Customer Reviews

Sonic Mega Collection Plus

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I ordered mine from another retailer online yesterday with 1 day shipping. I got it in this evening and I must say this is one fantastic collection on the PC that never gets boring. There are a few buyer beware points that need to be made before you purchase this:

1. The game is a DVD-ROM version for the North American Release, not a CD-ROM as shown on the box and disc label. Sega did not change the packaging and this may lead to many unhappy people that this game does not work in their machine.

2. The localization for this version of the game seems to be the European Localization and not the North American Localization found on the XBOX and Playstation 2. Sonic 3D Blast is known as Flickies Island in this compilation. Shows MegaDrive Icons too next to each game.

3. The roms they use in this compilation seem to be the PAL versions , as shown in the file folder directories.

4. The XBOX 360 Controller for Windows, and any controller that does not have dual analog sticks will not function properly in Sonic Mega Collection Plus and will exhibit behavior as if the DPAD is stuck in one direction. A controller such as the Logitech Dual Action or Rumblepad 2 will work just fine. There may be other dual analog ones that work fine too.

On the plus side, you can save an unlimited amount of save games for the classic games something that had a limitation in the XBOX and PS2 versions of these games.

Overall I am satisfied with my purchase and reccomend this to anyone who has wanted to play this game before but do not own a PS2 or XBOX and could not play it before....

Finally, the games that established SEGA in the home console market are available for the PC. Included are Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic 3-D, Sonic Spinball, along with various Game Gear games. There are unlockable extra games as well.

The graphics look rather out of date on today's HD monitors, but the colours still look vibrant. The sound is exactly the same, although it pails in comparison to the surround sound available on many modern games.

Bonus features include comic book covers and character designs as well as all the original game manuals.

Overall a decent collection for any Sonic fan or anyone harking back to a simpler time.

Ah, Sonic. How well so many of us remember that little blue blur. How many of us are gamers becuase of Sonic, and other stars of the 16 bit era? In this terrific value bundle, you get an excellent assortment of classic Genesis, and Game Gear Sonic games. Included are: Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic and Knuckles, Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic Spinball, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, plus 6 of the original 12 Game Gear Sonic games (Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Labyrinth, Sonic Drift, Sonic Chaos, Sonic Blast, and Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine). There are also unlockable games, but I won't spoil it for anyone. For the record, Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut contains all 12 Game Gear titles as unlockable mini-games, and remains readily available for PC, PS2, and Gamecube.

In general, the games are visibly dated, and simplistic comparatively speaking to modern games, but have been nicely re-mastered, and look sharp and vibrant. The sound can't compare to modern games either of course, but is just as you remember it, and even sounds good with surround speakers. Native gamepad support is included (but no rumblepad support), and the button layout is customizable. Also, the game's system specs are modest, and it seems stable and well behaved. On the down side, there are a few bizarre omissions like Sonic CD, Sonic R, Sonic and Tails 2, and Knuckles Chaotix. Perhaps most significantly for hardcore fans, it does not contain Sonic CD, or Sonic 3 and Knuckles, the classic Genesis two cartridge lock-on game. Their absence is disappointing since they were fan favorites, but in the case of Sonic 3 and Knuckles, the lock on feature enabled certain features like exclusive cutscenes, and Super Emeralds which could impossible to replicate through emulation, so that could offer a partial explanation for their absence. The absence of Sonic CD is bizarre, but forgivable given that there is a (sometimes difficult to find) user-created compatibility fix available for the old Expert Software PC version. I have Sonic CD, and I've had no trouble getting it to run on Win 7 x64 using that compatibility fix.

Lacking a jewel case, production values aren't anything to brag about either, but that isn't uncommon for a low budget value title these days, so you can't smack it around too much for that. However, in-game presentation is much better, and you get plenty of extras like original concept art, character designs, and comic book clips, along with a PDF containing the manuals. Also, in the manual, the games are laid out chronologically, and each game is pictured with it's original box cover, a brief plot summary, date of launch, and a couple of screenshots. The game has also been spruced up a bit with a save function, modernized front end menu, and in-game interface. Another aspect of this bundle's appeal is that even though there are user-created compatibility fixes available for most of them, older Sonic PC ports pre-date WinXP/Vista, and are often incompatible with newer operating systems; whereas these are compatible with newer operating systems, and don't fuss when you try to play them, or demand scouring the internet for a compatibility fix. There have been some reports of Vista and Win 7 users having trouble running this game even in compatibility mode, but I haven't personally encountered these problems. At worst, I've only had to install the game in compatibility mode, and the game didn't put up any more fuss after that. The headline here though is that PC Sonic fans have never had a better chance to rack up on so many old school Sonic games all at once. Make no mistake: this is the best Sonic value bundle the PC has seen in years, and PC Sonic fans won't want to miss this. All said and done, I'm satisfied with my purchase, and am going to give Sonic Mega Collection Plus a good grade with minor dings for the low production values.

UPDATED EDIT: Sonic Mega Collection Plus is Windows Vista/Windows 7 compatible.

Playing these games for hours on the Genesis is one of my fondest memories, and playing them again is good indeed. This collection comes with Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and Sonic and Knuckles. It does NOT contain Sonic 3 and Knuckles, the classic two cartridge lock-on game. This means that you do not gain the advantages of having the lock-on ability, like certain cutscenes and the ability to get the Super Emeralds. You can still obtain regular chaos emeralds twice however, in Sonic 3 and then Sonic and Knuckles.

One advantage of getting this collection is that it is an emulator that has a save function, so you can stop and continue at any time, and play those Chaos emerald missions over and over if necessary. This collection does seem to have a Sonic running speed problem though, he seems to accelerate and run about 4/5 of normal, but everything else is the same (I double checked with online videos). According to other reviews there is a patch available, but I was unable to find in on Sega's website, probably due to the age of this game.

If you want to play your favorite Sonic games again, then this collection will let you do that.
Compatibility: On Windows 7 64-bit I was able to get this game to run in compatibility mode for Vista Service Pack 2.

WARNING!!!! the game does not load with newer pcs which should have been noted in the description. I have Windows 7, 8gb of ram, and so on. Usually with older games you can just change the compatibility mode and it will run but I have tried but it won't load. it just gives a error message stating that the wrong disc is inserted.......no help anywhere. Overall, this was a bad purchase. I looked it up and others were having the same problem. If I find a solution will let u know. Just a warning for others with higher end pcs.

I have always loved Sonic. When I saw this, I had to have it. I was concerned when I read the other reviews that it didn't load properly, but I had no problem with Windows 7. I did have to disable my firewall, but that was fine. The game is fantastic. I even got a game controller to use with the games because I did not like using the laptop keys. What fun! The graphics are not great in some of the games, like Flikr Island and a few others, but the major games are great. This is a great CD-ROM. Anyone who wants to revert back to their childhood should get this game. You'll have a blast.

its good to play the old games. and sonic was my favorite. so it's good to play them again. overall great buy.

Often, when a game is transferred to another machine, the game developer tries to 'improve' it, and so in the process loses the game's charm. Sonic Mega Collection Plus painstakingly avoids this; it is a collection of all the Sonic the Hedgehog games from the Sega Megadrive and Game Gear, in perfect conversions.

I grew up with the Sonic games and they have shaped my aesthetic senses and creativity, as well as standard for enjoyable and challenging games, forever. The gameplay is simple yet effort is required to get the most out of every game. From the 1991 debut Sonic the Hedgehog, the game that rocked the gaming industry to Sonic 3D (avoid the special PC version like the plague), Sonic Mega Collection Plus presents these finely-crafted, imaginative games in all their enveloping and eye-candyish glory.

The collection also includes lots of extra content, including scans from the Archie Sonic comics and character art, as well as unlockable content which I won't spoil for you. It's just a shame that Sonic CD isn't on this, as the released version is unplayable on XP and up without a hard-obtained patch, but this is a great collection. Highly recommended for those of you who want to get to know Sonic and don't have the patience to buy a Megadrive. These games are as fresh and captivating today as they were back then.

A fun game collection, but some games are not included, like Sonic Drift 2 or STH2 for GameGear. It does have Sonic Chaos (also known as Sonic and Tails 1 ) but doesn't have Sonic and Tails 2 (also known as Sonic Triple Trouble) . It was worth the money.

If you enjoyed any of the old Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog games you need to buy this, it's an amazing deal at only $8. That beings said I was disappointed that some of the extras included on the original Gamecube Mega Collection did not make it to the Plus version but thats hardly a major issue. The only downfall to the collection is that they chose to include the mediocre Gamegear games over Sonic CD and Knuckles Chaotix. I also would of prefered the North American version of the game but beings it still is in English it ndoesnt matter a great deal.