Do Sega’s classics still stand the test of time?
Sega Mega Drive Classics is a collection of over 50 games from the classic console, which gives you the option to play it in in full-screen with different screen filters or even zoomed out on an old-style TV and even has a gaming room with games on shelves to choose from as opposed to just a list. We have standard classics like Sonic, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage and some other lesser known titles that are just as good, but never really got the same attention back in the day.
I grew up with a Mega Drive and the amount of times I played the Sonic games, you’d think I’d be sick to death of going through them once again…but years on, I’m still more than happy to whizz along Green Hill Zone and take out Doctor Robotnik (Before the Eggman debacle) and fight Knuckles in Sonic & Knuckles, but alas Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles are absent from the line-up, something I find absolutely baffling when they included lesser successful Sonic games like Sonic 3D Blast and Sonic Spinball, games that I enjoy…but not anywhere near as much as S3&K.
Here’s a full list of the games featured in the collection.
• Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
• Alien Soldier
• Alien Storm
• Altered Beast
• Beyond Oasis
• Bio-Hazard Battle
• Bonanza Bros.
• Columns
• Columns III: Revenge of Columns
• Comix Zone
• Crack Down
• Decap Attack
• Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
• Dynamite Headdy
• ESWAT: City Under Siege
• Fatal Labyrinth
• Flicky
• Gain Ground
• Galaxy Force II
• Golden Axe
• Golden Axe II
• Golden Axe III
• Gunstar Heroes
• Kid Chameleon
• Landstalker
• Light Crusader
• Phantasy Star II
• Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
• Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millenium
• Ristar
• Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
• Shining Force
• Shining Force II
• Shining in the Darkness
• Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
• Sonic 3D Blast
• Sonic Spinball
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• Space Harrier II
• Streets of Rage
• Streets of Rage 2
• Streets of Rage 3
• Super Thunder Blade
• Sword of Vermilion
• The Revenge of Shinobi
• ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron
• ToeJam& Earl
• Vectorman
• VectorMan 2
• Virtua Fighter 2
• Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair
• Wonder Boy in Monster World
New features include being able to rewind games much like the Mini SNES or Rare Replay options, while including online multiplayer for certain games. There are also a set of challenges that remix certain parts of games, for instance playing a mirror version of Green Hill Zone and having to complete it in a set limit or fighting a particular boss with low health. They’ve taken some cues from Rare Replay and NES Remix in that regard, something that is welcome to just a typical collection.
The Verdict
Sega Mega Drive Classics is a great collection of Sega’s best console games, but it’s missing the best of the bunch with Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, which I don’t understand. That aside, the collection has some nice new features like the rewind ability and challenges and is definitely worthy of your own collection.