User Review : SEGA Mega-Drive Ultimate Collection

Mega Drive comes back in all its 16 bit glory

The Mega Drive or Genesis is fondly remembered by most, defining cool in the 16bit era with its blue Hedgehog; but not for me. You see mothers entering game shops have a massive target hammered onto their foreheads ‘will buy anything I just want the latest console for little Johny’s Christmas’ and my Mum was no different. So while my friends enjoyed the likes of Streets of Rage, I enjoyed the likes of Enduro Racer; nice.

And like a comic book villain, hopeful joy turned to resentment, taunts of ‘How’d you enjoy Alex Kid built in 8 bit boy’ made me resent the Sega’s creation, so much so that I turned to the dark side… Nintendo and the Super Nes Entertainment system.

From that point on our union was solid, the Snes was king for me. That view (and the one that Alex kid was a great game) is one that hasn’t changed in the countless years since the Snes went to the console heaven in the sky. The Mega drive was inferior in every definable way when it stood shoulder to shoulder with Nintendo’s 16 bit machine, Graphics, joypad, range of games, exclusive titles , lifespan not one category can you give to Sega, and while Sonic, Streets of Rage and Golden Axe may have been quality titles, but they are a blip in an otherwise bland catalogue of games, especially when you look at what the Snes offered, Donkey Kong Country, Doom, Mario Kart.

This is probably not the thing you want to hear when reading a review about Sega’s Ultimate Mega Drive Collection, but surely this is Sega’s chance to offer the essence of chic street cred that thousands of gamers back in its hey day bought into.

Ultimate Mega Drive Collection to some degree does this, the slick interface and varied range of titles, makes for a quick and easy navigation with the nice option of the game remembering favourites that you’ve played. This all makes for quick navigation and ultimately ease of use.

Due to the march of technology there is now, mercifully a save option for all these titles, meaning households will no longer have the carbon footprint of a small continent by leaving their machines on pause to complete their game. It’s a simple addition, but one that all gamers will welcome.

Now being that this is the Mega Drive’s ‘Ultimate Collection’ the range of titles is a little bewildering. Noteable games are included such as Sonic, Shinobi III, Street’s of Rage and their countless sequels in addition to the excellent Kid Chameleon and Master System iteration of Golden Axe. These are sure to please fans, but Flicky? Fatal Labyrinth? or the equally shocking Decap Attack? These are atrocious additions making the game feel shoddy, almost like the dodgy 100 games in one cart of yesteryear.

It’s even stranger when you consider true gems like Gunstar Heroes have been left out .

Gameplay varies from game to game, and the reviews of those individual games can be found elsewhere, as for enjoyment; the package offers a wealth of enjoyable gaming and with the addition of achievements and trophies, games have an added level of replayability that they may have lacked originally. It is certainly the closest package to actually having a mega drive plugged directly into your television.

Gamers born of the 3d generation may find the difficulty spikes and precise timing needed
a sharp contrast to modern games where completing a game is common. Mature gamers will simply chuckle at how their craft as been honed over the generation while a tear of nostalgia may creep in allowing some to say ‘ This is what gaming used to be like’

Ultimately this games collection is appealing to those who fondly recollect the Sega Mega Drive, rather than appeal to new fans, Sega instead feels confident in offering an extremely wealthy collection of games to its established fanbase. This is truly when Sega was considered a giant of gaming, and if Sega could offer such a strong package from its post 16 bit days then the modern gamer would understand the fondness gamers have for the company.

As for scoring the game, it slots into an unusual category. The game isn’t meant to be next gen’ gaming, it isn’t meant to change or improve on existing gaming styles or controls. Instead Sega’s Ultimate Mega Drive Collection intends to offer a pure Mega Drive experience, and barring a few omissions that would have strengthened the overall quality on offer, it does exactly that. Fans of old will relive the memories while newer gamers may wonder what the fuss was about.