Genre: Collection
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: SEGA
# of Players: 1-2
Memory: 2 blocks
ERSB: Everyone
Also On: None

Introduction:

Sonic the Hedgehog, just like Nintendo’s Super Mario, is a videogame icon that is recognized around the world. Over the past few years his popularity has declined, but back in the 16 bit era he was tearin’ up the scene like nobody else. Sonic Mega Collection is the ultimate tribute to the blue hedgehog and his fans. Packed with 12 games from Sonic’s and Sega’s history, such as the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and the infamous lock-on cartridge Sonic & Knuckles; Sonic Mega Collection is a dream come true for the old school gamer.

Travel back in time and experience the classic hits that defined a generation…

Presentation:

Sonic Mega Collection is one of the most complete videogame collection packages ever assembled, and its style is very retro. With tons of cool interface menus, decent load times and a retro look that screams Sega (literally) Sonic Mega Collection is like a trip into the past ten years.

Gameplay:

Sonic Mega Collection includes all the Sonic the Hedgehog titles that me and my friends used to play when we were still little kids in grammar school. These games still stand the test of time; they’re still as addictive as they were ten years ago. The original Sonic the Hedgehog still kicks ass, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is still great to play with a buddy, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is still as beautiful and amazing as ever. Those three games alone are a good enough reason alone to buy this Mega Collection but to distinguish it a bit from Sonic Jam on the Sega Saturn, Sega has added even more titles, a whopping twelve in total. Seven games are unlockable from the beginning and those are, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles (now compatible with Sonic 2!), Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, Sonic Spinball, and the pseudo 3D Sonic 3D Blast. Many will agree with me on this, and that is that Sonic’s classic offerings are far superior to his current “adventures” in 3D, but the reasons for this are obvious… the SEGA scream!

In order for me to give you a decent look into the quality of some of the games in Sonic Mega Collection I will review the initial seven games you can play. Rating system is on a 5 point scale, 1 being the lowest, 5 the highest…

-Sonic the Hedgehog (original release… 06/23/1991):

The game that made Sonic the Hedgehog and Sega a household name, from the moment you turn on this game you are greeted with Sonic shaking his finger at you with an attitude, from that very moment you knew this guy was one bad mother (Shut your mouth!).

4 out of 5

-Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (11/24/1992):

Sonic returned to the Sega Genesis to foil Dr. Robotnik’s evil schemes once again and this time he gets some help from his sidekick Miles “Tails” Prower, the airborne fox with two tails. Featuring faster paced gameplay than the original, and the excellent two player versus mode, Sonic the Hedgehog is my personal favorite in the series.

5 out of 5

-Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (01/24/1994):

Dr. Robotnik’s Death Egg has lost its ability to fly after crash landing on a floating island, and the power of the Chaos Emeralds is the only thing that can repair his ship. In order to get them back he tricks an echidna by the name of Knuckles to believe that Sonic and Tails are his enemies. Sonic 3 implements even more new gameplay enhancing maneuvers, features stunning 2D visuals, and the long awaited save feature.

5 out of 5

-Sonic & Knuckles (10/18/1994):

Sonic & Knuckles is the infamous lock on cartridge to Sonic the Hedgehog 3. This game features Sonic and Knuckles going at it in a race of time to see who can collect all the Chaos Emeralds first and stop Dr. Robotnik.

4 out of 5

-Sonic 3D Blast (11/07/1996):

With great looking pseudo 3D visuals, Sonic 3D Blast was an amazing looking game back in the day but its gameplay was hardly up to the greatness of Sonic’s side-scroller offerings.

2 out of 5

-Sonic Spinball (11/15/1993):

By this time Sonic had become Sega’s Super Mario, spanning across all genres even Pinball. Sonic Spinball is Sega’s wacky attempt a Pinball game with Sonic being the ball. Featuring some great level design and great visuals (at the time), Sonic Spinball is one of the best interpretations of Pinball in videogame form.

4 out of 5

-Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine (11/29/1993):

Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine is the excellent Puyo Puyo puzzle series with the Sonic franchise slapped on it for localization reasons. Puyo Puyo is one of my favorite puzzle games and Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine at heart still is Puyo Puyo.

4 out of 5

Unfortunately, Sonic Mega Collection does not feature arguably the best game in the franchise, Sonic CD, as one of the 5 unlockable titles which feature such titles as Flicky and Ristar. Never heard of those two have you? They’re good games but nowhere near as enjoyable as the original Sonic trilogy. The other 3 unlockable games are just as eccentric.

Visuals:

The Sonic the Hedgehog games on the Sega Genesis proved to be quite impressive when they were first released, they showcased the power of the Genesis with amazingly fast scrolling speed an excellent 2D visuals giving the Super NES a run for its money on many occasions. Other games in the collection such as Sonic 3D Blast also showcased that the Genesis was very capable of imitating 3D-like visuals excellently. Unfortunately, when compared to anything today 2D or 3D any game included in Sonic Mega Collection doesn’t look too impressive. This does not at all mean that these titles look terrible but just outdated. No big enhancements were made too any of the titles, they are exact clones of the original titles.

Audio:

In the days of ole, we didn’t have DVDs, CDs and all that new digital crap we have now, so the audio quality wasn’t too impressive, just a bunch of compressed MIDIs. But despite the format, the tunes featured on most games in that era kicked some serious ass and in my opinion are more memorable than anything you’ll hear today. Still, to this very day I remember note for note many of the tunes played in the original Sonic the Hedgehog games and it’s one of the most amazing feelings of nostalgia to hear them again on my precious GameCube. I’m happy Sega hasn’t altered a thing with this collection, all the original sound effects are intact, the loud chime of the Gold rings, or the skidding noise Sonic makes when charge his spin maneuver. The games sound exactly how they did when they were first released, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Lasting Appeal:

Sonic Mega Collection at first only gives you the choice of playing 7 of the 12 games in total, the rest have to be unlocked along the way. If twelve Sega classics aren’t enough for you then there are tons of other little extras for you to play around with. These extras include comic book covers from the Sonic comic series, the intro and ending movies to Sonic CD (a game that unfortunately is NOT included in this collection), special highlight videos such as a video based on the history of Sonic the Hedgehog, and few other cool little extras such as character art and renders. This game is really one great package; filled with classics that you will play over and over again for days, weeks, months, and possibly even years.

Final Thoughts

Sonic Mega Collection is full of many Sega classics that made the console war between the Super NES and the Genesis so memorable. Playing these titles again on the Nintendo GameCube is not only ironic but a nostalgia trip into the past where gaming was considered to be only for geeks and nerds, a time that many gamers like to call…The Golden Age. Sonic Mega Collection is a must for every Sonic fan and old school gamer, I encourage newer gamers to pick this one up as well since classics like these never get old.

The Good:

- The classic 2D Sonic the Hedgehog titles on the Nintendo GameCube
- Not a thing changed from their original release
- The classic tunes find in these game are still as memorable as ever

The Bad:

- No Sonic CD
- Not a thing changed from their original release
- Save feature not implement into ALL titles