New Sega Genesis collection for 360/PS3

[shopkins]

I didn't see a thread for this so I thought I'd post and see what other people thought.

http://www.sega.com/games/?g=592

http://www.seganerds.com/2008/11/06/sega-mega-drive-ultimate-collection-coming-2009/#comments

Seems to be, for the most part, a very nice upgrade from the PS2 version. I noticed they took out Shadow Dancer and still didn't include Revenge Of Shinobi for some reason I don't understand, but they did put in the Shining, Streets of Rage and other Sonic games, filling a major gap in the PS2 collection.

Also, this says this will be compatible with 720p. I wonder how well it will work? I couldn't really tell from the small video.

I'm kind of curious as to what the extras will be, too. The fact that some of them might be unlockable Master System games and the fact that it outright says "four titles from the Phantasy Star series" makes me hopeful that we'll get the first Phantasy Star. Does Sega own all the rights to the Master System Wonder Boy and Alex Kidd games? Those would also be great additions.

[s1lence]

Looks like an interesting collection, potential for a lot of cool achievements.

[slip81]

That collection has a lot of great games. I'll definitely be picking this one up.

[savageone]

Look at the screenshots, it's filtered to all hell.. I hope there is an option to turn that off.

[namzep]

I'll definitely have to pick it up as I can't seem to get enough of the collections that they put out (especially all the different ones on the PS2).

[kupomogli]

If Sega actually adds the Shining Force games I'll once again pick it up. If not then it really depends on what else they add.

[7th lutz]

Revenge Of Shinobi isn't in for a reason. If Sega added Revenge Of Shinobi in New Genesis Collection, there would be a lawsuit by Marvel or movie companies.

Revenge Of Shinobi has bosses clearly resembling Spiderman, Batman, Terminator and Godzilla.

[Leo_A]

Just the original release I thought? I believe its been reworked back in the day to resolve those issues.

I believe it was even on Sega Smash Pack for the Sega Dreamcast, so I don't think its unthinkable it could be on here.

[SpaceHarrier]

The blur effect is kind of a no go for me. I get headaches from that sort of thing. As savageone mentioned, I hope there is the option to turn it off. Great preliminary list of games though.

I can't help but wonder, why not the whole dam catalogue though (maybe a multi-disc set)? Or even 1/2 of it. Or 1/3. They could put dozens upon dozens of Sega games from Master System all the way to Dreamcast on a Blu-Ray, right? Wouldn't that sell exponentially better than a lukewarm retread? Then again, Namco has been retailing the same collection for YEARS..

[Graham Mitchell]

Although this appears to be a fantastic collection (it has PS IV!!) it makes me feel kind of dumb for buying several of these on Xbox Live Arcade already. And this is the second such collection we're seeing this week! (see the thread on Namco republishing their XBLA games on a Namco Museum disc) The fact that all these have been available already for some time on this generation of consoles sort of takes some of the punch out of this announcement. Regardless, it's still pretty cool.

It'll be interesting to see how well this sells, considering a lot of these games are already available.

[Daria]

Wooo!


Shining Force!

[sonoranreptile]

Hi-definition Upgrade: All titles included in the collection have been converted to vivid hi-def (720p) visuals to truly enhance that classic 2D experience!

Friggin' sweet!!!

[Damaramu]

Yeah, those heavily filtered screenshots are killing it for me too. When it's confirmed that you're able to shut that off, I'll pick up a copy.

[otaku]

They should make it look shiny and HD pretty like street fighter on xbox live. Then I'll buy. Does have a nice list (hell 40 games period is cool) still collections like this can't compare to a cart, a genesis and a genny controller (6 button)

[Oobgarm]

Looks like an interesting collection, potential for a lot of cool achievements.

Precisely my thought.

[Mimi Nakamura]

That is one nice collection.

I'm guessing it'll be cheap too - worth it for Bare Knuckle II and Dynamite Headdy alone!

[shopkins]

I didn't notice it before, but this press release gives away another unlockable, Space Harrier. I wonder if it will be the arcade version?

http://www.sega.com/news/?n=2507

[swlovinist]

I loved both the PS2 and PSP versions. I am excited about this one definately.

[Drexel923]

Yeah, those heavily filtered screenshots are killing it for me too. When it's confirmed that you're able to shut that off, I'll pick up a copy.

It is an option...

"I’ve had confirmation that the filter can indeed be switched off...And the games will display at whatever ratio your console is set at – 4:3 or 16:9. If playing in 16:9 the game will fit and not have black borders at the side."

Taken from Kotaku.

Yet another must buy compilation!

[shopkins]

It is an option...

"I’ve had confirmation that the filter can indeed be switched off...And the games will display at whatever ratio your console is set at – 4:3 or 16:9. If playing in 16:9 the game will fit and not have black borders at the side."

Taken from Kotaku.

Yet another must buy compilation!

Awesome. That was bugging me, too. Those Streets of Rage screens looked terribly blurred.

[SegaAges]

Dude, this is going to pwn your face!

Getting for sure

[heybtbm]

The Streets of Rage games might not be on the US version for the exact same reason they weren't on the North American PS2 Sonic Gems Collection. They would push the rating to "T" and we all know how horrible that scenario would be :roll:.

[Leo_A]

Plenty of other similarly violent games in this collection from the looks of it, unlike in Sonic Gems. So safe to say in my opinion that they're not out for a E rating with this game.

Even then, Streets of Rage 1-3 are rated E anyways according to a search I just did at the ESRB site.

So lets not fabricate drama over something that's false and isn't even known right now. Sega Genesis Collection had T games in it, and this is mostly another version of that besides the title.

[Nebagram]

Despite already owning the PS2 collection... not to mention most of the original Mega Drive games anyway... this is an absolute must buy, if only for the achievements. :D

[heybtbm]

So lets not fabricate drama over something that's false and isn't even known right now.

"Fabricating drama"? THAT is the true definition of irony.LOL

Anyway, I said the SoR games "might not be in the game". They weren't in Sonic Gems, they weren't in the Sega Genesis Collection...so I'm just saying it's possible they won't be in this release. I'm hoping they are. I only have SoR2 (my old Genesis cart) and would love to play them again (without paying $8 a piece on the Wii VC).

[kaedesdisciple]

Three words: Sign. Me. Up.

Here's the list so far (not including unlockables) for those of you that are saying, "Hey, goober, where's the list?"

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Alien Storm
Altered Beast
Beyond Oasis
Bonanza Bros.
Columns
Comix Zone
Decap Attack starring Chuck D. Head
Dr. Robotnik's MBM
Dynamite Headdy
Ecco the Dolphin
Ecco II: The Tides of Time
E-SWAT
Fatal Labyrinth
Flicky
Gain Ground
Golden Axe I
Golden Axe II
Golden Axe III
Kid Chameleon
Phantasy Star II
Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
Ristar
Shining in the Darkness
Shining Force
Shining Force 2
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Sonic 3D Blast
Sonic and Knuckles
Sonic Spinball
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage 2
Streets of Rage 3
Super Thunder Blade
Vectorman
Vectorman 2

[Leo_A]

Looks like I might've overreacted instead, I hate those rolling eyes smiley faces. Annoying

Anyways, no one seems to have noticed that Phantasy Star 1 for the SMS is included. They mentioned that all 4 are on this. So there's another unlockable we know about, besides some version of Space Harrier.

[Overbite]

Hell yes, I play the ps2 version a lot and this is pretty much the same thing but more.

I'll have to start my PS4 game over though :(

[Neil Koch]

Just the original release I thought? I believe its been reworked back in the day to resolve those issues.

I believe it was even on Sega Smash Pack for the Sega Dreamcast, so I don't think its unthinkable it could be on here.

There was a version of RoS that was on the Greatest Hits and 6-Pak Genesis carts, as well as the Sega CD pack-in version and the DC Smash Pack, that tweaked the possible copyright violations but it left Spider-Man in because Sega paid for the rights to the character. Marvel's comic book stuff was dirt cheap to license at this point, but not so much now with the popularity of the movies.

I'd suspect that Sega doesn't think it'd be cost-effective to go back and work on a game that's one of many on a compilation disc or a VC download. It's shame because RoS is my favorite 16-bit game. Shinobi III is good, and is some ways superior (ie the graphics) but it just doesn't have that special something RoS has.



I can't help but wonder, why not the whole dam catalogue though (maybe a multi-disc set)? Or even 1/2 of it. Or 1/3. They could put dozens upon dozens of Sega games from Master System all the way to Dreamcast on a Blu-Ray, right? Wouldn't that sell exponentially better than a lukewarm retread? Then again, Namco has been retailing the same collection for YEARS..

Sega's selling their stuff on the VC at $8 a pop. I'd suspect that's a much bigger of a profit margin than these collection, even if you factor in Nintendo's cut.

[CosmicMonkey]

I personally don't see the point in these compilation discs anymore; that's what PSN/Live/WiiWare is for.

Why don't Sega release an absolutely perfect Megadrive emulator for PSN and make all 1st party titles immediately available for download individually. Work on all the other 3rd party titles as time goes on.

They could even incorporate it with PlayStation Home when it eventually comes out. If you buy the MD emulator you get a MD console to put in your virtual apartment. Every game you download you get a virtual representation of the actual game box, game and instruction manual to put on the shelf in your apartment. I think it'd be quite cool to have a PC Engine Duo and Megadrive again, but in my PSN house. A Saturn would be nice too ;)

[DKTheArcadeRat]

For 29.99, this is a major steal. A definite must buy.

[Daria]

I personally don't see the point in these compilation discs anymore; that's what PSN/Live/WiiWare is for.

$30 for 40+ games though. If the downloadables weren't $8 a pop I'd agree.

But I'm only in it for the Shining Forces... which I've already downloaded on Wii. But any excuse to play the game again is fine by me. (:

[Trebuken]

I personally don't see the point in these compilation discs anymore; that's what PSN/Live/WiiWare is for.

Why don't Sega release an absolutely perfect Megadrive emulator for PSN and make all 1st party titles immediately available for download individually. Work on all the other 3rd party titles as time goes on.

They could even incorporate it with PlayStation Home when it eventually comes out. If you buy the MD emulator you get a MD console to put in your virtual apartment. Every game you download you get a virtual representation of the actual game box, game and instruction manual to put on the shelf in your apartment. I think it'd be quite cool to have a PC Engine Duo and Megadrive again, but in my PSN house. A Saturn would be nice too ;)


I like having the physical copy myself.

Looks like this could be the best retro-compilation to date of any kind...are there any compilations of this scale?

[Leo_A]

I'd consider the recent Xbox 360 Namco Museum release, Atari Anthology, and even Intellivision Lives (We're not talking about quality of emulation, right?), as approaching it in terms of numbers of games and the scope of the publisher's library that's being included.

And it's not far away from Midway Arcade Treasures 1/2 and Sega's own Genesis collection they did for the PS2/PSP a couple of years ago.

Capcom's two PS2/Xbox collections had a ton of stuff too, but I forget numbers and I'm too lazy to get up and take a look at them on my shelf. :)

Too bad Sega's Genesis racing games aren't included, but I think most would need a slight bit of rework to eliminate licensed material (Like Ferrari's Pranching Horse logo on the back of the red car in Outrun) first, something they don't appear to consider financially worthwhile.

Maybe we'll get some licensed content through DLC. That seems the most viable way to introduce content that cost extra or needed some rework than tossing it into a collection free of charge in a way.

[Daft Punk]

Im all over this one.

[Zap!]

And once again, the Wii gets shafted. I can't see how it is the most popular system by far, yet no one wants to make any games for it. Classic compilations would probably sell more on this system if anything.

[Leo_A]

Why would you put this on the Wii? People like CosmicMonkey are happily buying these individual games at $8 a pop off the Virtual Console. Makes more sense to do what they're doing, and target the people that aren't using the Virtual Console to purchase these titles.

[Zap!]

Why would you put this on the Wii? People like CosmicMonkey are happily buying these individual games at $8 a pop off the Virtual Console. Makes more sense to do what they're doing, and target the people that aren't using the Virtual Console to purchase these titles.

I'm not a big VC fan. I like to hold games in my hand, and put them in my collection.

[Captain Wrong]

Suprized they'd cut into their $8 a pop downloads for this. I figured PSN/XLA/VC was the death of the compilation disc. Glad to be wrong, if that's the case.

[heybtbm]

Achievements/Trophies are up...

360: http://www.xbox360achievements.org/achievements.php?gameID=939

PS3: http://www.ps3trophies.org/game/sonics-ultimate-genesis-colletion/trophies/

Anyway...I'm pretty sure I'll be picking up the PS3 version at this point. I'm thinking the 360's D-pad might ruin this one.

[swlovinist]

Nice trophies, I cant wait to get this one!

[Zap!]

Off-topic but are there there any compilations at all for the Wii?

[Graham Mitchell]

Off-topic but are there there any compilations at all for the Wii?
metal slug anthology. There's also a namco museum for it but i think the games are "enhanced" to make sure they look totally awful, and to use the wiimote.

[s1lence]

Nice achievement list, looks like February 10th is going to be a good day. 29.95 according to Amazon.

[Nebagram]

Excellent, liking the look of those achievements- and completing Sonic 1 and 2 on XBLA with the analogue stick, I'm not too fussed about transferring my 16-bit skills in other games over. :)

[DigitalSpace]

lol @ the "Blast Processing" achievement.

[geneshifter]

Off-topic but are there there any compilations at all for the Wii?

I just picked up a SNK Arcade Classics volume 1 compilation for Wii. It's good and a lot cheaper than buying these things on the VC. They're crazy priced on there.

[jupitersj]

Yeah I think I'm also picking this up for my PS3 instead of 360 due to its shitty d-pad.

[Sudo]

Add me to the list of those picking up the PS3 version. There's no way I'm going to play 2D games with the 360's D-pad.

[geneshifter]

Oh, back on topic, I really want to get this but will have to wait until I get a PS3 because the 360 D-pad is just awful. I wish they would release this on the Wii and I would be set. I guess I could get it on the 360 since I have a hori arcade stick, though.

[titanzguard]

Ill be picking it up the first day it comes out. Not sure about all of you but I like trophies over achievements so ill get it for PS3.

[RPG_Fanatic]

I'll be picking this one up!!!!!!!!!

[Leo_A]

I'll probably get the 360 version, I prefer Live and achievements. Seems strange not being logged into XBL when I'm on the PS3.

I'll probably get the PS3 version down the road and see how much better the games control with the d pad.

And who knows, we might all end up getting both of them. The PS2 and PSP versions of the last Genesis collection both had exclusive unlockable arcade games, maybe they'll pull something similar again with classic gamers like us double dipping to get the different unlockables.

[Graham Mitchell]

This is kind of random, but it just occurred to me...with all those Turbo/PC-Engine CD games going on the Virtual Console these days, why hasn't Sega ever considered a Sega-CD comp disc? For every POS FMV game, there was one or two really well-made action games or RPG's. Ecco CD was a masterpiece, for example, and Dark Wizard and Shining Force CD are definitiely worth revisiting.

Of course, some of the really truly great Sega CD games would require quite a licensing headache (Working Designs games, or the Sega Cd version of Wing Commander for example) but there were a few really good ones that Sega developed on their own. Hell, I wouldn't mind playing the Streets of Rage and Revenge of Shinobi versions with the improved digital voices that were on Sega Classics disc, either.

Just a crazy idea I had.

[swlovinist]

This is kind of random, but it just occurred to me...with all those Turbo/PC-Engine CD games going on the Virtual Console these days, why hasn't Sega ever considered a Sega-CD comp disc? For every POS FMV game, there was one or two really well-made action games or RPG's. Ecco CD was a masterpiece, for example, and Dark Wizard and Shining Force CD are definitiely worth revisiting.

Of course, some of the really truly great Sega CD games would require quite a licensing headache (Working Designs games, or the Sega Cd version of Wing Commander for example) but there were a few really good ones that Sega developed on their own. Hell, I wouldn't mind playing the Streets of Rage and Revenge of Shinobi versions with the improved digital voices that were on Sega Classics disc, either.

Just a crazy idea I had.

If more people cared, then Sega probably would do a comp of Sega CD. Unfortunately, there is only a small loyal following of Sega CD fans, and even a smaller following that acknowledge how awsome Dark Wizard is(one of my favorites and glad someone else agrees :)). This post makes me want to bust out my Sega CD collection to play some gems!

hopefully maybe some of the unlockables will be Sega CD games! I do recall that Sonic CD was on a Gamecube comp.

[Graham Mitchell]

If more people cared, then Sega probably would do a comp of Sega CD. Unfortunately, there is only a small loyal following of Sega CD fans, and even a smaller following that acknowledge how awsome Dark Wizard is(one of my favorites and glad someone else agrees :)). This post makes me want to bust out my Sega CD collection to play some gems!

hopefully maybe some of the unlockables will be Sega CD games! I do recall that Sonic CD was on a Gamecube comp.

I can only hope. The demand may not be there right now, but if they just released it and issued some kind of explanation for it (maybe try to appeal to Genesis fans and tell them that these are definitive versions of classics), it's possible a fair amount of interest would be generated then and there. I'd buy it, anyway.

Glad I lured you away from your PS3/360 for awhile, BTW ;) I'm envious, actually. I don't have Sega CD hardware anymore and I'd kill to burn through Snatcher and Dark Wizard these days.

[Leo_A]

Sonic CD was a pc port on Sonic Gems, Sega doesn't seem to want to emulate the Sega CD.

[Neil Koch]

I'd like to see some sort of Sega CD compilation. I've heard that Sega CD emulation is pretty tricky though, and as was pointed out a lot of the games would be rights/licensing nightmares since a lot of them used real music and actors.


Hell, I wouldn't mind playing the Streets of Rage and Revenge of Shinobi versions with the improved digital voices that were on Sega Classics disc, either.

RoS probably will never get a legit re-release due to the Spiderman boss, sadly.

[Graham Mitchell]

RoS probably will never get a legit re-release due to the Spiderman boss, sadly.

Crap, I forgot about that. Is there any such licensing woes with Shadow Dancer? I own the cart, and I just can't firgure out why that was never reissued. I actually prefer it to RoS, in fact (even the soundtrack!).

[kainemaxwell]

I hope a 2nd Collection comes out for the PS2 with the Shining Force games. :(

[Leo_A]

RoS probably will never get a legit re-release due to the Spiderman boss, sadly.

They've reworked the other bosses over the years, so its possible they may decide to do it eventually if theres anyone involved that understand and have access to the source code to modify it.

[Therealqtip]

Look at the screenshots, it's filtered to all hell.. I hope there is an option to turn that off.

What do you mean?

[Therealqtip]

I hope this game has Sonic CD.

[Neil Koch]

Crap, I forgot about that. Is there any such licensing woes with Shadow Dancer? I own the cart, and I just can't firgure out why that was never reissued. I actually prefer it to RoS, in fact (even the soundtrack!).

Shadow Dancer is on the PS2 Genesis Collection so I would assume there's really no issues with porting it over.

[Graham Mitchell]

Shadow Dancer is on the PS2 Genesis Collection so I would assume there's really no issues with porting it over.

Oh! I didn't know that.

[kupomogli]

I'd like to see a Sega CD collection, too. Maybe Sega could talk with some other companies to put more than just Sega titles on it. Also Sega Saturn collection. Or better yet, a Sega CD collection with "CD" not meaning the system, but the basic format of what the systems are based on including both Sega's best Sega CD and Sega Saturn games. Now that'd be awesome.

[G-Boobie]

I'm going to be cautiously optimistic about this, but I sure as hell wish that publishers would stay away from Backbone. Their quality is uniformly poor to middling unless Sirlin is involved, and even then you get the netcode problems with HD Remix. Actually, Sirlin isn't even there anymore...

Some Fantasy Zone would also be appreciated, Sega!

[swlovinist]

I too would like to see more of a "total Sega Console Compliation", but I will take what I can get. I bet emulating the Saturn would be a bitch, but look forward to this compliation because I feel that it goes above and beyond just emulating the games that I already have.

The arcade unlockables is going to make this one awsome. If it has a golden axe arcade unlockable, I am going to snap.

[Graham Mitchell]

The arcade unlockables is going to make this one awsome. If it has a golden axe arcade unlockable, I am going to snap.

Am I the only one who thinks the Genesis version of GA is actually quite awful? Play it sometime, see how badly it aged. Golden Axe II, on the other hand, is still quite awesome.

Off-topic, but am I the only one that remembers certain enemies in Golden Axe Arcade yelling "Ohhh Shiiiiit!!" when you killed them?

[Zap!]

Am I the only one who thinks the Genesis version of GA is actually quite awful? Play it sometime, see how badly it aged. Golden Axe II, on the other hand, is still quite awesome.

Off-topic, but am I the only one that remembers certain enemies in Golden Axe Arcade yelling "Ohhh Shiiiiit!!" when you killed them?

It probably just sounded like that. No company would have curses in an arcade in 1988. Today though...

[shopkins]

Edit with better info:

Unlockable games revealed.

Alien Syndrome (Arcade version if screenshots are any indication)
Altered Beast Arcade version
Tip Top/Congo Bongo
Fantasy Zone
Golden Axe Warrior (Master System)
Phantasy Star (Master System)
Shinobi Arcade Version
Space Harrier
Zaxxon

http://blogs.sega.com/usa/2009/01/22/sonics-ultimate-genesis-collection-9-unlockable-games-and-new-screenshots/

Not my full wishlist but not bad either.

What I don't get is, if it is "Sonic's" collection, why not include some of his Game Gear, Master System and Sega CD games as unlockables as they did on other Sonic collections. Also, the complete lack of Alex Kidd love is baffling. But, again, there might be more to reveal.

[Leo_A]

I wonder if that's the full list? I was told by a employee that there were going to be 9 bonus games, but I only count 8 there.

Also, there's a good chance additional content will come as DLC.

[shopkins]

I wonder if that's the full list? I was told by a employee that there were going to be 9 bonus games, but I only count 8 there.

Also, there's a good chance additional content will come as DLC.

I was going off the Sega Europe Website. I edited it with US info and now I count 9.

I would really like to see some good, cheap DLC.

[heybtbm]

Sega Europe spilled the beans on some of the unlockable games. They are:

Shinobi Arcade Version

Cool. Has this ever been released on a home console before? Aside from the SMS version of course.

[Graham Mitchell]

Cool. Has this ever been released on a home console before? Aside from the SMS version of course.

There's the PC Engine version which isn't too bad, but it's never hit America. Tengen did a crappy NES port, too.

[ButtonMasher123]

I'll be getting this the first day it comes out. With just about 50 games on it and 75% of them being good games it should go down as the ultimate compilation game.

[Zap!]

Why isn't this coming out for Wii? The Wii certainly can handle the Genesis' graphics. Also, Wii owners are probablly more likely than PS3 or 360 owners to be into classics. Makes zero sense.

[heybtbm]

Why isn't this coming out for Wii? Makes zero sense.

Maybe Sega thinks a compilation would take away sales from their VC releases?


Also, Wii owners are probablly more likely than PS3 or 360 owners to be into classics.

Soccer moms and grandparents care about old Genesis games? Who knew.

[Zap!]

Maybe Sega thinks a compilation would take away sales from their VC releases?

That has to be a major reason, just look how many compilatins there are on the Wii. Very few.


Soccer moms and grandparents care about old Genesis games? Who knew.

Many age 35+ classic video game historians will only play one modern system, the Wii, because Sony and MS are not true gaming companies that started making games first in the arcades in the 70's before getting into console gaming. I am one of them.

[Leo_A]

I suspect they think Wii owners are content with buying the Virtual Console releases. A few Wii owners here at DP have even criticized Sega for releasing this compilation, preferring to spend more to download individual releases.

It doesn't make sense to me at all, I'd rather have a compilation anyday than spending $5-$10 to download 1 game.

[Nesmaster]

It doesn't make sense to me at all, I'd rather have a compilation anyday than spending $5-$10 to download 1 game.

Not only that, but it comes on a printed disc and doesn't take up the little valuable space I have left on my 360 drive with 50 more arcade games that'll take an extra hour to load the entire library currently on the drive.

[Chainclaw]

Why isn't this coming out for Wii? The Wii certainly can handle the Genesis' graphics. Also, Wii owners are probablly more likely than PS3 or 360 owners to be into classics. Makes zero sense.

Maybe Nintendo wouldn't approve it, because they didn't want people to see how overpriced the virtual console games are? Although the SNK compilations are on the Wii, but maybe that was grandfathered in.

Didn't the Smash Brothers guys want to include the full VC games on the disc, instead of just demos, but Nintendo wouldn't let them?

[duo_r]

interesting, but I hear the graphics look blurry....

[G-Boobie]

interesting, but I hear the graphics look blurry....

Originally, the collection had some line doubling and softening effects no matter what, but according to 1UP, you can turn that off now. It's going to be an option in das menu.

[CreamSoda]

Awesome collection, I can't wait to play it.

[j_factor]

Maybe Nintendo wouldn't approve it, because they didn't want people to see how overpriced the virtual console games are?

What makes you think it would be Nintendo, rather than Sega using this logic? Sega makes money off their VC downloads too.

[Chainclaw]

What makes you think it would be Nintendo, rather than Sega using this logic? Sega makes money off their VC downloads too.

Because Sega is making this compilation? And they were selling Genesis games on the 360 already?

[G-Boobie]

Maybe Nintendo wouldn't approve it, because they didn't want people to see how overpriced the virtual console games are? Although the SNK compilations are on the Wii, but maybe that was grandfathered in.

Considering the sad, sorry state of the Nintendo approvals process, I doubt it.

On the Virtual Console note, I generally buy compilations to dabble with, but buy VC games to actually play, especially if they're fighting games. I've not encountered a compilation disc with perfect emulation yet. Buy Mega Man collection to play a level or two: buy Mega Man 2 on VC to actually play through.

[j_factor]

Because Sega is making this compilation? And they were selling Genesis games on the 360 already?

Yeah, they're making this compilation... for systems other than the Wii. A choice which I think was deliberate on Sega's, rather than Nintendo's, part. Comparatively few Genesis games have been released on Xbox Live Arcade. Also, Nintendo practically rubber-stamps their approval on every game that comes their way, so I just don't see how it's likely that Nintendo would reject this game.

[carlcarlson]

Many age 35+ classic video game historians...

Sexiest thing EVER????









Hint: No.

[Solertia]

Aw man, I can't WAIT for this :D They list Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles separately, but I REALLY hope they let us play Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles! Those two games combined were epic! :D


Soccer moms and grandparents care about old Genesis games? Who knew.

I own a Wii and I still lol'd :p

[Zap!]

Sexiest thing EVER????









Hint: No.

The owner of this board is also 35+ year old classic video game historian, so maybe you should stop with the insults.

[carlcarlson]

The owner of this board is also 35+ year old classic video game historian, so maybe you should stop with the insults.

The owner of this board also has a sense of humor...

[j_factor]

The owner of this board is also 35+ year old classic video game historian, so maybe you should stop with the insults.

I don't think the owner of this board would be offended by someone saying he's not the sexiest thing ever.

[Zap!]

I don't think the owner of this board would be offended by someone saying he's not the sexiest thing ever.

It depends how it's said. I didn't take his comment as someone who was joking.

[carlcarlson]

It depends how it's said. I didn't take his comment as someone who was joking.

Are you saying that you are, indeed, the sexiest thing ever?

[Zap!]

Are you saying that you are, indeed, the sexiest thing ever?

I'm saying you style of humor of insulting people is what I do with my friends all the time, but the difference is I know them, and if I did do it online to someone I never posted to before, I'd do something to indicate I was joking.

[j_factor]

Dear Joe,

I would just like to inform you that you are NOT the sexiest thing ever. This is not a joke. I am completely, 100% serious. You really aren't.

Sincerely,
some guy on your forum

[slip81]

http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/picture.php?albumid=65&pictureid=277

[heybtbm]

Originally, the collection had some line doubling and softening effects no matter what, but according to 1UP, you can turn that off now. It's going to be an option in das menu.

That's great news. I always turn off the smoothing/widescreen/etc. options when playing XBLA or PSN games. If the game has pixels, I want to see them damn it!

[Nature Boy]

Why isn't this coming out for Wii? Makes zero sense.

That's because nobody here actually works for Sega and/or Nintendo and is willing to share with us.

Since everybody else has thrown out their own cockamamie theories as to why it isn't appearing I'll throw out mine: Sega didn't want to release something on the Wii that didn't involve motion sensor technology, as that's the primary reason people buy the Wii in the first place. And they also didn't want to bother re-coding something.

[kainemaxwell]

Considering the sad, sorry state of the Nintendo approvals process, I doubt it.

On the Virtual Console note, I generally buy compilations to dabble with, but buy VC games to actually play, especially if they're fighting games. I've not encountered a compilation disc with perfect emulation yet. Buy Mega Man collection to play a level or two: buy Mega Man 2 on VC to actually play through.
That's sad.

[Lady Jaye]

Even though Sega is once more showing no love for Wonder Boy, I'm still definitely getting this compilation, if only for Phantasy Star I-IV.

[RPG_Fanatic]

Many age 35+ classic video game historians will only play one modern system, the Wii, because Sony and MS are not true gaming companies that started making games first in the arcades in the 70's before getting into console gaming. I am one of them.

I am 37 and I never play my Wii, What "classic" games can you play on a "modern" system (VC? come on play it on the original system) I play my 360 & PS3 every day! Sony not a true gaming company? How did Nintendo start out? Not making video games.

[Leo_A]

I'm looking forward to and hopeful that the possible DLC happens for this title (Sad, not even out yet and I'm hoping for more :)). I suspect the 7 arcade games we're not getting this time around from the previous Sega Genesis Collection must be under consideration, along with the arcade Golden Ax that XBLA saw, and hopefully some other stuff like some Outrun love (Space Harrier is here, so I don't see why I can't wish :)). The new stuff like Shinobi has given me some hope.

[shopkins]

Even though Sega is once more showing no love for Wonder Boy, I'm still definitely getting this compilation, if only for Phantasy Star I-IV.

Does SEGA own Wonder Boy? I'm not clear on that. Either way, even though I have all of the Wonder Boy Master System games on cart I'd still like to see them on this collection. It's unfortunate that this character was pretty much forgotten.

The absence of any Master System Alex Kidd games is also kind of baffling to me. I mean, he was SEGA's mascot before Sonic, after all. If you have a working Master System emulator it can't be that difficult to dump a few more games into it, can it?

[Nionel]

I believe that Sega owns Wonder Boy, they released a PS2 compilation in Japan under their Sega Ages label, maybe the games just aren't popular enough in the states for them to warrant adding them to a compilation? Or perhaps we would see them on a Master System Compilation, if such a thing were to ever happen, since only one of the Genesis games was released state-side.

[G-Boobie]

Not much in the way of new information, but there's an update on the collection on 1UP by master Jeremy Parish.

Linkeroo! (http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8979541&publicUserId=5379721)


That's sad.

No way, good sir. Have you played SNK Arcade Collection? Janky, buggy piece of crap. Slowdown central. Same with the Metal Slug Anthology, and even Fatal Fury Battle Archives for some reason. Mega Man Collection has the buttons incontrovertibly reversed: unacceptable. The Virtual Console emulations though? Perfect.

[shopkins]

Not much in the way of new information, but there's an update on the collection on 1UP by master Jeremy Parish.

Linkeroo! (http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8979541&publicUserId=5379721)



No way, good sir. Have you played SNK Arcade Collection? Janky, buggy piece of crap. Slowdown central. Same with the Metal Slug Anthology, and even Fatal Fury Battle Archives for some reason. Mega Man Collection has the buttons incontrovertibly reversed: unacceptable. The Virtual Console emulations though? Perfect.

That is good news from 1-Up about the graphics in this collection. Maybe it will be more acceptable. If I'm understanding it right there isn't a true widescreen mode like I had thought, however, just stretching. Oh well.

Mega Man Collection on PS2 doesn't switch the buttons backwards, that was a Gamecube exclusive abomination. I won't argue that it's otherwise perfect emulation, though. There are some oddities like part of an ending missing.

[Leo_A]

Why did you ever think there would be a true widescreen mode? These games are all 15+ years old running under emulation. The only choices ever possible were to zoom way in to fill the screen, stretch, or have borders on each side to maintain the 4:3 AR. I believe we'll have all three options.

"the company's Genesis ports for Xbox 360 have been, in a word, terrible."

As for the 1up article that states this, what was wrong with Ecco, Sonic 1 & 2, Streets of Rage 2, or the arcade Golden Ax? I thought they did a great job with all of them. Were they complaining about the filters? I never noticed them since I was playing on a CRT when I bought them, but I thought the post processing effects could be turned off in the menus if you didn't like the blurry mess they caused?

[shopkins]

Why did you ever think there would be a true widescreen mode? These games are all 15+ years old running under emulation. The only choices ever possible were to zoom way in to fill the screen, stretch, or have borders on each side to maintain the 4:3 AR. I believe we'll have all three options.

"the company's Genesis ports for Xbox 360 have been, in a word, terrible."

As for the 1up article that states this, what was wrong with Ecco, Sonic 1 & 2, Streets of Rage 2, or the arcade Golden Ax? I thought they did a great job with all of them. Were they complaining about the filters? I never noticed them since I was playing on a CRT when I bought them, but I thought the post processing effects could be turned off in the menus if you didn't like the blurry mess they caused?

Because Kotaku posted a message from a company flack saying it would be in 16:9.

http://kotaku.com/5079490/mega-drive-collection-splotches-are-optional

Check the comments. Madgerald, who claimed to be the Martin Snelling mentioned in the article and was not corrected on this point, said it would be unstretched widescreen. I probably should have been more skeptical.

[Xian042]

Hell, I wouldn't mind playing the Streets of Rage and Revenge of Shinobi versions with the improved digital voices that were on Sega Classics disc, either.



I hated those over dubbed voice samples. In the original shinobi, when you cast a spell, he let out a satisfying screech. In the over dub, it sounded like someone punched him in the stomach.

[G-Boobie]

"the company's Genesis ports for Xbox 360 have been, in a word, terrible."

As for the 1up article that states this, what was wrong with Ecco, Sonic 1 & 2, Streets of Rage 2, or the arcade Golden Ax? I thought they did a great job with all of them. Were they complaining about the filters? I never noticed them since I was playing on a CRT when I bought them, but I thought the post processing effects could be turned off in the menus if you didn't like the blurry mess they caused?

You really have to play them next to the original games: the ports are universally pretty bad. Even if you turn off the 'enhanced graphics', certain colors and textures are over saturated, sound effects and background music are poorly emulated and don't sync properly, and anything with online play is awful. When Backbone ports something(with the exception, so I'm told, of one or two game collections, though every one I've ever bought has some problems), they tend to screw the pooch. So does it's sister company, Digital Eclipse: the port of Symphony of the Night for XBLA was serviceable, but had all the problems listed above.

They're especially bad when compared to the VC's emulation, which is spot on ninety nine percent of the time.

[Leo_A]

The emulation side is all done by the Digital Eclipse studio, even if the Backbone name is used. I still see no problems with them, you've actually stood them side by side and compared? Or does this have to do with your dislike for Foundation 9?

I've beat them all in their original form and I can't notice any differences playing them in their XBLA versions, so its good enough for me. Same with the Sega Genesis Collection for the PS2/PSP, they've nailed Genesis emulation in my opinion.

[Zap!]

I am 37 and I never play my Wii, What "classic" games can you play on a "modern" system (VC? come on play it on the original system) I play my 360 & PS3 every day! Sony not a true gaming company? How did Nintendo start out? Not making video games.

Hey, everyone's different. Some old time gamers (playing games intensely since the 70's) have all three systems. Some hate Nintendo for bringing Japanese-style home gaming to the US, and killing Atari. And some only want a system that has roots in arcade gaming since the 70's (me). Not a put down. I want to get a PS3 for Blu-Ray, and I will surely enjoy some games. But I frown on their roots, and know old gamers who agree.

And you're 100% correct that Nintendo didn't start out as a gaming company, but that wasn't what I meant. Not starting out as one is fine, as long as they were there from the Golden Age on, and Nintendo was.

[zektor]

I want to get a PS3 for Blu-Ray, and I will surely enjoy some games. But I frown on their roots, and know old gamers who agree.


Heh...I'm not one of those "old gamers" I guess...

I'll be 34 this year and have been playing games since..well..probably about 1979. I have seen a whole lot and have played a whole lot. I have seen the might and glory of Atari, Commodore, Coleco, Mattel and others. I have seen how Nintendo brought on the return of the game. And I have seen how Sony had started a new revolution in the industry. Their roots are just as strong as any of the others...sorry to disagree with you. And that IS coming from an "old gamer"...although I still don't like to be considered old :)

To get back on topic:

Since I am such a compilation whore AND a huge Sega fan, this WILL be an immediate purchase for me!

[Breetai]

I believe that Sega owns Wonder Boy, they released a PS2 compilation in Japan under their Sega Ages label, maybe the games just aren't popular enough in the states for them to warrant adding them to a compilation? Or perhaps we would see them on a Master System Compilation, if such a thing were to ever happen, since only one of the Genesis games was released state-side.Hmmmm... I have that Sega Ages game (Volume 29: Monster World Complete Collection), but I also have some of those same games on my NES and PC Engine in the form of Adventure Island. Looking at Wikipedia, it says:


To further complicate matters, Westone had a unique licensing arrangement with Sega whereby Sega retained the rights to the names and characters of the games in this series, but Westone retained the rights to everything else. Westone, in turn, had a licensing arrangement with Hudson Soft, who created new characters and titles and ported these games to non-Sega platforms. The most well known of these is Adventure Island, which was more commercially successful than Wonder Boy was.

I have no idea whether that affected the inclusion of Wonderboy on the compilation of not, but I'm sure it's a possibility.


Is Alex Kidd really not in the compilation? That's... just wrong. I wanna play janken!

[Leo_A]

Alex Kidd is in the compilation in the form of the final Genesis game, just none of the superior SMS titles are included.

[ButtonMasher123]

I know this is slightly selfish, but I'm kind of glad that they didn't include any Master System Alex Kidd or Wonderboy games as I already have the originals and I don't have Golden Axe Warrior or Phantasy Star. Besides that, those two games go for a lot more money online and it makes the value better. I would of liked to see the Genesis Wonderboy games on there though.

[shopkins]

Hmmmm... I have that Sega Ages game (Volume 29: Monster World Complete Collection), but I also have some of those same games on my NES and PC Engine in the form of Adventure Island. Looking at Wikipedia, it says:



I have no idea whether that affected the inclusion of Wonderboy on the compilation of not, but I'm sure it's a possibility.


Is Alex Kidd really not in the compilation? That's... just wrong. I wanna play janken!

The only Wonder Boy Master System game where that might be an issue is the first one, and Sega has released that on the Virtual Console, so it's kind of confusing. And they own Alex Kidd free and clear, so I can't think of a good reason not to slap his games on the disk.

[Overbite]

I had a feeling Phantasy Star 1 would be on the disc but I'm glad to see proof. And this whole thing for $30 is a damn steal.

Also isnt Wonder Boy just Adventure Island with a different character?

[Daft Punk]

Also isnt Wonder Boy just Adventure Island with a different character?

I was thinking that also. Ive never played the game .

[j_factor]

Also isnt Wonder Boy just Adventure Island with a different character?

It's the other way around -- Adventure Island is just Wonder Boy with a different character.

All of the further Wonder Boy games have nothing to do with Adventure Island.

[shopkins]

IGN preview. The previewer had positive things to say about the emulation. They noticed slowdown in the multi-player mode of Sonic 2, but also said that it was there in the Genesis version. I have no idea if this is true or not.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/948/948749p1.html

[Nebagram]

When oh when are the Master System Sonic games going to get the love they deserve (besides the virtual console of course)? Sonic 2 was an absolute bitch back in the day and would've been perfect for this collection.

[G-Boobie]

When oh when are the Master System Sonic games going to get the love they deserve (besides the virtual console of course)? Sonic 2 was an absolute bitch back in the day and would've been perfect for this collection.

Unless I'm greatly mistaken, at least one of the Master System Sonic games is on the Wii virtual console.

[Leo_A]

Sonic 1 and 2 are on the VC, but he already stated "besides the virtual console" in the post you quoted, so he's aware of it. :)

[Zap!]

Also isnt Wonder Boy just Adventure Island with a different character?

Yes, but the other way around. :)

[G-Boobie]

Sonic 1 and 2 are on the VC, but he already stated "besides the virtual console" in the post you quoted, so he's aware of it. :)

You are 100% correct.. Sorry bout that!

I apparently need to work on my reading comprehension...

[Breetai]

IGN preview. The previewer had positive things to say about the emulation. They noticed slowdown in the multi-player mode of Sonic 2, but also said that it was there in the Genesis version. I have no idea if this is true or not.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/948/948749p1.htmlHe's right about the slowdown in the Genesis version. It's nasty. Not that I cared when it came out... but now, it does take a few minutes to get used to it! It's still fun, though. I had a few rounds of split-screen Sonic 2 with my sister a few weeks ago.

[Graham Mitchell]

It's the other way around -- Adventure Island is just Wonder Boy with a different character.

All of the further Wonder Boy games have nothing to do with Adventure Island.

Sorry to be the annoying accuracy geek, but monster lair is in the wonder boy series somehoe, and it bears more than a passing resemblence to Adventure Island. I'd provide a link but i'm on my cell phone browser and that would be complex...

[Graham Mitchell]

btw--did we ever verify the presence or absence of online multiplayer? seems silly not to have it since some of the games on xbla (sor2) already have it. the preview mentioned local multiplayer, but i wa hoping for online play in some of those games.

[Zap!]

Sorry to be the annoying accuracy geek, but monster lair is in the wonder boy series somehoe, and it bears more than a passing resemblence to Adventure Island. I'd provide a link but i'm on my cell phone browser and that would be complex...

ML might be just a similar looking game. But that game is very hard. Try beating it without continuing. :)

[ButtonMasher123]

btw--did we ever verify the presence or absence of online multiplayer? seems silly not to have it since some of the games on xbla (sor2) already have it. the preview mentioned local multiplayer, but i wa hoping for online play in some of those games.

While I would absolutely love it if they did, it seems the answer is gonna be not bloody likely. Afterall they have to have some reason for people to keep buying those Xbox Live Arcade games.

[j_factor]

Sorry to be the annoying accuracy geek, but monster lair is in the wonder boy series somehoe, and it bears more than a passing resemblence to Adventure Island. I'd provide a link but i'm on my cell phone browser and that would be complex...

Monster Lair is the one Wonder Boy sequel that resembles the original game in terms of gameplay and visuals. However, it isn't the same game as anything with Adventure Island in the title. Every Adventure Island game except the first was developed from scratch by Hudson.

And to be the more annoying accuracy geek, Monster Lair resembles Wonder Boy, rather than Adventure Island.

[evil_genius]

can't wait for this

[G-Boobie]

The ever-excellent Retronauts podcast had an interview with the producer of the collection in today's episode. It's pretty good.

I'm not really into achievements/trophies, but for some reason I love the idea of including them here. I also love the idea of playing Fantasy Zone legally and without having to dig out my import PS2.

[hbkprm]

fucks yeah
cant wait 4 dat shit

[shopkins]

Check out this pre-order bonus. A soundtrack record. And I do mean a record, not a CD.

http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/Product/403485/SEGA_MEGA_DRIVE_ULTIMATE_COLLECTION_(Bonus_LP_Offe r)

The site says "only available to Australian residents." That's kind of a bummer because this would be really nice to have.

I guess it's available in Europe, too. Through a contest.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/segaeurope/3198242683/

http://www.seganerds.com/2009/01/15/check-out-this-ultimate-old-school-soundtrack/

Has anyone heard of this being made available in the US?

[MrRoboto19XX]

Check out this pre-order bonus. A soundtrack record. And I do mean a record, not a CD.


Has anyone heard of this being made available in the US?


Oh man if only. That is hands down one of the most awesome if not the most awesome pre-order bonuses I've seen.

[Graham Mitchell]

Dammit! I preordered mine from Best Buy yesterday. Where's my record? First shitty graphics in contra and a crappy castlevania III soundtrack, now this. Why does the U.S. always get shafted? [awaits hilarious answers to that question...]

[heybtbm]

BUMP

Street date is tomorrow (Wed. Feb. 11th), although people are reporting finding it at their local Walmarts all over the country.

Anyone pick this up yet?

[titanzguard]

Was just searching for this thread to ask the same thing. Anyone get it yet? Thoughts? I have BB gift cards and will be going tomorrow after work.

[RPG_Fanatic]

BUMP
Street date is tomorrow (Wed. Feb. 11th), although people are reporting finding it at their local Walmarts all over the country.
Anyone pick this up yet?

I went today and they (Walmart) didn't have it yet in my area.

[shopkins]

I tried to see if I could pick up my preorder this evening at Gamestop, but they said they hadn't even gotten it yet.

[Sudo]

I tried to see if I could pick up my preorder this evening at Gamestop, but they said they hadn't even gotten it yet.

That's because today was the ship date. Most stores do not get games on the ship date, unless they specifically go to the airport and pick them up. It'll be in stores everywhere tomorrow.

[MegaDrive20XX]

I can't wait! I paid off this badboy collection last week at GameStop :)

[Nesmaster]

I ended up ordering it from Amazon, since everywhere in Canada wants $39.99 for this. Amazon had it for $26.99 with free shipping, so I grabbed that and 1400 MS points for $38.83 shipped.

[8-bitNesMan]

fucks yeah
cant wait 4 dat shit

dude where have you been so long???

[Lothars]

That's because today was the ship date. Most stores do not get games on the ship date, unless they specifically go to the airport and pick them up. It'll be in stores everywhere tomorrow.

I got mine at Bestbuy today

They told me they didn't have any copies than when I was at the checkout, It was sitting in the gamecase and I have to say it's really cool :)

I picked it up for PS3 because I didn't want to wait for my 360 to come back from repair. but It's worth it on either system.

[G-Boobie]

fucks yeah
cant wait 4 dat shit

We missed you, hbkprm!!!

[shopkins]

That's because today was the ship date. Most stores do not get games on the ship date, unless they specifically go to the airport and pick them up. It'll be in stores everywhere tomorrow.

Yep, that's what the Gamestop guy told me, too.

[8-bitNesMan]

so what's the verdict? Worth the 30 clams? One version better than the other?

[FxMercenary]

i just picked it up at best buy! $29.99

[titanzguard]

Hope my Best Buy has it. I am stopping tonight on the way home from work. Ill let you know what I think once I get it.

[FxMercenary]

they still had them in the little work cart, werent even on the shelf yet lol. SNAG!

[MegaDrive20XX]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/Akumajo22/digitpress.jpg

So happy to get it, yet it dawns on me when I got in the car. Thank God I'm not a collector of sealed games! GameStop is crazier with stickers than an 8 year old girl with a notebook! If you happen to be a collector of sealed games, you already know that GameStop is not the best place to buy games.

Ah who cares! I'm playing the crap out this badboy!

[shopkins]

I've been playing the 360 version a bit and like it so far. I'm no expert on emulation but things look fine to me, although I did notice what looked like a half-second graphics glitch in the first level of Comiczone.

The upscaling looks pretty decent on my HDTV. The colors, especially, just pop beautifully. It's not perfectly as crisp with every pixel razor sharp as I would like but it looks alright if you are at a proper viewing distance from your TV. The lack of perfect sharpness is more noticeable on the Master System titles for some reason. I haven't tried it on an SDTV yet.

The smoothing filter, however, is completely useless. It's just ugly and it smooths way too much, so much so that it actually erases details from the backgrounds and the character's faces. There is no unstretched widescreen in here, either. Everything is bordered in the square mode. I can see people playing it in the 16:9 mode anyway, though, considering how often I see people watch 4:3 content stretched on HDTVs.

The borders are actually a little too excessive. You can adjust the screen and give yourself a bigger picture but you kind of have to guess at the correct aspect ratio. I would prefer if they had let me drag a corner and keep it proportional.

The games that I played seemed to play fine. I didn't really have any trouble pulling off any moves. The unlockables aren't that hard to get, either. I thought I was going to have trouble unlocking Phantasy Star because that requires beating the first boss of Sonic 2 with two players, but all that means in practice is plugging another controller in, running to Eggman and then, sometime during the fight, pushing any button on the second controller to make Tails jump or do something. Only one button press is required.

It was really neat to play the arcade Shinobi again. I've played in the arcade, but most of my access to it has been ports. It's interesting but very challenging. Super easy to unlock, too. All you have to do is beat the first level (play up to the horse level) of Shinobi III without continuing.

The other bonus features are a bunch of interviews with developers and I may be wrong about this, but they look like the same ones from the Sega Genesis Collection on PS2.

No, it's not as good as having all the carts, but it's more convenient and it includes the arcade games. I think it's worth the 30 bucks.

Oh, getting it wasn't easy. My boss let us out of work early because there was a bad storm coming, but the sky didn't look that bad to me so I figured I could pop over to Gamestop and get back in time before it hit. Big mistake. When I was in Gamestop the power blinked out for a second just as they were running my debit card. I had to wait several minutes for their computers to restart and in that time the storm hit with full force. I stayed in the store for a while but eventually I saw a lull in the sheeting, sideways wind and rain and tried to make it to my car, but before I could get there the wind picked up again so hard it bent my umbrella out of shape. I got in my car and sat there as the wind buffeted it. Then I drove home and noticed all the downed trees, ruined garages, a street sign that had been uprooted, storage sheds that were destroyed and other damage from the storm. All in all deciding I could beat the storm was not the best decision.

[Animaniac]

Got it at Gamestop today. May have been the last pre-order copy.

Haven't played it yet though. Will do so very very soon.

[Nionel]

GameStop is crazier with stickers than an 8 year old girl with a notebook! If you happen to be a collector of sealed games, you already know that GameStop is not the best place to buy games.

Be glad you aren't buying used, I'm not sure if it's just my local GameStop, they place a sticker on the spine, but instead of putting in on top of the case they put it on the cover art, I about cried the last time I bought something from them.

Anyway, on topic, I can't wait to get this. Sounds like it's gonna be great, thanks for that big post Shopkins, I was curious about how the games would look on an HDTV and how the emulation was.

[heybtbm]

This game is worth it for the arcade version of Shinobi alone.

I haven't played Shinobi in 20 years, but it's just as awesome as I remember. I don't even want to guess on how many quarters I spent on that game back in the day. I can't wait to hook up my new HRAP - EX.

The rest of the games I've played all control great. Not a big fan on the tiny playable screen w/borders, but I guess that's just the reality of playing retro games on a widescreen LCD.

[shopkins]

I've been playing it some more and I have to say the unlockables really add to the package. I had no idea there were so many levels in Space Harrier. The only home version of the arcade version I have was in one of the Shenmue games and I could never figure out how to continue in that. It's definitely not the kind of game someone of my dexterity level has any hope of one-crediting. But this version has continues and I played it all the way to the end.

I unlocked Altered Beast arcade and beat that too. That's a total quarter muncher, at least for me. I had to continue dozens of times. I tried three times and failed to unlock Alien Syndrome, though. You're supposed to get to level three of Alien Storm on one life and I'm just not that good at it. Couldn't even do it on easy mode, although I'll take another crack at it some time because I want to play Arcade Alien Syndrome. The Tengen NES version was one of the games I owned as a kid and I enjoyed it.

I noticed on more momentary graphical glitch while I was playing Sonic the Hedgehog.

[Sonicwolf]

It really grinds my gears that they slap Sonic onto the cover and in the title of this game. I mean, its just a tactic to get sonic fanboys to spam purchase. Its not a Sonic only collection but they still try to display it as such.

[maxlords]

Did anyone get the PS3 version of this? I haven't been able to decide which to get....wanted to know if they're essentially identical or not.

[Sudo]

Did anyone get the PS3 version of this? I haven't been able to decide which to get....wanted to know if they're essentially identical or not.

I haven't played it yet myself, but I've seen people on other boards say the PS3 version is fine. I couldn't see myself playing the 360 version with that horrible D-pad, anyway.

[backguard]

This is one of the best compilations to come along in years. Awesome selection, very well put together, and a smoothing feature that is one of the best I've ever seen. Highly recommended pickup!

[incubus421]

seconded!

[bb_hood]

What system is this for?

[DigitalSpace]

It really grinds my gears that they slap Sonic onto the cover and in the title of this game. I mean, its just a tactic to get sonic fanboys to spam purchase. Its not a Sonic only collection but they still try to display it as such.

Love it or hate it, Sonic's been the mascot of Sega for a long time, and therefore, their most recognizable character. I wouldn't have removed Sonic from the cover, but I would have added a few of Sega's other well-known characters.

[DigitalSpace]

What system is this for?

The 360 and PS3.

Also, there's already a thread about the compilation in progress:
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124166

[Nionel]

Maybe they figured that the game would sell better to the North American audiences with the Sonic branding on the cover because the Sega consoles, at least the Master System, wasn't as popular here in the states as they were in Europe.

Edit: I do think that Europe, in one of those rare occasions, actually got the better box art on this one...

http://www.vgboxart.com/boxes/360/24085_sega_megadrive_ultimate_collection.png

[Emuaust]

Maybe they figured that the game would sell better to the North American audiences with the Sonic branding on the cover because the Sega consoles, at least the Master System, wasn't as popular here in the states as they were in Europe.

Edit: I do think that Europe, in one of those rare occasions, actually got the better box art on this one...

http://www.vgboxart.com/boxes/360/24085_sega_megadrive_ultimate_collection.png

Awesome I love that quote on the back cover, happy to be a pal gamer I am.

[MrRoboto19XX]

I've really been happy with my purchase thusfar, the selection of games is great. If you look at it, this is a really great selection of some serious gems (Worth the $30 price tag alone is the four Phantasy Stars and two Shining Forces).

However, there are a few here that I hadn't played in some time, and a few that I hadn't at all. These games have given me the best thought processes:

Columns - Was this game ever good? I remember it not seeming that bad back in the Genesis' heyday, and I remember it seeming terrible when the Smashpack came out back in 2000 or so. Now, I attributed the terribleness to the Smashpack's terrible emulation, but I seemed to not realize the root of the problem: The gameplay. I'm sorry, but this just isn't on par with your average "stuff falling into a well" puzzle game. Sure, it's nice when you get a combo going, but in the end it's not as refined as a Tetris, and not as frantic as Puyo-Puyo (or for the sake of this collection, Mean Bean Machine). This achievement will provide a challenge for me partially because I suck at the game, and mainly because of the disdain I seem to have grown for it.

Decap Attack - I don't remember this game at all, but it's not that bad, the thing that sticks to me is it doesn't feel at all like a Sega game. To me, this feels a lot like an early Turbografx game, and for some reason the comparison I keep drawing is of all things J.J. and Jeff. Anyone else feel like this?

E-Swat - When I was a kid, I played this on a friends Master System, and back when I started collecting, this was one of the first harder to find songs I found - much to my dismay, it didn't age well at all. The Genesis version actually seems less arcade-y than its Master System cousin, and more tedious. Can anyone tell me how this stacks up against the arcade version?

and lastly...

Sonic Spinball - Until tonight, I had only played this game once, at the Sears Funtronics when it first came out. I remember it being awesome, and in the following years remember people bashing it relentlessly saying how much it sucked. Well, having played it now I have this much to say - it's not that bad. It's a decent attempt at a pinball game even with a mascot sort of shoehorned in, while it doesn't work as naturally as Kirby's Pinball Land, I think it's a pretty decent game.

Wow, I went on there for a bit, that's memory lane for you I guess. I hadn't played a lot of these games in a long time, mainly due to my not having a Genesis during its heyday, and my refusal to buy Genesis games without their cases. In short, I'm more than happy with my purchase.

Also, it's always nice to get achievements from some classics, instead of these newfangled games these kids play these days!:smash:

[alexkidd2000]

No Toe Jam and Earl really dapens my party. Would have loved some shumps as well.

And no Wonder Boy love is sad. The monsterland game on Genesis is classic. Also a translated number 5 would have been a sweet bonus!

[exit]

Picked this up at Gamestop today and played it for a couple of hours, it was well worth the $30 price tag. Having all the Phantasy Star, Streets of Rage and Shining Force games is really going to keep me busy.

I like how you're able to rate the games, it seems kind of useless, but I guess it would come in hand for quicker access to your favorite games when you change the sort options. Switching some games to 16:9 and messing with the screen a bit helps with some games, but others it doesnt work too well for.

I was kind of disappointed that they had the Arcade Shinobi instead of the SMS version, the same goes for Alien Syndrome (Alien Storm sucks), it would've been nice if they added both versions to the collection just for comparison sakes. Having the Alex Kidd games (or at least Miracle World) in the collection would've been nice as well, Quartet and maybe even the built in SMS maze game would've been nice little additions as well. I guess I can't be too picky, maybe they'll add them in via download content, but that's highly unlikely.

[Drag0nsfyre]

I picked it up too. I have not checked it out though. I think the SFIV gamepad that I preorderd will come in reall handy with this though since I opted to get the 360 version.
Well worth the price indeed as many of you had said. You know if they were to release these all individually on XBL or PSN they would probably charge $10 a pop.

[8-bitNesMan]

I picked it up too. I have not checked it out though. I think the SFIV gamepad that I preorderd will come in reall handy with this though since I opted to get the 360 version.
Well worth the price indeed as many of you had said. You know if they were to release these all individually on XBL or PSN they would probably charge $10 a pop.

Well if previous history is any indication then they would most likely be $5 a pop but that still makes this a good deal. I picked mine up after work yesterday but didn't get a chance to play yet. Let me know how that SFIV pad works for you, I may have to pick one up myself. I'm just happy because I lost Sonic and Streets of Rage 2 due to the loathsome DRM when I transferred all my arcade titles to a new 360. If not for this, it would have been a while before I could have played them again! I'm going to go home and play after work and I will post what I think about it.

[shopkins]

Decap Attack - I don't remember this game at all, but it's not that bad, the thing that sticks to me is it doesn't feel at all like a Sega game. To me, this feels a lot like an early Turbografx game, and for some reason the comparison I keep drawing is of all things J.J. and Jeff. Anyone else feel like this?


Decap Attack is a reworked for American and European audiences version of Magical Hat's Flying Turbo Adventure for the Megadrive, which is the spiritual sequel to the Master System game Psycho Fox. That might be part of why it feels weird to you.

[Drag0nsfyre]

8-BitNesMan:
I think my SFIV pas is "supposed" to be coming around the end of the month ( I have to double check that) so I'll have to wait a bit to check it out. I'll post my impressions though when It finally arrives. :) I may grab a 2'nd one if I run across one at Gamestop if they happen to get some in earlier.

[Mason P.]

Be glad you aren't buying used, I'm not sure if it's just my local GameStop, they place a sticker on the spine, but instead of putting in on top of the case they put it on the cover art, I about cried the last time I bought something from them.


I have talked to the managers at my local Gamestops and asked them to leave the paper backing on the sticker so it doesn't damage the insert. I told them it achieves both goals. You have a protected sticker that won't peel off as easy and it isn't stuck to the paper. It is a win for both people. All the Managers said they will tell their staff to do it the way i suggested. :)

[Neil Koch]

E-Swat - When I was a kid, I played this on a friends Master System, and back when I started collecting, this was one of the first harder to find songs I found - much to my dismay, it didn't age well at all. The Genesis version actually seems less arcade-y than its Master System cousin, and more tedious. Can anyone tell me how this stacks up against the arcade version?


The Genesis and arcade versions are quite different. The arcade version is more of a straight forward action game (kind of like the Robocop arcade game) and the Genesis version is more of a traditional action/platforming game. The Genesis version is a slow burn to be sure, especially the first two levels where you don't have the robot suit. But if you can stick with the game, it gets quite fun (and tough) as you get further into the game.

[Neil Koch]

I unlocked Altered Beast arcade and beat that too. That's a total quarter muncher, at least for me. I had to continue dozens of times. I tried three times and failed to unlock Alien Syndrome, though. You're supposed to get to level three of Alien Storm on one life and I'm just not that good at it. Couldn't even do it on easy mode, although I'll take another crack at it some time because I want to play Arcade Alien Syndrome. The Tengen NES version was one of the games I owned as a kid and I enjoyed it.


Getting to Mission 3 of Alien Storm isn't hard, I did it my first time playing it. You can set the buttons to rapid fire. Just go a bit slow so you're only fighting 3 aliens max at once and make sure to stand a bit back from them.

How did you get 100,000 points on the first level of Altered Beast? I just played through on Hardest, killed most of the enemies through 3 passes of the stage and still only got 50K.

I like the collection so far, but I wish there was a way just to have black borders in 4:3 mode. The designs look garish and are a bit distracting.

BTW, if you're a trophy/achievement whore, there are lots of them in here and most of them look pretty easy to get.

[shopkins]

Getting to Mission 3 of Alien Storm isn't hard, I did it my first time playing it. You can set the buttons to rapid fire. Just go a bit slow so you're only fighting 3 aliens max at once and make sure to stand a bit back from them.

How did you get 100,000 points on the first level of Altered Beast? I just played through on Hardest, killed most of the enemies through 3 passes of the stage and still only got 50K.

I like the collection so far, but I wish there was a way just to have black borders in 4:3 mode. The designs look garish and are a bit distracting.

BTW, if you're a trophy/achievement whore, there are lots of them in here and most of them look pretty easy to get.

I think you have to beat the boss as the Werewolf. That's what I did anyway and it basically gave me the 100,000 points.

[c0ldb33r]

How did you get 100,000 points on the first level of Altered Beast? I just played through on Hardest, killed most of the enemies through 3 passes of the stage and still only got 50K.
Just become the wolf as quickly as possible. Don't worry about defeating the enemies. If you can get to and beat the boss the first time around then you get a 100,000 bonus.

[shopkins]

I guess that's what I did. I thought the first level was kinda short.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Picked up a copy for PS3 today.

Worth the price of admission for the arcade version of Congo Bongo alone!!

[Neil Koch]

Just become the wolf as quickly as possible. Don't worry about defeating the enemies. If you can get to and beat the boss the first time around then you get a 100,000 bonus.

Thanks man! Always knew I could trust a guy with beer in his name and Ron Jermemy in his avatar to come through with the goods :b


I guess that's what I did. I thought the first level was kinda short.

If you're not in beast form when you meet Neff, the level will continue on until you see him for a third time, at which point you'll have to fight the boss no matter what form you're in. I used to play the game so much -- for a while when it was my only Genny game due to it being the pack-in and me being a fan of the arcade version -- that I would go through the whole game intentionally not getting the power up balls in order to make the levels go longer.


Picked up a copy for PS3 today.

Worth the price of admission for the arcade version of Congo Bongo alone!!

Congo Bongo is damn addicting. I never really played it back in the day, but I had a fun time with it tonight (BTW how random is it that Streets of Rage unlocks it - did some of the same people work on both games?). I think it'd make a great downloadable game with new graphics, online play, and whatnot.

[Graham Mitchell]

i preordered a copy from bestbuy.com. it hasn't arrived yet, and i just got an e-mail saying it's backordered. I'm rather surprised since I didn't expect this to sell out really quickly. And the annoying thing is that I could probably walk into the store tomorrow and just pick it up. Lame.

[8-bitNesMan]

I'm digging it so far. Played it for a little while last nite before I got sleepy and my initial impression is that is one of the better done compilations I have seen thus far. I love the 16:9 mode on my HDTV but as stated above the smoothing is hit or miss. It works wonders on some games but some are better with their original textures intact. I haven't got any achievements or unlocked any bonus games yet but with the weekend here I know what I'll be playing :)

[Solertia]

Glad I saw this thread! Almost forgot when it came out! Thanks for the reminder, just ordered myself a copy!

[c0ldb33r]

I haven't got any achievements or unlocked any bonus games yet but with the weekend here I know what I'll be playing :)
I'm surprised how easy some of them are. Ecco the dolphin, you get an achievement for talking to another dolphin? wtf? that literally can be done in a few seconds. Actually, now that I think about it I'm happy that the Ecco one is so easy. I hate that dolphin. I'm also surprised that some games don't have achievements. AFAIK Streets of Rage 2 doesn't have an achievement.

One thing I don't know is how to get Sonic & Knuckles to act as if another Sonic game is inserted into it. I didn't really spend a lot of time trying to figure it out, but it didn't jump at me. Surely they've made it so it can lock on. That's the whole point of that game!

[demen999]

Damn this is alot of game for 30 bucks. I hope it doesnt have some filter for hd. Wonder what work went into upconverting them?

[ButtonMasher123]

This game is great and all, but I'm kind of pissed about the achievments. I mean this is freakin ridiculous how easy this stuff is. Talk to a dolphin in Ecco, get one chaos emerald in Sonic, obtain the maniaxe mask in Kid Chameleon, wtf is up with that.

Its kind of ironic that the Genesis was known for being a hardcore gamers system back in the day and yet this collection has the easiest achievments seen yet in a 360 game. I guess what gets to me most is there are no achievements except the Mean Bean machine one that require you to acually beat the game. Most of the achievements can be had by just playing one game for more than 10 minutes.

Ranting aside though, this is still the greatest classic gaming collection to ever come out on any system and for that I love it. I'm loving Shinobi Arcade right now, that game rocks.

[Wolfrider31]

This game is great and all, but I'm kind of pissed about the achievments. I mean this is freakin ridiculous how easy this stuff is. Talk to a dolphin in Ecco, get one chaos emerald in Sonic, obtain the maniaxe mask in Kid Chameleon, wtf is up with that.

Its kind of ironic that the Genesis was known for being a hardcore gamers system back in the day and yet this collection has the easiest achievments seen yet in a 360 game. I guess what gets to me most is there are no achievements except the Mean Bean machine one that require you to acually beat the game. Most of the achievements can be had by just playing one game for more than 10 minutes.

Ranting aside though, this is still the greatest classic gaming collection to ever come out on any system and for that I love it. I'm loving Shinobi Arcade right now, that game rocks.

I'm gonna go ahead and agree with you on this one. I liked that the unlockables were so easy to get - I hate it when extra content like interviews can't be accessed from the get go - but the achievements themselves are so simple. Beating the first stage in Shinobi III without using a continue? Even without losing a life would be easy but they practically gift-wrapped those 30 points.

[ButtonMasher123]

I'm gonna go ahead and agree with you on this one. I liked that the unlockables were so easy to get - I hate it when extra content like interviews can't be accessed from the get go - but the achievements themselves are so simple. Beating the first stage in Shinobi III without using a continue? Even without losing a life would be easy but they practically gift-wrapped those 30 points.

Yeah the Shinobi III achievement was real easy too, but at least it meant I could play Shinobi Arcade right away :)

[skaar]

You can also use save states, which makes most of the achievements about "not dying" pretty well pointless.

I apparently suck ass at Columns though. Didn't get my 40k points on Easy yet.

Also, has Mean Bean machine always been such a bitch? It's just... Mean!

[FxMercenary]

I'm gonna go ahead and agree with you on this one. I liked that the unlockables were so easy to get - I hate it when extra content like interviews can't be accessed from the get go - but the achievements themselves are so simple. Beating the first stage in Shinobi III without using a continue? Even without losing a life would be easy but they practically gift-wrapped those 30 points.

i unlocked everything last night lol, easy gamer points combined with a good collection and a low price? This should sell pretty well!

[Nesmaster]

The achievements themselves are really easy, it's a shame they didn't load each game with "in-game" achievements, like Megaman 9 has. Now THAT would have been cool and added a lot more life to these classics! :)

[ButtonMasher123]

i unlocked everything last night lol, easy gamer points combined with a good collection and a low price? This should sell pretty well!

Yup, this will be the achievement whore's game of choice. We are about to have tons of new retro Genesis gamer's coming out the woodwork to get their free 1000 out of 1000 gamer points lol.

[Leo_A]

Lock-on capability isn't implimented, they claimed they'd have to of killed the 9 bonus titles to have had time to do it (bs excuse, obviousily was saved for a potential sequel).

[8-bitNesMan]

Lock-on capability isn't implimented, they claimed they'd have to of killed the 9 bonus titles to have had time to do it (bs excuse, obviousily was saved for a potential sequel).

That is utter FAIL! But given the choice I would rather have more titles I guess...

[PapaStu]

Yup, this will be the achievement whore's game of choice. We are about to have tons of new retro Genesis gamer's coming out the woodwork to get their free 1000 out of 1000 gamer points lol.


I'm sure that this is a quick 1k, but NOTHING is as fast as Avitar. 1k in 5 minutes (from booting of the game, to loading the first level, to achievement popping) can't be beat. I however will cash in on this 1k while I enjoy the rest of the game. Nice bonus if you ask me.

[s1lence]

I'm sure that this is a quick 1k, but NOTHING is as fast as Avitar. 1k in 5 minutes (from booting of the game, to loading the first level, to achievement popping) can't be beat. I however will cash in on this 1k while I enjoy the rest of the game. Nice bonus if you ask me.


Its about a 5-6 hour 1000. Depending on your Mr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine prowess.

Europe is also getting the game, for a separate 1000 points.

[heybtbm]

Its about a 5-6 hour 1000. Depending on your Mr Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine prowess.

Yeah, that's the key there. I don't think I'll be finishing that last level anytime soon. No 1000/1000 for me most likely.

[c0ldb33r]

Lock-on capability isn't implimented, they claimed they'd have to of killed the 9 bonus titles to have had time to do it (bs excuse, obviousily was saved for a potential sequel).
Goddamnit that sucks. It isn't rocket science, just create a few extra roms that would be S&K + Sonic 1, S&K + Sonic 2 and S&K + Sonic 3, then we can load either the normal game or one of those other roms via options menu. There. Done. That would take someone all of 5 minutes.

Why is it that when Sega releases collections they can never use the S&K cart properly?!? Have you ever been able to lock on in any of Sega's Sonic collections? I can't recall ever being able to.
http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/epic_fail-1.jpg

[TheGam3r]

Are Streets Of Rage 1,2,3,Hang-On And wonder boy on it

[MegaDrive20XX]

Still boggles me how they call this the "Ultimate" when Revenge of Shinobi is mentioned and it's not even here.. Yet there's no Shadow Dancer, Hang-on, After Burner 2, Outrun, and c0ldb33r hit it on the nail. I can't play Sonic 2 with Knuckles, yet the game is nice to speak about it.

Did anyone notice the box art mistake on Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine and the PAL MegaDrive cart shown on another game?

[TheGam3r]

Still boggles me how they call this the "Ultimate" when Revenge of Shinobi is mentioned and it's not even here.. Yet there's no Shadow Dancer, Hang-on, After Burner 2, Outrun, and c0ldb33r hit it on the nail. I can't play Sonic 2 with Knuckles, yet the game is nice to speak about it.

WHAT!!!!No Outrun or Revenge of shinobi?

[heybtbm]

WHAT!!!!No Outrun or Revenge of shinobi?

As has been discussed on this forum in the past, Revenge of Shinobi will never be on a future SEGA compilation or VC release. Too many rights issues.

[TheGam3r]

As has been discussed on this forum in the past, Revenge of Shinobi will never be on a future SEGA compilation or VC release. Too many rights issues.

well.My friend eddy will be pissed cause no revenge of shinobi

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

You know, considering that this is a PS3/360 release they probably could have additionally DLC content in the future including patching the lock-on versions of the Sonic games or even additional games in general.

Whether or not they WILL is a mystery ... but when it comes to "fixes" anything is possible in this day and age of DLC and internal storage.

[8-bitNesMan]

well.My friend eddy will be pissed cause no revenge of shinobi

Look out Sega, you've really messed up now!!! :D

[Nionel]

Goddamnit that sucks. It isn't rocket science, just create a few extra roms that would be S&K + Sonic 1, S&K + Sonic 2 and S&K + Sonic 3, then we can load either the normal game or one of those other roms via options menu. There. Done. That would take someone all of 5 minutes.

Not to mention that the Sonic Mega Collection on the GameCube had the lock-on games, so we know they have roms for those games, and those roms can't take up that much space.

It's a bit of a let down that the lock-on games aren't present, but there are still enough good titles on this disc to warrant a pickup for me.

[Zap!]

Still boggles me how they call this the "Ultimate" when Revenge of Shinobi is mentioned and it's not even here.. Yet there's no Shadow Dancer, Hang-on, After Burner 2, Outrun, and c0ldb33r hit it on the nail. I can't play Sonic 2 with Knuckles, yet the game is nice to speak about it.

Did anyone notice the box art mistake on Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine and the PAL MegaDrive cart shown on another game?

Calling it a Genesis collection is a bit misleading, because there are a few non-Genesis games on there. They need to have three seperate Sega collections. One Genesis, one arcade, and one SMS.

[Zap!]

Be glad you aren't buying used, I'm not sure if it's just my local GameStop, they place a sticker on the spine, but instead of putting in on top of the case they put it on the cover art, I about cried the last time I bought something from them.

Anyway, on topic, I can't wait to get this. Sounds like it's gonna be great, thanks for that big post Shopkins, I was curious about how the games would look on an HDTV and how the emulation was.

I bought three used PS2 games there the other day, and was able to peel off the stickers (which was on the inside) completely, without ripping the art.

[Neil Koch]

Did anyone notice the box art mistake on Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine and the PAL MegaDrive cart shown on another game?

It also has Genesis cover art for Golden Axe III, and that game never came out in the US. It looks like a really bad Photoshop job.

[c0ldb33r]

There's an interesting article at seganerds about how easy it would have been for Sega to add lock-on to the S&K roms. According to them, it would only take the following code:


“Hey Sega, want to figure out how to lock on the Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles ROMs without storing an extra 4MB ROM image? Here’s how!

/* Super amazing lock-on ROM functionality!
* This would take Sega over 9,000 hours to write,
* but any half-decent programmer could do it in 5 minutes! */

unsigned char ROM[0×400000]; // 4 MB ROM buffer.
FILE *sk = f open(”sonic_and_knuckles.bin”, “rb”); // open the Sonic & Knuckles ROM
fread(&ROM[0], 1, 0×200000, sk);
fclose(sk);
FILE *s3 = f open(”sonic_3.bin”, “rb”); // open the Sonic 3 ROM
fread(&ROM[0×200000], 1, 0×200000, sk);
fclose(s3);

source: http://www.seganerds.com/2009/02/10/psa-sonic-3k-missing-from-ultimate-genesis-collection/#more-8189

It's just a pissoff.

[Leo_A]

Obviousily it's just a excuse without any validity. I imagine its so now they can market their next Genesis compilation as having Knuckles in Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles, leaving some classic Sonic titles to use as a selling point in it, without appearing to the average consumer like they're just rehashing what's already been done.


As has been discussed on this forum in the past, Revenge of Shinobi will never be on a future SEGA compilation or VC release. Too many rights issues.

Ignore him, he loves to always make absolute claims like this without any basis.

Considering that Sega has reworked the game several times over the years and has rereleased it in semi recent history, I wouldn't be shocked to see them do so again.

[MegaDrive20XX]

It also has Genesis cover art for Golden Axe III, and that game never came out in the US. It looks like a really bad Photoshop job.

Yeah that was embarrassing. I also noticed they used the exact same interviews from the Sega Genesis Collection from PS2. (i.e. The creator of Altered Beast)

[MegaDrive20XX]

Calling it a Genesis collection is a bit misleading, because there are a few non-Genesis games on there. They need to have three seperate Sega collections. One Genesis, one arcade, and one SMS.

True, it should have been called "The Sega Classic Collection".

[incubus421]

it's 29.99 people!
instead of noting and picking every little flaw apart...enjoy it for what it is!
a solid genesis compilation with many games included being hard to find and/or expensive (manily looking at Phantasy Star and Shining Force here)

[c0ldb33r]

it's 29.99 people! instead of noting and picking every little flaw apart...enjoy it for what it is!
You've got a point, but don't forget that it's 30 bucks for games that cost them next to nothing to produce. Just program an emulator for the system, print a manual and cover and BAM, they're done. They didn't even give us new interviews, they're the exact same interviews as their prior genesis collection (PS2/PSP). To me it's a shame because it is an incredibly solid package at a great price and with just a few small tweaks it could have been perfect.

[DragonMaster Sam]

Interesting set of games, to say the least. I already have most of them on the Virtual Console, the Sega Genesis Collection on the PS2, and SoR2 on XBox Live. Might have to do some thinking.

[swlovinist]

It also has Genesis cover art for Golden Axe III, and that game never came out in the US. It looks like a really bad Photoshop job.

It actually was available through the sega Channel in the US. Not in physical cart form though.

[NayusDante]

I'm gonna pick this one up later today. Should I go 360 or PS3, considering that I don't see what's wrong with the 360's D-Pad? Does the 360 have the cool save-state system with the cartridge icons like the PS3 does? Any differences between the two? Do either have added rumble feature?

[titanzguard]

It actually was available through the sega Channel in the US. Not in physical cart form though.

Man, I miss the Sega channel. I remember my parents getting it for me and all those summer days as a kid playing. It was awesom!!!

[c0ldb33r]

Does the 360 have the cool save-state system with the cartridge icons like the PS3 does?
I don't think so - I don't know what you mean. What is this? When you save the state, it's at a within-game menu and the menu is text based. If there's something else I don't know what it is.

[NayusDante]

I don't think so - I don't know what you mean. What is this? When you save the state, it's at a within-game menu and the menu is text based. If there's something else I don't know what it is.

Check this out at about 4:55 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE4H5fr9E88&feature=related

There's PS3 save icons for each file that you create. I'm sure that it gets cluttered in your game save folder, but it's a really nice touch. I didn't see a copy today for either system, so maybe I'll check today after class.

[skaar]

I didn't get the artwork achievement - I went B for Museum on the game select screen, toggled to art and viewed all art for all games one at a time by pressing A to look at the art (I've gotten everything unlocked for my Master the System achievement)

Am I missing something?

[Solertia]

It doesn't have Sonic 3 & Knuckles? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!


Oh well, playing them separately is still fun .__.

[heybtbm]

I didn't get the artwork achievement - I went B for Museum on the game select screen, toggled to art and viewed all art for all games one at a time by pressing A to look at the art (I've gotten everything unlocked for my Master the System achievement)

Am I missing something?

This may or may not help, but you have to look at all the game case artwork as well as every cartridge. At first I just looked at the case artwork and didn't get the achievement. I finally got it after browsing through all the cartridges.

[Nature Boy]

You can also use save states

Wait, a retro comp that has save states? Now I'm interested!

[Leo_A]

Wait, a retro comp that has save states? Now I'm interested!

Not exactly new, especially for Sega compilations (Sega Genesis Collection, Sonic Mega Collection Plus, and I believe, Sonic Gems Collection all had save states). I think the primary reason behind not seeing them more often is the vast majority of classic compilations are of arcade titles (Where it would just be a waste of effort to impliment), and pre-crash console titles (Ditto).

Things like the Mega Man collections, EA Replay. and the Sega console compilations typically have had save states. Even a few arcade collections have recieved them, like the PSP Gradius collection (Thankfully, they come in handy for those games).

[NayusDante]

Well, I decided on the 360 version. Why the 360 release has 1080p upscaling while the PS3 release does not is, to put it simply, stupid. Besides, I've been dying for something to play on 360 since I quit FFXI and fell in love with the Games for Windows brand.

[Sudo]

Man, I miss the Sega channel. I remember my parents getting it for me and all those summer days as a kid playing. It was awesom!!!

Indeed, the Sega Channel was great. I was actually the first person in my city to have it. I had my father go wait in front of the cable company before they opened on the first day it became available and get one for me. ;)

[skaar]

This may or may not help, but you have to look at all the game case artwork as well as every cartridge. At first I just looked at the case artwork and didn't get the achievement. I finally got it after browsing through all the cartridges.

Apparently I missed the option to toggle between cart artwork and game case - I just looked at the case artwork. I'll check downstairs for the toggle.

[JSN]

Well, I decided on the 360 version. Why the 360 release has 1080p upscaling while the PS3 release does not is, to put it simply, stupid. Besides, I've been dying for something to play on 360 since I quit FFXI and fell in love with the Games for Windows brand.

The PS3 version runs in 1080 on my 1080i only HDTV. Even though the back of the package says 720p only.

[NayusDante]

Oh well. I'm enjoying it on 360, plus I have the disk copied to HDD.

I'm not sure that I like the borders around the game window. The frames are nice, but the small border between that and the game window ranges from fitting to too contrasting. Sonic 1 especially, with its bright yellow frame.

[maxlords]

Runs on 1080p on my tv for the PS3.

I only have two complaints. Those ugly borders around the 4:3 aspect ratio and how godawful the sound effects are on the menu screen. To combat this, I've instead set the game to 16:9 and then set my TV itself to 4:3.......goodbye unsightly borders, hello correct hi-def aspect ratio!

[NayusDante]

Runs on 1080p on my tv for the PS3.

I only have two complaints. Those ugly borders around the 4:3 aspect ratio and how godawful the sound effects are on the menu screen. To combat this, I've instead set the game to 16:9 and then set my TV itself to 4:3.......goodbye unsightly borders, hello correct hi-def aspect ratio!

Why didn't I think of that? My only concern is that the console is stretching it and the TV is squishing it, but the end result looks alright.

[kainemaxwell]

Things like the Mega Man collections, EA Replay. and the Sega console compilations typically have had save states. Even a few arcade collections have recieved them, like the PSP Gradius collection (Thankfully, they come in handy for those games).
I don't think the Mega Man/X Collections had save states....

[Leo_A]

Perhaps, I mostly just remember not having to use passwords.

[NayusDante]

I know MMAC saved whatever password you had when you quit, then loads the game to that point after the title screen of each game. If you start a new game, it erased your save.

I'm not sure what's more surprising, the fact that the Genesis compilation has save states, or that they actually use variations of the term "save state." Didn't the Gradius collection call it something like "mid-game save?"

[Graham Mitchell]

So I finally got the game in the mail. One thing I've noticed...am I the only one who thinks Space Harrier is running too fast? It's essentially unplayable because of the control scheme anyway. Otherwise no complaints.

[Zap!]

Just picked one up for my PS3. I love it, nothing much else to say. Just one point though: For a 1985 game, Space Harrier has got to have better graphics than anything 1985 or earlier. Is anything superior (let's not count laserdisks)?

[NayusDante]

Just picked one up for my PS3. I love it, nothing much else to say. Just one point though: For a 1985 game, Space Harrier has got to have better graphics than anything 1985 or earlier. Is anything superior (let's not count laserdisks)?

Stuff in arcades might have been, not necessarily laserdisk. I can't remember which version was included on the collection, but either way, they rely on the ground effect a lot. When it comes to that kind of visual, I'd prefer full-screen pixellated glory over sprites on a wavy checkerboard.

From a TECHNICAL perspective, I can respect the 3D effect more. However, 1983's I, Robot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae261qbBLZY) pulled off full polygonal graphics, so I suppose you could argue that it has "better graphics."

http://users.tkk.fi/~eye/videogames/i-robot1.jpg

[Zap!]

Stuff in arcades might have been, not necessarily laserdisk. I can't remember which version was included on the collection, but either way, they rely on the ground effect a lot. When it comes to that kind of visual, I'd prefer full-screen pixellated glory over sprites on a wavy checkerboard.

From a TECHNICAL perspective, I can respect the 3D effect more. However, 1983's I, Robot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae261qbBLZY) pulled off full polygonal graphics, so I suppose you could argue that it has "better graphics."

http://users.tkk.fi/~eye/videogames/i-robot1.jpg

The Space Harrior included is the arcade version. I guess it's a matter of opinon. I never was a fan of polygons. That game is impressive for 1983, but I still prefer the look of 1985's Space Harrior.

[zektor]

*Finally* got this the other day. I had to resort to Newegg (actually, quite a good deal at $27 with free shipping), since it is nowhere to be found around my parts for some odd reason.

I love it! This is hands down the best Genesis compilation (in overall quality and content) I have ever owned. I really hope other companies follow suit and release more quality compilations for the PS3. Definitely worth the purchase!