The compilation features the games Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic Spinball, Sonic 3D and Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine. There are a few hidden games in there as well, but you can find those out for yourself. Each game would appear to be running on an emulator, but the emulation of these titles isn’t as good as it was in the Saturn compilation Sonic Jam. Colour doesn’t seem to be as rich in some parts as it was playing on an actual Megadrive, but that may be due to the fact I grew up on the PAL versions (PAL colour is much better than NTSC). Gameplay of all the titles is still intact and stands the test of time, and in some cases, the Gamecube controller makes things a little easier.
The extras included in Mega Collection are probably the downfall of the package. Saturn owners may remember that Sonic Jam was filled to the brim with extras, including a few 3D adventure levels. Mega Collection is relatively barebones, giving you a few paltry additions, like the Sonic 10th Anniversary Video shown in Japan around June 2001, the beginning and end videos of Sonic CD, a stack of Archie comic book covers, and one whole comic. Having these as unlockables could have been nice, but the emulation structure probably wouldn’t allow for it. The exclusion of Sonic CD is criminal to some, though Sega CD emulation is very hard to pull off. The history of Sonic sections only seem to elaborate on the main titles on the series, and not the obscure titles that only Sega experts would know of, and its errors like this that seem to give the package the overall feeling that it was rushed out for last Christmas.
Sonic fans will only really be disappointed by the extras in the package, but having all of the games on one disc provides great convenience. Anyone who has never played the Megadrive Sonic games should pick this one up immediately, while die-hard fans should probably consider finding a Saturn and a copy of Sonic Jam for all their compilation needs.
Sonic Mega Collection is due on March 7th for all PAL regions.
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