Sega Genesis Collection
This collection shows us that we really need a good Mega Drive collection
Tags: Sega Genesis Collection Categories: PS2 Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Dec 23rd, 2006
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Genesis Collection (title page) | 1 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Other | No | ||
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I’m not sure what I’m supposed to think about the Sega Genesis Collection. On one hand there’s plenty of great “old school” games here. On the other, Bonanza Brothers, Columns and Golden Axe already made an appearance in last year’s Sega Classics Collection. Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedeghog 2 appear in the Sonic Mega Collection as did Ristar and Flicky. Comix Zone appears on the Sonic Mega Collection Plus (along with the two Sonic titles and Ristar and Flicky). Granted, the versions on Sega Classics Collection are from the arcade, and what we have here are the Genesis versions, but they are not different enough to matter.
What we are left with is:
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Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Altered Beast
Decap Attack
Ecco the Dolphin
Ecco: Tides of Time
Ecco Jr.
Gain Ground
Golden Axe II
Golden Axe III
Kid Chameleon
Phantasy Star II
Phantasy Star III
Phantasy Star IV
Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
Shinobi III
Super Thunder Blade
Sword of Vermillion
VectorMan
VectorMan 2
Virtua Fighter 2
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I’m not complaining – there’s a lot of game here that hasn’t been collected. Heck, on a personal note, just having the Phantasy Star titles alone is worth more than the price of admission here. It just seems that Sega didn’t take any time in selecting the games for inclusion – no thought was placed in was actually being put in. By limiting itself to one platform’s games, they left out several Shinobi titles as well as the original Phantasy Star. Do you think there will be a Sega Mega Drive collection? Me neither.
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It would have been much better to take some of the lesser games (Kid Chameleon, Decap Attack, VectorMan, VectorMan 2, etc.) and expanded on that idea, then creating further collections of the venerated franchises and released them on their own. Really, did Sega think that a Phantasy Star or Shinobi collection wouldn’t sell? They would if it included everything up to and maybe even including DreamCast era games. Heck, if Sega took Virtua Fighter 1 through 4 and put them on a disc I bet you it would sell more than enough copies to make back the cost.
As it is we have to play what we got – and there’s a lot here (even if incomplete). Frankly, as an “old school” compilation this is one of the better values as far as game time is concerned, especially with the RPGs thrown in.
So what’s missing? Toe Jam & Earl (1 & 2), Streets of Rage, Gunstar Heroes, Whacky Worlds, The Ooze, Moonwalker, Biohazard Battle, Chakan: The Forever Man and Light Crusader just to name a few. This isn’t to mention any of the third party games such as Road Rash, Earthworm Jim, Clayfighter, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, and Crusader of Centy.
As with any compilation, there are going to be games that, well, let’s face it – some games just suck. Others just don’t stand up to the test of time. Others just are for different tastes. As wonderful as the Shinobi games are, I just don’t care that much for them, but that’s a personal thing, not a reflection of the quality of the game.
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Included on the disc are a bunch of interviews, artwork, gameplay tips, history and more. There really is a wealth of information included here. It’s nice to see that the company’s history isn’t going to waste. While the game selection is a little puzzling as to what is and isn’t included, the collection isn’t simply slapped together and some thought was put into creating a package that celebrated the Genesis console.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
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+ Lots of games + Plenty of really hard to find games + Lots of extras + The price |
8.5 |
| What Doesn't | |
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- Narrow focus elminates Mega Drive games (such as Phantasy Star) - Plenty of other great first party Genesis games got overlooked - Several franchises could have been features in their own collection (such as Phantasy Star, Virtua Fighter and Shinobi) |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| If you used to have a Genesis, you need to pick this disc up and relive some good times. If you always wanted to get one but were a Nintendo loyalist, then you should pick this up as well and see what you were missing. | |
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Tags: Sega Genesis Collection
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Dec 23rd, 2006 and is filed under PS2 Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
