Sonic Gems Collection is a 2005 compilation of Sega video games, primarily those in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The emulated games span multiple genres and consoles—from the Sega Genesis to the Sega Saturn—and retain the features and errors of their initial releases with minimal edits. Player progress is rewarded with demos of other Sonic games, videos, and promotional artwork spanning the history of the Sonic franchise. While its 2002 predecessor, Sonic Mega Collection, comprises popular Sonic games, Gems Collection focuses on more obscure games, such as Sonic CD (1993) and Sonic the Fighters (1996). Other non-Sonic games are included, but some, such as the Streets of Rage trilogy, are omitted in the Western localization.
Developer Sonic Team conceived the compilation to introduce younger players to older Sonic games. One game they wished to include, SegaSonic the Hedgehog (1993), was excluded due to emulation difficulties. Sega released Gems Collection for the GameCube and PlayStation 2 in August 2005. Reviews were mixed or average; critics were divided over whether the package would satisfy players. They preferred Sonic CD and Vectorman, but found Sonic the Fighters and Sonic R mediocre, and disliked the Game Gear games. Some were disappointed by the absence of the Streets of Rage games in the International version and other Sonic games like SegaSonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles' Chaotix and Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure.
Games
Sonic Gems Collection is a compilation of obscure video games published by Sega for various consoles, such as the Sega CD, Sega Saturn, and Game Gear. It primarily focuses on Sonic the Hedgehog games, including Sonic CD (1993),
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|+Games included in Sonic Gems Collection
|-
! colspan="5" scope="row" | Featured games
|-
!Title
!Genre
!Original platform
!Original release
!Developer
|-
|Sonic CD
|Platform
|Sega CD
|1993
|Sega
|-
|Sonic the Fighters
|Fighting
|Arcade
|1996
|Sega AM2
|-
|Sonic R
|Racing
|Saturn
|1997
|Traveller's Tales, Sonic Team
|-
! colspan="5" scope="row" | Game Gear games
|-
!Title
!Genre
!Original platform
!Original release
!Developer
|-
|Sonic the Hedgehog 2
|Platform
| rowspan="6" scope="row" | Game Gear
|1992
|Aspect
|-
|Sonic Spinball
|Pinball
|1993
|Sega Technical Institute
|-
|Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble
|Platform
|1994
|Aspect
|-
|Sonic Drift 2
|Racing
|1995
|Sega
|-
|Tails' Skypatrol
|Puzzle
|1995
|SIMS
|-
|Tails Adventure
|Platform
|1995
|Aspect
|-
! colspan="5" scope="row" | Unlockable games
|-
!Title
!Genre
!Original platform
!Original release
!Developer
|-
|Vectorman
|Platform, run-and-gun
| rowspan="6" scope="row" |Sega Genesis
|1995
|BlueSky Software
|-
|Vectorman 2
|Platform, run-and-gun
|1996
|BlueSky Software
|-
|Bonanza Bros.
|Shooter
|1990
|Sega
|-
|Streets of Rage
|Beat 'em up
|1991
|Sega
|-
|Streets of Rage 2
|Beat 'em up
|1992
|Sega
|-
|Streets of Rage 3
|Beat 'em up
|1994
|Sega
|}
Development and release
Sonic Gems Collection was developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the GameCube and PlayStation 2. Although Sonic Team was responsible for Sonic Gems Collections creation, they had limited involvement in the development of the games included on the compilation; for example, Sega AM2 made Sonic the Fighters, and Sonic R was primarily developed by Traveller's Tales. AM3's SegaSonic the Hedgehog (1993) was omitted due to problems emulating its trackball controls. AM2 assisted in porting Sonic the Fighters, marking its first release on a home console. The Windows versions of Sonic CD and Sonic R were used in Sonic Gems Collection. Both games received visual upgrades: Sonic CDs opening sequence is presented in fullscreen and Sonic R has higher resolution textures.
During development, Sonic Team hoped that each region's version of Sonic Gems Collection would be identical in content. However, the Streets of Rage games and Bonanza Bros. had to be omitted from the Western localization, due to fears of a "Teen" rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). The team also wished to include both the Japanese and North American Sonic CD soundtracks, but storage and licensing problems resulted in Japan only receiving its respective soundtrack and all other regions using the North American version. and was playable at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). It was released on August 11, 2005 in Japan, August 16, 2005 in North America, September 30, 2005 in Europe. In Australia, the game was released for PlayStation 2 and GameCube the following week on October 5 and October 7, respectively. The PlayStation 2 version was not released in North America.