SEGA Genesis Collection – PSP – Review

Before the
unfortunate failure that was the excellent Sega Dreamcast console, there was the
Sega Genesis – a 16-bit machine that introduced a number of great games that
have gone on to become unforgettable classics. A few of the games featured here
are recognizable to those who, like me, have spend a good deal of their life in
an arcade while others are games you might have missed out on entirely. Either
way, Sega Genesis Collection for the PSP has a number of classics that
should be experienced whether it’s your first time playing them or the 50th
time.

The collection
of over 28 games range from a number of genres including role-playing games,
platform games, a puzzle game and, of course, action games. We will start with
the recognizable Sonic the Hedgehog as well as its 1992 sequel, Sonic
the Hedgehog 2. Both platform greats are still beloved classics and, as Sega
points out in the fun historical facts, the first game had at one point been
packaged with the Sega Genesis back in the day. The best part is that both
fast-paced games are still pretty fun to play and even more so in a portable
package (remember how cool it was to play on the Sega Game Gear handheld?).

All three
Golden Axe games also make the lineup and the good news is that you can play
the game with a friend wirelessly. Whether you’re playing the ‘89 original or
Golden Axe III, the concept remains the same: you take one of three heroes
and hack ‘n slash your way through various levels. Speaking of hack ‘n slash,
there’s also Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi as well as Shinobi
III: Return of the Ninja Master. Both games have you playing as a ninja with
the ability to toss shuriken throwing stars as well as slash at enemies with
your sword. Both games throw you into level after level of enemies and boss
battles that make these very challenging games with enough levels to keep gamers
busy.

The bulk of the
games are action/platform games like the classic Altered Beast where you play a
resurrected warrior out to save Zeus’ daughter Athena. Then there’s Comix
Zone, an action game where you play as a comic book artist who fights
against his own creations in a living comic book. Decap Attack is an
action game where you play the role of a living mummy while 1990’s Flicky
has you playing a blue bird attempting to save her baby birds. Gain Control
is an action game that puts you on a battlefield while Bonanza Bros.
is a shoot ‘em up where you play as bank robbers. VectorMan and
VectorMan 2 are futuristic shooters that are still loads of fun to play.
Then there are some lighthearted action games like Alex Kidd in the Enchanted
Castle, Kid Chameleon as well as Ristar whose main character has
extendable arms.

The Sega Genesis
was also home to some good role-playing games like Sword of Vermilion as
well as Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
and Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium. The great part is that
nothing has been taken away from any of these games so you get four complete
RPGs for the price of one UMD.

Then there’s
Columns, a Tetris-like puzzle game that’s supposedly an ancient
Phoenician game where you attempt to rotate and stack colored jewels on top of
each another for combos.  Interesting enough, the collection also includes
Ecco the Dolphin, the sequel Ecco: The Tides of Time and the prequel
Ecco Jr. All three games have you playing as a cute dolphin with sonar
abilities. One of the best surprises happens to be the inclusion of Virtua
Fighter 2, a fighting game with a roster of familiar brawlers. There’s even
Super Thunder Blade, an action game where you fly the unfriendly skies in a
combat helicopter. Finally, there are the unlockable PSP exclusive games like
Super Zaxxon, Congo Bongo, Astro Blaster, Eliminator
and Space Fury.

With some many
great games, Sega also includes a number of bonus materials to unlock such as
interviews with the creators of various games as well as background history for
each game as well as tips and unlockable cheats. While these are great features,
the best part about this game is that Sega managed to do justice to the controls
for each game.

On the visual
front, many of the games still look as good as they did when they first came
out. Sonic the Hedgehog still looks colorful and Altered Beast
still sports some great visual effects the light up the PSP screen. Ok,
Phantasy Star II and Gain Ground haven’t aged well but Sega did a
great job of fitting each game – even the ones that don’t look good – on the PSP
widescreen. In fact, many of the games look a lot like they did back then and
that’s saying a lot right there … right Midway? Each game’s music and sound
effects are also intact. Really, I still get a kick out of hearing Zeus’ voice
in the opening of Altered Beast or listening to the Alex Kidd
soundtrack.

Sega Genesis
Collection for
the PSP is a magnificent way of getting to know this number of great classics
that might have aged but are still in top form and loads of fun to play. With 33
games that range from role-playing games, platform, puzzle and action games,
there is a lot here to keep gamers happy. I mean, Phantasy Star II
through IV are worth the purchase price alone and replaying Altered
Beast and Columns is just that added bonus that makes the collection
one you must not miss if you love retro gaming or your PSP.

Review Scoring Details for SEGA Genesis Collection

Gameplay: 8.0
The collection
of games feel right at home on the PSP and the game does a great job of making
the simplistic controls for each game easy to control whether you’re playing a
fierce action game like Golden Axe II or Shinobi III: Return of the
Ninja Master. These games were challenging then and they’re still
challenging now.

Graphics: 7.5

Many of the
games still look pretty good but bear in mind that they came out in the early
1990s. Both Sonic games still look wonderfully colorful while games like
Super Thunder Blade and Ristar really show their age.

Sound: 7.5
It’s just
great to hear all of these game’s recognizable tunes and sound effects that come
out perfectly through the PSP’s speakers. Altered Beast still sounds
great even today.

Difficulty:
Medium/Hard
You will
seriously wouldn’t mind a friend joining you in Golden Axe III since it’s
still as pretty challenging. Even what seems like light platform games like
Kid Chameleon and Comix Zone are still pretty tough.

Concept: 10

Even if you’ve
never had the chance to play these games on the Sega Genesis back in the day,
strangely enough all of these games hold up rather well. This collection brings
a great assortment of genres from puzzle, role-playing games, action and, well,
three Ecco games. There are some great bonus games, interviews and fun
facts to unlock. Oh, and you can share these games with a friend wirelessly.

Multiplayer:
8.5
This is,
without a doubt, a collection of games you will want to share with a friend
because a good majority of these games (like the Golden Axe games) are
co-op classics. Plus, nothing is cooler than playing Virtua Fighter 2
wirelessly against a friend.

Overall: 8.5
Sega
Genesis Collection
for the PSP is a dream come true for those who loved the
incredible lineup of titles that made the Genesis such a great console. With a
collection that includes such classics like Sonic the Hedgehog, Virtua
Fighters 2 and Altered Beast (to name a few of the best) this is a
compilation game you will certainly want to own right away if you love the
classics.