Sonic Origins Plus (PC) Reviewed

Wait…did we review Sonic Origins already? Yep, I did! That was the Playstation version though…and technically, this review is based of the PC version and centralized on the Sonic Origins Plus Expansion.

So yeah…this is new content.

I don’t mind in the least though because if you’ve read my review (which I’ve helpfully linked above), you know that I loved Sonic Origins! More of that can’t be a bad thing, right?!

So without further ado, here’s the review!

What is Sonic Origins Plus?

Sonic Origins Plus is the enhanced version of Sonic Origins, which was released last year on the PC, Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch consoles. It’s a collection of classic 5 Sonic games, with the Plus Expansion adding in 12 new Game Gear titles.

The game is developed and published by SEGA, who also awesomely provided us with the STEAM code! Thanks so much!

Since I’ve already reviewed the original game, I won’t be retreading familiar ground. You can just head on up to the link earlier if you want to find out what I thought of the original.

For those with Sonic Origins already, the Plus Expansion is just a measly SG$14.40 on Steam. For that amount, you get 12 Game Gear games, Amy playable in the classic games included in Sonic Origins and the Classic Music and Premium Fun packs, which were previously paid DLC for Sonic Origins.

If this is your first foray into the game, then Sonic Origins Plus is a damn good deal. It’s basically everything in one neat package For a little over the original asking price. That’s fantastic!

However, things are considerably less rosy if you’re an early adopter who bought the premium edition of Sonic Origins. These guys sadly get screwed by losing out on the DLC (since it’s already bundled in with the Plus Expansion) AND paying the same amount for the Plus Expansion while technically getting less content, since they already have the DLC.

From a purely objective point of view, the Sonic Origins Plus Expansion is undoubtedly good value. Amy is a fun character to use in the original games (though she’s not as revolutionary as Knuckles was when he was included in Sonic 1 – 3).

The two DLC packs (which really should’ve been included with the main game) also add in stuff that adds to the value.

However, the main draw (the 12 Game Gear games) aren’t as great a deal as you’d think.

Before you ask, here are the titles:

• Tails’ Sky Patrol
• Tails Adventures
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble
• Sonic Spinball
• Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
• Sonic Blast
• Sonic Drift
• Sonic Drift 2
• Sonic Labryinth
• Sonic Chaos

Other than the sheer quantity, they’re a bit lacking in quality.

As a Game Gear owner back in the day, I can attest to that personally. There’s a reason nobody remembers the system or most of its games (there are a few exceptions like Shining Force Gaiden and its sequel) and that reason is…well, they’re pretty crappy.

Nintendo won the 90s portable wars for a damn reason.

I mean just play the Sonic Drift or Tails’ Sky Patrol games that are included in the Sonic Origins Plus expansion. Even as a kid I knew enough to know that they weren’t fun. At all.

Some games don’t even feel like a Sonic game. Sonic Labyrinth for example. That game has Sonic run around mazes finding keys and is played via an isometric perspective similar to Sonic 3D Blast. Ironically, the similarly sounding Sonic Blast (also included) isn’t an isometric game but rather 2D platformer like the regular Sonic games.

The games included in the expansion do contain some gems though.

The games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Chaos and Dr Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine are still fun to play. The core Sonic platforming gameplay translated rather well to the Game Gear, though there are a lot of compromises made.

However, it must be noted that while the visuals have filters you can apply, the gameplay is untouched. Due to the technical limitations of the Game Gear, that’s a very bad thing.

That means the massive slowdown in the games are just as obnoxious now as they were back in the day. Sonic Chaos’ a prime example where going fast meant the game slowed down instead. Same thing with Sonic Blast and some other titles.

Ironic right?

The crappy visuals (also a trademark of Game Gear titles) stand out even more in today’s era.

The sprite art looks fine (a testament to SEGA’s artists and their 2D skills) but the simplistic gameplay and barebones environmental visuals look devastatingly basic. To be fair though, the limitations were due to the Game Gear hardware (which was based on the old Master System hardware) and SEGA’s designers were definitely constrained due to that.

Still, while I know that these games are part of Sonic’s history… but I think even the hedgehog himself would rather we forget about most of them.

The Bottom Line.

Sonic Origins Plus is a great game…provided you don’t already have Sonic Origins. While the DLC is undoubtedly cheap, it doesn’t bring much to the table if you’ve already all the DLC from Sonic Origins in the first place.

The 12 Game Gear games aren’t that big of a deal and you’re not really missing much by not playing them. Playable Amy does make replaying the original Sonic games a different experience, but I don’t think she’s worth the price of admission alone.

Besides, if you really want to play as Amy, why not just wait for Sonic Superstars instead?

TLDR:

Cheap expansion with some great content but the Game Gear games are mostly crap.