Topic: IMPRESSIONS: Sonic Classic Collection

[Penguin_Of_Thyme]

The blast processing power of the Genesis Sonic gamesÂ…in the palm of my hand.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=21122

 Sega's upcoming Sonic Classic Collection for the DS will include Sonic the Hedgehog 1-3 along with Sonic & Knuckles. These games have appeared on numerous compilations, yet they've never appeared together on a portable. I recently had the chance to play an early build of the title.    

Upon booting up Sonic the Hedgehog 2, I was pleased to see that the game looked exactly as I remembered. The Sega Genesis title was running on the DS's top screen while the options to pause, save, and load the game were on the bottom screen. The original Sonic sequel didn't look squished or contorted, and the colors sparkled on the bright DS screen.    

As I made my way through Emerald Hill Zone (Sonic the Hedgehog 2's first stage), I did encounter some slowdown when Sonic was moving at high speeds. Going through multiple loops and a corkscrew caused the game to noticeably chug. However, it definitely was still playable and nothing close to the mess that was the Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis port on the GBA.  There was also some minor slowdown in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. I did not have a chance to try the other Sonics.    

While I was only able to listen to the music through the DS's speaker, I am happy to say that it sounded pretty accurate. Sonic composer Masato Nakamura's music sounded faithful to the Genesis versions, and only a couple of sound effects sounded slightly off.    

The game's save anywhere feature did not appear to allow a player to resume their game from exactly where they hit save. When I attempted to load a save made during an Eggman (Dr. Robotnik) battle, I found myself back at the start of the act.      

  If Sega can get the games in this compilation running at full speed, Sonic Classic Collection could be an extremely worthy purchase.

[Caterkiller]

Will you be able to see how multiplayer works? Seems like it would be great for Tails to not get left behind. But some of their screen shots showed Sonic and Knuckles together fighting a boss, that just aint right. Wondering if you can find out it Sonic and Knuckles can be played co-op?

[Penguin_Of_Thyme]

I don't remember seeing an option for multiplayer in the game's menu. This is speculation on my part, but if there is multiplayer it will probably be like the Genesis games where if Tails doesn't keep up he will die. I do remember when booting up Sonic the Hedgehog 2 that I was given the option of playing with just Sonic or with Sonic & Tails.

[Jonnyboy117]

Shouldn't you also see the option of playing with Knuckles (in Sonic 2)?

[NWR_insanolord]

Will this let me play Sonic 3 & Knuckles together, or do they have to be played separately?

[Penguin_Of_Thyme]

I feel silly for not checking how they transferred the lock-on technology onto the DS. I'm guessing the reason they didn't list playing as Knuckles in Sonic 2 was because the feature needs to be unlocked. Didn't Sonic Mega Collection make you have to earn extras like Knuckles in Sonic 2?

Sonic 3 and Knuckles could also be an unlockable or maybe there is an immediately availabe feature that will emulate having a Sonic & Knuckles cartridge connected to the other games. 

On Genesis, Sonic 2 had to be attached to Sonic & Knuckles to make Knuckles playable and Sonic 3 had to be attached to Sonic & Knuckles to create Sonic 3 & Knuckles. I'm really not sure how it will work on DS.

The gamestop listing for the game mentions the following:

It also features two extra lock-on modes from the originals whereby Knuckles becomes a playable character in both Sonic 2 and 3 to complete the full experience.

[KDR_11k]

Didn't Sonic Mega Collection make you have to earn extras like Knuckles in Sonic 2?

Yeah and the unlocking condition was massive fail.

[TheYoungerPlumber]

Well at least this compilation has the plus of being portable, so there's some sort of justification for purchasing it if you already own these games. But yeah, I'll need Sonic 3 & Knuckles confirmation before I consider it. (*shakes fist at "Ultimate" Genesis Collection*)

[Mop it up]

Didn't Sonic Mega Collection make you have to earn extras like Knuckles in Sonic 2?

Yeah and the unlocking condition was massive fail.

Seriously. You have to play the games something like 50 times each to unlock the extra game modes. What kind of reward system is that?