Sonic Classic Collection Mini Review
Game: Sonic Classic Collection
Developer: SEGA
Publisher: SEGA
Available on: Nintendo DS only
Ah Sonic, the beloved blue hedgehog of the gaming world. Despite his more recent games being somewhat lacking in quality (Sonic Unleashed), the majority of gamers can look back at the Mega Drive/Genesis era and relive the blue hedgehogs good old days. It seems like we are not the only ones, as SEGA themselves also like to do this every now and again. The release of Sonic Classic Collection on the Nintendo DS serves as evidence to this fact. This latest compilations includes Sonic 1, 2, 3 and Knuckles, four classic games all bundled onto a single DSÂ cartridge. Does the transition from console to handheld work? Read on for our mini review.
Old school Sonic fans will be pleased to hear that SEGA have not made any wholesale changes to the overall presentation of these classics. Some of the games do take a slight hit in terms of visual quality and performance but everything is still very much playable. The only other thing I would highlight is that, with it being on a smaller screen, you do miss out on a lot of the surrounding visuals that you would normally expect to see if playing on a console. Considering the game has gone from console to handheld, graphically it does very well.
As a casual gamer, I jumped at the chance to review the legendary Sonic games on the DS. Sonic Classic Collection is just that. I can remember when Sonic first came out and how popular the games were. Twenty years on and the Sonic series is having much the same effect. The older fans who remember Sonic from back in the day will probably agree with me when I say that the classic Sonic games are still the best.
The DS version is slightly slower than its console counterparts, however I think  taking into consideration they have managed to fit multiple games on the cartridge with little effect to gameplay, they shouldn’t be critisised for slight lag. If anything, they should be patted on the back for creating a game that’s going to keep fans occupied for a good while. It’s very much a pick up and play game.
Overall, this a great game for all ages and abilities. Sonic is still as addictive as ever and to move these gaming favourites from a console to a handheld device was a wise choice. All of the games are a good time filler and perfect for a dull train journey. If you want to enjoy the full, fast, Sonic experience, or are introducing Sonic to someone for the first time, then I would say stick to the consoles. However, there’s always room for Sonic classics on any machine as far as I’m concerned and this is no different for the DS.
