Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (Platinum Hits) - Xbox 360

This was a great buy! It has a tremendous amount of games in the collection. I bought it for three different series: Phantasy star, Sonic and Streets of Rage. It has the first Four Phantasy Star games (the first must be unlocked by beating the first level in Sonic 2 with 2 players), which are great for anyone hoping for some old-school rpg's. The Sonics are all great, and i really enjoy the Sonic Spinball game. Streets of Rage 1-3 are some of the best classic beat-em-ups to ever exist, and they retain all the potential of fun that they had in the 90's. There is also a ton of other games for genesis and a few more unlockable games from the Sega Master System.A new benefit to the games with this collection is the ability to save whenever you want. A lot of these games had no save system at all, or they worked on the basis of codes to get back to a particular point. This, save feature, makes beating the games much easier. You can get through most of a Sonic, save, and beat it later instead of having to restart. Or, if there is a particularly difficult part of a level or boss, you can save right before it, or during it.The graphics look pretty sweet on a large HDTV, though the smoothing effect is very hit-or-miss. Some games the smoothing adds a nice, umm, smoothness to the look, but most of the games look better with it turned off (I believe that it is off by default). The Audio sounds awesome in HD.Also, you can assign the controls of any of the games to whatever button scheme fits your style best.All things considered, this was an excellent use of $15! Now you'll have to excuse me, I'm about 10 hours into Phantasy Star, and I have the next three games in the series to beat after that...

I got this game for $20. It was well worth it. Some gaes I already had on the Genesis, but I got it for the ones I was missing.To me the best games on it are Shining Force 1 & 2 (strategy RPGs), Streets of Rage 1-3 (side scrolling beat 'em up), Golden Axe 1-3, Sonic games, Shinobi games, Ristar, & some others are good too. I haven't tried them all yet. It has some that are unlockable, & has a little history behind the games. The Phantasy Star RPGs are also included 1-4 (though I never cared much for them for some reason)Overall it is a very good collection of games for a low price. The Streets of Rage & Golden Axe games have 2 player co-op and are simple enough for most people to play. (there were only 3 buttons back in those days).If you had only $100 to spend on games, I would recommend Sonic's UGC (this game), Dragon Age Origins Ultimate Edition, GTA 4, Mortal Kombat, & Plants vs Zombies. That would be a good mix of great games so everyone in the family could find something they like to play.

I had been considering buying this game for quite some time, just couldn't justify buying a bunch of old video games at the time. As the kids got closer to summer vacation, I decided it was time to find a game that was fun and entertaining without being loaded in gore, blood and guts or violence.We recieved the game today and since it was opened when the mail arrived it hasn't been turned off. Both my 7 year old and 10 year old boys are loving the games. It gives them games they can play together or separate and a lot of options without constantly changing discs or game systems.Many of these games bring back memories for me, as I played them for hours on end with friends growing up. I highly recommend this game collection to anyone who wants to feel some nostalgia or give the family a gmae collection that is fun and entertaining without being inappropriate for any age, in my opinion.

I initially bought this for a sense of closure. I owned a handful of the titles in the collection with my Genesis growing up, and never got around to beating some of them. After about 15-20 hours, I had wrapped up my personal vendettas, and got around to looking at the rest of the collection, and was amazed at the wealth of gaming here. To anyone who can appreciate older games, and especially those who didn't have the money to get all of these when they were younger, this is a wonderful way to spend (upwards of) $20.To gaming historians, this is an invaluable resource, showing just how far we've come, but also what we've come dangerously close to losing with the new generations of hardware. There is a simplicity here that, even amid the fracas of the action titles, and particularly in the RPGs, can be sort of calming. What's more, the online communities for these games have had more than a decade to develop, so it's very easy to find help for those hitting a snag.Fans of puzzle games will be disappointed, but that's one of the few areas where the games truly have only been getting better. Columns is fun, and so is Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, but they are more or less the same game. Also, while games like Flicky and Alex Kidd are a nice look at where gaming was at that point, they aren't particularly fun, and there are a handful of others that probably won't hold you attention. Snob that I am, I still have nearly 30 games here that I gladly played.For people interested in easy gamer points, getting a full 1,000 shouldn't take you too much time, especially if you're willing to cheat. Only one game (Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine) requires that you beat it; all others have fairly easy achievements, many attainable within the first 30 minutes of gaming. But seriously, if you're playing just for points, there are prettier places to go.If you need to scratch that "vintage gaming" itch, or if you want to see the genesis (ahem) of a few big franchises and gaming standards, this is a great place to go. There are literally well over 100 hours of gaming here... And did I mention you can save any game at any time?