Sonic Mega Collection

Sonic Mega Collection (ソニック メガコレクション) is a video game compilation for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The Nintendo GameCube version was released on November 10, 2002, while the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions, under the title of Sonic Mega Collection Plus (ソニック メガコレクション プラス), was released on November 2, 2004. The personal computer version was released on March 31, 2006.

The compilation contains twelve to fourteen games depending on the region, all originally released on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis console. Ten of the included games are installments of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, while the remaining two to four games are only related to the series by company.

Sonic Mega Collection has received positive critical reception, being commended for its large library of titles for its cheap market price.

Overview
Sonic Mega Collection features twelve to fourteen complete games in one retail unit: Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles and its two expansions, Knuckles in Sonic 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Knuckles; Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic Spinball, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, the minigame Blue Sphere, Flicky, and Ristar. The Ooze and Comix Zone are only available in the Japanese version.

Sonic the Hedgehog
In Sonic the Hedgehog, the mad scientist Dr. Ivo Robotnik (known as Doctor Eggman in the original Japanese release) is capturing innocent animals and transforming them into rogue robots. Sonic the Hedgehog, the protagonist of the game, must fight these robots, rescue the trapped animals and put an end to Dr. Robotnik's plot. The player must avoid traps and crazed robots while leading Sonic through six hazardous levels (known as Zones in the series), each split into three "acts". A battle against Dr. Robotnik is held at the end of each third act. Sonic loses a life if he takes damage without holding any rings, (items he must collect in the levels) or if he takes over ten minutes to complete an act.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2
In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Dr. Robotnik, returns, again bent on world domination. Sonic and his new sidekick Miles "Tails" Prower, must stop Robotnik from discovering the Chaos Emeralds and completing his new weapon, the "Death Egg". The player must avoid traps and Badniks (Robotnik's robots) while guiding Sonic and Tails through ten different Zones (each split into two Acts) in a similar manner to the original game.

Additionally, this game contained a split screen, two-player mode, where two players, as Sonic and Tails, simultaneously compete to clear each Act in the fastest time possible. The two-player version of the game features three Zones split into two Acts each.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3
In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Dr. Robotnik's Death Egg has lost its ability to fly after crash-landing on the Floating Island, and only the power of the Chaos Emeralds can repair the ship. To obtain the Emeralds, he fools their guardian Knuckles the Echidna, convincing him that Sonic and Tails are thieves who want to steal the Emeralds. The player must dodge Badniks and traps set by Knuckles, collect Rings and uncover the Chaos Emeralds while guiding Sonic and his sidekick Tails through six different Zones, trailing the deranged scientist Dr. Robotnik. In the game's two-player mode, each player can control Sonic, Tails or Knuckles and compete to clear each Zone in the fastest time possible.

Sonic & Knuckles
In Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic attempts to find the Chaos Emeralds hidden on the Floating Island after crashing Robotnik's Death Egg into a volcano, while Knuckles is equally determined to stop him by any means necessary. The player, as either Sonic or Knuckles, must collect Rings, avoid Badniks and escape traps as the antagonist, Dr. Robotnik, initiates another plot to take over the world.

Sonic 3D Flickies' Island
In Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic travels to Flicky Island only to find that Dr. Robotnik has turned the mysterious birds known as Flickies into vicious robots. Sonic must rescue the Flickies and foil Dr. Robotnik's plot. The player must defeat enemies and rescue the Flickies inside by bringing them back to their own dimension through the use of giant Rings. Gameplay was vastly different from the previous four Sonic games, with it playing out on an isometric plane. Once freed from the insides of an enemy, the Flicky will follow Sonic obediently or scatter if they or Sonic is attacked by an enemy.

Sonic Spinball
In Sonic Spinball, the deranged scientist Dr. Robotnik is once again turning the animals of Mobius into robots using a monstrous contraption named the Veg-O-Fortress. The protagonist, Sonic, must penetrate the Veg-O-Fortress's pinball-style defense systems, free the animals, collect the Chaos Emeralds that power the Fortress and put a stop to Robotnik's plot. The player must use Sonic as a pinball and navigate through the Veg-O-Fortress by uncovering sealed passageways, collecting Chaos Emeralds and avoiding deadly traps. Up to four players can take turns to control Sonic. But the players have to alternately take turnes, in other words who ever has the most points at the end of the game/level wins!

Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
In Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Dr. Robotnik is turning the citizens of Beanville into devious robots in a bid to rid the world of Mobius of music and fun forever. An unseen protagonist must now unite the beans and help them escape while defeating Robotnik's wily henchmen. During gameplay, beans drop from the top of a dungeon in pairs. When two beans of the same color touch, they will link. The player must remove beans from the dungeon by linking four of the same colored beans together. Creating chain reactions can deal a blow against the computer-controlled opponent.

Development
As with the games included, Sonic Mega Collection was developed by Sega subsidiary Sonic Team and published by Sega. Director Yojiro Ogawa stated in an interview with GameSpy that the compilation was meant to introduce younger gamers to the original games in the Sonic series. The 1995 Genesis game Vectorman (unrelated to the series) was planned for inclusion in Sonic Mega Collection along with its sequel, but was ultimately pushed back to the 2005 rarities compilation Sonic Gems Collection so that Sonic Mega Collection could focus on the core games. Rare Sonic games Sonic CD and Sonic Drift were also planned to be included, but the former was deferred to Sonic Gems Collection and the latter appeared in Sonic Mega Collection Plus.

Sonic Mega Collection Plus
Sonic Mega Collection Plus is an update of Sonic Mega Collection for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles. A PC version was also released in Europe and North America. This edition includes the addition of six Game Gear games, the two games that were included in the Japanese version of Sonic Mega Collection (The Ooze and Comix Zone), new artwork and movies, a new in-game menu, and a mid-game saving feature. It is, however, missing six Sonic Game Gear games that were included (along with the six included in this collection) in Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut, but they would later appear in Sonic Gems Collection. In addition, only the final Japanese revision of the original Sonic the Hedgehog is included. The PC version was released on March 9, 2007 in North America. The localization for this version of the game is the European Localization. The original packaging says CD-ROM, but it is in fact a DVD-ROM; it will not play in a CD-ROM-only drive. The European packaging is correctly labelled. The PC version was re-released in 2009 as part of Sonic PC Collection.

The following Game Gear games were added:
 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Sonic Chaos
 * Sonic Drift
 * Sonic Labyrinth
 * Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
 * Sonic Blast

Reception
Reviews for Sonic Mega Collection were generally favorable. Louis Bedigian of GameZone praised the controls as "top-notch" including that "even the thumbstick is usable, and it works flawlessly." Game Informer declared Sonic Mega Collection to be "perhaps the best compilation ever." Fran Mirabella of IGN christened the compilation as "a wonderful little collection that, while not perfect, is a great value." Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot suggested that "if you're fiending for Sonic the Hedgehog and either don't have or are unwilling to drag out a dusty Genesis from the closet, don't hesitate to give it a shot." However, Johnny Liu of Game Revolution advised "just blowing the dust off the old Genesis, because there isn't enough good extra stuff here." Nintendo Power described Sonic Mega Collection as "the ultimate compilation of Sonic adventures."

Reviews for Sonic Mega Collection Plus were also positive. Chris Baker of GameSpy decided that "despite its exclusions, though, Collection ' s large selection of titles for $19.99 is a tough thing not to recommend to anyone who calls himself a gamer. Even if a few of the games undeniably suck." Hilary Goldstein of IGN declared that "you can't find a better deal than 20 games for 20 dollars," and that "while not every Sonic game is a winner, the majority are. These games, though old, are superior to Sega's more recent 3D Sonic offerings." Aceinet of GameZone, while praising the compilation overall as "a nearly complete package of classic Sonic games," was critical of the emulation of the Game Gear games, saying that "while the emulation is spot-on for the games, having to put up with a black bar around the screen could be upsetting to some." Jeremy Parish of 1UP.com assured readers that "even with its shortcomings, it's still one of the most value-packed classic compilations available for any system -- as long as you like Sonic." Game Informer suggested that "if you grew up with these games, they're still a joy to play," and that "new converts to the Sonic fold will get a great introduction to the 'hog's history." GMR Magazine concluded that "if you're new to Sonic, for 20 bucks you really can't go wrong."