Sega Smash Pack Explained

Sega Smash Pack
Developer:	Sega CodeFire (GBA)
Publisher:	Sega Game Boy Advance THQ (NA) Sega (EU)
Platforms:	Microsoft Windows, Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance
Released:	Microsoft Windows February 1999 (Pack 1) 1999 (Pack 2) 2000 (Pack 3) DreamcastGame Boy Advance
Genre:	Various
Modes:	Single-player, multiplayer

Sega Smash Pack (Sega Archives from USA in Japan) is a series of game compilations featuring mostly Sega Genesis games.

Pack 1 (Windows)

The first pack titled Sega Smash Pack (Sega Archives from USA Vol. 1 in Japan) featured eight games.

Pack 2 (Windows)

The second pack titled Sega Puzzle Pack (Sega Archives from USA Vol. 2 in Japan) featured three games.

• (1993)
• Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (1993)
• Lose Your Marbles (1997)

Pack 3 (Windows)

The third pack titled Sega Smash Pack 2 (Sega Archives from USA Vol. 3 in Japan) featured eight games.

Console (Dreamcast)

The console version of Sega Smash Pack was released for Dreamcast titled Sega Smash Pack Volume 1 and featured the following twelve games:Jeff Gerstmann from GameSpot gave the console version a 4.5/10. He criticised the console version for its patchy performance and poorly emulated music.^[1]

The Genesis emulator built inside the compilation gained popularity with homebrew groups, as Echelon released a kit that allowed users to add and load their own Genesis ROMs. Gary Lake, the programmer, had himself deliberately left a documentation of the built-in emulator, with the documentation seemingly intended at them due to the filename (ECHELON.TXT).^[2] Additionally, Sega Swirl and Virtua Cop 2 were the only non-Genesis games in the compilation.

Handheld (Game Boy Advance)

The handheld version of Sega Smash Pack was released for Game Boy Advance simply titled Sega Smash Pack and featured three games, two of which had been included in the first Smash Pack. While Ecco the Dolphin and Sonic Spinball were developed using the original source code, Golden Axe had to be recreated from scratch.^[3]

• Ecco the Dolphin (1992)
• Golden Axe (1989)
• Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball (1993)

Craig Harris from IGN gave the handheld version a 6/10. He criticised the handheld version for several technical issues and lack of cooperative multiplayer in Golden Axe.^[4] It was nominated for GameSpots annual "Most Disappointing Game on Game Boy Advance" award, which went to The Revenge of Shinobi.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Gerstmann . Jeff . April 6, 2001 . Sega Smash Pack Volume 1 Review . . July 31, 2012.
2. Web site: Smith . Ernie . The Online Community That's Turning Old Video Games Into an Archaeological Dig . Vice . 21 November 2022 . 22 June 2016 . [Gary] Lake's message, left inside a file called ECHELON.txt, basically described how to use the game, which featured a number of classic Sega titles, as an emulator. (The file was named after a prominent Dreamcast hacking group at the time.).
3. Web site: Andersen . John . Where Games Go To Sleep: The Game Preservation Crisis, Part 1 . . . 15 January 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120509224703/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/134641/where_games_go_to_sleep_the_game_.php?page=4 . 9 May 2012 . 27 January 2011 . live.
4. Web site: Harris . Craig . October 11, 2002 . Sega Smash Pack . . July 31, 2012.
5. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20030207155400/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/bestof2002/ . GameSpots Best and Worst of 2002 . GameSpot Staff . December 30, 2002 . . February 7, 2003 . dead .