Genre : Video Game
Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Publisher: Sega
Players: 1-2
Retail Price: $30
Availability: Xbox 360, Playstation 3
If there’s one thing any title doesn’t need the distinction of these days, it’s a Sonic the Hedgehog branding. But even the Blue Blur’s fall from grace loses momentum when his name is slapped on what is currently the most comprehensive and well-ported Genesis collection on the market. Backbone Entertainment might have been responsible for some awful early Xbox Live Arcade Genesis ports, but they’ve done an excellent job with the games included in Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection.
The game packs a whopping 49 titles onto one disc; hardly filling a DVD-9 or BluRay disc, but easily including more gameplay than most triple-A titles released today. Not all the games are winners. The much-maligned Altered Beast makes an appearance, and Golden Axe III continues to wear a helmet and stomp around while its older brothers continue to kick ass, but there’s a great deal more here that’s good. Both Shining Force titles, all three Streets of Rage games and Beyond Oasis would be a worthy compilation by themselves, but wait! There’s more! The inclusion of the Shinobi series and the original four Phantasy Star games should be more than enough to put any fan of the 16-bit days of yore into a happy-coma.
Of course, it doesn’t include just Genesis games, it also includes games from the Sega Master System and one from the arcade. It’s not a mistake to say it includes the original four Phantasy Star games, because the original Phantasy Star is present on this disc. It’s nice to have the option to play through the an entire series without having to change a disc. Zaxxon makes an appearance and reminds us of how brutal designers could be when they knew a lost life would likely result in continue-coins.
Those who aren’t a fan of the original pixelated graphics have the option to turn on smoothing filters, which fare well in some games and do more harm than good in others. The Sonic the Hedgehog series is an example of how to clean a game up for an HD system, but you’ll find less enjoyment when trying to enjoy an updated ESWAT: City Under Siege. The music seems to all be spot on, but some of the sound effects have a slightly off quality to them, depending on the game. It’s a small gripe to be sure, but fans with a keen ear for detail are sure to notice the difference.
It’s hard to argue with the value this disc offers. A discount price of $30 for 49 games, and some of the most fondly remembered of all time at that, is something worth jumping on, whether you’re nostalgia is frothing at your mouth or you’re mildly curious.
Altered Beast wasn’t good? I remember it being awesome. Then again, I was a preteen, so maybe I just didn’t know what was good and what wasn’t…
Sure, through the thick, reality-altering lenses of nostalgia, Altered Beast remains an awesome time. I have wonderful memories playing the arcade version at Skateland. But when played today… well… let’s say it’s fun for about the first level and not good for much more after that. It’s really generic in terms of actual play, not to mention frustrating due to its origin as a quarter-muncher; something the developers of the home version did little to tone down.