Sonic Mega Collection Plus (PS2)

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Sonic The Hedgehog - The game that started it all (10 points for anyone playing Spot The Cliché), Sonic is the least advanced game on this disc but it's still worth a play. Let's face it, it probably won't turn the heads of anyone who grew up on Crash Bandicoot and that dragon thing, but for anyone looking for a retro fix, this is for you.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 - My personal favourite, mainly because it came with ...
...The idiot.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 - The graphics on this one are the smartest of the first trilogy, but I never really gelled with this one. There's water in practically every level, which is never really good. The story ends prematurely (setting you up for Sonic & Knuckles), and despite the additions of Knuckles and the snowboard, there's nothing massively new here. Of course, if you have positive memories of this one, you'll dig it.
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Ah, now this is what you need. You like Sonic? You should get this. You don't know Sonic? You should get this. It's a selection of choice cuts from Sonic's early days, and considering the budget price, it's quite the deal. These are the games included on the disc: -

Sonic The Hedgehog - The game that started it all (10 points for anyone playing Spot The Cliché), Sonic is the least advanced game on this disc but it's still worth a play. Let's face it, it probably won't turn the heads of anyone who grew up on Crash Bandicoot and that dragon thing, but for anyone looking for a retro fix, this is for you.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 - My personal favourite, mainly because it came with Mega Drive and was therefore a game I worked to death (couldn't afford anything else!). This game introduced Tails to the mix, who the second player can take control of here, unlocking some limited 2P fun. Some enhanced graphics, a cool Vs. mode and the smart semi-3D special stage make this an improvement on the original, but Tails still gets beaten up a lot. The idiot.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 - The graphics on this one are the smartest of the first trilogy, but I never really gelled with this one. There's water in practically every level, which is never really good. The story ends prematurely (setting you up for Sonic & Knuckles), and despite the additions of Knuckles and the snowboard, there's nothing massively new here. Of course, if you have positive memories of this one, you'll dig it.

Sonic & Knuckles - The hardest game. You get to play through it as Sonic or Knuckles, giving you two different paths through it. Knuckles can climb, glide and smash walls, and he also gets less levels to play with, making his game the easier. Sonic has a longer game with more story, and he has his patented double-jump attack to keep him going. A tough game, but Sonic and Knuckles have a fight, which is a lot of fun to play. Metal Sonic is a main character in this one, which I approve of a lot.

Sonic 3D Blast - First of all, it's isometric, not 3D, so it is incredibly difficult to control. Sometimes you have to line up your jumps to get them just right, just to achieve the simplest of things like collecting coins or jumping on a spring. This takes a lot of the Sonic-style gameplay away from this game, as the need for quick reactions under high speed is replaced by slow, labouring hard work. This doesn't make the game any easier either, as its already pretty high difficulty is amplified by the inability to control the stupid thing. The bad apple of the batch, and not really a proper Sonic game in my opinion.

Sonic The Hedgehog Spinball - Bit of an odd one, this. Graphics are poor and the gameplay is fiddly and unnatural. You play as Sonic in a giant pinball machine. A bold and interesting attempt to marry the platform and pinball genres, but it feels weird, looks weirder and makes you feel a little guilty for playing. At least they didn't just lump Sonic into a half-hearted pinball sim and be done with it.

Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine - Otherwise known as Puyo Pop Fever, this is a Tetris-style puzzle game. Sonic characters were thrown in to help it sell, even if they are only the silly-looking Robotnik, Grounder and Coconuts from the first Sonic cartoon series. A solid puzzle that is a strong game, despite its lack of connection to the Sonic world.

The Game Gear games are a nice addition, although they're really not very playable. This is because they were designed for a much smaller screen, so the graphics look bloated on your TV, and they're hard to work with. They're good for a trip down memory lane though, and I do recommend digging out Sonic Chaos for the original Game Gear if you've still got one.

We haven't even touched on the bonus hidden games. Most of these are Sonic spin-offs or are very similar to Sonic in style or gameplay. They're nice, but it would've been better to have had actual Sonic games included instead (Sonic CD, for example).

However, the collection is more than worth getting, if only for the original trilogy. The fact that there's a heap of other games included is a massive bonus. Get it! 

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