make up this varied band of players from days long past, but it has been years since I have actually played any of these games on the Genesis. Because of this, I am unsure of their exact replication, although they did seem to all be as good as could be expected. After playing for a while, I realized some sort of extras mixed in would have been very nice - perhaps mini games or some such excursion. Much like when Sega reworked Sonic 2 to add puzzle pieces to the levels for the Sonic Pocket. That sort of thing helps breath new life into older titles but is totally absent here.

Back on the Genesis, Ecco the Dolphin was a great game, with some amazing visuals and ideas coupled with an interesting way of doing things. It was a sort of action game focused on puzzle elements that introduced a whole new set of challenges due to its surroundings and inhabitants. Unfortunately, the expansiveness seems extremely cramped on the GBA screen, making searching around much more difficult then it should be. I found myself lost much more then on the original. It is rather a shame that this game should be released in such a form, as I simply had no fun during my time with it, making it a chore to play and an exercise in frustration. Thankfully, the controls and response are at least intact, down to the screwy jumping over obstacles which often results in Ecco landing on ground and flopping about oddly. Really, this game deserves more and was meant to be played on a larger screen. It was not even retooled for the scale like the Mario GBA re-releases.

I had never actually gotten the chance to play Golden Axe back during its day (or maybe have and don't remember it), but after playing it here I cannot see the love for this game so often expressed by those who got that chance. The style is uninteresting and while the gameplay seemed solid enough, I found it rather boring to play. Maybe the small screen had a dampening effect here as well, but there didn't seem to be much room to move and the hit detection seemed a bit screwy at times. I'm sure fans of the original will like this, but I don't see it perking anyone else's interest, especially with better games in the genre available on the system. It does certainly have its moments, and the mini game of gnomes stealing the characters magic potions while they camp and fighting to get them back is pretty humorous. A shame these moments are far and few between, as the fighting itself is so bland. I wonder why something like Streets of Rage did not end up in here instead. Now that is truly a game that deserves to be on a compilation touted as a collection of classic greats. Well, maybe more so Streets of Rage 2, but I digress.

This brings me to the last game on the collection, which also happens to be the best game available. Unfortunately, this was a title given the label of merely decent upon its original release, and retains that feeling. I must say I do enjoy it anyway, because I've always enjoyed pinball games, even if Sonic Spinball is an oddity in that field and not a "true" pinball game. If this had been regular pinball with natural physics and all that combined with a Sonic sprite as the pinball, it would be so much better but it still makes due for a decent fix. Once again the screen comes into play here, as the graphics are too large to give you a good view of the playing area. I lost many a life simply due to not being able to see where exactly Sonic was heading or what I was supposed to be shooting for. These sorts of things can be overcome through learning the levels and memorizing positions, but Spinball isn't really good enough that one should spend their time to go that far. It is good in spurts, but not so much for extended play.

Really, this whole collection does not ever rise above the typical thanks to the poorly chosen selection both in terms of content and platform selection. If Sega had perhaps chosen even one of the superior games like Outrun, Vectorman, Shinobi, or even Columns (which kept my Game Gear playing for a long time), this collection would instantly be twice as good. As is, it seems to be more for nostalgia on-the-go than supplying the good points of Sega's past for accessibility today. Even Sega themselves have already outdone this, with Pinball of the Dead surpassing the only game that brought any joy here. I realize they can't all be winners, but they could at least choose some of the ones which are.

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· · · MechDeus