Sonic Origins - Plus Expansion Pack Review Summary

Amy Rose as playable character: Players appreciate the addition of Amy Rose as a playable character in all four classic Sonic games. Her unique moveset, including hammer attacks and special abilities, adds variety and fun to the gameplay.

Inclusion of Game Gear games: The addition of 12 Game Gear games is highly valued by players. These games are seen as a nice bonus and provide an official way to play these classic titles on modern platforms.

Variety of game types and content: The inclusion of various game types, additional challenges, music, and missions adds depth and replayability to the collection. Players appreciate the variety and the extra content provided.

Nostalgia and preservation: Players appreciate the nostalgia factor and the official preservation of classic Sonic games. The collection is seen as a good value for the price.

Multiplayer and additional features: The support for multiplayer, save anywhere feature, and other enhancements like the drop dash ability and unlockable content are well-received by players.

DLC pricing concerns: The pricing of the DLC is a major concern, with many players feeling it is overpriced and not worth the cost. There is a sentiment that the DLC should be free or at least cheaper.

Game Gear games have technical issues: Game Gear games suffer from various technical problems including small screens, choppy gameplay, limited save states, poor audio quality, and a squished aspect ratio. These issues significantly detract from the gaming experience.

Game Gear games are poor ports: Many Game Gear titles are considered inferior to their Master System counterparts and are seen as poor ports with various performance issues. Players feel these versions lack polish and are not worth the price.

Knuckles in Sonic CD issues: Knuckles in Sonic CD is criticized for not being included in the base game and only being playable with additional DLC. Players feel this content should have been part of the original release.

Poor implementation of Amy: Amy's implementation is criticized for being lackluster and rushed. Players find her moveset uninspired and underpowered, making her less interesting to play.

Amy as a playable character: Players appreciate Amy Rose being a playable character with her unique moveset, including the use of her Piko Piko Hammer for attacks like Hammer Spin and Hammer Rush. Her mechanics are similar to Sonic's but with some variations, such as a drop dash and instashield.

Game Gear versions and differences: The Game Gear versions of Sonic games are noted for their differences from the Sega Genesis counterparts, often feeling like prototypes and including unique mini-games. These versions were independently developed due to 8-bit hardware limitations.

Additional challenges and content: Players enjoy the additional challenges, missions, and extra games included in the collection. New content such as music, collectibles, and a 'Surprise' option in the Missions section add variety.

Unique character movesets: Characters like Amy and Knuckles have unique movesets and mechanics. Amy's moveset is similar to Sonic's but with her own gimmick abilities, while Knuckles has unique routes in games like Sonic CD.

Spin Dash and Drop Dash mechanics: The inclusion of Spin Dash and Drop Dash mechanics in various games is appreciated by players. These mechanics are often enhanced or adapted for different characters.

Game Gear emulation issues: Players report that Game Gear games have poor emulation quality, including blurry visuals, demonic audio crunching, terrible filters, weird black borders, and screen crunching. Performance issues were noted, although some improvements were seen after an update.

Performance and framerate problems: The game suffers from choppy gameplay, stuttering frames, and general framerate issues. Specific titles like Sonic Spinball have low framerate and inconsistent performance.

Audio quality and synchronization: There are significant audio issues, including echo, horribly broken audio, sound synchronization problems, and audio ducking/clipping. The overall sound quality in some games is reported as poor.

Buy game and DLC on sale: Multiple reviewers suggest purchasing the game and its DLC during a sale for better value. This is particularly recommended for those who haven't bought any DLC previously.

Prefer classic platformers with mods: Some players recommend playing classic platformers with an Amy Rose mod instead of this game, indicating a preference for modded classic experiences over the current offering.

Requesting refunds due to dissatisfaction: A few reviews express strong dissatisfaction, with players stating they are getting a refund and suggesting others do the same if they purchased the game.

Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00.

Game completion: 5.0h.

Session length: 0.1h.

Nostalgic Franchise Fan: Replaying classic games with a focus on familiar characters and levels. Motivation: Nostalgia and love for the Sonic franchise. Stance: sale.

Critical Value Seeker: Focused on finding games that offer a smooth and bug-free experience at a reasonable price. Motivation: Seeking value for money and a well-optimized gaming experience. Stance: deep sale.

Skeptical Consumer: Cautious and selective about purchases, often waiting for sales or better deals. Motivation: Avoiding exploitative practices and seeking fair treatment as consumers. Stance: deep sale.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback reveals significant issues with Denuvo Anti-tamper, leading to performance problems and user dissatisfaction. Additionally, there is a notable lack of quality improvements and upscaling, which affects the overall user experience. Pricing and DLC content availability have also been points of frustration for users.

Monetization: The user reviews indicate significant dissatisfaction with the DLC for Sonic Origins. The primary concerns are that the DLC content feels like it was intentionally cut from the base game to be sold separately, the DLC is overpriced for the content it offers, and users feel they are being double-charged for content that should have been included in the base game or previous DLC purchases. These issues contribute to a perception of predatory monetization practices.