Is this the year of the retro collection? Taito Milestones and Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection have already come along, and the upcoming TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection is hotly anticipated. Sega wants in on that classic compilation action too, as Sonic Origins now has a firm release date of June this year. Alongside the release date and opening of the preorders are new details about what the collection of 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehog games will contain.
Sonic Origins is a collection of the mainline Sonic titles that were originally released for the Sega Genesis.
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- Sonic 3 & Knuckles
- Sonic CD
Of the four, Sonic 2 is the only one to feature 2-player local co-op. In Sonic 2, a second player can take control of Tails at any time. Hey, Tails was in the Sonic 2 movie!
Features:
- Classic Mode: Go old school with the Classic Mode and experience the multi-game collection of legacy Sonic games in their retro form with classic challenges. This mode features the original game presentation and will play in the classic finite live and game over style.
- Anniversary Mode: The Anniversary Mode provides a full screen display and offers players an infinite number of lives to keep the fun going without any game overs.
- Missions, Medallions and Museum: Put your skills to the test and earn medallions by competing for various missions throughout the games. Players can spend medallions to unlock new content from the vault, try the Special Stage and more.
- Reset, Reloaded and Remastered: All-new visual presentation, animation, and enhancements for the current generation. Experience the excitement as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles.
Those features all sound great; many gamers will love the widescreen display of Anniversary Mode. Sonic CD previously received similar enhancements when it got released on consoles, PC, and mobile back in 2011.
While Sonic Origins undoubtedly sounds like a fine collection (and the first time in several years that Sonic & Knuckles has been re-released in some form), there has been some mild controversy regarding the game’s preorder bonuses and deluxe edition. Here’s what you get from the various editions and preordering:
Digital Pre-Order Bonus:
- 100 Medallion Bonus
- Mirror Mode Unlocked
- Letter Box (Mega Drive Pattern)
Sonic Origins - Digital Standard – $39.99
- Main Game
Sonic Origins – Digital Deluxe – $44.99
- Main Game
- Difficult Missions Added
- Letter Box
- Characters in Main Menu
- Island Camera on Main Menu
- Character Animation in Music Playback
- Exclusive Tracks from Mega Drive Titles
Sonic Origins – Premium & Classic Sound Packs – $3.99
Basically, the Digital Deluxe Edition comes with some nice bonuses, though several of the items listed are things that players might expect to come with the game by default. What do you think, Sonic fans?
Sonic Origins will launch on June 23. Preorder the Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam versions now. Switch preorders should open soon.