Video Game Review: Sega Genesis Collection

Console: PlayStation 2 (PS2) and Compatible with PlayStation 3 (PS3), also available for PlayStation Portable (PSP)

Many of us grew up in the late 1980's and 1990's may remember the great 16 bit video game system that Sega put out called Genesis. At the time this was a high end system that topped the video came console market. In grade school and junior high their was two classes of video game geeks the Sega kids, and the Nintendo Kids. I was one of the lucky ones to bounce between rival groups and enjoy both game systems.

So this past Christmas I was searching for a gift for my wife, she had mentioned how she loved the video game Altered Beast as a kid so I searched different gaming sites and found it had been released along with a collection of other games under the title "Sega Genesis Collection". I began searching and bidding like a madman on eBay to obtain a copy of this game and finally I was able to win a bidding war for a used copy for under $20 shipping included. This was a rare game to find and some copies where going for upwards of $25-$35 or more.

So I gave her the game for Christmas and she was delighted, it had all the classic Genesis games that she played with her older brother as a kid. We fired up our PlayStation 2 and began playing our favorites and taking a stroll down memory lane. I remember as a teenager my friends Jon and Steve where the first kids in school to get a Sega Genesis and we would have sleep over's at their house staying up all night battling these great 16 bit games. Many of the games are very wholesome compared to modern games so our 6 year old daughter even enjoys playing them, and to our surprise is very good at them.

The list of classic games is amazing but to name a few Sega Genesis Collection contains complete classic versions of Altered Beast, Golden Axe 1, 2, & 3, Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2, Ecco the Dolphin, Gain Ground, Phantasy Star 2, 3, and 4, Shinobi 3, Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, Super Thunder Blade, the great RPG The Sword of Vermillion, VectorMan 1 & 2, Virtua Fighter 2, and several more.

There are even several bonus games that you unlock as you play the other games, as well as interviews with the original game programmers.

This is definitely a great game for any adult wanting to relive their child hood, and for any new gamer wanting to see where most modern games are rooted from. So I recommend picking up a copy online from eBay or from your local used video game dealer and join me on a trip down memory lane for some old school fun on your new school video game system.

I give this game 10+ stars for fun, playability, wholesomeness, and for taking me back to feeling like a kid again!