Sonic Mega Collection

Published by SEGA
Developed by Sonic Team
Platform: GameCube
Released - Out Now
Price : £39.99

It's probably ironic that a character that was created to compete with Mario is now enjoying success on a Nintendo machine. Sonic Adventure 2 was a great success as a GameCube launch title, so much so that a wave of new Sonic games are promised. The first of these to arrive is Sonic Mega Collection. This is basically a collection of 7 Sonic games that all appeared on the SEGA Mega Drive. For Sonic enthusiasts the world over, this collection is a dream come true and it will also give younger gamers a chance to experience some of the classics of yesteryear.

Below is the official description for each of the games which also show you if the game is for 1 or 2 players:

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - 1-2 players
Avoid traps and Badniks as you guide Sonic and his sidekick Tails through 10 different Zones on the trail of the mad scientist Dr. Robotnik. You have 10 minutes Game Time to clear each Act. If you go over 10 minutes, a "TIME OVER" message will appear and you will lose one Life. With 2 players, Sonic and Tails compete to clear each Act in the fastest time while gathering Score Points, Rings and Super Items. The game has 3 Regular Zones (2 Acts each) and a Special Stage. Player 1 moves Sonic through the Zone on the top half of the screen and Player 2 moves Tails through the same Zone on the bottom half.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - 1-2 players
Dr. Robotnik's "Death Egg" has lost its ability to fly after crash landing on the Floating Island, and only the power of the Chaos Emeralds can repair his ship. To obtain these, he tricks their guardian Knuckles the Echidna convincing him that Sonic and Tails are really his enemies...Dodge Badniks and traps set by Knuckles, collect Rings, and uncover Chaos Emeralds as you guide Sonic and his sidekick Tails through 6 different Zones on the trail of the deranged scientist Dr Robotnik. Each player can control Sonic, Tails or Knuckles and compete in splitscreen mode. Characters are selected at the start of the game. There are five 2 Player Zones, and in each you must complete 5 circuits. Other features include GRAND PRIX MODE Race through all 5 Zones. MATCH RACE Race in any single Zone. TIME ATTACK One-player practice mode.

Sonic & Knuckles - 1-2 players
Having blasted Robotnik's "Death Egg" to smithereens, Sonic is determined to find the Emeralds hidden on the Floating Island, but Knuckles is equally determined to stop him by all means available. Help Sonic or Knuckles to collect Rings, avoid Badniks and escape traps as Dr. Robotnik attempts another dastardly plot to take over the world. You have 10 minutes Game Time to clear each Act. If you go over 10 minutes, a "TIME OVER" message will appear and you will lose one Life. Every Act has a hidden room with a giant gold Ring. Leap into the Ring to teleport to the 3D Special Stage. This is your chance to obtain a Chaos Emerald.

Sonic 3D Flickies' Island - 1 player
Sonic travels to Flicky Island only to find that Dr. Robotnik has turned the mysterious birds known as Flickies into vicious robots! Help Sonic to rescue his friends and foil the deranged scientist's fiendish plot. Defeat the enemies and rescue the Flickies by bringing them back to their own dimension through the Giant Rings! Jump on or Spin Dash into a robot to free the Flicky inside. Once freed, move past them to attract their attention and they will follow you obediently. Take care though as they tend to scatter when Sonic is attacked by enemies.

Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball - 4 players
The deranged scientist Dr. Robotnik is once again turning the animals of Mobius into robots using his monstrous contraption the Veg-O-Fortress. Only Sonic can penetrate the pinball defence system, free the animals, collect the Emeralds and put a stop to his fiendish plan. Using Sonic as a pinball, work your way up through the Veg-O-fortress uncovering concealed passageways, collecting Emeralds and avoiding deadly traps. Up to four people can take turns to control Sonic in this thrill packed adventure. Each level has a number of Chaos Emeralds you must collect before confronting the boss robot and completing the level. A variety of hatchways and other obstacles stand between you and the Emeralds. These can only be passed by flicking hidden switches, and by repeated Sonic attack force. Follow the directions marked in the background to make sure you hit the right spots. With the blockages cleared, follow the path to find the Emeralds. When all the Emeralds have been gathered, Sonic must destroy the level boss.

Dr Robotniks' Mean Bean Machine - 1-2 players
Dr. Robotnik is changing the jolly folk of Beanville into devious little robots that will help rid Planet Mobius of music and fun forever. Group the beans together to help them escape while working your way up to the wilier henchbots. Remove the beans by stacking 4 of the same coloured beans together. Attack your opponent by creating chain reactions, but watch out for counterattacks! Beans drop from the top of the dungeon in pairs. When 2 beans of the same colour touch, they will link. When 4 or more beans are linked together, they disappear from the dungeon. Try to arrange the beans into groups as they drop to prevent them from overfilling

The games are exactly the same as when they appeared on the SEGA Mega Drive. If you're a fan from back then, you probably won't gripe about the archaic nature of the graphics and console yourself that the gameplay is all that matters. To a certain degree this is true and it's fair to say the side-scrolling 2D Sonic games are actually more enjoyable than the more recent 3D ones which often succumb to camera problems. If you like your eye candy though, you'll probably see the package as out of date and an expensive way of collecting some very old, rough looking titles which take absolutely no advantage of the GameCubes' abilities. It's actually a shame that the games weren't visually improved. They could have included the original games and included new improved versions with the space available on the GameCube disk.

There's no problems for deaf gamers with the Sonic Mega Collection. These games are from a time where technical limitations prevented speech from being used and instead, text was the best way to relay all the information. Of course if you've already played the games before, when they originally came out then you'll already know this, as the games haven't been changed.

Is the Sonic Mega Collection worth it if you have the original games? In all honesty no. These games are direct ports which as we've already mentioned is a shame. The aforementioned games (and the few extras that are included) will only be of interest to those who no longer have the original games and those who are interested in Sonic after his appearances on the GBA and GameCube. It's a good collection but the sore point is the price tag which at just under £40 is shocking for games that are direct ports from an ancient console. Had the price been £20, then it would have represented far better value for money.

Overall Game Rating: 6.0/10
Good games but it's a shame that the collection has been done in such an idle fashion with no enhancements whatsoever.

Deaf Gamers comment:
No problems at all.