''Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection'' (''Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection'' in

PAL region The PAL region is a television publication territory that covers most of Europe and Africa, alongside parts of Asia, South America and Oceania. It is named PAL because of the PAL (Phase Alternating Line) television standard traditionally used i ...

s) is a compilation of video games developed by

Backbone Entertainment Backbone Entertainment was an American video game developer based in Emeryville, California. The company was formed in 2003 as the result of a merger between developers Digital Eclipse and ImaginEngine. In 2005, Backbone merged with The Collec ...

and published by Sega for

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

and

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...

. The compilation features 48 Sega games (49 counting two versions of ''

Altered Beast ''Altered Beast'' is a 1988 beat 'em up arcade video game developed and manufactured by Sega. The game is set in Ancient Greece and follows a player character chosen by Zeus to rescue his daughter Athena from the demonic ruler of the underwor ...

'') which were previously released for the

Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...

(including most of the ''

Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformer ...

'' titles released for the system), arcades and the

Master System The is an 8-bit History of video game consoles (third generation), third-generation home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of ...

. It is the sequel to the ''

Sega Genesis Collection ''Sega Genesis Collection '' (''Sega Mega Drive Collection'' in PAL regions) is a compilation of video games developed by Digital Eclipse and published by Sega for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. The collection includes twenty-eight Se ...

'' released previously for the PlayStation 2 and

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 200 ...

, but contains 16 (in NTSC regions) more games (including unlockable extras).

List of games

Sega Genesis

*''

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle is a side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Sega for the Genesis. The game was released in Japan on February 10, 1989, in the U.S. on August 14, 1989, in Europe on November 30, 1990, in South Korea in December 1990, and in Braz ...

'' † *'' Alien Storm'' *''

'' † *'' Beyond Oasis'' *'' Bonanza Bros.'' † *''

Columns A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression membe ...

'' † *'' Comix Zone'' † *''

Decap Attack ''Decap Attack'' is a 1991 platform game developed by Vic Tokai and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis, Genesis. The game is a westernized version of the 1990 Japanese Mega Drive game ''Magical Hat, Magical Hat no Buttobi Tābo! Daibōken'', wi ...

'' † *'' Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine'' *'' Dynamite Headdy'' *''

Ecco the Dolphin ''Ecco the Dolphin'' is a series of action-adventure video games developed by Appaloosa Interactive (previously known as Novotrade International) and published by Sega. They were originally developed for the Mega Drive/Genesis and Dreamcast vi ...

'' † *'' Ecco: The Tides of Time'' † *'' ESWAT: City Under Siege'' *'' Fatal Labyrinth'' *''

Flicky is a platform game developed by Sega and released in arcades in May 1984. It was licensed to Bally Midway for distribution in the United States. In ''Flicky'', the player controls the eponymous blue bird and must gather all the small birds cal ...

'' † *''

Gain Ground is a 1988 action-strategy arcade game later ported to home systems. Gameplay In ''Gain Ground'', players control one of a set of characters at a time, each with different weapons. To beat a level, players must reach the exit point with at lea ...

'' † *''

Golden Axe is a series of side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade video games developed by Sega. The series takes place in a medieval fantasy world where several heroes have the task of recovering the legendary Golden Axe, the mainstay element of the series. ...

'' † *'' Golden Axe II'' † *'' Golden Axe III'' † *'' Kid Chameleon'' † *''

Phantasy Star II ''Phantasy Star II'' (Japanese: ファンタシースターII 還らざる時の終わりに, "Phantasy Star II: At the End of the Restoration") is a science fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. I ...

'' † *'' Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom'' † *'' Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium'' † *''

Ristar ''Ristar'' is a 1995 platform game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. The game stars an anthropomorphic cartoon star who uses his hands and long, stretchable arms to both move and fight enemies. Reception for the game was gene ...

'' † *''

Shining Force is a 1992 turn-based tactical role-playing game for the Mega Drive/Genesis console. While primarily a traditional fantasy-themed game, it contains some science fiction elements. The game has been repeatedly re-released: in Sega Smash Pac ...

'' *''

Shining Force II is a tactical role-playing game for the Mega Drive/Genesis console developed by Sonic! Software Planning in 1993. Its storyline is not directly connected to the original '' Shining Force'', although a Game Gear title '' Shining Force Gaiden: Fi ...

'' *'' Shining in the Darkness'' *'' Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master'' † *''

Sonic & Knuckles is a 1994 platform game developed and published by Sega. Players control Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna in their quests to save Angel Island; Sonic tries to prevent Doctor Eggman, Doctor Robotnik from ...

'' *''

Sonic 3D Blast known in Europe and Japan as is a 1996 platform game in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series for the Sega Genesis and Sega Saturn. As Sonic the Hedgehog, the player embarks on a journey to save the Flickies, birds enslaved by Doctor Robotnik. ...

'' *''

Sonic Spinball ''Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball'' is a 1993 pinball video game developed by Sega Technical Institute and published by Sega. It is a spinoff of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series set in the continuity of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' animated ser ...

'' *''

'' † *''

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a 1992 platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute (STI) for the Sega Genesis. It follows Sonic as he attempts to stop Doctor Eggman from stealing the Chaos Emeralds to power his space stationnamed The Death Egg. Like the first ...

'' † *''

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a 1994 platform game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis, Genesis. Like previous ''Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic'' games, players traverse side-scrolling levels while collecting Rings (Sonic the Hedgehog), rings and defeating en ...

'' *''

Streets of Rage ''Streets of Rage'' is a series of side-scrolling beat 'em up video games, centering on the efforts of several ex-police vigilantes trying to rid a fictional, large American city from a crime syndicate that has corrupted its local government. ...

'' *''

Streets of Rage 2 ''Streets of Rage 2'', known as ''Bare Knuckle II'' In Japan, is a side-scrolling beat 'em up video game published by Sega in 1992 for the Mega Drive/Genesis. A sequel to '' Streets of Rage'' (1991), the characters Axel Stone and Blaze Fiel ...

'' *'' Streets of Rage 3'' *''

Super Thunder Blade is a combat flight simulation shooter game developed and published by Sega for the Mega Drive/Genesis console. It was one of the two launch titles for the console in Japan (the other one being '' Space Harrier II''), as well as being one of th ...

'' † *'' Vectorman'' † *'' Vectorman 2'' † † Previously available in ''

''.

Unlockable extra games

*''

Alien Syndrome is a run and gun game developed by Sega and released in arcades in 1987. Gameplay Two players control two soldiers, named Ricky and Mary, who fight their way through large eight-way scrolling levels while rescuing their comrades who are bein ...

'' ( arcade) *''

'' (arcade) † *''

Congo Bongo , also known as , is an isometric platform game released by Sega for arcades in 1983. The game includes a ROM that contains a message indicating it was likely coded at least in part by the company Ikegami Tsushinki. The game is viewed in an isom ...

'' (arcade) (under original title ''Tip Top'' in some regions) † *''

Fantasy Zone is a 1986 arcade game by Sega, and the first game in the ''Fantasy Zone'' series. It was later ported to a wide variety of consoles, including the Master System. The player controls a sentient spaceship named Opa-Opa who fights an enemy in ...

'' (arcade) *'' Golden Axe Warrior'' (Master System) *''

Phantasy Star is a series of console role-playing video games and other supplementary media created by Sega. The series debuted in 1987 on the Master System with ''Phantasy Star'', and continues into the present with ''Phantasy Star Online 2'' and other ext ...

'' (Master System) *''

Shinobi A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 2 ...

'' (arcade) *''

Space Harrier is a third-person arcade rail shooter game developed by Sega and released in 1985. It was originally conceived as a realistic military-themed game played in the third-person perspective and featuring a player-controlled fighter jet, but techni ...

'' (arcade) *''

Zaxxon is an isometric shooter arcade game, developed and released by Sega in 1982, in which the player pilots a ship through heavily defended space fortresses. Japanese electronics company Ikegami Tsushinki is also credited for having worked on the d ...

'' (arcade) † † Previously available in ''

''. According to Ethan Einhorn, the producer for the collection, the three "lock-on" games (''Knuckles in Sonic 2'', ''Sonic 3 & Knuckles'', and ''Blue Sphere'') were not included citing "tight development times", and that including them would have meant "dropping several titles from the collection altogether", specifically the aforementioned nine unlockable games since "they all required unique emulation solutions".

Reception

''Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection'' received "generally favorable" reviews, according to

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

References

{{Sega Retro Compilations 2009 video games Multiplayer and single-player video games PlayStation 3 games Sega Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog video games Sega video game compilations Video games developed in the United States Xbox 360 games