Sonic Mega Collection (PS2)

Firstly, all the mega drive sonic games were designed for the mega drive, hence they are all what are now known as, "Scrolling platformers." This means you either go left or right, there is no other freedom of movement, except for Sonic 3D, the first 3D sonic game to come out, which allowed for free movement. However, despite this, the levels are all varied and have different challanges to them in order to complete them.

All sonic games follow the same formulae, in the first game, all Sonic could do was jump in order to open boxes and kill enemies. In boxes, you could unlock lives, shield, and rings. In enemies, you could jump to kill them, or in later games, use the dash option, where standing still you'll zoom along the bottom. Each game has rings for you to collect which protect you from attack, and if you have enough, take you to a bonus stage at a checkpoint. Each game has chaos emeralds to unlock a special ending, or (from the second game) allows you to use the "Golden Sonic" option, and all games, have Doctor Robotnik as the main badie.

Now levels vary, in the first you have Labyrinth, which has lots of larva and many platforms which move in order to cross them. There is an underwater level too. In the Second Game, you have the inclusion of "Casino Night Zone" where you can use Sonic in the pinball games to unlock coins (or lose them.) In the third you have Ice Cap Zone where you see Sonic on Ski's, and again in the second, you have sky chase where you have sonic on an aeroplane.

Include to this, Robotniks Mean Bean Machines, (which is like columnes, i.e. place a number of blocks of same colour to win.) and the Game Gear Sonics (poorer graphics, but fun unlockables) AND the fact that you can save at ANY TIME. Along with some extra's including some film footage, and comic unlockables, and you've got a game for anyone, and not just sonic fans, and for the price, it is a must have. A great game


Great, but why the Game gear games?   June 1, 2005
Philip Tomlinson
7 out of 9 found this review helpful

Back on the Megadrive, Sonic was legendary. Where Sonic excelled over Mario was in the epic scale of the games; Sonic and Knuckles was unbelievable, with a semblance of a story (!) that paved the way for Sonic Adventure and the like, culminating in his transformation into Super Sonic and blasting through an asteroid field. Well designed games will always be fun, and that is especially true of Sonic.

One point though: why do Sega persist in including Game Gear games in their collecitons? The Game Gear was a handheld with a two inch screen, and on a proper TV the games look gruesome. Considering that most of the games came out in a superior form on the Master System, a proper console designed for TVs, you'd think they would include those versions instead. Still, no matter, as the games are still fun to play.


Sonic Mega Collection   April 8, 2005
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

Sonic is perfect. Or near perfect. Even if you didnt play sonic when it debuted on sega you could still enjoy this. There are seven main sonic games on the one disc including the first and second sonic games and sonic and knuckles. In all you can unlock about fifteen - twenty games. My favourite game is sonic the hedgehog 2, but 1, 3, and sonic and knuckles are also good. I never played sonic 3 and I personally dont play it much now. It keeps all the original graphics from the original games, and the controls are very easy. Also there is the original soundtrack, everything is just like before. It is cheap considering it has about 20 games on it. I bought it for 27.99 or something around that price. Overall I give the game 9.9 / 10 it is great stuff. If you wre a sonic fan and want to bring all the memories back, buy this. (other games include sonic spinball, 3d flicky island, and many of the gamegear sonic games such as sonic chaos, sonic blast and sonic drift.)