Sonic Mega Collection is a great game with some fantastic play time and great replayability. Buy if you own Wii or GCN.
Gameplay -To analyze this game, I will break it down into the games that are unlocked from the get-go.
Sonic the Hedgehog- This is the debut of Sonic, and it is a great game. The speed is a little slower than what we would come to know of Sonic, but the game holds up nicely. The level designs also aren't as memorable as the games to come, but they are fun nonetheless. A very enjoyable game.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2- This is the best in the series. No Sonic game after this one would quite match it. The level designs from start to finish are colorful, intelligent, and fun. Tails's introduction is welcome in this game, and the Chaos Emerald stages are fun despite their frustration level. Most of the boss fights are memorable, and the stages have the perfect difficulty level. This game will probably keep most of your attention, and by that I mean hours. Anyway, FANTASTIC game.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3- Good game here. The save feature is nice to have for this one. The levels are huge in this game, and they are pretty fun, too. The sprites look very nice along with the environments. Not much to complain about here, but something about the gameplay is just less memorable than Sonic 2. Maybe it's the enemies; maybe it's the levels. Regardless, it is a very fun game and it is a welcome addition to the collection.
Sonic & Knuckles- This one is very fun. Much like Sonic 2, this one has made me feel inclined to sit and play through the whole game (probably because you can't save). Because it is a direct follow up to Sonic 3, the difficulty starts high. This just adds to the fun gameplay. The level designs seem to be a little more fun than Sonic 3, and resultingly, it is more fun. The inclusion of Knuckles the Echidna adds a whole new dimension to each level, and obviously adds a lot of replayability. Sonic & Knuckles is a fun game with several gameplay innovations that make it even more fun than Sonic 3.
Sonic 3D Blast- As the title suggests, this was a 16-bit attempt at 3d. The pseudo 3D levels and characters do look nice, but that is about all this game has going for it. I find it hard to sit and play this game very long. The levels may look nice, but they aren't fun. Sonic doesn't get to use his speedy moves, and the gameplay gets terribly repetitive. Simply bash five enemies, get Flickys, and get to the exit. Not a party. Try this one at your own risk.
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine- This is a fun puzzle game. The difficulty level rises a little quickly, but the game is still quite fun. The puzzle style play of this Tetris like game is a nice diversion from the rest of the game's platforming action. The sprites look nice, but the play screens are a little boring. The bean falling gameplay is just another reason to get this game.
Sonic Spinball- This ANOTHER great game. It is a pinball spin-off of the Sonic series, and Sonic is mostly in his spin dash form acting as the ball. The tables look great, the ball physics work well, and the bosses are great. A nice addition is the fact that the player has some control over where Sonic (the ball) moves. This makes getting bonuses and such a little easier. Overall, a nice little pinball game that will also keep you playing this game for a long time.
Okay, now that I've reviewed those, I've pretty much covered gameplay. On gameplay I'd give about a 9.5. Sonic 3D blast does nothing for this compilation, but it takes nothing away (except maybe Sonic CD). Anyway, great gameplay.
Graphics- I basically covered this earlier, but the graphics are great considering the hardware capabilities of the time. The sprites are clean and generally not overdone. The sprites keep up with the speed of the scrollers, and look great in the more slow-paced games too.
9.0 on Graphics
Sound - The music in these Sonic games is great! All of the tracks (except the high score music from Spinball) aren't distracting, and add to the gameplay experience. For example, the music is a little faster in Chemical Plant Zone from Sonic 2, but in Casino Night Zone from the same game, the music is slow because one would likely slow down to enjoy the frills of said level. The music tends to work very well with each level and is not to be missed. The sound effects are quirky and fun and generally work well with the interface. The menu music for the disk is also nice. 9.0 on music and sound.
Value- As if enough hasn't already been said, this game is well worth the cash. As of this review, it has been a while since this game came out, but I recently picked it up for about $15, and I have seen it even cheaper. At this rate, it is a fantastic value, and there is really no excuse not to buy it. With several unlockable games and lots of bonus material, this game is oozing with value. EASY 10 on value.
To wrap up, this is something any Wii or GameCube owner should pick up. It's gameplay is nice, the presentation is nice, there is a lot to be unlocked, it takes up only 3 blocks of memory, and it is just plain fun! Do yourself a favor, save your Wii Points, and get these Genesis classics for a lot less. It is nothing less than fantastic.
-Clayfrd