Reviewed by Ing Raider
Graphics: 8/10
This is a hard category to evaluate Sonic Mega Collection on, being that all the games on the disc are nearly ten years old. The graphics, judging by the standards of Sega Genesis at the time, were good. Backgrounds were vivid and the Sonic Team did a great job showing the isometric viewpoint in Sonic 3D Blast. The artwork on the disc is very well-done also. Although I grew up on Sonic and enjoyed these graphics for years, I feel Nintendo and Sega could have done something more for the graphics. Perhaps redoing them or at least restoring them would give a new feel to the game. But it also might spoil the feeling of playing a classic as it was years ago. The choice is yours on this one.
Sound and Music: 9/10
I love the music and sound effects in this game. Grabbing ring-after-ring and hearing the pleasing sound of them being collected purely delights me. The music of every zone is cheery and upbeat (unless its not supposed to be) and suits the level well. The gliding noises of Metal Sonic are right on target and boss music gives you the exhilarating feeling of fighting a boss just by hearing it. The only thing I was displeased about is the fact that the music speeds up near the end of certain special stages to really make you nervous and mess up and the sound of Sonic collecting blue spheres is rather irritating.
Controls: 9/10
What could one possibly complain about the controls in this game? I mean, there aren’t exactly a lot of buttons used, therefore not a lot of moves can be performed, but that isn’t the fault of the GameCube or the game’s developers. Rather, it is the fault of the controller scheme of the Sega Genesis. More controls could be added on the GameCube, however.
But enough on the controls that don’t exist. The controls that do exist move Sonic fluidly through the levels, and using only a stick and one button, they couldn’t get any easier to master. The problems lie in Sonic Spinball and Sonic 3D Blast. In Sonic 3D Blast, it is very difficult to gauge distance and line Sonic up exactly how you want, whereas in Sonic Spinball, it is difficult to navigate (or is that because I’m bad at pinball?). But in the other Sonic 2D adventure games, controls are excellent, so this game gets a 9 on controls.
Challenge: 8/10
Personally, I found the challenge in Sonic Mega Collection to be nonexistent. None of the Sonic games were challenging and I beat them all in a few weeks. When I played Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, I found that this game was virtually impossible. I couldn’t even beat the game on Normal Mode (the easiest difficulty), let alone play the hardest one, Extra Hard. It is not humanly possible to finish this game, so I gave the game an 8 in challenge. Although the Sonic games are easy, this one is impossible.
Gameplay: 9.5/10
The classic Sonic style of play is addicting. Zipping through the zones collecting rings, smashing baddies, and foiling Robotnik’s evil schemes never gets old. Bonus stages are fun in each game and they are where the Chaos Emeralds are located. Boss battles are cool as well. In Sonic 3D Blast and Sonic Spinball, different methods are used to progress through levels and foil Robotnik. Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine has a puzzle style of play.
From the first Sonic game to the Sonic games that are being released on GameCube now, the series is constantly evolving and changing. There wasn’t much to the first Sonic, but it marked our hero’s debut. Sonic 2 introduced Tails and the Super Spin Attack that you can rev-up by holding down the control stick and pressing A. Sonic 3 gave Tails the ability to fly and swim when you control him. It also introduced new shields, a powerful new jump, and Sonic’s rival, Knuckles. Although you could not play as him at this point, he made his debut. Sonic and Knuckles was a spin-off type game to Sonic 3. This was the first game in which you could play as Knuckles. The Genesis cartridge even featured a Lock-On feature that could be used to play as Knuckles in past games. Finally, Sonic 3D Blast was very groundbreaking, as it was the first 3D Sonic game. Sonic Spinball really didn’t evolve from anywhere, but it introduced an innovative pinball style of play. Who knows where Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine came from.
Replay: 8/10
I enjoy playing my favorite Sonic games over and over again. The replay value of this game is endless to me. If I put it down for about six months and pick it up again, I’ll continue to have fun with it. But that’s if you like Sonic.
If you don’t like Sonic, it will be so incredibly boring because in order to unlock all the bonus material on this disc, you MUST replay every game on it. How many times, you may ask? To get one thing, about thirty times. To get the second, about fifty. That’s as far as I got. Although I am an avid fan of Sonic and his games, I will not waste my life away trying to unlock everything on the disc. It is simply not worth it. Occasionally, I will take a little joyride to play one of my favorite games of all time.
Story: 8/10
The story, in my opinion, is sort of bland and reused in each game. The story is always the same: “You must stop the evil scientist Dr. Robotnik from carrying out his evil plans. He has turned your animal friends into robots. You must not let him rebuild his death egg.” Every time, that’s basically how it goes. The circumstances are always different, however, and the situation is never exactly repeated. Just the main premise stays the same, which is a bit boring. Otherwise, the story isn’t that bad.
*Multiplayer: 0.5/1*
Bonus points here since multiplayer is not needed in a game, but this game’s got it. The multiplayer here is good, but there isn’t much to play and you’ll grow bored of it after a short time. Only Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine support simultaneous multiplayer. Sonic Spinball allows for players to take turns and compete to get the highest score possible, but that’s not all that fun. Since half the game has multiplayer, I guess I’ll give it half a point extra for it.
Graphics: 8/10
Sound and Music: 9/10
Controls: 9/10
Challenge: 8/10
Gameplay: 9.5/10
Replay: 9/10
Story: 8/10
*Multiplayer: 0.5/1*
Total Score: 8.5/10
Score Explanation: I felt this game would do better. Not that an 8.5 is something to complain about, but I saw Sonic Mega Collection scoring in the nines. It would if a review was based on opinion, but it is not. It is based on facts, and the facts say 8.5. Hey, for a collection of old Sega games, this title didn’t do that bad. All the companies involved did a great job with this one, and there’s nothing worth complaining about.
I’d recommend renting this one to see what Sonic’s all about, and then buying if you like it. If you’re a fan of the series, then buy right away. You’ll enjoy it!