One of the best game compilations out there to date!
Assembled by the emulation masters over at American based developer Digital Eclipse, Sega Genesis Collection for the PS2 (and PSP) assembles 28 different Genesis games, each one varying with quality. Here is the full list of games on the collection (excluding unlockable arcade games) Note that all of these games are the Genesis versions:
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Altered Beast
Bonanza Bros.
Columns
Comix Zone
Decap Attack: Starring Chuck D. Head
Ecco the Dolphin
Ecco: The Tides of Time
Ecco Jr.
Flicky
Gain Ground
Golden Axe
Golden Axe II
Golden Axe III
Kid Chameleon
Phantasy Star II
Phantasy Star III
Phantasy Star IV
Ristar
Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Super Thunder Blade
Sword of Vermillion
Vectorman
Vectorman 2
Virtua Fighter 2
The quality of the game play in each individual title varies from game to game. Essentially, if it was a great game back in the day (like the Sonic the Hedgehog games and Phantasy Star II and IV) it is still great today. Phantasy Star IV is pretty much worth the price of admission alone (especially considering that the game originally retailed for $100 back in 1994). There is also likely some games on here that you never played before. Comix Zone is a great game that I find it hard to believe that this title was overlooked. I also only played the original Ecco the Dolphin before this collection, so this is my first exposure to the Tides of Time, and I’m beginning to see why it was great in the first place.
Sadly, most game compilations have a few not so good games in there, and Sega Genesis Collection is no exception. Super Thunder Blade plays quite slowly and because of that, it can be quite confusing to play. You’ll find yourself getting killed off unless you have split second reaction times. Ecco Jr. felt out of place in this collection, as this title was originally released as a game for little kids. Finally, Altered Beast was originally a pack in game with the Genesis, which was all scrolling levels and plays somewhat awkwardly. Plus, you can beat the game in 10 – 15 minutes, which makes me question why this version of the original arcade game (which, I’m sorry to spoil it, is unlockable in this collection on the PS2) is even in here. (Side note: I actually like the Genesis Virtua Fighter 2. Do NOT send me hate mail because of that.)
Of course, as of the rule with most compilations, if the emulation of the games is poor, then it’s not even worth the $20 budget price ($30 for the PSP version). Fortunately, the emulation here is near perfect. Aside from some minor sound issues that only the hardest of the hardcore Genesis fans will notice, the game play of these games feel exactly as they did back in the day. In fact, some of the problems with the games have been fixed as well, including the slowdown issues with the Sonic games. The developers even went the extra mile to include some unlockable interviews with some of the guys responsible for some of the games in this collection (they speak in Japanese with English subs), five unlockable arcade games (including Zaxon and, as I mentioned before, the arcade version of Altered Beast (Side note: the unlockable arcade games are different on the PSP)), a cheat file with all the original game codes (they work provided you set the games to ABC mode control configuration), a progressive scan option on the PS2 version (the PSP version have different screen modes), and finally the ability to save anywhere in the games. In short, they went pretty far with this collection.
With so many games included in this collection (as well as interviews and other stuff) all for the low price of $20 ($30 for PSP), this collection is well worth your hard earned money, unless you don’t like to play old-school games. Also, with great game play with almost all of the games here on this collection (the three Phantasy Stars will last you about 100 hours or more alone) and you’ve got a collection that will last you for a long time to come.