Featuring more than two dozen classic
titles on a single disc, Sega Genesis Collection represents the company's
best titles from its 16-bit heyday. The games are flawlessly emulated and
include some of the most memorable releases from Sega's classic era
including Golden Axe, Sonic, Vectorman, Ecco the Dolphin, Columns, Virtua
Fighter 2, and Phantasy Star. There are also more obscure releases like
Decap Attack, Flicky, and Ristar. Rounding out the package are unlockable
interviews, museums and other surprises, making this a solid compilation
of classic games that represents a great value for gamers.
Many of Sega's previous compilations
have lacked focus of quality but, this one makes up for it with a deep
range of solid titles that offers a wide range of genres that emphasize
the company's Genesis-era peak. There are 28 classic titles included in
this package, most of which can be played immediately without having to
unlock them. You'll find most of the expected Sega range including Altered
Beast, Revenge of Shinobi, Columns, Golden Axe I, II and III, Sonic the
Hedgehog, both Vectorman titles, Phantasy Star 2-4, all three original
Ecco titles and other well-known franchises represented in the collection.
The package also includes a number of smaller, lesser-known Sega classics
that have mostly held up well including Ristar, Flicky, Ecco the Dolphin,
Sword of Vermillion, Super Thunder Blade, Gain Ground and Kid
Chameleon.
What's most interesting about the
selection of titles is how appealing they remain, and the surprises that
lurk in each. Many gamers probably don't remember Comix Zone, for example,
but it remains a clever and quite challenging title with a unique feel and
presentation. Some of the games that might have been dismissed as kids'
stuff like Flicky and Ristar offer a surprising amount of challenge with
clever level designs and simple yet addictive play mechanics. It can also
be said that some of the arcade conversions, like Altered Beast and Super
Thunder Blade offer a decent amount of thumb candy, though the translation
of Altered Beast pales next to its arcade emulated counter-part. Super
Thunder Blade was an excellent conversion of the helicopter flying game
and remains one of the Genesis' most under-rated titles. Another excellent
conversion was Gain Ground, an interesting overhead brawler where you had
to rescue hostages while fleeing opposing forces. It's a little slow by
today's standards, but remains solidly entertaining.
Sega's Ecco the Dolphin series was one
of the more innovative and interesting games made during the 16-bit eras.
Mixing environmental issues and new age music, this ground-breaking action
title was one of the most enjoyable titles ever released, while its sequel
was another superb stab at the genre. Fans of the famous Ninja will also
be happy to learn that both Revenge of Shinobi and Shadow Dancer are
included in this package, and that both games have held up well over the
years, though some of the boss battles seem a little bit on the easy side
these days. Sega has also included one of the best hack and slash series,
which were the Golden Axe games, and all three make a happy return in this
package, players will definitely find some treasures in these which remain
as appealing as ever, with brightly colored sprites and addictive gameplay
mechanics making for some excellent fun. While most players are probably
familiar with the first two GA titles, the third one was also excellent.
Late in the console's life, several innovative games were created, the
most successful of which were the Vectorman titles, which used 3D graphics
rendering to bring a new level of graphics to the console, along with one
of the more interesting characters as well.
Sega's attention to detail and quality is most evident in the legendary
Phantasy Star series here, which is represented by three epic RPG quests,
each one seemingly more elaborate and interesting than the next. They
provide hours of challenging role playing and stand here perfectly
preserved. The fact that the original games command high prices in
collecting circles makes this package an even better bargain. RPG fans
will also find another solid title in the form of Sword of Vermillion,
which is a solid adventure title that offers more action than you'd expect
it to. Sega has also gone a bit deeper into their archives than you'd
normally expect them to and have included several cool games, like Decap
Attack which were really cool and interesting, the funky graphics and
off-beat character of Decap Attack remains quite appealing and the game is
actually quite fun as far as platformers go, with some controls, superb
play mechanics and one of the most bizarre lead characters from the era.
Another cool cute platformer in the form of Bonanza Bros is also included,
which might seem a bit weird these days but remains one of the more
enjoyable platformers on the Genesis.
One of the more bizarre inclusions in
this package is Virtua Fighter 2, not the arcade version, but a scaled
down 2D port. It's not quite the same, but you have to admire the effort
that went into this translation, which actually does a decent job of
capturing the essence of the game. Each of the games is emulated
flawlessly, with the original graphics and music reproduced perfectly in
this compilation. Players can also adjust several settings including
picture size, difficulty and more. The games work well with either the PS2
controller or an arcade joystick. In addition to the Genesis titles,
players can unlock numerous extras. There are many interviews with the
original developers, many of which provide insights and interesting facts
about their development. Players can also unlock trailers for upcoming
Sega titles and read short articles about each game in the package.
However, the real treat lies in the unlockable arcade games, which include
some real gems that haven't been seen in awhile. These require you to beat
a few levels in one of the Genesis games to unlock, which isn't as hard as
it might sound. In addition to its Genesis version, players can unlock the
original arcade Altered Beast which had even better graphics and was a bit
tougher than the home version. Going back even further, players can unlock
a bunch of real oldies like the 2D vector graphics shooter Zektor, the
classic action of Tac-Scan which is one of the real closet classics of the
genre, Future Spy which is another cool shooter and finally the original
isometric classic Zaxxon, which defined an era with its innovative 3D
shooting approach, robust graphics and timelessly addictive play. This is
definitely worth the price of admission alone, and this is especially true
given its age and relative obscurity. This definitely rounds out what is a
superb and deep package of original games, making this one of the more
impressive compilations to date.
Grade: B
