GENRE
	Retro Compilation
	DEVELOPER
	Sonic Team
	PUBLISHER
	SEGA
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-2
	CONNECTIVITY
	no
	BUY NOW AT

While playing this game, I couldn’t help but hearken back to a time when the “console wars” were just Sega and Nintendo. Each console had their advantages and disadvantages, just like in today’s world. Putting the bad things aside, what made the SEGA Genesis so great was Sega’s first-party titles.

Most notable among these have been the Sonic series. After shelling out 40-50 clams per cartridge back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, the entire collection of Genesis-era Sonic titles is now available for the Nintendo GameCube as Sonic Mega Collection.

• Sonic The Hedgehog
• Sonic The Hedgehog 2
• Sonic The Hedgehog 3
• Sonic and Knuckles
• Sonic 3D Blast
• Sonic Spinball
• Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
• Flicky—Unlockable
• Ristar—Unlockable
• Sonic 3 and Knuckles—Unlockable
• Knuckles in Sonic 2—Unlockable
• Blue Sphere—Unlockable

visuals

The colorful graphics in all of these titles are unquestionably outdated, but the visual quality is still striking in its own memorable way. Sprites animate without too much constraint and every environment is filled with bright, vivid colors; this is a big part of what makes playing through them so fun. Since these titles are so behind-the-times, it’s hard to say anything more about the graphics than the fact that the visuals aren’t the reason this game is so great.

audio

While playing through Sonic Mega Collection, I realized that only the music from the original Sonic the Hedgehog was significantly memorable, probably because I listened to my CD player while playing every subsequent game back in the Genesis days. The music and sound effects weren’t very pleasing to the ear after the first hour or so of playtime, Sonic and Knuckles being the only exception. Due to the age of these games, however, this is easily forgiven.

gameplay

Each of the 7 games (plus the 5 unlockable titles) offer an excellent retro-play experience. A Sonic fan who remembers playing these titles until their Genesis sparked into flames will undoubtedly enjoy Sonic Mega Collection. Anyone who ever missed this era could easily get into the games, with nearly endless hours of playtime and a fairly low price tag. Either way, Sonic Mega Collection gives plenty of rewards for the cash.

What’s great about this game is that it focuses much more on the excellent play mechanics of the titles rather than the dated graphics and sound. In today’s world where it seems most gamers would give their left arm for better graphics over gameplay, a compilation like this is so very welcome. For that, SEGA deserves a medal for bringing this collection to the GameCube. With this amount of classic titles and solid gameplay, I can easily recommend this game over the more recent SEGA release, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. My only complaint is that Sonic Team did not bring the classic Comix Zone to North America as they did in Japan. That’s more a wish than a complaint though. Here’s hoping for a future compilation with the legendary Sonic CD.

multiplayer

Five words: Dr Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine. Games like this were made for multiplayer. Just like the original, the title only supports 2 players at a time, but it still gives the players a fun, exciting experience. If you have a girlfriend, boyfriend, or spouse who doesn’t get into games that much, plug in this title and go right to Mean Bean Machine. You’ll have so much fun you won’t hardly believe it. You may even be able to turn them towards the path of the dark side! Er… Good! Side of good… Yes…

overall

SEGA put out two excellent compilations in 2002. One with THQ on the Game Boy Advance called Phantasy Star Collection and the other on the Cube as Sonic Mega Collection. Both of these titles, despite their content's considerable age, are two of 2002's must-own titles. If you enjoy revisiting the past, pick this one up the next time you need a hundred hours of playtime. Otherwise, go ahead and wait for Sonic Adventure DX this summer.

SEEEEEEGAAAAAA! This upbeat ring brings back either joyous or bitter nostalgia depending on whose side you were on during the SNES/Genesis wars, but hearing it on the GameCube is a joyous occasion no matter who you are. Sonic the Hedgehog, revered by some blind fanboys (like myself) as the "Anti-Mario," blazes his way across the GameCube again to give Nintendo fans a chance to play these great games of yesteryear. Sonic Mega Collection boasts an incredible 7 full games with 5 hidden bonus games! The games are presented with an amazing interface full of bonus features such as movies, comics, artwork, and instruction manuals. Presentation is even better than the menus of Super Smash Bros. Melee. Sonic Mega Collection makes it easy to access all the Sonic goodies you could hope for and delivers every game in perfect form, identical to their Genesis counterparts. Herein lies the collection's main weakness: the games. The Sonic games are fun, and all of them are enjoyable for at least a while, but they are left EXACTLY as they were in the Genesis versions. This means you will not be able to save your progress at all (except for in Sonic 3). The Sonic games are quite long and difficuly, and quite frankly, a gamer that also works and/or goes to school may not have any time to finish them. Beyond this, my only complaint is the lack of Sonic CD, which makes the game feel incomplete, especially since many Sonic fans (including this Dojo Disciple) believe it to be the best of the series. Sega's official word was that Sonic CD would not fit on the disc, but I believe it has more to do with them being too lazy to write a Sega CD emulator. Overall, the Mega Collection is a pretty good deal. Sure, you may be able to download all of these games for free, but that's illegal. You get 12 games varying from Mediocre (Sonic 3D Blast) to Excellent (Sonic 1) to Superb (Sonic 2), and lots of fun bonus features. If you're a fan of the Sonic Series, buy it. Otherwise, at least rent it. 7.5/10 -- Paul Pace

9.0/10