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Sonic Gems Collection is a rather odd compilation of Sonic games. Sonic Mega Collection on the GameCube featured seven Sonic games from the Megadrive era and Sonic Mega Collection Plus on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox featured the same Sonic games plus an assortment of other SEGA titles. Sonic Gems Collection didn’t really have much left in terms on great Sonic games then, and will really only be of interest to die hard Sonic fans, with the games on offer not up to the quality of the first compilation.
The most notable game included in the compilation is Sonic The Fighters. The game has never been available outside of the arcade and will be of huge interest to Sonic Fans. Developed by AM2 on the Model 2 arcade board, the game feels like a stripped down Virtua Fighter, and while fun for a few minutes, quickly becomes tiresome. The game looks relatively poor compared to modern fighters, but it has aged pretty well, with solid looking character models and bright arenas to fight in. It’s certainly the best looking game in the collection, but nothing more than a piece of Sonic history.
The other main reason for picking this up is Sonic CD. The MEGA CD game is much loved by fans of the series due to its great soundtrack and time travelling gameplay. Its omission from the first Sonic collection was strange, but probably a decision made by SEGA’s accountant in order for fans to buy this sub-par collection due to its inclusion. The port seems good, but the great intro from the PAL version is missing. I can only assume we have the equally cheesy American intro, but it just doesn’t have the same nostalgia value. Still, Sonic CD is easily the best game in the collection.
Sonic R was a racing game on the SEGA Saturn that saw you run around themed tracks as the Sonic characters. It looked pretty rough when it was released and even though the version here seems to be the higher resolution PC port, it’s still not a beauty. The biggest problem, though, is the way the characters control, or how they don’t control. The characters don’t handle all that well, meaning that you’re forever sending them off the main track, and while using the left and right shoulder buttons to lean into corners helps, it’s still rather an unplayable mess of a game. However, the soundtrack is rather enjoyable in a cheesy way, so it’s worth checking out, but not for too long.
Included as filler (as you probably won’t want to spend all that much time with them) are six Game Gear Sonic titles: Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic Spinball, Sonic the Hedgehog in Triple Trouble, Sonic Drift 2, Tail’s Skypatrol, and Tails Adventures. While playing old Megadrive Sonic titles can be great fun, replaying these old Game Gear titles isn’t. The visuals are extremely poor and have aged badly, the controls feel sluggish, and they’re just better off left un-played.
There’s a load of bonus content to unlock, ranging from art to the Vector Man games that appeared on the Megadrive, but to unlock it all you’ll need to spend certain amounts of time playing each game, and finish each of them to see it all. Seeing as most of them aren’t much fun, unlocking everything will be for completists only. PAL gamers also have to suffer a 50Hz bordered display, which while accurate to how we played these games in the UK, is a little disappointing.
In the end Sonic Gems Collection feels like something that should never have happened. It makes business sense, but it’s not great for the games buying public. Sonic CD should definitely have been included in the original Mega Collection, and Sonic The Fighters and Sonic R could have been thrown in as well. With only one gem in this set, it’s just not worth it.
