Sonic classics of yesteryear arrive in a new pack for the Nintendo DS.
Thats just what Sega is banking on here.
How infuriating, then, that it didnt follow up with a fuller collection.
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Diving into the first game, its clear that some compromises were necessary.
Thats fair enough, since reproducing the pixels one-for-one would mean cropping out the edges of platforms.
Nintendo dealt with similar issues in itsMario Advancere-issues by making slight modifications to the platform arrangement.
Segas solution is to scale the graphics down slightly, rather than tweak the series finely-honed level designs.
I wont argue with that decision.
Its the right one forSonic, but it has some unfortunate side effects.
When startingSonic1s Green Hill Zone, everything looks much as youd expect.
Back in the day, designers would alternate the colours of pixels between solid and empty to fake transparency.
Sonics adventures are littered with these and other fine detail that ends up garbled on the DS.
Some of the sound effects are a bit off, too.
Thats more of a quirk and newcomers to the games wont even notice.
Just as insulting to your memories is the cheap presentation.
The supplementary material consists of a dull gallery of still images.
Its still worth picking this up if you must have these games in your pocket.
Sadly, it isnt.
Sonic Classic Collectionis out now for Nintendo DS andavailable from the Den Of Geek Store.
Rating:
3 out of 5
