| Sonic Classic Collection | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer | Creative Assembly |
| Publisher | Sega |
| Series | Sonic the Hedgehog |
| Platform | Nintendo DS |
| Release | |
| Genre | Platform |
| Mode | Single-player |
Sonic Classic Collection is a 2010video game compilation developed byCreative Assembly and published bySega for theNintendo DS. It contains the four mainSonic the Hedgehogplatform games originally released for theSega Genesis:Sonic the Hedgehog (1991),Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992),Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994), andSonic & Knuckles (1994). Upon release,Sonic Classic Collection received mixed reviews.
Sonic Classic Collection containsSonic the Hedgehog,Sonic the Hedgehog 2,Sonic the Hedgehog 3, andSonic & Knuckles. The Lock-on modes from the originalSonic & Knuckles cartridge (Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 andSonic 3 & Knuckles) are fully implemented and playable.[1] The ability to save at any point, a feature absent in the original games, is also present.[2] Alongside the main games, a gallery of character artwork from theSonic series is viewable.[1][3]
On November 11, 2009, theBBFC classifiedSonic Classic Collection, accidentally announcing the game early.[4] Two videos, one aboutSonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood and the other about the history of theSonic franchise, were listed as content present within the game. These were presumably cut, as they are not featured in the final version of the game.Sonic Classic Collection was formally announced by Sega on December 1, 2009 through a press release, with Creative Assembly's Australian studio developing.[5]
A limited edition, exclusive toSpain andAustralia, was released concurrently alongside the standard version of the game. The limited edition comes with a tin box containing the base game, a Sonic figurine, and five postcards of Sonic artwork.[6]
In 2015,Sonic Classic Collection illustrations were discovered in a former Creative Assembly Australia employee's portfolio, includingSonic Spinball,Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, andSonic 3D Blast logos, suggesting that at some point these games were considered for inclusion, although they were not present in the final release.[7]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 70/100[8] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| GamesRadar+ |   [3] |
| IGN | 7/10[1] |
| Nintendo Life | [2] |
| VideoGamer.com | 8/10[9] |
According toreview aggregator websiteMetacritic,Sonic Classic Collection received "mixed or average" reviews.[8] Critics generally agreed that the compilation was fun and that the games could still be enjoyable after their original release. However, critics criticised the emulation for "the iffy frame rate present in all the games",[9] and "although the game never slows down to the extent of Sonic’s infamousGame Boy Advanceouting, it’s a fact that the DS shouldn’t be struggling with these games".[2] More points of contention were the lack of multiplayer and how loading a file "just kicks you back to the start of the level that you were playing".[1] A lack of extras was another complaint, as they were described as "extremely little... to get excited about"[9] and howClassic Collection had "only the basics of legacy material like character art."[1]