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[Draugoth]

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Game Title: Sonic Origins

Platforms:

• Xbox Series X/S (Jun 23, 2022)
• PlayStation 5 (Jun 23, 2022)
• Nintendo Switch (Jun 23, 2022)
• PlayStation 4 (Jun 23, 2022)
• Xbox One (Jun 23, 2022)
• PC (Jun 23, 2022)

Trailer:

Developer: Sega

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 79 average - 80% recommended - 10 reviews
Metacritic - 81 average - 11 reviews

Critic Reviews​

Destructoid - Zoey Handley - 6.5 / 10

Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.

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Game Informer - Brian Shea - 8.5 / 10

While the music changes and audio mishaps are disappointing, the Sonic Origins package is terrific overall. Having the best versions of the classic Sonic saga in one bundle is supremely satisfying, and Anniversary Mode’s enhancements make the experience of playing through them more enjoyable than ever before. Even in a gaming landscape where most of these games are already available to download on every platform, Sonic Origins is a worthwhile package.

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GameSpot - Heidi Kemps - 7 / 10

The games remain timeless classics, but the Sonic Origins wrapper leaves something to be desired.

Ars Technica - Not Recommended

Verdict: Sonic Origins' issues may have been excusable at a lower price point. But this little content at $40, plus a gouging-by-DLC headache, moves our call from "maybe" to "nope."

Hardcore Gamer - Jacob Bukacek - 3.5 / 5

Sonic Origins does a lot right.

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IGN Korea - Donghun Lee - Korean - 9 / 10

Sonic Origins is a reimagination of the classic Sonic series which applies some modernized ideas. For a series franchise that had lived just over 30 years, it’s another opportunity for the dev team to look back and reminisce of the basics. Just like most compilation packaged games, there is plenty of content to find and check out. With the addition of record keeping leaderboards for each stages and corners, the dev team’s vision has finally acknowledged the voices of the Sonic community. Sonic Origins would by far be the best addition to the library of Sonic games collection, for all Sonic fans since the classic days.

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PSX Brasil - Ivan Nikolai Barkow Castilho - Portuguese - 80 / 100

Sonic Origins is a collection of classic Sonic games at their best. Extras such as missions, animated cutscenes and Sonic 3 & Knuckles "remastered" in 16:9 also appeal mainly to those who already know the original games. However, the price is very high for what the package offers and is far from being a definitive collection.

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PlayStation Universe - Michael Harradence - 9.5 / 10

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.

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Shacknews - Donovan Erskine - 8 / 10

Sonic Origins is not only an excellent trip down memory lane for fans of the series, it’s also the perfect entry point for those looking to play them for the very first time. The games are all as beautiful as ever and control like a dream. There are also a plethora of bonus goodies that celebrate the iconic artwork and music of the platforming series. While it’s easy to get caught up in arguments about the current direction of the Sonic IP, Sonic Origins is a refreshing reminder that the original games are among the best 2D platformers ever made.

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Worth Playing - Cody Medellin - 8 / 10

Sonic Origins isn't a comprehensive collection of Sonic games, as some of the 16-bit entries are missing. It also isn't the definitive version of these games, especially since the music for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 seems to be the sticking point for re-releases. What you have are four games that add a good deal of quality-of-life changes without changing anything else that made the Sonic games classics in the first place. If you can get over the initial asking price and confusion over the versions and are a fan of the older Sonic games, this one is worth a spin.

 

[Batiman]

As expected.

 

[ManaByte]

 

[jaysius]

Some brave reviewers are calling Sega out for being lazy and not adding levels or MORE to this nostalgia junkie cash-in, good on 'em!

"You'll be resold your childhoods at a higher prices, welcome to the new normal."

 

[Swift_Star]

Some of the scores make no sense… what else do people expected?

 

[Punished Miku]

Wearing my Sonic boxer shorts every day until Frontiers is out.

 

[Fake]

Some bad decisions into this game somehow.

 

[jaysius]

Ars Technica

The biggest issue is that Sonic Origins only includes four games: Sonic 1, Sonic CD, Sonic 2, and the "complete" version of Sonic 3 (meaning, "and Knuckles" as a locked-on combination of two cartridges). Other compilations have gone above and beyond by adding other Sonic-themed 16-bit games, along with 8-bit games from the Master System and Game Gear, but those are missing this time. Sega doesn't make up for their absence with stuff like Sonic's 3D games from Dreamcast or the series' edutainment weirdness on the Sega Pico.

But Sonic Origins is missing a few useful features found in other modern 16-bit re-releases. The biggest is the lack of "rewind" or "save state" functions. The game's default modes save progress between levels, and the optional infinite-lives option is certainly appreciated. Still, the inability to finely rewind or retry specific mid-level moments feels punitive, especially when Sega has made that option available in recent years—particularly in a pair of Switch-exclusive "Sega Ages" ports of Sonic 1 and Sonic 2.

Worst of all, Sega wants Sonic Origins players to pay an additional $5 (or more) to unlock additional content. This pricing scheme is bad enough that I don't blame potential buyers for skipping the game altogether in order to make a statement to Sega.

Verdict: Sonic Origins' issues may have been excusable at a lower price point. But this little content at $40, plus a gouging-by-DLC headache, moves our call from "maybe" to "nope."

 

[Saber]

So in the end, the classic version is really poorly handed so you the player has to be forced to play their "anniversary" mode. Whats the reason to play Classic Sonic CD version in origins when you have a better Sonic CD in Steam?
This not to mention apparently bugs, like the one Gamespot mentioned. Thats all part of Sonic Team charm, since the anniversary mode was all their work.

 

[Captain Toad]

Some of the scores make no sense… what else do people expected?

Nonsense like this, I guess:

Some brave reviewers are calling Sega out for being lazy and not adding levels or MORE

Because, that's what you expect when you have a compilation of existing games - new levels. So brave to call them out. /s

 

[Belthazar]

Ars Technica

So, they're complaining about native ports not having emulator functions?

 

[Fake]

So, they're complaining about native ports not having emulator functions?

Is a valid complain. I mean, this is a software feacture... nothing related exclusively to emulators. Better rewind than forcing players into aniversary mode.

 

[Unknown?]

Some brave reviewers are calling Sega out for being lazy and not adding levels or MORE to this nostalgia junkie cash-in, good on 'em!

"You'll be resold your childhoods at a higher prices, welcome to the new normal."

Where are you living? With inflation, $40 is nothing. $40 is near what $80 was in 1994. Sonic & Knuckles was $70 back then which is $138 in today's dollar. $40 is the new $20.

 

[jaysius]

Where are you living? With inflation, $40 is nothing. $40 is near what $80 was in 1994. Sonic & Knuckles was $70 back then which is $138 in today's dollar. $40 is the new $20.

These Sonic AND MORE titles were in delisted since this game was nearing released bundles for far cheaper.

 

[Celcius]

I’m thinking I’ll just stick with the older Steam versions

 

[Belthazar]

Is a valid complain. I mean, this is a software feacture... nothing related exclusively to emulators. Better rewind than forcing players into aniversary mode.

How is it a valid complain? The games were not designed to have rewind and save states, obviously they would be presented as such on a collection of this caliber.

 

[Unknown?]

These Sonic AND MORE titles were in delisted since this game was nearing released bundles for far cheaper.

Were they any good? They weren't the Taxman versions. Anyway I'm not saying it's a good deal, just that anyone thinking $40 is a lot is living in the past.

 

[Ristifer]

Maybe when it comes down in price. Not gonna pay close to $60CDN to get Sonic Team's masturbatory anniversary mode.

 

[RoadHazard]

Yeah, I'm not buying a few ROMs (yeah, I know technically that's not what they are) for $40. I mean, I did with SM3DAS, but... I don't know, just but.

 

[Fake]

How is it a valid complain? The games were not designed to have rewind and save states, obviously they would be presented as such on a collection of this caliber.

I guess thats the role point. Emulators have been doing since ages.

 

[jaysius]

Were they any good? They weren't the Taxman versions. Anyway I'm not saying it's a good deal, just that anyone thinking $40 is a lot is living in the past.

You see the selling of old stuff was just for people that had "nostalgic itches" but for some reason in the past 5-10 years nostalgia for the 90's has become the mainstream, the industry is catching up to this now, this isn't about inflation or anything like this. This is because the industry realizes that if you sell a nostalgic product at a higher price people will artificially assign a greater value to it.

This is weaponized nostalgia, the industry knows there are nostalgia junkies and as always, when they realize something they EXPLOIT THE SHIT OUT OF IT.

Nostalgia is a drug.

 

[Belthazar]

I guess thats the role point. Emulators have been doing since ages.

You can still play them that way, that's not the point of this release.

 

[Fake]

You can still play them that way, that's not the point of this release.

There is 'no point of this release'. They want money.

As I said before, rewind is not an emulator exclusivity. Can be software included.

 

[RNG]

They made the prototype soundtrack quality worse in Origins:

 

[Fake]

They made the prototype soundtrack quality worse in Origins:

I guess they're MIDI files, IDK. How they can mess up a simple task like that.

 

[Kadve]

Where are you living? With inflation, $40 is nothing. $40 is near what $80 was in 1994. Sonic & Knuckles was $70 back then which is $138 in today's dollar. $40 is the new $20.

All four games retailed for 4,49€ on steam prior to being removed and were often on sale for less than 2€. I don't know if ~x10 the original price is worth the so called "improvements".

 

[Ristifer]

They made the prototype soundtrack quality worse in Origins:

 

[ManaByte]

They made the prototype soundtrack quality worse in Origins:

 

[Saber]

They made the prototype soundtrack quality worse in Origins:

Dude, wtf?

The prototype musics are already worked and ready to use. How the heck they made worse than soundtracks released 30 years ago?

 

[Belthazar]

There is 'no point of this release'. They want money.

As I said before, rewind is not an emulator exclusivity. Can be software included.

That's like asking for the new Persona ports to have a rewind function, or the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters for that matter... it makes absolutely no sense.

And yes, there's no point other than making money from any game release since the beginning of the gaming industry, what does it being a product in a capitalist society have to do with this conversation? Widescreen native ports of Sonic games have been a demanded product for a while, emulated versions with rewind, save states and whatnot are already available.

 

[OmegaSpirit32X]

Some brave reviewers are calling Sega out for being lazy and not adding levels or MORE to this nostalgia junkie cash-in, good on 'em!

"You'll be resold your childhoods at a higher prices, welcome to the new normal."

What did they expect though? It's a collection, always meant to be a collection of rerealeases, always marketed as such. Honestly I'm glad we get to play the GOAT, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, in widescreen, but I may wait until it's cheaper.

 

[aliadiere25]

As expected, the music sounds like shit. And that price they're actually charging for this makes it even worse.

I fully expect this not to sell well, and I fully expect it will be on sale quickly.

 

[aliadiere25]

What did they expect though? It's a collection, always meant to be a collection of rerealeases, always marketed as such. Honestly I'm glad we get to play the GOAT, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, in widescreen, but I may wait until it's cheaper.

I expect a lot of people will be doing the same. If they sold it for around £15 to £20, I don't think people would have a problem with it. But the release price is a joke.

 

[Kenshin775]

As expected, the music sounds like shit. And that price they're actually charging for this makes it even worse.

I fully expect this not to sell well, and I fully expect it will be on sale quickly.

Sonic games sold 5.8 million copies over the last fiscal year ending March. I have no stats to back this up but I assume most of those sales were Sonic Colors because it was the only new game in the last year. Sonic Colors had headlines about giving people seizures and there awful glitches on the switch version. There is no way Origins doesn't sell good.

 

[aliadiere25]

Sonic games sold 5.8 million copies over the last fiscal year ending March. I have no stats to back this up but I assume most of those sales were Sonic Colors because it was the only new game in the last year. Sonic Colors had headlines about giving people seizures and there awful glitches on the switch version. There is no way Origins doesn't sell good.

There are a lot of Sonic fans out there. But the problem is, these Sonic collections have been done to death. Yes, it's nice having them on the latest consoles and whatnot.... but the release price makes it hard to justify getting it. As I said, if they sold it for around half the price, I'm sure more people would be on board getting it.

I'll just wait till the price goes down an awful lot. I have all the older Sonic games in any case.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Verdict: Sonic Origins' issues may have been excusable at a lower price point. But this little content at $40, plus a gouging-by-DLC headache, moves our call from "maybe" to "nope."

They made the prototype soundtrack quality worse in Origins:

 

[jaysius]

What did they expect though? It's a collection, always meant to be a collection of rerealeases, always marketed as such. Honestly I'm glad we get to play the GOAT, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, in widescreen, but I may wait until it's cheaper.

Sonic 3 A.I.R. (Angel Island Revisited)

People really like that mod, tastfully done widescreen.

Sonic 3: Angel Island Revisited - Sonic Retro

info.sonicretro.org

Additional info on this mod.

It's super easy to use, if you own the Steam version of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, you just download it, unzip it anywhere and away you go.

 

[jaysius]

They made the prototype soundtrack quality worse in Origins:

They thought that muffling it made it sound better???!!?

 

[YCoCg]

Jen Senoue continues to not grasp what sounds Classic, a shame Tee Lopes was busy with Shredders Revenge.

 

[Gambit2483]

I'm getting sick of these staggered digital and physical releases.

It feels like a cheap tactic for publishers to force impatient physical owners to double dip.

 

[Sub_Level]

They made the prototype soundtrack quality worse in Origins:

Sounds like the background soundtrack to a clown porno.

 

[The Stig]

OK, what happened to carnival night zone?

 

[ShirAhava]

They made the prototype soundtrack quality worse in Origins:

I'm too muffled for my shirt
Too muffled for my shirt
So muffled it hurtsssssssssss

 

[Celcius]

After listening to those replacement songs… Yikes! They’re so much worse than the originals. I would have composed entirely new songs instead of releasing that.

 

[RAIDEN1]

I mean was there some sort of fan-petition to get this collection made? As if the only way to play these games is via Genesis only? Why not instead bring a new Golden Axe, or a Shinobi collection?

 

[ne1butu]

Is there a list of songs that have been replaced?

 

[DeVeAn]

Is there a list of songs that have been replaced?

I know it’s Carnival night, Ice cap and Launch base zones.

 

[Fake]

Is there a list of songs that have been replaced?

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/sonic-origins-wont-include-sonic-3-knuckles-original-soundtrack.1638049/#post-266293033

Carnival Night Zone, Ice Cap Zone, Launch Base Zone, S3 Sub-Boss, S3 Knuckles’ Theme, Competition Screen, Sonic 3 Credits.

 

[SpiceRacz]

Don't buy this. You're rewarding Sega for reselling a low-effort collection of games. Sonic Jam on Saturn was a better value than this.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Wait I dont get this, why would I buy this when I can play the originals on a shitty snes emulator for free? Hell you can even play these on a browser if I remember correctly. 40 euros????? what the fuck . Eh I'm sure gaf already pre-ordered this.