Is nostalgia a thing of the past? I didn't think so until I acquired a copy of the Sega Megadrive Ultimate Collection. On the face of it, this is a fantastic package to add to your collection... 40 classics crammed onto a single shiny Xbox disc.
But despite the volume of games that had wowed me all those years before, I couldn't help but feel a little deflated after I started playing. Some things are better left alone.

Quite whether anyone would enjoy more than half the games on offer is debatable.

Buyer beware... this isn't a selection of the best the Megadrive (perhaps my all-time favourite console) had to offer. There's no Toejam and Earl, no Road Rash and no Desert Strike! Instead, it's a pretty eclectic mix... ranging from the Streets of Rage trilogy to Golden Axe and Columns. Nevertheless, it's almost guaranteed there will be something there for everyone's taste.
Here's the list in all it's glory - and a mini 10-word review for each:

  • Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle - cutesy Mario clone. Enjoyable back then and not bad now. HIT
  • Alien Storm - side-scrolling Golden Axe wannabe. An enjoyable shoot-em-up. HIT
  • Altered Beast - abysmal game. Kick and punch your way through each level. MISS
  • Beyond Oasis - top down RPG - apparently pretty decent but not my thing. MISS
  • Bonanza Bros - great co-op game, funny and colourful. Brings back fond memories. HIT
  • Columns - classic puzzle title, which kept me glued to thescreen. HIT
  • Comix Zone - innovative and unusual. Play through a comic book! Great game. HIT
  • Decap Attack - fun platformer also known as Magical Hat Flying Turbo Adventure. HIT
  • Dr Robotnik's MBM - very similar to columns and strangely addictive. Great puzzle game. HIT
  • Dynamite Headdy - nothing to write home about - really wants to be Sonic. MISS
  • Ecco the Dolphin - boring back then and boring now. A dolphin game? Please! MISS
  • Ecco II: The Tides of Time - see above. Sequel to a dolphin game, for goodness sake. MISS
  • E-SWAT - it's not too bad - reminds me of Robocop. Very playable. HIT
  • Fatal Labyrinth - yet another RPG - looks dated but really not too bad. HIT
  • Flicky - love this. Cute and addictive. Rescue all the little birdies. HIT
  • Gain Ground - Really used to love this and it's still a blast. HIT
  • Golden Axe - great years ago, it's an enjoyable trip down memory lane. HIT
  • Golden Axe II - ...but do we really need another version? Don't think so. MISS
  • Golden Axe III - ...stop it already. Another sequel is too much. Looking old. MISS
  • Kid Chameleon - the Megadrive was certainly the platform for platformers. Good fun. HIT
  • Phantasy Star II - yawn, another RPG but plenty to play through. Don't bother. MISS
  • Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom - more of the same. Sick and tired of this now. MISS
  • Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium - why have so many versions on one disc? Bored now! MISS
  • Ristar - you control a star. With hands. Weird but strangely playable. HIT
  • Shining in the Darkness - another RPG... but a classic. Remember this from years ago. HIT
  • Shining Force - RPG. RPG. RPG. Where is Road Rash? Was fun though. HIT
  • Shining Force 2 - meh, am not surprised. RPGs and platformers fuelled the Megadrive! HIT
  • Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master - great ninja action. Really enjoyed playing this. Still great fun. HIT
  • Sonic 3D Blast - awful rejig of great Sonic series - different perspective doesn't work. MISS
  • Sonic and Knuckles - classic Sonic fare. No real surprises. Good for a laugh. HIT
  • Sonic Spinball - nice for a change. Decent pinball game with Sonic twist. HIT
  • Sonic The Hedgehog - absolutely brilliant. Everyone must have played this before! Love it. HIT
  • Sonic The Hedgehog 2 - another good outing for Sonic. Decent graphics and great fun. HIT
  • Sonic The Hedgehog 3 - meh, starting to lose its appeal a little now. Dull. MISS
  • Streets of Rage - a great co-op game. Still fun but now looking dated. HIT
  • Streets of Rage 2 - the series got better and better. Graphics have been updated. HIT
  • Streets of Rage 3 - still fun with new characters and enemies. Whata game. HIT
  • Super Thunder Blade - over 20 years old now and looks it too. Poor. MISS
  • Vectorman - liked this. Side-scolling platformer with cool main character. Cool. HIT
  • Vectorman 2 - not much different from before. Nothing special. Original was sufficient. MISS
So all in all, I actually liked well over half the content. It really is greatvalue for money... you can pick it up for about £13 from Amazon.co.uk so it's really very difficult to criticize cost-wise.

I just question whether anyone would really spend much time playing it; think I'd much rather put my hard-earned cash towards a new release.

Reckon some of these Megadrive games are best remembered rather than replayed!

(Photo credit: PhotoPuddle)