Sonic Origins

The removal of the rather stingy lives/continues system makes them much friendlier experiences. There’s no getting to the end boss, choking, and having to start over. While the games in Sonic Origins were obviously designed around them, the existence of lives in video games was mostly just to make sure we couldn’t rent games and beat them overnight. That’s not really a reality anymore. Corporations have new and exciting ways to make children suffer. They don’t need our dusty old methods.

While the music changes and audio mishaps are disappointing, the Sonic Origins package is terrific overall. Having the best versions of the classic Sonic saga in one bundle is supremely satisfying, and Anniversary Mode’s enhancements make the experience of playing through them more enjoyable than ever before. Even in a gaming landscape where most of these games are already available to download on every platform, Sonic Origins is a worthwhile package.

Sonic Origins does a lot right. It looks and sounds wonderful, all the games look as good as they always did if not better in some cases, and there’s new stuff here for older fans to enjoy. Heck, there’s even new courses for Blue Spheres fans. It looks the part of a collection that celebrates the best of Sonic, yet it doesn’t manage to justify that price tag.

I know a lot of my problems with Sonic Origins sound like nitpicks, but I adore these games and I want to see them restored and presented with joy and reverence as the masterpieces they are--not tainted with frivolous DLC that should be unlockables and lackluster presentation. Sonic Origins comes close to being the definitive classic Sonic experience, but stumbles just before the finish line.