PS3 Review: Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (2009)

I recently got on the next-gen gaming bandwagon by purchasing a shiny new PS3. As a result, this is my first review for the system. Ultimately, what's good for me is good for you cats, our readers. Expect plenty more reviews for the console in the coming months, all while Chicken Man continues to keep you up-to-date on the Xbox 360.

Graphically, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection is clearly not pushing the limits of what the PS3 can do; nevertheless, I believe this is an entirely appropriate, even admirable use of the technology for archival purposes. I love the Sega Genesis, and I'm just pleased as punch to have all these Genesis games packaged together on a single Blu-ray disc, rather than having to deal with the mess of dusty cartridges. True, this is a collection of strictly Sega-licensed games only (so no ACME All-Stars, alas), but who could possibly complain about having access to Streets of Rage 1-3, Sonic 1-3, Spinball, Knuckles, 3-D Blast, both Vectormans, Ecco, Altered Beast, Shinobi, Comix Zone, etc? You can even save progress in each of these games however many times you wish, whereas before many of them required you to complete them in a single sitting. I found this helpful in finally beating some of the more challenging games of that era, particularly Sonic Spinball and Comix Zone (technically I still haven't beaten Comix Zone, but I'm getting mighty close). There's a nice presentation to go along with everything else, as each game has a semi-detailed description, bits of trivia, and case/cartridge artwork. I also enjoyed the menu functionality, where you can give star ratings to each of the 40+ games in the collection, basically ranking them in order of preference and then sorting the menu accordingly. Though not all 40 games suited my fancy, there were enough quality choices to easily make this purchase worthwhile; the Streets of Rages and Sonics were worth the price all by themselves, and after that everything else was sheer gravy. Even the stinkers have a purpose, as playing the first few levels of something as lame as Super Thunder Blade can unlock additional Sega Mega Drive/arcade games or interviews with developers. My only complaint is the omission of Sonic & Knuckles' lock-on technology from the cartridge days, which allowed you to play through Sonic 1-3 as Knuckles instead. In terms of value, replayability, and variety this collection is tops for next-gen consoles. It's also an excellent archival project in classic gaming. Just stay away from Sonic 3-D Blast, I'm telling you.

Altered Beefcake, that's what I call it.