The part of the collection that involves the classic Genesis titles is fine. Actually, it's a little more than fine, and is arguably the better way to play the original Sonic trilogy than emulating the Genesis titles. There isn't as much slowdown, instruments don't get cut off by the sound effects anymore due to CD Audio support, there's a mode that slightly rebalances the difficulty to not be as dumb (Example: They give you rings for the Sonic 2 final boss), and they even introduce the spin dash into Sonic 1. That's on top of supporting Sonic 3's lock-on gimmick, and an autosave feature so you don't have to do each game in one go. Diving into some of the bonus content, like scrapped pitches for a cartoon, or the concept art was also pretty fun. The manuals could've also been a neat addition! If they were rendered above a 144p resolution. I can't read this shit, dude.
I only lament that Sonic CD got completely robbed and isn't a part of this collection at all. Unless you count them including CD's opening as part of the bonus content, but that's just rubbing salt in the wound at that point. In general, I wonder if this collection was really worth its asking price back in the 90's. I mean, you've got no 8-bit titles, or spinoffs to speak of... just four old games with a bunch of QoL applied to them. And don't get me wrong, the QoL is very appreciated, so is the bonus content. But even back then, Sonic Jam seems like it missed a big opportunity to let this be the ultimate collection of Sonic games that were out by then, and instead settles only for the utmost necessary components instead. Is this really what Sonic fans deserved for spending their money on the Saturn, plus however much this game costed?
And I mean, you DO have Sonic World, and it's a pretty neat look into what a 3D Classic Sonic title could've looked like if they didn't go down the Adventure redesigning route. But aside from the fact that it's more of a tech demo than a real playable campaign, THIS CAMERA. Dear lord, Mario 64 had its moments here and there, but Sonic World's camera feels especially designed to fight my instincts to the bitter death. Knowing that much of Sonic World's mission structure is dependent on optimal routing of the map layout, this could've been fun if the camera was normal and allowed you to look straight ahead to see where you're heading. But it seems that everytime you start running, it forces you into this dreadful zoomed in top-down perspective that ensures you have as little awareness of the layout around you as possible. Whether this was a result of technical constraints, or just a flaw in the design choice, it makes it difficult to take the incentives of the Sonic World seriously. And its intent of a free and open space to run around in, ends up ruined by a sense of claustrophobia.
Due to Sonic Jam's unfortunate ommissions of certain Sonic titles, and its poorly executed 3D content, I can't objectively consider this a great collection when thinking about the collection that it could've been, were production on it started earlier (as in, earlier than 3 years into the console's lifespan) and been given more time to flourish. But, that's way in the past now. We should also consider the value Sonic Jam has today, especially when your most likely way to experience it will be via emulation. In that sense, if you're just looking for a good way to play the major cornerstones of Sonic's Genesis era, then Sonic Jam at least fulfills that purpose. Sure, Origins has CD, plus widescreen support... but I'd still feel safer choosing to emulate this, than forking over 30 dollars for that. At least Sonic Jam is stable.
I only lament that Sonic CD got completely robbed and isn't a part of this collection at all. Unless you count them including CD's opening as part of the bonus content, but that's just rubbing salt in the wound at that point. In general, I wonder if this collection was really worth its asking price back in the 90's. I mean, you've got no 8-bit titles, or spinoffs to speak of... just four old games with a bunch of QoL applied to them. And don't get me wrong, the QoL is very appreciated, so is the bonus content. But even back then, Sonic Jam seems like it missed a big opportunity to let this be the ultimate collection of Sonic games that were out by then, and instead settles only for the utmost necessary components instead. Is this really what Sonic fans deserved for spending their money on the Saturn, plus however much this game costed?
And I mean, you DO have Sonic World, and it's a pretty neat look into what a 3D Classic Sonic title could've looked like if they didn't go down the Adventure redesigning route. But aside from the fact that it's more of a tech demo than a real playable campaign, THIS CAMERA. Dear lord, Mario 64 had its moments here and there, but Sonic World's camera feels especially designed to fight my instincts to the bitter death. Knowing that much of Sonic World's mission structure is dependent on optimal routing of the map layout, this could've been fun if the camera was normal and allowed you to look straight ahead to see where you're heading. But it seems that everytime you start running, it forces you into this dreadful zoomed in top-down perspective that ensures you have as little awareness of the layout around you as possible. Whether this was a result of technical constraints, or just a flaw in the design choice, it makes it difficult to take the incentives of the Sonic World seriously. And its intent of a free and open space to run around in, ends up ruined by a sense of claustrophobia.
Due to Sonic Jam's unfortunate ommissions of certain Sonic titles, and its poorly executed 3D content, I can't objectively consider this a great collection when thinking about the collection that it could've been, were production on it started earlier (as in, earlier than 3 years into the console's lifespan) and been given more time to flourish. But, that's way in the past now. We should also consider the value Sonic Jam has today, especially when your most likely way to experience it will be via emulation. In that sense, if you're just looking for a good way to play the major cornerstones of Sonic's Genesis era, then Sonic Jam at least fulfills that purpose. Sure, Origins has CD, plus widescreen support... but I'd still feel safer choosing to emulate this, than forking over 30 dollars for that. At least Sonic Jam is stable.