Sega Mega Drive Collection Pc
Enrichetta
The Sega Mega Drive (or Genesis, if you're in North America) is a console that needs no introduction, even on a site devoted to Nintendo. During the early '90s, Sega and Nintendo were mortal enemies and their respective 16-bit systems were locked in an epic struggle which has since gone down as one of the games industry's most notable console wars. Fast forward to the present and tensions have cooled to the point where these two erstwhile enemies now collaborate fully with one another on software releases. However, within every '90s gamer, there remains that vivid memory of the competition which inspired Nintendo and Sega to push things to the limit, and this feeling of nostalgia is neatly captured by Sega Mega Drive Classics.
This retro compendium features more than 50 different titles from the Mega Drive's illustrious library, a total which ensures there really is something for everyone here. It's not an entirely definitive selection and there's bound to be the odd gem you recall from your youth that isn't included for one reason or another, but on the whole, it's really hard to imagine a better array of games.
We'd also take issue with the complete omission of the Thunder Force franchise, as well as fellow Technosoft classic Herzog Zwei (Sega now owns the rights to all of Technosoft's IP, so this is rather puzzling, to say the least). Racing games are also sorely underrepresented; granted, the Mega Drive port of Out Run is a pale imitation compared to the one we got on the 3DS, but it would have been nice to have at least one entry from the franchise on offer. Super Monaco GP would have been a welcome addition too, but we'd imagine that licencing headaches have prevented that particular game from resurfacing after all these years.
Perhaps most odd of all is the omission (or, more accurately, removal) of Wonder Boy III and Wonder Boy in Monster World, both of which are included on the PS4 and Xbox One versions of this collection. Sega have confirmed to us that they are not included, even as unlockable extras, and hasn't been able to offer an explanation as to why they have been taken out.
Speaking of the game's UI, the painstaking recreation of your typical Sega fan's room is faithful right down to the garish bedspread, even if it can be a little fiddly to navigate at times. Games are arranged on a shelf, while audio options are accessed by zooming in on a stereo system. Likewise, visual and emulation settings are tied to the console sitting beneath aforementioned bulky TV set, and online play (which can be turned on at any time and even allows you to play solo while a potential match is being found) can be accessed using the room's phone. In another neat touch, the time of day changes depending on your local time, so in the morning the sun will peep through the window (and move through the sky in real time) while at night, darkness descends.
It's a shame that no effort was made to include a 'museum' section in this collection, but it's hardly a deal-breaker; we've simply been rather spoiled by the recent SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, which, as well as offering faithful ports of some of the company's most famous titles, also crammed in an incredible amount of bonus content which fully immersed the player in the history of these games. Maybe next time, Sega?
Sega's had more than one stab at creating a comprehensive collection of its best Mega Drive titles and, as a result, Sega Mega Drive Classics does lose some of its impact due to sheer familiarity; for example, we already have an immaculately-ported version of Sonic on the Switch eShop right now. Even so, it's hard to argue with the 50-odd games that ship with this new compendium, and only a fool would contest the fact that it showcases some of the best games of the 16-bit era. The modern-day enhancements are welcome too, and while this isn't the first time many of these games have gone portable (Sega Mega Drive Collection on the Sony PSP did that over a decade ago, and let's not forget the amazing Sega 3D Classics range on 3DS, which overlaps with some entries in this selection), it's a real boon to be able to play the likes of Phantasy Star IV or Story of Thor on the bus. When you take into account how much quality there is on offer here, Sega Mega Drive Classics becomes an easy recommendation.
It'll be worth it to me to have these games on a portable system. And while I've bought a good number of these games before on other consoles and the original Genesis itself, there are quite a few in this collection that I've never played and will give a go, so that is how I can justify its purchase for me.
"not Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles (the latter perhaps due to the complexities of its cart-swapping mechanics, which, on the original hardware, required you to bolt one of the three previous games into the top of the game)."
It's a shame that the Wonder Boy games are not featured in the Switch version. It is a nice collection indeed although Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection seemed more generous ten years ago. I wonder how good emulation is.
@nocdaes Yes, obviously Sega Mega Drive Classics has some really interesting games but it doesn't include some key games that have appeared in previous compilations and license issues is not always the reason, not is size as these games are tiny by today's standards. This generation has seen a lot of retro compilations so I expected much more from a legendary company as Sega.
@BlueOcean Yeah, I call BS on that. People must forget that the Virtual Console on the Wii successfully emulated Sonic 3 and Knuckles. There is no way that Sega cannot emulate them in 2018. The lack of those 2 games is a major negative in an otherwise kick ass collection.
@vio @BlueOcean Yep, I completely agree. It's a strange decision for sure. In fact, it's one of those weird decisions where you start to read into it and start wondering... is a Sonic 3 HD Remake on the way?!
Considering that Toejam and Earl, Shinobi III, Landstalker, Gunstar Heroes, the Streets of Rage series, and Mean Bean Machine are some of my favorite games, this compilation is an absolute steal! I'm honestly surprised that it only received an 8, though, considering how many stone cold classics are included!
I must admit, though, that I'm always puzzled by the inclusion of Virtua Fighter 2. It was not a good game (at least on the MD/Genesis), and it would have made more sense to replace it with Eternal Champions. I'm curious to know how difficult it would be to emulate the SVP chip. Virtua Racing was always a fun game, even though it is certainly dated by today's standards. Even still, it was a really impressive game, for it's time!
In the screenshot of the room, the shelves where all the games are being stored has a very noticeably empty bottom shelf... Do you think there's a chance that additional games could come into the collection at a later date? Or perhaps that was a plan originally, but it got pulled?
I'm surprised to hear the emulation is solid, but so long as it is, I'll definitely snag this. I've been on a Genesis kick, and while I prefer playing these things on the original hardware, a huge portable collection at a decent price is hard to argue with.
As I've been debating with some fellows in the forum, there are two missing games in Switch version (and still keeps delivering on "more than 50 games"), which are Wonder Boy in Monster World and Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair, compared to the same release on Xbox One and PS4.
It isn't mentioned in the review, nor if it comes with a double-sided poster (like on One and PS4) or not, but although I was willing to give up on shareable achievements for the sake of portability, I have to stick to Xbox One version now that I see Sega treated Switch owners differently, and even worse, without saying so.
I would say that Sega could had easily included 20 more games onto this collection to make up for the late release. It seems like this gen they decided to take the easy way out and just port this for easy money instead. This collection is worst than the Sonic Ultimate Genesis Collection and that one too is already disappointed with no lock-on feature for the Sonic games. Every collection for this gen are barebone at their finest, not a single one had hidden extras that makes it worth re-buying. Stuff like unlockable hidden arcade version, behind the sscene movies, hidden trailers, development story behind the games, etc.
Also the fact that Sega choose to release this collection late for the Switch when Nintendo's Online Service is no longer free doesn't really add value to the collection either as now those who want to play this online had to force themselve to buy into the service whereas had they release this at the time when the service was free would had gotten them more online traffic on the Switch. The Switch version missing the 2 Wonder Boy games is also another failed on Sega's part considering the other two platforms got those in the collection making the Switch version having only 51 games instead of the full 53. In a way not only is this a late release but an inferior package and a reason why Sega sometimes make boneheaded decision just for the money and not for the quality.
@BanjoPickles Probably hard to justify the extra effort for the Genesis version of Virtua Racing. It was certainly an impressive tech demo at the time, but with M2 bringing the Model 1 version to Switch in the near(ish) future, it would really just be a historical curiosity.
@BlueOcean Whenever I hear anything about Sonic 3 ports and SEGA the story always go along the lines of Michael Jackson's estate not allowing it or demanding crazy royalties. If there's even an ounce of truth in that, then I think SEGA should absolutely remake Sonic 3, replace the tiny part of the soundtrack that is causing a problem, and then be able to release it whenever they like. That all costs money, so bite the bullet and do a fully fledged HD remake already.
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