Times change, nostalgia doesn't.
The Sega Genesis was actually my first owned video game system. I had been able to play the NES and SNES at my Grandparents house growing up, but the Sega Genesis was the first one I got to call my own. I don't know if anybody remembers Sega Channel, but my parents were also nice enough to subscribe to it for me, and I still find it to be one of the best ideas I've seen for gaming. It is the only reason I was able to play most of the games on this compilation, and it's also another reason I find this compilation so appealing.
Although this isn't the first collection of Genesis games Sega has released, I will come out and say that it's definitely leagues better than the others. It shares over half of the same titles that were on PS2's Sega Genesis Collection, and ups the ante with a few gems. Notable additions are Beyond Oasis, Shining Force, Shining Force 2, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic Spinball, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, and all three Streets of Rage entries. I could talk all day about the specific games, but the intended audience for this purchase already knows who they are.
If you owned or played a Sega Genesis as a kid, then this is directly targeted at you. There were a couple games on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection that I had completely forgotten about and was pumped to be able to sit down with. On the flip side, there were some I wish would have stayed forgotten. I guess that's the price you pay when buying compilations, but for $30 you can't really go wrong here. If you are a Sega fan you owe it to yourself to buy this collection. There is a total of 40 Sega Genesis games, and nine unlockable Master System/Arcade games. The production is also pretty good. You have the ability to rate games on a 1-5 scale, so that your favorites will show up at the top, and the ones you never want to see again will be at the bottom. It's a really nice feature and goes along well with the rest of the presentation. You select the games from a list, and it shows the opening of the game on the right. It's fairly simple, but it's still really nicely done. I've put countless hours into this collection already, and it's something I will be picking up to play whenever I'm bored.
I absolutely HATE when reviews don't do this, so here is a full list of the games included on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.
Sega Genesis games included
Alex Kidd
Alien Storm
Altered Beast
Beyond Oasis
Bonanza Bros.
Columns
Comix Zone
Decap Attack
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
Dynamite Headdy
E-SWAT
Ecco the Dolphin
Ecco the Dolphin: the Tides of Time
Fatal Labyrinth
Flicky
Gain Ground
Golden Axe
Golden Axe II
Golden Axe III
Kid Chameleon
Phantasy Star II
Phantasy Star III
Phantasy Star IV
Ristar
Shining Force
Shining Force 2
Shining in the Darkness
Shinobi III
Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic 3D Blast
Sonic Spinball
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage 2
Streets of Rage 3
Super Thunder Blade
Vectorman
Vectorman 2
Arcade/Master System Unlockables
Alien Syndrome
Altered Beast Arcade
Congo Bongo
Fantasy Zone
Golden Axe Warrior
Phantasy Star
Shinobi Arcade
Space Harrier
Zaxxon
For $30, this is a definite purchase for Sega fans. While there are quite a bit of throwaways, over half of the games included are good to great, and the bad ones can be played for some amusement anyways. I've put more time into this collection then I have put into some of the recent triple-A titles, and I think that says enough about the overall quality. For those who have never played old Sega games, or haven't played very many, I'd still recommend a purchase. There really is something on here for everyone, and for the value, nobody should be disappointed after picking this up.
Positives
+ Over 45 games
+ A large majority of them are actually good or great.
+ Presentation is very well done, but the artwork section could have included more than just cover art and cartridge.
+ Only $30
Negatives
- Some really bad games that would be better off not included at all.
- Might make you wish Sega would go back to being consistent at making good games.
Grade - B
Although this isn't the first collection of Genesis games Sega has released, I will come out and say that it's definitely leagues better than the others. It shares over half of the same titles that were on PS2's Sega Genesis Collection, and ups the ante with a few gems. Notable additions are Beyond Oasis, Shining Force, Shining Force 2, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic Spinball, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, and all three Streets of Rage entries. I could talk all day about the specific games, but the intended audience for this purchase already knows who they are.
If you owned or played a Sega Genesis as a kid, then this is directly targeted at you. There were a couple games on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection that I had completely forgotten about and was pumped to be able to sit down with. On the flip side, there were some I wish would have stayed forgotten. I guess that's the price you pay when buying compilations, but for $30 you can't really go wrong here. If you are a Sega fan you owe it to yourself to buy this collection. There is a total of 40 Sega Genesis games, and nine unlockable Master System/Arcade games. The production is also pretty good. You have the ability to rate games on a 1-5 scale, so that your favorites will show up at the top, and the ones you never want to see again will be at the bottom. It's a really nice feature and goes along well with the rest of the presentation. You select the games from a list, and it shows the opening of the game on the right. It's fairly simple, but it's still really nicely done. I've put countless hours into this collection already, and it's something I will be picking up to play whenever I'm bored.
I absolutely HATE when reviews don't do this, so here is a full list of the games included on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.
Sega Genesis games included
Alex Kidd
Alien Storm
Altered Beast
Beyond Oasis
Bonanza Bros.
Columns
Comix Zone
Decap Attack
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
Dynamite Headdy
E-SWAT
Ecco the Dolphin
Ecco the Dolphin: the Tides of Time
Fatal Labyrinth
Flicky
Gain Ground
Golden Axe
Golden Axe II
Golden Axe III
Kid Chameleon
Phantasy Star II
Phantasy Star III
Phantasy Star IV
Ristar
Shining Force
Shining Force 2
Shining in the Darkness
Shinobi III
Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic 3D Blast
Sonic Spinball
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage 2
Streets of Rage 3
Super Thunder Blade
Vectorman
Vectorman 2
Arcade/Master System Unlockables
Alien Syndrome
Altered Beast Arcade
Congo Bongo
Fantasy Zone
Golden Axe Warrior
Phantasy Star
Shinobi Arcade
Space Harrier
Zaxxon
For $30, this is a definite purchase for Sega fans. While there are quite a bit of throwaways, over half of the games included are good to great, and the bad ones can be played for some amusement anyways. I've put more time into this collection then I have put into some of the recent triple-A titles, and I think that says enough about the overall quality. For those who have never played old Sega games, or haven't played very many, I'd still recommend a purchase. There really is something on here for everyone, and for the value, nobody should be disappointed after picking this up.
Positives
+ Over 45 games
+ A large majority of them are actually good or great.
+ Presentation is very well done, but the artwork section could have included more than just cover art and cartridge.
+ Only $30
Negatives
- Some really bad games that would be better off not included at all.
- Might make you wish Sega would go back to being consistent at making good games.
Grade - B
