Having Access to all 4 games Is pretty nice and Sonic 3 finally getting a re-release after so long Is pretty huge but the game currently has some bugs. Whether It be soft locks or checkpoints not working at all (Happened to me In Sandopolis act 2) while rare still weird this collection was a little rushed what doesn't help is the 40 dollar price tag with a 45 dollar deluxe edition. This game also suffers from a weird Bilinear filter which makes the game look blurry which means I had to mod the game just so the game didn't look blurry. Outside the negatives this is a good way to play the games If you've never played the 4 games or want It on consoles but It's best If you get this on a sale or wait for some bugs to be fixed/
This is certainly quite the mixed bag of a release.
The extra polish given to Sonic 3 makes this the star of this collection. Extra sprites to better convey certain gimmicks, tweaks to cutscenes to make them flow better and other quality of life enhancements really push it beyond the remasters that came before.
On the topic of the remasters that came before that is where my first issue with this collection arises. Sonic 1 and 2 aren't changed all that much over their 2013 remasters, so unfortunately they don't have the same level of quality as Sonic 3. Sonic CD suffers from this even more as it predates the Sonic 1 and 2 remasters and therefore misses features present in those games, most notably Knuckles.
The only other real issues I have with this is that it's a bit buggy and some of the replacement music in Sonic 3 isn't up to the standard of the rest of the OST.
The extra polish given to Sonic 3 makes this the star of this collection. Extra sprites to better convey certain gimmicks, tweaks to cutscenes to make them flow better and other quality of life enhancements really push it beyond the remasters that came before.
On the topic of the remasters that came before that is where my first issue with this collection arises. Sonic 1 and 2 aren't changed all that much over their 2013 remasters, so unfortunately they don't have the same level of quality as Sonic 3. Sonic CD suffers from this even more as it predates the Sonic 1 and 2 remasters and therefore misses features present in those games, most notably Knuckles.
The only other real issues I have with this is that it's a bit buggy and some of the replacement music in Sonic 3 isn't up to the standard of the rest of the OST.
fun
Best way to own these games legally though there are a few problems but nothing major
Needs a lot more work before this can be considered a truly great collection of some great games. Video review coming soon.
A great Classic Sonic collection baring some flaws in presentation and a rough at launch PC version.
Una colección de los Sonic de MegaDrive. Las novedades son bienvenidas, como los Modos Aniversario que eliminan las vidas y aumentan el aspect ratio de los juegos. Los nuevos motores también rinden bien. Desgraciadamente, a pesar de las adiciones, no considero que esto deba costar 40 euros.
I’d only ever played the first couple of zones before as I was never good enough to get past the second zone without running out of lives. Playing the mode with infinite lives has been fun but I now realise that only about half of the zones are actually any fun and the other half are frustrating and tedious. Labyrinth zone can go to hell and the fact that the last act in Brain scrap zone is actually another labyrinth zone just takes the cake.
I've played these games dozens of times on the several sega/sonic compilations released throughout years. Through official means and for people new to the Classic Sonic these are absolutely the best way to play these games. I think the new animations are great, story mode is an awesome addition and finally having an official sonic 3 port is boss. However, as someone who has played the sonic 1/2/CD decomps and Sonic 3 A.I.R/Complete the collection is definitely lacking in the polish that the other fan projects provide and even the prior 16:9 ports of sonic 1/2/CD. There is nothing majorly wrong with any of the ports either but it's a lot of small things that add up if you've played these games a ton.
I never expected Origins to compare to the likes of Sonic 3 A.I.R or the decomp projects that fans can indefinitely support to make them the best versions of these games. I expected Origins to at least provide a polished way to play these games I've grown up to love and you get that with some caveats. If your a seasoned sonic fan you'll notice a ton of little issues such as in sonic 2 with Tails getting stuck and jumping forever offscreen, random screen locking causing weird deaths, Blue sphere music not speeding up, Replaced MJ tracks etc. The mission mode is also just alright, boss rush and mirror mode are novel for a bit, dlc/deluxe edition is kind of negligible and the museum could've been a bit more robust. It's unfortunate that Headcannon didn't get the chance to fully polish the ports presented here in this collection and I hope they get a chance to patch the game to make these ports the best it can be.
With all that said I think what's presented here is great for those looking to pick this game up on console. If you don't mind buying it on steam, pc mods also fix some of the issues presented such making sonic 3 have it's og soundtrack again, fixing the drop dash control lock in sonic 1/2/CD and making the game include sonic mania's filters to make the game less blurry. I didn't have an issue spending 40 for this since I adore these games but for those new to classic sonic you can get away with waiting for this collection to go on sale. I'll probably be returning to this collection for mods along side the fan ports.
I never expected Origins to compare to the likes of Sonic 3 A.I.R or the decomp projects that fans can indefinitely support to make them the best versions of these games. I expected Origins to at least provide a polished way to play these games I've grown up to love and you get that with some caveats. If your a seasoned sonic fan you'll notice a ton of little issues such as in sonic 2 with Tails getting stuck and jumping forever offscreen, random screen locking causing weird deaths, Blue sphere music not speeding up, Replaced MJ tracks etc. The mission mode is also just alright, boss rush and mirror mode are novel for a bit, dlc/deluxe edition is kind of negligible and the museum could've been a bit more robust. It's unfortunate that Headcannon didn't get the chance to fully polish the ports presented here in this collection and I hope they get a chance to patch the game to make these ports the best it can be.
With all that said I think what's presented here is great for those looking to pick this game up on console. If you don't mind buying it on steam, pc mods also fix some of the issues presented such making sonic 3 have it's og soundtrack again, fixing the drop dash control lock in sonic 1/2/CD and making the game include sonic mania's filters to make the game less blurry. I didn't have an issue spending 40 for this since I adore these games but for those new to classic sonic you can get away with waiting for this collection to go on sale. I'll probably be returning to this collection for mods along side the fan ports.
Completed the Story Mode of all the games and unlocked most of the museum. This is a really well put together collection that I wish Sega would do for more of there franchises. Fantastic quality games, great unlocks, it really reminds of of the gamecube era Sonic collections in that regard. The new cutscenes are great and add alot of charm. Upseting that Sonic 3s music is frankenstined, but its understandable given the situation. Challenge mode is also a great addition that I will definitely be coming back to.
So my feelings on this collection are kinda mixed overall, on one hand, this is definitely the best way to experience these classics on consoles and the like (offically at least). The wide-screen and HD visuals along with the neat animated segments for each game, and the general convenience of being on consoles help out this collections overall worth when it comes strictly to the games. The remasters themselves are great, adding a great tight gameplay feel to the games along with some great extra bits added in. This is outside of a few glitches, some major and minor, and sonic 1 where I felt a bit of delay which was pretty bad.
My main complaints come with some of the extra content feels lacking. There are some songs from sonic 3 that are left out, sonic spinball, 3d blast, and chaotix only having their music in the game reeks of laziness, the recompossed music sucks of course, i get not being able to get the rights for the tracks but you could at least make the replacement tracks good, and other general issues with content bring down the collection. The way this game has been handled with its realease was also messy. Sonic Team making many different ways to just buy 5 dollars of extra content felt like forced DLC and complicated things with the collection. Sonic Team also using the wrong build of the Sonic 3 remaster was also a shame to see, even though I think headcannon did a great job with their remaster. The delisting of the standalone remasters on digital store places is also awful, there are some people that find that more convenient and have had those versions available for things such as fan projects like sonic air, a baffling move on every front
All in all, it's not a perfect collection, and the issues I have with some of the extras don't bring down the fact that these are the versions of the games I will come back to play with in the future, but maybe try and see if you can catch this one on sale, because the 40 dollar price is not worth it, maybe 30 to 20 dollars is an appropriate deal
My main complaints come with some of the extra content feels lacking. There are some songs from sonic 3 that are left out, sonic spinball, 3d blast, and chaotix only having their music in the game reeks of laziness, the recompossed music sucks of course, i get not being able to get the rights for the tracks but you could at least make the replacement tracks good, and other general issues with content bring down the collection. The way this game has been handled with its realease was also messy. Sonic Team making many different ways to just buy 5 dollars of extra content felt like forced DLC and complicated things with the collection. Sonic Team also using the wrong build of the Sonic 3 remaster was also a shame to see, even though I think headcannon did a great job with their remaster. The delisting of the standalone remasters on digital store places is also awful, there are some people that find that more convenient and have had those versions available for things such as fan projects like sonic air, a baffling move on every front
All in all, it's not a perfect collection, and the issues I have with some of the extras don't bring down the fact that these are the versions of the games I will come back to play with in the future, but maybe try and see if you can catch this one on sale, because the 40 dollar price is not worth it, maybe 30 to 20 dollars is an appropriate deal
Probably the best compact way to play these classics now.
What should have been a surefire success of finally releasing the much beloved Sonic 1 and 2 ports onto consoles, alongside Sonic CD and the first rerelease of Sonic 3 and Knuckles in over a decade, is ultimately let down by development time cut short to meet an anniversary deadline, resulting in bugs, shitty company practises, and disappointment.
In other words, a Sonic game.
In other words, a Sonic game.
Video review: https://youtu.be/AzEqzpClEM0
Sonic is back, but this time as a collection of older titles instead of something brand new. New Sonic games tend to have all sorts of issues, so surely a straight remaster of older ones would not? Well...
Gameplay
Sonic Origins is a collection of four games: Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Sonic CD. Each is presented in two formats: Classic Mode, which plays like the games were on their original platforms and then Anniversary Mode, which adds widescreen support and removes lives. Both have their merits, but the widescreen support added by Anniversary Mode absolutely elevates the experience and is easily one of the game’s best features.
And yes, the games themselves are great. Fast and fun gameplay with a great mix of platforming, diverse level design with all sorts of interesting stuff to find, and just the right amount of challenge. I’ve always liked how freeform Sonic’s gameplay is and how open the levels were and these four games are no exception.
The original game is perhaps the roughest of the bunch, but easily has some of the most memorable stages. The second game is the most difficult of the bunch, but has some of the best music. The third game has the most balanced gameplay of the bunch and honestly might be my favorite. CD is a bit of a weird one, combining some of the good aspects of the others, but I was not a fan of the time travel mechanic and boss fights; it’s probably my least favorite of the bunch.
Remaster Content
The question is then - do the changes made to these classics make the collection worth it? That’s a bit of an iffy one. On one hand, the package is a bit more expensive than I was expecting for a collection of four old games. With a $40 price tag, I wish the game had included even more classic Sonic games. For starters, Knuckles' Chaotix would have been an excellent addition, but Sonic Chaos, Sonic Triple Trouble, and the Sonic Advance games would have been great too.
Quality of life is also an issue. These are old classics ported to modern platforms without the usual features we get with such releases, such as save states or the ability to rewind. I can do without the latter, but save states would have been super cool to have here and that is something that straight emulation does better than this collection.
I also was not the biggest fan of whatever filter was used to scale these games up. It looks a bit blurry and nowhere near as crisp as I would have liked - even when messing around with settings like resolution and anti-aliasing (which I recommend you keep disabled). As it stands, it does take some getting used to.
The collection does do good in its addition of new game modes though, including boss rush, mirror mode, and a mission mode that adds a bunch of new objectives. Not all of those missions land, but it’s a nice addition regardless. The museum mode is a nice touch too, allowing access to artwork, music, and videos.
Bugs
Perhaps the biggest issue with this collection though is how buggy it is, particularly on the audio front. In every game, I had audio cutting out too early, audio repeatedly playing even when not doing anything, muffled music, and in a few cases - the audio completely bugging out and playing nonstop loud and annoying sounds. And while I have not noticed any collision or physics issues - that also appears to be a common complaint.
The collection is obviously a rushed job and you need look no further than the very devs that worked on it stating as such. Apparently there was some sort of disconnect there between the remaster devs and the actual finished product, leading to many strange bugs.
Overall
I cannot give Sonic Origins a straight positive recommendation, but I also cannot say that it’s entirely negative either - this is why I wish Steam had something in the middle. On one hand, these are some absolutely solid classics and I am glad they are available on modern platforms, but on the other, the collection itself is lacking and there are quite a few technical issues on top of that.
Sonic is back, but this time as a collection of older titles instead of something brand new. New Sonic games tend to have all sorts of issues, so surely a straight remaster of older ones would not? Well...
Gameplay
Sonic Origins is a collection of four games: Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Sonic CD. Each is presented in two formats: Classic Mode, which plays like the games were on their original platforms and then Anniversary Mode, which adds widescreen support and removes lives. Both have their merits, but the widescreen support added by Anniversary Mode absolutely elevates the experience and is easily one of the game’s best features.
And yes, the games themselves are great. Fast and fun gameplay with a great mix of platforming, diverse level design with all sorts of interesting stuff to find, and just the right amount of challenge. I’ve always liked how freeform Sonic’s gameplay is and how open the levels were and these four games are no exception.
The original game is perhaps the roughest of the bunch, but easily has some of the most memorable stages. The second game is the most difficult of the bunch, but has some of the best music. The third game has the most balanced gameplay of the bunch and honestly might be my favorite. CD is a bit of a weird one, combining some of the good aspects of the others, but I was not a fan of the time travel mechanic and boss fights; it’s probably my least favorite of the bunch.
Remaster Content
The question is then - do the changes made to these classics make the collection worth it? That’s a bit of an iffy one. On one hand, the package is a bit more expensive than I was expecting for a collection of four old games. With a $40 price tag, I wish the game had included even more classic Sonic games. For starters, Knuckles' Chaotix would have been an excellent addition, but Sonic Chaos, Sonic Triple Trouble, and the Sonic Advance games would have been great too.
Quality of life is also an issue. These are old classics ported to modern platforms without the usual features we get with such releases, such as save states or the ability to rewind. I can do without the latter, but save states would have been super cool to have here and that is something that straight emulation does better than this collection.
I also was not the biggest fan of whatever filter was used to scale these games up. It looks a bit blurry and nowhere near as crisp as I would have liked - even when messing around with settings like resolution and anti-aliasing (which I recommend you keep disabled). As it stands, it does take some getting used to.
The collection does do good in its addition of new game modes though, including boss rush, mirror mode, and a mission mode that adds a bunch of new objectives. Not all of those missions land, but it’s a nice addition regardless. The museum mode is a nice touch too, allowing access to artwork, music, and videos.
Bugs
Perhaps the biggest issue with this collection though is how buggy it is, particularly on the audio front. In every game, I had audio cutting out too early, audio repeatedly playing even when not doing anything, muffled music, and in a few cases - the audio completely bugging out and playing nonstop loud and annoying sounds. And while I have not noticed any collision or physics issues - that also appears to be a common complaint.
The collection is obviously a rushed job and you need look no further than the very devs that worked on it stating as such. Apparently there was some sort of disconnect there between the remaster devs and the actual finished product, leading to many strange bugs.
Overall
I cannot give Sonic Origins a straight positive recommendation, but I also cannot say that it’s entirely negative either - this is why I wish Steam had something in the middle. On one hand, these are some absolutely solid classics and I am glad they are available on modern platforms, but on the other, the collection itself is lacking and there are quite a few technical issues on top of that.
It's a fine Sonic collection but it's the very bare minimum in what games it has. They should have spent more time on the game for polish and included more of Sonic's important history like Chaotix, Spinball, and 3D Blast. The last two might be silly to see as important history but I'd argue that if this were to be advertised as the best way to experience the classics, then consider the rest of what was released around that time. Mega Collection from the 2000s did a better job at what is collected.
why is it 40 dollars lol.
Yeah this compilation is mid
No i've never played it
No i've never played it
definitely my favorite way to experience these games, as i'm not great at them. i've finished sonic cd before and sonic 3 up to the final boss, so it felt good to be able to finish all 4 games with a number of options for who to play to compensate for player skill and anniversary mode so i can try as much as i want
Honestly? I loved it, true that there are some bugs there and here but they were not a big problem in my playthrough
I actually sort of feel similar about Sonic Origins that I do with Sonic Colors Ultimate. I am glad to finally experience the enhancements brought by the mobile ports of Sonic 1 and 2 officially on console and PC, with those enhancements also being applied to Sonic 3 & Knuckles - widescreen, 60FPS, smoother scrolling of objects and so on. There's also the addition of Sonic CD on modern consoles which, while not a huge deal since it was available on PC and Xbox One before being delisted, is still a nice addition to this collection. And of course, you can also choose to experience the games closer to their original versions with Classic Mode.
On top of that I do like the additions made - the Mission Mode does give some new content to these classic games and the Museum mode featuring music, illustrations and animations from throughout the series, as well as stuff like the Drop Dash being added. On top of that, I also really like the animations done as intros and outros for all the games, which especially makes playing them in the game's 'Story Mode' (in which you play all the games back to back) seem more seamless.
That said, there are some problems. There's a degree of blurriness in all of the games as a result of the game using a less than optimal integer scaling method - it isn't too noticeable, but even compared to the Sega Ages versions of Sonic 1 and 2 on the Switch, the image doesn't seem quite as sharp. And while you can play the games in 'Classic Mode' with the old lives system, you're out of luck if you want to use the old lives system with the enhancements brought by the Anniversary Mode. There's also some minor bugs that I noticed throughout the game, mostly visual, and I've heard there are some problems with the PC version due to Denuvo right now.
The issue I've seen most people talk about too is obviously with Sonic 3 & Knuckles' soundtrack in which the themes for Carnival Night, Ice Cap, and Launch Base are replaced with variations of their prototype theme. The reasoning for this is understandable, but my problem is moreso that especially for Carnival Night and Launch Base the remixes use an instrumentation that just doesn't sound very good, even compared to the original prototype themes from the Sonic 3 Beta. Super Sonic at least has it's own theme, and I do like the composition of it, but it's still let down by a Sonic 4-esque soundfont.
But above all of these, my biggest issue with this compilation is that it's $40 ($45 for the Digital Deluxe). Getting the chance to play these games again with enhancements was nice, and I do like some of the other features added, but I don't feel like it's enough to justify dropping $40 on it. In the end these games have been re-released countless times before, and especially for that price tag, I really would've liked to see more games added - maybe even some that haven't been rereleased at all like Knuckles' Chaotix or SegaSonic the Hedgehog, or hell, maybe even the Saturn version of Sonic 3D Blast or the 'Sonic World' from Sonic Jam.
As it is, it's a fine collection of some really good 2D platformers with enhancements made, but I might advise waiting for a price drop or sale in the future.
On top of that I do like the additions made - the Mission Mode does give some new content to these classic games and the Museum mode featuring music, illustrations and animations from throughout the series, as well as stuff like the Drop Dash being added. On top of that, I also really like the animations done as intros and outros for all the games, which especially makes playing them in the game's 'Story Mode' (in which you play all the games back to back) seem more seamless.
That said, there are some problems. There's a degree of blurriness in all of the games as a result of the game using a less than optimal integer scaling method - it isn't too noticeable, but even compared to the Sega Ages versions of Sonic 1 and 2 on the Switch, the image doesn't seem quite as sharp. And while you can play the games in 'Classic Mode' with the old lives system, you're out of luck if you want to use the old lives system with the enhancements brought by the Anniversary Mode. There's also some minor bugs that I noticed throughout the game, mostly visual, and I've heard there are some problems with the PC version due to Denuvo right now.
The issue I've seen most people talk about too is obviously with Sonic 3 & Knuckles' soundtrack in which the themes for Carnival Night, Ice Cap, and Launch Base are replaced with variations of their prototype theme. The reasoning for this is understandable, but my problem is moreso that especially for Carnival Night and Launch Base the remixes use an instrumentation that just doesn't sound very good, even compared to the original prototype themes from the Sonic 3 Beta. Super Sonic at least has it's own theme, and I do like the composition of it, but it's still let down by a Sonic 4-esque soundfont.
But above all of these, my biggest issue with this compilation is that it's $40 ($45 for the Digital Deluxe). Getting the chance to play these games again with enhancements was nice, and I do like some of the other features added, but I don't feel like it's enough to justify dropping $40 on it. In the end these games have been re-released countless times before, and especially for that price tag, I really would've liked to see more games added - maybe even some that haven't been rereleased at all like Knuckles' Chaotix or SegaSonic the Hedgehog, or hell, maybe even the Saturn version of Sonic 3D Blast or the 'Sonic World' from Sonic Jam.
As it is, it's a fine collection of some really good 2D platformers with enhancements made, but I might advise waiting for a price drop or sale in the future.
apparently the PC port has some issues, but i ran into no issues whatsoever in my playthrough, but i just wanna preface it with a warning to be wary of that i guess.
sonic 1, 2, and CD are pretty standard. they are pretty faithful ports of the taxman mobile versions and feel great. sonic 2 getting cut content brought back will never not be super fuckin cool. sonic 3 is by far the stand out though. this version of sonic 3 fucking ROCKS. so many little things had me excited and freaking out like the updated super sonic sprite, the new idle animation from the beta, and especially the big arm fight returning to sonics story. i also think the cutscenes are absolutely amazing, they're so charming and appealing and work so perfectly. please any future 2d sonic game you make should have these kinds of cutscenes every time they're so awesome.
the museum and mission mode are two of the biggest advertising points, and i think they're pretty solid. nothing mind blowing, i wish the museum had a bit more weird and obscure content but it's still super fun to browse. mission mode was pretty fun to grind out S ranks on but also not like a reason to buy this collection really lol.
the sonic 3 music situation is a bit of a bummer, but i'm not that beat up about it. the rest of the cool shit sonic 3 got completely makes up for it IMO.
i think this collection fucking rocks. it's my new favorite way to officially play all 4 of these games, and my dream of the mobile ports of sonic 1 and 2 coming to consoles and PC has been realized in the best way possible. maybe wait for a small price drop if you're not as much of a loser about sonic as i am but i highly recommend this collection.
sonic 1, 2, and CD are pretty standard. they are pretty faithful ports of the taxman mobile versions and feel great. sonic 2 getting cut content brought back will never not be super fuckin cool. sonic 3 is by far the stand out though. this version of sonic 3 fucking ROCKS. so many little things had me excited and freaking out like the updated super sonic sprite, the new idle animation from the beta, and especially the big arm fight returning to sonics story. i also think the cutscenes are absolutely amazing, they're so charming and appealing and work so perfectly. please any future 2d sonic game you make should have these kinds of cutscenes every time they're so awesome.
the museum and mission mode are two of the biggest advertising points, and i think they're pretty solid. nothing mind blowing, i wish the museum had a bit more weird and obscure content but it's still super fun to browse. mission mode was pretty fun to grind out S ranks on but also not like a reason to buy this collection really lol.
the sonic 3 music situation is a bit of a bummer, but i'm not that beat up about it. the rest of the cool shit sonic 3 got completely makes up for it IMO.
i think this collection fucking rocks. it's my new favorite way to officially play all 4 of these games, and my dream of the mobile ports of sonic 1 and 2 coming to consoles and PC has been realized in the best way possible. maybe wait for a small price drop if you're not as much of a loser about sonic as i am but i highly recommend this collection.
high-quality ports with some nice quality of life, just missing on or two smaller things
its mid, great collection for new fans, but im not a new fan at all.
when this was announced I was making fun of the "just download the decomps and s3air" calling them nerd emojis and stuff but honestly that may be the play here. only con being you can only get it on pc and mobile.
if you're a new fan or dont play on pc, get it. if you're not, just play the fanmade ports its just better.
when this was announced I was making fun of the "just download the decomps and s3air" calling them nerd emojis and stuff but honestly that may be the play here. only con being you can only get it on pc and mobile.
if you're a new fan or dont play on pc, get it. if you're not, just play the fanmade ports its just better.
If you'd asked me what my most-desired compilation title was, a collection of the iOS Sonic remasters + a new S3K remaster would've been high up there. And this is it! Mostly. But when you consider all the little things like the lack of CRT filter (which looked great in Sonic Mania), the inability to disable the drop dash, replacing lives with a coin economy that quickly loses relevance...it all adds up to a lackluster package. It just isn't the treatment these games deserve. And yeah, I get and understand why the music for S3 had to change, but it just doesn't feel right, you know? These are fine versions of the game, but this won't ever be my favorite way to play them. That's a real bummer, because it could've (and should've) been.
it's a good collection but man those missions made me want to kill myself and there are other ways to play this game in widescreen, but this collection isn't offensive.
RIP Tupac you would’ve loved Sonic Origins 💔
Sonic Origins ist 2022 sowohl für Langzeitfans als auch für Neueinsteiger*innen die beste Form diese vier Titel an einem Ort zu versammeln und bringt ein paar schöne Extras mit.
sonic goes fast and it was fun. My favorite way to play the classics got all achievements in two days.
While others had problems and glitches with this game, I had none, Sonic 1 2 3, and Cd all worked fine and I had a blast beating them all!
really regret purchasing this. the asking price alone should have been enough of a red flag, but I was just too curious, I guess. in an age where Sega Genesis / Mega Drive games are some of the most accessible retro games out there, you can't suddenly pull the rug out from under everyone with a bloated, style-over-substance mess of a package like this and expect nobody to notice. at least the games included are classics, right? just play them elsewhere without spending money on this.