Customer Reviews
A nearly perfect port of Sonic's classic adventures
Though Sonic's original Genesis adventures have been packaged together numerous times in the past, this is the first time that these classic platformers have all been in the same place on a handheld system. With Sonic the Hedgehog 4 launching later this year, no doubt many Sonic fans will be wanting to revisit the original games, and Sonic Classic Collection provides a fantastic way to do so on the go.
Included in the collection are Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Sonic & Knuckles. In addition, the two lock-on versions of Sonic 2 and 3 are included, so one can play as Knuckles in those games as well, which is a welcome inclusion. Sadly, the multiplayer player modes have been stripped out of all the games. Admittedly, multiplayer was never a major focus in the original Sonic games, but not even being able to have someone jump in as Tails in Sonic 2 is a bit disappointing.
Another frequently asked question is whether or not the original level select codes work. The answer, sadly, is no. It would seem that, while the codes can in fact still be activated, there is no way to access the level select menus themselves after doing so. This might be a deal breaker for certain fans, but it's an omission that many likely won't care about.
As for the classic games themselves, things are fairly solid. It must be said that the ports are not perfect. Framerate issues are present. It has to be said because they are there. However, they are very slight and after playing for a minute or two, they become nearly unnoticeable. Sonic 1 seems to chug the most for some reason. Overall, the games run fast and smooth, which is a vast improvement over the disaster that was Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis.
In order to make the games fit on the screen, SEGA had to mess with the graphics. They use two solutions in game. First, the view has been cropped in a little, allowing it to scroll side to side slightly to frame a good view. Second, similar to the Classic NES series on the GBA, every few lines of pixels have been removed, causing all the graphics to appear slightly shorter. It's subtle, and a few distortions are visible, but when running at full speed, the compromises are nearly unnoticeable.
The sounds and music made the jump to DS just fine. Music sounds nearly spot on to the original Genesis titles, with only slight subtle differences appearing in a couple of songs. Sound effects are quiet faithful as well, but like the music, tiny oddities sometimes occur. Occasionally a sound effect will loop in an odd way that doesn't quite match the original. Overall, the games still sound like themselves, and only the pickiest of fans will notice the changes.
Beyond the actual games, Sonic Classic Collection is a bit sparse on extra features. It features a small photo gallery where artwork of Sonic characters can be viewed. This is somewhat interesting, but really is only worth looking at once. Beyond that, it's just the classic games and that's all. All the games have now been fitted with individual save functions, which is very handy. Oddly, all the menu buttons are mapped to the touch screen alone, so pausing and saving must done there, and the start button does nothing. This is not a big issue, but it takes a little getting used to, since the start button is nearly universally used for pausing.
Overall, Sonic's original adventures are lengthy and diverse, and having them all on one cart means getting some serious bang for your buck. Are they absolutely perfect representations? No. However, the problems are so slight that many likely won't even notice or care. If you're a classic Sonic fan looking for a portable fix, or if you've never had a chance to play these games and see why Sonic is so famous today, Sonic Classic Collection could not be more highly recommended.
About time!
It's finally nice to see these games released on a handheld that replicates the original SEGA Genesis perfectly. This collection includes the games Sonic 1, 2, 3, Sonic & Knuckles with their respective lock-on games as well. The original music is retained.
They did make a few changes which did tick me off:
1. The original multiplayer feature in Sonic 2, 3 and in the lock-on have been disabled.
2. In order to pause the game, you must select pause on the touch screen (can't use debug or cheats).
3. You cannot custom configure the buttons.
Aside from these problems, this is a great port for a portable system (much better than that Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis for Gameboy Advance, which was horrible!). If you wanna take classic Sonic on the go, this game won't let you down.
Needs Sonic Spinball instead of Sonic 3 Without Knuckles
After the failed attempt to bring The Sega Genesis Sonic classic in 2006 on Game Boy Advance with Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis, Sega finally got it right with Sonic classics collection for the DS.
Unlike Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis, The graphics stay unmodified and stay true to the original game. However there are 2 modifications, which aren't that big of a deal.
A. In the originals, When you got the Running Sneaker prize box, The music would play at a faster speed. Now, it's also at a higher pitch.
B. No 2 player options in Sonic 2 or sonic 3
AT least with this release, the game play and graphics stay true to their original Format
PROS
1. Sonic 2 and 3 with Knuckles come pre-unlocked, where as in Sonic Mega Collection Plus, you have to unlock them.
2. Save feature. Save, Exit out and start back up again
3. Unmodified game play and graphics
CONS
1. Sonic 3 without Knuckles - This was not needed. See, On sonic 3 without, You can be Sonic and tails together or 1 or the other. With Knuckles, you still have them as an option - Knuckles is just a new 4th option. So to put both with and without Knuckles is kinda a waste when Sonic Spinball or the Blue Sphere mini-game should have taken Sonic 3's (Without Knuckles) place instead.
2. Unlike Sonic Mega Collection Plus, it's only the Sonic Games from Sega Genesis and the save feature makes you start from the beginning of the stage. Where as for Sonic Mega Collection Plus, It comes with Sega Master System titles that got ported to Game Gear, extra unlockable games, Sonic Spinball and others. Plus on that, You start back up from the scene you exited out of.
3. No 2 player options in Sonic 2 or sonic 3. They could have made it possible via DS download play
4. Only the touch screen pauses the game - Kinda hard to get used to not pushing Start to pause.
With that being said, 4 Classic Sonic games on The DS, What more can you ask for?
