I never had a Sega Mega Drive when I was a kid. I’d managed to whinge and cajole my way into a Nintendo Entertainment System and was more than happy with the result. However, it has to be said, the old Mega Drive had some absolute belter games on it and, short of nipping over to my annoying mate Trevor’s place over the weekend, I could only watch them from a jealous distance.

Happily those days are over now with the release of Sega Mega Drive Classics – a collection of 54 (!) certified old school gems. So how classic are these “classics”? Depends on a number of factors, really. If you played and loved the games as a younger person you’ll probably dig what you find. If, however, you’re fresh to these titles it’s unlikely that Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle will wow you with its depth or Streets of Rage will impress with its nuanced, Tekken-esque combat. These are titles from the 16-bit era and although they blew the roof off a couple of decades ago they don’t hold a candle to modern efforts.

Still and all, half the fun of retro gaming is looking back at a time when concessions to players and quality of life improvements were basically nil. In terms of the cream of the crop Altered Beast still works a treat (in a primitive side scrolling kind of way), all three Shinobi titles are pretty fantastic and the Golden Axe trilogy remains solid with co-op a welcome touch. Of course your mileage may (and probably will) vary, that’s another part of the nostalgia dumpster dive: your own past greatly informs your taste. The graphics are primitive, the audio thin and the gameplay often hilariously simplistic, and yet for all of that there’s something deeply satisfying about this trip down memory lane. And hey, this time around you don’t need to be nice to Trevor to play the games.

Suck it, Trevor.

 Certified retro gaming maniac Grizwords has helpfully compiled footage from all 54 (!!!) games. Have a squiz!

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