I REALLY like this game; I only won't give it a 5 star is because I believe there was too much time split between them to make the story seem really scattered at times; I do believe that both stories could've been their own games but I think they're both very very solid.

Even if it was a HUGE game and it took me nearly 5 months to complete due to how busy I've gotten been, it shouldn't take anyone that long normally.

Highly recommend for anyone to play this game; RGG delivered once again for a fantastic experience.

(This review was written for Steam first and is in the context of it being on PC.)

Sonic Origins is a very; polarizing title to say the least. Between it being announced nearly 3 years before it had a release date was quite an interesting move and the DLC roadmap image [imgur.com] and then on launch; it came out the Headcanon team came out and said they didn’t turn in what was released and weren’t too happy about it. Origins really didn’t have a lot going for it for existing fans; however what this collection was made for and marketed towards, parents who watched the Sonic Movie with their kids and wanted a way to replay classic games from their childhood; Origin was and kinda is perfect for that niche.


I’ll cut to the chase; Sonic Origins is a good value in two situations; if you have a Steam Deck or just hate “setting up” emulators or fan ports of these games.


However this only effects PC; if you’re on console this is a great value for a game; since there isn’t really any options.


So lets talk about like; the game itself now right?


Sonic Origins is a collection of 4 Genesis titles (+12 Emulated Game Gear games with Plus), under the Retro Engine, developed by Christian Whitehead, a legend in the Sonic space who needs no introduction; they’re all upgraded with full widescreen support in the Anniversary mode or you can keep the og 4:3 in Classic mode; “””new””” playable characters (Amy with Plus) and last but not least the new Story mode that was added to play all 4 games back-to-back in story order. Sonic Origins also comes with tons and tons of goodies that you can unlock with coins you find through out the game and honestly for new and old Sonic fans; it’s always nice seeing them bundle in concept art, music tracks, etc. While it isn’t as cool as Generations was; it’s still a neat touch for them to include a lot of 90s Sonic art and even new Classic Sonic art.


With brand new animated cut-scenes to boot they are by far one of the best parts of this game; they are just usually eye candy to look at, and the Sonic CD intro was upscaled but it looks nice; sure as hell way better than what ever they did to Persona 3 Portables upscaling… sheesh.


They all look really nice! I mean to be fair they didn’t change much in this port with the Mobile ports that came out before looked the exact same since they’re using the same engine; but I will say; the anti-aliasing enabled in game can look really weird? Not bad; just strange.


They all control as you would expect; nothing really new here other than in all 4 games Sonic now has the Drop Dash. Like it or not it’s here to stay and it doesn’t seem it’s going away anytime soon. Sonic 3 doesn’t benefit that much from it since it was planned to be in it originally anyways, so it feels natural to put back in, Sonic 1 gets a much needed speed up with it, and Sonic 2 just feels even better with how already fast that game is. However; this and I’m not trying to oversell this to you; it shatters CD apart; since you can just find a semi-flat space in any level and just drop dash back and forth all challenge of finding a spot to Time Travel is just gone; while this makes the game better for a lot of people since it’s even less maze like and faster some people don’t like it and want to be able to disable it (you cannot in any of the games; either in Anniversary or Classic mode.) but; alas we live in a post-Sonic Mania world and it’s effects will be here forever.


Sonic Origins big improvement in the gameplay department I think benefits ‘em all; is the fact you can retry special stages using the coins you collect. In the case of Sonic 2 which stages I personally despise this was a life changing feature to make that game a lot more enjoyable getting all the chaos emeralds; so very very good move devs.


By far the biggest downgrade and just lame-o feature is that Sonic 1, CD, and 2 are downgraded to the original Genesis versions; the biggest omission from all of them are multiple save files in each of em; so you can save progress between characters; since in Origins if you wanna change characters and mess around with someone else; you better be ready to restart the entire game! Only Sonic 3 has kept it’s save data system since it’s just already included in the game.


As for the 100%? It’s not really that hard. The achievements for the most part are piss easy and you’ll get them as you play and beat each game; the only parts that suck are some of the challenges just kinda are not that fun and will take a lot of grind to get good at and beat the gimmick they’re hittin you with; and getting all the collectibles is something you’ll do while playing the games and doing all the missions.


Honestly? The whole part that this collection is good and brings native widescreen and cool collectibles to the table is why it kinda hurts me to not recommend it; at least for PC, if you’re on console it’s a no brainer purchase if you’re a Sonic Fan; but since we’re here on Steam; yeah, it’s just not worth it to the other options you have on a computer, but if you want the easiest, no mods, cross saves for you Steam Deck already set up, to play all the classic Sonic games it really is a no brainer purchase; but I’d recommend saving your dollars for a better Sonic game.


Overall, I just; can’t recommend this for someone that is looking to get the best bang for their buck.
If you’re a 100% nerd like me; Sonic 3 A.I.R has tons of achievements; just go for those instead of this.

I have a long story with this game; I played the DX port on my Xbox 360 during a huge blizzard from school; so I had like around a week to myself, and I SUCKED at it. I never got past beating Sonic and Tails story because I couldn't beat Knuckles (I didn't know as a kid for some reason you could play them out of order.) but I still really enjoyed it.

Now as a adult playing this game on Steam with BetterSADX and the original Dreamcast game; I can for sure say this is my favorite game ever made. The story is very campy for sure and the English voice acting doesn't help; but yet; it's still an interesting story for what it is. This game has set the gold standard for Sonic games for plot and character arcs; setting up the personalities we've known till this day. Sonic being a cocky-goofball but yet still caring and showing compassion for his friends, Tails wanting to prove to Sonic and everyone that he can be strong and independent, Knuckles simple-minded but strong loyalty to protecting the Master Emerald, and Gamma honestly being probably a top 3 campaign. You won't be disappointed by this games story.

The gameplay is probably my favorite part of this game; while each Sonic game type has it's own jank; hell even the jump from Adventure 1 to 2 has it's own learning curve; but I don't think I've had more fun speedrunning levels as Sonic, Tails, etc. The broken spin-dash Sonic is a key part of his kit and it makes getting to his top speed so much fun; I think only rivaled by the boost in Unleashed and Gens. The level design is fantastic; same goes for all 3 Adventure style games, This, Adventure 2, and Sonic 2006. Speed Highway and Red Mountain for Sonic come to mind instantly for great level design; even the Knuckles hunts are very well made for their first time; if I had to pick one thing to criticize is that I wish there was more level design variety.

Art direction wise? It's by far the part of the game that hasn't aged well but; it's charming in it's own whole different way. Just standing around Emerald Coast looking at the open sea; Speed Highways impressive scale that only Empire City from Unleashed can compare to. It's that 90s vibe that people still want in games visually and I personally love... the soundtrack is another very very strong part of this game; every character theme song is iconic & catchy.. especially the level songs!

All around; I do believe everyone should play this version of the game, DX just does too much to harm the atmosphere this game built back in 1998 that still reigns to the top of most video games, with the charm, music, and art direction it has.

Really really love this game. Please play it.

Great story as always from RGG; start is a lil slow and some side plots are dropped much too early for them to cook well enough; but the gameplay carries this game to make up for the much shorter run time.
The coliseum returns and it's the best it's been; I haven't finished all of it yet but I do plan on returning to it soon, I sadly didn't try Pocket Racer but I do know alot of people have had fun playing it.
The only unfortunate thing is this game is sadly behind quite a large story wall; as you've needed to play nearly all of the Yakuza games (the only exception is 4) to fully understand the references and the ending of the game. If you're a RGG fan that's played all of the games to this point I fully recommend it but if you're new; avoid this game for now until you've played all the games before it.

I feel like this game gets too much hate for what it did for the yakuza franchise as a whole. To be honest it's a top 3 story in the Yakuza series for me, and the entire cast of characters doesn't disappoint what so ever. Dragon Engine makes it debut here and it's the biggest mixed bag for most people that play this game. However I really enjoy Dragon Engine combat over what we had previously; so I did really enjoy how this game felt, even if Kiryu got way to powerful way to quickly; that's the main problem of this game I can really think of is that most of the game is a cake walk if you just do the main story. Not to mention the side game most people forget exist; Clan Creator. I really enjoyed it in this game; I did the entire storyline pretty quickly; won't take you more than 7 hours to complete it all if you know what you're doing.

Overall; Yakuza 6 feels like a better Yakuza 3; tropical setting and all.

This is probably nearly peak Yakuza. The gameplay is super solid and this is when we started getting crazy side modes; Taxi Driving and Hunting mainly; I spent nearly 30 hours just on Kiryus part alone because of the Taxi substory; for this game I'd highly recommend doing as much as you can side content wise; it really does add to the overall package. But to be honest, the 2nd of the game doesn't do it as well for me, Harukas story isn't that good until Akiyama shows up, and Shinada isn't that fun of a character to play for me. If the 2nd half went as hard as the first half and final chapter it would be the best game in the franchise imo.

This to me is the worst game in the Yakuza series. not from a gameplay standpoint; but mostly from a story standpoint. It's no secret the story had to be rushed and it really shows near the tail end of the story. The first half with Akiyama and Saejima and learning more of Majimas past was great and all, but I couldn't tell you a single important thing that came out of this game in the overall lore of the franchise other than the introduction of Akiyama and Saejima. Tanimura is a pretty alright character, his sub stories do a great job showing off his character, but his overall story just blows; Kiryus part is basically a whole nothing burger, he could've easily not been in this game and it would honestly be the exact same.

TLDR; gameplay as great as always for a yakuza game with it's side content and all, but wow I really didn't like the story.

This review was written by someone who has 100%ed this game.

Sonic Lost World is a mixed bag of a game.

It has a lot of creative and amazing ideas going for it, held back by some mediocre gameplay and execution. The story is quite simple compared to some previous games, but not more so than Generations. Sonic and Eggman are at it again, this time in a whole new world called the “Lost Hex”, up against new foes: the Deadly Six, the poster children of this game and where it’s main criticisms come from. This game feels a lot like a Mario game, more than a Sonic game from a gameplay and story perspective.

It’s much slower and linear like a 2D Mario game, instead of the full 3D Sonic games we’re used to. Gone is the boost, the open levels of Adventure & Unleashed, most gameplay gimmicks from Colors except the Wisps for some reason, and the polish of Generations. It feels like Sonic Team’s melting pot of ideas that they decided to make, which succeeds a few times, but also fails sometimes. Tropical Coast Zone 3 with the grind-rails being a huge example of this game having some of the best of Sonic’s levels in any game, but also some of the worst, Silent Forest Zone 2 and it’s owls, moving platforms and magenta Wisp being an example of worst.

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Let’s talk about the gameplay. The 2 biggest changes of this game is the removal of the boost, the addition of a Run button (not boost, but so Sonic can actually go at a top speed), and revival of the Spin Dash, which is nice to have it back in 3D, (we haven’t properly had it since 06). But work together very well, since the game is built with those in mind. If you go in with the expectation that you’ll have a more chillax, slower Sonic game with one of the best soundtracks Sonic’s ever had, you’ll have a good time playing the game.

The levels start off great! Windy Hill, Desert Ruins, and Tropical Coast are all amazing worlds, but afterwards, they start to fall off in quality afterwards in some ways, with Slient Forest being my least favorite. But one thing that ties these all together are that they are very, very generic world themes that Mario’s been using for years. Doesn’t help at all that they are all in the same order. It makes looking at the world map feel very bland. The Deadly Six fall into this category as well, with feeling like Koopaling clones with their bare-bones personalities, not being very interesting to follow along except Zavok, since he’s the one they poured the most work into.

The story is where this game mostly falls apart. Sonic is stupid and doesn’t think or listen to others before he does stuff, very unlike Sonic compared to Adventure 1 & 2. Tails is better in this game than he is in Forces, actually having a personality other than being incapable of doing anything by himself. Eggman is by far the most interesting part of this game, up until the end with the cheap twist. They really show how intelligent he really is, as well as his more human side. He’s more grounded and somewhat intimidating in some scenes, like when he threatens to kill the Zeti in Frozen Factory.

100%ing this game, is not too bad. It’s just collecting Red Rings and completing the missions, which is the most frustrating part of the 100%, but not even close as bad as it was in Forces, with some of the missions being really unique and challenging to go for.

All around, I’d recommend this game. It has some soul in it, which is hard to come by in some Sonic game nowadays, with Forces mainly. It’s a fun romp, but way overpriced for what it’s worth. I’d recommend getting a cheap Steam key or waiting for a sale.

This review is written by someone who has 100%ed this game. This feels like the longest and most painful 100% I've done for a Sonic game.

Sonic Forces had a lot going for it in concept. Dr. Eggman winning and conquering the world, something we only get to see a little of. Infinite seeming to be a cool villain but turning out to be a plot hole mess that shows how much the writers know about the games they are writing for.

Sonic feels as soulless as ever as a character, now a shell of his former self from even Colors, instead of being a smug dude that knows he's saved the world countless times over, but doesn't brag about it, he lets his achievements and talents speak for themselves. Even after saving the world, all he cared about was his friends.

I could go on for this whole review about how the story and character writing of this game is a mess, but I won't get much deeper into it, since that's a horse well beaten by the rest of the community that feels the same as me.

I'll more be focusing on the gameplay itself and how Sonic Team dropped the ball even with the time crunching they had to do. All of Sonic Adventure 2 was time crunched, and it's considered a masterpiece by most gamers alike, not just Sonic fans, it's truly unacceptable how this game turned out.

Let's start with the main gimmick of Forces, the Avatar.

The avatar is a no brainer for a Sonic game to sell, it's kinda interesting how just now we're getting this feature in Sonic with how massive the community loves to create their custom characters, OCs if you will.

The Avatar's main attack is through the use of Wispons, weapons that use the Wisps from the previous Sonic games. They're not arm canons, in a similar vein to Mega Man's Mega Buster, and have their own unique abilities that fit each Wisp. I won't go into detail about them here since they are a mixed bag in terms of utility.

Their main movement feels similar to Modern Sonic, with full 3D movement, and 2D platformer sections to focus on more challenging platforming, and allowing the Wisps to have their abilities shine. The main problem I have with the Avatar is the same problem Modern Sonic has: they feel too stiff. I usually play all of the Sonic games on keyboard, but they felt uncontrollable in some sections while going for Red Rings, so I felt forced to switch to Controller, which improved things a little, but the main problem of stiff movement is still there.

A problem isolated to the Avatar is that the jump feels very unnatural and floaty. I feel unable to control my momentum while in the air. While on the topic of the jumping and platforming, the level design of the Avatar is very hit or miss sometimes. The early stages are fine enough, they teach you how to use this new character just fine, but lacking in terms of challenge or memorability. The later stages get much more extreme in that regard, with some stages having really cool ideas that work! An example would be Stage 4, Prison Hall. The setting is good, the music is just right to keep you going fast, and the platforming feels fun and engaging throughout the stage.

Overall, the Avatar is a good addition to the game, but could've done with more polish.

Now onto the star of the show, Modern Sonic (who I'll refer to as just Sonic in this section from now on) himself. He feels quite similar to the Avatar but now having the Boost that we all love or hate and a improved jump, but missing the midair control from the other games. He feels like he was plucked straight from Lost World, not able to hit his top speed when going left to right, and it also shows in the 2D sections, the only time you can hit his top speed without the boost on a dash-pad. His acceleration feels very wonky compared to the other boost games, feeling very sudden compared to Unleashed and Generations.

His levels are some of the best in the game, which is no contest due to it being something we’re very familiar with and not needing crazy level design to achieve an amazing feeling, but most of the levels apart from Sunset Heights feel dull and forgettable. Compared to Colors, the sense of speed you lack in this game really is jarring. The feeling of true speed when running in Planet Wisp Act 1 while drifting, wall running and rail grinding, is now totally lost in the game. Another odd design choice I’ve noticed while playing the game is that his speed feels capped in the grind rail sections just like Lost World, evidence that shows that they just took Lost World Sonic and plopped him into the normal boost games, which is odd since they basically carried the same Sonic from Unleashed for Colors (minus some moves) and Generations. This Sonic feels hollow and a shell of Sonic used to be, now having his Drift, Air Dash, Light Speed Dash, & Wall Jump (which the avatar has now only for some reason?) removed entirely from the game, making his gameplay much more limited than any other game.

Overall, Modern Sonic is the best part of Forces, while also being a depressing reminder of how far down we’ve fallen since Generations.

Now onto the final playable character in Forces, making his return from Generations: Classic Sonic (Santiago).

He feels very different from how he was in Mania, and not in a good way. He had the same problem in Generations where he didn’t feel exactly faithful to the Genesis games, but he felt much much better in his previous outing than he does in this game, along with the stages being much more creative in Generations than they are in Forces. “Death Egg: Death Egg & Green Hill: Green Hill” are some of the best examples of the “quality” of the stages in his sections.

Onto the 2nd and final part of this review, the 100% completion of the game.

This is by far the worst game I’ve 100%ed in my life, it’s very, VERY bloated with unnecessary collectibles, and missions. There are 3 sets of level collectibles Red Rings, Number Rings, and Silver Moon Medals. The missions are mostly for collecting avatar cosmetics and more Wispons, but you can beat the whole game with the stock Burst.

The main issue I have with the collectibles in the stages are the fact there are way too many of them. 120 Red Rings is fine, that’s 60 less than what Sonic Colors had, but ontop of that you now have 5 Number Rings to collect and 5 timed Silver Moon Medals you have to get all in one go or you have to reset the stage/die. It’s bloat that was completely unneeded that just stretched the game out to make the $40 “worth it” for the 100% crowd. Not to mention the 100,000 rings achievement that took up the biggest chunk of my time, Stage 25 is the cheat code for that achievement if you want to get it. The biggest change I’d make to the 100% process is to not make the avatar equipment/cosmetics required and the Red Rings to be the only collectible in stages.

All around, I would not recommend this game from a normal gameplay standpoint due to the pitiful playtime of 2 hours to beat the main story, and around 30 hours for a normal player to 100% the game with frustrating missions, collectibles and achievements to fully beat it.