Sonic Origins Plus Reviews
In keeping with tradition, Sonic Origins Plus is a bit of a mixed bag. The new playable characters, Game Gear games, and other content feel just barely worth the upgrade fee, but there's no escaping the sense that Sega could've done a lot more for this update and chose not to. While the overall package is a strong one, we'd give the new content of this expansion a very light recommendation as it does ultimately feel worth the price tag (for existing owners). But how much value this will hold to you depends heavily on how much nostalgia you have for the Game Gear and how badly you want to play as Amy in the classic games. Here's hoping that Sonic Superstars provides an old-school Sonic experience that feels less underwhelming.
Sonic Origins Plus contains some cracking Sonic games, but the collection is somewhat lacking and the added content is average at best.
Although it still drags some shortcomings, it is a very complete compilation with some irresistible incentives for fans of Sonic in particular or platforms in general.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Sonic Origins Plus is the best way to play 16-bit Sonic video games. Skill challenges, modes specifically designed for speedrunners, and the ability to play each level with all the series' main characters make this collection a must-have for Sonic fans, despite the quite high price. The museum, once all the entries have been unlocked, is a great source of information, and the platformer action is still able to entertain after thirty years. The Game Gear section is unlikely to spark interest, but the more the content, the higher the value.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Such is the wrinkle here. My final score applies to the expansion in particular. Taken as a complete product, my previous review (right here) is a more accurate assessment. But man oh man, that expansion. If you’ve already got the base game, I can’t imagine you’ll get much out of Origins Plus. If you grew up playing the Game Gear, great news! These are twelve colorful trips down memory lane. Otherwise, I don’t recommend it. Turns out Sega’s first portable gaming experiment aged rather poorly. Sonic Origins is a fun and accessible way to play Sonic’s greatest hits. But Origins Plus spends too much time on bland, awful games.
While the Game Gear games in Sonic Origins Plus don’t look, sound, or play great, the problem comes down to these games not being that good originally — not that they're bad ports. Buy Sonic Origins Plus for the Genesis games and to play as Amy, but don't expect the Game Gear games to run away with your heart.
The addition of 12 underplayed Game Gear Sonic titles and a playable Amy Rose are more than welcome in this beefed up version of Sonic Origins.
The re-edition of the collection that last year made the joy of all the nostalgic of Sonic replenishes its offer with a handful of titles of fluctuating quality: devoid of those small modernization processes that had characterized the first chapters of the series in the last edition, the video games originally distributed on Game Gear of Sonic Origins Plus stand out more for their historical value.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The low point of the compilation is that it feels like a disappointment for those who bought Sonic Origins, since this addition, could well have been included in the first part or be a free DLC for players who were made with this first version, although in favor of Sega I will say that the value of the first game with the expansion did drop in price in the Xbox store.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
If you hadn’t previously been enticed by the quartet of Genesis classics, you are unlikely to be swayed now. In a vacuum, this is fun and gratifying DLC for a certain breed of loyal hedgehog fan, whereas the remainder of consumers may be decidedly non-plussed.
While Sonic Origins Plus' additions feel like they should have been in the base game, Amy is a delight to play as. She'll have you playing these four excellent games in new ways, despite some odd design decisions. Unfortunately, the selection of Game Gear games have not aged well and are marred by some terrible sound emulation.
Sonic Origins Plus is inching toward being a definitive Sonic the Hedgehog anthology of classic games, some of which are remastered. The inclusion of Amy and the Game Gear titles are arguably two steps forward, but the quality of those emulated titles in comparison to their remastered counterparts and lack of Genesis and Master System titles are two steps back. Either way, for Sonic fans who do not yet own Sonic Origins on their PS5, Sonic Origins Plus should be a very easy recommendation.
Longtime Sonic fans should scoop up the physical edition of Sonic Origins Plus if they missed out last year, but the new content may not be worth a paid upgrade for existing owners.
Sonic Origins Plus is a complete and thrilling collection of Sonic's heyday, at least if you stick with the core four remastered games. Because the addition of a couple of playable characters and 12 inconsequential Game Gear games with the Plus expansion to this package doesn't necessarily move the needle, it's impossible to boost the rating from the review of the original base game.
The definitive way to play these classic games, but only because the other options have now been delisted.
Is it worth the purchase? Well if you don't have any Sonic games and either want to see what it's all about, or relive past glories… then certainly grab a copy. If you bought last years Sonic Origins then just have a look at what the differences are and determine if Plus really adds enough for you to fork out for it. But it's nice to be able to share some of my childhood with my children in a pretty decent modern remastered collection such as this.
Sonic Origins is still a good collection of SEGA hedgehog games. You can now pretend Plus doesn't exist, or buy everything together.
Review in Italian | Read full review
As a complete package Sonic Origins Plus is a decent collection for series fans and newcomers alike. But as a DLC its merely a collection of curios you can probably do without.
Even with my complaints, there’s no denying that what is present in Sonic Origins Plus is nonetheless worth the time of fans. These four Genesis platformers remain some of the best in the genre after all this time and have never looked better. The various extras in the museum are engrossing and the additions and tweaks that the Plus DLC provide only make the compilation better. Thus, I give Sonic Origins Plus a nod of recommendation, even as I find my teeth grinding as I think of all the wasted opportunity here. Oh, and expect to still download the Plus DLC even if you buy the cartridge version! Yet another oddity among many in this compilation.