 Fantastic pool at a fantastic price |
| Review Date: February 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Jason M Ritenour, |
I never had a Genesis, so I missed out on a lot of fantastic games. I've played the first Sonic, and some of these games in the arcade, but by and large, I never got to encounter the glory days of Sega. Also, it's hard to find PS3 games that appeal to my fiance, and she was excited at the possibility of before a live audience Ecco the Dolphin & the Sonic games again.
There are nearly 50 games on here, and when you consider how much the various games would cost on the Wii virtual console, or Xbox Live arcade, this is an incredible deal. Even at $60, this would be a fantastic deal, but at $30, it's a no brainer.
The presentation is pretty slick, the main menu looks like a Genesis unit, and the games are a stack of cartridges you sort through. You can rate games on a 5 star scale, and then sort them in the order you rated them, so your least favorite games will fall to the bottom of the list.
The only complaint I have is that the line "all titles have been converted to high def" is incorrect and misleading. A filter has been useful to make the games look better at a higher pledge, nothing has been reworked or remade to take financial support of HD. The excellent thing is you can switch between 4:3 and 16:9 on the glide, and turn the filter off if you want. I will say that the games on this pool have looked a lot better than their Virtual Console counterparts on my TV.
By and large, you can't go incorrect with this pool. Whether you're an ancient Genesis lover wanting a trip down memory lane, or someone who missed out on Sega's golden age and want to see what all the hype was about, this is a must-buy. |
49 Games, One Disc. That's Super, Sonic!
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| Review Date: August 1, 2009 |
| Reviewer: The Matrix Fan, |
+ Pros:
+ 40 Genesis games and 9 extra games for less than a dollar apiece
+ Setup options including widescreen, visual smoothing, and button configurations
+ 3 Save slots per game
- Cons:
- No "Lock-on" option to play as Knuckles in Sonic 2 or 3
Ahh yes, the 1980's and 1990's. Two fantastic periods of video games for the Sega contract.
First, the arcade stand-ups - their apparatus called out to be filled with quarters donation level after level of hard challenges to overcome. When the 1980's were drawing to a close and people were ready to go beyond the limits of 8-bit Nintendo games, Sega introduced their 4th age group home video game console, the Sega Genesis. This 16-bit system existing better graphics, longer Role-Before a live audience Games, and one speedy hedgehog that tested the patience of even the most seasoned gamer.
This compilation combines 40 games from Sega's Genesis store, 7 of their stand-up arcade ports and 2 games from the Sega Master System, all on one disc.
Games:
Alex Kidd in the Charmed Castle
Alien Storm
Altered Beast
Beyond Oasis
Bonanza Bros.
Columns
Comix Zone
Decap Attack
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
Dynamite Headdy
ESWAT: City Under Siege
Ecco the Dolphin
Ecco: The Tides of Time
Fatal Labyrinth
Flicky
Gain Ground
Golden Axe
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
Bright Force
Bright Force II: Ancient Sealing
Bright in the Darkness
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic 3D Blast
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 Bark Blade
Vectorman
Vectorman 2
Alien Syndrome
Altered Beast
Congo Bongo
Fantasy Zone
Golden Axe Fighter
Phantasy Star
Shinobi
Space Harrier
Zaxxon
Some of these games are at the start locked, but they can be unlocked lacking much problem.
Graphics: First off, let's be honest - since these are 3rd and 4th age group video games, graphically they are not "cutting edge". If your earliest gaming console was a Sony Playstation, these games will look pre-historic to you. Most of the games have a faux social class and the gameplay is centered in the middle of the screen in a 4:3 defaulting format. The aspect ratio can be changed to letterbox (16:9) and there is even an option to smooth the graphics - but with games like these, smoothing really takes away from the nostalgia.
Options: I like the options this compilation offers! Not only can you set your own button layouts and turn on/off the rapid fire option, but you can save your progress on every single game! Games like Sonic the Hedgehog were very pitiless and had no save points when they were first released...but with 3 save slots at your disposal, you can take your time to complete the games at your own pace.
Gameplay: With 49 games to choose from, there are numerous genres at your fingertips:
Want a platformer? Try Alex Kidd in the Charmed Castle.
Fancy a beat `em up? Altered Beast is calling you.
Itching for an epic RPG? Try Phantasy Star III.
How about a puzzle game? Stack up the Columns.
Maybe an action game? Suit up with ESWAT.
Side Scroller fan? Ecco the Dolphin needs your help.
Hack & Slash, eh? Grab some grog and try out Golden Axe.
Perhaps you prefer a shooter? Space Harrier is all about the bullets!
You'd like a excellent ancient fashioned Run `n' Gun? Look no further than Vectorman 2.
No matter what type of gameplay you like, it can be found in this pool.
Extras: There are interviews with numerous Sega employees made particularly for this pool. You can tell each person place their heart & soul into their game of choice...it was a different time. Currently, people like Hideo Kojima have 200 people at their disposal, while most of these games were made by very small teams. There is a brief description and visual artwork for each game, a nice piece of nostalgia.
Trophies: The trophies for this game are a mixed bag. Some trophies are absurdly simple (such as Ecco the Dolphin - this trophy is earned by simply talking to a further dolphin!), while others like Dr. Robitnik's M.B.M. trophy (beat the game) are tooth-grindingly hard. I plotting the trophy for "Final Oasis" was a excellent example - the goal to free the water spirit took some time, but didn't require completing the entire game. I loved the trophy requiring every game to be played at least once.
As far as negatives, there is only one that comes to mind, the exclusion of the "lock-on" gameplay for Sonic 3, Sonic 2, and the Blue Sphere levels. This allowable gamers to play as Knuckles as a replacement for of Sonic, which could not be done at the time due to software/hardware limitations. Since the Playstation 3 is a 7th age group video game console, I was surprised these were excluded. I hope they will show up as a download from the Playstation Arrangement before too long.
End?
If you want to take a trip down video game memory lane for a fantastic price, this is the best pool to do it with - it breaks down to less than a dollar per game. For your portable needs, I strongly recommend the Sega Genesis Pool for the PSP.
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Categorically Fantastic!
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| Review Date: February 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Video Game Description, United States |
Spot on emulation and save states surely equals 5 stars in my book! Aside from keenly anticipating Volume 2, I can't reckon of anything lacking from this pool!
Simply stated, superb... the first review captured most of what I want to relay about this, so I won't belabor the situation.
5 stars, my highest recommendation!!
All 3 Streets of Rage games are here, too!!! A first!! |
A Real Blast From The Past!
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| Review Date: July 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Patrick_91, Canada |
Well allow me to start out by saying that has a child I was an SNES kid and later migrated onto Sony's consoles,I knew a small about Sega but never wanted there stuff enough to bug my parents to buy them for me.
Quick forward 12 years and I'm before a live audience catchup with all things Sega!
This Genesis pool contains a whopping 49 Sega games (I reckon 9 of them are unlockable mastersystem games) What I like about this bundle the most is that a lot of the games are RPG's (there is about 8-10 RPGs in here,that's worth the price alone)
A further excellent thing about this pool is that you don't have to have 49 carts across 2 systems to play them! And also some of these games used battery backup to save the games,and we all know a battery will only last so long before it dies and all your precious data is gone,or when the carts wear out from ancient age!
A really cool feature is you can save anywhere in the games (it saves in in a 'state' just like the SNES emulates) and there is also a smoothing option witch makes a HUGE alteration in image quality.
The interface is also pretty cool,it shows an ancient model 1 genesis as your alternative your game to play,a further nice touch is that when you save your games it shows the Sega genesis cart with an original art of the game cart-nice touch!
there is also a whole whack of extras to watch and unlock,it will keep you very busy for a long time guaranteed!!!
Edit: After before a live audience the game for more than a week I've chose to comment a small more on the games existing,the more influential ones.
The first one that comes to mind would be Phantasy Star 2 the game has won copious awards on many gaming sites and was one of the first (if not THE first) game to have a deeper storyline and was also the first game to kill a main character,it also paved the way for many more RPGs to come after it including FF7.
A further honorable bring up would be Phantasy Star 4,not only was it the final chapter in the long running series (1987-1994)but it existing a new art direction (it's an example of very early anime cut-scenes,at a time when anime was still young in North America) It should be noted that this game originally retailed for $79.99 that was very pricey back in '94 and it should be noted that I have seen no game more pricey than this that wasn't a collectors journal (to place it into perspective the most pricey playstation games were never more than $59.99)
The Sonic series: This is easily what helped the Genesis keep the lead it had over the SNES for so long (1991 till early 1994) but when Sega's support was waning due to the soon to be release of the doomed Saturn,the SNES got those last few punches to earn a victory in the 16Bit era with some last minute blockbuster releases,Had Sega not dropped support so early it would have won that console war,and the Sonic series would have been to thank.
That's about all the games I can reckon of at the moment,you may have bought a Genesis for different reasons but but if you really look at it,the majority of people bought a Genesis for Sonic. I do but have a lot of older friends who originally bought a Genesis for that arcade-y encounter with out manslaughter there entire allowance on quarters (dredge up: Arcades were all the rage in the late '80s to about 1997) |
Exceptional Compilation
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| Review Date: February 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: D_Strasse, Charlotte, NC |
This package is easily worth the $30 asking price for anyone with even a slight knowledge of Sega Genesis games.
Looking to replay some Sonic from back in the day, they're all here. Jonesin' for a quick game of Altered Beast? How 'bout some Golden Axe? All classics, all here. As someone who grew up with these games, this package is a loved blast from the past. And since a further reviewer so nicely went into the details of every game, I will withold. Needless to say there is something for all here.
As previously mentioned, the skill to save real time is a vital added bonus. That said, I particularly would have valued adding specific cheats into the actual games, e.g. unlimited lives/continues, but most of these can be found at GameFAQ's anyway. A couple in black and white pages and you're excellent to go.
Now some caveats, these games are from the late 80's early 90's, and the graphics/music are expressive of the era. Some look decent, some are looking a small worse for wear. If you are accustomed to post PS2/Xbox graphics, alternative up this might seem like a terrible thought.
But, if warm fuzzies are generated just by examination the ancient "Say-ga" on console startup, then this package is for you. Highly recommeded. (Four stars for fun only because the older reins can require some "reacquainting").
Last note, when entering codes, it appears that the button mapping is:
A = Triangle
B = Square / Circle
C = X |
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