Sonic Ultimate Genesis Collection (PS3) Review

Posted by Armando Rodriguez on 03.12.2009

49 classic games for $30! Is that enough to make this a must buy? Read on to find out!


Title: Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Action Compilation
Players: 1-2 players
Rated E 10+


When it comes to classic games, the Sega Genesis had a ton of them. After owning half a dozen systems in my entire life, the Genesis is still my absolute favorite. That’s why I was incredibly pumped up about the release of Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection for the Playstation 3. Forty-nine classic games, the great majority from the Genesis and a few from Sega’s rich arcade history all in one blu-ray disc. What’s not to like?


Gameplay:

Ok, I won’t go into detail about all 49 games, otherwise this review would be 20 pages long. Suffice it to say that there are games here from almost all the genres. We have the side-scrolling adventure classics like Sonic 2 and Ristar, the beat-em-ups like Streets of Rage and Golden Axe and even RPG’s like Shining Force and Phantasy Star. Columns and Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine also make the list for puzzle fanatics.

The only ones I consider duds are E-SWAT and Super Thunder Blade. E-SWAT is a side-scrolling shooter from the early days of the Genesis and it has not aged well, been too stiff and rudimentary. Super Thunder Blade is an on-rails 3D shooter like Space Harrier. You can control the speed of your movement and which directions you strafe, but there is no way to move in any other direction that isn’t forward. At first it can provide a bit of fun, but it fades away quickly once you realize everything is the same.

Beat-em-ups like Streets of Rage and Golden Axe remain fun to this date, especially with friends. The gameplay is repetitive in the sense that you are always moving left to right and kicking thugs around, but it is surprisingly fun and they have become the two series I have played the most with my pals. Mean Bean Machine, which is basically Puyo Puyo with Sonic characters, is absolutely addictive and another of the true gems of the collection. For RPG buffs, both Shining Force titles are here fantastic. They are my favorite RPG games of all time and I wish someone at Sega reads this and makes a Shining Force III Complete disc to release in the future. They are turn-based tactical RPG’s like Fire Emblem and Ogre Battle, but they have a LOT more charm and character. I have beaten both titles about 12 times each and I never get tired. Phantasy Star are more traditional, Final Fantasy-like, Role-playing games and are also very good, especially part IV. Phantasy Star II also has the only tragic moment in RPG history that competes with Aerith’s death in Final Fantasy VII. Phantasy Star III is also the longest RPG I had played at the time, spanning multiple generations and having several different endings. The Sonic games are all pretty awesome, even the average Sonic 3D Blast. Yes, it was different and many considered it boring and repetitive, but after suffering through Sonic Unleashed, I was able to see 3D Blast in a new light and actually beat it this time. Ristar is also a fantastic adventure game that flew under the radar and fans of the genre should experience it at least once.



The unlockable games are all pretty good, but I question their decision to put in the far superior arcade version of Altered Beast in this package, alongside the inferior and boring Genesis version. They should have cut the Genesis version and added a different game then. Of all the unlockables, Fantasy Zone, Phantasy Star and Golden Axe Warrior are the best. Fantasy Zone is a side-scrolling space shooter that takes place in a colorful and vivid world instead of the pitch-black and drab environments typical of the genre. The original Phantasy Star, from the Master System, is still a fantastic RPG with first-person 3D dungeons and a fantastic story. The lack of maps and a strong difficulty curve that requires tons of random battles to level might prevent modern gamers from trying it out, but they definitively should. It is just that good. Hell, I used to draw maps for this game in an old notebook as a way of keeping track of where the traps where when I was 7 years old! Finally, Golden Axe Warrior is the best Zelda clone I have ever played. It has better graphics and was just tons of fun.

But not everything is perfect. There is no online play whatsoever. It would have been nice to be able to play Streets of Rage or Mean Bean Machine with friends online, but sadly that was left out. The unlockable interviews are a nice bonus, but they are quite boring and I really don’t think anyone will sit through them all and enjoy them. There is also a lack of fighting games. Where is Eternal Champions? Also, no racing games!

Other notable games published by Sega, including Gunstar Heroes and Landstalker are missing. Sega also published a ton of space shooters on the Genesis, but outside of Fantasy Zone (which is an arcade game!) there are none in the collection. A little Galaxy Force or Sub-Terrania would have been nice. But the biggest blunder Sega could have done was calling this SONIC’S Ultimate Genesis Collection, when the lock-on games Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic 2 & Knuckles where left out entirely. In my opinion, Sonic 3 & Knuckles was the best Sonic game on the Genesis and it’s not in the collection. They came out with an excuse about the omission, saying that it needed special emulation and that working on that would have left other games out. I really don’t buy that, since there are about a million illegal emulators capable of doing that. Finally, I think the trophy list is way too easy. As a matter of fact, this game was labeled as an “EASY PLATINUM” by trophy collectors on message boards across the internet. Outside of the Columns, Mean Bean Machine and Sonic Spinball trophies, the rest are way too easy. “Beat the first level of Streets of Rage with all 3 characters”? “Get 100 rings on the first act of Sonic 3 playing as Tails”? “Beat the first level of Sonic 2 in multiplayer”? Man that is way too easy!


Graphics:

In a disc full of so many games, graphics have to be a mixed bag and they are. Games like E-SWAT, Altered Beast (Genesis version) and Bonanza Bros. look really outdated and are a bit hard on the eyes. The animations are stiff and the graphics are not as colorful as they would become in later years. However, others like Sonic 3, Ristar and Ecco the Dolphin are poetry in motion and are wonderful to behold even today. Golden Axe Warrior and Phantasy Star for the Master System are proof that technology wise, Sega was lights ahead of Nintendo in the 8-bit days. Because Sega does what Nintendon’t!

The new emulation filter added to the collection is a mixed bag as well. On colorful games like Sonic and Ristar, everything looks even more colorful and polished. Vectorman, which used 3D polygons, also benefits from the filter because it corrects some of the parts in which it was rough around the edges and makes it look real good. However, in the really outdated games like the aforementioned Bonanza Bros., it does nothing for the game and in reality makes it look even worse, since it makes the game’s natural graphical deficiencies stand out. Also, if you play in HD, keeps the standard screen size with the borders surrounding it. If you go for full-screen, it will still look stretched, even with the filter turned on, and you will loose a lot of the graphical quality from the games.



Sound:

Like graphics, sound can be a mixed bag. The older games sound too much like 8-bit titles, but as you move forward in time, the aural experience of Sonic, Ecco and Streets of Rage 2 will show you what the Genesis could do. The music in some of this titles would make for an awesome soundtrack.

Lasting Appeal:

Are you kidding me? Between the RPG’s alone we have 100+ hours of gameplay, without counting all the other action, adventure and puzzle games! You could basically buy this game and never buy another PS3 game ever! That’s how long you could play this collection.



Fun Factor:

I really don’t think anyone can buy this game and say that they didn’t have fun. It has something for everyone and if you love classic gaming, even better! Not all the titles will appeal to you, but even if you like a dozen of the games here, it is worth a buy. The game even conveniently lets you rate the games yourself, so that you can search them by rating and have only the ones you like best standing out.

The 411:

We have 49 games for roughly $30. Between all the games you have hundreds of hours of gameplay. You can also learn a bit about Sega’s history while you play. There is a lot of bang for your buck here! This is probably the first Sega made game since Virtua Fighter 5 that I recommend, hands down, to everyone who owns a Playstation 3, whether you have a soft spot for the classics or not. Now Sega, release a Sega CD/Sega Saturn collection to make us all happy!

Graphics	8.2	They are a mixed bag depending on the game you play, but they are mostly colorful and vivid, a real showcase for what the Genesis could do.
Gameplay	9.0	There is enough games here for you to love at least half of them. Truly a collection of most of the best titles out for the Genesis.
Sound	8.0	Once more, a mixed bag depending on the game. They range from simple bleeps to awesome musical pieces.
Lasting Appeal	9.9	You could easily have over 100 hours of gameplay if you try to beat every game. The RPG's alone are worth 100 hours!
Fun Factor	9.5	With so many GOOD games, it is impossible not to have fun.
Overall	9.0   [  Amazing ]

Screenshots
All 20 Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection Screenshots