The only compilation you will ever need? Find out!
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Year: 2009
Played on: Xbox 360
Also on: PS3
Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Publisher: Sega
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GENESIS DOES
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Date posted: November 19, 2017
PREMISE
A year ago or so, Nintendo decided to release, to everyone’s surprise, the NES Classic. It was a self-contained system that contained 30 of the greatest NES games of all time. No need to go out and buy a WiiU or Nintendo Switch- you just needed to buy this mini-console to experience some of the best games ever made. However, things went south pretty fast.
Everyone know what happened- scalpers lined up and bought as many as they could, absolutely inflating the price the way I inflate my blow-up wife- till the point it almost explodes! Right now, the NES classic sits at an average price on of anywhere from 150 to 200 dollars- you could buy a Xbox One or PS4 on Black Friday for that price! Sheeesh!
So why bring this up? Its simple, really- compare and contrast! Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection, which, no, sadly does not include all of the band’s greatest hits, but instead a bunch of Sega Genesis games, along with a plethora of other content. Compare this compilation’s wealth of 48 games (40 Genesis, 7 Arcade, and 2 Master System games) to the measly 30 games that come with the NES classic, and the winner is clear…
GENESIS DOES WHAT NINTENDON’T!
Ironically, only Columns shows up in this collection.
I always wanted to say that!
Add to this how cheap the compilation goes for now and days (Less then $15 easily!), and the winner is clear! The NES classic may have some of the best games of all time, but so does this excellent compilation (depending on you ask, of course!).
PROS
Most of the classic games from the Sega Genesis are here! Not just Sonic 1 and Sonic 2, but every Sonic game available for the Genesis is here- 3, Knuckles, Spinball, and 3D Blast are all accounted for! Other games that made the system a house-hold name are also present- Ecco the Dolphin, Altered Beast, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, and Columns are some of the many games present on the collection. Here’s a quick rundown based on genre….
Like beat’em ups? This game has plenty- both Golden Axe and Streets of Rage trilogies are on the disc! May I recommend Streets of Rage 2 and the often overlooked Golden Axe 3? These six games are all great belt-scrollers- yes, even Streets of Rage 3! I guess Alien Storm could be counted as a beat’em up as well- also very overlooked in my opinion. Who could also forget the excellent Comix Zone, which still holds up, even though its one of the most difficult games in the collection!
There are also a good amount of games ported over from the arcade- Alien Storm, Bonanza Bros, Flicky, Gain Ground, Super Thunder Blade, and that weird conversion of E-swat- all pretty good ports of classic and even forgotten arcade games!
There is also a number of plaformers like Alex Kidd and Kid Chameleon (Which deserves more recognition, Sega!) and who can forget the platfomer shooters of Vectorman 1 and 2? Then theres that weird as hell Decap attack, thats worth a playthough or two. Ristar is also another great game, that, once again, needs more recognition from Sega. Does Sega even realize how many ips it has under its belt, or do they just not care?
Shinobi III. It deserves its own line in this review. That’s how good it is!
Some more underrated gems are present- like Dynamite Heady and Beyond Oasis are included, the later goes for an exuberant amount of money now ($100+!) so it good to know that it was included as well!
The biggest and best reason to buy this collection- the JRPGs and SRPGs included. Not only do you get Phantasy Star 2-4, but you also get the Master System original- one of the best additions, in my opinion! You also get Shining Force 1 and 2- considered by many as two of the best strategy rpgs ever made. Along with these, you get the rogue like Fatal Labyrinth and the prequel to Shining Force, Shining in the Darkness, a dungeon crawler. These alone give you at least a good 100 hours of gameplay!
Finally, there is a bunch of unlockable content, including arcade and Master System games, along with interviews and such. You can unlock the arcade version of Altered Beast, along with arcade classics like Shinobi, Space Harrier, Alien Syndrome and Fantasy Zone, and even Master System games like Golden Axe Warrior and the aforementioned Phantasy Star! The cherry on one of the greatest sundaes ever!
All in all, a solid collection! Now let me go over to Sonic and Knuckles so I can play Sonic 3 with Knuckles. I mean it has to be included, right? Right?
CONS
Where is it? Sonic 3 and Knuckles is no where to be found! What do you mean they didn’t have enough time to put it in?
That’s right- all the lock on games from Sonic and Knuckles are absent from the collection. Blue Sphere, Sonic 2 with Knuckles, and Sonic 3 and Knuckles are not here- due to the fact that the collection itself had a very tight schedule, apparently, and they did not have enough time. Sad really- Sonic 3 and Knuckles is considered by many the superior way to play though both Sonic 3 and S&K!
Not only that, but there seems to be a couple of games missing that you expect to be there. Where’s Revenge of Shinobi and Shadow Dancer? You have Dynamite Heady, but where’s Gunstar Heroes- one of Treasure’s finest games? Where are all the Wonder Boy games? Where are the games featured in the PS2 Sega Genesis collection- Virtua Fighter 2, Sword of Vermilion, and Echo Jr?
I understand there absence, but It would of been cool to have a bunch of the classic Konami games on here- Castlevania: Bloodline, Contra: Hard Corps, Rocket Knight Adventures- did they talk with Konami, or did they decide that it wasn’t worth the hassle? I mean, I could see why the game were not included- Konami would of played hardball, no doubt- it just would have been cool to have these games included is all.
Other then that, I guess emulation isn’t perfect here and there. Nothing that really damages the games, but purists will notice a hiccup or two.
FINAL VERDICT
What can I really say? For the price, the selection of games here is staggering. If you want to relive your childhood without having to pay out the ass, or are looking to play though these games for the first time, then Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection should be in your collection. Period.
Agree? Disagree? Good! Leave a comment about how terrible my taste is in the comments below!
Gamer's Edge 