems, Sonic R is a port of the PC version. This isn't a bad thing, it is visually superior (featuring weather effects on the stages even) and has four player splitscreen modes. But who wants to play this boring rip-off when there are so many better racers are on Playstation 2 today?


    And we have Sonic the Fighters (or Sonic Championship). It is a wonder that people like me wanted this. It was destined originally for the Sega Saturn of all machines. Although despite being a 3D fighter based on the excellent Virtua Fighter template, it absolutely stinks. Sonic the Fighters is yet another spin-off that simply doesn't give the blue-blur the sense of speed and aciculate celerity that we know him of. Sonic is a terrible fighter as the likes of Egoraptor (crappy spin-dash anyone?) have recognised. It makes as much sense for Sonic to fight as him driving a car! (Which coincidentally Sonic Drift 2 has him doing). Regardless the constructive criticism for Sonic the Fighters is that the fighting is too inconsistent.  Unlike the games it is based on as well, the ability to chain combos and attacks is next to impossible and you'll often be resorting to special attacks leading to cheap victories. Yet cheap is more or less how Sonic the Fighters runs anyway. Which makes the game infuriating as the computer will often take advantage of this, especially with characters like Fang who have powerful projectile attacks. The only thing Sonic the Fighters had going for it was the high quality 3D graphics offered only by the Model 2 hardware of the time, this port on Sonic Gem is surprisingly good in maintaining it's prowess however obviously it doesn't hold up now either.


    So there are your main games summed up, excluding some bonus handheld ports. The Game Gear titles, although a nice inclusion, are not worth your time. Obviously a release like Sonic Triple Trouble which is intended for a teeny tiny front-lit screen doesn't look anywhere near as impressive blown up onto a 19" TV. Tails Skypatrol and Tails Adventure are to be ignored altogether also. The number of games available is second-rate conclusively. It is unbelievable that Sega even has the nerve to sell the Sonic Gems Collection with abundant yet unpopular Game Gear titles. They could of instead fitted the compilation with additional gems from the Mega Drive, like the included Vectorman titles. Hands down the most disappointing thing to take into account is the lack of Knuckles Chaotix. Apparently Sega did actually have plans to include more Mega Drive titles with the collection. The Japanese version of Sonic Gems includes Bonzana Brothers and the Streets of Rage which were both inexplicably left out of the European release. Sega could of also gone one step further by including a few of the Sega Ages 2500 releases. As it would be apparent, from seeing the Sega Classics Colection, the 2500 line-up is rather expendable to Sega. Why on Earth not include them then?


    All in all don't bother with Sonic Gems Collection unless you can find it cheaply, and I mean cheaply. Sonic CD is the only reason to divulge into this series of average Sonic related titles, and compared to Sonic Mega Collection Plus, it is a bit of an embarrassment. Besides a lack of games, there are the usual digital manuals and artwork that Sega have included as bonus material to this compilation, they're not worth your time. None of the titles included on this collection have aged well, perhaps with the exception of Sonic CD, and you're better off buying Midway Arcade Treasures 2 instead.

    Other reviews for Sonic Gems Collection (PlayStation 2)

    This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:

    Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.

    Comment and Save

    Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.