Some consider the early 90s to be the golden age of console gaming. Both Sega and Nintendo were doing great in hardware and software sales, original IPs were a dime a dozen, and gaming in general was a healthy, if slightly underappreciated pastime. While those days are mostly gone, Sega proves once again that the games of yesteryear are just as entertaining, if not more, as today's major blockbusters.

Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection contains over 40 Genesis, Master System, and arcade games; all as you remember them.  The list ranges from classics like Streets of Rage and Vectorman, to questionable additions like Flicky and Dynamite Headdy.  While the majority of the list falls under the "classics" category, one has to wonder why games like Toe Jam and Earl weren't included.



Visually, there are quite a few options to get the games to fit your liking. Sega gives the option to play in either 16-9 or 4-3 aspect ratios, but with an odd design choice. You have to set each game up individually, as opposed to having a single setting that affects all games. While this is a little tedious, the game does remember each title's specific setting after the first time around, so there's no need to redo your visual preferences once you set them for each game. Setting a 4-3 ratio on a widescreen TV creates vertical borders on either side of the screen that visually match the theme of the game playing, which is a nice touch.

Another visual feature is the smoothing option, which blurs the pixel edges together for a less jagged appearance. While it occasionally does make the game look better, it also tends to blur out small details and in-game font, so I typically left it off while playing. Technical flaws aside, this feature took away from the visual impact and plain old nostalgia one feels while playing past generation games. Of course, younger audiences or those who don't care for the old school vibe may feel differently.



The emulation of things like sound are generally a concern with games like these (Sonic Mega Collection Plus on the PS2 failed in this respect), but all worries are put to rest when the game loads up. It all sounds just like you remember it, with no noticeable oddities in the music or the sound effects. Sound is a huge factor(especially in regards to old school games), and Sega took the time to get things right.

SUGC also lets you organize the games list in nearly any way you see fit. There's even a "favorites" ranking system in place, so you can rate your favorite games and even organize them from best to worst. While some may never use this feature, it's cool to simply push a button and have your all-time favorites listed, instead of having to navigate through dozens of games to find one. The in-game controls are nearly every bit as responsive as the original Genesis controller. Unfortunately, some of the games don't respond as well as they should with the analog stick, but the D-pad solves that problem on the rare occasions it comes up. Interestingly enough, each game has its own control setup, as opposed to simply sticking to a simple "abc/xab" scheme (which it claims to in the manual). This actually works well in a majority of the games, even occasionally adding a second attack button in games like Golden Axe.



One of the best features of the collection is the Museum.  Pressing B on the controller at the title select screen will bring up a page of general bits of information and some rather interesting facts for each of the 40 Genesis games. Did you know that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was originally going to have a soundtrack by Michael Jackson? I didn't either.

Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection is a great way for any Sega fan to relive the old days of their past while still racking up achievement points for their newfangled console. Both visually and audibly, everything is just how it was, only better. The list of titles mostly satisfies, and for a bargain price of $29.99, there really is no reason not to return to your favorites again and again.


Fun Factor: Classic titles to choose from, nearly something for everyone.

Game Length:  Long. Several months long.

Difficulty: Ranges from easy to COMIX ZONE.

On the Negative Side: Some questionably missing titles; No online multiplayer.

Bang for your buck: over 40 games for $30 … score!