<s>
is	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
compilation	O
developed	O
by	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
in	O
2002	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
a	O
compilation	O
of	O
several	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
games	O
originally	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
,	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
few	O
other	O
Sega-published	O
titles	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
director	O
,	O
Yojiro	O
Ogawa	O
,	O
the	O
purpose	O
of	O
the	O
compilation	O
was	O
to	O
introduce	O
younger	O
players	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
games	O
are	O
played	O
through	O
a	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
emulator	O
developed	O
by	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
themselves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Outside	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
,	O
the	O
compilation	O
includes	O
Sonic-themed	O
videos	O
and	O
illustrations	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
high-resolution	O
scans	O
of	O
the	O
instruction	O
manuals	O
and	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
comic	O
covers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
Mega	O
Collection	O
received	O
positive	O
critical	O
reception	O
,	O
being	O
recommended	O
for	O
its	O
large	O
library	O
of	O
titles	O
,	O
high	O
quality	O
emulation	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
cheap	O
market	O
price	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
compilation	O
was	O
re-released	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
as	O
Sonic	B-Device
Mega	I-Device
Collection	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
with	O
additional	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
originally	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Game	O
Gear	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
a	O
new	O
compilation	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
and	O
GameCube	B-Application
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
Gems	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
,	O
with	O
more	O
obscure	O
and	O
rare	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
such	O
as	O
Sonic	B-Application
CD	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
Mega	O
Collection	O
compiles	O
14	O
emulated	O
games	O
originally	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
,	O
limited	O
to	O
only	O
12	O
in	O
releases	O
outside	O
of	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
seven	O
default	O
games	O
,	O
three	O
unlockable	O
games	O
are	O
included	O
that	O
recreate	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
&	I-Application
Knuckles	I-Application
"	O
lock-on	O
technology	O
"	O
to	O
allow	O
for	O
new	O
modes	O
and/or	O
playable	O
characters	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
three	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Four	O
non-Sonic	O
games	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
are	O
also	O
unlockable	O
,	O
two	O
of	O
which	O
are	O
exclusive	O
to	O
the	O
Japanese	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
"	O
Extras	O
"	O
section	O
features	O
over	O
100	O
scans	O
of	O
comic	O
covers	O
from	O
Archie	O
Comics	O
 '	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
illustrations	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
characters	O
throughout	O
the	O
franchise	O
's	O
history	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
handful	O
of	O
videos	O
promoting	O
other	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
opening	O
and	O
ending	O
cutscenes	O
from	O
Sonic	B-Application
CD	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Device
Mega	I-Device
Collection	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
includes	O
all	O
14	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
release	O
in	O
all	O
regions	O
,	O
plus	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
six	O
Sega	O
Game	O
Gear	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
illustration	O
gallery	O
has	O
been	O
expanded	O
with	O
artwork	O
from	O
games	O
released	O
since	O
the	O
original	O
Mega	O
Collection	O
,	O
while	O
all	O
videos	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
release	O
have	O
been	O
omitted	O
,	O
replaced	O
by	O
a	O
gallery	O
of	O
storyboards	O
and	O
in-production	O
renders	O
of	O
cutscenes	O
from	O
Sonic	B-Application
Heroes	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
++Games	O
included	O
in	O
Sonic	B-Application
Mega	O
Collection	O
Default	O
gamesTitleGenreOriginal	O
releaseDeveloperSonic	O
the	O
HedgehogPlatform1991Sonic	O
TeamSonic	O
the	O
Hedgehog	O
2Platform1992Sega	O
Technical	O
InstituteSonic	O
the	O
Hedgehog	O
3Platform1994Sega	O
Technical	O
InstituteSonic	O
&	O
KnucklesPlatform1994Sega	O
Technical	O
InstituteSonic	O
3D	O
BlastPlatform1996Traveller	O
's	O
Tales	O
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
TeamSonic	O
SpinballPinball1993Sega	O
Technical	O
InstituteDr	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Robotnik	O
's	O
Mean	O
Bean	O
MachinePuzzle1993Compile	O
Unlockable	O
gamesTitleGenreOriginal	O
releaseDeveloperBlue	O
SpherePlatform1994Sonic	O
TeamKnuckles	O
in	O
Sonic	B-Application
2Platform1994Sega	O
Technical	O
InstituteSonic	O
3	O
&	O
KnucklesPlatform1994Sega	O
Technical	O
InstituteFlickyPlatform1991SegaRistarPlatform1995SegaThe	O
OozeAction1995Sega	O
Technical	O
InstituteComix	O
ZoneBeat	O
'	O
em	O
up1995Sega	O
Technical	O
Institute	O
Games	O
exclusive	O
to	O
Sonic	B-Application
Mega	O
Collection	O
PlusTitleGenreOriginal	O
releaseDeveloperSonic	O
the	O
HedgehogPlatform1991AncientSonic	O
LabyrinthAction	O
,	O
Puzzle1995Minato	O
GikenSonic	O
DriftKart	O
racing1994Sega	O
,	O
Arc	O
System	O
WorksSonic	O
ChaosPlatform1993AspectSonic	O
BlastPlatform1996AspectDr	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mega	O
Collection	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
,	O
the	O
studio	O
behind	O
most	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
director	O
Yojiro	O
Ogawa	O
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
's	O
goal	O
with	O
the	O
compilation	O
was	O
to	O
introduce	O
children	O
to	O
older	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
and	O
showcase	O
what	O
made	O
Sonic	B-Application
successful	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
chose	O
to	O
focus	O
on	O
including	O
all	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rather	O
than	O
porting	O
them	O
from	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
,	O
they	O
collaborated	O
with	O
VR-1	O
Japan	O
to	O
develop	O
an	O
emulator	O
to	O
run	O
the	O
games	O
 '	O
ROM	B-General_Concept
images	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Series	O
co-creator	O
Yuji	O
Naka	O
,	O
who	O
served	O
as	O
producer	O
,	O
said	O
the	O
team	O
intended	O
to	O
include	O
the	O
1993	O
Sega	B-Device
CD	I-Device
game	O
Sonic	B-Application
CD	I-Application
,	O
but	O
storage	O
constraints	O
prevented	O
this	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
also	O
considered	O
including	O
BlueSky	O
Software	O
's	O
Vectorman	B-Application
(	O
1995	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CD	O
and	O
Vectorman	B-Application
later	O
appeared	O
in	O
Sonic	B-Application
Gems	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
(	O
2005	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
successor	O
to	O
Mega	O
Collection	O
focusing	O
on	O
rare	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
had	O
trouble	O
gathering	O
materials	O
for	O
the	O
compilation	O
because	O
it	O
had	O
been	O
a	O
decade	O
since	O
they	O
made	O
the	O
games	O
and	O
"	O
Sega	O
's	O
not	O
that	O
good	O
about	O
keeping	O
history.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
instance	O
,	O
Naka	O
wanted	O
to	O
include	O
the	O
original	O
prototype	B-Application
of	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
but	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
could	O
not	O
find	O
its	O
ROM	B-General_Concept
image	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
announced	O
Mega	O
Collection	O
as	O
a	O
GameCube	B-Application
exclusive	O
in	O
early	O
July	O
2002	O
,	O
and	O
revealed	O
which	O
games	O
would	O
be	O
included	O
later	O
that	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
compilation	O
went	O
gold	O
the	O
following	O
November	O
;	O
Naka	O
said	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
felt	O
a	O
sense	O
of	O
accomplishment	O
when	O
they	O
completed	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Sega	O
began	O
to	O
expand	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
it	O
commissioned	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
Mega	O
Collection	O
for	O
that	O
console	O
and	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
,	O
Sonic	B-Device
Mega	I-Device
Collection	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
,	O
was	O
announced	O
at	O
E3	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Windows	B-Application
version	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
March	O
2006	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
later	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
PC	O
Collection	O
(	O
2009	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviews	O
for	O
Sonic	B-Application
Mega	O
Collection	O
were	O
generally	O
favorable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
Informer	O
declared	O
Sonic	B-Application
Mega	O
Collection	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
perhaps	O
the	O
best	O
compilation	O
ever.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Jeff	O
Gerstmann	O
of	O
GameSpot	O
suggested	O
that	O
"	O
if	O
you	O
're	O
fiending	O
for	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
and	O
either	O
do	O
n't	O
have	O
or	O
are	O
unwilling	O
to	O
drag	O
out	O
a	O
dusty	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
from	O
the	O
closet	O
,	O
do	O
n't	O
hesitate	O
to	O
give	O
it	O
a	O
shot.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Johnny	O
Liu	O
of	O
Game	O
Revolution	O
advised	O
"	O
just	O
blow	O
the	O
dust	O
off	O
the	O
old	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
,	O
because	O
there	O
is	O
n't	O
enough	O
good	O
extra	O
stuff	O
here.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
described	O
Sonic	B-Application
Mega	O
Collection	O
as	O
"	O
the	O
ultimate	O
compilation	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
adventures.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
a	O
runner-up	O
for	O
GameSpots	O
annual	O
"	O
Best	O
Platformer	O
on	O
GameCube	B-Application
"	O
award	O
,	O
which	O
went	O
to	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
Sunshine	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviews	O
for	O
Sonic	B-Device
Mega	I-Device
Collection	I-Device
Plus	I-Device
were	O
also	O
positive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hilary	O
Goldstein	O
of	O
IGN	O
declared	O
that	O
"	O
you	O
ca	O
n't	O
find	O
a	O
better	O
deal	O
than	O
20	O
games	O
for	O
20	O
dollars	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
"	O
while	O
not	O
every	O
Sonic	B-Application
game	O
is	O
a	O
winner	O
,	O
the	O
majority	O
are	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
games	O
,	O
though	O
old	O
,	O
are	O
superior	O
to	O
Sega	O
's	O
more	O
recent	O
3D	O
Sonic	B-Application
offerings.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Aceinet	O
of	O
GameZone	O
,	O
while	O
praising	O
the	O
compilation	O
overall	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
nearly	O
complete	O
package	O
of	O
classic	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
,	O
"	O
was	O
critical	O
of	O
the	O
emulation	O
of	O
the	O
Game	O
Gear	O
games	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
"	O
while	O
the	O
emulation	O
is	O
spot-on	O
for	O
the	O
games	O
,	O
having	O
to	O
put	O
up	O
with	O
a	O
black	O
bar	O
around	O
the	O
screen	O
could	O
be	O
upsetting	O
to	O
some.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Jeremy	O
Parish	O
of	O
1UP.com	O
assured	O
readers	O
that	O
"	O
even	O
with	O
its	O
shortcomings	O
,	O
it	O
's	O
still	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
value-packed	O
classic	O
compilations	O
available	O
for	O
any	O
system	O
--	O
as	O
long	O
as	O
you	O
like	O
Sonic.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
Informer	O
suggested	O
that	O
"	O
if	O
you	O
grew	O
up	O
with	O
these	O
games	O
,	O
they	O
're	O
still	O
a	O
joy	O
to	O
play	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
"	O
new	O
converts	O
to	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
fold	O
will	O
get	O
a	O
great	O
introduction	O
to	O
the	O
'	O
hog	O
's	O
history.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
GMR	O
Magazine	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
if	O
you	O
're	O
new	O
to	O
Sonic	B-Application
,	O
for	O
20	O
bucks	O
you	O
really	O
ca	O
n't	O
go	O
wrong.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
version	O
of	O
Mega	O
Collection	O
Plus	O
received	O
a	O
"	O
Platinum	O
"	O
sales	O
award	O
from	O
the	O
Entertainment	O
and	O
Leisure	O
Software	O
Publishers	O
Association	O
(	O
ELSPA	O
)	O
,	O
indicating	O
sales	O
of	O
at	O
least	O
300,000	O
copies	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
.	O
</s>
