Sonic Mega Collection

Sonic Mega Collection[lower-alpha 1] is a video game compilation developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega in 2002 for the GameCube. The compilation contains twelve to fourteen games (depending on region) originally released on the Sega Genesis. Ten of the included games are installments of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, while the remaining two to four games are only related to the series through its publisher, Sega.

Sonic Mega Collection
Developer(s)Sonic Team
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Yojiro Ogawa
Producer(s)Yuji Naka
Designer(s)Hideaki Moriya
Artist(s)Yuji Uekawa
Composer(s)Hideaki Kobayashi
SeriesSonic the Hedgehog
Platform(s)GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows
ReleaseGameCube
  • NA: November 10, 2002
  • JP: December 19, 2002
  • EU: March 7, 2003
PlayStation 2, Xbox
  • NA: November 2, 2004
  • JP: December 9, 2004
  • EU: February 4, 2005
  • AU: March 20, 2005
Microsoft Windows
  • EU: March 31, 2006
  • NA: March 9, 2007
Genre(s)Compilation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

According to the director, Yojiro Ogawa, the purpose of the compilation was to introduce younger players to the original games in the Sonic series. The games are played through a Genesis emulator developed by Sonic Team themselves. Outside of the games, the compilation includes Sonic-themed videos and illustrations, as well as high-resolution scans of the instruction manuals and Sonic the Hedgehog comic covers.

Sonic Mega Collection received positive critical reception, being recommended for its large library of titles, great emulation, and its cheap market price. The compilation was re-released with eight bonus games as Sonic Mega Collection Plus for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Microsoft Windows. This was followed by a new compilation for the GameCube, Sonic Gems Collection, which included more obscure and rare Sonic games such as Sonic CD.

Overview

Sonic Mega Collection features twelve to fourteen complete games in one retail unit. All games are ports of their original versions on the Sega Genesis. High-resolution instruction manual scans are included for each game. Also included is an Extras section featuring over 100 scans of Sonic the Hedgehog comic covers, illustrations of Sonic characters throughout the franchise's history, and a handful of videos promoting other Sonic games, including the beginning and end sequences to Sonic CD. In addition to the seven default games, three unlockable games are included that recreated the Sonic & Knuckles "lock-on technology" to allow for new modes and/or playable characters in each of the first three games in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Also, four games published by Sega but not in the Sonic series could also be unlocked (two in the North American version).

Games included in Sonic Mega Collection
Default Sonic games
Title Genre Original release Developer
Sonic the Hedgehog Platform 1991 Sonic Team
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Platform 1992 Sega Technical Institute
Sonic Spinball Pinball 1993 Sega Technical Institute
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine Puzzle 1993 Compile
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Platform 1994 Sega
Sonic & Knuckles Platform 1994 Sega
Sonic 3D Blast Platform 1996 Traveller's Tales, Sonic Team
Unlockable Sonic games
Title Genre Original release Developer
Blue Sphere Platform 1991 Sonic Team
Knuckles in Sonic 2 Platform 1992 Sega Technical Institute
Sonic 3 & Knuckles Platform 1994 Sega
Additional unlockable games
Title Genre Original release Developer
Flicky Platform 1991[lower-roman 1] Sega
Ristar Platform 1995 Sega
Comix Zone[lower-roman 2] Beat 'em up 1995 Sega Technical Institute
The Ooze[lower-roman 2] Action 1995 Sega Technical Institute
  1. Flicky was originally released for arcades in 1984. The 1991 Genesis port is used in Sonic Mega Collection.
  2. Only available in the Japanese release. Also included in Sonic Mega Collection Plus.

Development

Mega Collection was developed by Sonic Team,[1] the studio behind most games in the Sonic series. According to director Yojiro Ogawa, Sonic Team's goal with the compilation was to introduce children to older games in the series and showcase what made Sonic successful.[2] Sonic Team chose to focus on including all the Genesis Sonic games.[3] Rather than porting them from the Genesis, they collaborated with VR-1 Japan to develop an emulator to run the games' ROM images.[1] Series co-creator Yuji Naka, who served as producer, said the team intended to include the 1993 Sega CD game Sonic CD, but storage constraints prevented this.[3] Sonic Team also considered including BlueSky Software's Vectorman (1995),[2] and Sonic R (1997) and Sonic Shuffle (2000) were expected to appear in Mega Collection at one point.[4] CD, Vectorman, and R later appeared in Sonic Gems Collection (2005), a successor to Mega Collection focusing on rare Sonic games.[2] Sonic Team had trouble gathering materials for the compilation because it had been a decade since they made the games and "Sega's not that good about keeping history."[3] For instance, Naka wanted to include the original prototype of the first game but Sonic Team could not find its ROM image.[5]

Sega announced Mega Collection as a GameCube exclusive in early July 2002,[6] and revealed which games would be included later that month.[7] The compilation went gold the following November;[8] Naka said Sonic Team felt a sense of accomplishment when they completed it.[3] Mega Collection was released in North America on November 10, 2002, in Japan on December 19, 2002,[1] and in Europe on March 21, 2003.[9] Infogrames published the compilation in Europe.[10] When Sega began to expand support for the PlayStation 2, it commissioned a version of Mega Collection for that console and the Xbox.[11] This version, Sonic Mega Collection Plus, was announced at E3 2004.[12] Plus was released in North America on November 2, 2004,[13] in Japan on December 9, 2004,[14] and in Europe on February 4, 2005.[15] A Windows version was released in March 2006,[16] and was later included in the Sonic PC Collection (2009).[17]

Sonic Mega Collection Plus

Sonic Mega Collection Plus is an update of Sonic Mega Collection for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles. A Microsoft Windows version was also released in Europe and North America. This edition includes all of the games in Sonic Mega Collection, including the two Genesis games that were included in the Japanese version of Sonic Mega Collection, plus the addition of six Game Gear games:

Games included in Sonic Mega Collection Plus:
Title Genre Original release Developer
Sonic the Hedgehog Platform 1991 Ancient
Sonic Chaos Platform 1993 Aspect
Sonic Drift Kart racing 1994 Sega, Arc System Works
Sonic Labyrinth Action, Puzzle 1995 Minato Giken
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine Puzzle 1995 Compile
Sonic Blast Platform 1996 Aspect

Reception

Reviews for Sonic Mega Collection were generally favorable. Louis Bedigian of GameZone praised the controls as "top-notch" including that "even the thumbstick is usable, and it works flawlessly."[18] Game Informer declared Sonic Mega Collection to be "perhaps the best compilation ever."[19] Fran Mirabella of IGN christened the compilation as "a wonderful little collection that, while not perfect, is a great value."[20] Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot suggested that "if you're fiending for Sonic the Hedgehog and either don't have or are unwilling to drag out a dusty Genesis from the closet, don't hesitate to give it a shot."[21] However, Johnny Liu of Game Revolution advised "just blow the dust off the old Genesis, because there isn't enough good extra stuff here."[22] Nintendo Power described Sonic Mega Collection as "the ultimate compilation of Sonic adventures."[19] It was a runner-up for GameSpot's annual "Best Platformer on GameCube" award, which went to Super Mario Sunshine.[23]

Reviews for Sonic Mega Collection Plus were also positive. Chris Baker of GameSpy decided that "despite its exclusions, though, Collection's large selection of titles for $19.99 is a tough thing not to recommend to anyone who calls himself a gamer. Even if a few of the games undeniably suck."[24][25] Hilary Goldstein of IGN declared that "you can't find a better deal than 20 games for 20 dollars," and that "while not every Sonic game is a winner, the majority are. These games, though old, are superior to Sega's more recent 3D Sonic offerings."[26][27] Aceinet of GameZone, while praising the compilation overall as "a nearly complete package of classic Sonic games," was critical of the emulation of the Game Gear games, saying that "while the emulation is spot-on for the games, having to put up with a black bar around the screen could be upsetting to some."[28] Jeremy Parish of 1UP.com assured readers that "even with its shortcomings, it's still one of the most value-packed classic compilations available for any system -- as long as you like Sonic."[29] Game Informer suggested that "if you grew up with these games, they're still a joy to play," and that "new converts to the Sonic fold will get a great introduction to the 'hog's history."[30][31] GMR Magazine concluded that "if you're new to Sonic, for 20 bucks you really can't go wrong."[30]

The PlayStation 2 version of Mega Collection Plus received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[32] indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[33]

See also

Notes
  1. Japanese: ソニック メガコレクション Hepburn: Sonikku Mega Korekushon

References
  1. Cole, Michael (January 13, 2003). "Sonic Mega Collection". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  2. "Yojiro Ogawa Interview". GameSpy. July 22, 2005. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  3. "Sonic Team Q&A". GameSpot. February 18, 2004. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  4. Lake, Max (July 9, 2002). "Sonic's Mega Collection Revealed?". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  5. Towell, Justin (June 27, 2011). "Super-rare 1990 Sonic The Hedgehog prototype is missing". GamesRadar+. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  6. "New Sonics Coming to Cube". IGN. July 1, 2002. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  7. "Sonic Mega Collection Details". IGN. July 12, 2002. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  8. Brown, Jason (November 1, 2002). "Sonic Mega Collection for the GameCube soon". GameSpot. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  9. "Sonic Mega Collection sur Gamecube". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  10. "Preplay - Sonic Mega Collection". Official Nintendo Magazine. Future plc (124): 64–65. January 2003.
  11. C. Perry, Douglass (October 14, 2004). "Sonic Mega Collection Plus Impressions". IGN. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  12. Gantayat, Anoop (May 7, 2004). "More Sonic for PS2". IGN. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  13. Goldstein, Hilary (November 3, 2004). "Sonic Mega Collection Plus". IGN. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  14. "ゲームタイトル". Sonic the Hedgehog. Sega. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  15. "Sonic Mega Collection Plus sur PlayStation 2". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  16. "Sonic Mega Collection Plus sur PC". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  17. Sega (October 2, 2009). "Sonic PC Collection (PC)". GamePlanet. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  18. Bedigian, Louis (2002-11-21). "Sonic Mega Collection Review - GameCube". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2008. The controls are top-notch -- even the thumbstick is usable, and it works flawlessly.
  19. "Sonic Mega Collection Plus (cube: 2002): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
  20. Mirabella III, Fran (2002-11-12). "IGN: Sonic Mega Collection Review". IGN. Retrieved December 4, 2008. A wonderful little collection that, while not perfect, is a great value.
  21. Gerstmann, Jeff (2002-11-18). "Sonic Mega Collection for GameCube Review". GameSpot. Retrieved December 4, 2008. If you're fiending for Sonic the Hedgehog and either don't have or are unwilling to drag out a dusty Genesis from the closet, don't hesitate to give it a shot.
  22. Liu, Johnny. "Game Revolution GameCube Review Page". Game Revolution. Retrieved December 4, 2008. If you already have some of these games, I'd advise just blowing the dust off the old Genesis, because there isn't enough good extra stuff here.
  23. GameSpot Staff (December 30, 2002). "GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2002". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 7, 2003.
  24. Baker, Chris (2004-11-01). "GameSpy: Sonic Mega Collection Plus Review". GameSpy. Retrieved December 4, 2008. Despite its exclusions, though, Collection's large selection of titles for $19.99 is a tough thing not to recommend to anyone who calls himself a gamer. Even if a few of the games undeniably suck.
  25. Baker, Chris (2004-11-01). "GameSpy: Sonic Mega Collection Plus Review". GameSpy. Retrieved December 4, 2008. Despite its exclusions, though, Collection's large selection of titles for $19.99 is a tough thing not to recommend to anyone who calls himself a gamer. Even if a few of the games undeniably suck.
  26. Goldstein, Hilary (2004-11-03). "IGN: Sonic Mega Collection Plus Review". IGN. Retrieved December 4, 2008. You can't find a better deal than 20 games for 20 dollars. While not every Sonic game is a winner, the majority are. These games, though old, are superior to Sega's more recent 3D Sonic offerings.
  27. Goldstein, Hilary (2004-11-03). "IGN: Sonic Mega Collection Plus Review". IGN. Retrieved December 4, 2008. You can't find a better deal than 20 games for 20 dollars. While not every Sonic game is a winner, the majority are. These games, though old, are superior to Sega's more recent 3D Sonic offerings.
  28. Aceinet (2004-11-22). "Sonic Mega Collection Plus Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on June 11, 2009. Retrieved December 4, 2008. However this collection also gives you an insight into some of the Sonic games that some players wished would disappear. While the emulation is spot-on for the games, having to put up with a black bar around the screen could be upsetting to some.
  29. Parish, Jeremy (November 29, 2004). "Sonic Mega Collection Plus Review from 1UP.com". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2004. Retrieved December 4, 2008. Even with its shortcomings, it's still one of the most value-packed classic compilations available for any system -- as long as you like Sonic.
  30. "Sonic Mega Collection (ps2: 2004): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
  31. "Sonic Mega Collection Plus (xbx: 2004): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
  32. "ELSPA Sales Awards: Platinum". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original on May 15, 2009.
  33. Caoili, Eric (November 26, 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017.
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