Sonic Classic Collection (DS Review) by Leroy S.

Sonic Classic Collection
Publisher: SEGA
Developer: The Creative Assembly
System: Nintendo DS
Release: March 2, 2010

July 4, 2011, by Leroy S. - Sonic Classic Collection is a compilation of Sonic's first 4 greatest hits on the Sega Genesis -- Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles. The special lock-on technology for Knuckles in Sonic 2 & 3 are also included. Released on March 2, 2010, this title could be seen as no more than a simple retrospective of Sonic's greater times.

From the start, Sonic Classic Collection offers up a simple interface: either to play the games in the collection, see the gallery or view the credits. The games are all laid out with its original boxart and general information. The games run rather well on the DS hardware, with only minor hiccups like frame rate issues (especially when many rings are lost). The game plays normally, and the touch screen dims to give the top screen more of the attention from the player. Each title plays like it did on the Genesis with no monumental changes. The only exception is the addition of a save feature for Sonic 1, 2 and Knuckles, which comes in handy, but they don't operate like the save states in emulators -- instead, they start you from the beginning of the act you saved in.

One problem that really puzzled me was the placement of a pause button on the touch screen, where it could've been simply mapped to the start button. Another problem I faced, in Sonic 3, were the nauseating Special Stages due to the ball's unusual animation hiccups. The removal of the multiplayer features were also disheartening, as I would've loved to tackle games like Sonic 3 with a pal. The gallery was completely forgettable as well.

However, the saving grace for the compilation are the games. They are all great hallmarks of gaming's past achievements and the ability to play them wherever you go is great. If you're willing to overlook the smaller grievances (frame rate hiccups, Sonic 3's special stages) and don't really wish to get classic Sonic action elsewhere (Virtual Console, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network), you can have loads of fun with Sonic Classic Collection.

The Verdict

Sound
12/15 - Hearing classic Sonic music is always pleasing to the ear. There are tracks to both love and hate equally.

Graphics
15/20 - Graphics are slightly the same, although a few frame rates happen occasionally. Sonic 3's special stages could've been handled a lot better. Also, the DS' lower resolution didn't exactly help out.

Appeal
13/25 - The game caters to the retro crowd looking to re-live Sonic's glory days on the go. However, 4 games slapped together with boring extras (the gallery) makes the collection look sloppy.

Gameplay
30/40 - Gameplay is the same, Sonic-style platforming that we've all come to love in the past few generations.

Overall
70/100 - Sonic Classic Collection does exactly what it says on the tin, although it missed the possibility of receiving a much higher score. If you are a portable gamer and can't be bothered to stick to a console to replay these gems, this is for you.