SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection Review

Written by: Steve Martin Posted: 22nd April 2009

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Steve gets all nostalgic.

SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection Details:

Goto SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection Game Page

	Arcade
	PlayStation 3/Xbox 360
	Backbone Entertainment
	Sega

12+

Out Now

1-2

Forty classic Sega games on one disc...it’s obvious that the target audience is the older gamers out there who grew up playing on their 16-Bit machines, the Mega Drive in this case! Luckily, I fall into this category, and that may cloud my judgement, thanks to the waves of nostalgia lapping over me as I remember those care-free days.

Anyway, as I stepped back through time to the pre-3D era, the first thing that I thought was “They don’t make games like they used to...”, the majority of the games are actually quite difficult, compared to modern games, things like infinite lives and save points (well you can save the game as a save file on the PS3 or Xbox360, so you can carry on from where you left off, but be warned that is not how these games were designed to be played!) have no place in these titles. Honestly, I used to be able to complete Sonic easily when I was younger, now I keep dying before the final boss! Maybe, modern games have blunted my raw gaming skills, who knows? Anyway, I digress, the choice on offer on this disc is quite respectable, and some you will play more than others. This package offers great value for money with some classic long players such as Shining Force 1 and 2 (the finest strategy-cum-RPG of the 90’s), Phantasy Star I, II, III and IV (classic RPG’s) and Columns and Mean Bean Machine for puzzle lovers.

The majority of the titles are platform games or side-scrolling fighters such as Golden Axe (I, II and III) and Streets of Rage (I, II and III) both of which were fantastic fun when I was younger especially with a friend and even now are just as enjoyable! The platform genre was the most popular back in the 16-bit generation of games however there were some truly innovative takes on this classic gaming format and thankfully some of them have made it onto this collection, the stand-out ones are Ristar and Dynamite Headdy which have unique twists on the usual run and jump genre. They were both towards the end of the Mega Drive’s life and were smooth, colourful and challenging, physically and mentally with plenty of secrets to find. If the above-mentioned games aren’t enough to make this an essential purchase than the inclusion of all 4 of the Sonic the Hedgehog games, helps to sweeten the deal. There are a few games that let the collection down, the Ecco games are too much like hard work and Altered Beast was and always has been the worst launch game ever!

There are unlockable interviews and bonus arcade games and Master System games by getting trophies or achievements. The controls can be customised for every game, and each game can be rated, and includes a short history and artwork of each game.

Judging the graphical quality of a game like this is a little unfair, because the games look exactly like they should do, but then some are 20 years old, so by today’s standards they look shocking. It’s best to leave this category with the good old saying that “it does exactly what it says on the tin”!

Similarly the audio quality of some of these titles was awesome at the time of release, but now its sounds horrible and cheap, but it’s not the games fault! The classic music from games such as Sonic and Golden Axe still invokes happy childhood memories in my mind, which can’t be a bad thing surely!

Overall, this is an entertaining trip down memory lane which will appeal to the retro gamer looking for a cheap nostalgia fix. The majority of the games are instantly playable and are great for a quick blast, and although the variety of the titles on the disc is not expansive it does offer some choice for the gamer, and is still great value for money at just £25! Anybody who owned a Mega Drive in the 80’s and 90’s will love this, and plenty of the games have stood the test of time, so do yourself a favour and indulge in some gaming nostalgia tonight!