Note: Most of this review is repeated from the originally published version back in June of 2022. More of the review has been added at the end to discuss the new Plus additional content.
It’s always great to see game companies put out these legacy style collections with some of their most beloved franchises. In the case of SEGA and Sonic, we got the first four (and a half) games bundled into one very well-presented package. “Sonic Origins” is by far the best way to experience the list of games included: “Sonic The Hedgehog”, “Sonic The Hedgehog 2″, “Sonic The Hedgehog 3”, “Sonic & Knuckles” (which is more of an expansion of Sonic 3 originally, but here they incorporated it into one larger game), and last but not least, “Sonic CD.” When done right, what makes these legacy bundles brought to modern consoles so good, is that they often enhance these classics instead of just doing basic ports.
SEGA essentially remade these games seemingly from the ground up, but preserving the original look and feel. When they were originally released on their respective consoles all these games were in 4:3 format for old school square televisions. But now, they’re in 16:9 widescreen! Which doesn’t seem like a big deal, but for a game when you’re running super-fast, it really makes a difference getting to see a little extra in front of you. With a lot of these kinds of collections, there is also a nice little museum area where a ton of behind-the-scenes content and more is available to view; such as concept art, sound tracks, and even videos like a live performance of an orchestra playing Sonic’s theme during an anniversary event. Things like this that help preserve a chunk of gaming history is always great to see.
This set, however, also goes above and beyond what I would expect. There are even newly animated shorts that play at the beginning and end of every game which adds more depth and story to what gameplay lies ahead of you. This addition was not necessary, but incredibly welcomed. What I also appreciated was the option to select other characters like Tails and Knuckles, even for the first game. Playing as these characters can sometimes break the level in the sense that as Tails you can basically fly around, but the developers don’t seem to care, and I don’t think anyone will either, because it’s cool and fun. That’s not even all – they also added a cool Boss Rush mode that takes you straight to each boss fight. There’s also a mirror mode that reverses the level layouts, and a mission mode featuring standalone challenges, such as collecting a certain number of rings within a time limit, or reaching the goal without destroying any enemies.
There’s really a lot to love here; aside from the wonky way they priced this game, and its additional content (for just five dollars more) which feels like a wet blanket of a release, this is ultimately a great preserved collection. I hear there are some glitches – I personally haven’t had issues with my experience yet, but hopefully they will be fixed in due time with a patch. When all is said and done though, this game is forty bucks, or forty-five for the complete version (so dumb!), and for games that came out in the ’90s, that price tag may still feel like a lot, even with all the new bells and whistles. So, depending on if you’re a casual gamer or a hardcore Sonic/retro game fan, the final decision may lay on the cost. For many, I am concerned it may be too much. For me though, and gamers like myself that grew up with these titles, this is a day-one get!
Fast forward now to a year later and this “Sonic Origins” collection now feels more complete. What many have argued should have been like this from the very beginning (and not paid DLC), at least we now have a dozen more games added to this collection. If you already own the base game, this “Plus” DLC is only a ten-dollar upgrade. My math knowledge is pretty basic but that is less than a dollar per game added. The roster of games added include Game Gear versions of “Sonic the Hedgehog,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” “Sonic Chaos,” “Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble,” “Sonic Drift,” “Sonic Drift 2,” “Sonic Spinball,” “Tails Adventure,” “Sonic Labyrinth,” “Sonic Blast,” “Tails’ Skypatrol,” and a personal favorite of mine “Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine.” The value has immensely grown in value, I remember dumping a ton of time into several of these games growing up.
How well do they hold up to today’s standards though? Honestly, not the best, I feel like my love for many of these are primarily fueled only by nostalgia. These games also are not optimized in any way to look or run any better on modern consoles, so the screen is quite smaller than I’d hoped. There’re a couple other neat additions here too, such as adding Knuckles to being a playable character in “Sonic CD” which is now a game that can easily be exploited with his flying ability, which I find to be funny and cool. The other big surprise is having fan-beloved character Amy as a playable character for the first time in the first four Sonic games. She even has her iconic hammer that can be usable which changes up the dynamics of how you play some of these levels which was something I oddly appreciated.
It’s fair to say this base game was never really complete until now, a year later, but I very much loved those original four games and gave the game an 8.5 score originally. Now with all these extra games and cool additions I’m bumping that score up to a 9. The value truly is here, especially for long time fans of the franchise who grew up with these games. It is true that many of the Game Gear games don’t hold up well anymore, nor do some even perform all that great, but for completionists sake, I’m happy they’re here. Here’s hoping we get a new collection in the future with the “Sonic Adventure” games!
9/10
For more information, visit https://origins.sonicthehedgehog.com/
Related: Nick Navarro Reviews
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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