Sonic Gems Collection was an inevitable occurrence. After the success of Sonic Mega Collection on the GameCube, and the subsequent success of Sonic Mega Collection Plus on the PS2 and Xbox, it was only a matter of time before SEGA put together another collection of "classic" and forgotten Sonic titles.
The months went by as SEGA put together Sonic Gems Collection, and now that it’s here one has to question whether or not they actually played any of these games since they originally came out. There are only three games on the disc worth playing, two of which ironically enough, aren’t even Sonic titles. The rest is there either purely for nostalgia, or to fill space to make this collection seem worth more than it actually is. After playing through this, I can say that only the most hardened of Sonic fans need apply.
"... there are three must-have classics on this disc."
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The Main Attractions
As advertised on the cover, there are three must-have classics on this disc. Unfortunately SEGA incorrectly identified two of them. The cover would have you believe that along with the exceptional Sonic CD, Sonic R and Sonic the Fighters are games worth your while. Sadly, nothing could be further from the truth, and you might be better off avoiding both of them completely. Ironically, the two hidden games are actually the ones worth your time.
Vectorman and Vectorman 2 may not even be mentioned on the box, but they outshine everything on this disc, arguably including Sonic CD. With run-and-gun gameplay similar to Contra, and a lot of platforming, the Vectorman games were really some of the best released in the twilight of the 16-bit era. Not only are all the gameplay elements solid, but the graphics are sharp, and the sound is great. My only complaint is that for some reason the games have a boarder around them, much like the Game Gear games in the collection do. The non-Game Gear games on the disc don’t have this, and since the Vectorman games are Genesis titles, it doesn’t make much sense that they have this Game Gear-like boarder.
To be honest, Sonic CD is really the shining oasis on this collection when one considers it’s a "Sonic Collection" and ignores the Vectorman games. While Sonic CD uses the traditional side-scrolling formula established in other Sonic titles, there is more to the game than meets the eye, and some people aren’t going to like it.
"Vectorman and Vectorman 2... outshine everything on this disc..."
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There is a greater emphasis on exploration in Sonic CD, rather than just using the speed-through-the-stage strategy. As you may know, time travel is an important aspect in Sonic CD. Placed throughout the stages are checkpoint-style poles, and when you hit them, you can travel into the past, or into the future. Hidden in the past stages are items you’ll need to break, in order to prevent the "bad future," and create a "good future." Of course you can opt not to, and complete the game without making a good future, but then you can’t get the good ending, and who wants that? While it takes a little getting used to, Sonic CD slowing the gameplay down from the previous Sonic the Hedgehog games isn’t a bad thing.
Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel
Moving off of Sonic CD and the Vectorman games, and into the other games on the disc is a painful experience. Some times "forgotten" games might be better off left that way; Sonic R for the Saturn is a good example of this. While cutting edge for it’s time, the game has not held up well at all since 3D gaming and level design has come so far since the games release. The graphics are muddy, and the controls are pretty disorienting, but the main problem, in my opinion, is the track design. Not only is it hard to know where to go because of the game’s graphics, but SEGA also tried to add too many little options and weird shortcut-style dead-ends for players to get stuck in, which only adds to the confusion.
"SEGA could have come up with a bunch of other Sonic games instead of including Game Gear software that’s pretty much unplayable."
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Sonic the Fighters is a passable game, but to offer it up as a main feature is a mistake. The real draw here is that the game never made it out of Japan, so Sonic fans who want to experience everything will put their money down and pick it up. After a little playtime, it’s not hard to imagine why this game never made it here, because there really isn’t much to it. It’s basically a watered-down Virtua Fighter. Everything functions OK, and the graphics aren’t terrible, but the gameplay is as shallow as a kiddie-pool; there aren’t many moves, and the AI isn’t intelligent at all. Granted it’s an older game, but it’s a hard to justify it as an attraction.
Honestly, SEGA could have come up with a bunch of other Sonic games to fill in the holes this collection has instead of including Game Gear software that’s pretty much unplayable. While there are a few that are actually playable, namely Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Sonic Triple Trouble, there are more that just plain aren’t. Tails Adventure doesn’t even follow traditional Sonic formula, which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing if it followed a formula besides "generic-platformer-with-bad-controls." Sonic Drift 2 looks like a rip-off of the 8-bit Nintendo classic Mach Rider, though only graphically- the controls barely work and there’s pretty much no strategy to the gameplay. Also included are the equally as bad Tails’ Sky Patrol, and the Game Gear version of Sonic Spinball.
Worth the Money?
So the here’s the main question: "Is Sonic Gems Collection worth the money?" I guess to answer that, you need to just how big a Sonic fan you are. If you’re interested in playing a whole bunch of Sonic crap just for the sake of saying you played it, and if you’re interested in some crappy unlockable art renders, then yes, it’s worth the money. But if you’re just in the market for Sonic CD and the Vectorman titles, I strongly suggest you wait for a discount.
