Product Information. This collection includes games created for Sega's 16-bit Genesis, emulated for play on PS2. Featured are 28 ready-to-play titles, including old favorites such as Columns, Flicky, Kid Chameleon, Virtua Fighter 2 (2D), and Altered Beast, and multiple games in the Golden Axe, Ecco the Dolphin, Phantasy Star, Shinobi, and Sonic the Hedgehog series. Emulations of Sega's arcade games of the era, along with Genesis developer interviews and bonus preview content, can be unlocked through diligent play. If you want perfection, save your money! This is a great collection of Sega Genesis games, plus a few fun arcade games that are easy to unlock.
Also included are some unlockable interviews with various programmers from Sega. Most of the games are single player, but there are a few that let two people play at the same time. Conspicuously absent from this set are classics like the Streets of Rage series and Revenge of Shinobi, but otherwise it has something for everyone who enjoyed Sega in the early 1990's. This is a very nostalgic package for people who remember the 16-bit era of gaming when Sega was on top of the console and arcade market.
An anonymous reader writes 'Sega has announced what may be the coolest retro collection yet in a compilation of 30 Sega Genesis games for the PSP and PS2. 1up has a great breakdown of the games in the collection, which features everything from the Phantasy Star games to the Golden Axe games, to the Shinobis, to the Vectormans.Pretty cool stuff.'
A few problems exist with this collection, however. The SOUND is the main problem. While the games are fast, have perfect graphics, and allow you to change the controls, the SOUND is off.
The pitch is higher, and somewhat filtered sounding, so it comes off as 'tinny.' Some sound effects are glitched, so every time you hear them, they sound off. The worst example is the unlockable Altered Beast arcade game. Many of the enemy hit sounds are glitched as are some of the Werebeast secondary attacks (like the Weredragon's laser barrier in round 2). This is sad, because the sound was always a big part of Sega games, giving them that memorable character. I have the original cartridges, good memories of the original arcade games, and the emulations on the PC to compare, and they are just off. They should have done more testing before releasing this!
I'm told that the PS3/Xbox360 'Sonic's Ultimate Genesis/Megadrive Collection' is superior than this. I do know however that some of the games in THIS set are not featured in that set (On the Genesis: Ecco Jr, and Virtua Fighter 2; for the arcades: Zektor, Tac/Scan and Future Spy), even though the new collection has more games overall. Many people reading these comments may argue that the SNES had better sound, and while that is true from a technical hardware standpoint, the Genesis had some very memorable soundtracks for many of its games, good use of voices and generally made good use of what it had, even when it was competing with the best that Nintendo had to offer in the 16 bit arena. Many of us who owned the original version of the Genesis used the stereo-headphones feature, and thought it was great. So sound is a big part of these games. The interviews are all in Japanese, and have VERY SMALL subtitles which flash by rather quickly.
If you have poor eyesight or aren't a fast reader, this will annoy you. The interviews are interesting, but they leave you wanting more.
The set also includes a 'cheat sheet' which gives tips and cheats for the various games. However this is nothing you couldn't already find in about ten seconds on Gamefaqs.com. I give this set such a good score, because it is an overall great package and selection of games and history of Sega. It fails to get the highest rating because of the sound glitches. Much room for improvement.
Gameplay: A+ Presentation: A Funfactor: A Sound: C+ Challenge: A Nostalgia Factor: B-. Better than swapping cartridges If your first 16 bit video game system was the Sega Genesis or want to know what games used to be like 20 years ago, then Sega Genesis Collection for PS2 is for you. There are even bonus arcade games to unlock including one title that the original cabinet version would burn out.
I tried several other versions of emulated Sega Collections and the sound wasn't quite accurate. This version has it's original Genesis sounds. This also allows you to save game states original cartridges couldn't. It saves you from playing a level you've beaten already or from defeating that difficult boss again.
It also has the well sought-after Phantasy Star series, and all three will save your progress. There are additional games that should of been included, but again, 28 games along with extra arcade g oodies will keep the retro nut busy for quite a while. Take the good and take the bad then you have this game If you had a genesis when you were a kid and were like me, you didn't have the chance to play all of these games.
Which means mommy didn't love you. I would say that there's a decent ratio of good to bad games here.
They all seem to be emulated very well. I still have the original system along with some of these games but playing with the playstation controller is so much more responsive and without huge sticking buttons. The best part of all is the save feature. In the past this was unheard of but you can save your progress in any of these games at any time. I've grown lazy over the last few years and not having to beat Sonic and Ecco the Dolphin in one sitting makes this worthwhile all by itself. You're paying less then 75 cents a game, BUY IT!
There's a steady list of classic compilation games coming out these days, and the Sega Genesis Collection brings nearly thirty classic Genesis games to the PS2, and they all look, sound, and play like their original, 16-bit counterparts. Many of the games here we haven't seen on previous Sega compilations, like Alex Kidd, Bonanza Bros., Shadow Dancer, Ristar, Decap Attack, Sword of Vermillion, Super Thunder Blade, and Shinobi 3 to go along with faves like Sonic 1 & 2, the Golden Axe trilogy, Comix Zone, Altered Beast, Flicky, the Ecco trilogy, and the Phantasy Star games, which thankfully includes the overlooked classic Phantasy Star IV, which along with II and III, is worth the price of admission alone.
Vectorman 1 & 2 are here as well, and so is the Genesis version of Virtua Fight er 2, which is the only real weak spot of the compilation as it is just as muddy, slow, and buggy as it was when released on the Genesis years ago. There's a good amount of extras as well, including many interviews with developers, and unlockable games like the arcade version of Altered Beast and Zaxxon. Sadly though, some games which longtime fans may have wanted to see here, like the Streets of Rage trilogy, Revenge of Shinobi, Shining in the Darkness, Shining Force, Landstalker, and Eternal Champions would have been more than welcome, although many of them are available on previous compilations. All in all, the Sega Genesis Collection is a wonderful compilation of some of the best Genesis games ever, and for longtime fans of the classic console, this is a must have. Back to Sega I purchased this, because my 10 year old son always is asking for me to hook up my sega system I still own.
I don't really want to go the the time, so I thought I would purchase this to so he could try it out. I tried it first and it brought back old memories, but also made me notice how similar most of the fighting games were also so similar, same action, just different characters or time. It is very easy to go from game to game and my son was actually entertained. As you can locate this title on sale or up for auction for very little, I would say it is worth the money, even if it is to relive some memories of the 80's games you use to love.
Classic game compilations are practically a dime a dozen at this point, but ones as good as this are highly uncommon. The Sega Genesis Collection, assembled by the emulation specialists over at Digital Eclipse, includes pixel-perfect renditions of nearly 30 different games, many of them great for their time, from the lifespan of Sega's famous 16-bit console.
In addition, it's packed with some great extras, including bonus unlockable arcade games, interviews with Sega developers who worked on some of this stuff, and more. So if you have fond memories of playing the Genesis in the 1990s, this collection is practically a must-have. Many of the games in this collection are still highly playable and very challenging. The Sega Genesis Collection is available for both the PlayStation 2 and PSP, and the two versions are a little different. The core content of both versions is the same: The main menu lets you browse through an alphabetized list of 28 Genesis games, many of which are some of the system's greats, if not its classics.
Sonic the Hedgehog and its superior sequel are included, along with Ristar, another solid platformer from the developers of Sonic. On the role-playing front, Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III, and Phantasy Star IV are included in this package, which helps make it an amazing deal. Phantasy Star II and IV, in particular, still stand out as some of the best RPGs of the era. For good measure, there's also Sword of Vermillion, an interesting action RPG with some then-great music and graphics. Other favorites like Golden Axe, Shadow Dancer, and Ecco the Dolphin are present, along with some other oldies-but-goodies like Kid Chameleon and Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle. Smaller, arcade-style titles like Flicky and Bonanza Bros.
Are included for a change of pace. Finally, some latter-day Genesis games are in there, like Comix Zone and Vector Man-games that are visually impressive but rather punishing. Not every game in the collection is a hit, but the inclusions are interesting. For example, you might derive some perverse pleasure from tracing the downward spiral of the Golden Axe series from the excellent original through to its two increasingly disappointing sequels. Ironically, this collection includes so many different Genesis games that the gaps in the lineup do stand out. The most notable absence is the Streets of Rage series, which was Sega's response to Final Fight and the overall popularity of side-scrolling beat-'em-ups. The fairly popular fighting game Eternal Champions also isn't in here, though you do get the Sega Genesis translation of Virtua Fighter 2.
Many dismissed it at the time since it, of course, lacked the arcade version's stunning 3D graphics, but it looks good and plays quite well. The Streets of Rage omission notwithstanding, it's hard to complain about the selection of games in the Sega Genesis Collection, since it hits most of the bases and offers up a great cross section of the Genesis lineup.
As mentioned, the emulation quality of these titles seems to be virtually perfect, even for some of the obscure vector-graphics arcade games. The music and sound effects are all there, the graphics move at the proper speed, and the visuals aren't filtered, dithered, or otherwise altered from their original versions.
We spotted a few minor issues with the sound in a couple of spots-such as the tone made when jewels disappear in Columns, Sega's Roman-themed Tetris clone-but these were largely negligible. It's strange to think that getting these old games to work properly on today's hardware would be any sort of a challenge, but considering how many classic game compilations fail to emulate their classic games properly, it's great to see that a lot of care must have gone into making the Sega Genesis Collection look, sound, and play just like the games did for their time. The PlayStation 2 version of this collection features support for progressive-scan displays, while the PSP version includes different visual options, letting you play in the games' native resolutions or stretch them to fill the screen. Both versions give you the option to save your progress midgame if you want to. We noticed a slight 'ghosting' effect playing some of the games on the PSP, causing the backgrounds to go a bit darker when in motion, but this wasn't a big deal. The PSP version also features Wi-Fi support for the two-player games in the collection, though you'll need multiple copies of the game.
However, easily the biggest difference between the versions is in their unlockable bonus games. Some unlockable Sega arcade games are included as a great bonus, along with a number of developer interviews. On the PlayStation 2, you can unlock the original arcade version of Altered Beast, which, as you may discover, is superior to the Genesis version that's included in the package. You also get the isometric arcade classic Zaxxon and some other obscure but interesting titles from Sega's early arcade days.
On the PSP, the arcade standouts include Super Zaxxon and Congo Bongo, but there's nothing from the late '80s like Altered Beast. That detail, along with the PSP version's higher retail price, make the PlayStation 2 version of the game the better choice for most people, unless you strongly prefer the idea of having these games with you on the go. Minimal loading times in both versions and a great menu system that lets you easily switch between different games makes it convenient to quickly browse through the lineup before hunkering down with some of your favorites. The Sega Genesis Collection is one of the most satisfying, well-put-together classic game compilations to date. That it's available for a budget price on the PlayStation 2 makes it all the more tempting, though being able to take these games with you anywhere makes the PSP version a great choice, too. Even if you were an avid fan of the Genesis back in its heyday, chances are you never got around to playing a number of these games, many of which are still quite fun and remarkably challenging even by today's standards. Or, even if the Genesis is before your time or you simply never got one, there's just so much history packed into this collection that it'd be a great choice for anybody interested in video games in general.