$20 Game of the Week: Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection (PS3, Xbox 360)

Did we really need another Sega Genesis compilation, especially when most of these games are available on Virtual Console/Xbox Live Arcade/Playstation Network Store? When it’s this good, ABSOLUTELY. While the lineup is similar to 2006’s Sega Genesis Collection, there are several games from that disc that were left off and there are many games here that weren’t on the previous compilation. With well over 40 games, the disc spans the entire history of the Sega Genesis and it includes the classics (Sonic, Streets of Rage, Shinobi), some lesser known hits (Beyond Oasis, Ristar, Comix Zone), and the occasional clunker (Sonic 3D Blast, Flicky, Bonanza Bros). There is a huge amount of hidden features, including interviews and developers, art and even Arcade and Sega Master System games. There are numerous options for tweaking the graphics, and you can arrange the games alphabetically. While it’s cool to download hits, this disc is still the best value for your dollar. Sega if you’re reading this, now that we got plenty of Genesis games, please give us a Sega Saturn compilation. I’ve got the burning desire to play some Panzer Dragoon.