I enjoy Fatal Labyrinth, but uh...I guess you can die from being full. As I took a bite of food, my character said "I'm stuffed" and then it showed my gravestone.
I ended up with more money than I expected, so I picked this up last night. Surprised it was out already, since it usually takes ages for non-hyped releases to show up around here.
Anyway, the achievement/trophy list is a little... weird. Some things take absolutely zero effort (use Ecco's sonar to talk to another dolphin? Oh, hey, I can do that on the second screen of the game, wow, that took a whole thirty seconds ), and then there's things like beating the last stage of Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, which convinces me that the developers hate us all.
Of course, you can just use a password to skip right to him, on any difficulty you like, and then abuse save states to do it in about five-ten minutes. Which is what I did, because I beat him once the honest way in Sonic Mega Collection, and I'm not going to do it again.
Almost all the unlocks (except two, both unlocked by one specific goal) are tied to achievements, and I'm a bit of an achievement whore anyway (sadly), so I'm just going to do all of those, unlock everything, and then have some fun with it. It doesn't look like it will take much longer, maybe a couple of hours.
Also: We’ve gotten comments & questions from die-hard Sonic fans about this collection, and whether Sonic 3 + Knuckles would be included, or just the separate games. For those who don’t know: the original games were intended to be part of the same cart, and Sonic & Knuckles was eventually released as a “lock-on” cartridge, that could be locked-on to Sonic 3 and Sonic 2 so that Knuckles would be playable in those games. Locking Sonic & Knuckles into any other Sega Genesis game allows access to the game Blue Sphere, based on the Sonic bonus levels.
This ‘Sonic 3 + Knuckles’ feature wasn’t included for Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection. I spoke with the producer for Sonic’s UGC, Ethan Einhorn, who definitely understands the nature of hard-core Sonic fandom. We had a good conversation about the game, and I got Ethan’s official explanation for why Sonic 3 + Knuckles wasn’t included: “To shore up the development time necessary to get “Lock-On” to work in Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection, we would have had to drop all of the bonus games from the disc. Faced with an either/or scenario, we chose to retain our title lineup in its entirety.”
In other words, that would have meant losing the Sega Master System ports (Phantasy Star and Golden Axe Warrior) and all of the arcade ports. Just throwing an old ROM into a game is one thing, but combining lots of different types of ROM technology (arcade, Genesis, Master System) and making them all work together is another, and to get the game out with this lineup, that’s what needed to happen.
My guess is that they are saving them for future collections. If you install the game, it only comes out to 3.4 gigs. There's no way there wasn't room for both the lock-on games and the arcade/Master System stuff. Even a single-layer 4 GB DVD should have been able to hold a few more MBs worth of ROMs.
EDIT: I'm still reasonably pleased, because I bought it for Beyond Oasis and the Phantasy Star/Shining games. But that's just a silly explanation.
I ended up with more money than I expected, so I picked this up last night. Surprised it was out already, since it usually takes ages for non-hyped releases to show up around here.
Anyway, the achievement/trophy list is a little... weird. Some things take absolutely zero effort (use Ecco's sonar to talk to another dolphin? Oh, hey, I can do that on the second screen of the game, wow, that took a whole thirty seconds ), and then there's things like beating the last stage of Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, which convinces me that the developers hate us all.
Of course, you can just use a password to skip right to him, on any difficulty you like, and then abuse save states to do it in about five-ten minutes. Which is what I did, because I beat him once the honest way in Sonic Mega Collection, and I'm not going to do it again.
Almost all the unlocks (except two, both unlocked by one specific goal) are tied to achievements, and I'm a bit of an achievement whore anyway (sadly), so I'm just going to do all of those, unlock everything, and then have some fun with it. It doesn't look like it will take much longer, maybe a couple of hours.
Also: We’ve gotten comments & questions from die-hard Sonic fans about this collection, and whether Sonic 3 + Knuckles would be included, or just the separate games. For those who don’t know: the original games were intended to be part of the same cart, and Sonic & Knuckles was eventually released as a “lock-on†cartridge, that could be locked-on to Sonic 3 and Sonic 2 so that Knuckles would be playable in those games. Locking Sonic & Knuckles into any other Sega Genesis game allows access to the game Blue Sphere, based on the Sonic bonus levels.
This ‘Sonic 3 + Knuckles’ feature wasn’t included for Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection. I spoke with the producer for Sonic’s UGC, Ethan Einhorn, who definitely understands the nature of hard-core Sonic fandom. We had a good conversation about the game, and I got Ethan’s official explanation for why Sonic 3 + Knuckles wasn’t included: “To shore up the development time necessary to get “Lock-On†to work in Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection, we would have had to drop all of the bonus games from the disc. Faced with an either/or scenario, we chose to retain our title lineup in its entirety.â€
In other words, that would have meant losing the Sega Master System ports (Phantasy Star and Golden Axe Warrior) and all of the arcade ports. Just throwing an old ROM into a game is one thing, but combining lots of different types of ROM technology (arcade, Genesis, Master System) and making them all work together is another, and to get the game out with this lineup, that’s what needed to happen.
My guess is that they are saving them for future collections. If you install the game, it only comes out to 3.4 gigs. There's no way there wasn't room for both the lock-on games and the arcade/Master System stuff. Even a single-layer 4 GB DVD should have been able to hold a few more MBs worth of ROMs.
EDIT: I'm still reasonably pleased, because I bought it for Beyond Oasis and the Phantasy Star/Shining games. But that's just a silly explanation.
S3K is 8mb. They're just cocks, basically, they're holding it back presumably to charge for it at a later date. Ah well.
It -would- have cost a lot more hours to run those games through cert though (doesn't matter if they've emulate them, you still have to test end-to-end).
But then again, you usually wait until about the second collection, when Sega actually starts including everything. I mean, look at Sonic Mega Collection doing well on GC, then PS2 and Xbox get Mega Collection PLUS. and then Sonic Gems came around to actually finish most of the collection off.
This ‘Sonic 3 + Knuckles’ feature wasn’t included for Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection. I spoke with the producer for Sonic’s UGC, Ethan Einhorn, who definitely understands the nature of hard-core Sonic fandom. We had a good conversation about the game, and I got Ethan’s official explanation for why Sonic 3 + Knuckles wasn’t included: “To shore up the development time necessary to get “Lock-On†to work in Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection, we would have had to drop all of the bonus games from the disc. Faced with an either/or scenario, we chose to retain our title lineup in its entirety.â€
In other words, that would have meant losing the Sega Master System ports (Phantasy Star and Golden Axe Warrior) and all of the arcade ports. Just throwing an old ROM into a game is one thing, but combining lots of different types of ROM technology (arcade, Genesis, Master System) and making them all work together is another, and to get the game out with this lineup, that’s what needed to happen.
My guess is that they are saving them for future collections. If you install the game, it only comes out to 3.4 gigs. There's no way there wasn't room for both the lock-on games and the arcade/Master System stuff. Even a single-layer 4 GB DVD should have been able to hold a few more MBs worth of ROMs.
EDIT: I'm still reasonably pleased, because I bought it for Beyond Oasis and the Phantasy Star/Shining games. But that's just a silly explanation.
Did you actually read what he said? Its exclusion had nothing to do with disc space, he doesn't even mention it, he said that they just didn't have the time to do it. In other words, they had to choose between coding the 'Lock-On' feature into the emulator or continuing to work on getting the unlockable games working properly. Delaying the Collection was, in all likelihood, not an option.
You guys are actually missing one special point about locking on Sonic 3 and Knuckles.
If you're playing as Sonic, and you beat every single special stage, you go to The Doomsday Zone for one more fight with Robotnik, and get the full, complete ending to the game. Mainly, Sonic and Tails return the Master Emerald to the floating island and right before the credits Knuckles runs to the edge of the island and sees off Sonic and Tails in the distance.
I thought that just getting the seven emeralds in S&K would still unlock that?
And it's funny; when you think about it, that stage is what basically set the tone for so many final battles since.
As regards the lock-on, I find the third update here interesting...
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This ‘Sonic 3 + Knuckles’ feature wasn’t included for Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection. I spoke with the producer for Sonic’s UGC, Ethan Einhorn, who definitely understands the nature of hard-core Sonic fandom. We had a good conversation about the game, and I got Ethan’s official explanation for why Sonic 3 + Knuckles wasn’t included: “To shore up the development time necessary to get “Lock-On†to work in Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection, we would have had to drop all of the bonus games from the disc. Faced with an either/or scenario, we chose to retain our title lineup in its entirety.â€
In other words, that would have meant losing the Sega Master System ports (Phantasy Star and Golden Axe Warrior) and all of the arcade ports. Just throwing an old ROM into a game is one thing, but combining lots of different types of ROM technology (arcade, Genesis, Master System) and making them all work together is another, and to get the game out with this lineup, that’s what needed to happen.
My guess is that they are saving them for future collections. If you install the game, it only comes out to 3.4 gigs. There's no way there wasn't room for both the lock-on games and the arcade/Master System stuff. Even a single-layer 4 GB DVD should have been able to hold a few more MBs worth of ROMs.
EDIT: I'm still reasonably pleased, because I bought it for Beyond Oasis and the Phantasy Star/Shining games. But that's just a silly explanation.
Did you actually read what he said? Its exclusion had nothing to do with disc space, he doesn't even mention it, he said that they just didn't have the time to do it. In other words, they had to choose between coding the 'Lock-On' feature into the emulator or continuing to work on getting the unlockable games working properly. Delaying the Collection was, in all likelihood, not an option.
This ‘Sonic 3 + Knuckles’ feature wasn’t included for Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection. I spoke with the producer for Sonic’s UGC, Ethan Einhorn, who definitely understands the nature of hard-core Sonic fandom. We had a good conversation about the game, and I got Ethan’s official explanation for why Sonic 3 + Knuckles wasn’t included: “To shore up the development time necessary to get “Lock-On” to work in Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection, we would have had to drop all of the bonus games from the disc. Faced with an either/or scenario, we chose to retain our title lineup in its entirety.”
In other words, that would have meant losing the Sega Master System ports (Phantasy Star and Golden Axe Warrior) and all of the arcade ports. Just throwing an old ROM into a game is one thing, but combining lots of different types of ROM technology (arcade, Genesis, Master System) and making them all work together is another, and to get the game out with this lineup, that’s what needed to happen.
My guess is that they are saving them for future collections. If you install the game, it only comes out to 3.4 gigs. There's no way there wasn't room for both the lock-on games and the arcade/Master System stuff. Even a single-layer 4 GB DVD should have been able to hold a few more MBs worth of ROMs.
EDIT: I'm still reasonably pleased, because I bought it for Beyond Oasis and the Phantasy Star/Shining games. But that's just a silly explanation.
Did you actually read what he said? Its exclusion had nothing to do with disc space, he doesn't even mention it, he said that they just didn't have the time to do it. In other words, they had to choose between coding the 'Lock-On' feature into the emulator or continuing to work on getting the unlockable games working properly. Delaying the Collection was, in all likelihood, not an option.
He's either lying or clueless.
I think you're not realizing how much time QA takes. They would have had to dedicate hours upon hours, and draw up test cases, to make sure all the lock on functionality/saving/the games themselves work. They can't re-use any of the testing from previous collections because they were on different systems. And then you have to fit the console maker's QA cycle into it.
So instead of say, spending their last 400 hours of QA budget on Sonic 3/2 + Knuckles, they decided to spend them on including more games. If you want lock-on, you have to pick up Mega Collection. They've only released Sonic 1/2 for 360 (overpriced) and no hint of any way to accomplish it on Virtual Console.
This ‘Sonic 3 + Knuckles’ feature wasn’t included for Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection. I spoke with the producer for Sonic’s UGC, Ethan Einhorn, who definitely understands the nature of hard-core Sonic fandom. We had a good conversation about the game, and I got Ethan’s official explanation for why Sonic 3 + Knuckles wasn’t included: “To shore up the development time necessary to get “Lock-On†to work in Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection, we would have had to drop all of the bonus games from the disc. Faced with an either/or scenario, we chose to retain our title lineup in its entirety.â€
In other words, that would have meant losing the Sega Master System ports (Phantasy Star and Golden Axe Warrior) and all of the arcade ports. Just throwing an old ROM into a game is one thing, but combining lots of different types of ROM technology (arcade, Genesis, Master System) and making them all work together is another, and to get the game out with this lineup, that’s what needed to happen.
My guess is that they are saving them for future collections. If you install the game, it only comes out to 3.4 gigs. There's no way there wasn't room for both the lock-on games and the arcade/Master System stuff. Even a single-layer 4 GB DVD should have been able to hold a few more MBs worth of ROMs.
EDIT: I'm still reasonably pleased, because I bought it for Beyond Oasis and the Phantasy Star/Shining games. But that's just a silly explanation.
Did you actually read what he said? Its exclusion had nothing to do with disc space, he doesn't even mention it, he said that they just didn't have the time to do it. In other words, they had to choose between coding the 'Lock-On' feature into the emulator or continuing to work on getting the unlockable games working properly. Delaying the Collection was, in all likelihood, not an option.
He's either lying or clueless.
I think you're not realizing how much time QA takes. They would have had to dedicate hours upon hours, and draw up test cases, to make sure all the lock on functionality/saving/the games themselves work. They can't re-use any of the testing from previous collections because they were on different systems. And then you have to fit the console maker's QA cycle into it.
So instead of say, spending their last 400 hours of QA budget on Sonic 3/2 + Knuckles, they decided to spend them on including more games. If you want lock-on, you have to pick up Mega Collection. They've only released Sonic 1/2 for 360 (overpriced) and no hint of any way to accomplish it on Virtual Console.
Yeah, but the fabled "lock-on technology" isn't much more complicated than:
COPY /B S&K.BIN + SONIC3.BIN S3&K.BIN
Sonic 3 & Knuckles is really just a Sonic 3 ROM appended to the end of a Sonic & Knuckles ROM. S&K checks the appropriate memory address when the system starts up, and if Sonic 3 is there, it loads the combined game. Any Genesis emulator, commercial or otherwise, should be able to play it with no fuss. There might be some minor hex editing required to get stuff like saving working right, but this also shouldn't be an issue because Sega surely has the combined ROM sitting around their offices somewhere anyway.
So like I said, either lying or clueless. I'm willing to bet that the people stitching this compilation together simply were not aware that it was this easy and did not bother doing their research. It can't be because they forgot about it, as there's a blurb about lock-on in the compilation itself.
It doesn't matter how easy it is to combine the files. You still have to put man hours testing the game from end to end, in all variants (locked on, not locked on, blue sphere). Most of this can be blamed on the legendarily slow MS cert process.
LBD_Nytetrayn is correct; you need two controllers to unlock Phantasy Star 1.
What, the fuck?
Not only do I not have two controllers for either my 360 or my PS3, but I also don't have anyone who would want to play this with me. Is there a way around this?
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Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
LBD_Nytetrayn is correct; you need two controllers to unlock Phantasy Star 1.
What, the fuck?
Not only do I not have two controllers for either my 360 or my PS3, but I also don't have anyone who would want to play this with me. Is there a way around this?
Meh, it don't bother me. I have a guitar controller I'll use and my wife will play tails to help me unlock PS.
Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
edited February 2009
So yea, I picked the game up last night, and it was like I was fifteen again. I played several of the games to test them out, and unlocked a few games. I unlocked Altered Beast Arcade, Congo Bongo, and Shinobi Arcade.
The only game I attempted to play through and beat last night was the first Streets of Rage, and I ran out of continues toward the end...so no beating it yet.
It's harder than I remember.
All in all the presentation is slick and awesome, and one of the best gameplay to money ratios ever. Playing Shining Force 2 after all these years was awesome.
LBD_Nytetrayn is correct; you need two controllers to unlock Phantasy Star 1.
Seriously?! What fucking bullshit! I hope to God they fix that for EU release or with a patch.
It's not that hard because you just have to have someone play as tails but it wasn't that bad to do, took a few minutes, so who really cares? not a big deal.
The only game I attempted to play through and beat last night was the first Streets of Rage, and I ran out of continues toward the end...so no beating it yet.
I enjoy Fatal Labyrinth, but uh...I guess you can die from being full. As I took a bite of food, my character said "I'm stuffed" and then it showed my gravestone.
Bahahaha, that right there is a great example of video game cruelty.
Fatal Labyrinth... I didn't realize it was in this (somehow). Did anyone manage to beat this game legit? It had more chances than anything to set you up in unfair situations. I wasn't a fan of cursed potions or scrolls, and less a fan of the alarm. While falling to the floor below was annoying, it was still manageable. The alarm? It removes that element of picking your fights carefully and next thing you know you're fighting some green crystal shard in the front, a ninja in the back, and behind each are those rolly-poly's that can hit you from a couple spaces away.
The only game I attempted to play through and beat last night was the first Streets of Rage, and I ran out of continues toward the end...so no beating it yet.
Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
edited February 2009
Heh, it makes me laugh how it seems many of us are old timers that are more excited to play a piece of our childhoods than we are about many newer releases. :P
Oh, and I know that it has been in every compilation Sega has ever released...but playing Sonic one and listening to the fantastic music in the game still gives me goosebumps.
I don't look at sonic with the same fond memories as I look at the Super Mario series. I mean, they're fun games and all, but they just seem so hard. I think it's the lack of an overworld map and a save function. Or am I misremembering things?
I don't look at sonic with the same fond memories as I look at the Super Mario series. I mean, they're fun games and all, but they just seem so hard. I think it's the lack of an overworld map and a save function. Or am I misremembering things?
I don't remember Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, or 3 having a save function. You must be one of them youngin's whose first console was an SNES. BACK IN MY DAY...! <.<
Actually, I agree with you about not looking back on it as fondly. I die way more often in Sonic games than I used to.
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Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
edited February 2009
Ok, I still look at the original Sonic games with fond memories, but I agree, not as much as I do the classic Mario games. But to be fair I'm a huge Mario whore, so no game or character compares to the pure unadulterated joy I get from playing a game with Mario in it. :P
I don't look at sonic with the same fond memories as I look at the Super Mario series. I mean, they're fun games and all, but they just seem so hard. I think it's the lack of an overworld map and a save function. Or am I misremembering things?
I don't remember Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, or 3 having a save function. You must be one of them youngin's whose first console was an SNES. BACK IN MY DAY...! <.<
Actually, I agree with you about not looking back on it as fondly. I die way more often in Sonic games than I used to.
Nah, I never played the original marios much because I was a sega master system kid.
Rampage, Altered beast, Wonderboy I, II ,II. These were the games of my childhood.
LBD_Nytetrayn is correct; you need two controllers to unlock Phantasy Star 1.
Seriously?! What fucking bullshit! I hope to God they fix that for EU release or with a patch.
It's not that hard because you just have to have someone play as tails but it wasn't that bad to do, took a few minutes, so who really cares? not a big deal.
Because we don't all own two controllers! It's not that crazy a concept and a bullshit requirement for such a major content unlock.
I don't look at sonic with the same fond memories as I look at the Super Mario series. I mean, they're fun games and all, but they just seem so hard. I think it's the lack of an overworld map and a save function. Or am I misremembering things?
Sonic and "difficult" don't really belong in the same sentence. I mean, as long as you're able to hold onto 1 ring, it's smooth sailing for the most part. There aren't that many pits or other such one-hit kills in the old games.
Lock-on is cool and all, but my biggest problem with S3&K is that it totally ruins the pacing of the game(s). i.e. Launch Base has to be easy enough to serve as a middle-level in the combined game, and Mushroom Hill has to be easy enough to serve as a first level in S&K alone. The result is a combination that you can pretty much sleepwalk through for at least the first 80% or so. The game doesn't really pick up the pace until the Lava Reef boss (but it's totally badass from that point on).
I don't look at sonic with the same fond memories as I look at the Super Mario series. I mean, they're fun games and all, but they just seem so hard. I think it's the lack of an overworld map and a save function. Or am I misremembering things?
Sonic and "difficult" don't really belong in the same sentence. I mean, as long as you're able to hold onto 1 ring, it's smooth sailing for the most part. There aren't that many pits or other such one-hit kills in the old games.
Lock-on is cool and all, but my biggest problem with S3&K is that it totally ruins the pacing of the game(s). i.e. Launch Base has to be easy enough to serve as a middle-level in the combined game, and Mushroom Hill has to be easy enough to serve as a first level in S&K alone. The result is a combination that you can pretty much sleepwalk through for at least the first 80% or so. The game doesn't really pick up the pace until the Lava Reef boss (but it's totally badass from that point on).
I think I was somewhere between 10 and 12 when I last played a sonic genesis game. It was pretty tough for me then. But I think a lot of that came from giving up if I found something too hard.
Mostly I hated those water levels where you had to find the bubbles to breath. The music speeding up seriously stressed me out!
But I'll give it all a retry tonight, just bought the game at lunch!
Regarding Sonic 3 & Knuckles, is there anyone here who wouldn't rather have just had them include and test that at the expense of the two individual games? I mean, you obviously need the ROMs of both, but as far as all the testing and such goes.
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LBD_Nytetrayn is correct; you need two controllers to unlock Phantasy Star 1.
Seriously?! What fucking bullshit! I hope to God they fix that for EU release or with a patch.
It's not that hard because you just have to have someone play as tails but it wasn't that bad to do, took a few minutes, so who really cares? not a big deal.
Because we don't all own two controllers! It's not that crazy a concept and a bullshit requirement for such a major content unlock.
There are still like 39 other games. You're telling me you don't know one other person with a controller? All you have to do is beat the first act of Sonic 2 with two players.
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Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
edited February 2009
It can stay out as far as I'm concerned...it's not an important feature to me. *shrugs*
LBD_Nytetrayn is correct; you need two controllers to unlock Phantasy Star 1.
Seriously?! What fucking bullshit! I hope to God they fix that for EU release or with a patch.
It's not that hard because you just have to have someone play as tails but it wasn't that bad to do, took a few minutes, so who really cares? not a big deal.
Because we don't all own two controllers! It's not that crazy a concept and a bullshit requirement for such a major content unlock.
There are still like 39 other games. You're telling me you don't know one other person with a controller? All you have to do is beat the first act of Sonic 2 with two players.
Correct, I do not have easy access to someone with a 360 controller. Welcome to adulthood, where your friends can become spread over a wide area.
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Brainiac 8Don't call me Shirley...Registered Userregular
edited February 2009
It's ok Jam, the only way I can do it is use my Guitar controller and it isn't easy to do that. I don't have the money to use on a second controller, and while I do have friends around that have a 360, we all have families and work, and never have much time to get together and when we do we usually don't play the 360.
Just go to the nearest middle school and pay a child to come play video games with you. (Tell him to bring his controller) Nothing could possibly go wrong with this plan.
I’ll tell you what happens in Demon’s Souls when you die. You come back as a ghost with your health capped at half. And when you keep on dying, the alignment of the world turns black and the enemies get harder. That’s right, when you fail in this game, it gets harder. Why? Because fuck you is why.
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"Fatal" Labrynth....so I wouldn't trust the food.
Nintendo Network ID - Brainiac_8
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Anyway, the achievement/trophy list is a little... weird. Some things take absolutely zero effort (use Ecco's sonar to talk to another dolphin? Oh, hey, I can do that on the second screen of the game, wow, that took a whole thirty seconds
Almost all the unlocks (except two, both unlocked by one specific goal) are tied to achievements, and I'm a bit of an achievement whore anyway (sadly), so I'm just going to do all of those, unlock everything, and then have some fun with it. It doesn't look like it will take much longer, maybe a couple of hours.
Oh, and here's Sega's reason for not including Sonic 3 & Knuckles:
My guess is that they are saving them for future collections. If you install the game, it only comes out to 3.4 gigs. There's no way there wasn't room for both the lock-on games and the arcade/Master System stuff. Even a single-layer 4 GB DVD should have been able to hold a few more MBs worth of ROMs.
EDIT: I'm still reasonably pleased, because I bought it for Beyond Oasis and the Phantasy Star/Shining games. But that's just a silly explanation.
S3K is 8mb. They're just cocks, basically, they're holding it back presumably to charge for it at a later date. Ah well.
XBL/PSN/Steam: APZonerunner
I'd have traded all of the other bonus stuff for S3K.
Then again, I'd have paid $30 for a disc with only Sonic Spinball and S3K on it.
But then again, you usually wait until about the second collection, when Sega actually starts including everything. I mean, look at Sonic Mega Collection doing well on GC, then PS2 and Xbox get Mega Collection PLUS. and then Sonic Gems came around to actually finish most of the collection off.
Are they saying "bonus" games like ones you have to unlike, like PS1 and Shinobi Arcade? Or are they saying the 30+ non-Sonic games?
Because if it's the latter that seems like a batshit-ridiculous excuse.
Funny thing I hear about that, actually...
What I've read is that in order to unlock Phantasy Star, you have to complete the first part of Sonic 2, I think the whole zone.
Which isn't so bad in itself, except for one thing.
From what I read, you have to do it with two players.
Which means if you don't have a second controller...
I thought that just getting the seven emeralds in S&K would still unlock that?
And it's funny; when you think about it, that stage is what basically set the tone for so many final battles since.
As regards the lock-on, I find the third update here interesting...
Like Mega Man Legends? Then check out my story, Legends of the Halcyon Era - An Adventure in the World of Mega Man Legends on TMMN and AO3!
Also, reading through all the trivia entries on these games is awesome, I love it when you can tell that game makers have a good sense of humor.
This bit from Phantasy Star IV:
"When Phantasy Star IV was first released, the retail price was almost $100. Think about how much this collection cost. You're welcome."
Or this from Sonic Spinball:
"A Pinball Defense System, Robotnik? That was your big idea to stop Sonic? Really?"
That line is epic.
I think you're not realizing how much time QA takes. They would have had to dedicate hours upon hours, and draw up test cases, to make sure all the lock on functionality/saving/the games themselves work. They can't re-use any of the testing from previous collections because they were on different systems. And then you have to fit the console maker's QA cycle into it.
So instead of say, spending their last 400 hours of QA budget on Sonic 3/2 + Knuckles, they decided to spend them on including more games. If you want lock-on, you have to pick up Mega Collection. They've only released Sonic 1/2 for 360 (overpriced) and no hint of any way to accomplish it on Virtual Console.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles is really just a Sonic 3 ROM appended to the end of a Sonic & Knuckles ROM. S&K checks the appropriate memory address when the system starts up, and if Sonic 3 is there, it loads the combined game. Any Genesis emulator, commercial or otherwise, should be able to play it with no fuss. There might be some minor hex editing required to get stuff like saving working right, but this also shouldn't be an issue because Sega surely has the combined ROM sitting around their offices somewhere anyway.
So like I said, either lying or clueless. I'm willing to bet that the people stitching this compilation together simply were not aware that it was this easy and did not bother doing their research. It can't be because they forgot about it, as there's a blurb about lock-on in the compilation itself.
Seriously?! What fucking bullshit! I hope to God they fix that for EU release or with a patch.
What, the fuck?
Not only do I not have two controllers for either my 360 or my PS3, but I also don't have anyone who would want to play this with me. Is there a way around this?
Meh, it don't bother me. I have a guitar controller I'll use and my wife will play tails to help me unlock PS.
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The only game I attempted to play through and beat last night was the first Streets of Rage, and I ran out of continues toward the end...so no beating it yet.
It's harder than I remember.
All in all the presentation is slick and awesome, and one of the best gameplay to money ratios ever. Playing Shining Force 2 after all these years was awesome.
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It's not that hard because you just have to have someone play as tails but it wasn't that bad to do, took a few minutes, so who really cares? not a big deal.
Bahahaha, that right there is a great example of video game cruelty.
Fatal Labyrinth... I didn't realize it was in this (somehow). Did anyone manage to beat this game legit? It had more chances than anything to set you up in unfair situations. I wasn't a fan of cursed potions or scrolls, and less a fan of the alarm. While falling to the floor below was annoying, it was still manageable. The alarm? It removes that element of picking your fights carefully and next thing you know you're fighting some green crystal shard in the front, a ninja in the back, and behind each are those rolly-poly's that can hit you from a couple spaces away.
Man that round clear music brings back memories.
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Oh, and I know that it has been in every compilation Sega has ever released...but playing Sonic one and listening to the fantastic music in the game still gives me goosebumps.
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I don't remember Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, or 3 having a save function. You must be one of them youngin's whose first console was an SNES. BACK IN MY DAY...! <.<
Actually, I agree with you about not looking back on it as fondly. I die way more often in Sonic games than I used to.
But with that said, I still love Sonic 1 - 3. :^:
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Nah, I never played the original marios much because I was a sega master system kid.
Rampage, Altered beast, Wonderboy I, II ,II. These were the games of my childhood.
Just moved and my 360 is currently in a box, as well as my stereo system and all the other pieces that go in the entertainment center.
I guess I know what is getting unboxed tonight
So many childhood memories. Not sure if the fiance will let me play, considering the house is a giant disaster zone because of the move.
Because we don't all own two controllers! It's not that crazy a concept and a bullshit requirement for such a major content unlock.
Lock-on is cool and all, but my biggest problem with S3&K is that it totally ruins the pacing of the game(s). i.e. Launch Base has to be easy enough to serve as a middle-level in the combined game, and Mushroom Hill has to be easy enough to serve as a first level in S&K alone. The result is a combination that you can pretty much sleepwalk through for at least the first 80% or so. The game doesn't really pick up the pace until the Lava Reef boss (but it's totally badass from that point on).
I think I was somewhere between 10 and 12 when I last played a sonic genesis game. It was pretty tough for me then. But I think a lot of that came from giving up if I found something too hard.
Mostly I hated those water levels where you had to find the bubbles to breath. The music speeding up seriously stressed me out!
But I'll give it all a retry tonight, just bought the game at lunch!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qt-C0U6Zg0
Man, that music. I still remember all of it, after all these years! I feel like a kid again.
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There are still like 39 other games. You're telling me you don't know one other person with a controller? All you have to do is beat the first act of Sonic 2 with two players.
Alien syndrome...YAY!
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Correct, I do not have easy access to someone with a 360 controller. Welcome to adulthood, where your friends can become spread over a wide area.
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Let me tell you about Demon's Souls....