Genre: Collection
Developer: D3T Limited
Publisher: Sega

The 8 and 16-bit eras produced the most risk-taking, ground-breaking, minimalism-as-art work that has ever graced the medium, and-- with the way things are going-- which ever will. All-time Genesis greats, like "Sonic the Hedgehog" are perfectly represented here, and the CRT filter-- while not nearly as good as the real deal-- adds texture to the visuals. The games are launched via a texture-mapped polygonal bedroom; even though it's vintage Xbox 360-era in detail, it's great to see a developer do something other than a generic, Flash-based menu system. It's just a pity the individual game cases can't be plucked off the shelf and freely examined.

As was the case with the graphics, the same goes for the collection's audio. The Genesis' eclectic selection of aural hardware-- its YM2612 FM synth and samples, its 1970s-era Master System-plucked PSG-- was an Achilles' heel for even recent emulation efforts, but it all sounds pitch-perfect here. Many of the songs, written and coded by some of the most talented video game composers and assembler programmers ever, are wonderfully reproduced and preserved.

The Switch has a well-documented problem with input latency, and this collection certainly suffers for it: games like "The Revenge of Shinobi" or "Streets of Rage" can be downright frustrating to play via the Switch on a modern television, especially with the pro controller's stiff d-pad. In handheld mode things fare slightly better, although the "d-buttons" will never be fully satisfactory for situations such as this. There is full save and load state support, and even a bare-bones selection of challenge achievements to pursue.

Undoubtedly, most will find some game or other which they will lament as being absent from a collection like this. But to this reviewer's mind, the line-up is surprisingly good: all three "Streets of Rage" games-- including the Japanese "Bare Knuckle III"-- to accompany all three "Shinobi" releases, all three "Phantasy Star" games, the first two "Sonic" titles, a couple of "Treasure" classics, and even cult favorites "Toejam & Earl", "Shining in the Darkness", and "Sword of Vermillion". While emulation is as terrible of a substitute for real hardware on a real CRT as porn is to actual sex, one could certainly do a lot worse on the emulation path than choosing this collection.