Sonic the Hedgehog: The Ultimate Genesis Collection

Many of the video games out in the market today had it’s beginnings many years ago. Such is the case of Sonic the Hedgehog, from Sega of America. People who first got their hands on Sonic games, did so in early 1991. Today, Sega realizes a market exists, composed mainly of people in their late twenties to mid thirties, who would still enjoy the first releases of Sonic the hedgehog and his adventures facing Dr. Robotnik. For this crowd, the developers at Sega have released a collection of over 40 games called The Ultimate Genesis Collection. With the aim of bringing back memories of the good old days that present parents may perhaps enjoy in the company of their children.

There are exactly 49 different games in the Sonic Genesis compilation. In terms of content, they are well known games, that most Sonic fans will be familiar with. You will be provided with every instance of Sonic the Hedgehog to ever come out on the Genesis, in addition to three distinct releases of “Streets of Rage”, and “Golden Axe”. Perhaps not many Sonic fans of today are familiar with an included version of “Altered Beast”, despite the fact that players who still remember this game, believe it to be the greatest game ever. In summary, all the games included in the compilation are well known games, and each of them enjoyed their two seconds of fame at the time when they where first released. For those who lost the opportunity to enjoy one these game titles, here’s your chance to catch up on you gaming experience. Some of the less known titles, players may have missed include “Ecco the Dolphin” and “Kid Chameleon”.

The games in the collection run by means of an emulator, the PS3 controls blend adequately in place for the Genesis pad. All games can be played via analog stick, or “D-Pad”, and the action buttons are arranged in practical, easy to use locations. Maneuver controls, and actions buttons are effectively displayed on the screen at the beginning of each game before you jump in. Plus, advances in technology allow for fun additional features not seen before in these game titles. Extras that allow the player to save the game whenever he wants, and to see additional features and extras for each game are such to provide a more fulfilling video game playing experience.

Any game player with previous experience using emulators is aware that they are not perfect. Expect some glitches in the graphic interface, causing minor interruptions in game play, plus a little static noise during game play. These drawbacks do not come as a surprise and should be expected when using an emulator to play games made in another platform. To compensate, the disc provides nine system games and several developer interviews, which must be unlocked by playing the developer related games included in the collection.

Is would not be fair to judge these games by today’s standards, they do not come with high definition graphics or digital surround sound. What they may hold for some of us are great memories, which we may perhaps share with the younger generations.