For Genesis fans wanting to quickly rebuild their old collections, you can't go wrong with this humble combo cart, bringing together six hit Sega titles together under one roof.
Sonic the Hedgehog (A), with its fast, physics based platforming and lush presentation is the obvious crown jewel of the set. Its cartoony graphics and catchy music, as well as its ingenious stage layouts hold up to this day, and give some serious competition to the Big N's portly plumber's best stages, even today! Not much more to say about it that hasn't already been said.
Golden Axe (B) is another old favorite, bringing a near arcade perfect port of the hit hack n slash to the 16-bit powerhouse. Its Conan the Barbarian inspired art direction and setting gives the game a distinct feeling from other Genesis titles, and the gameplay is amusing, if repetitive. I like how you can mount beasts to fight off your foes, as well as cast destructive spells when things get hectic. My favorite bits are when you get to beat up those little elves that are hoarding potions from you!
Streets of Rage (B) is Sega's attempt at aping Nintendo's Fatal Fury series in the Super Nintendo, and its probably aged much better. Running off a similar engine to Golden Axe, Streets of Rage has a gritty, down to earth feel to it, aided by the moody, catchy ditties. The gameplay is up to stuff, with three characters and plenty of ways to mow down your foes. I also love how you can call a police car to fire a bazooka at your foes when the action gets too hot.
Columns (B+) is Sega's answer to Tetris, with its vertical stacking, gravity abiding columns providing a nice spin on the puzzle genre. Its greek influenced art direction and soothing music make it a good competitor, and its even more fun when played with a friend. Having a puzzle game included on a cart with two platformers, two beat-em-ups and a racing game provides a nice contrast. Columns is also quite well suited to play on the go via the Sega Nomad, if you happen to own one.
The Revenge of Shinobi (B+) is a highly revered launch title for the Genesis, and a sequel to the original arcade Shinobi. The game is quite slow paced and grueling in its difficulty, but gamers who can get a feel for its ninjutsu-inspired mechanics will find another gem to cherish in their collection.
Super Hang-On (B-)is another early Genesis title, meant to show off scaling with its motorcycle based gameplay. While it dosent hold a candle to the Road Rash trilogy, its an adequate racer, with its crisp graphics and lively music.
It also plays surprisingly well on the Sega Nomad.
To sum it up, Genesis 6-Pak could be called "Super Sega All-Stars""--five great hits and one fun if dated racer. If you are looking to rebuild your Genesis collection, this is the best one to start with, and much more convienient than getting them all seperately.
Grade: A-