For the longest time, I refrained from getting this game for principled reasons. Besides the content of the game itself, Sonic Origins launched with an MSRP of $40, and added insult to injury by having an (optional) Epic Digital Edition that came with meaningless extra trinkets that honestly could've come with the original game.

A year after that, some $10 DLC was added that added Knuckles in CD (he was unusually absent from that in the original release of Origins), Amy Rose in all four featured, and also a few Game Gear Sonic games. They also lowered the price of Origins itself, but that also means that latecomers would get an objectively better deal than fans who decided to jump in on Origins when it released. Sheesh... ...

So, for those reasons, I ignored the game. However, I was the target audience of it, and I knew that ultimately, I'd have liked to play Sonic 3 & Knuckles on my PlayStation 5.

So, when I got the game as a gift ... what was I going to do? Return it? I've got this collection 2 years after it originally launched, and for less than what someone would've got it for at that period ... and I won't look a gift horse in the mouth now that I've got four of the finest platformers ever made, in one package, on my console of choice.

Ultimately, when judging the actual content of the collection itself, and the fact that I received the physical release, which comes with a cute little art book... Maybe Origins Plus is alright ... I'd spend $20 on that. I most definitely enjoyed revisiting Sonic 1, CD, 2, and 3K in that order. I'd originally only played the Whitehead remake of CD on an iPad, and I find that playing CD with a proper controller makes for a world of a difference.

3K's remake is the most novel part, being made from the ground up rather than being a port of something already made for mobile phones. And, honestly? They did a stand-up job. The transition was not without its hiccups, but a stand-up job was done, for sure. So I applaud Christian Whitehead and Headcannon for the hard work. Sonic Team and SEGA... you guys are still getting the side-eye from me on this one.

This review is from the perspective of someone who NEVER PLAYED THE GENESIS ORIGINALS. I got into Sonic in the 2000's with Adventure 2, fell out of it after Generations, and got back into it with Frontiers. But I never played the games that started it all, and this collection happened to be on sale on Switch, so...

I'm going to review each game individually, the collection's score being the average of all of them.

Sonic 1: 2/5.

Sonic 1 is a classic case of "first game syndrome." SEGA had an amazing concept for a platformer protagonist, and pulled it off brilliantly. Sonic's speed, rolling gimmicks and fast-paced action were like nothing seen at the time. And Green Hill Zone was the PERFECT first level to showcase their new mascot's strengths: wide open areas to build up speed, loops to show the physics, multiple paths, enemies and bosses used perfectly to show off Sonic's skills...

And then someone thought: what if, for Level 2, we throw him into HIS WORST POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENT!!!

The jump from Green Hill to Marble Zone is one of the most jarring I've felt in a platformer. Marble is a slow, cramped, puzzle-based level that doesn't play to Sonic's strengths at all. I'm not against more methodical platforming in Sonic, but this isn't the way to do it. It's telling that even speedruns have to wait on some traps.

And then there's Labyrinth Zone. Which is at least more INTERESTING than Marble, but is still slow, frustrating... and you can drown due to bad bubble rng. (It's far more consistent in later 2D games) And it gets reskinned for the final level because of course.

Starlight and Green Hill are the only levels in Sonic 1 that feel "Sonic-like" to me. This is clearly a case of throwing things at the wall to see what stuck, and later games sure realized what did and, well, stuck to it. Worth playing to see where it all began, but I'd recommend cheesing this one with Tails or Amy.
There's a REASON not much in this game gets referenced except Green Hill.

Sonic CD: 4.5/5

The oddball of the original tetralogy, but you know me and underdogs. Is it any surprise I ended up loving it? What I love about CD is its levels work both for speed and exploration, letting you pick and choose which approach you prefer. Want to explore each area in all timelines, saving the past to create a Good Future? You can do that. Want to blaze through quickly? Just get enough rings for the Special Stages, having all the Time Stones will guarantee Good Futures for the rest of the game.

I was surprised at the variety in level gimmicks and concepts here. Wacky Workbench is my favourite, a level I love and hate in equal measure.

Sonic has new speed tech here, but this game benefits the most from the Origins Plus re-release, as it adds not only Amy but also Knuckles.

CD's presentation is also top-notch. The wacky, colorful environments may not be everyone, but they're beautiful, and the MUSIC is incredible, both the Jp/EU and US soundtracks. (Origins lets you swap between both)
Oh, and I see now why people love the Metal Sonic race. One of the series' greatest bosses.

My only gripe is the "pseudo-3D" special stages... aren't great. The hitboxes on the UFOs are endlessly frustrating.

Sonic 2: 5/5

Sonic 2 basically took the few good levels of Sonic 1 and made that the entire game. The moment I first played Chemical Plant, I knew I was going to LOVE this game. Going so fast you nearly outrun the camera... in 1992. And this game DOES have slower, more platform-focused levels, but they feel far more natural. Aquatic Ruin is what Labyrinth Zone should've been. Metropolis is EVIL but still decently fun. Wing Fortress is obtuse at first but really fun once you know where to go. The boss fights are more elaborate, dynamic, and fun, even the infamous final gauntlet that gives you no Rings. (Though I admit, that must've sucked without the infinite lives mode)

This game introduced Tails, but it's hard to judge him in this context as, apparently, playable Tails in the original version was just a Sonic clone with no flight. Origins backports in S3 Tails, along with Knuckles and Amy, adding replay value.

Sonic 2 has the perfect length for firing up a run on Switch on the go, and it's got an "elegant simplicity" to it that makes it imo the objective best of this collection. I DEFINITELY see why this game defined so many childhoods.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles: 4.5/5

The game so big, one cartridge couldn't contain it, they say. "Big" is the key word here, Sonic 3 really went all-out to end the tetralogy: more playable characters, more levels, LONGER levels, not just Super forms but HYPER forms, more dramatic boss fights, and a bigger focus on story with higher stakes.

Thing is, bigger doesn't always mean better. Sometimes I feel 3&K is too ambitious for its own good.

Take the story, for example. People complain about excessive story in some modern Sonic games, and I think the seeds of that started here. While I love how each Act and Zone seamlessly transitions into the next, many levels have sequences that essentially amount to unskippable cutscenes. See the airship bombing run before Angel Island Act 2's boss, for example. These are nice at first, but you have to sit through them on every replay, and every time you die.

And while there's some GREAT levels here (Hydrocity, Ice Cap, Mushroom Hill, Flying Battery, Lava Reef, to name a few), several are too long to the point of overstaying their welcome. Case in point: the Time Bonus scoring doesn't seem changed from Sonic 1, CD and 2, so beating a level in over 5 minutes is considered "too slow". This was reasonable there. But hitting 5 minutes is a legit challenge in a lot of 3&K levels, and in some the original game's 10 minute death timer was a real threat. (Looking at you, Sandopolis Act 2, the second coming of Marble Zone...)

Then there's the Special Stages, Blue Sphere. Probably the most mechanically solid of the 2D games, but man are the Super Emerald ones BRUTAL. The reward is worth it, but yikes.

The boss fights are a real highlight though (my jaw dropped when I saw Marble Garden's boss, which has you carried by Tails the whole time to fight in the sky), and Knuckles having his own campaign with slightly different levels and a new final boss was a cool touch. (That'd influence the series' approach to characters in the future)

So Sonic 3 & Knuckles isn't my favourite of these games, but it's still excellent.

As for Origins' own additions, besides 4 playable characters in all 4 games (which is amazing), there's Boss Rushes, Mirror Mode, and short challenges remixing content. (Oh, there's also 12 Game Gear games in Plus, I haven't tried most of them yet) They also added amazing new cutscenes to start and end each of the 4 games, tying them together. And that last one, unlocked by beating all 4... man, I nearly teared up as it framed the collection as the story of how these 4 best friends met.

The collection gets a LOT of negative press online and experiencing it in a vacuum I'm not sure why. Maybe its issues are more noticeable if you played the originals, or people hate the DLC pricing scheme or delisting of old versions. But as someone who just wanted to experience some old games he missed, and see where Sonic began... I don't regret my purchase. (I'd recommend waiting for a sale on the Plus bundle though) And I'm going to continue enjoying these classics for years to come. (Maybe not Sonic 1 though...)

Sonic Origins Plus contains Sonic 1, 2, 3 & Knuckles, and Sonic CD. Each title plays largely as you would expect them to, with quality of life features which include the elimination of lives to retry and the ability to save your progress at every checkpoint. As for the games themselves, they're fun and challenging, if a bit inconsistent. Some levels have better design than others, with some not so fun levels in the mix, and bosses can at times be a trial to defeat.

In place of lives, you collect coins with which you can unlock illustrations, music, and movies in the game's Museum. (This means you have infinite continues/retries.) It was fun to look through all of the old concept art and various promotional materials from the series' early life.

You have many different ways to play in this collection. Apart from being able to play each title as four different characters (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy), there is also Mirror Mode and a variety of brand new Missions for each title. Missions can range from eliminating X number of enemies in a short time or completing a stage without taking damage. It was fun to challenge myself to aim for S rank times in these Missions.

One of the more significant additions of the Plus contents in this version is the collection of Sonic titles on Game Gear. I found these titles to be little more than a diversion at best, and could not feel compelled to play any of them for a significant period of time. They feel like something of a time capsule and are certainly much better suited to being played handheld on the bus or train.

In terms of display options, I was very disappointed that there is no CRT filter available. Sonic Mania had this, and I see no excuse for the lack of this feature if they intend for this collection to be the best way to enjoy these games. Personally, no CRT filter loses significant points on this release for me.

I think that if anything, with the quality of life features and reduced difficulty of this collection, Sonic Origins Plus might be a good way for new players to experience Sonic's earlier endeavors. If you've played these games before, I'm not convinced that there is much draw to this collection on the whole.