Sonic Mega Collection

"I missed out..."

I never owned a SEGA system, minus my old Game Gear, but I must admit: the early days were GOOD for this company. So, that explains the tag...

The games are, as follows:

Sonic 1: 10/10

Gameplay (GP): 10/10
Graphics (GR): 10/10
Sound and Music (SM): 10/10
Replayability (RE): 10/10
Difficulty (D): 8/10

Not often you get it right on the first try. The first Sonic the Hedgehog (Notice I omitted "the Hedgehog" in the title... Is it really necessary?) title was simple in mechanics (Jump to attack, rings protect you if you get hit, then you have to grab them again or you'll die...) but it was hard at first. The simplicity was actually a strong point, as it didn't require the knowledge of combos or weaknesses (Robotnik the exception.) or anything like that. Just bop everyone during a jump!

Moving on, the graphics are stunning to see. I was actually pretty impressed by the amount of detail.

Sound was simple and nice, but the music... ...WOW! "Green Hills Zone" has, by far, the best first-level music I have ever heard. The rest were very good, and I'm actually disappointed that I never had this game. Oh well; win some, lose some.

Replayability was pretty high for me, as I'm one of those guys who wants to best every game in the library. Naturally, grabbing all the Chaos Emeralds seemed like a nice challenge. I found out that it was a NIGHTMARE for a rookie. Anyway, the ending ALONE is worth the challenge.

Sonic 2: 10/10

GP: 10/10
GR: 10/10
SM: 9/10
R: 10/10
D: 7/10

Sonic's back... ...And this time, he brought alone a fox with two tails named (Quite fittingly...) TAILS! For the first time, you could simultaneously control two characters at the same time, with two controllers, anyway. Having two players was a big help to me, and the nice thing is, Tails never dies in one-player mode! Of course, Sonic or Tails could go off on their own, but it wouldn't be any fun, would it? The difficulty wasn't as high as it was, mainly because you had a buddy, but a thing that was quite common then was that the final boss could only be faced by Sonic (if he was with Tails) alone, a thing that REALLY irritated me. Also, no rings on the last level... ...Naturally... At least you can "go Super Sonic" if you have all the Emeralds.

Graphics were basically the same, but that doesn't hurt; it gives a familiar atmosphere that can put players at ease if they're a bit tense. Tails was pretty unique in that, if he went too far away from Sonic or got crushed, fell into a pit, or the like, he'd "die" and airlift back. ...So, why can't we airlift Sonic?

Sound and music... ...Well, they aren't AS good as they were, but it is catchy. I enjoy that.

Replayability? Sure! Go head to head against a buddy in three levels and the Special Stage in the Versus mode! And hey, a sound test you don't have to cheat to get, what more could you want?

Sonic 3: 7/10

GP: 9/10
GR: 9/10
SM: 9/10
R: 5/10
D: 4/10

Eek... ...They had something going, but it just blew up in their face... Anyway, it's the same-old, same-old, Robotnik wants the Emeralds and you've got to get them first... They completely messed up the Versus mode; they now have you do laps around a track instead of explore a level. Single Player, meanwhile... They improved a bit. They gave Sonic an "Insta-Shield" which is almost useless, but they finally allow Tails to carry Sonic. They did try something new, I will give them credit there, but they really didn't do too hot. It's too easy; I guess it's an easing into Sonic. However, one thing that did throw me for a loop: Super Sonic CAN BE DAMAGED! Luckily, only the final boss can harm you... Oh yeah, instead of a finish line at the end of a level, they always have a boss. Always.

Graphics... ...They gave Sonic a new look when it really wasn't nessacary. He looked fine to me. Tails is the same, but overall, the graphics have a tropical feel at first, then... ...Well, I can't really describe... I guess you'll have to look at it yourself. Did love Sonic on a snowboard, though; not quite what you'd expect.

Sound was pretty much the same, and music was catchy, as usual. The final boss music, though, was excellent.

Replayabilty... ...Why go through it again when you can just save?

Sonic and Knuckles: 8/10

GP: 9/10
GR: 9/10
SM: 9/10
R: 8/10
D: 9/10

S+K, AKA Sonic 3, part two (They released Sonic 3 as two games to meet the deadline.), was actually difficult. It was a BIG jump from Sonic 3, and you realize how dependant you are on a second player when they're gone from the get-go. Also, you could pick your difficulty level... ...Kinda. It depends on the character you chose, Sonic, or Knux. Knux has a more difficult time. Either way, it takes awhile before you get the hang of it.

Graphics are almost exactly the same as Sonic 3.

Sound was basically the same, and the music, REALLY catchy. The "Doomsday Zone," as it's called, has an excellent tune, though it gets annoying after awhile. "Sky Santcuary" had one of the best tunes I've ever heard.

Replayability? Well, it's a bit frustrating, so it takes a few times anyway to beat, but it takes even longer to get all the Emeralds.

S3+K: 8/10

Basically, this is Sonic 3 with S+K added on. You can save, plus you can have two players, and go through S3 with Knux!

S2wK: 9/10

Sonic 2, only you have to go through it as Knux. The game is almost too easy at times...

Blue Sphere: 8/10

CLEVER! These are ALL the rejected Special Stages for Sonic 3 and S+K, so you can imagine how many there are... ...Try over 125 million! This is bound to last for a while...

Sonic 3D Blast: 7/10

GP: 7/10
GR: 8/10
SM: 8/10
R: 7/10
D: 5/10

Note: NEVER TEMPER WITH SUCCESS! This isn't even a true Sonic game anyway... ...This was made by "Traveler's Tales," not "Sonic Team," and they tried an isometric point of view. Sonic is hard to control from this angle, and that doesn't help at all. And difficulty? Hardly any until the second-last zone, then it hits you a bit. And you don't have a time limit, either!

Graphics? Well, they tried, but failed, to look as sharp as they did in 2D. Sonic, Knux, and Tails don't look too good, but you can, at least, tell everyone apart.

Sound and music weren't too hot at all... ...The 2D sounds just don't work well... Music, meanwhile, was mostly forgettable.

Replayability is rather low. It's a sinch to get the Emeralds, so you don't need to replay constantly to grab them all. And the ending is mostly forgettable, too.

Sonic Spinball: 9/10

GP: 9/10
GR: 9/10
SM: 9/10
R: 10/10
D: 10/10

A PINBALL game? That's a bit new... And fairly well-executed, too. Sure, difficulty is ridiculous, but who can resist being vulnerable only to lava, water, poison, and crushing gears? Everyone who makes contact with you DIES, making that little problem not too bad. Also, you can't advance at all unless you grab all the Emeralds... ...And some are guarded quite well...

Graphics are a little fuzzy, but they are nice. I can't really say more in this department...

Sound was mostly forgettable, unfortunately, but the music was NICE. REAL NICE!

Replayability is high because you don't want a game like this to constantly beat you all the time, right? You don't want to hit .000. So, why not continue until you beat the dang thing!?

Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine: 8/10

GP: 8/10
GR: 10/10
SM: 9/10
R: 8/10
D: 10/10

One word: frustrating. This is, to the best of my knowledge, Dr. Mario, Sonic style. You, as yourself apparently, have to best every robot that Robotnik has to face off against Dr. Robotnik and short out his Mean Bean Machine to free the "jolly folk of Beanville" from becoming devious robotic slaves. The problem is... ...It's almost impossible to beat everyone, even at easy! Then again, I'm not good at ALL...

Graphics? Well, they are pretty impressive, actually...

Sound and music.. ...Well the sound is mostly forgettable, but the music tries to match the mood of the atmosphere. As you advance forward, the music become more and more dark.

Replayability? Well, the password helps a bit... ...But overall, I just have no desire to constantly replay the game.

Flicky: 9/10

GP: 10/10
GR: 7/10
SM: 10/10
R: 10/10
D: 9/10

Oh wow... ...This old arcade game (apparently) is actually pretty fun! It's tough, but the controls are pretty simple, which really helps. And basically, all you do is grab the chicks and bring them to the exit.

Are we on an 8-bit system or a 16 bit!? The graphics are pretty poor, considering the era - even Mario was getting a face lift before this. However, this looks like a game that just ported late and didn't get the face lift it needed. Oh well.

Sound was pretty sweet, actually, and the music has a cheerful and carefree atmosphere. Doesn't help that there's only one tune, though.

Replayability? Well, you want to try to advance as far as you can before game over anyway, and since this is never-ending... ...How far can you go?

Ristar: 10/10

GP: 10/10
GR: 10/10
SM: 10/10
R: 9/10
D: 8/10

This little fella happens to be real tough. He's got four hits, and you have to guide him to rescue his father from Greedy. ...Boy, is THAT original... The game, though, is INCREDIBLE! No time limit, so you can take it as fast or as slow as you want, and the guy has an incredible reach! Unlike Sonic's high jumping ability, this guy's reach is his strength, and the deal is you grab hold of something, then when you let go of the button, the poor guy who's grabbed is CLOBBERED by Ristar. The difficulty kicks into high gear once you hit the last few levels, and the final fight is no picnic at ALL.

Graphics are very sound and actually real nice.

Sound is nice and unique, and the music is absolutely INCREDIBLE! The credits music is very good, and the final fight music was, in my opinion, very fitting.

Replayability? Hmm... Well, you want to obtain all the treasures you can to obtain all the passwords you can, and that'll take many tries.

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EXTRAS! ...Well, not many. The very first comic, and all the spinoffs and other comic covers, are for your looking. Several illustrations are available, and there are a few movies to watch! (The one I recommend is "History of Sonic." It's actually pretty neat, to see all the games and a brief summary of how they were received or what was different from the previous game.) Overall, the extras are just a side dish, while the games are your entree.

OVERALL COMPILATION SCORE: 9/10

Get it and you have quite a fine collection to display to your buddies.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/28/06