Although he has seen better days, Sonic the Hedgehog is still one of the industry’s most recognizable characters. The Blue Blur, Sega’s answer to Super Mario, probably sold more Genesis consoles than any other franchise and initiated a ruthless competition between Sega and Nintendo. But times have changed and the impossible has come true: Sonic’s home is now with Nintendo, and he isn’t afraid of sharing his roots.

First and foremost, Sonic Mega Collection is a collection of Sonic Genesis titles—understanding this is vital. These are NOT PORTS. In fact, none of the games’ code has been altered to run on the GameCube. Instead, VR-1 Japan and Sonic Team have developed a Genesis Emulator for the GameCube and slapped it on a GC disc along with 7+ Genesis ROMs (like the ones you’re not supposed to download). The emulator is darn accurate, too, providing a remarkably authentic experience perfect for those that missed the games the first time around.

The bulk of the gameplay is found in the traditional Sonic games, and these will fuel most sales. Sonic 1 through 3, Sonic & Knuckles and the various unlockable Sonic & Knuckles combo games are timeless classics and will surely bring a smile to many older gamers. These games focus on hi-speed platforming action in complicated levels filled with little secrets and catchy tunes. Experienced gamers can either blaze through most levels or take things slower, exploring all the nooks and crannies found within. Sonic 1, 2 and 3 & Knuckles (they’re really one whole game) each have a unique personality, and all are worth experiencing in their natural form, preferably in order. Those unfamiliar with 2D Sonic action should check out the excellent 1-hour demos of Sonic 1 and 2 available at the Sega Classics page before buying Sonic Mega Collection. (Full versions are $10 each.)

Like Mario and Kirby, Sonic found himself in quite a few spin-off games over the years, three of which are also found on the GameCube compilation. The most notable of the three is Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, a.k.a Compile’s Puyo Puyo for the Genesis. This game is legendary in the puzzle game genre, and Sega released a GBA edition in 2001 as Puyo Pop. Compile, ever quick to make a buck, later adapted Mean Bean Machine for the SNES per Nintendo’s request, resulting in Kirby’s Avalanche. Aside from a change in music and franchise, the two 16-bit games are virtually identical. To win, players must destroy save the falling beans by connecting four of the same color together. The game focuses heavily on chain reactions and is very difficult to master. Sadly, just as with the SNES title, Red-Green color blind individuals such as myself (1/20 males) may have trouble with this excellent title once the pace picks up.

The other two Genesis games, Sonic Spinball and Sonic 3D Blast, are sometimes considered the black sheep of the Genesis crowd. Both have less responsive controls and lack the same depth the others boast. Sonic 3D Blast brings Sonic mechanics to a 3D world resembling Marble Madness. Players who overcome the sloppy controls and sometimes-confusing perspective will actually find some merit to the Travellers Tales product though, as it includes some very catchy tunes and decent gameplay. However, Sonic Spinball’s crude graphics, questionable mechanics and unremarkable audio make the pinball-esque game a real stinker that potential buyers can just ignore.

Sonic Mega Collection also features some decent extras. The disc contains digital copies of the original black and white Genesis manuals as well as various character artworks. Much of the Extras section is devoted to the Sonic comic book series. Sonic Mega Collection features over a hundred front covers from the comic book series as well as a full copy of the compilation book “Firsts,” courtesy of Archie Comics. Every image is highly detailed, and while more box art would have been nice, the images are more amusing that one may suspect. The Extras section also contains a handful of movies. Two of them are great: high quality footage of the Sonic CD opening and ending animations. The rest are essentially advertisements and come across as filler. All in all, Sonic Jam had more goodies. There are also two lesser-known Genesis games to unlock other than the various Sonic & Knuckles combos. One is simple and unremarkable while the other is actually a full-fledged and highly enjoyable game.

The game is a pretty good package, but there are some shortcomings. The biggest disappointment is the omission of the sleeper hit Sonic CD, which Yuji Naka claimed would not fit on the GameCube disc. However, Sonic CD for the PC (which doesn’t work in Windows XP) takes up 165 MB of data, the vast majority of which can be attributed to uncompressed AVI with duplicate footage. The CD soundtrack takes up around 40 MB in 128 kbps MP3 form. Considering what was included in Sonic Mega Collection, it is inconceivable that compromises couldn’t have been made to fit the game on a 1.5 GB disc.

A less significant complaint concerns the method of unlocking extra games and modes. SMC maintains counters of how many times each ROM has been loaded, and loading certain game(s) X times unlocks others. Unfortunately, few will unlock everything during the disc’s natural lifetime, so most will find themselves killing time entering and exiting games in a grueling loop to play something new.

Sonic Mega Collection is a very straightforward compilation: it delivers what it promises, and little more. However, considering the Dreamcast Smash Pack’s rendition of Sonic 1, perhaps this isn’t something to complain about. Those who don’t own the Genesis originals or Sonic Jam will find SMC well worth $40; those already possessing most of the included games have little reason purchase this GameCube disc.