SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection Review

Something for everyone?

by Sutton Dagger:

©2009 Steven Sutton:

Reviewing a compilation disk is certainly  a different task to reviewing a new release title. Graphics advance, sound gets more detailed and gameplay is refined over time, so how does one categorise and assign a score to these classic games in the ‘next gen’ era?

Essentially the present criteria of graphics, sound and gameplay are applied less stringently, with the collection of games  being analysed instead according to funfactor and value for money. With this in mind, the SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection is a must buy for old school, SEGA fans.

This compilation is quite a sizeable one, with 40 Mega Drive (Genesis) titles available from the get go, with another 9 Master System/Arcade games rounding out the full list at 49 classics. The Master System/Arcade titles are unlockable and tied directly to the achievement system, get 30 gamerscore and unlock Phantasy Star 1 at the same time, not too shabby SEGA.

The list of included titles is well rounded, spanning many genres and often incorporating a complete series of games. The notable stand out series being Streets of Rage  (1, 2 & 3), Sonic (1, 2, 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Spinball & Sonic 3D) Shining Force (1 & 2) and Phantasy Star (1 through 4), among others.

The standalone games are also top tier titles, who doesn’t love the rock/paper/scissors champ, Alex Kidd, or the insanely muscular human/canine,  Altered Beast. Of course with any collection of this type, some gems will always be missing. I would have loved to experience the cult classic Landstalker again, but licensing issues and publishing rights can often throw a spanner in the works.

The games are arranged on the menu screen in the manner of your choosing; either alphabetical, in respective genre, or you can assign them by user rating (each title can be given a 0-5 rating for future reference). The presentation of the menu is flashy with cartridges flying across the screen and the recognisable Mega Drive in the middle whilst scrolling through each game.

Presentation in-game is your standard fair, colourful characters and settings characterised the 16-bit era, and these emulations capture that classic look well. The collection doesn’t utilise the stretched widescreen look used in some of the XBLA ports, instead themed borders fill the remainder of the screen.

Along with the unlockable games are a host of developer videos as well, these are also connected to the collection of achievements. Often a strong point of purchase for some gamers, the achievements are relatively easy to obtain, though a few exceptions do apply and will have take some old-fashioned determination to achieve.

This compilation also features a museum section that has all types of information on the particular games history, interesting facts and a gallery mode that displays each games original boxart and cartridge designs. Unfortunately us PAL gamers have to endure the Genesis logo over the boxart/cartridge images, a slight disappointment in the grand scheme of things but off-putting none the less.

Perhaps the biggest new addition is the ability to state save at any time during each game. This is a drastic difference to the way these games were originally played, as some were without the save ability altogether. This can either improve or dilute the original playstyle depending on your perspective, though for me personally they are a welcome feature.

The SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection (as the name implies), is the ultimate collection of classic games for SEGA fans. There is hundreds of hours of gaming available on the one disk and with a RRP of $69.95 AU, it represents good value for money. Though I admit I’m ‘looking through rose coloured glasses’, when playing this collection, nostalgia and childhood memories don’t take away from the fact that this is a must buy for those who appreciate the classics.

©2009 Steven Sutton:

”8.8/10

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