SEGA Genesis Classic Collection: Gold Edition

[shmuppyLove]

This looks like a pretty rad collection, way better than the pathetic Dreamcast one they released recently.

http://www.sega.com/games/sega-genesis- ... d-edition/

Code: Select all

Volume 1

Golden Axe™
Altered Beast™
Comix Zone™
Ecco The Dolphin™
Gain Ground™
Shinobi III™: Return of the Ninja Master
Vectorman™
Sonic The Hedghog™
Crack Down™
Space Harrier II™

Volume 2

Ecco Jr.™
Fatal Labyrinth™
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle™
Bonanza Bros.™
Super Thunder Blade™
ESWAT™: City Under Siege
Kid Chameleon™
Ristar™
Golden Axe™ 2
Galaxy Force II™
Columns™
Sonic the Hedgehog™ 2

Volume 3

Bio-Hazard Battle™
Columns III: Revenge of Columns™
Sword of Vermilion™
Virtua Fighter 2™
Ecco: The Tides of Time™
Alien Storm™
Decap Attack™
Flicky™
Sonic 3 & Knuckles™
Sonic Spinball™

Volume 4

LandStalker™
Shining Force™
Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair™
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine™
Streets of Rage™
Streets of Rage™ 2
Alien Soldier™
Light Crusader™
Sonic 3D Blast™
Gunstar Heroes™
Shining Force II™
Shining in the Darkness™
ToeJam & Earl™
ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron™

Other than Gunstar, what else is solid and worth playing?

[Skykid]

I'm a big fan of the MD Crack Down port, great fun.

[Estebang]

Wait, when did we become okay with shitty Digital Eclipse emulation?

You'd be much better served with unofficial roms...and the American version of Landstalker has the ending altered and censored.

[Skykid]

Wait, when did we become okay with shitty Digital Eclipse emulation?

You'd be much better served with unofficial roms...and the American version of Landstalker has the ending altered and censored.

New thing learned! I've never played Landstalker but I understand it's great. I got a JP one with a bunch of stuff a while back, is it playable in Japanese or super text heavy?

[Estebang]

The European version of Landstalker has the original ending and nothing else missing, so I'd track that one down. The American version has the ending's big twist altered to something more predictable, and a nude gal in the bath (with nothing visible) excised.

You'll be able to work your way through the game in Japanese with a FAQ, but the language barrier will result in some serious confusion about where to go next, otherwise. You'll also miss out on the great writing...the director/writer Shinya Nishigaki went on to make the Dreamcast cult classic Illbleed, before being killed by a heart attack.

[Skykid]

The European version of Landstalker has the original ending and nothing else missing, so I'd track that one down.

You'll be able to work your way through the game in Japanese with a FAQ, but the language barrier will result in some serious confusion about where to go next, otherwise. You'll also miss out on the great writing...the director/writer Shinya Nishigaki went on to make the Dreamcast cult classic Illbleed, before being killed by a heart attack.

Wow, didn't realise any of this stuff, thanks much for the info. I'm kinda stuffed for playing Euro carts, but I'll find a way.

[Estebang]

Also, I just gotta ask, why on Earth does Sega keep pushing the abysmal Genesis version of Virtua Fighter 2? The 32X version of VF1 can't be much harder to emulate, and it's the game's best home port!

Light Crusader is also highly recommended--it gets a bad rap for being somewhat generic and easy, and not up to Treasure's usual standards, but I'd take it over the Zelda series any day. There's a thrilling series of short mini-dungeons towards the end where Treasure went absolutely crazy, introducing about six all-new environment types and tons of new enemies and bosses, including Nazis(!). I believe it's also the only Genesis game to feature non-vector, fully rendered 3D polygonal objects without the use of special chips.

[trap15]

Also, I just gotta ask, why on Earth does Sega keep pushing the abysmal Genesis version of Virtua Fighter 2? The 32X version of VF1 can't be much harder to emulate, and it's the game's best home port!

Oh boy... You are so wrong it makes me vomit. The 32X has all of the Genesis hardware and way more. It has 4 complete CPUs: the 68000 and Z80 from the Genesis, and 2 SuperH-2 CPUs. It also has a stereo PWM channel with 10-bits of precision in addition to the Genesis sound channels, made from a YM2612 and an SN76489. It's also got a highly flexible set of VDPs that are fairly similar to the Sega Saturn's (and see how poor that system's emulation is).

The complexity in emulating even a single sub-system of the 32X is ridiculous, so shove your comment up your ignorant ass.

[Moniker]

I'm a big fan of the Wonderboy series, but it looks like they only included Monster's Lair, which is very good. Alien Soldier is the spiritual sequel to Gunstar, again very good. And Ristar, one of my favorite platformers ever. I've been meaning to play Toejam & Earl 1 (only played the sequel back in the day), since apparently it's part roguelike.

[null1024]

For 32X emulation, couldn't Sega hire Snake [of Kega Fusion fame] again like they did ages ago?
On the other hand, the fact that there are only a handful of 32X games doesn't make this cost effective. I'd love to see them have Shadow Squadron. I was about to say that there were only a handful of good 32X games, but when I started to make my list of them, it was rather long.

Also, we do need a better version of VF2. I like the Genesis version fine, but every other port is better in every way.


And remember -- this is for PC. Any POS machine made since 2002 can run 32X games fine in Kega. Other than licensing, there's no reason not to have 32X emulation.

And what is this about the 32X VDPs being like the Saturn's far more awesome one?! The 32X VDP is just a framebuffer. Everything done to it is done solely in software, usually by the fast SH2s. The dual processor config may be Saturn like, but that's it.
Anywhere you see saying that the 32X has hardware scaling, rotation, or polygons is lying, because it seems like it does due to what 32X games regularly did.

[Estebang]

Chaotix was originally going to be included on the Sonic Gems Collection, so 32X emulation on consoles was clearly within Sega's means years ago.

[Limbrooke]

This looks like a pretty rad collection, way better than the pathetic Dreamcast one they released recently.

Indeed, it does.

Other than Gunstar, what else is solid and worth playing?

Huh? How does it look like a pretty rad collection but you're not sure what else is worth playing beyond 1 game you mention? You lost me, heh.

I can say that there is a good game in each volume, in addition to Gunstar Heroes. So that's 5 solid games?
Personally - Comix Zone, Ecco, Shinobi 3, Ristar, Decap Attack, S3&K, Shining Force 1&2, Alien Soldier, Streets of Rage 2 and Toe Jam & Earl are all interesting and games worth checking out. That's not to say Sonic 2 is no good, but it's pretty well known so unless you haven't tried that either... yeah go for it.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Wait, when did we become okay with shitty Digital Eclipse emulation?

You'd be much better served with unofficial roms...and the American version of Landstalker has the ending altered and censored.

Yep, Digital Eclipse is known as Backbone Entertainment nowdays. They've had a booth presence at the 2009 & 2010 Calfornia Extreme shows.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Estebang]

There we go, absolute confirmation that PCEFX is a bot. Don't even know what he was trying to respond to.

[Skykid]

The complexity in emulating even a single sub-system of the 32X is ridiculous, so shove your comment up your ignorant ass.

Er... that seems really uncalled for.
It was only a question.

[mesh control]

How do I get better at chaining in Dodonpachi?

The complexity of explaining even a single sub-system of chaining is ridiculous, so shove your comment up your ignorant ass.

Possible meme.

[shmuppyLove]

This looks like a pretty rad collection, way better than the pathetic Dreamcast one they released recently.

Indeed, it does.

Other than Gunstar, what else is solid and worth playing?

Huh? How does it look like a pretty rad collection but you're not sure what else is worth playing beyond 1 game you mention? You lost me, heh.

I can say that there is a good game in each volume, in addition to Gunstar Heroes. So that's 5 solid games?
Personally - Comix Zone, Ecco, Shinobi 3, Ristar, Decap Attack, S3&K, Shining Force 1&2, Alien Soldier, Streets of Rage 2 and Toe Jam & Earl are all interesting and games worth checking out. That's not to say Sonic 2 is no good, but it's pretty well known so unless you haven't tried that either... yeah go for it.

Yeah I should have elaborated

What I really meant was, aside from the obvious excellent classics.

[louisg]

Games worth playing:

Alien Storm is a little underrated next to Golden Axe (as far as the Genesis versions are concerned), possibly due to the goofy art. It plays well though. Decap Attack is also a good game, and if you like classic arcade games, Flicky is up there with the best.

I don't know if Ristar counts as an obvious classic yet, but it is a solid action game. A lot of people really like Kid Chameleon, too, though I think it's only OK. And then Bonanza Bros is clever and fun, especially with two players, though the Genesis version's digitized speech makes me insane.

Crack Down isn't the most perfect port possible, but it's a good game which I also feel is underrated. Gain Ground also has its share of defenders, though I always thought it was too slow to get going.

In the case of arcade games, I really have no idea why Sega just keeps putting out the mediocre Genesis conversions instead of the arcade editions.

Oh boy... You are so wrong it makes me vomit. The 32X has all of the Genesis hardware and way more. It has 4 complete CPUs: the 68000 and Z80 from the Genesis, and 2 SuperH-2 CPUs. It also has a stereo PWM channel with 10-bits of precision in addition to the Genesis sound channels, made from a YM2612 and an SN76489. It's also got a highly flexible set of VDPs that are fairly similar to the Sega Saturn's (and see how poor that system's emulation is).

The complexity in emulating even a single sub-system of the 32X is ridiculous, so shove your comment up your ignorant ass.

Yes, and nobody has ever written a 32x emulator for PC which could possibly be licensed. Nope! Way too impossible. And forget emulating that 10-bit PCM channel! Holy shit, that might just about make my brain explode just thinking about it.

[Estebang]

I had a huge post typed up and was all ready to tear trap15 a new asshole for being a flippant douchebag who completely missed the point of my statement, but I held back because of his Raiden II/DX MAME work.

I'm glad mesh control pointed out that he was being half-sarcastic. I haven't absorbed every one of this board's idiosyncrasies and memes.

[Skykid]

I'm glad mesh control pointed out that he was being half-sarcastic. I haven't absorbed every one of this board's idiosyncrasies and memes.

I think you misunderstood mesh's post dude. The comment was flippant and unnecessary.

[Estebang]

Regardless, the man's done some good work for the community, so I'm going to let this slide if he doesn't yell at us again. I mean, social skills don't come naturally to programmer types.

[Sturmvogel Prime]

This looks like a pretty rad collection, way better than the pathetic Dreamcast one they released recently.

Is better but they still forgot a little thing called After Burner II, i don't know how Sega could forgot a classic like that?

[Obiwanshinobi]

Other than Gunstar, what else is solid and worth playing?

Comix Zone
Landstalker
Shining Force
ToeJam & Earl (preferably in co-op).

[BPzeBanshee]

Regardless, the man's done some good work for the community, so I'm going to let this slide if he doesn't yell at us again. I mean, social skills don't come naturally to programmer types.

Being a programmer is no excuse for being an asshole at the same time.

I've some nasty stuff myself on this forum before and got (appropriate) backlash regardless of whether it was justified or not, and my serious work can be seen in Development - Good on you for being cool about it though.

On topic though, I get a bit urked with these collections myself. The modification of the ROMs is the same reason I go and emulate whatever's on the Wii's Virtual Console instead - stuff like Revenge of Shinobi got chopped up once too many times.

[trap15]

As a post of good faith, I was being condescending for the sake of being so. No bad blood, I just like coming off as a dick on the forums. Also, not doing sufficient research can make anyone look like an ass (like Estebang's stupid comment about 32X emulation being simple, and my stupid comment about the 32X VDPs).

[Estebang]

What I meant wasn't that the principles behind 32X emulation are simple--I was referring to the fact that 32X emulation has been functionally perfect for years now, and it's no longer a difficult matter for Sega or whoever else to implement an emulator on consoles.

I mean, it must have been a big job for the emulator dudes first working on it, but they were able to get it running, right? And Sega and everyone else can now reap the fruits of their labor, right?

Is better but they still forgot a little thing called After Burner II, i don't know how Sega could forgot a classic like that?

Just like with Virtua Fighter 2, do you really want the inferior Genesis version of the game? Because that's undoubtedly what Sega would release.

After Burner Complete on the 32X is practically arcade-perfect, but it doesn't have analog control either.

[null1024]

After Burner Complete on the 32X is practically arcade-perfect, but it doesn't have analog control either.

And that's probably for the best if you don't have an analog controller for your machine. Have you tried to configure proper controls for it in MAME?

Related to the topic, there seem to be a handful of good games on each volume. Or, at least a handful of games I've played and know to be good on each volume. Unfortunately, they're also all the most famous ones [e.g, Gunstar, the Sonic games, Vectorman, etc].
Galaxy Force II is a really good game... if the sprite limit isn't emulated. That is the only thing that kills the Genesis version beyond hope, being way too much for the hardware to handle.

Also, in regards to Virtua Fighter 2, couldn't they rerelease the PC version? Works just fine on my Win 7 machine. Just needs to be set up to allow the user to have more than a 65k color screen mode [right now, I have to start it in 256 color, and then switch ingame to 65k color].
It would be really cheaply done [the lack of full 3D backgrounds is stupid nowadays, although it was a port of the Saturn version with support for the Model 2 character models], and people will bitch, but it's still better than the Genesis version...

[moh]

GOLD EDITION? who do they think they are? Capcom?

[Krimzon Kitzune]

Comix Zone

Gain Ground

Space Harrier II

Decap Attack

Light Crusader

Alien Soldier

Gunstar Heroes

This.

[Krimzon Kitzune]

After Burner Complete on the 32X is practically arcade-perfect

Eh, it's pretty faithful but it's not what I'd call arcade-perfect for two obvious reasons:

1. As you've mentioned in your post, the lack of analog controls.

2. The frame rate's cut down a bit in the 32X version, so it's not quite as smooth as the arcade. It's not bad and it doesn't screw the game, though. Pretty much everything else is intact.