Should I get Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection or the Sega Genesis Mini?

[Deleted member 17627]

Been in a Mega Drive mood and am debating between these two. On one hand, the Collection has more SEGA titles, is cheaper, and most importantly Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

On the other hand, the Mini has a lot of cool third party Mega Drive games, and all the games were handled by M2. Plus it's on sale for $50.

Thoughts, Era?

 

[Zalman]

I have both, but the Mini always felt incomplete to me without Sonic 3. If you can ignore that though, it has the more interesting lineup (Mickey games are a huge plus).

 

[Lant_War]

If you don't mind modding your consoles, you can always softmod the Mini and quickly fix the lack of Sonic 3 (buy it on Steam, and you'll get a copy of the ROM that you can place on the console).

I'd grab the Mini personally, since it also looks cool and you get two Genesis controllers to go with it.

 

[batfax]

They both got Phantasy Star IV and Shining Force, so you should be pretty set either way.

The controller on the Mini is really nice though. Haven't tested it on PC/other consoles, but assuming it works, it might be a good idea to get one of those anyway.

 

[Aaron]

I have both, but the Mini always felt incomplete to me without Sonic 3. If you can ignore that though, it has the more interesting lineup (Mickey games are a huge plus).

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You can also get Sonic 3 & Knuckles on Steam or XBLA for current-gen options. Nothing for PS4 or Switch though.

Genesis mini. Better options, a lot of the first party Sega stuff that's on the various collections but not the mini are superfluous.

 

[Rolodzeo]

I'd buy the Genesis/Mega Drive collection on Steam and just use whatever emulator I'd want, as you can find the roms in the installation folder.

 

[FSLink]

Get the mini because it's moddable and it has much less input lag.

I'd buy the Genesis/Mega Drive collection on Steam and just use whatever emulator I'd want, as you can find the roms in the installation folder.

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Or this if you're playing on a PC.

 

[Symphony]

Most of the collection's games are ones that have been released countless times over the years and will continue to be, despite nobody being particularly fond of them (Super Thunder Blade, ESWAT or Gain Ground anyone?). A Mini would generally be a better option, not only do you get to try some rare, expensive and underrated games that likely won't ever get re-released again, but it has better emulation and you could always buy Sonic 3 & Knuckles from Steam, mod the Mini and just copy across the Steam version (which is simply a rom file).

 

[LewieP]

I'm a big fan of Sonic 3 complete, I think it makes some really great and smart changes to the game. If you've never played it that way before, I'd heavily recommend any solution that lets you play that. I had the rom from Steam, so used that to play it.

Sonic 3 Complete - Sonic Retro

info.sonicretro.org

 

[RLCC14]

Doesn't the mini have some tech issues and additional input lag?

 

[Symphony]

Doesn't the mini have some tech issues and additional input lag?

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It does have a little input lag, but the collection was Backbone emulation so it wasn't particularly accurate in the first place.

 

[Berordn]

Doesn't the mini have some tech issues and additional input lag?

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Emulation isn't perfect, but it's generally fine. Whatever input lag it adds is actually still a better response time than the ultimate genesis collection.

 

[Deleted member 34949]

The Mini has better emulation, and with modding, some of the holes in the offerings can be plugged up relatively easily (i.e. buying Sonic 3 & Knuckles on Steam, and taking the ROM from that and putting it on the Mini). I'd say go with that. Nearly every game in the Ultimate Genesis Collection has a superior version elsewhere, even within the same hardware.

In all fairness, the collection does have Golden Axe Warrior, which is a) surprisingly good and b) hasn't been re-released outside of the collection and is a pretty hilariously expensive game to get on Master System.

Doesn't the mini have some tech issues and additional input lag?

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Mini has less input lag than the Genesis collection, but some slight sound lag. It's not too apparent unless you know to look for it, though.

 

[ZeroCDR]

It's a lot of fun to soft mod a Sega Mini, and you can change the emulator (even on a per game basis) if you notice any lag.

 

[Nali]

On one hand, the Collection has more SEGA titles, is cheaper, and most importantly Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

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You'd think so, but despite having Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, the UGC doesn't offer any of the locked-on games.

 

[NZerker12]

I'm a big fan of Sonic 3 complete, I think it makes some really great and smart changes to the game. If you've never played it that way before, I'd heavily recommend any solution that lets you play that. I had the rom from Steam, so used that to play it.

Sonic 3 Complete - Sonic Retro

info.sonicretro.org

Click to shrink...

I second this.

Sonic 3 Complete and Sonic 3 A.I.R (Angel Island Revisited) are the definitive ways to experience Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

 

[G_Shumi]

I would go with the Mini personally, since you can mod it to play whatever Genesis games you want on there. It's so super simple to do that I did it myself and I have no coding or programming experience at all.

You can even add modded games like Sonic 3 Complete and Sonic 3D Blast: Director's Cut.

Plus, if you want a more "authentic" experience, it comes with two Genesis USB controllers. If you have a wireless USB controller, you can plug that in too.

The Ultimate Genesis Collection is a fine compilation, though, if you're just looking for a quick fix. But keep in mind that Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles are kept separate from each other.

 

[samwyse]

Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection as in the previous gen collection with buggy audio in Sonic games? At least on Xbox 360 the bumpers in Spring Yard Zone have an awful distorted sound. It sounds like it's too loud and clipping https://youtu.be/X6z02-ukkGw?t=1813

 

[Angst]

Get the mini, copy your owned Genesis games to it.

 

[Don Fluffles]

If you want the mini, the Japanese W release has the 6 button controllers, ideal for fighters. There are also arguably a higher amount of good games on there. You can just toggle English to play the respective versions.

 

[SMD]

.

 

[Hieroph]

$50 for the Mini? That's an amazing deal. Get it now.

 

[Giant Enemy Crab]

Been in a Mega Drive mood and am debating between these two. On one hand, the Collection has more SEGA titles, is cheaper, and most importantly Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

On the other hand, the Mini has a lot of cool third party Mega Drive games, and all the games were handled by M2. Plus it's on sale for $50.

Thoughts, Era?

Click to shrink...

If the price is important to you, then choose the Genesis Mini.

If quality is the priority, take the Asian Megadrive mini (better selection, less garbage, hidden gems)

If you have no taste, then buy the rushed Sonic ultimate collection. ;)

Alien Soldier, MUSHA, Bloodlines, Contra HC, Thunder Force 3, come on... You cannot skip all that goodness for a Sonic 3 you Can buy on Steam.