Sonic: What’s the best game from Sonic?

Sega Genesis was the first platform to release Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991. Sega quickly made Sonic a household name and began to sell many sequels and other games. Sonic Origins, a collection of a few of these classic games, was released more than 30 years ago. It’s a wonderful way for Sega Genesis fans to revisit old favorites. Sonic was a huge deal for newcomers in this instance.

Sonic Origins includes four games from the original franchise: Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic CD), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sonic the Hedgehog 2), and Sonic 3 & Knuckles (Sonic 3 & Knuckles). There are many ways to play the games available from the beginning. The classic mode, which is the most common of these games, offers a 4 to 3 screen format. Anniversary and classic modes both offer widescreen presentations, unlimited lives, and the possibility to collect coins. The coins can unlock new items, such as music and concept art. However, players can play as Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was my favorite game as a child. I loved playing as Knuckles. Thanks to the “lock-on”, I’ve enjoyed playing as Knuckles and I hope I can keep doing that.

(Photo: Sega)

A new story mode may be available that allows players to change the characters or ends the game. Sega also created animated cutscenes to promote the hybrid concept. Although it is a great idea and the cutscenes look fantastic, it doesn’t make it any more enjoyable to play. There were some strange choices made. Sonic is the first character to be featured in the series since Hedgehog 2. Also, the original Sonic CD animated sequence has been preserved. This awkward juxtaposition sees a new animated sequence play directly before another sequence. Sega made an intelligent decision by including all new animated sequences in each mode. This allows the user to easily play through the story mode.

Sonic Origins contains a great selection of games. As with Sonic the Hedgehog 2, I noticed in a piece that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has aged a lot more gracefully than Sonic the Hedgehog 2. He believed that the game’s ring was too rude and that enemy placement was impolite. This is a fact that many Sonic fans know, since the original Sonic games have been available on numerous platforms. There were three ways to play Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on Nintendo Switch alone before this collection was released. Even though the old bells will still be there, this collection is a bit unnecessary.

However, not all games in this collection are as simple as they appear on modern platforms like Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Sonic 3 and Knuckles, in fact, are two games: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (or Sonic & Knuckles). Although the two games were originally released on Genesis separately, subsequent releases have combined them as intended. Sonic 3 & Knuckles was delayed for a few years due to legal issues. Sega has changed the music to include Sonic Origins. However, it’s been a while since I first played Genesis of these games so it’s hard to assess the quality of the tracks. Sonic 3 & Knuckles, however, is a wonderful addition, and I’m glad it’s here.

These four games are excellent. They’re still very mature thirty years later. Sonic Origins is the best way to resurrect them or play them for the first-time. The Sonic Team played a completely different game after the last four games. Sonic long-time fans will need to decide if the extras and changes in the collection are worth it. Sega’s new Sonic games will, of course, deliver similar packages, as Sonic Origins was released. If a company decides that the Sonic Advance games should be treated similarly, I’ll be first in line.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

Sonic Origins will be available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on June 23rd. This review was done using the base-model PlayStation 4 as the platform.