I think it’s safe to say that Sonic Origins is by far some of the most hyped I’ve been for a video game, I love playing the classic games and as someone who doesn’t really play any video games on Steam and such, being able to play these games on my Switch was great. Now I won’t deny that this collection does have problems and I think what’s most obvious is how rushed this collection is. Stealth already opened up about their disappointment with the collection and I haven’t encountered many bugs on Switch but sometimes I would have issues with collision… which doesn’t bother me that much considering I also had those problems in the original releases but still. Furthermore, some of the stuff not added in is rather baffling, mainly the absence of time attack. I don’t really play time attack much when it comes to Sonic but the omission is still jarring. The drop dash wasn’t implemented perfectly, it sucks that some of the music for 3 and Knuckles got replaced (I will say though, I really love the music used for Launch Base), and some of the features locked behind the digital deluxe version… some make sense, others are pretty stupid. I would also be lying if I said I could wait more time if that meant putting Knuckles in Sonic CD but it’s still, again, jarring.
In spite of these problems though, I do personally think Sonic Origins remains to be one of the best legacy compilations and I consider Anniversary Mode to be the definitive official release of all the classic games. Right off the bat, all of them are in a superb 16:9 aspect ratio that resolves a lot of the screen crunch issues each game had. Lives and game overs are completely removed and replaced with a brilliant coin system that can be used to retry special stages, which is one of the greatest improvements I have seen in any remake to date. The special stages themselves have never looked better and are miles more fun and beatable then they were on Genesis, Sonic 2 ESPECIALLY. And Sonic now has the drop dash, a feature that works somewhat well for Sonic 1 and 2 and perfectly for CD and 3 and Knuckles. Not to mention there’s not really anything they took away from the Genesis counterparts while still using the stuff that made the Taxman and Stealth remakes so great. Cheat codes are still present and debug mode can be used to farm for coins, Sonic CD has both soundtracks available and Sonic 1 and 2 allows you to play as either Sonic, Tails or Knuckles, while CD allows you to play as either Sonic or Tails.
If that were all Sonic Origins added, I’d be happy with calling this collection really good and leaving it there but Origins has even more content that elevates it to something special. Every game has a boss rush, and while I’m not a fan of it personally, I can see it as a great way to test the player’s skills. Mission mode is a great addition that can keep players coming back if they wish as they try getting the highest ranks and see how to use each game’s mechanics to their fullest. The museum is absolutely superb and using coins to unlock stuff present is genius. And on top of all of that, there’s story mode, and whole game that collects all four games in one playthrough. I’m actually hoping to play this mode soon when I get the chance. Oh, and the presentation in Origins is fantastic, easily one of the best looking collections I’ve seen.
In conclusion, Super Mario 3D All-Stars found dead in a ditch.
In spite of these problems though, I do personally think Sonic Origins remains to be one of the best legacy compilations and I consider Anniversary Mode to be the definitive official release of all the classic games. Right off the bat, all of them are in a superb 16:9 aspect ratio that resolves a lot of the screen crunch issues each game had. Lives and game overs are completely removed and replaced with a brilliant coin system that can be used to retry special stages, which is one of the greatest improvements I have seen in any remake to date. The special stages themselves have never looked better and are miles more fun and beatable then they were on Genesis, Sonic 2 ESPECIALLY. And Sonic now has the drop dash, a feature that works somewhat well for Sonic 1 and 2 and perfectly for CD and 3 and Knuckles. Not to mention there’s not really anything they took away from the Genesis counterparts while still using the stuff that made the Taxman and Stealth remakes so great. Cheat codes are still present and debug mode can be used to farm for coins, Sonic CD has both soundtracks available and Sonic 1 and 2 allows you to play as either Sonic, Tails or Knuckles, while CD allows you to play as either Sonic or Tails.
If that were all Sonic Origins added, I’d be happy with calling this collection really good and leaving it there but Origins has even more content that elevates it to something special. Every game has a boss rush, and while I’m not a fan of it personally, I can see it as a great way to test the player’s skills. Mission mode is a great addition that can keep players coming back if they wish as they try getting the highest ranks and see how to use each game’s mechanics to their fullest. The museum is absolutely superb and using coins to unlock stuff present is genius. And on top of all of that, there’s story mode, and whole game that collects all four games in one playthrough. I’m actually hoping to play this mode soon when I get the chance. Oh, and the presentation in Origins is fantastic, easily one of the best looking collections I’ve seen.
In conclusion, Super Mario 3D All-Stars found dead in a ditch.