GAMING INSIDER
By Michael Wenzel,
IV Leader Game Critic, May 7, 2009
THE GOOD: THE SONIC GAMES, PHANTASY STAR SERIES, GOLDEN AXE
THE BAD: SOME BIG GENESIS TITLES DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT
TROPHIES: MOST ARE EASILY ATTAINABLE
This issue I am going to kick it old school and revisit some great classic Sega games all assembled into one nifty package, appropriately titled, “Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection.”
Growing up in the 90s I played my fair share of Sega Genesis games, and getting the opportunity to replay classics like “Golden Axe” and “Sonic 3” without actually having to bust out the Sega Genesis is awesome!
This collection consists of almost all of the major Genesis hits, but a few notable exclusions leave you scratching your head wondering where they are.
On that note, not every game in this collection is due for a comeback either. Some of the greatest games on the disc include such classics as “Sonic the Hedgehog,” “Sonic 2” and “3,” as well as “Sonic and Knuckles.”
Sonic aside, other great plays include the entire “Phantasy Star” collection, as well as the “Golden Axe” trilogy.
“Streets of Rage,” another of my favorite Genesis titles, also makes a return for the Ultimate Collection.
Not every game on the disc truly shines though. Some, like “Altered Beast” and “Fatal Labyrinth,” are not probably even worth a quick replay, unless somehow they bring back fond memories for you.
For the most part however, the collection is a pretty good one with more hits than misses. One thing that I have learned by replaying many of these classics, however, is that most of these games are wicked hard, and much more difficult to master than many current day games!
“Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine,” for example, is probably the bane of gamers everywhere, and achieving the trophy associated with completing the game nearly made me punch a wall!
By playing these games, players unlock various videos of interviews between the game developers as well as more games to play, some of which were only released on arcade machines, which is very cool.
While playing through “Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection,” I was slightly disappointed to see that some games did not make it in, particularly the Knuckles expansion to “Sonic 3,” as it seemed like a no-brainer considering the game’s title.
Other honorable mentions that did not make the cut that I would have liked to have seen included are “Battle Toads” and “Spider Man – Maximum Carnage.” Alas, they were not.
These couple of games aside, however, “Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection” does an excellent job at summing up all of the games that made the Sega Genesis the console to own, and now this generation of players has the opportunity to replay some of the greatest videogames ever. I give “Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection” a 9 out of 10.