Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360

GF Rating

9

Excellent

Great Value, almost 50 games on 1 disc.

posted by Chicken6 (PACOIMA, CA) Feb 19, 2009

Member since Oct 2005

16 out of 16 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

Seriously, if this game is not available, just buy it! It is 30 bucks and has 40 SEGA games and 9 Sega Master System and Arcade games. It is cool, some games are not the best but the gems are here. A lot of these games are on sale on XBLA for 5 to 8 bucks anyway, why not just get them all together?!
You get all 4 phantasy stars, 3 Sonics plus Sonic and Knuckles, all 3 Golden Axes (III sucks), all 3 Streets of Rage, Altered Beast, Shinobi, both Vectormans, Comix Zone, etc! Good collection, 2 player games are still here. No online though, just like the Genesis.
Plus, it has a lot of interviews with the game creators, it has a museum mode full of info on every game and it even has cartridge AND box art. Not a bad buy. Highly recomended.
It gets a 9 becuase it does have some slowdown, maybe because of the high-def switch but other then that, the games play as you remember them.
Buy it for your kids and show them the roots of this video game thing. Have fun!

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Best Compilation Ever

posted by DaMikeSC (COLUMBIA, SC) Feb 17, 2009

Member since Jul 2007

15 out of 16 gamers (94%) found this review helpful

This game is a near-direct port of the PSP collection last year, except with a LOT more games and a surprising level of extras. This is, quite possibly, the single best collection of old games I've ever had the joy of playing.

It's always easy to forget just how amazing some of the Genesis titles were. Visually, it won't blow minds, but some of the games are just much better than they have any right to appear on the somewhat under-powered console. Vectorman is still great to look at and Sonic 3 actually looks really good. There is some bad stuff, admittedly, and some choices I don't approve of (Kid Chameleon is a quite mediocre, Fatal Labyrinth is awful, and Altered Beast has been collected way too often). Revenge of Shinobi is sadly missing...still,

But the good is just so good.

ALL of the Phantasy Star titles are here, even the original that I've never played. Shining Force is also here in full. Streets of Rage (a better series than Final Fight) are also all here. I was amazed how much I ended up enjoying Sonic 3D Blast...I hated the Saturn title, but love the Genesis one.

This is as a no-brainer a buy as there is in gaming. Must buy.

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Really Great for What It Is

posted by BruceF (BENTONVILLE, AR) May 24, 2009

Member since Nov 2007

5 out of 5 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

If you wasted your youth playing 80's arcade games, you will love the trip down memory lane provide by the arcade classics on this disk. This is a must have for anyone that owned a Genesis system and spent any time playing the original Sonic games. The rental is worth it just for Zaxxon alone.

It's also an easy 1k of gamerscore if you want it.

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GF Rating

7

Good

Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection

posted by josepadil (ENNIS, TX) Mar 2, 2010

Member since Mar 2010

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

I am so happy that I discovered this collection! I think that this is the perfect game that every member of the family can enjoy. It has dozens of old style arcade games that I used to actually play as a child. They bring back old memories and are simple enough for my five year old to master (even Ninja Turtles, which he is SO into right now). What's even better is you don't have to insert a quarter every time you die. There are also a lot of the original Sonic games, which of course are challenging yet simple, and very classic. To me it's a refreshing step back from the dizzy 3D mobility of our more modern games. I feel that with this game I can share a piece of my childhood with my kids without spending a fortune or having to look for anything. I highly recommend this game to everyone, I've had this game for months now and we are still having fun with it. And if you've never played video games before and want to start then you should tell GAMEFLY to send you this one.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Excellant.

posted by FoxySeiko (MADISON, WI) May 14, 2009

Member since Dec 2008

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

I'm kinda happy that Sega finally stepped it up and put out a ultimate collection that wasnt missing any great games from the Gensis era. When I first saw this game i was thinking "Oh great here we go again" but as I looked more into it and seeing they had FINALLY put out a release of Streets of Rage on a collection disc, now I dont have to download it on the Wii Virtual Console or put my genesis back in. And how can you not love having all the sonic games in one disc as well as Golden Axe?

If you are a huge fan of the sega genesis era, this game is for you. Or if you want it for just memories, its fun for that too, show your kids your gaming era!

Highly Recommended.

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Great Game For All Ages

posted by Joeyanro (SAVANNAH, TX) Apr 16, 2009

Member since Apr 2009

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

When I first saw this game I really wanted to play it because for everyone that grew up with a Genesis and played games such as Streets of Rage, Vectorman or of course any of the Sonic games they like playing these games to remind them of the good old "simple" days of gaming. After getting the game and playing it I really enjoyed playing all of the Sonic games and the Streets of Rage trilogy...after playing it for a solid day I decided to buy it and returned the game the next day. For any gamerscore freaks this game has easy achievements I got 400 gamerscore in about a day not even trying to get them.

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GF Rating

6

Above Average

SEGA!!!!

posted by Flint879 (ALTOONA, PA) Jul 28, 2009

Member since Sep 2008

10 out of 13 gamers (77%) found this review helpful

PROS:

-Variety of classic Sega games
-Fun to have another person play some 2-Player with

CONS:

-Some games are rather difficult, but what would you expect from old-school games from the Genesis

FINAL THOUGHT:

For my Final Thought of this game, because there really is not much to say about this game at all really, I am just going to list all of the games packaged into this game and you can be the final judge on whether or not to pick it up.

- Alex Kidd in the Enchanted 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
- Shining Force
- Shining Force II: Ancient Sealing
- Shining 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 Thunder Blade
- Vectorman
- Vectorman 2

Unlockable Extra Games

- Alien Syndrome (Arcade)
- Altered Beast (Arcade)
- Congo Bongo (Arcade)
- Fantasy Zone (Arcade)
- Golden Axe Warrior (Sega Master System)
- Phantasy Star (Sega Master System)
- Shinobi (Arcade)
- Space Harrier (Arcade)
- Zaxxon (Arcade)

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

40+ games and most are GREAT.

posted by bearsfan (SMITHS GROVE, KY) Feb 11, 2009

Member since Mar 2007

4 out of 5 gamers (80%) found this review helpful

This is a great mix of mostly platformers, brawlers, and RPGs from the 16 bit era of the 90s. I usually don't write reviews of games until I have played them from start to finish or until I give up on them because I can't stand them but seeing the huge amount of gaming on this disc I may not get done for A LONG time. I would have gladly paid $30 just for the Sonic and Phantasy Star games and now you throw in all the other great games and this is the best value for retro gaming ever. If you have played any of these and enjoyed them you should probably go ahead and buy it because at only $30 new it will take you months if not longer to beat all of the good games. If you haven't played any of these rent it and learn to appreciate your roots and then buy it or keep it.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Sega still does what Nintendon't!

posted by Tekyuinaja (PHOENIX, AZ) Jun 2, 2009

Member since Nov 2007

3 out of 4 gamers (75%) found this review helpful

I assumed this would be a lifeless clump of old sprites I'd burned out on long ago, thankfully Backbone proves me wrong again like they did with Street Fighter. It has a huge library of games right out of the gate, with a few hidden suprises that are fun to unlock including the very first Phantasy Star game! Sega's classics have mostly kept their shine, but naturally there are a few that won't really factor into your purchase. If I'd known a set like this was coming I could have saved at least $100 in wii and xbox live points and you should definitely consider it yourself if you haven't already spent loads of money on classic genesis sexiness already.

Everything about this compilation screams nostaligc fun and with the option to smooth out the graphics and alter the dimensions of the screen, that takes it already farther than most remake/rereleases are willing to go. (coughnintentocough) Stick to that almost the entire library of some previous Sega titles and it just makes all sorts of other methods of acquiring these games obsolete. Seriously Nintendo, take notice.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Excellent

posted by marshvader (SALEM, WV) Feb 11, 2009

Member since Oct 2007

7 out of 11 gamers (64%) found this review helpful

49 games on one disk, all old school classics. Definitely a game with high replay value !!!

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GF Rating

7

Good

Nostalgia thy name is Sonic

posted by RoughRider (COLUMBIA, SC) Feb 25, 2009

Member since Feb 2009

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

Anyone who grew up during the Video Game boom of the late 80's and 90's has fond memories of the 16-bit consoles that made our beloved video games so much better. The consoles had better graphics, better music, and the games sometimes even had a story!! The 90's were a simpler time with bright colored clothes and triangle patterned shorts in pastel colors, a president who "didn't inhale" and we Believed that Love was the answer. Not to mention we had a huge console war going on and it made for some pretty awesome games.

I could go on and on about the Genesis versus the SNES but I wont because that's not what I'm here for (If you are curious however I was a Nintendo Fan Boy) I finally got my hands on the self proclaimed holy grail of 16-bit SEGA goodness. "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection."

I was first attracted to this game way back when I was reading on the SEGA website trying to find out some info on a little game called Alpha Protocol, and saw the Ultimate Genesis Collection (UGC From now on) plugged on their front page. It promised to have 40+ games from Altered Beast to VectorMan. Well being a product of the 90's and remembering those games from childhood of course I was intrigued. I made it a priority to get a hold of this game and run it through the Rough Rider Ringer.

Full Text review can be found at:
roughridergames.blogspot.- com/

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Good for the cost

posted by SergeantPope (CHARLESTON, IL) Feb 18, 2009

Member since Apr 2007

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

Who doesnt like a little bit of Sonic every once and a while. And if you dont have a Sega this is a really good option. And when i found out that there wasnt just Sonic on this game, it really makes the game that much more valuable. It actually has about 15 games or so on it which is pretty nice. It has 5 or so Sonic games and some other classics that youll love. The graphics are pretty weak on some games because it basically the same thing as on the Sega, its just adapted to the Xbox. As far as i know the games werent remade or anything, but even with that its still very nice. A very nice thing if you havnt played some of the titles on the disc is it tells you when it was made and some history about it. Unfortunatly it has no multiplayer over xbox live for it, but im pretty sure some of the games have local multiplayer. But prouble the best thing about this game is its relatively cheap for what it has to offer. So overall this game has a lot to offer and many hours of fun for a small price tag. Try it out.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

All this on one disc?

posted by Travers36 (EAST PALESTINE, OH) Feb 11, 2009

Member since Jan 2007

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

All this gaming joy on one disc and in one place? How can you go wrong?

If you pay retail for it, it's less than a dollar per game. Granted there are throw away games on the disc but the GREAT ones far make up for that. This won't be a rent for me, this is a must buy. Even if you didn't own a Genesis youshould play this if for no other reason than to see how things used to be. Well, in the 16 bit generation anyways.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

It's great to back down memory road but....

posted by Edoe132 (PHILADELPHIA, PA) Feb 18, 2009

Member since Feb 2007

4 out of 19 gamers (21%) found this review helpful

When I saw this game I said to myself, "Great, I remember playing these games on my Sega Genesis System." Staying up late trying to beat that graphically challenged round boss it took you two hours to get to only to lose the battle and having to start from the begin of the game.

The games on here were great during those times(1991 - 1997) but after playing the more advance games(2006 - 2009)and better story lines, you begin to lose interest in going back down that "Old" road again. Hey, the reason why you upgrade to the latest and greatest gaming system is because you wanted more out of your games and more processing power out of your gaming system.

I would recommend that you rent this game, play it for a while, and appreciate the fact you stay in line overnight to get your new gaming system and or game.

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GF Rating

4

Weak

Jus a reminder bout how much the past sux

posted by Jedimac (ELGIN, IL) May 9, 2009

Member since Oct 2008

2 out of 23 gamers (9%) found this review helpful

I wouldn't really consider this a game. I'd consider it more of a reminder bout how much genesis games sucked. I LOVE one hit deaths and then having to start all over from the beginning. That pure frustration is delicious.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Reliving my Childhood

posted by SailorBard (LAKE CITY, FL) Feb 4, 2013

Member since Feb 2013

When I was a much younger gamer, I had a Sega Genesis, and access to this new (at the time) service called the Sega Channel, and my older brother and I would spend hours on end parked on the couch, gaming.

I still have memories of the first time I played Phantasy Star 4, and Zio killed off Alys, or Playing Shining Force and desperately trying to feed my mages and clerics kill xp so they wouldn't be left behind the main character.

I also remember my brother and I going at each other tooth and nail in the vs. mode of Streets of Rage 2.

Long Story made longer, this is the -perfect- collection for children of the 1980's.

..now if only there was a 'keep' option for it, I would throw money at gamefly to keep this.

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GF Rating

4

Weak

Meh.

posted by damoncjones (MIDDLEBURG, FL) Jul 27, 2012

Member since May 2012

This collection does not include any HD revisions to these titles. They are the same games of yesteryear, just without the complication of swapping cartidges. They've shown their age. Don't bother. Really.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

SUG

posted by tails730 (FEASTERVILLE TREVOSE, PA) May 15, 2012

Member since May 2012

Hello Gamers,
I would definitely recommend this title especially for those reto people like myself. I grew up using the Genesis system. It was so great seeing these old games fully restored.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Great old games never die...

posted by Cyanide42 (PORTLAND, ME) Mar 16, 2012

Member since Nov 2010

This game caught my eye when i saw Shining force series still kicking and had to try out i still would rate this game 9.5 out of 10 for music, character's, plot, item creation and so much more...i would like to buy one of gamefly if they have an additional copies but sadly they don't...

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Blast from the past!!

posted by TXsucks (HOUSTON, TX) Jan 19, 2012

Member since May 2009

This game has some amazing Genesis games! It has al of the Sonics as well as all three of the Golden Axes which are my personal favorites. And the best part about it is the fact that you'd think that plaing it on the xbox 360 controller would make it feel weird or uncomfortable but it doesn't in any way, shape, or form. Very good compilation of some of the best games on the Genesis. If you liked any of the older games then this is a definite rent for you guys!

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GF Rating

7

Good

worth a check

posted by bobthe23rd (STATE COLLEGE, PA) Dec 19, 2011

Member since Mar 2011

If you've never played these games you should check them out if you are interested in the history of video gaming. A lot of these games are actualy more fun then they seem like they should be, although clearly they are a little dated.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Better Than a Childhood Photo Album.

posted by DrGorillaNuts (MONROEVILLE, PA) Oct 11, 2011

Member since Oct 2011

Sonic is quite gracious to offer so many amazing games in one. He really is. And if some of you youngins out there aren't intimidated by the 16-bit generation - I dare you to try Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.

Okay okay, so the games of us 20-somethings' youth weren't always extremely challenging, but I can honestly say they don't make them like this anymore. This collection is 40 (almost 50 including the unlockable arcade games) of some of the richest gems in video game history. If you haven't played Streets of Rage 1 through 3, you have two options:

1.) Go purchase this game (which is probably around $10 used now a days);
or
2.) Put this in the top of your queue and wait by your front door until the disc arrives.

The 16-bit generation relied a lot on colorful environments and characters, and in HD it looks better than ever. The sound effects, while vintage of course, are pure quality and sound as good as you remember them. In other words, yes - you will still get the feeling of a warm blanket come over you upon hearing the Round Clear ("Beyond Space") song in Ristar.

"The gang's all here". You've got Sonic, Vectorman, Ecco the Dolphin, Comix Zone, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Phantasy Star, Kid Chameleon, Shining Force, Shinobi, and one of my personal favorites growing up, Beyond Oasis. If you're looking for great RPGs that you can log hour after hour into, it was tough to beat Sega in the 90's. You've got your walk around beat-em-ups that became a staple for the system. You've got the platformers that revolutionized video games. You've also got your hidden gems such as Gain Ground - which is mind-blowingly awesome. You won't be bored for a minute. And many games support 2-players so you and a lucky friend can become addicted together.

Cheevos are fairly simple, and some you'll achieve within a minute of playing a game.

But why stop there? You won't want to put this game down until you've beaten them all. This is true nostalgia at its finest. Smile.

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GF Rating

4

Weak

A great collection - An inferior title

posted by richternj (LONG POND, PA) Sep 10, 2011

Member since Sep 2011

Yes, slightly below the average is how I'd rate this. And not for selection, the number of games is impressive, boasting unlockables, concept art, interviews and design docs.

All of which is great. Except for the gameplay. Control is stiff to say the least, and that's with an understanding these are decades-old ports. The controls border on unresponsive at times. There is no optimization as far as this user can tell, these seem to be simply rom-dumps emulated to play on the 360 console. The graphical upgrades are merely texture smoothers, the same as you'll find on any major piece of emulator software on the web today.

The RPGs play somewhat well. However, with Nintendo re-releasing most of their early RPG library with added content, this smacks of.... well.... a cheap money grab for the Sega corporation.

Give it a try for yourself. You'll probably end up remembering why Sonic never made it on the next gen consoles.

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GF Rating

1

Horrible

Sonic

posted by conniecraig (LAWRENCEVILLE, GA) Mar 24, 2011

Member since Mar 2011

My son was so excited to get this game and when it arrived it didn't even work. I am disappointed and so is he, I do hope this doesn't happen again.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Sinic Rulez

posted by FamilyFly (SLIGO, PA) Jan 15, 2011

Member since Jan 2011

ooo it brings back the genesis memories... Sonic is awesome! I have beat all the sonics and its really good to be able to play these again and on xbox 360.

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Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

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