| Sonic Gems Collection | |
|---|---|
 North American GameCube cover art, depicting Sonic and Metal Sonic | |
| Developer(s) | Sonic Team |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Director(s) | Mizuki Hosoyamada |
| Producer(s) | Yojiro Ogawa |
| Designer(s) | Makoto Hirata |
| Programmer(s) |
|
| Artist(s) | Yuji Uekawa |
| Composer(s) |
|
| Series | Sonic the Hedgehog |
| Platform(s) | GameCube PlayStation 2 |
| Release | GameCubePlayStation 2 |
| Genre(s) | Various |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
Sonic Gems Collection is a 2005compilation ofSega video games, primarily those in theSonic the Hedgehog series. Theemulated games span multiple genres andconsoles—from theSega Genesis to theSega Saturn—and retain the features and errors of their initial releases with minimal edits. Player progress is rewarded withdemos of otherSonic games, videos, and promotional artwork spanning the history of theSonic franchise. While its 2002 predecessor,Sonic Mega Collection, comprises popularSonic games,Gems Collection focuses on more obscure games, such asSonic CD (1993) andSonic the Fighters (1996). Other non-Sonic games are included, but some, such as theStreets of Rage trilogy, are omitted in the Westernlocalization.
DeveloperSonic Team conceived the compilation to introduce younger players to olderSonic games. One game they wished to include,SegaSonic the Hedgehog (1993), was excluded due to emulation difficulties. Sega releasedGems Collection for theGameCube andPlayStation 2 in August 2005. Reviews were mixed or average; critics were divided over whether the package would satisfy players. They preferredSonic CD andVectorman, but foundSonic the Fighters andSonic R mediocre, and disliked theGame Gear games. Some were disappointed by the absence of theStreets of Rage games in the International version and otherSonic games likeSegaSonic the Hedgehog,Knuckles' Chaotix andSonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure.
Sonic Gems Collection is acompilation of obscure video games published bySega for variousconsoles, such as theSega CD,Sega Saturn, andGame Gear. It primarily focuses onSonic the Hedgehog games, includingSonic CD (1993),[1]Sonic the Fighters (1996),Sonic R (1997), and six of the twelveSonic games released for theGame Gear, with the other six having been included in the previous compilation release,Sonic Mega Collection Plus. These games encompass various genres, such asplatforming,fighting,racing,pinball, andpuzzle.[2][3] Players can also unlock the twoVectorman games forSega Genesis (1995 and 1996).[1][4][2] Four additional games,Bonanza Bros. (1990) and theStreets of Rage trilogy (1991–1994), are unlockable only in the Japanese version and are not included in any international releases.[3][4] Each game is mostly identical to its initial release, but some were changed; for example,Sonic R runs at a higherframe rate.[3] Players can view scans of the original instruction manuals for each game, along with hints andcheat codes.[5]
The compilation features an extensive museum section in which players can view content—such as promotional artwork, videos, screenshots, and remixed music—unlocked after obtainingachievements.[2][3] Time-limiteddemos of the GenesisSonic games[a] and the other six Game Gear games[b] can also be unlocked. In each demo, the player begins in the respective game's final level and can play until the time limit is met.[5]
| Featured games | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Genre | Original platform | Original release | Developer |
| Sonic CD | Platform | Sega CD | 1993 | Sega |
| Sonic the Fighters | Fighting | Arcade | 1996 | Sega AM2 |
| Sonic R | Racing | Saturn | 1997 | Traveller's Tales,Sonic Team |
| Game Gear games | ||||
| Title | Genre | Original platform | Original release | Developer |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | Platform | Game Gear | 1992 | Aspect |
| Sonic Spinball | Pinball | 1993 | Sega Technical Institute | |
| Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble | Platform | 1994 | Aspect | |
| Sonic Drift 2 | Racing | 1995 | Sega | |
| Tails' Skypatrol | Puzzle | 1995 | SIMS | |
| Tails Adventure | Platform | 1995 | Aspect | |
| Unlockable games | ||||
| Title | Genre | Original platform | Original release | Developer |
| Vectorman | Platform,run-and-gun | Sega Genesis | 1995 | BlueSky Software |
| Vectorman 2 | Platform, run-and-gun | 1996 | BlueSky Software | |
| Bonanza Bros.[i] | Shooter | 1990 | Sega | |
| Streets of Rage[i] | Beat 'em up | 1991 | Sega | |
| Streets of Rage 2[i] | Beat 'em up | 1992 | Sega | |
| Streets of Rage 3[i] | Beat 'em up | 1994 | Sega | |
Sonic Gems Collection was developed bySonic Team and published by Sega for theGameCube andPlayStation 2.[7] According to Sonic Team director Yojiro Ogawa, the compilation (and its 2002 predecessorSonic Mega Collection) was conceived to introduce young players to older games in theSonic franchise. WhileSonic Mega Collection focused on the original Genesis games to showcase what made the franchise a success,Sonic Gems Collection focused on games Sega considered rare and obscure.[8] Although Sonic Team was responsible forSonic Gems Collection's creation, they had limited involvement in the development of the games included on the compilation; for example,Sega AM2 madeSonic the Fighters, andSonic R was primarily developed byTraveller's Tales.[3] Most of the games included areemulated,[3] butSonic the Fighters is aport.[5]
At the beginning ofGems Collection's development, Sonic Team made a list of the most wanted games for the compilation. The team considered the games they felt were high quality in graphics, gameplay, and overall nature.[8]Sonic CD andVectorman were considered for inclusion inMega Collection, but were deferred toGems Collection. ProducerYuji Naka said storage constraints preventedSonic CD from inclusion inMega Collection.[8][9] AM3'sSegaSonic the Hedgehog (1993) was omitted due to problems emulating itstrackball controls.[10] AM2 assisted in portingSonic the Fighters, marking its first release on a homeconsole. TheWindows versions ofSonic CD andSonic R were used inSonic Gems Collection.[3][11] Both games received visual upgrades:Sonic CD's opening sequence is presented infullscreen andSonic R has higher resolutiontextures.[12]: 40
During development, Sonic Team hoped that each region's version ofSonic Gems Collection would be identical in content. However, theStreets of Rage games andBonanza Bros. had to be omitted from the Westernlocalization, due to fears of a "Teen" rating from theEntertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).[4][13] The team also wished to include both the Japanese and North AmericanSonic CD soundtracks, but storage and licensing problems resulted in Japan only receiving its respective soundtrack and all other regions using the North American version.[8][13]Sonic Gems Collection was announced in May 2005,[14] and was playable at theElectronic Entertainment Expo (E3).[15] It was released on August 11, 2005 in Japan, August 16, 2005 in North America, September 30, 2005 in Europe.[1][7][16] In Australia, the game was released for PlayStation 2 and GameCube the following week on October 5 and October 7, respectively.[17][18] The PlayStation 2 version was not released in North America.[19] Those who ordered the game through Sega's online store Sega Direct received an exclusiveSonic-themedyo-yo.[20]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 64/100 (32 reviews)[21] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| 1Up.com | C+[19] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 6.2/10[22] |
| Eurogamer | 7/10[23] |
| GameSpot | 6.3/10[3] |
| GameSpy |    [2] |
| IGN | 7.5/10[1] |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 9/20[24] |
| Nintendo Power | 8.5/10[12] |
According toMetacritic, a video gamereview aggregator,Sonic Gems Collection received "mixed or average" reviews.[21] By November 22, 2005, the compilation sold 200,000 copies outside Japan.[25] In 2006, the GameCube version was branded aPlayer's Choice game.[26]
Reviewers consideredSonic CD the compilation's strongest feature,[1][23] so much thatNintendo Power's Steve T. andElectronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) said it was worth buying forSonic CD alone.[12]: 85 [22] Juan Castro (IGN) found thatSonic CD "still holds its own against modern platformers", praising its unique, time-travel oriented gameplay,level design, visuals, and sound. Castro called it one of the best games in theSonic series and was no less fun than its original release.[1] Ryan Davis (GameSpot) foundSonic CD superior to the other games in the compilation,[3] and Tom Bramwell (Eurogamer) declared "rejoice forSonic CD... Just don't rejoice for anything else, because it's mostly rubbish".[23] Many reviewers were also pleased by the inclusion of theVectorman games. Castro called it "the pinnacle of 16-bit gaming", praising its melding of boss fights, action, and platforming and saying it aged well.[1] Bramwell and Phil Theobald (GameSpy) agreed.[23][2]
Critics generally feltSonic R andSonic the Fighters were mediocre.[1][2][3] Castro, Theobald, and Davis comparedSonic the Fighters unfavorably to theVirtua Fighter games,[1][2] with Davis calling it dated and simplistic.[3]Jeuxvideo.com's Superpanda, in a negative review of the compilation, argued thatSonic the Fighters was too short and had control issues, but thatSonic R was on par withSonic CD in terms of quality, praising the game's graphics and claiming that it was the compilation's most beautiful game.[24] Castro was less positive: he found its ideas clever and considered it an interesting departure from normal racing games, but thought the ideas were poorly implemented and the controls were awkward. However, he still thought the game was enjoyable and that its soundtrack was unique.[1] Theobald voiced a similar opinion, considering it "a concept that works better in theory than in practice".[2] Conversely, Davis saidSonic R's "laughably bad soundtrack" was its "only redeeming quality".[3] Bramwell considered it too odd and short to be worth the player's time.[23]
The six Game GearSonic games were criticized for their uneven quality and poor emulation.[2][3][23] Theobald liked that the games were available from the start, but was puzzled why the other six games were left out. He also considered the selection random ("whySonic 2, but noSonic?").[2] Castro was intrigued that they were all on one disc, but thought their screen displays were bad and said "you'd probably be better off dusting your old [Game Gear] and finding those old games" rather than playing them onSonic Gems Collection.[1] Of the Game Gear games, Davis preferredSonic 2,Sonic Triple Trouble, andTails Skypatrol, but disliked the rest. He heavily criticized their emulation quality, noting their frequentframe rate drops.[3] Bramwell joked they were present on the disc for "educational" purposes. He lambasted their resolutions and encouraged readers to ignore them entirely.[23]
Some reviewers found the compilation incomplete.[2][3][19] Davis and Theobald both criticized the exclusion of theStreets of Rage games in the North American version. Davis stated he preferred them overVectorman and Theobald said Sega should have just let the compilation get a Teen rating from the ESRB.[2][3] Theobald was also disappointed that the compilation lackedSegaSonic the Hedgehog,Knuckles' Chaotix, and the other Game Gear games.[2] Jeremy Parish (1UP.com) said even combiningSonic Mega Collection andSonic Gems Collection would provide players an incompleteSonic collection, lambasting the exclusion ofKnuckles' Chaotix andSonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure and feeling theMaster SystemSonic games should have been included, not the Game Gear ones.[19] Superpanda said he would have preferredKnuckles' Chaotix over the Game Gear games and also considered its exclusion of the Saturn version ofSonic 3D Blast a disappointment.[24]
Reviewers were generally divided over whetherSonic Gems Collection would leave players satisfied.[1][3][23]EGM summed it up as a "woefully uneven mix", but oneSonic fans should check out if they wantedSonic CD.[22] Castro said the compilation was "decent" and worth its price tag, but was not as solid asSonic Mega Collection.[1] Theobald found it weak and that onlySonic CD andVectorman would appeal to casual gamers.[2] Bramwell was sarcastic: "if this sort of thing matters to you, if you still can't bear to unplug yourDreamcast, and you do ownVirtua Fighter 4 and all the others and think they're brilliant, this is for you".[23] WhenFamitsu named the best games of 2005, it rankedSonic Gems Collection among the bottom of the PlayStation 2 and GameCube releases.[27]
Release date: 5th October, 2005.