Sonic Mega Collection Plus

The Good
The Sonic Series is one of the best known game series in the world. To have all of the games on 1 DVD is awesome! Each game is presented exactly as it appeared on its respective console (included are the original Genesis versions, as well as the rarer Game Gear releases) which is fantastic if you're like me and never had a chance to own one of these magnificent consoles. There are also unlockable games and developer interviews.

The Bad
There's nothing that really comes to mind, although they could have upped the resolution to 1280x1024 full screen, as the game only plays at 800x600 tops. Although doing that would severely stretch the games since they were only designed for a TV in the first place.

The Bottom Line
If you never got a chance to play the original Sonics, this is as close as you are going to get. Don't download an emulator, buy this! They are all here for you in one complete package, with a little something extra to make this a very value priced package. All in all, a fantastic buy as well as a great feeling of nostalgia! I wish more companies would do this.

The Good
That it's a near-perfect compilation! With so many other items (comics, movies etc), as well as the Megadrive/Genesis/Game Gear games, what more could you want?

When you first fire up this compilation, the first thing you'll notice is the slick presentation. The menus are fulfilled with videos playing the background, and the musics are awesome!

However, the biggest thing that makes Sega deserve a pat on the back is the emulation technology used to run the games. Every game is emulated with such high accuracy, you'd swear your PS2 has turned into a Megadrive/Genesis! Almost everything is correct, right down to the slowdown caused when you lose loads of rings!

The Bad
Now that I've heard Sega have emulated the Saturn version of Sonic R for the forthcoming Sonic Gems Collection, it makes me wonder why they didn't emulate the Saturn version of Sonic 3D. It was much better than the Megadrive/Genesis version (that version is just soooo dull)!

The Bottom Line
If you're a Sonic fan, and whether you remember these games or not, I seriously recommend you buy this right now! No Sonic collection is complete without it!

The Good
Sonic the Hedgehog has had other compilations of his older games in the past - Sega had already released Sonic & Knuckles Collection, Sonic Jam, and Sonic Mega Collection (the predecessor to this game, which has different extras and doesn't include the Game Gear titles) before. However, if you want to experience the blue blur's glory days and own a PlayStation 2, PC, or Xbox, this is the one to buy.

For starters, every Sonic game on the stock Genesis (aside from the obscure Meganet game Sonic Eraser and children's title Wacky Worlds Creativity Studio) is included, as well as most of the Sonic Game Gear games. The Ooze, Flicky, Ristar, Comix Zone and Vectorman for Genesis are also available as unlockable titles (some of the Sonic titles must be unlocked as well). For the price, that makes this compilation an incredible value, as it is obviously much cheaper to buy this game than to buy all of the included games seperately.

Thankfully, the emulation quality is usually top-notch. The games included mostly look, sound, and, most importantly, play like the original versions. While there are some minor flaws, you probably won't really notice them anyway. Also included are movies and concept art for the then-new Sonic Heroes and unlockable cheats and tips for each game, which are nice, albeit unoriginal, bonus features.

The Bad
Unfortunately, the bonus games are an absolute pain to unlock. I won't spoil how to obtain them - you can look it up yourself - but the procedures to unlock them are very tedious.

Also, when it comes to the games available, a few of the Game Gear games are mediocre. Sonic Labyrinth and Sonic Blast are both dismal games, and the Game Gear port of Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine was pointless to include with the superior Genesis version available. The non-Sonic extras are a mixed bag, with the excellent Vectorman and Ristar, the decent Comix Zone, and the dismal Flicky and The Ooze.

The Bottom Line
Overall, this is a great value and way to visit or revisit the history of Sonic the Hedgehog. Most of the games included are excellent titles, and will give you hours of entertainment either again or for the first time.