The Sega Genesis was a pretty piece of hardware back in its day. I fondly remember times of throwing in Sonic the Hedgehog and just having a blast playing through a beating it as many times as possible. With the new generation and digital distribution through emulators and more, we can relive our past like we never dreamed. The Sega Genesis Collection is a compilation of over 40 titles from Sega’s library that made its way on the Genesis. This library contains all the classics like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 or Streets of Rage. If you played something on the Genesis, it’s probably in this library. This is like buying an encyclopedia set and instead of written information you have an entire games collection at your fingertips.

The Ultimate Collection?

This is a collection of over 40+ titles compiled into one disc that you can purchase the legal way without resorting to emulators to fill your retro needs. At $29.99 it’s hard to pass up especially considering that this is a collection piece much in the same fashion as The Orange Box was. Now, for myself, I already own a couple of copies of these games, especially since I was very much into the Genesis system back in the day. Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage, were all a favorite of mine. This brings me back to a time where life was simple and games weren’t as complicated as they are today.

Some of these 40+ titles include some of Sega’s greats, while there are also a few hits and misses here as well. It’s not surprising that Sega is milking these classics especially if you go a couple of years back and look at releases like Arcade titles, the Genesis Collection, and handheld games, you would think they would learn by now? There are classics of note like Sonic and Knuckles, Vectorman, Comix Zone and even Shining Force. There are various unlockable games that you’ll be able to gather via beating other games in the collection as well, (hint: the first Phantasy Star).

You can choose to either play with the default controls, which include A X Y (with B instead of Y) though it may not be the same for everyone. You can change it up to Genesis mode which is ABC, though it all depends on preference. I was personally fine with A, X, Y. You won’t have to worry about learning many control schemes considering just about every game uses the same style, albeit varied a bit in terms of its own mechanics. You’ll be shown a diagram based on your console use showing you which buttons perform what action before the game starts.

A few these games have seen releases on Xbox Live Arcade and other platforms so I was a little baffled to find out these titles were still on the list in this collection. It would’ve been a nice idea to keep a flow and add something new onto the library that wasn’t already previously released.  Sega surely has other games that while weren’t published by them can easily make the transition on this collection *cough*NHL 94*cough*. That isn’t to say that the collection doesn’t already have new titles we’ve never seen before. It just means that there could’ve been.
The one thing I dug was the fact that your choices are managed through the game cartridge itself while giving you the list to the left. Each game has its own trailer that you’ll be able to view before picking your game of choice. There are achievements/trophies for both platforms of the game and some of them are incredibly hard while others you’ll pick up at random. There is a list of them that you can find so you’ll be able to track your progress there.

Graphics

It’s hard to judge this game on merits of graphical comparison to other titles. The games in the collection all bring back their retro look and feel. The game itself is centered in a window in the middle of your screen with artwork that is relevant to the game of choice. For instance, if you had Ecco the Dolphin the artwork would be the ocean floor. For Streets of Rage you’ll see the background of a lively city in the night. Outside of that you have the interface of the game selection screen itself which Sega was pretty nifty about. You’ll see the main screen with the list of titles that are arranged alphabetically while in the cartridge to the right of the list is where a gameplay trailer will be shown depending on which game you pick. It’s a great treat when the games are able to project themselves in true 1080p fashion.

Sound

No matter which game you enter, every game has its own unique sound. Musical scores are there to bring up the tension or lighten the mood. Cheery melodies for your favorite games are back to relive the past. There’s nothing like hearing the theme song of Streets of Rage or Sonic the Hedgehog. Each game has its own character and while not every game is the greatest hit of the generation, you’ll find something to enjoy out of the bunch, after all there is quite a bit to choose from.

Plasma Factor

If this Genesis Collection has anything going for it, it would be its retro goodness. Nostalgia is always a great way to bring everyone together around the dinner table for the night and day dream about our favorite gaming moments. However, it’s also a minus on the fact that Sega has already released these collections more than once before. It’s like their telling us they need to stock up and print money from these nostalgic moments. I’m sure Sega is doing fine on this front and doesn’t really need much help.

Conclusion

It’s interesting that they title this Sonic’s Genesis Collection considering there was already a past release entitling the Genesis Collection. At $29.99, however, it’s hard to pass up. If you’re an achievement/trophy junkie or you haven’t already purchased most of these titles in previous packs then you certainly wouldn’t want to miss this. There are plenty of both to pick up and with the 40+ titles on board, it should keep you busy for quite a while. Sonic’s Genesis Collection is a great throw back to the times of old and I would hope this collection inspires other publishers to dig deep into their libraries and release these packs. This is one idea that would greatly bring down piracy in terms of emulators for old games. Either way, Sonic’s Genesis Collection is a great deal with over 40+ titles to choose from.