Sega: PC Smash Pack

The Good
This is a great compilation of some classic Genesis games. Phantasy Star 2 alone makes this CD worth it, and the other games are great as well. If you're into compilations of classic games, this is one of the best. Each game is emulated almost perfectly, so they're virtually the same as they were on the Genesis. Although Altered Beast and Outrun were already released for the PC years ago, these Genesis versions look and sound much better, as well as being easier to run under Windows. I can only hope that Sega will release some more Smash Packs with the rest of the Phantasy Stars and maybe some Master System games.

The Bad
Being perfectly emulated games can also be a bad thing. Although Smash Pack is supposed to be a discounted re-release of some classics, it would have been nice if they had opted to rework each of these games with better graphics and sound.

Even though Smash Pack's versions of Outrun and Altered Beast are superior to the DOS originals, its version of Golden Axe is not. Sega already had a great port of Golden Axe for the PC, which looks and sounds better than the Genesis version included on the Smash Pack. It would seem to make more sense to include a superior version that is native to the machine it will run on, than to emulate an inferior version and include it on the compilation.

The Bottom Line
This is a nice little compilation of some classic games by one of the best game developing companies in the world - Sega. All these game are the Genesis versions with no upgrades, but it sure is nice to play these games on your PC instead of seeking out a Genesis and each cartridge.