Sonic Origins Plus Reviews
Seeing other aspects fall short of even the versions available via Sega Ages just really disappoint me, and while I don’t think a kid jumping into the Sonic series for the first time via this set will come away disliking any of the games, I do feel that compared to the Mega Collection I grew up with, the spit and polish to make this feel like the ultimate museum for a celebrated franchise is just not here.
I might not be much of a Sonic fan, but I know that if Square Enix had done the equivalent of this to that Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection, I would have blown my top. I did give the lazy effort to bring the mobile ports of Dragon Quest 1 – 3 to Switch a piece of my mind, and I don’t see that SEGA’s done any better with the Game Gear games here. The good news is that if you’ve already got Sonic Origins, then you’ve got all the bits of Sonic Origins Plus worth playing.
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.
Sonic Origins Plus really fills out and completes this package, adding much more variety to the catalogue and giving you some clever, different ways to play titles you already know and love. Most of the titles haven’t aged that well with brutal difficulty, hit and miss control inputs and some lag. To be honest, they probably also look, feel and play better on handheld with the majority of the screen taken up by borders, but there’s some real gems in here Sonic Collectors shouldn’t be without.
Sonic Origins Plus is an okay, but ultimately superfluous expansion to an already good collection. The addition of Amy is a net positive and a nice primer ahead of her playable appearance in the upcoming Sonic Superstars. Knuckles finally becoming playable in Sonic CD also feels like it fulfills an age-old promise, but in his case, it feels like too little too late. The Game Gear titles themselves are nice to see again, but many of them have little lingering novelty. Their shoddy sound emulation is also somewhat disappointing. If you don't own Sonic Origins, go with the Plus version. But if you do, this will really only appeal to the most diehard of Sonic fans.
Sonic and friends will always have a special place in our hearts for all those great memories, and that's probably why SEGA is sacrificing quality and using Sonic's name to generate money.
Review in Persian | 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.
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.
The inclusion of Amy Rose in Sonic Origins Plus is most welcome, but everything else in this DLC is roughshod. The poor port job of the Game Gear titles makes them borderline unplayable, and the package is a bit light when it comes to any other additions.
Sonic Origins Plus, as a basic package, looks even more complete than last year, and a beautiful physical version is also released.
Review in Greek | Read full review
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.
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.
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 contains some cracking Sonic games, but the collection is somewhat lacking and the added content is average at best.
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.
I don’t particularly think any of the inclusions in this package are game changers, be it the inclusions of new characters on older games or the many, many emulated ROMs of Game Gear titles, but the overall package is quite good. Considering the price tag and amount of content on offer, I’d say this is an easy recommendation.
While some games can be hit or miss, Sonic Origins Plus offers a time machine to go back and play classic Game Gear games. Whether you are revisiting them or discovering them for the first time, this collection offers a ton of fun Sonic games.
Sonic Origins Plus incorporates new content, both in the form of a new character and in the form of nostalgia through the 12 Game Gear titles of the blue hedgehog. Simple, but very effective content.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Possibly Sega's definitive hedgehog collection (but probably not the last), Sonic Origins Plus managed to go a little further than the base title. Major additions include 12 Game Gear games and the availability of more playable characters. The point is that Plus is not justified for all audiences, as the content is not very interesting — in fact, Origins was not exactly perfect. Therefore, this is a good suggestion for any library, and only those most passionate about the character should prioritize the acquisition of the complete package.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Sonic Origins Plus may not be essential for more casual Sonic fans, but those who want to experience the Game Gear titles and play as Amy Rose are in for an all-around great time. If you want to take on the included classics with a new playstyle or see where Fang comes from before Sonic Superstars, this is the ideal upgrade to your Sonic Origins experience.