Most consoles over the past 10-15 years have featured re-release collections of classic Sega Genesis titles. Most collections contain within 20-30 titles, with Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection for the last generation of consoles coming in at a pretty solid 48 titles. Now we see the release of Sega Genesis Classics, a release that boasts 53 titles in total. While overall the collection is a great way for old and new fans alike to experience some of these titles for the first time in years, if not ever, there are some weird omissions and a handful of emulation issues that keep this collection from being the must-have title it could have been.
I’m glad to say, that if nothing else, the majority of titles featured in Sega Genesis Classics are still fairly entertaining and fun to play, despite how dated they are at this point. While some have aged better than others, there’s no denying that running through a handful of these games at a time will showcase that specific era in a way that is mostly flattering to the games and their designers. The roster is impressive, so let’s start by covering just what’s included in the package.
Full List Of Games Contained In Sega Genesis Classics:
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, Alien Soldier, Alien Storm, Altered Beast, Beyond Oasis, Bio-Hazard Battle, Bonanza Bros., Columns, Columns III: Revenge of Columns, Comix Zone, Crack Down, Decap Attack, Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, Dynamite Headdy, ESWAT: City Under Siege, Fatal Labyrinth, Flicky, Gain Ground, Galaxy Force II, Golden Axe, Golden Axe II, Golden Axe III, Gunstar Heroes, Kid Chameleon, Landstalker, Light Crusader, Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom, Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium, Ristar, Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, Shining Force, Shining Force II, Shining in the Darkness, Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master, Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic Spinball, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Space Harrier II, Streets of Rage, Streets of Rage 2, Streets of Rage 3, Super Thunder Blade, Sword of Vermilion,The Revenge of Shinobi, ToeJam & Earl, ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron, Vectorman, Vectorman 2, Virtua Fighter 2, Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair, Wonder Boy in Monster World
So, let’s start by focusing on one of my issues with this list: why the weird omissions? Columns 1 and 3, but not 2? Sonic 3d Blast and Spinball, but no 3? No Echo The Dolphin? When the catalog of games is as dense as this one is, weird absences like that stick out like a sore thumb. There are titles on here that don’t absolutely NEED to be, which could have been subbed out for the ones mentioned above and a handful of others. I don’t think the world would end if we couldn’t play ESWAT or Virtua Fighter 2 on the PS4. While we’re talking about my major issues, the other is a matter of emulation. There are weird audio glitches and graphic hiccups that happened across several of the games, and I even had a crash once. To say that in 2018 these games aren’t powerhouses is an understatement, so seeing these problems was frankly shocking.
Back to the positive, one of the strongest aspects of SGC is it’s UI and visual design. The menu “hub” is set up to emulate a young kid’s room. You scroll through shelves of titles, and actually place each cart into the system and remove it when done. In terms of game play, where there are the standard list of trophies, the game also features a list of challenges for each game, further adding to the replay value. Emulation settings are present, but while some may want to mess with adding or removing scan lines, or warping the corners of the screen, I personally tend to take a straight-on approach to playing older titles. Those types of features detract more than they add for me.
For the most part, this is a really solid, comprehensive collection of older titles. While what’s missing in terms of content is unfortunate, that shouldn’t stop you from picking this one up. If you’re an older fan who was there for the Genesis’ glory days, or you’re a younger player looking to better understand the era, this is the best collection out there at the moment with the highest bang for your buck.
