Sonic Origins Reviews
Sonic Origins is an essential collection not only for any franchise fan with current or last-gen gaming hardware but also for anybody who appreciates tight gameplay with a banger soundtrack. Sonic is the ultimate "Animal With an Attitude" mascot still having major games released to this day, and while the franchise has had a tarnished reputation due to sub-par releases lately, it remains plucky and pushes forward, never losing sight of its roots.
Sonic Origins is a fantastic celebration of 30 years of SEGA's spiky blue mascot, offering four of the best platformers money can buy and chucking in a bunch of great extras that long-time fans can appreciate. Regardless of where the Blue Blur head next, Sonic Origins is a reminder of just how damn good these timeless classics are.
Is Sonic Origins the definitive version of Sonic’s earliest adventures? No. It’s missing a number of common features that modern retro compilations and rereleases have made standard. Knuckles in Sonic 3 lacks all of its original music. No Sonic & Knuckles as a standalone experience. Sure, SEGA might make some changes down the line via DLC, but as this collection exists now, it’s lacking in a number of ways. Despite these flaws, however, this quartet of software represents some of the best Sonic games ever made; indeed, some of the best platformers ever made. Fans new to the series will get the most from Sonic Origins, but even diehards will find plenty to love if they can get past the shortcomings. Here’s hoping SEGA eventually returns to Sonic Origins and makes it the proper celebration of the Blue Blur that it should have been.
Sonic Origins absolutely represents the best way to experience these classic games on modern platforms if you’ve never had the chance before. For people who’ve been here before, though, it’s questionable whether the new content is quite worth the premium price tag, especially with a bunch of surprising new issues.
As a compilation on its own, Sonic Origins is still a neat albeit slightly overpriced package that sums up most of the very best Sonic games you could ever play in new and improved forms, maintaining their original incarnations for preservation’s sake. While the historical documentation could’ve been better, the unlockables contained within are neat in their own way and provide plenty of reason to keep playing. On the other hand, it’s sad to see the path that Sega took in trying to make certain that this is the only reasonable and legit way to play old Sonic games, an approach that might serve as a preview to how future compilations might be handled – a scary proposition to be sure to any retro fan who doesn’t wish to resort to less savory means of playing some bonafide 16-bit classics such as these.
Sonic Origins is a fun romp and a trip back in time to when things were simpler. Getting some of the best Sonic games out there in one package is a sweet deal, and that alone should be worth the purchase. You’re also getting an Anniversary Mode to go with it, which adds some nifty features that shake up the gameplay experience. If anything, Sonic Origins is a good compilation of Sonic games but is a bit pricey for what you get. Adding insult to injury is the fact that the Deluxe Edition locks players out of some bonus items that really should have just belonged to the base game. Still, Sonic Origins is a great time for fans and newcomers alike and is a worthwhile way to experience the adventures of the terrific trio.
