Electronic Theatre In-depth Review: SEGA Mega-Drive Ultimate Collection

Electronic Theatre Image

SEGA haven’t been too quick to launch a Retro Collection on the Current-Generation, and for that the fans that picked-up the original outing that arrived late in the lifespan of the Xbox and PlayStation2 will be thankful. Obviously superior to it’s predecessor by sheer weight of numbers, SEGA Mega-Drive Ultimate Collection is appealing to that exact same audience, and so after dabbling with digital distribution (as seemingly an on-going process for Xbox LIVE Arcade), SEGA Mega-Drive Ultimate Collection must have more up-it’s-sleeve than value for money alone to convince those who purchased such a compilation last time around.

While many seem to be growing weary of repackaging 16-bit titles, many more find their charm wholly engrossing every time a publisher decides to dig into that nostalgia for games of our youth. Though it’s often the case, as with a handful of titles on this Retro Collection, that Electronic Theatre Image many of these titles would be better left to a more forgiving memory, numerous games stand the test of time, and are as enjoyable today as when originally released. Indeed, with hindsight, many titles prove to have been far more influential than may have originally been thought.

Decap Attack, for example, may well have been considered little more than a slightly-above-average Platform game at the time of it’s original release, following in the footsteps of the likes of Plok and Psycho Fox , however, it’s up-tempo pacing and trick-of-the-eye secrets belie it’s so-so reputation. The erratic level design, in which only the third stage asks the player to commit a leap of faith at the very beginning, while moving from left-to-right as opposed to the traditional right-to-left, shows a willing to break away from the very well worn 2D Platform template. Comix Zone, too, mixes-up the formula of what is expected of 2D side-scrolling to a great degree, with perhaps one of the smartest interpretations of comic book convention outside of its source material.

In addition to the selection of forty Mega-Drive titles, SEGA Mega-Drive Ultimate Collection offers a small selection of both Master System and Arcade titles, including a few unexpected treats. The original Phantasy Star completes the early part of the series and the Electronic Theatre Image Arcade releases of Altered Beast and Shinobi are a very pleasant change of pace, if further highlighting the flaws of their Mega-Drive counterparts. There are some surprising omissions – Super Hang-On and Monaco GP particularly noticeable by their absence - with the selection of AAA classics on the disc providing little room for a sequel.

Every game allows or either Analogue or D-Pad control and, with the Mega-Drive’s button layout being considerably more limited than the Xbox 360’s Controller, most offer a great deal of customisation to the control setup. SEGA Mega-Drive Ultimate Collection performs well visually, despite the ageing appearance of many of it’s titles. When running in High-Definition, the emulation of the original titles doesn’t make games too pixellated as is often the case, with the occasional sprite seemingly having been modified for the modern living room technology. The game features the typical assortment of box art, release information and documentary videos, but it’s the organisation of each game and feature and the choice of unlockables that proves Backbone Entertainment valued their work on this project.

SEGA Mega-Drive Ultimate Collection had one distinct objective; to provide a package worthy of a second purchase for those who Electronic Theatre Image relived these eighteen-or-so year-old classics only a few years ago. This it accomplishes by simply offering not only the most popular SEGA-published titles of the company’s heyday, but also the best in design that the console offered. When a collection comprises of every Mega-Drive outing in the Sonic The Hedgehog, Streets or Rage, Golden Axe, Ecco the Dolphin and Phantasy Star series, both Vectorman games and three of SEGA’s best Puzzle games, titles such as Alien Storm, Shining Force, The Story of Thor and Kid Chamelon are a thick layer of icing on a very sweet cake.