16 July 2007 - Sonic Megamix
I was a fan of the Sonic games on the Genesis (aka Megadrive) when I was younger. It's sad then that it has mostly been downhill for the Sonic franchise, after the triumph that was Sonic & Knuckles way back in 1994 (with its unique ability to lock-on to the previous games in the series). Sonic Megamix, a hacked version of Sonic the Hedgehog, is a great reminder of those halcyon days when Sonic games were worth waiting for.
Fans have hacked Sonic games before but Sonic Megamix is different because the changes aren't just cosmetic - after all, it's hard to get excited about changed colour palettes. Instead whole zones have been redesigned and are generally well thought out (barring the odd spot here and there). Levels are notably bigger too and are much harder to boot. Fortunately most emulators allow games to be saved. I hope I'm not alone in finding the revised Final Zone to be particularly brutal.
The changes don't stop there either. Sonic 2's spindash has been included (as well as Sonic CD's dash) plus an extremely useful homing attack. Musically the changes aren't so great, with weak tracks from other games included (and not just Sonic ones either). Does Michael Jackson's "Another Part Of Me" fit the Spring Yard Zone? You decide.
Overall Sonic Megamix is an impressive hack that any Sonic fan should try. You should be able to easily find a copy of the rom with the help of a search engine. To play the rom I'd recommend downloading the Gens Genesis emulator.