SEGA Genesis Collection (Sony PlayStation 2, 2006)

There are a number of compilation packages on the market these days (though dwindling due to Wii VC and Live Arcade). Available compilations include such titles as the Sonic Collection, Capcom Classics (1&2), Midway Arcade Treasures (1&2), and so forth. The SEGA Genesis Collection for the PS2, to this date, is the best of the bunch. The 28 titles included in this compilation are as follows:

(referenced from wikipedia)
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Altered Beast
Bonanza Bros.
Columns
Comix Zone
Decap Attack
Ecco the Dolphin
Ecco: The Tides of Time
Ecco Jr.
Flicky
Gain Ground
Golden Axe
Golden Axe II
Golden Axe III
Kid Chameleon
Phantasy Star II
Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
Ristar
Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi (Cut from the European version)
Shinobi III
Sonic The Hedgehog
Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Super Thunder Blade
Sword of Vermilion
Vectorman
Vectorman 2
Virtua Fighter 2 (Genesis/MegaDrive version)

If that wasn't enough, this collection also features more than 35 minutes of unlockable interviews from SEGA of Japan, a "museum" with facts about the games, strategy tips for each game and a set of unlockable games: Altered Beast (arcade version), Future Spy, Tac-Scan, Zaxxon, and Zektor.

That is a ridiculously high-end series of titles for the low price of 19.99 USD. Any subset of these games individually would be worth the prices (e.g. Phantasy Star games, Sonic, Comix Zone, etc). Really, the only component one can really whine about is the lack of Gunstar Heroes or Streets of Rage -- and that's really a minor quibble considering the overall package. Furthermore, if one takes a look at the prices charged for "Arcade Classics" on Wii VC or Live Arcade (generally 5USD or higher), the price of this set is remarkable.

Sound emulation has been brought forth as a point of consideration, as it isn't perfect in all the games. However, most every one of the other compilation packages suffers similar (and most often far worse) issues with emulation. If you enjoyed the SEGA Genesis, and want to play some of the top titles from that day and age, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better way to legally pick up a similarly cost-efficient, quality set of classic titles.

A walk down memory lane with Alex, Sonic, and Death Adder. See why Sega ran all of those "nitendon't" ads in the early 90's. 28 Classic games from Columns to Ecco to Vectorman all faithfully reproduced. The Phantasy Star series (2-4) is worth the price tag alone. Hundreds of hours are waiting on one disk, thankfully you can now save at any point in the game (take that Kid Chameleon!). Acomplishing certain goals will unlock exclusive arcade titles and special features including interviews, videos, and artwork. My only complaint is Streets of Rage isn't included in the compilation. A must have for Sega fans!

This is a great collection of Sega Genesis games, plus a few fun arcade games that are easy to unlock. Also included are some unlockable interviews with various programmers from Sega. Most of the games are single player, but there are a few that let two people play at the same time. Conspicuously absent from this set are classics like the Streets of Rage series and Revenge of Shinobi, but otherwise it has something for everyone who enjoyed Sega in the early 1990's.

This is a very nostalgic package for people who remember the 16-bit era of gaming when Sega was on top of the console and arcade market.

A few problems exist with this collection, however. The SOUND is the main problem.
While the games are fast, have perfect graphics, and allow you to change the controls, the SOUND is off. The pitch is higher, and somewhat filtered sounding, so it comes off as "tinny." Some sound effects are glitched, so every time you hear them, they sound off. The worst example is the unlockable Altered Beast arcade game. Many of the enemy hit sounds are glitched as are some of the Werebeast secondary attacks (like the Weredragon's laser barrier in round 2).

This is sad, because the sound was always a big part of Sega games, giving them that memorable character.

I have the original cartridges, good memories of the original arcade games, and the emulations on the PC to compare, and they are just off. They should have done more testing before releasing this!

I'm told that the PS3/Xbox360 "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis/Megadrive Collection" is superior than this. I do know however that some of the games in THIS set are not featured in that set (On the Genesis: Ecco Jr, and Virtua Fighter 2; for the arcades: Zektor, Tac/Scan and Future Spy), even though the new collection has more games overall.

Many people reading these comments may argue that the SNES had better sound, and while that is true from a technical hardware standpoint, the Genesis had some very memorable soundtracks for many of its games, good use of voices and generally made good use of what it had, even when it was competing with the best that Nintendo had to offer in the 16 bit arena. Many of us who owned the original version of the Genesis used the stereo-headphones feature, and thought it was great. So sound is a big part of these games.

The interviews are all in Japanese, and have VERY SMALL subtitles which flash by rather quickly. If you have poor eyesight or aren't a fast reader, this will annoy you. The interviews are interesting, but they leave you wanting more.

The set also includes a "cheat sheet" which gives tips and cheats for the various games. However this is nothing you couldn't already find in about ten seconds on Gamefaqs.com.

I give this set such a good score, because it is an overall great package and selection of games and history of Sega. It fails to get the highest rating because of the sound glitches. Much room for improvement...

Gameplay: A+
Presentation: A
Funfactor: A
Sound: C+
Challenge: A
Nostalgia Factor: B-

Great. There's a steady list of classic compilation games coming out these days, and the Sega Genesis Collection brings nearly thirty classic Genesis games to the PS2, and they all look, sound, and play like their original, 16-bit counterparts. Many of the games here we haven't seen on previous Sega compilations, like Alex Kidd, Bonanza Bros., Shadow Dancer, Ristar, Decap Attack, Sword of Vermillion, Super Thunder Blade, and Shinobi 3 to go along with faves like Sonic 1 & 2, the Golden Axe trilogy, Comix Zone, Altered Beast, Flicky, the Ecco trilogy, and the Phantasy Star games, which thankfully includes the overlooked classic Phantasy Star IV, which along with II and III, is worth the price of admission alone. Vectorman 1 & 2 are here as well, and so is the Genesis version of Virtua Fighter 2, which is the only real weak spot of the compilation as it is just as muddy, slow, and buggy as it was when released on the Genesis years ago. There's a good amount of extras as well, including many interviews with developers, and unlockable games like the arcade version of Altered Beast and Zaxxon. Sadly though, some games which longtime fans may have wanted to see here, like the Streets of Rage trilogy, Revenge of Shinobi, Shining in the Darkness, Shining Force, Landstalker, and Eternal Champions would have been more than welcome, although many of them are available on previous compilations. All in all, the Sega Genesis Collection is a wonderful compilation of some of the best Genesis games ever, and for longtime fans of the classic console, this is a must have.

Overall an o.k. compilation.But come on Alex Kidd and the enchanted castle,(Mario ripoff and a bad one at that),flicky and let's not forget while Echo the dolphin was groundbreaking,do you mreally need three versions? Same goes for golden axe? Where's Splatterhouse or better yet the Shining force series?Still if you are a fan of the Phantasy star series(hooray),then this is the game to buy.