If there's one thing we haven't seen much of on this generation of consoles it would be of the good old classic collection games, If I can remember correctly the Xbox and the PlayStation 2 had its fare share of arcade collection classics, but I think the Xbox 360 has been too focused with establishing its 'next generation' line up and digital downloads to even begin thinking of reminiscing, but it looks as though SEGA have broken new traditions with its release of the SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection. Maybe this could be the beginning of something?

Let me start off by saying that this game has a very much defined audience, it's generally for those who had played a SEGA mega drive ended up selling it and now regrets it. I would say that the new gamers who sadly missed out on this era would be at least curious of this assortment of classics, but I can see them being somewhat disappointed due to the new direction of current generation titles that's now tainted their minds with new visual and interactive expectations.

But SEGA have definitely done the right thing by packaging all its most precious gaming moments, I know there is a solid fanbase out there who have been crossing their fingers for SEGA to announce something like this, and SEGA have finally answered that prayer with some of the best games of the early 90's.

Gameplay:

All veteran gamers have their nostalgic days, reminders triggered by the typical graphics & gameplay arguments or playing that disappointing sequel or spin off, it used to be all about the gameplay, the competitive spirit, just plain and simple side scrolling beat em' ups and story driven RPG's. The Xbox arcade offers this to an extent but an overbearing price of 800 points for most titles, that's the equivalent of around £6.00 for a single game. And it's likely that you'll be paying more than that if you don't already have any points, buying the SEGA mega drive collection you'll be paying under £1 for each game on the disc.

The SEGA mega drive definitely offers to satisfy those who are detached and have been left stranded by the games of today, with a great range of some of SEGA's most definitive titles; it includes the old Sonic series, the mysterious and intellectual Ecco The Dolphin, the frustrating Golden Axe collection, and the legendary Shinobi III of being just a few. Though it does contain some familiar faces, some will likely be disappointed by the absence of other large names such as the colossal Street Fighter, however this collection is mostly a SEGA developed and published release list, the inevitable success of this will surely spark off other collective editions.

Other than a classy introduction screen, and being able to index your game lists, all this really is though is an 'Ultimate Collection', there hasn't been anything more thrown in for good times sake except the unlocking of a few extra games and developer interviews, there's really nothing to be jumping around about. Negating the collection too much for this though would be incredibly picky, just keep thinking £1 a game.

There are a few nice optional features Sega have kindly tagged in, the games are up scaled to your higher HD resolutions, I didn't notice too much of a difference, but how can you really when all they are are 2D animated sprites. There's a little smoothing option as well that from what I can tell blurs the noise in the pictures, makes the sprites look 'smoother' but the text like bubble font, if you can put up with that it can make it look 'better'. And of course, there are achievements here, but if there was an Xbox 360 game without achievements I know sales would be substantially smaller.

Playing these games definitely will bring back some memories for sure, memories of which would have stayed locked up and lost forever without playing some of the more well known Sonic & Knuckles and Streets of Rage... because every gamer has long lost memories of playing Streets of Rage. The reasons for going back to these games may differ for people though, some will be wanting to play to re-live those competitive Sonic races and challenging Golden Axe levels, while others will end up playing just to remember what it was like and to laugh about how much things have changed.

Nostalgia though can be an odd thing as well; I know some do have the urge sometimes to go back and delve into a great Shinobi session only to be completely unsatisfied with the experience, it's difficult to put your finger on why that happens - maybe it's the confusion between the qualities of different generations, but if you're one of these people then obviously this SEGA collection may not be for you. It can be just an initial reaction - It means pulling yourself out of the 'AAA' quality titles of today, you might not be looking for the simplistic charm that these games have. I still would recommend a rent, as it's still a great laugh if you have a few mates to share it with.

While playing, it's hard not to draw comparisons with today's equivalents, and you may regret complaining how similar some of the shooters play today when you go back to find that every side-scroller of the past was essentially the same game. You may also be surprised to find how hard some of the classics are compared to a lot of games today. I feel for any new comer interested in playing, experiencing the frustration of constantly throwing enemies from your field of view, never being on the right plain to kill that persistent monster, and losing your last life on that near dead enemy.. errgh! And that can be another reason why this collection might not be for you, although nothing beats attacking your friend on Golden Axe or Streets of Rage and then pretending it's an accident.

With a collection of this size it's likely some of these games are new to you, or you hadn't gotten a chance to play them at the time. You could have embarrassingly missed out on Alex Kidd, or didn't get the chance to play that Vectorman sequel, and if you haven't heard or played any of them I'd like to ask what rock you've been living under all this time, and that this pack would be the best place to start.

Graphics:

Audio:

Longevity:

I think you'll be surprised how short these titles are when going back and playing them, the length comes from playing all the way through to the 2nd to last mission of Streets of Rage and then running out of continues and having to start again. Adapting yourself to this kind of gameplay again for some may burn you out quicker than normal, the problem is a lot of these games were great for playing when you had a little bit of spare time or it was raining outside. Just be glad you get a 40+ collection to play with here, so it's definitely value for money in that case.

Just like any game, the length of the game relies on the modes of play as well, the amount of co-op games which existed then in comparison to today may surprise you, it was almost a standard - for any side scroller at least - to have the ability for another person to just press start and jump into the game next to you, and to be honest, that's the best way to play these games.

And as for extra content, It is a bit of a disappointment that all this really is is a collection of old classics with up-scaling capabilities, there is no online co-op to be found, no leaderboard scores, which would have been the 'cherry on top' shall we say to making this a gaming collection of perfection. I would only see the absence of these features to be a let down to the loyalists of the loyal shall we say, otherwise what you're receiving is more than satisfactory.

Overall:

This may just be SEGA digging up the long forgotten past to some future tech heads, but to the older - and some would say, wiser generation of the high gaming grossing population, this is the game that they have been waiting for. Yes, it would have been nice to have an online co-op buddy to play with, and yes it doesn't present it in the best of lights, but I know for a fact that the most enthusiastic will be more than happy with the inclusion of the achievement factor, and that they can simply play these games on the latest system in the house without having to drag out their cob web ridden mega drive from the loft.

The 40+ games collection is a must have gem for those of you who still have a taste of old arcades and wanting to catch up on old times, others who are a little curious, I'd first recommend a rent or a borrow as you may be greatly disappointed of the inclusions or experience. Either way though, this is a most welcomed remembrance package from SEGA and as always supporting their fans well, now all we need is some more license agreements for releasing all of those other legendary gaming accomplishments.