Info about Sonic Origins - Plus Expansion Pack:

Official game description:
For current owners of Sonic Origins, complete your experience with the Plus Expansion Pack, which features 12 Sonic Game Gear titles, playable Knuckles in Sonic CD, and for the first time ever, Amy Rose as a playable character in Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Sonic CD!  
This pack also includes the Classic Music Pack and Premium Fun Pack, which contain Extreme Missions, Mirror Mode, additional screen borders, new character animations in menus, added music from other Sonic titles, and more!

Release date: Jun 22, 2023

Categories: 2D Platformer, Action Platformer, Classic-style Gameplay, Retro, Side-scrolling, Speedrunning, Collectathon

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 65; verdict: Aggressive Monetization; summary: 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.
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: 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.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence consistently suggests that users find the base game and its DLC to be overpriced at full price. Many users recommend waiting for a sale, with specific mentions of $5 being a reasonable price. The general sentiment is that the game is only worth purchasing at a significant discount, indicating that the community considers the fair price to be much lower than the current full price.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 5.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 0.1h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provided gives some insight into the playtime metrics for the Sonic Origins - Plus Expansion Pack. The first quote suggests that the DLC adds around 5 hours of content, which can be considered as the typical time to finish the additional content provided by the DLC. The second and third quotes indicate that the Game Gear games included in the DLC are generally short, often not exceeding the 1-hour mark, and some are only interesting for a few minutes. This suggests that the session length for these games is relatively short.
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes:
  - Nostalgic Franchise Fan (sale)
    - Motivation: Nostalgia and love for the Sonic franchise.
    - Playstyle: Replaying classic games with a focus on familiar characters and levels.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: hardcore Sonic fans; old players
    - Reference games: Sonic 1; Sonic 2; Sonic 3 & Knuckles
  - Critical Value Seeker (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Seeking value for money and a well-optimized gaming experience.
    - Playstyle: Focused on finding games that offer a smooth and bug-free experience at a reasonable price.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: value-conscious gamers; critical players
    - Reference games: Sonic Origins Plus
  - Skeptical Consumer (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Avoiding exploitative practices and seeking fair treatment as consumers.
    - Playstyle: Cautious and selective about purchases, often waiting for sales or better deals.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: savvy consumers; skeptical gamers
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Amy Rose as playable character (weight 0.97): 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 (weight 0.7): 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 (weight 0.33): 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 (weight 0.18): 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 (weight 0.16): The support for multiplayer, save anywhere feature, and other enhancements like the drop dash ability and unlockable content are well-received by players.

Common complaints:
- DLC pricing concerns (weight 0.58): 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 (weight 0.51): 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 (weight 0.48): 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 (weight 0.44): 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 (weight 0.43): Amy's implementation is criticized for being lackluster and rushed. Players find her moveset uninspired and underpowered, making her less interesting to play.
- General dissatisfaction with the purchase (weight 0.4): There is a general sentiment of dissatisfaction with the purchase, with many players feeling that the content is not worth the price and that they have been misled or scammed.
- Preference for Master System versions (weight 0.37): Players express a strong preference for Master System versions of games over Game Gear versions, citing superior quality and better gameplay experience. The absence of Master System versions is a common complaint.
- Unfair treatment of early purchasers (weight 0.37): Early purchasers and those who bought the Deluxe edition feel punished by having to pay additional costs for new content. This is seen as unfair and a betrayal of their support.
- Missing features and options (weight 0.19): Players note the absence of various settings and options in Game Gear games, such as manuals, anniversary modes, and the ability to disable certain moves like Spin Dash and Drop Dash.
- Forced character selections (weight 0.09): In certain games, players are forced to play as specific characters, such as Sonic & Tails in Sonic 1 and Knuckles and Tails in Sonic 2, which limits their gameplay choices.
- Repeated releases of Sonic 1 (weight 0.09): Players are tired of Sega's repeated releases of Sonic 1, feeling that it is a cash grab rather than a meaningful addition to their gaming library.

Gameplay feedback:
- Amy as a playable character (weight 0.57): 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 (weight 0.35): 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 (weight 0.25): 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 (weight 0.17): 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 (weight 0.16): 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.
- Character debuts and additions (weight 0.15): The addition of characters like Knuckles and Amy, as well as their debut in specific game eras, is noted by players. These characters bring unique gameplay elements and additional content.
- Variety of game genres (weight 0.13): The collection offers a variety of game genres, including maze games like Sonic Labyrinth and exploration-focused games like Tails Adventure. This diversity is well-received by players.
- Encore mode changes (weight 0.05): Encore mode introduces changes to the lives system and color palettes, providing a fresh experience for players.
- Classic Music Pack issue (weight 0.05): Players have noted that the Classic Music Pack does not play in missions or levels, which is a point of frustration.
- Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (weight 0.04): The gameplay of Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is mentioned, highlighting the variety of game types included in the collection.
- Anniversary edition changes (weight 0.04): The anniversary edition introduces various changes and new content, which are noted by players.
- Review bombing mention (weight 0.04): A mention of the collection being a near one-to-one port, which could be seen as a negative point by some players.

Performance notes:
- Game Gear emulation issues (weight 0.39): 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 (weight 0.24): 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 (weight 0.24): 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.

Recommendations:
- Buy game and DLC on sale (weight 0.18): 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 (weight 0.05): 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 (weight 0.04): 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.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.35): Players are disappointed due to several key issues with the DLC. The primary concerns include the high pricing and lack of value, poor quality of Game Gear games, and performance issues such as crashes and emulation problems. Additionally, the absence of Master System or Genesis versions and the perceived lack of effort in providing quality content have contributed to this sentiment.
- Frustration (weight 0.21): Frustration stems from the pricing and exclusivity of certain characters like Knuckles, as well as performance issues and bugs introduced by the DLC. Players also feel misled by the removal of Amy and the poor quality of Game Gear emulation, coupled with the lack of quality-of-life improvements and additional costs for previous owners.
- Anger (weight 0.13): Anger is primarily driven by the pricing strategy and the perception of greedy business practices by SEGA. Players feel cheated by the inclusion of certain content in the DLC and the requirement for online connectivity, along with poor optimization and bugs.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.11): Satisfaction comes from the additional content provided in the DLC, including playable characters like Amy Rose and the variety of Game Gear titles. Players appreciate the overall quality and new games, as well as the simplified purchase options and the value of the expansion pack.
- Happiness (weight 0.05): Happiness is derived from the inclusion of new characters like Amy and Knuckles, as well as the fun gameplay mechanics and additional content. Players enjoy the simplified purchase options and the overall value of the expansion pack.
- Disappointed (weight 0.04): Players are disappointed with Amy being a reskin of Sonic and the poor controls of the Game Gear versions. The sound being out of sync and the use of Game Gear versions instead of other versions also contribute to this sentiment.
- Excitement (weight 0.04): Excitement is generated by the ability to play as Amy and Knuckles in Sonic CD. Players are thrilled about the additional content and the new playable characters.
- Happy (weight 0.02): Happiness comes from enjoying the addition of Game Gear games and playing as Amy. Players appreciate the extra missions and the overall enjoyment of the additional content.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.02): Enjoyment is derived from the fun gameplay mechanics of Amy and the new title screen. Players find Amy's gameplay particularly engaging and enjoyable.
- Angry (weight 0.01): Anger is driven by the feeling of being scammed by the DLC pricing. Players feel that the pricing is unfair and does not reflect the value of the content provided.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the game comes from the enjoyment of playing as Amy and Knuckles. Players appreciate the new playable characters and the fun gameplay mechanics.}