Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Possibly the best gamecube game(s) to date, 15 Mar 2003
By A Customer
After owning the majority of these games on the Megadrive (with the exception of Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine and Sonic Spinball) I was overjoyed that they would be coming out on the Gamecube. First off, this has a 60Hz mode which allows you to play these classsics in their intended format without massive black borders and a slightly lower framerate (which the Megadrive had in spades). Games available at the start include Sonic 1, 2 and 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic 3D, Sonic Spinball and Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. There are plenty of other games to unlock; Sonic 1 & Knuckles (opening the blue sphere mini-game), Sonic 2 & Knuckles, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the rather old Flicky, and finally Ristar. ... they can be completed fairly easily but the sense of nostalgia is so great you won't even care (that is, of course, if you've played them before). My only major gripe with this is that if you're hell bent on using the D-Pad to control the movement, it a bit awkward with it being stuck so far out the way. It feels quite un-natural and it doesn't help further with the D-Pad being so small. You can use the 3D stick which is actually quite good, but I suppose it's whatever you're used to. Oh, and another thing, the cheats still work for all the games (but remember that the A and B buttons are the wrong way round on the controller (B is A, A is B and X is C). Also included is lots of bonus stuff from illustrations and comic covers to movies of upcoming games and even the Sonic CD intro and ending sequences. But you won't spend much time looking at these. Overall then, this is an essential buy. If you don't like Sonic then this is quite possibly a nightmare so I'd look at something else. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle was disappointing with only a handful of good levels (although these were poor at best). Sonic Mega Collection is worth every penny and I would recommend this to any Sonic fan.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
Is the Sonic Mega Collection really Mega?, 30 Jan 2003
Sega were onto a winner when they first created the Supersonic hedgehog with attitude. Simply known as Sonic, he has appeared on almost every Sega console, since 1990. Now he's back for his second journey on the Gamecube.The title says it all really, a collection of sonic titles, and other sonic extras all bundled onto a single gamecube disc. These include Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic Spinball and Dr. Robotniks Lean Bean Machine. In total there are seven individual games. These games, aside from Dr. Robotniks Mean Bean Machine which is a puzzler, all consist of a neat platforming adventure in which you collect as many gold rings as possible, while trying to get from beginning to end in the quickest time possible. Sounds simple, but it's great fun. The conversion to the Gamecube could have been much better however. The game could have included several more of the sonic titles, such as Sonic CD, but unfortunately, Sega didn't decide to include this, whatever the reason. The graphics haven't been improved to the slightest, but this could be a bad or a good thing. If you are a hardcore Sonic fan, you'd want everything in it's original form. If you were new to Sonic, you'd wonder how the game is so bland compared to other titles on the system. I'd wished they had at least perfected the animation in the game, spruced up the graphics, and included extra levels. If they have added the levels, I've yet to see them. Aside from the main games, there is a host of Sonic extras. These include original art that featured in the Sonic comics, adverts for some Sonic games, even the introduction and ending for the missing game, Sonic CD. These are a neat little touch to the game, and also what makes this an essential buy for any Sonic fan. However, when you complete a Sonic game, you always feel you've accomplished a lot, even if the ending is a bit cheesy, and in this there are six endings to look forward to. This won't appeal to the masses, as most of us own most of the Sega games, but if you don't, go ahead and catch up on the best years of Sega's life.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Good, but it could have been better., 22 Feb 2004
While this review may seen slightly negative, all in all this is a good package. If you buy it you won't be too disappointed. It's just that what's NOT included here drags the disc down somewhat. It all just feels like something of a wasted opportunity.The original Mega Drive Sonic games are all here and emulated perfectly. This perfect emulation can be something of a bad point though. The slowdown that occasionally occurred on the 2D games (particularly when Sonic loses his rings on a busy screen) is still present. It would have been nice if Sonic Team had fixed small issues like this. Also, the lack of an ability to save your progress on the earlier Sonic games is irksome, especially when you consider that a similar Sonic collection, 'Sonic Jam' for the ageing Sega Saturn. included this option. Sonic, Sonic 2, Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles are all just as great as always. The controls are tight and responsive and this is 2D platform gaming at its best. Aside from the odd spot of slowdown it all moves along at a wonderful pace. The games suffer slightly on the standard Gamecube controller due to the rather ropey d-pad though this is a tiny niggle. The 60Hz screen mode is a definite plus point, allowing those who only ever played the PAL releases to experience the games as they were meant to be enjoyed, without the black borders and drop in speed. 'Sonic Spinball' is quirky, fun and comes as a refreshing change of pace after playing through the other titles. 'Sonic 3D' is as disappointing as ever... Sloppy, loose controls and a generally bad transition to an isometric 3D world, although from a completist's point of view it's wonderful to see it included and it's worth persevering with it just to see some of the excellent boss levels later in the game. 'Mean Bean Machine' is plenty of fun, especially in the suitably intense two-player mode. However, since it's simply 'Puyo Puyo' with Sonic characters thrown in the chances are most serious gamers already have a version of it somewhere in their collection. Where this package really falls down is the extras section. While the extras in the previously mentioned 'Sonic Jam' felt like they had been put together with massive affection and attention to detail it's difficult not to see this compilation as something of a lazy cash-in. A good portion of the extras section here feels like nothing more than an advert for Sonic's more recent outings and is shockingly sparse compared to the massive selection of old commercials and history included with 'Sonic Jam'. Still, the comics, illustrations and manual scans are a nice touch, though they're unlikely to hold your attention for very long. The lack of one of the best 2D Sonic games around, 'Sonic CD', is almost criminal,especially when none Sonic-related fare such as (the admittedly wonderful) Ristar has been included. On the whole these games have aged remarkably well, and will provide hours of fun for sonic fans new and old. It's just that real Sonic addicts will find it hard not to think of how much better this compilation could have been.
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